Mrs. Crawley's

 4th Grade Class

Welcome to 4th Grade!!


 We are excited to begin the 2023-2024 school year!

A Little About Me

 My name is Hope Crawley and I am so excited to start another year with two of my favorite things: kids and teaching. This is my twenty-fifth year in education and my twenty-third year teaching full time. I have taught grades: second, third, fourth, and sixth. I have a Master's degree in education and a Bachelor's degree in psychology and elementary education. I am also a wife, mother, and community member. My family and I are all Colorado natives. We love to hike, birdwatch, geocache, and explore the outdoors. My husband works in the automotive industry and our daughter is a grown recent college graduate. We are so proud of her! 

Pictured above are our dogs. Drake is our black lab. He is sweet and loving. Ripley is our aussie/husky puppy. He is very smart, but also full of a lot of energy and keeps us on the move!

 It is going to be a great year! I can't wait to learn more about all of you, and work together in the year ahead.

Important Dates:


March 11-15: Parent - Teacher Conferences

March 18-22: Spring Break: No School

April 5: NRE Candeeland event






Family Fun Ideas To Explore and Learn About Colorado


Hello Families!

In 4th grade we will spend all year learning about various aspects of Colorado. Throughout the year I will try to share fun family events to help you discover more about our beautiful state!

February

Hello,

I know it has been cold. So here are a few fun artistic venues you might want to explore that will at least be warm. I know many of the kids have expressed interests in music, plays and art.

February Fun Family Events

Denver Center for the Performing Arts: Our arts center downtown has some amazing shows that are family friendly. Our symphony is also incredible. I know many of our students are exploring music and playing an instrument. This might be a fun experience for your family.

Lone Tree Arts Center: This is a smaller venue but has enriching shows. It is a great place to gain a little artistic culture near home.

Arvada Arts Center: This is another local arts center, a bit north of Denver. It has a variety of cultural opportunities your family might enjoy.

Best wishes,

Mrs. Crawley


December

This season there are so many fun things around Denver to celebrate with family and friends. Some of the most common events are : Denver Zoo Lights and the Denver Botanic Gardens: Blossoms of Light.  However, there are a few lesser known events and places I thought I would let you know about, here are a few:

 

The Littleton Historical Museum has a historical holiday night on December 10th from 5:30 -8:00. This is an outdoor event that highlights historical happenings in Colorado in the late 1890's/early 1900's. It often has storytelling, hayrides, music, cornbread and cookies, and historical lessons in the house by the chickens.  It is a ticketed event and tickets can be purchased at the museum. This is a great local museum to visit any time, but a lot of fun on this night!

Hudson Gardens: This is a small garden close to home. It is a beautiful garden that people use for a variety of events. This time of year it is filled with lights for you to enjoy no matter how you like to celebrate this season.

Chatfield Botanic Gardens: This is a historic farm with educational plaques about the buildings and plants. This time of year it is decorated with beautiful lights. It is a wonderful place to learn and enjoy the beauty of winter lights.


I hope you all are able to continue to learn and experience our beautiful state during this busy season with friends and loved ones.


Happy holidays,

Mrs. Crawley


November

Hello Families,

I thought  this month I would share a few museums and historic parks you may want to explore with your child this month. 


Four Mile : This is a beautiful, small historic park located in Denver. Many people who have lived here for years miss this fun place. It is close to the Cherry Creek Mall and has a lot of amazing history to share!

Byers-Evans House: This historic home belonged to some prestigious families in our state's history. The women of these families were key in building our state's cultural arts and William Byers was the publisher of the Rocky Mountain News.

Molly Brown House: This is one of the homes of the indomitable Molly Brown. She was a famous Coloradan who was a philanthropist, survivor of the Titanic, and influential spokeswoman for many causes and rights of others. This is a great home to visit and learn about this fascinating woman in our state's history.

National Ballpark Museum: This is a fun, small place in the middle of downtown for the sports lover. Since the World Series has ended, maybe some of you are like me and could handle a little more baseball. Check out this fun place and learn more about the sport.


I tried to share with you a few of the lesser known museums that have wonderful historical information to explore. Colorado is a rich state full of culture and history. I hope you and your family are able to take this year in 4th grade to enrich your knowledge and appreciation of our beautiful state.


Happy trails,

Mrs. Crawley


October

Georgetown Loop Railroad: This is a beautiful railroad loop, one of my personal favorites for sure! This is a wonderful way to see the fall colors and learn a bit about our state's history. It is not far from home and can easily be done in an afternoon. There are also extended learning opportunities with gold panning and more. Check out their website for upcoming adventures and holiday events too.

Colorado Wild Animal Sanctuary: This is a wild animal sanctuary that has elevated walkways to view rescued animals in natural habitats. This is a beautiful place to visit, especially if your child is an animal lover. The Keenesburg location is about an hour away, but past students have always shared that they loved it. One of these days I'll get there too!

Mesa Verde National Park: This is a wonderful National Park and an excellent opportunity to use your child's free National Park pass over Fall Break. We have been learning about the early people of Colorado and this fits in perfectly for an educational family adventure! If you are willing to conquer the drive to that corner of Colorado don't forget to check out the Sand Dunes, Four Corners and Colorado Gators while you are in that neck of the woods.

Corn Maze: If you didn't check this out in September it has a lot of great events to enjoy in October. It is great fun for  your child to problem-solve their way through this puzzle with you!


September

Hello Families!

 I hope you are enjoying the slightly cooler September days in Colorado. I thought I would share with you some possible places you might want to explore as a family.

Here are a few places you might want to try:

Rocky Mountain National Park: This is a beautiful National Park. Try out your new free park pass here. Note that for September - Oct 10th there is a timed entry into the park. This means that you have to sign up ahead of time to enter the park. Many people love to visit this park in September to see the autumn colors and elk. Sign up early and make sure to have your child try the Junior Ranger program. It's a lot of fun and educational too!

Littleton Historical Museum: This is a small free museum, close by, that features the local history of Littleton from the late 1800's -early 1900's. They have live animals and historical events throughout the year.

Chatfield Farms Botanical Gardens:  This is a beautiful garden with a historical farm that is also close by to Highlands Ranch. Throughout the year there are also wonderful events held here. Check out the link below about the corn maze.

Corn Maze: This is a large corn maze that begins September 15th through the month of October. September is a great time to explore the corn maze and enjoy having your child problem-solve their way through this puzzle with you!

I hope you are able to enjoy time learning together as a family and explore our beautiful state.

Enjoy,

Hope Crawley


August

Western Welcome Week : This is an historical celebration of Littleton, CO, just 5 minutes north of Highlands Ranch. It is a really fun week.  It begins this weekend and continues through next week. Don't miss Hawkquest at the Carson Nature Center on Tuesday night or the duck race on Sunday. It should be a lot of fun!

Colorado Journey: This is a local mini golf place that highlights fun historical places and/or events in Colorado. It is a lot of fun and you can get a lot of good ideas for places to visit throughout Colorado.

Carson Nature Center: This is one of my all time FAVORITE places to go! Make sure to go into the visitor center to check out the cool animals and explore the river table. This nature area is along the South Platte River which is a major water source in our area. It is fun to bike, walk, fish, birdwatch, catch crayfish, frogs and minnows, and a ton of other outdoor activities. Their educational programs are fantastic. If I could take all the kids here to all of their nature programs I would. The night hikes are fun too (depending on how you feel about nighttime). In September and October they also have great events.


I have linked the websites to all of these places if you would like more information. I truly hope you are able to take advantage of the beautiful state we are so privileged to live in. 


Best wishes,

Hope Crawley 


Contact Me: