And with that, the 2015-2016 school year came to an end as the last bus drove off and the waves from students and teachers faded as the year became but a memory.  The day started off as close to a normal day as it gets though the students were definitely ready for summer to begin! 

What we did was watch movies and clean the room.  Some students helped me get things organized (or simply out of sight) while others pulled staples and got my room ready to sit still and silent for the next 2 months.  

Throughout the day a steady stream of parents came to say their last goodbyes and take their children home to get summer off to an early start.  By the end of the day, the number of students left was a lot smaller than the number that began the day.   

The final weekly email has been sent out.  All of the weekly and other parent emails remain archived here.

Tomorrow is the final day to collect any student materials that have been left over.  Before I leave for the summer, I am going to discard everything as I see fit (recycle, trash, etc.) so please stop by or contact me to make some sort of arrangement.

The parent survey will close tomorrow at the end of the day before I leave.  It is available below if you have not yet filled it out.  Thanks to all of the parents who have given me feedback!

Now that the school year has officially ended for students (I get one more day - tomorrow), I hope that everyone has a wonderful and restful summer filled with a lifetime of memories.

Thank you parents for all of your support throughout this year!  The 2015-2016 school year was very successful and I owe it all to you.  Thank you for the words of encouragement and the many gifts that I received, both tangible and from the heart.  Thank you for all you have done to help prepare your child for the 5th grade and beyond.  Lastly, thank you for allowing me to be your child's 4th grade teacher.  I really hope that I made some lasting impact well beyond the elementary years though only time will tell.  

I guess I was wrong about yesterday being the last day to switch classes since today we switched as well.  Therefore, I will not be stating anything about tomorrow because the schedule is tentative. 

The biggest event for today was the 5th grade promotion ceremony.  Some of the 4th graders who participated in chorus performed.  I originally was able to get coverage for my class so I could attend and see my first group of students here at Palisades Park prepare to move on.  However, the assistant who was to cover my class was badly needed elsewhere so I was not able to attend after all.  

Back in August, during the first week of school, I passed out to each student a blank 3 x 5 index card.  On the card, each student listed some goals for the school year.  Today, I gave the cards back so that they can look at what they wrote an reflect upon it.  This was strictly personal and I asked them to not share it with me.  I do hope that their goals were achieved and that this year has been a good one.  I really did my best.

Since tomorrow will be the last day of school for students, I had my homeroom class finish up clearing out their desks, shelves, and cabinets of any personal materials.  Friday afternoon is the deadline for retrieving anything left over.  Otherwise, I am going to discard it (recycle, trash, etc.) as necessary.  I also had my students clean up the room, organize, throw things out, etc.  This is important since the desks and chairs will be stacked where the cabinets and shelves are to make it easier for the custodians this summer.

Lastly, if you still have not yet taken the parent survey, please do so since the feedback is very useful.  I do want to thank the other parents who have already done so.  Please be assured that this information will be used to make things better for next year's class.  

Today we actually ended up switching classes one last time.  The rotations were shorter than normal but each teacher got to spend time with each class, once more before the year ends.

After the final rotation we had our class parties.  The 4th grade chose the hour (or so) that precedes special area classes since that made the most sense.  

Tomorrow will be the big 5th grade promotion ceremony.  It will also be a day where we do some serious classroom cleaning and clearing out.  Reminder:  the last day to pick up anything left in my room is Friday.  Otherwise it will be discarded as appropriate (trash, recycle, etc.).  

Today we began the last week of the school year!  One down and three more to go.  I will continue to update this blog each day though there will be less to report considering how the year is essentially over.  

​This was the big day for me with the science exam.  The test had 40 multiple choice questions that covered the array of concepts and content throughout the year.  Most students took about an hour to complete it in my homeroom.  I did stress the importance of taking one's time and staying focused so hopefully enough of them did their best on it.  As with Wednesday and Thursday's EOG tests, students remained with their homeroom teacher who administered the science test.  I will share results as soon as they arrive.

Students in my homeroom were given some free time to relax and unwind after the test and that lasted up until lunch time.  I decided to let them have a few minutes of extra recess too.

When we returned to class, the one thing I had the students do was to begin cleaning out their cabinets and the shelves below.  I am going to need both over the summer for storage so I had everyone clean them out, decide what to keep and what to discard, and then take it home.  Also, given the sheer magnitude of science stuff that I have, space will likely be at a premium.

Please note that the last day to pick up anything left here is Friday.  That is the teacher workday and I am not planning on being here next Monday.  Anything left in my room by Friday at the end of the day will be discarded as appropriate (trash, recycle, etc,).  

Also, students who owe anything (lost media center book, cafeteria, etc,) will not receive their report card but will instead have it stored in the office.

All students were given a parent letter on a half-sheet of paper with their unofficial EOG scores.  

The class parties for the 4th grade are scheduled for tomorrow from around 2:00 to 2:50.

Spring pictures are due.  If you have not yet turned in the pictures, please do so as soon as possible.  

Lastly, the end-of-year survey is still accepting responses until the end of this week.  Please fill it out if you haven't already done so.