Welcome Kindergartners and Families!
2010-2011 School Year
Dear Kindergarteners,
Hi! My name is Mrs. Gordon and I will be your Kindergarten teacher this year. I am very excited to meet you and your whole family. I have been busy getting our classroom ready this summer. You will love it! Get ready for lots of fun learning, meeting new friends, singing, dancing, and growing! See you on Thursday, September 2nd for visiting day. Hope to see you on Wednesday for the ice cream party, too.
Love,
Mrs. Gordon
Mrs. Gordon’s Kindergarten Wish List
Some parents have e mailed or called the office and asked about Kindergarten supplies. I have created a “wish list” for our class. I have plenty of supplies to start out the year, but they certainly do disappear quickly. You do not need to send in all these materials. Any materials that you would like to donate to the class would be greatly appreciated. This is only a “wish list”. (One or two items per family would be fabulous!) Thank you.
Glue sticks
Tissues
Hand sanitizer
Liquid soap
Crayons
Dry erase markers
Homework: Due by Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Mrs. Gordon’s Class
Dear Parents and Families,
I look forward to seeing you this Wednesday and Thursday, March 17 and 18th for conferences. This time of the year is always so exciting to me, as I see the children working independently and becoming strong readers and writers.
Many children have been bringing in small toys and jewelry. Please remind your child that all these items should stay at home. Things have been broken and lost in the last two weeks. A small stuffed animal for rest time is fine, but please no toys. Thank you for your help in this matter.
Homework 1: Family Times sheet – This week we will be reading Goldilocks and the Three Bears retold by Valeri Gorbachev. It is a classic fiction story that we all know. I will read several different versions of this story, so that we may compare and contrast the characters and plot. Our concept question for this unit is, “Where will our adventures take us?” This week’s question is, “What adventures can a little girl have?” We will focus on characters and sequence. We will again practice writing action words and action parts of a sentence (verbs), and writing complete sentences. I will review the sight words “one”, “two”, “three”, “four” and “five.” This week we will work on the letter Gg and the /g/
sound.
Homework 2: Math Home Link 6-3: Solid Shape Museum: Bring in some 3 D shapes for our shape museum!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Gordon
Homework: Due by Friday, January 15, 2010
Mrs. Gordon’s Class
Parents and families: We will be collecting large, empty, rectangular tissue boxes for Valentine’s Day (23 total – enough for the whole class and me). Please save any empty boxes that you may have at home and send them into school for the next month. Thank you for your help!
Homework : Family Times sheet – This week we will be reading Little Quack by Lauren Thompson. It is a fiction story about a mama duck and her five ducklings. The ducklings are afraid to swim and the mama encourages them to try their best and believe in themselves. It is a great story about believing in yourself, and it is also an addition story. Our concept question for this unit is, “How do people, plants and animals grow and change?” This week’s question is, “What new things can you do as you grow and change?” We will focus on sequencing and the children are continuing to learn about verbs. We will review last weeks sight words “me, with, and she.” The new letter and sound for the week is the
letter Rr and the /r/ sound.
Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Gordon
PS - We are always in need of glue stick and anti bacterial hand soap. Stickers and small prizes for our prize box are always appreciated, as well. Thank you!
Homework: Due Monday, January 11, 2010
Mrs. Gordon’s Class
Happy New Year! I hope you and your families had an enjoyable, restful holiday and vacation. Thank you for all my beautiful cards, notes, homemade goodies and gifts. It is always such a joy and a privilege to teach your children. Thank you for making me feel so appreciated!
Homework 1: Family Times sheet – This week we will be reading Little Panda by Joanne Ryder. It is a nonfiction story about Hua Mei, a baby panda that lives at the San Diego Zoo. Our concept question for the next unit is, “How do people, plants and animals grow and change?” This week’s question is, “How does a panda change in its first year of life?” We will focus on the skill “compare and contrast” and the new sight words for this week are “me, with, and she.” The new letters and sounds for the week are the letter Nn and the /n/ sound, and the letter Bb and the /b/ sound.
Homework 2: Math Home Link 4-5 Creating Patterns
Homework 3: I will start up the book borrowing program again TODAY. Please continue reading the books nightly and returning them in the book bags the next day. Your child will continue to receive books Monday – Thursday nights. Do a picture walk through the book together, and then have your child read the book to you. If your child struggles, please read it once to him/her and then have him/her read it to you. Thank you for your continued support at home. Your child will learn to love reading and will become confident quickly if you read regularly. Make reading time easy going and fun!!
Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Gordon
Homework: Week of December 15, 2009
Mrs. Gordon’s Class
Happy Holidays to all of you! I wish you all a very happy Christmas with your families and friends. I am looking forward to doing many fun and exciting projects with the children over the next 7 days.
This is the last homework until after Christmas. It is a math game (no written homework is assigned this week or next week.) Also, I will not be doing book borrowing next week. It is such a busy time, as parents and families finish shopping, baking and running errands. Take this time to read holiday books and/or to have a “game” night!!
This week the children will NOT be starting a new unit in Reading Street. We will be doing the unit 2 assessments. I will be using these scores to group the children into new reading groups for January.
Homework 1: Flashcard Memory game – Have your child cut out all the sight words that I sent home (one sheet is yellow and one is green). Have your child read them to YOU! Make a yellow pile and a green pile. The children should place them face down, spread them out, and then try to find each “match.” Your child should read each one as he or she turns them over.
Play this game a few times and then save it in a plastic bag in your book box. Please do not send it back to school. Keep it at home and practice!
Homework 2 + 3: Math home link 4-2 Top It
Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Gordon
IMPORTANT DATES
Holiday Break – NO SCHOOL – December 24 – January 3
December Updates
December 9, 2009
Our LAST Scholastic book order will be placed on Thursday night. If you would like to still place a Christmas order, please send me an e mail, order online, or bring your order to the parent teacher conferences. I will order by Thursday night so that all books will be in before Christmas. (I have only received one paper order from Iris, and some online orders.) Also, if the books are a SURPRISE for your child, please let me know.
The weather has turned cold and we are still trying to get outside daily. Please pack a heavy coat, hat and mittens for your child daily. If it is snowy, you may send in boots for your child as well. It is important that the children get to play outside, get some exercise and get some fresh air. If the temperatures are not too low and the playground is not too icy, we will try to go outside. Thank you!
Lastly, please return your child’s book bag and book daily. I will be using the smiley papers until Christmas and then I will no longer send them (in order to conserve paper!) Please contact me at any time if the books are too frustrating for your child. We do practice reading these books in the morning, so you may find that your child can read the books easily. That is okay! Remember that at home reading is a good confidence builder. Use this opportunity to retell the story, talk about the characters and praise your child. More challenging books/instructional reading is done at school during reading group time.
Thank you,
Colleen Gordon
Homework: Due Monday, December 14, 2009
Mrs. Gordon’s Class
Thank you to all the families that helped create our fabulous gingerbread men. They are displayed on the bulletin board outside our classroom door. Take a look when you come for conference day! I love them all! This month we will be reading different versions of The Gingerbread Man story and doing some writing and art projects at school with the creations.
This week I will be meeting with parents on Wednesday evening and Thursday afternoon (no Kindergarten on Thursday this week, Dec. 10). Please contact me as soon as possible if the scheduled time is not convenient. My conferences on Wednesday are from 5:45 pm till 8:15 pm. Since there are no breaks in between conferences, I do use a timer to help our conferences move along and to be respectful of the parents that are waiting. Thank you for your help and consideration with this matter
Today we begin a new story in our Reading Street Curriculum. It is called Whose Garden Is It? All the animals and people in the story think the garden belongs to them. The story focuses on what a garden needs to grow, and we will discuss the skill realism vs. fantasy. Our theme is “Where do animals live?” and this week we focus on the question, “Who lives in the garden?” I am reviewing the letter Ii this week and the short i sound (/i/ like in igloo). I will review the sight words “he” and “for”.
Homework 1: Family Times sheet
Homework 2: Math home link 3-15 “Counting Fingers” This is great practice counting by 10s.
Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Gordon
IMPORTANT DATES
Tuesday, December 8 - PTO Meeting/Holiday dinner: 7pm
Wednesday, December 9 – Parent-Teacher conferences (5:45 pm – 8:15 pm)
Thursday, December 10 – NO KINDERGARTEN (Morning professional development, afternoon conferences)
Holiday Break – NO SCHOOL – December 24 – January 3
Homework: Due Monday, December 7, 2009
Mrs. Gordon’s Class
I hope you all had an enjoyable, restful Thanksgiving with your families. I am looking forward to seeing you next week for conferences.
Today we begin a new story in our Reading Street Curriculum. It is called A Bed for the Winter. It is a nonfiction story about animals and their homes. It focuses on the setting of the story, and where the animals travel. Our theme is “Where do animals live?” and this week we focus on the question, “What kind of home does a mouse need in winter?” I am teaching the letter Ii this week and the short i sound (/i/ like in igloo). I will teach the sight words “he” and “for”.
