Thank you!

Dear Families of 3-509,

It has been a privilege to work with you this year and watch our amazing kids grow and blossom. I can't thank you enough for your support- from chaperoning trips to volunteering to guest lecture, our class community would not be the same without your ongoing presence. Your collaboration has been the key to our students' success, and their eagerness to learn.

Thank you to Colette and Amanda for being the most amazing classroom parents. Our community was always informed of events and important information because of your efforts, and your organization of special events (book fairs, mystery readers, etc) has given everyone opportunities to get involved. You're amazing.

I was incredibly touched and moved by your thoughtful end of the year class gift. We are excited to use it towards some additional things to prepare for our little girl's arrival! Dev and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Please know that you are all my inspiration to be an amazing parent. Every day I watch you make parenting in New York City look exciting and an adventure that I am ready to partake in. It's not an easy place to live, but you have shown me that the best kids come from our incredible city, and now our little girl can be part of this unique crowd of kids that are so open to the world.

Please keep in touch- I would love to continue to hear about what your families have been up to!

A few last updates regarding the end of the year before I embark on my next adventure...

• Ms. Lampf and Ms. Mackenzie will be coordinating with Ms. Penn (and reaching out to Colette and Amanda) to set up an end of the year picnic for the kids at the water park on the river near 23rd street for June 22nd. Please keep your eyes open for information about this.
• All report cards and portfolio contents will be sent home on Friday June 24th. PLEASE RETURN PORTFOLIOS TO MS. PENN by next week!
• Next Friday June 17th is Field Day.
• Meet your new teacher day is Tuesday June 21st.
• The last day of school is Tuesday June 28th. This is a half day. Dismissal will be at 11:50.
• If you have questions or concerns please forward them to Ms. Penn via a handwritten note directly delivered by the kids, or call the main office.

Have a wonderful summer with your families, and take care!

Much love,

Aimee Bouchard

Meet Ms. Penn :)

Meet Ms. Penn!

I am absolutely thrilled to introduce you to Ms. Penn, the fantastic teacher that will be with our kids for the last 10.5 days of school! She will take the helm of 3-509 starting this upcoming Monday, June 13th. I have known Ms. Penn for quite some time now, and not only is she a pleasure to work with- she has an amazing connection with the kids.

A little background information about Ms. Penn:

She has subbed at PS 11 for the past three years. She has two masters degrees in Social Studies Education and Special Education, and has worked with a wide range of students of all abilities. In her spare time she loves photography (especially photos of her son), and loves to scrapbook. She enjoys vegan cooking and is interested in writing literature for children.

She is so excited to work with our class these last few days, and will be joining us on Wednesday and Friday for an amazing transition. Welcome, Ms. Penn!

Weekly Updates 6/6-6/10

NEWS/EVENTS

Hi Everyone!

Today I met with the kids to share my end of the year plans with them. I'm sad to say that my last day with them will be this Friday, June 10th. It has been a great year, and I told them that although it makes me sad to good bye for now, I feel really good about the work we've done and the end of the year plan we have in place. They were overjoyed to learn that Ms. Penn is going to be with them for their last 10.5 days of school. She is one of the kindest, most hard working substitutes I have worked with, and the kids will have a great last few days with her. Shortly I will be posting an introduction! I will be reaching out to you again before the end of the week. Thanks for all of your ongoing support.

• Tomorrow we are harvesting some plants from the PS 11 Garden (little yard) at 10:30. Please come join us if you are free!
• Wednesday we are running the PS 11 Farm Stand from 9-10 am. Parents are welcome to join us if you'd like. The kids will drop off their things and then we will meet you in front of the school.
• There is no school this Thursday 6/9 or next Tuesday 6/14. These are staff clerical days.
• Field Day is next Friday June 17th!
• Meet your new teacher day is Tuesday 6/21
• The last day of school is 6/28, this is a half day
• All portfolio contents and report cards will most likely be sent home Friday 6/24. PLEASE RETURN PORTFOLIOS ASAP. 
• The end of the year potluck dinner and dance is Friday 6/24 after school

CURRICULUM

Reading- This week is Social Issue book clubs students are looking at specific moments (turning points) that teach us how our characters work through struggles and face different Social Issues. Throughout this unit we will refer to Each Kindness, The Can Man, and Junkyard Wonders as mentor texts to help guide these conversations.

Writing- Students have been working on drafting Fairy Tale Adaptations of Cinderella. The steps for doing this involve:

• Picking an element to change (character, setting, event)
• Plotting out the domino effect of that change
• Stitching scenes together with thoughtful narration

Later in the week students will have a chance to develop an adaptation of one of their own favorite Fairy Tales. They will select one of these tales to bring to their fourth grade teachers on "Meet your new teacher" day.

Math- This week in our Geometry unit we are going over the various attributes of shapes and broadening our descriptions with more sophisticated comparisons.

As always, email me with any questions!