Hi Everyone!
We have a very busy week ahead of us. I wanted to give you the highlights:

Tuesday:  <span style="font-weight: bold;text-decoration: underline">School-wide Hispanic American Heritage celebration</span>
If you get this email in time, plan to come early to school and check out the decorations, projects by upper classmen, and eat some wonderful food in the cafeteria. The fiesta begins at 8:30 am. We'll be going to the auditorium at 9:30 to watch the all-school assembly. Each grade has prepared dances/songs for the celebration.

Wednesday:  Terrance Gray, Nyah's dad, is coming in to do a <span style="font-weight: bold;text-decoration: underline">music workshop</span> with the preschoolers. Terrance is a professional violinist and has lots of experience working musically with children. We are so excited about this! We'll be out in the lobby with Mr. Jeff's and Ms. Bethanie's classes. We are planning to start around 9:45. If you can make it, you are more than welcome to join us.

Thursday:  <span style="font-weight: bold;text-decoration: underline">Walking trip to the Fire Station</span>
We'll be leaving at 10:15 and YES, WE WOULD LIKE MORE ADULTS TO COME WITH US! The fire station is at 55th St. and University. The weather report is calling for rain, so please know if it is pouring when it's time to leave, we'll have to cancel the trip. If it's drizzling or lightly raining, we'll probably go. Please make sure your child has a warm jacket or coat, or a raincoat. It's only 3 blocks and we'll be inside when we're there so even if we get caught in the rain, we'll come back, dry off, and be none the worse for wear. I'm expecting we'll be back at school between 11:30 and 12:00. PLEASE HAVE YOUR CHILD WEAR THEIR RAY SCHOOL TSHIRT! (If you paid for one and didn't get one, please let me know).

We are learning about fire safety this week. We've posted some of the important points for your families on our back door. We are also learning that if there is a fire in our homes, we must not run away from the fire fighters. I'm told this is a big problem with young children. We'll be looking at a firefighter wearing a mask so we will know what they look like. I'm told that some students were making dressups this afternoon for fire fighters.

Friday:  I will not be in the classroom (all day training on our literacy program). There will be a substitute and Ms. Robin and Ms. D. should be there.

<span style="font-weight: bold">DON'T FORGET:</span> <span style="font-weight: bold">Field Trips</span>
Send in permission slip and money for our trip to see &quot;If You Bring a Mouse to School&quot; - $10.00 to cover the cost of the ticket and the bus. We have limited tickets. If you decide you want to go, please let us know this week and send in your money. We'll also be sending home a permission slip for a trip to &quot;Room 2 Play.&quot;

<span style="font-weight: bold">Halloween Party: </span> We start our &quot;Literacy Day&quot; with a parade through the school in the morning. We'll have our Halloween Party in the afternoon after nap, about 3:30-5:00. Karen Macklin (Sophia's mom) is organizing it, so please offer to help her. I hope we'll get to see you all.

<span style="font-weight: bold">Want to volunteer?</span>
We could use some help in the classroom in both the mornings and afternoons. In the morning, Robin can use some help getting breakfast set up for the children and helping them with their journals (writing words for their pictures). If you come early, you're welcome to stay a bit and read to whoever is there.

In the afternoons, Ms. D. can use help cleaning the room for the next day, reading to the children or playing a game with them.

In both the morning and afternoon periods, both Ms. Robin and Ms. D. need to concentrate on their duties: watching/engaging the children and any chores that need to be done. If you'd like to talk about what's going on with your child, the best thing to do is get in touch with me and we'll set up a time to meet.

<span style="font-weight: bold">Capri Sun Project:</span>
You may have gotten your bag today with the box, paper and instructions. We don't have any more boxes so if you have any, please use it for the project. If you have more than one, please think about bringing it in so we can give it to another family. Let me know when you'd like to come in and present your box.