This is a short video showing Porto Moniz on Madeira Island, the childhood town of my father that I visited this summer. The island is so steep that there are some roads that cars can only travel down. A very long series of switchbacks wind their way up the volcanic mountain to the tiny farming village where my father was born. We are all excited for my brother to begin construction on the house he is building on this very hillside. The home will become our family seat where all seven siblings will be able to return yearly.
Here we are on the mainland before flying to Madeira Island. This is the world renowned Durao River.
Hope everyone had a lovely summer vacation! The highlight of my summer was traveling to the island of Madeira off the coast of Portugal where my father was born and raised. I walked on the very land he farmed, got my feet wet in the Atlantic Ocean where he swam, attended mass in the church in which my father was baptized, and met many of my extended relatives. There were four of us Paivas who made the pilgrimage. So many delightful memories.
A very special day! Our class had the honor of speaking to Roland Smith, a renowned writer of over 50 young adult novels. Our class read two of his books, Sasquatch and The Captain's Dog. He graciously visited with our class for 30 minutes and answered many of their questions about the stories he wrote and about what it is like to be a novelist. I think we will all remember this day for a very long time.
Our fourth grade project for Arbor Day was to plant this Akebono Flowering Cherry tree in front of our school. We look forward to seeing the blossoms next year and enjoying the shade this tree will provide during the warm season. When the tree is fully grown, it will grow to a height of 25 feet.
Great job Christians! These wonderful fourth graders put together a special event for the children in pre-k and kindergarten. They painted and planted a pot for every child and dyed over 150 eggs for an Easter egg hunt. This is the kind of selflessness that makes us all so proud of our children at Holy Family School. Tomorrow they hide the eggs and put smiles on all those children's faces!
Welcome to fourth grade!
This year should prove to be an exciting year for all of us, and I wanted to share some of the highlights. First of all, reading and writing are two of my priorities. Don't worry, we'll learn the basics in shared writing lessons where we work together to create one finished paragraph. As a class, we'll brainstorm new ideas together before working individually to create paragraphs and even longer works. The writing process will sometimes involve editing and rewriting, because we only get better with practice.
For reading, you can expect more of the great literature contained in the Journeys textbook, but that's not all! I've purchased a core literature novel for social studies that follows the exciting journey of Lewis and Clark. And guess who narrates the novel? A dog! Yep, a dog, and he's the most lovable dog you would ever want to meet. We'll also read lots of novels in reading groups. After lunch each day, you'll relax and listen to a chapter or two from a shared novel. The first novel I'll be reading is titled Nevermoor, The Trials of Morrigan Crow. If you enjoy this book, there are two more in the series that you can read on your own.
Another priority for us will be math where we'll explore new concepts and practice those skills in the classroom. Yes, there will be a little homework in math but I'll keep it to a minimum. I don't want frustrated students or parents.
There's more, much more (including a regular time for art because who doesn't love art?), but for now it's just one step at a time. I don't know about you, but I can't wait for this journey to begin. Here's to a blessed and wonderful 2022-2023 school year!
For reading, you can expect more of the great literature contained in the Journeys textbook, but that's not all! I've purchased a core literature novel for social studies that follows the exciting journey of Lewis and Clark. And guess who narrates the novel? A dog! Yep, a dog, and he's the most lovable dog you would ever want to meet. We'll also read lots of novels in reading groups. After lunch each day, you'll relax and listen to a chapter or two from a shared novel. The first novel I'll be reading is titled Nevermoor, The Trials of Morrigan Crow. If you enjoy this book, there are two more in the series that you can read on your own.
Another priority for us will be math where we'll explore new concepts and practice those skills in the classroom. Yes, there will be a little homework in math but I'll keep it to a minimum. I don't want frustrated students or parents.
There's more, much more (including a regular time for art because who doesn't love art?), but for now it's just one step at a time. I don't know about you, but I can't wait for this journey to begin. Here's to a blessed and wonderful 2022-2023 school year!
|
|
|
Hello Parents!
Slowly and thoughtfully, I will add details to this webpage to inform parents and clarify policies. We are starting off gently with homework this week. On the first day of school we reviewed this week's vocabulary and spelling packet. Students will take a packet home at the start of each week and turn the completed packet into their teacher on Fridays. That's also the day that they will take both a spelling and vocabulary quiz. We will expand our homework program as the year progresses. Thank you, John Paiva |
|