Carol and Colin's 4th/5th Grade Class

Welcome to Carol, Colin and Melissa's 2018-19 4th/5th Grade Class!

July 2018

Dear Families,

Although it is early in the summer, we are already looking forward to another exciting school year together. Some of your faces will be familiar and some of your faces will be new. We cannot wait to hear about the wonderful books you have read, the games you have played, the friends and family you have visited, and all of your adventures.

Carol has been spending time with Baby Sage and family in Upstate New York and in Fire Island. Colin has been traveling around the state and beyond with with Nicole, baby Basil, and Lucy the dog. Lola and Hazel the cats are vacationing in Binghamton, New York with grandma. We have both been reading, visiting family and getting plenty of rest. We hope many of you are doing the same!

The theme of our Core Study this year is “Justice for All?” What do you wonder about when you hear those words? Why is there a question mark at the end? We will try to answer some basic questions right away like: Where do rights come from? What is justice? How can I live a life committed to justice? Can one person make a difference? We will start by thinking about the rights and responsibilities that we have as a classroom community. We will learn about how the United States became a country. Who had the power to make a country and give it rules? What were some of the big ideas that went into those rules? The main puzzle in our study will be to think about how our country, which was founded on the idea that all people should be treated equally, could have so many examples of groups of people being treated unequally and even harmed. One of the most important words we will use this year is perspective. We will learn history from the perspective of groups of people that have had to take responsibility to fight for their rights and even their freedom. Studying the perspectives of Native Americans, enslaved Africans, and European colonists will be a good starting point. Here are some books that might interest you:

● 101 Changemakers: Rebels and Radicals Who Changed U.S. History

● Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters

● Bedtime Inspirational Stories: 50 Amazing Black People Who Changed The World

● Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker

● One Crazy Summer

● Jefferson's Sons: A Founding Father’s Secret Children

● This Land Is My Land by George Littlechild

● I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly: The Diary of Patsy, a Freed Girl

● My Name Is America: The Journal Of Jesse Smoke, A Cherokee Boy

● My Brother Sam is Dead

● Sophia's War: A Tale of the Revolution

Enjoy the rest of your summer! See you in September!

Sincerely,

Carol Fitzgerald

carol@theearthschool.org

Colin Schumacher

colin@theearthschool.org

Matthew Ciscart

matthew@theearthschool.org

P.S. We will only be checking this email occasionally this summer. (see over)

Carol and Colin’s Class Supplies 2018-19 With the exception of the marble notebooks and work folders, all of our supplies are shared. Please put your child’s name on folders and notebooks only. The items are listed in order of priority. We use all of these items in our classroom during the year. If you are not able to purchase the full list, please start from the top and work down. Please donate additional items from our classroom wishlist if you are able. Thank you in advance for your support!

Carol, Colin and Matthew's Supply List:

Notebooks and Folders

• • 1 sturdy plastic folder (for homework) *label with your child’s name

  • 4 folders (red, blue, green, yellow) *label with your child’s name

  • 4 wide ruled (lined) composition notebooks *label with your child’s name

  • 2 blank (no rule) composition notebooks *label with your child’s name

Writing and Art

• • 4 boxes of pencils (Ticonderoga brand are best)

  • 3 handheld pencil sharpeners

  • 3 pink erasers (rectangular)

  • 2 black Sharpies (thick OR thin)

  • 1 pack multi-colored Sharpies (thick OR thin)

  • 1 pack of construction paper

  • 1 set watercolor color paint (Crayola 8 or 16 count)

  • 1 package of paint brushes (Crayola variety pack, various sizes)

  • 2 glue sticks

  • 2 bottles Elmer’s school glue

  • 1 roll of Duct tape (silver or color)

  • 1 roll clear packaging tape

  • 2 rolls Scotch tape

Classroom Cleaning

• • 2 rolls of paper towels

  • 2 boxes of tissues

  • 1 box Band-Aids

  • 1 bottle Method brand all-purpose cleaner

  • 1 microfiber multipurpose cleaning cloth (Scotch-Brite brand, for example)

  • 1 package of sponges

For Emmy’s Earth Studies Class

• • 1 box pencils

  • 1 box of black felt tip pens

Also Needed - Classroom Wishlist (Optional) Cleaning Supplies Classroom Materials

• • Upright broom and dustpan combination

  • Twist mop & Mop bucket

  • Mop and broom holder wall mount

  • Dawn dish liquid (original, blue bottle)

  • Lysol or Clorox wipes

  • Reusable rubber cleaning gloves Latex gloves

  • Electric pencil sharpener

  • Adult scissors (8” variety)

  • Neon Construction Paper or Cardstock

  • Art materials for the Open Work shelf

  • Fabric squares/scraps

  • fabric glue

  • fabric scissors

  • Sewing supplies

  • Modge Podge

  • Yarn and weaving supplies

  • Recycled materials for building