Dear Parents, Happy Friday all. I hope that this week full of sunshine has been a good one for everyone. We have had many exciting developments in the 3rd and 4th grade classroom! Please look in your child’s backpack to see some innovative spelling practice ideas. The children are given spelling words each week and should be practicing them regularly. If there are any questions about this, feel free to email us. Highlights from this week include: The successful sale of many Valentine’s cards. We have raised over $100 already! The proceeds will be used for our classroom and we will also will contribute a portion  to relief efforts in Haiti.Continuing to deepen our work in biographies as we learn about the lives of influential Americans- Sacagawea and Benjamin Franklin to name a few…  We have begun small group trips to the library in order to refine our research skillsThanks to the Anastasi’s for sending in muffins to kick off our bake sale cooking… yummy! The children were so excited to cook, sell, and of course, eat!Each child has selected a  biography of her or his own choice to investigate and present to the group. They spend a portion of each day researching and writing.  We continue to deepen our understanding of place value as we dive into decimals and explore mathematics with money.The group performance for the spring talent show is underway… the children have selected the music, choreographed the movements, and are learning the lyrics for  the song “Thriller”.Mindy will start phasing back into classroom life in February. She will begin with one day the first week and add a day each subsequent week. Important upcoming dates:Feb. 4th:  Latin Sounds, Spivey Hall $5Feb. 8th:  Rhythm and Reasons, Spivey Hall $5Feb. 9th:  Free to Be You and Me, 7 Stages $8Feb. 17th:  DaVinci Exhibit, High Museum $11  Feb. 24th:  Spellman College Jazz Ensemble, Spivey Hall, $5Feb. 25:  Matisse Exhibit, Oglethorpe, $10 We’re looking forward to another great week with your kids! Warmly, Kristen and Mindy