Our Classroom: Before, During, & After 2017

Over on Instagram, I posted videos of what our classroom looked like at the beginning of summer, when I was partially done organizing it, and what it looks like as we're ready for school to begin! It takes a lot of work to get it looking good for the first day!

Specialist Schedule 2017

At our school, we have specialists daily. This year, fourth grade's specialist time is 10:30-11:20. Check out what we have each day!

• Monday: Library
• Tuesday: Computer Lab
• Wednesday: Music
• Thursday: Art
• Friday: Gym...remember to wear your sneakers!

Why read 20 minutes daily?

As a part of nightly homework, we assign a reading log, ask that students read a minimum of 20 minutes per night, and have an adult initial that the reading occurred. Those students that pass in their weekly reading log on Friday get to enjoy an extra recess!

Why is it important for students to read 20 minutes a day? Check out the great visual below:

I know that it can be difficult, at times, for families to read. Here are some ideas for how to integrate reading into things you may already do:

• Read bedtime stories
• Visit the Nashua Public Library
• Read a recipe and cook something yummy together
• Out your child in charge of reading the grocery list at the store
• Go somewhere new, and have your child read the directions
• Create a cool reading space in your home (maybe a fort?!?)

Make sure you have plenty of reading materials at home. Appropriate reading materials for the reading log include:

• Books
• Magazines
• Newspapers
• Online articles
• Books on a Kindle or iPad
• Epic! Books online 

You can help by checking for understanding during or after your child reads. Some sample questions to ask are:

• What do you predict will happen before reading?
• What was the setting of the story? Can you find evidence in the text?
• How did the main character feel when...?
• What was one of the problems that the main character encountered?
• Does this remind you of another book you've read? How so?

SoulPancake

While my kids were napping at the same time (when does that ever happen?!?) I happened upon a YouTube channel called SoulPancake. I was immediately attracted to it because it was founded by Rainn Wilson (my husband and I were HUGE fans of "The Office" in college) and it's tagline of, "We make stuff that matters" intrigued me. After spending some time looking at their various videos, I found myself stuck on the 0-100 series. It asks people 0-100 about a topic. I have included some of my favorites below. In my opinion, this channel is aimed at the older elementary and up crowd, so you may want to check out the other content as a family. I hope you enjoy it, and it gets you thinking!

School Supply List 2017

Towards the middle to end of August, you will receive a letter in the mail introducing the fourth grade team along with a suggested school supply list. For your convenience, I have also put it here. 

All necessary school supplies will be available in the classrooms, however if your child would like to bring his or her own supplies, the following items are used throughout the year.

• ·      pencil box
• ·      at least 4 sharpened pencils
• ·      1 subject wide ruled notebook (writing journal)
• ·      scissors (child sized)
• ·      ruler (with inches and centimeters)
• ·      dry erase marker(s)/eraser
• ·      2 yellow highlighters
• ·      2 red correcting pens
• ·      box of crayons
• ·      box of 12 colored pencils
• ·      box of markers
• ·      3in x 3in square Post-It notes
• ·      bookmark(s)
• ·      ear buds or headphones for personal use on classroom Chromebook (needed and used daily, and there may not be extras available in the classroom for student use) 

We always appreciate any donations that you would like to make to our classroom supplies. These are things we are commonly in need of:

• ·      boxes of tissues
• ·      hand sanitizer
• ·      disinfecting wipes

Meet the Teacher 2017

Hi, I'm Mrs. Lomando, and I am your fourth grade teacher! This year will be my tenth year teaching at MP, where I have taught fourth grade for nine of the ten years. I love fourth grade and all the learning, accountability, and responsibility that students will encounter!

I enjoy teaching because I enjoy learning. I have undergraduate degrees in Elementary Education, History, and Political Science, and a master's degree in Educational Administration. I love to teach all subjects, especially Social Studies!

I live with my husband, my son, my daughter, and my cat, as you can see in the family picture below. I love all animals (except fish) and affectionately refer to my cat as my "fur baby" or my "fur-st born." As you might have deducted, I am also a fan of puns! Although you may not have seen me around school as much these past two years due to being on maternity leave with my son then daughter, I will be at school for the entirety of the 2017-2018 school year!

In my free time, I am often swimming with my son and daughter, or going on different adventures with my family.  If you want to see some of our summer adventures, check out my pictures at MrsLomando over on Instagram. If I get a chance to relax, I love to pick up a good book and read fiction or nonfiction. I am so excited to learn what you like to read during Reading Workshop time in the school day, and I look forward to helping you find even more great books to enjoy!

It is so important to me to keep the lines of communication open between school and home. The easiest and quickest way to get in contact with me is via email. I am also available to speak on the phone or in person before or after school. If you tweet, follow me on Twitter @MrsLomando for updates on what is going on in our classroom in 140 characters or less. I look forward to a great school year!