Thursday

National Education Week brought Representative Kevin Van de Wege to Room 17 last Monday. He talked to the kids about the state budget and the organization of state government. Joining him were Superintendent Jane Pryne, School Board Director Cindy Kelly, and Principal Amity Butler.

Thursday

"Do you remember being that little?" I asked the fourth-graders last Tuesday when we had the opportunity to work with "kindergarten buddies" down the hall here at Franklin Elementary School. More than of few of this year's fourth-graders were our 'shorties' four years ago when they were in Mrs. Carlson's kindergarten class, and yes, they remembered. One of the many good things about a neighborhood school is the opportunity for cross age activities such as kindergarten buddies as it helps teach responsibility, leadership, and respect for a diverse community.

Friday

Since we are working on homophones this week in Reading, the bonus question goes like this: Write a definition for 'mourning.' That's not 'morning' but 'mourning.'

Have a safe weekend driving, walking, or whatever activity fills your time during this exciting and 'scary' time.

Thursday

A little research goes a long way when it comes to bonus questions! Let's see how many fourth graders find the answer to today's bounus question: Where in the United States Mount McKinley, the highest mountain in North America?

One of our Math problems yesterday described resident ants which reminds that this is the season for resident spiders and mushrooms. Bathrooms and backyards are favored locations!

Next time we'll take a look at a good example of a current event/news item summary. Stay tuned.

Answer to the Bonus Question

This was a more difficult bonus question and there were some close answers, such as "the Emeraly City." But, we were looking for the nickname for a street made famous in early Seattle. Here is the explanation:

Seattle's historic Skid Road district (now better known as Pioneer Square) centers on Yesler Way. This road is often said to have been the original "Skid Road" in the literal sense serving a saw mill owned by Henry Yesler. Yesler acquired land from Doc Maynard at a small point of land at what is today near the intersection of 1st Ave and Yesler Way. He also acquired a swath of land 450 feet wide from his property up First Hill to a box of land about 10 acres in size full of timber spanning what is today 20th to 30th Avenues. His mill was built on the point of land that looked south towards a small island (Denny's Island, part of his land purchase from Doc Maynard) that has since been filled in around and is the heart of today's Pioneer Square.

The Skid Road was built on that 450 foot wide slice of land from the top of First Hill to the mill on the point. Since the building of the mill much of what is today's Seattle is the result of extensive terra forming by the local people to make the hilly landscape of Seattle habitable. At the time of the building of the mill it was some of the only flat land available. The Skid Road became the demarcation line between the affluent members of Seattle and the mill workers and more rowdy portion of the population.[9]

Wednesday

Smile for Picture Day tomorrow! Decisions, decisions...to wear a tie or go for the plain-shirt look...

Which city is nick-named Stumptown? Now we have a bonus question for the week.

Density. Yes, we're learning about water in Science and the kids did an activity with warm and cool water today and how those conditions affect water density.

Open House

Join us at Open House tomorrow night starting at 6 and going until 7 PM. Oh yes, there will be tea!

Bring your fourth grader to Room 17 and learn about some of the upcoming projects, curriculum, and ways to help your child become a good student.

See you tomorrow night!