WELCOME TO 4TH GRADE AND THE SWAN/PAL/REIS TEAM! Swan/Pal/Reis stands for Swanson, Palkowski and Reisinger. We wanted to write a joint letter this year since we embrace the team teaching philosophy. Although you will have a home base with either Mrs. Swanson or Mrs. Palkowski, your learning, coaching, and instruction will come from all three of us!

Although we will be coaching you as a team, you can expect Mrs. Swanson and Mrs. Palkowski to be your lead coaches for Writer’s Workshop. Mrs. Palkowski will also be the lead coach for Reader’s Workshop. Get ready to build up your reading/writing strategy “tool-belts” through interactive mini-lessons! You can also expect to explore different reading and writing genres such as Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Non-Fiction (Narrative and Expository), Persuasive Writing, Literary essay writing etc. One of our goals this year in Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop is to help our readers develop a love of reading and writing, which will hopefully lead them to become life-long readers and writers.  Part of this process is celebrating their reading and writing life at both school and home.  We are creating a photo gallery for students to share their special reading and writing places at home. To accomplish this, we need you!  If you are willing, please share a photo, via email to your “home base” teacher, of your child reading and writing in their special places at home. Thank you for your support in helping to develop life-long readers and writers.

In addition, you can expect Mrs. Swanson/Reisinger to be your lead coaches for math mini-lessons! This year in math we will be learning more about multiplication and division, fractions (our personal favorite), and numbers to one million! 

Mrs. Swanson will be your lead coach for science. As scientists we will explore concepts and systems of the human body, build circuits, study energy forms/the transfer of energy and much more!

Last but certainly not least,  Mrs. Palkowski will be your lead coach for Social Studies. This year we will be exploring Wisconsin history from the Ice Age to the Colonial period. Parents, please direct any questions that are subject related to the subject specific coach. Other questions can be directed toward the student’s home base teacher.  Here's to a great year of "REACHING NEW HEIGHTS!"  

~Mrs. Swanson/Palkowski/Reisinger