Happy Thanksgiving! The fourth graders in Room 17 just completed their first pen pal letter to fourth graders in Somalia, Sierra Leone to be exact. We're hoping to get return letters next month from this troubled spot in the world. Writing isn't easy for anyone, but the fourth graders are motivated knowing that there is an audience for these letters and that subsequent correspondence will likely follow. Later this school year, we'll learn to write business letters, a more complicated format to be sure. For more thirty years, the American Quarterhorse Association in Amarillo, Texas has responded to this class project with packets of information and more for each student sending a letter. Yes, learning to write well has many rewards!