Summer Letter to Students

August 4, 2010

Dear Students,

Welcome to fourth grade! I am very excited to have you in my class this year. I can’t wait to get started! I know that we’ll have a wonderful year.

I hope that you are having a nice summer. My summer is going great! This summer has been a fun one for me and my family. First,my family and I spent some time on Cape Cod. My mom lives in Eastham, so we spent a lot of time visiting beaches there. My favorite beach to visit in Eastham is Coast Guard Beach. We love to ride the waves and dig in the sand! This summer, we saw many seals, and once even saw them very, very close to shore. We suspect that this has to do with the sightings of Great White Sharks in this area. Thankfully, we didn't see any sharks! Next week, I am going camping in Maine with my family. We'll spend our time water skiing and relaxing. My two children, Sam and Grace, really love spending the summer doing these fun things.

My favorite place to go in the summer is the beach. It is a great place to relax and enjoy a good book. I read many books at the beach. I like mysteries most of all. This summer, I really enjoyed catching up on my reading. I just finished The Red Pyramid, by Rick Riordan. This is a new series by the author of the Percy Jackson books. I enjoyed this book, but it is definitely challenging for elementary school students. I also read We the Children by Andrew Clements. This book is the first in the series Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of the School. I enjoyed this book and am interested in checking out the next book.
Finally, I am catching up on the 39 Clues series of books. I am reading book book 9 now, and I'm excited for book 10, which will be released on August 31st. I am sure that many of you enjoyed reading this summer, as well. You will have many opportunities to check out new books this year during Reader's Workshop.

I hope that you have been working on the fourth grade summer reading list. Remember that you will be invited to a special performance in September if you return your signed list to school.

In September, we will be working on our first science project, making terrariums. For this project, you will need a large glass or plastic jar. It should be at least 12 inches tall, and have a wide mouth (big enough to put your hands in). If it has a lid, that will be helpful, however if it doesn’t, that is fine. Please try to have your jar to school by the second week of school.

I hope that you enjoy the rest of your summer. I am looking forward to a great year!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Merten

Summer Letter to Parents

August 4, 2010

Dear Parents,

Hello, my name is Katie Merten, and I will be your child’s fourth grade teacher. I am very excited to start a new year, and to get to know you and your child. As many of you know, my husband, Matt, and I have two children, Sam and Grace. Sam will be starting tenth grade in the fall, and Grace will be starting seventh grade. Once I had children in school, it changed my perspective on a lot of what I do. I can honestly look at my role from both a teacher’s and a parent’s point of view.

With my children in school, I often wonder about the people who work in the classroom with them. For this reason, I thought some of you would be interested in my history here. This September I will begin my nineteenth year teaching at Kennedy. I have held many positions here, including Special Education Teacher, Fifth Grade Teacher, and Second Grade Teacher. This is my eleventh year in fourth grade. I truly have enjoyed every position I have had, but fourth grade is my favorite. I am sure this year will be another great year.

This year I would like to offer a brief orientation for parents. During this time I will explain the report card, fourth grade expectations, and the rubrics used in fourth grade for writing and math. I will also answer any questions you have regarding my classroom policies and procedures. I would like to host this orientation on Thursday, September 2nd at 7:50 a.m. If you would like to attend, but are unsure of where to leave your child during this time, he/she is welcome to wait in the classroom of another fourth grade teacher who is not hosting orientation on Thursday morning. I hope to see many of you there!

After a recent trip to Walmart and Target, I realized that school supply shopping is already well underway. In order to make this shopping easier, there was a general list of supplies sent home with your child’s report card in June. If you would like to see the list again, you can find it here . If you choose not to purchase individual supplies for your child, supplies such as scissors, glue sticks, markers, highlighters, pens and Sharpies will be available for the students to share throughout the year. Many students prefer to have their own supplies in their desks, which is perfectly fine with me. Please clearly mark any supplies belonging to your child, particularly scissors, so that they can be easily identified.

During the second or third week of school, we will be working on a science project as part of our “Microscopes/Heredity” unit. We will be making terrariums. In order to do this, the students will each need a large glass or plastic jar. It should be at least twelve inches tall, have a wide mouth, and you should be able to see through it. If it has a lid, that is great, however, if it doesn’t that is fine as well.

If there is anything that you feel I should know about your child in order to more fully understand him/her, please drop me a note at school, or give me a call (508)541-5261 ext. 2024. I have an “open door” policy, so please don’t hesitate to contact me now or throughout the year with any questions or concerns. All information will be kept strictly confidential.

If you are looking for information regarding any aspects of my class, please check our class blog, Ladybugs on Learning. I try to update it weekly, with the help of the students. Our blog is located at http://fourthgradelife.blogspot.com. You can find a link here. This has proven to be a wonderful communication tool.
I look forward to working with you and your child this year.

Sincerely,

Katie Merten