Welcome to your new classroom! In 4^th grade your child will actively learn through engaging and meaningful experiences as we embrace community building and leadership. It is my goal to create an environment where the student feels comfortable to take risks and challenge them to realize their potential. I promise to make your child feel important by being responsive to their actions. This will empower your child and let them know they can accomplish new tasks and achieve their goals.

This is our classroom, so each student will receive a weekly job and participate in community service projects throughout the year to build their leadership skills and to model the importance of action in our community. I believe a strong community builds life-long learners. Through building our classroom community students will feel visible and build bonds that will help them communicate their ideas and work as a team. I will listen, observe, and assess each student in order to create lessons that fit their learning styles so they will take ownership in their work and become more engaged. I want your child to build connections with what we learn in the classroom to their home life. When students connect what they learn to their personal life, it makes them feel powerful and important. It also helps them store this knowledge in their long-term memory.

The school year will consist of innovative and creative experiments and mini-projects enhancing your child’s learning experience. Many of our units integrate all of the subject areas. Most importantly, in order for your child to develop strong reasoning and logic skills your child will need reading, writing, and mathematical skills to comprehend problems. In the end, it is my hope that building a strong community focusing on meaningful experiences, engaging activities, leadership, respect, and the ability to take risks will create world class citizens striving to realize their potential on a daily basis.

I look forward to getting to know you and your family better through out the year and hope you will join us in building a strong community of life long learners. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at hhogan@atlanta.k12.ga.us or contact me through the school office at 404-802-8800. Again, welcome to fourth grade.