Welcome Letter 2013-2014

Newsletter 1                       2013-2014                             6/15/2013

 

Dear Families,

 

Welcome to second and third grade in Room 302! I'll be your teacher for 2013-2014.

 

I had the chance to meet with the students during our school move-up day. We read a story, talked, and did some art. We had fun, and I'm excited about working with them in the coming year. I'm also excited about teaching a split class again: it provides the opportunity for such a diverse and rich range of teaching and learning. I think all students will benefit.

 

Anyone learns more when surrounded by people who have a range of interests, abilities, skills, passions, experiences, and attitudes. We all know that a person's age, or grade, is not what determines those things. Our learning community will be stronger because of the variety of ingredients each student (and family) will add to the mix.

 

I've been teaching since 1989. My focus has always been on finding ways to try and meet the needs of individuals. That is where my teaching (ANY teaching) is most effective. I try to find ways to connect learning to students' lives. I think Why do we have to do this? is a great question. It needs a great answer, and my goal is to always have a great answer ready.

 

I anticipate the question: So how will it work next year having two grades in one classroom? So I tried to write a brief answer, but brevity on the topic is not easy for me. That said, I'm more than happy to answer any questions over email, or on the phone, or in person. In general though, we will do everything we can to provide the best learning experience for each and every student. I can assure you that if it wasn't good for the kids, we wouldn't do it.

 

As a father with 3 kids of my own (Jordan-14, Jeremy-13, Janelle-10) I'm well aware that families know their children best. I count on families to help me monitor progress and needs, so together we can find ways to meet the needs of each child. Please let me know any questions you have as we take this journey together.

 

The best way to keep in touch will probably be email, as it seems to offer the most flexibility. I ask that you email me when you get this note, or as soon as possible. That will let me know you got the note, and it will give me an email address where I can contact you as needed with newsletters, questions, updates, etc.

 

September 3, 2013 is our first day back to school in the fall. I'll be at school on August 29, from 3-4, in case people want to stop by, say hi, and drop off supplies. If there is other news, I try to post it to our class twitter account (https://twitter.com/#!/room302), our blog (http://room302.blogspot.com/), and our district website (http://swift.enumclaw.wednet.edu/bde/jkurtz/index.php). Those are also good places to find out what we've done in past years, if you're curious.

 

If you have questions at any time, now or in the future, please don't hesitate to ask. I look forward to working with you.

 

2012-2013 Final Newsletter

Final Newsletter                       2012-2013                                 6/14/2013

 

Dear Families,

 

So that's it. It has been a fantastic year.

This is a great bunch of kids, and it's been my pleasure to work with them every day. I kept them engaged and working right up until the very end, and I think they accomplished a lot—not just this final week, but the entire year. I hope you all are able to take a few minutes and reflect on all that we did.

I know you can't save everything they did all year, but I encourage you to save what they wrote. It's one thing they have that was created almost entirely by them; and it reflects who they are, what they know, and what they can do like nothing else. It's always fun to pull out their writing after a few years and see just how much they've grown.

For those who want to keep writing on the computer over the summer, either by themselves or with classmates, remember that our account on Google Drive is still available. The accounts at typingweb.com are still there too, for those who want to be ready for all the typing they'll do in fourth grade. Email me if you need those. I'm glad to help.

The students and I took lots of pictures during the year. I will put those online at a site called Dropbox. I load the pictures into a folder on that site. I'll then give families permission to access. You can then log in and download any or all of them. I give you access through email, so if I have yours, look for a message. (If I don't have yours, you can always send me one.) My account space is limited so I won't leave them there forever, but they'll be on there for a while—over the summer and into next year for sure. If anyone finds more they want to send me, I'd be happy to share out those, too.

Thanks

A huge THANK YOU goes out to Renee Hopkins for all that she has done for us this year: helping in math and writing, filing, copying, reminding me of (LOTS of) stuff, field tripping, doing all the parties, and so much more. Your child is better off because of the HOURS AND HOURS she spent, not only in the classroom, but also doing the book orders. Even those who didn't order books benefited because of the books Renee got for the classroom. Plus, she's just good with the kids. Which is the most important thing.

 

And I thank you for letting me be a part of this journey with you and your child. I hope it was fun, interesting, and engaging for them. If it was, then they couldn't help but learn. As your journey continues into fourth grade and beyond, please let me know if I can do anything for you.

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Jeff