Hi everyone,
I hope you are enjoying the summer. When not swimming with my kids or walking the dog, I am busily preparing lessons and activities for the coming fall. As you know, I am filling in as the 4th grade teacher in Mrs. Nolte's room this year, while she takes some time to enjoy her growing family. I feel very furtunate to be joining such a strong team of teachers. Fourth grade is a challenging year, but my goal is for your children to not only grow and learn, but to really enjoy the journey. Students quickly learn that I love to joke and laugh, I love to get to know them personally, but I also hold them to the daily standard of putting forth their best effort. We are going to have a great year!
You may not know that this will be my third year at Fox Hill School. For the past two years, I have taught reading both in classrooms and in small groups during the intervention period that was added when the new Response to Intervention schedule was adopted. Many of your children will be familiar with me through that role, and from my presence during some of their lunch periods.
Before joining Fox Hill School, I worked on the other end of the human spectrum in senior care, first as a nursing home social worker and later in assisted living homes in both Massachusetts and the Seattle area. Becoming a teacher was a lifelong goal towards which I had a meandering route!
This blog is my first technilogical undertaking. I hope to add photo's of the classroom and later, with your permission, photo's of your children at work in school. I see this also as a place to digititally showcase some of the students' work. As a parent of two children in grades 2 and 4 at Memorial School, I am keenly aware of how much many parents would enjoy a window into the day of their children. That is what I hope to provide here.
Additionally, I expect to have a section that will help you to track the assignments and homework given. This is in addition to, but not replacing, the students' own assignment notebook. While it is important for students to learn to pace themselves and be responsible for their homework, I feel it is equally important for you as a parent/guardian to be able to monitor as needed and help them to be successful in completing tasks on time.
I will be sending a letter home directly to the children entering my classroom with a small activity for them to complete and return to me. The results will be used in a "getting to know you" type of activity during our first days of school. I will also be sending you a letter, and posting a list here, of supplies that need to be sent in on the first day of school.
In the meantime, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email me at hwood@bpsk12.org.
Warm summer regards,
Mrs. Heather Wood
