Dear Parents and Guardians,

Please forgive me for not writing sooner. We have been so busy I really didn't even realize this was the last week of school.  In December, I was crying "how long," this week I am just crying!

I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed this year with your children. I tell my "stories" to my family and friends and the one thing I find myself saying the most is how special and unique each child in Room 204 is. If you were at the <em>Chicago</em> Play, I really don't have to say more. Every year I cry at the children's performances, this year I cried more.

This has been an especially difficult year for our educational system with all the budget cuts and uncertainties for the coming school year. Obviously you have heard by now class sizes may be even larger than they are currently. That's what I call an injustice. I encourage you to write or call your local and state representatives and demand our children are provided with the school envirnoment that nutures the special qualities each student has to offer now and in the future. This will be severly impacted if administrators, teachers and support staff cannot address the academic and emotional needs of the children because they go unnoticed.

I have been teaching for sixteen years now and each year there's one special goal I try to achieve and that is to provide a safe, respectable, and interesting community. I think if this isn't accomplished, everyone within that community is spiritually deprived. I never feel I've mastered this, but each year the children teach me more and I learn how to improve for the next year

I want to thank each and every one of you for having been so supportive and helping out whenever and however you could. The children loved to see you rather it was in the morning or evening when you dropped them off, on a field trip, bringing cupcakes for their birthday, or just walking through the hallway to bring <em>their </em>lunch you so "irresponsibly"  left at home!(:)

Please encourage your child to continue reading books of interest as well as books that challenge their imaginations throughout the summer. The Ray School website's Accelerated Reading list will be updated to provide the children with a wider selection of good literature. Also, please make sure your child knows their multiplication facts in and out of order. Fast recall of the basic math facts increases the confidence level of children when learning math concepts.

You should be proud of your children. They have worked hard and grown just a little more toward independence. I will truly miss this class but look forward to seeing them in September.

HAVE A SAFE, FUN, AND HOPEFULLY RELAXING SUMMER!

Sincerely,

Ms. Jack