News from Mrs.

Plainte
May 2010
Spring is definitely in the air! The school year is winding down (some students have actually started a
count-down!), and we are looking forward to the completion of a very successful fourth-grade
experience. While most students have been working diligently toward the finish, I have noticed a few
that seem to have decided that they are already on vacation. Please help me keep your student
focused; we still have more than a month and many more assignments to go! We are BUSY this month
—I’m not sure how we’re going to finish up the curriculum!!!
Dates to mark on the calendar:
May 5—ACES at the High School track. Join us for a morning exercise session!
May 6—Walking field trip to Gahagan; we leave at 8:30. I hope to see you there!

May 4, 5, and 6—Fast Forward Future—Healthy Choices

May 9—HAPPY MOTHER’s DAY!

May 14—FINAL BOOK ORDER DUE!!! Don’t forget to buy plenty of summer reading material to
keep your student at (ABOVE!) grade level! You may also order online using a credit card—
www.scholastic.com Login: mrsplainte Password: orders

May 12—Torrey Farm field trip! All are welcome to join. Please send in the $ 1.00 admission as soon
as possible.

May 15-16 Kirtland Warbler Festival at Kirtland Community College

May 31—No School!!! Memorial Day!

May 26—Early release professional development—School will dismiss at 1:05

May 27—Nature Discovery Day at Ralph MacMullan Center. Volunteers are welcome to attend!

May 31—Middle School Band enrollment form due

June 2, 3, 4—Fourth Grade Camp—please drop your child off AT 8:45 (NO EARLIER unless you are staying
with them in your vehicle—THE TEACHERS ARE EXTREMELY BUSY PACKING UP
—Extra students to keep an eye on make things EXTRA chaotic!!) Also, be at the school
by 2:00 pm Friday to take your child home!

June 7—Box Social and Circle Squares visit

June 8—Fourth Grade Awards Ceremony—12:30 ish

June 9—Fun and Funky Field Day!

June 10—Last day of school-- students will be released at 11:05—HAPPY SUMMER!!!

Don’t forget to turn in your MEAP reward trip to KCC—congrats to those that earned
it!!! Classes are AMAZING and FUN—students are enrolled on a first come first placed
basis (against many other schools) so please return the form ASAP!!!
 Language Arts Social Studies
Students have completed the
majority of the benchmarks for
fourth-grade instruction! We will be Students will be
completing our final writing unit— completing their unit of
Literary Essay. As the end of the year study focusing on the US
is so busy, I will be streamlining the government. They will
language arts instruction to include then have completed all of
daily oral grammar, journal writing the fourth-grade social
and word wall. Other "quickie" studies grade level
assignments (short paragraph review,
CAMP BULLITEN!!!
poetry, creative writing) will also be
taught during this time. To make
If you are unable to attend the camp
things even more exciting, we will be
meeting at the high school, you must
completing a research Power Point in
stop in to pick up the necessary
the computer lab. Students will be
paperwork for camp. I am unable to
Volunteer Appreciation Month: send this home with your child as
I would like to thank each and every one of you that took the there are specific items that must be
opportunity to volunteer at our school and within your child’s discussed with the parent.
classroom this year! You are appreciated more than you know. Also, you may start bringing in t-
A big thank you to our art “family”—the Spencer-Smith’s.
Also, thank you Mrs. Haight, Mrs. Schultz, and Mrs. Spencer- shirts for the tie dye class. Don’t
Smith for volunteering your time in our center groups each forget to mark the label with your
week. The students you helped showed tremendous growth in child’s name using a permanent
reading this year. Finally, thanks to those that will be (and marker—we have lots of “Haynes”
volunteered to) attending fourth grade camp as a chaperone, as and “Fruit of the Loom’s” in our
well as the other chaperones that have bravely agreed to help class! Sadly, if the marker is not
transport our fantastic fourth graders, as well as those that
provided snacks and support for parties—I have had a terrific permanent, the name will fade out
year (one of my best ever) and I owe that to the parents that are while the shirt is being dyed and
raising such wonderful children! other students may try to claim your
child’s beautiful creation

ARNIE’S in Houghton Lake

has adult sized white t-shirts
(for tye-dye) for $1.99 each. Mathematics:
Students have taken their unit 9 test and are
The sizes range from small to working their way through unit 10 and another
X-large. If you would like me assessment looms in the not-too-distant future!
We will be (hopefully!) completing the series
to pick one up for you, please before the end of the year, and if not, we will be
send cash in an envelope and very close so help me keep them focused. Don’t
forget to practice the study guide sent home before
a note specifying which size the test—I can tell which students are studying and
your child would like. which are not!