Important Dates
Immersion Day, Wednesday, November 9
End of first trimester, November 18
Fall Break, November 21-25
Book Fair, December 7
Follow the Gecko class on twitter @geckoknights!
Halloween
The 4th grade had a wonderful party — thank you to the room mothers and to everyone who sent in treats! We had a beautiful day for the parade as well. 
Divali
Quest’s first Divali celebration was a huge success! We loved learning about this holiday and watching a student dance group perform. Then everyone had a chance to sample some treats, learn a dance, get henna tattoos, decorate a diya (candle holder), and make a rangoli (design with colored sand). Thank you very much to the many parents who put together this informative and fun celebration! 
Day of the Dead
This week was also Dia de los muertos and many children and adults had their faces painted! Please see Senora Oliver’s blog (https://spanishquestwo.edublogs.org/) for photos.
The End of 1st Trimester is approaching!
As we get closer to the end of the first trimester, we have a number of assessments. In reading, we have finished our read-aloud, Blood on the River, and will have the book test on Monday. We have discussed and done some preparation for the test in class. Students have received a timeline and a few questions to think about. I encouraged them to write any notes they think will be helpful on this sheet, which they can use during the test, along with the book itself. For the test, each student will write his or her plan for the future of Jamestown as if he/she is the new leader in 1609. This task requires that they think about the historical events, their causes and the outcomes, and decide what to do to make the colony successful.
We will also be having a vocabulary test on all of the words from Blood on the River. We will have a review session in school and also talk about test-taking strategies. Students should also study at home for this! The date has not been set yet.
It’s also time for our first social studies assessment, in which students step out of their Pilgrim personas and think about what we have learned so far about the Pilgrims’ journey from England to the New World. This is a dynamic assessment with each student presenting what he or she knows. This week, the students worked on coming up with big ideas as a framework for the presentations. Then, they will determine what details support each big idea. Next Friday, November 11, will be the assessment date. Each student will present one-on-one with his/her teacher. You can help your student prepare by letting them practice his/her presentation with you next week.
Immersion Day
Immersion Day is next Wednesday. The 4th grade will be working on three projects at school that day. We will have a visit from a representative from Clearbrook, an organization that works with people with disabilities. The 4th graders will then create activity packets using construction paper and the laser printer in our Innovation Lab. In the afternoon we will make blankets from fleece for Project Linus, an organization that give handmade quilts and blankets to children in crisis situations. Our third project will be making journals for children at Ronald McDonald Houses.