We have been hard at work -- so much learning packed into five short days! We continue learning routines and procedures that set us up for success all year long. These include choosing just right books, collaborating effectively, finding our best spaces for independent work, using rubrics and criteria to improve the quality of our work, and lots of community-building. We're off to a great start with daily morning meetings, learning the names of all 45 classmates, and organizing our notebooks/supplies. These first two weeks have also included lots of social-emotional learning (SEL) lessons, some of which we've crafted into mantras that help us through the day. Your student knows these two mantras already: I think before I act or speak and I focus when I listen . We've also talked about how readers, writers, scientists, and mathematicians all learn best with a growth mindset. This means we know that our effort creates our abilities and that all of us have limitless pote