It's Friday!

It's been a great and productive first week. We got through lots of activities and projects and worked really hard--and the kids still left school with a smile on their faces. It really says so much about their maturity, interest in school and their willingness to learn new things. I have also been amazed at how welcoming the kids have been to those of us who are new. After only the first week, it is hard to imagine ever being anywhere else. We are all definitely a family.

Student Council nomination week starts on Monday. We have had several in depth discussions about student council, positive leadership, and American government during our social studies time. Several of our students have expressed interest in running for an office, serving on a committee, or hoping to be chosen as our classroom representative. We had a fun conversation/brainstorming session today about "platforms" and the new changes the students would like to bring to Footprints. I have promised the kids that we will work on speech writing, and how to run a successful campaign during our social studies time over the next couple weeks. I know that our Student Council is going to be an absolute success. On Monday, those who want to run for the six executive offices, as well as those interested in being on the welcoming/service committees, or becoming our classroom representative will officially nominate themselves by signing their name on a nomination sheet. Today, those who expressed interest in running should have brought home a sheet that explains who they are, and what their interest is in student government. This sheet is due NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12.

Students--please tell your families about your reading response journals that we started this week. Tell them how hard you have worked to make excellent connections to the book you are reading, what great summaries you are learning to write, and what insightful questions you have been asking me. You are always welcome to bring them home to share them with your families.

I hope you all have a great weekend. You deserve it! Your homework is this:

**Read for 20 minutes each day. (Reading calendars will come home next week)
**Decorate your composition notebook that will be your daily journal for the year.
**Sign and fill out your Student Council sheet if you are interested in running for an office, committee or representative.
**Bring in a notebook of your choice to use in music class this year.

And--challenge your families and siblings to figure out the Magic Square. Here is the answer:
438
951
276

Check back tomorrow morning for a trivia question from tonight's ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A FIFTH GRADER show. If you want to watch for fun it is on from 7-9pm on Fox 9. You will soon learn that this is one of my favorite shows. I will pick a question from the beginning of the show. Feel free to use the internet or any other source to figure out the answer if you missed the show. One decision dollar will be given for the correct answer on Monday. Good luck. I am so happy that I get to be your teacher:-)