It has been quite a week! Hope you and your loved ones are well, weathered the storm and did not lose power or sustain damage to where you live. I don't think anyone expected Sandy to cause as much destruction and devastation as she did. The images from television have been heartbreaking. While we may have received a break from school, I am sure we all wish it was under much better circumstances. I know all of you join me in wishing that all of the people who were impacted by Sandy, can soon have their lives get back to normal as soon as possible. Surely, their lives will never be the same. It has also been a challenge for many of us (and your families, too) to get gasoline. Hope that situation gets better ASAP, too. I was fortunate to not lose power where I live but unfortunately, many PS 165 staff members have gone without electricity and heat for the past several days. But hopefully, if power & heat haven't already been restored to their homes, they will be shortly.

We will have a lot of catching up to do this week. Hope you have been doing some writing in your notebooks, especially documenting the events of the past several days. Please carefully review the homework section and make sure you are up to date. If you haven't done so already, please email me your Mango Street essays and your memoir first drafts. We will revise this week. Don't forget to finish up your character activities. They are past due but I will accept them through this Wednesday, November 7th. There's a lot happening, so please keep checking announcements, homework and other sections of this website.

As far as our character celebration goes, it has been re-scheduled for Wednesday, November 7th. My costume arrived a couple of days ago. I will let you know if I need to change the date but that should work out.

Election Day will be here shortly. I wonder what the results of this close race will be. Who do you think will win? Look forward to sharing our election scrapbooks (which are due on November 13) and wrapping up the "Kid Who Ran for President."

We will begin a non-fiction reading and writing unit shortly and will begin working on a class magazine in which we will publish feature articles about topics we are passionate about There are more math projects (including a fun-enriching partner project entitled, "California, Here We Come" )which you will start working on very soon along with a social studies partner explorer webquest.

Report cards will be distributed shortly. Parent-Teacher conferences and open school week is next week. Notices will go home on Monday. Don't forget to give them to your parents!

I know you are enjoying keeping in touch on Edmodo--which is sort of like an educational Facebook. Please invite your parents to check it out and join our class page. I encourage you to post & share any thoughtful comments, wonderings or reflections about school, your life or what's happening in the community or world around you. It's a good way for us to stay connected.

Well, as usual, I had a lot to say. Take care and I look forward to seeing you all Monday morning.