Last Friday, we had an amazing field trip to Mission San Juan Bautista. The kids learned so much about missions and how they operated. This information will be vital to the kids as they are currently in a social studies unit on California Missions. To visit San Juan Bautista Mission up close and personal was an experience I am sure the students will not soon forget. Wanted to personally thank all of our parent volunteers (Sharon Singer, Vera Yank, Nancy Larocca Hedley, Nick Gracia, and Amy Traum) for taking time out of their busy schedules to chaperone the kids on the trip. Enclosed are some highlights from the month of March.

As I mentioned above, the class is currently working on informative reports on California Missions. We have assigned one of the twenty-one missions to each of the kids. Currently, they are researching their mission so they will have the necessary information to write a report on their particular place. It will be important for students to pace themself so they will complete their report on time. We will have our Missions Night on April 20^th. Hope to see you.

In reading, we have been going through the novel, Esperanza Rising. This novel tells the tale of a 14 year-old girl, Esperanza, whose family completes an emergency migration from Mexico to the United States to escape the heavy-handed ways of their uncles, Luis and Marco. Esperanza Rising is the classic Cinderella story, but with the twist of being told in reverse. Esperanza is the daughter of a wealthy landowner from Mexico, but is forced to move to California and becomes a migrant worker in the San Joaquin Valley. Esperanza uses grit to rise above her circumstances and reshape her life in a surprising and new way.

In writing, we have been working on our autobiographies. The kids have writing on the following subtopics: family members, places lived, hobbies and interests, physical description, places traveled, proudest moment, and a life motto. I look forward to reading the kids life stories. The due date for the autobiographies is Friday, March 25^th.

In math, we have been working on the math strand of fractions. The kids have learned to add and subtract fractions with like denominators, add and subtract mixed numbers, and multiply a fraction by a whole number. The class will have a math test on Tuesday, March 29^th.

In closing, I want to remind everyone that report cards came out this week. Please take the time to look over the areas where you see real growth in your child. Remember to think back on the goals that you set in the portfolio and celebrate the successes they have had, as well as looking for areas of growth. Best of luck! Finally, please remember to keep bringing in your building materials for the Mission Building Project which is coming up April 11^th – 15^th.

Professionally,

John H. Fuller (4^th grade, Oak Knoll Elem.)

Hello Everyone,

February Newsletter 

I hope everyone is enjoying their Mid-Winter Break. I am having a great time relaxing and getting caught up with friends and family. The first few days, I went up to Seattle to see my family. I was able to catch up with my mom, brother and sister in law, cousins, and even made a presentation of Fly Car to a class in Kirkland.   I came back to Orinda late Tuesday and have enjoyed the rest of the week. Went to the movie Race, the Jesse Owens Story, which I would highly recommend. Looking forward to seeing the kids on Monday. Enclosed are some highlights from the past month. Enjoy!

Writing: Contrary to this photo, the entire month has not been a sugar induced party. We spent the past six weeks working on persuasive writing. Lucy Calkins Writer’s Works defines this genre as Argumentative/Opinion writing. The key is to use research as a way of supporting your position and writing in a convincing and compelling way. An essay that wins the reader over to a basic understanding of your position. We wrote a number of these essays including: Ice Cream, School Uniforms, Club Sports, Car Choice, and Career Essay. We concluded this unit with a posttest prompt. This score does not go on their report card, but does show whether the students picked up on the key elements of this writing style.

Reading: In reading, we completed the novel, Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell. This 1960 Newbery Award winner tells the story of Karana, a Ghalasat Tribal Member, who is stranded off the coast of Santa Barbara on San Miguel Island.   Karana learns to survive and thrive off what the land has to offer as far as natural resources. When we return we will be beginning a new novel.

Math: In math, we completed one-step, two-step, and multi step problem solving of word problems. Chapter #4 was not an easy unit, but there were some key strategies that helped. Highlighting key information, looking at math words (i.e. sum, difference, product, how many in each?), setting up the equation, and finally successfully computing and labeling your answer. We will be beginning chapter #5, which looks at measurement. This includes standard and metric measurement, measures of time, area and perimeter.

Science: In Science, we are coming to a close on our Magnetism and Electricity Unit. We will complete Investigation #5 and then take the Post Test for the FOSS Unit some time within the first two weeks of March. Just as a reminder, FOSS grades are broken down 20% I.Check Quizzes, 20% Science Journal, and 60% on the Magnetism and Electricity Post Test. Best of luck!

In closing, I wanted to thank all of the volunteers who made the Valentine’s Day Party a tremendous success. A huge shout out to Suzanne Gallie for coordinating the Valentine’s celebration. Thanks to Wendy Kuhnen for Bingo, Sharon Singer Christopher Ball and Candace Vesely on Snacks, Marina Nagy for Cookie Decorating, Theresa Bergeron for Wreathes, Kealailani for snow globes. If I missed anyone, I apologize in advance. Thanks again for your amazing commitment to kids.

Enjoy the rest of your Weekend!

John H. Fuller (4^th grade, Oak Knoll Elementary)

Important Dates

Valentine’s Day Party                                 Thursday, February 11^th

                                                                        (12:30 – 1:20 p.m.)

Professional Development Day                Friday, February 12^th

Mid-Winter Break                                       February 13^th – February 21^st

Friends and Family Day                             Friday, March 4^th

Field Trip to Mission San Juan                 Friday, March 18th

Bautista

Report Cards Go Home                              Monday, March 21^st

Professional Development Day                Friday, April 1^st

Spring Break                                                April 2^nd – April 10th