What wonderful parent-teacher conferences we had last week! I sincerely appreciate parents willing to have honest, open conversations about their children and their needs. Don’t hesitate to continue our conversation via phone or e-mail whenever you have a concern or question. One thing that was revealed through our conferences was that numerous students have not been taking their homework responsibility seriously. Assignment Calendars go home every Monday and are due on Friday (or the last day of the week). To get credit, students must have their name, date, reading assignment, and parent signature each night. In 5th grade reading, on Tuesday students will receive a new set of vocabulary words (click to see list) and will begin new book clubs (Brian’s Hunt, Jungle Dogs, Frindle, and Wishes, Kisses, & Pigs).  Check Assignment Calendars for more details. Our 4th grade math class homework for the week is as follows: Monday, Nov. 28th; Tuesday, Nov. 29th; Wednesday, Nov. 30th; Thursday, Dec. 1st. In addition to their regular classroom assignment, students are also playing Mathketball, but they must have a completed homework sheet to play.

Note the new tab at the top of the page. Our Vintage Video page features old footage and photos from the past twenty years of my teaching. Finally, those of you who watched the Ducks win the Civil War game on Saturday may have heard that The Platypus Trophy is awarded to the winner of the game. But you also got a hint about the source of our webpage’s name. The Daily Platypus came about in response to the question, “Duck or a Beaver?” Go Platypuses!