Email Ms. Williams

bdwillia@vbschools.com

August/September 2007

Welcome back to a new school year. I am hoping and knowing that each of you had a wonderful and productive summer. Some of you participated in arts camps, science camps, and day camps while others went on family trips and some just “hung out” with friends.

I had a fantastic summer. I spent time with my family and that is always nice. We cooked out a lot and I am trying to master my barbequing techniques. Summer is my favorite season.

I remember when I was your age. My brothers and I would play all day. We would swim or run under a lawn sprinkler and eat popsicles with sticky, sweaty hands. Later on, we would enjoy a good barbecue with our parents. We would roast marshmallows until they were charcoal black. Then, we would wait until dark for the fireflies to come out. The night would be starry as we looked look for their iridescent lights. It was so amazing to see their tiny bodies light up and blink! We asked our father about how they did that and he told my brothers and me to “look it up”. We didn’t have computers to Google the information. We had to get the encyclopedia and look it up on our own. If we couldn’t find it in the encyclopedia, we took a trip to the public library. It took us a long time to find out the answer to that question. What we learned in the process was something I’ll never forget.

First of all, I learned that seeking the answers to questions was fun. Second, we learned to get along with one another, how to collaborate, how to problem solve, and how to make new discoveries. In searching for the information on the firefly we discovered that firecrackers were invented by the ancient Chinese and that the ancient Mayan highly revered the firefly. We discovered a whole new world from that one simple question about the firefly. We also learned about our own thinking. We asked questions about our original questions and learned a whole lot more.

This year I want each one of you, to find your own style of learning. What makes you tick? I want you to begin thinking about your thinking and I want you to stretch yourself. Things will be more meaningful to you if you do. You will discover new worlds on your own and you will be richer in knowledge. You will know yourself. You will not just learn what makes the firefly light up, you may learn that you are like a firefly. You may discover other animals that have the ability to generate light from their bodies. There is so much to discover. Do not settle for the basic question, ask yourself more. Seek answers to seemingly impossible questions.

I can’t wait to work with you again this year. Learning is exciting to me and teaching is the next best thing. Have a great year!

Second Grade Parents

Second grade students who were identified gifted have been placed in a cluster class. The cluster teacher has been specially trained to work with high ability students. Work in the cluster class is rigorous and the students move at a faster pace. The emphasis is to give more depth to students learning and not breadth. Students will still be accountable for the standard (SOL), however, the standard will be taken to new levels for these children. All children in the class will receive differentiated instruction at level that is conducive to their intellectual ability. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. I will be meeting with parents of second grade students on September 27, from 5:45—6:15. This is a change from the time originally stated on the September newsletter. This is also scheduled on the night of the Fall Festival. I look forward to meeting all of you.