Mistakes are proof that you are trying! Never be afraid to try and fail, only be afraid of not trying. 

Welcome to Room 163, where all kinds of magic happens!  I chose the message above because failure and mistakes will hopefully be a part of our daily lives. That sounds different, right? Well, I believe wholeheartedly that we all need to learn to take risks even though we will fail sometimes, maybe even a lot of the time.  Room 163 is a safe place where risks should be taken.  We will work together to realize that some of our best learning, as well as some of our greatest success, comes from the failures we experience.

This year, we will work tirelessly to become thoughtful readers and talented writers.  We will work with a workshop model in both reading and writing, using reading and writing units from the professionals at the Teacher's College. We will discover all kinds of new worlds in the books and stories we read, and we will create all kinds of new worlds in the stories we write.

Thank you for taking this journey with me; I cannot wait to see where we go!

If I have one wish for all of us this year, it is that we learn and grow together with cooperation, kindness, patience, and understanding for everyone.  Let's get to work!