Welcome to the 2013-14 School Year!

It is such an honor to work with your child this year and I look forward to working with you to ensure his/her success. In case you couldn't join us for Parent Night recently, you can view our slide show here. This will not provide all of the same information, of course, so if you find you'd like clarification about anything or if it brings up any questions, feel free to contact me.

A Nation Remembers: 9/11

Tomorrow I will begin some discussions with the children about 9/11. We will talk a little bit about the events that occurred that day but will focus more on the outpouring of support and patriotism that followed. We will talk about what makes us feel better during difficult times and the importance of providing a helping hand to those in need after a crisis. We will also reach out to heroes in our community so if you have any suggestions about people we can contact, please let me know.

Your child may have questions about what we talk about in class or what they see in the media. Here's a great article with some resources and a link to a tip sheet that will help with the conversation.

Reading Rockets - Resources for Parents

Reading Rockets "offers a wealth of reading strategies, lessons, and activities designed to help young children learn how to read and read better. Our reading resources assist parents, teachers, and other educators in working with struggling readers who require additional help in reading fundamentals and comprehension skills development."

I have added a widget (seen at the bottom of this post) to the sidebar on this blog that has some updates from Reading Rockets' website. One thing from the site that I think is helpful for all parents is the Recommended Books for Kids page. It has books listed by theme so you can find just the right title for your young reader.