Ms. Gelzer’s 4th Grade Blog

To: FAMILIES and CHAPERONES

RE: PORTLAND TRAIN/ OMSI INFORMATIONlz Thursday is our trip and we want to stay in touch.

1. Make sure to let us know how you will get your child to the train. Use carpooling, or drive your child and others who need a ride. Jenny will meet and take those students who are bus riders or need the ride.
2. Debra will be waiting at the station to meet students from 8:30am and on.(no need to come earlier) The train leaves promptly at 9:00am.
3. Students will be carrying their backpacks, with a lunch, several snacks, a water bottle, books or supplies for the day. Wear comfortable shoes. If your child needs a school lunch, we need to tell the cafeteria by Tuesday.
4. Remember to include in your plans how your child gets home. The train arrives at 8:50pm. Amtrak train phone# is 541-687-1383 on Willamette Street & 5^th. Call Amtrak for the possibilities of delays.
5. Chaperones and students stay together at specific times: When entering and leaving the train, at OMSI, walking to the museum and restaurant. On the train, at the restaurant, in the movie, and planetarium, they may sit with where they’d like.
6. Schedule:

•Have lunch on train & arrive at Union Square.

• •Walk to OMSI.

•Group check in, see Planetarium show 12:30pm-1pm, visit •exhibits 1pm-2:45pm, walk to Imax theater at 2:45pm to   see movie @3pm.

•Walk to Davis Street on West side for pizza @ Old Town.

•Leave restaurant at 5:45pm & catch the 6:15pm to Eugene.

• Arrive in Eugene @8:50pm & home to bed.

Thanks, and if  you have any other questions, please contact us .

Jenny and Debra

Dear Families,

Thank you for the wonderful support you provided at Friday’s jog-a-thon. We had many wonderful helpers: Katie (Sasha’s mom) Zhong Ping (Max’s dad), Michele (Tae’s mom), Livia (Lea & Alesh’s mom), Chelsea (Justice’s mom) , Lisa (Lena’s mom), Emily (Grace’s mom), Kristian (Brooks’ mom),
and Raphael (Jonny’s dad). If I missed anyone please let me know.

Topics for the Week

• We continue our Oregon Trail Novel Reading of Moccasin Trail and Dear Levi. All the students now have selected identities for the trip and are part of a wagon team heading to the Willamette Valley. To move ahead, students get points for completing their homework, cooperating with each other, making smooth transitions, and dealing with fate cards…things that may unfortunately when one is traveling with oxen, near rivers, and dangerous terrain.

• Writing: we’re practicing editing with papers written by other students that have need of correcting. This week we’ll finish our 1st diary entry that explains who we are and why we’re on the trail. Spelling list is taken from reading novels. HW is due on Wed. and test is on Friday.

• In math, our focus is problem solving and review of perimeter and area. We’ll take our EZcbm math test the Tuesday and on Wed. take the reading part of the test.

• Our Portland trip is this Thursday! Please refer back to the information page to help you. We will also send another reminder this week. Let me know by Tues. if your child needs a lunch prepared by the kitchen. Bring nutritious lunch & snacks for the entire day. Be at the train station by 8:40am and make sure you have a reliable return ride. Students are responsible for carrying their backpacks and for any electronic devices you have given permission. Books and art supplies are enjoyable as well. For parents who are chaperoning,  you will get your list of  students at the station.  Hopefully, we’ll have great weather. If you have questions, please email me.

Enjoy the week, bonne semaine, y buenas semanas,

Debra, Cassidy, Yi Chun and Aaron

Dear Families,

We seem to be moving quite quickly to the end of the school year. Here are some events that will be taking place soon.

• Hats off to all the students who gave their speeches about the many Native American Tribes. The students did an amazingly good job speaking in strong voices, sharing interesting information using keynote, powerpoint, pictures with the doc.camera. It was thrilling to see the improvement from spring break to now! All students had many opportunities to  score their peers.

•Firstly, the library is officially closed. Please search through your house to see if there are any Edison books still abound! We want to thank our efficient, focused, and friendly library volunteers: Lisa, Sue, Dana, and Zhong Ping who were pairing students with compatible books, checking out books, shelving books, and answering all kinds of questions. Thank you so much for making Friday afternoons so much fun! OBOB books are out and there’s great reading to complete this vacation.

• The Edison Jog-a thon will take place this Friday from 9:15-10:15am. We’ll walk to SEHS along 24th Street. Walk with us to the track, mark lap cards, walk, jog, and cheer on the kids. To help reduce waste, please make sure that your child has his/her own water bottle. We’ll label them in the class before we good. That way, our footprint is lighter as we avoid the extra plastic waste. Students need comfortable shoes, clothes, sunscreen, and a change of clothes for the afternoon, if needed.

• If your student asks for you to buy a tape measure, take it seriously. On Friday the students walked about the halls and outside, measuring the length and width of objects to figure out the area and the perimeter with a real tape measure.  Real life experiences makes the abstract math concepts come alive. We continue with more problem solving.

• Our Social Studies/Reading integrates the Oregon Trail experience. We’re reading historical fiction in both books: Dear Levi and Moccasin Trail. We’ll be working on mapping of the places that pioneers traveled through and start a simulation where each student takes the role of a person on a wagon train, choosing supplies, and moving forward without mishaps.

• Next week, 5/23/13, on Thursday is our Portland train trip to OMSI. Check your itinerary to make sure you’ve got a way for your child to get to the station by either carpooling with other families or driving yourself, or meeting Jenny at the school for your child to have a ride. Healthy snacks are a must since we’ll be on the go all day. Walking shoes, water bottle, and sturdy backpack are needed.

• We are so lucky to have all the talented student volunteers who help in our classroom. Aaron has taken the reins in in his student teaching position and is doing a great job. I Chun continues her amazing Chinese lessons, as well as Rosie and Aaron helping on Thursday and Friday. I’m profoundly grateful and impressed by the commitment of these young people working towards their degrees in Education.

 Buenas semanas y bonne semaine et have a good week,

Debra, Aaron, I Chun, and Cassidy