Bring on November

Good Morning,

    Although this past week was a short week for the kids, I still wanted to give an update on the week and what we have coming up next week. The field trip Tuesday at Point Beach turned out wonderful in the fact the weather cooperated with us, no major injuries, and everyone got to experience the Ice Age Trail which I hope all involved will look back on it as a memorable experience. I want to share with all of you what has been going on with me personally so that you hear it from me because as your child's teacher you should know what is going on, and I didn't share this with the students so they wouldn't know what has been happening. This past week I had to leave school Monday afternoon, and then was out yesterday, and I pride myself as an educator by showing up everyday and being my best self for the kids. My wife and I found out shortly before the school year was starting that we would be expecting our first child. Unfortunately, over the weekend that reality of having a child seemed to waver because of some symptoms that my wife was experiencing. On Monday, I had not planned on leaving school early, but I needed to be with my wife as we were able to get into the doctor earlier than expected. This is where we were told the devastating news that we were having a miscarriage. That is the reason I was gone Monday afternoon and Wednesday to be with my wife through this process, and I always let the students know if I will be gone so I don't throw them off from what they are expecting. I don't share this with all of you for any sympathy, but instead as your child's teacher that you know what was going on because I didn't share any of this with the class. I'm extremely thankful for such a supportive staff at NDLC for helping me through this process, but I am especially thankful for every single student I have in class this year. Family is one of the most important things in my life, and this class truly feels like family so I am grateful for all of them because on Tuesday at our hike it was exactly what I needed to be with all of them on that journey. I look forward to continuing to make their last year at NDLC the most memorable, best experience they have had up to this point in their education. 

Week in Review:

Leader in Me: In October our leaders focused on Habit 1 of Being Proactive, and as the calendar changes we will turn our focus in November to Habit 2 which is Begin with the end in Mind.

Writing: Writers finished their mini unit on realistic fiction stories where they had completed two different stories. We will begin a new unit which will focus on personal and persuasive essay writing next week!

Math: The mathematicians have been working hard on multiplication of multi digit numbers, and I have been very pleased with their math mindsets of pushing themselves through difficult concepts. It's always awesome to see the excitement on the faces when they get the "I got it" feeling of mastering a concept they have worked so hard on.

Reading: Readers have been working toward their goal of understanding characters are complicated so being able to identify more than one character trait about them with text evidence. Also, we have begun work on identifying themes in our stories while also being able to back them up with text evidence. I look forward to seeing where our growth is on these two reading skills this next week in our post assessment!

Content: Researchers were able to experience firsthand their learning while on the Ice Age Trail Tuesday! We will will shift to science this next unit where we will begin learning about the Human Machine!

A Look Ahead:

  • Thursday, November 3rd from 1:45 – 5:45pm - Simple Simon Pick Up
  • Thursday, November 10th 6:00 – 7:00pm NDLC Veteran's Day Program
  • Conference link signup should be coming out so make sure to get signed up for conferences!
I believe that's all for this week! Hope everyone enjoys the long weekend!

Mr. VW




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