Specials Schedule

Day 1:           Music               9:20-9:50

Day 2:           Library             9:00-9:50

Day 3:           PE                     9:20-9:50

Day 4:           Music               9:20-9:40

Day 5:           Computers      9:50-9:30

                      Art                    12:35-1:15

Day 6:           PE                     9:20-9:50

e/o Tues:      Guidance        1:00-1:30

Welcome Back

Dear Students and Families,

            It’s that time of year again, school has begun!  Although it is always sad to see summer come to an end, I am very excited to begin the 2015-16 school year and share in your 4^th grade experience.

On a Personal Note:

This will be my sixth year teaching 4^th grade at Alameda.  Over the past years I have enjoyed getting to know and working with our Alameda families, and feel grateful to be a part of this wonderful community.

I am an Oregonian and have lived in Portland for fourteen years. I moved here for college and fell in love with this city! I used to wish it’d stop raining, now I look forward to days under 90 degrees! Nevertheless, I can’t imagine living anywhere else. Outside of teaching I enjoy staying active through running, hiking and other recreational sports. I also enjoy watching the Blazers and Timbers play. Yet the things dearest to my heart are my family and friends.

           

The Coming School Year:

As the school year approaches I’m sure you’re curious what our year will hold. It will no doubt be filled with new and old friends, fun activities, and new experiences as we learn together.  In addition to improving our writing, reading, and math skills we will be learning about both Oregon’s geography and history, as well as exploring science topics such as electricity, bones and skeletons, and much more!

Communication:

Throughout the year my desire is to keep parents informed about classroom activities. This will happen first through your student. Please ask your child about their experiences and what they are learning on a daily and weekly basis. I personally will communicate with you through two main avenues- email and blog. I will use the classroom blog www.alameda144.blogspot.com as my primary mode of communication. I will post important upcoming classroom and school events, new units of study we will begin, and students will also post about weekly content we are covering. In addition to the blog I use email. Please make sure I have your preferred email address so that you receive updates without delay

Water and Snack:

Water is vital to learning!  Up to 60 percent of the human body is water, and our brains are composed of 70 percent water.  I would like for all students to have a water bottle on their desk, making it easier for them to drink throughout the day.  Please send one to school with your child during the first week of school (no twist off lids please!).

We have a daily 5-10 minute break mid-morning. If your child gets hungry at this time of day, please send them to school with simple and nutritious snack.

I look forward to an amazing year ahead!

    Sincerely,

Julie Brown  

Dismissal Proceedures

Bus:

• Students who ride the bus need a bus tag. If there is not one already printed for your child on the first day of school, please fill out a blank tag. Bus tags need to be attached to the student’s backpack.

Walking Home:

• Please write a note, sign and date specifying it is ok for your child to walk home on a given day. If you’d like to send me an email please do so before school starts that day.
• If your child walks home regularly please send me an email stating which days will be regular walking days. If your child walks home on days other than regular walking days, please write a note for those occasions.

Parent or Guardian pick-up:

• 4^th grade dismisses by the tetherball pole on the east side of the playground.
• For safety, your child must check out with me before leaving, confirming we both see the adult picking them up.
• If someone other than you is picking your child up, I need a note, singed and dated by you, specifying who will pick up your child. I am ok with emails but they must be received before school starts on that given day (its not guaranteed I will check my email during the school day).

Please let me know if you have any questions about dismissal procedures.