Gian, Indigo, and Savannah were excellent tour guides of Sun Valley School.
Although the school year is coming to a close here in South Africa, I’ve been able to visit Sun Valley Primary School several times during November and December. This is a great school, filled with teachers who care about their students, students who are interested in learning, and a principal who cares about everybody. My tour guides, Gian, Indigo and Savannah, were excellent. They told me all about their school with great pride in their voices, while they showed me around. When I asked them what they liked most about their school, they said “Our teachers!” I really liked that answer! 
Mr. Tuohy and his 4th grade class of 2011.
Mr. Tuohy is one of the four 4th grade teachers here at Sun Valley. He and his new class of 4th graders will be working with Mr. Eckert’s class on ecosystems in science in 2012. The students tell me they like him a lot because he’s nice, cares about his students, AND he’s very funny.
Remember to put together the clues to infer while reading.
I taught a lesson on inferential reading to Mr. Tuohy’s class last week. The kids caught on quickly and promised me they would practice inferring while reading. (If you’re not sure how to infer while reading, ask your teacher!)
Sun Valley 4th graders infer to predict what will happen next in the story.
At the end of the school year, Sun Valley has an award ceremony. The children sing, play instruments, and receive awards. All the parents come and everyone has a happy time.
What similarities and differences do you notice between students at Sun Valley School and students at Cottage Lane School?
Hi Mrs. Christie-Blick, my name is Kaitlyn and I am in 4th grade and my teacher is Mrs. Vega-Cabrera. I noticed that the kids at Sun Valley Primary School don't wear shoes. When they were getting there awards they didn't have any shoes. I wonder why? 🙂
Hi Kaitlyn. Give Mrs. Vega-Cabrera a big hug for me and tell her I miss her. The kids were told not to wear shoes because they would make too much noise on the stage. Good idea, don’t you think? Wearing shoes at school is optional during regular classes at school. Many of the children are barefoot now because the weather has been so hot. Do you think shoes should be optional at Cottage Lane?