Homework 1: Family Times sheet
Homework 2: Math home link 3-12 “Heavier or Lighter?”
Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Gordon
IMPORTANT DATES:
December 2, Wednesday: ½ Day (Dismissal for full-day K and gr. 1-4: 12:25) No Lunch is served. Please pack 2 snacks for your child on this day.
Homework: Due Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Mrs. Gordon’s Class
Today we begin a new story in our Reading Street Curriculum. It is called Bear Snores On. It is a fiction story about forest animals, hibernation and friendship. It focuses on how some animals hibernate and others do not hibernate. Our theme is, “Where do animals live?” and this week we focus on the question, “Why do bears hibernate?” I am teaching the letter Cc this week and next week, and the /k/ sound. I will reteach the sight words “we”, “my”, and “like”.
This week and next week in mathematics, we are focusing on numerals (correct formation, counting, which numbers are more and less), measuring and weighing (with unifix cubes and a pan balance), and number stories (beginning addition and subtraction).
Homework 1: Family Times sheet
Homework 2: Math Home Link 3-6 Monster Squeeze
Important Dates:
November 25-27 NO SCHOOL – Thanksgiving Break
November 30 – Parent Informational Meeting (New report card format) 6 pm
Have a great week and a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families! I am so thankful for my wonderful Kindergarten students and all of you. Have a restful and happy holiday.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Gordon
November 2009 Newsletter
Hill-Roberts Elementary School
Mrs. Gordon’s Kindergarten Class
Dear Parents and Families,
I cannot believe that it is November already! The students are adjusting well to our school routines, and have formed friendships, are beginning to accept new responsibilities, and are trying to do their best work!
In October, we did many fun math activities. The children made a class book of their neighborhoods and drew their own houses with the number displayed on the house. We have also been working on shapes and patterns, and the children made some ABAB patterns with orange and black beads. We also made shape collages (circle, triangle, square, and rectangle) and practiced counting and recognizing the numerals 1-20. We played some “tricky teen” games and have also enjoyed estimating using different objects (candy, pennies, etc.)
Last week our class read a nonfiction book called Life in the Ocean and the children loved learning about crabs, sharks, seaweed, kelp, and sea grass. We sang a song called, “In the Ocean” with hand movements and lots of fun! Ask your child to sing it to you!
NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER FUN
Language Arts – For the next three weeks, our theme is “Animals Live Here.” We have read and will be reading the following books: Life in an Ocean, Armadillo’s Orange, Animal Babies in Grasslands, Bear Snores On, A Bed for the Winter, and Whose Garden Is It? We will be focusing on previewing, and recalling and retelling, comparing and contrasting different parts of stories, setting, main idea, sequencing, and realism and fantasy. The students will also be learning letter sounds, blending sounds to form words, sight words (we, my like, he, for), nouns, proper nouns, adjectives, and much, much more.
Mathematics - We have begun making individual number books from 1-10 and the children are practicing correct number formation and matching objects to numbers. We will continue with patterning, counting, and graphing as well. The new concepts include weight and measurement, story problems, skip counting (by 10s) and probability. Many new games and activities will be used to introduce and reinforce these mathematical concepts. The children absolutely LOVE math!
I am looking forward to meeting with you all for conferences at the beginning of December. Please contact me before this time, if you have any questions or concerns. Notices and times will be sent home later this month.
Lastly, thank you to all the parents who began volunteering in the classroom. It certainly helps our center time run more smoothly!! Thanks for all your patience and help, as the children adjust to having you come in. Unless we have a special project going on, I ask that all our parent volunteers come in from 1:25- 3:15. The first part of our day usually involves whole class instruction. Thank you again!
Happy November!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Colleen Gordon
Homework: Due Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Mrs. Gordon’s Class
Today we begin a new story in our Reading Street Curriculum. It is called Animal Babies in Grasslands by Jennifer Schofield. It is a nonfiction story about animals and their babies. It focuses on how the animals look and where they live. Our theme is, “Where do animals live?” and this week we focus on the question, “Who lives in the grasslands?” I am teaching the letter Pp this week and the /p/ sound. I will introduce the sight words “we” “my” and “like”.
We have been doing many letter, sound, word, and math assessments in the past week. Grades closed for term 1 and I am very excited to meet with all of you in December to discuss your child’s progress.
I hope you are enjoying the new book borrowing program, as well. Please remember to send back your child’s book and book bag EACH DAY. No books are sent home on Fridays or extended holidays. Thank you.
Homework 1: Family Times sheet
Homework 2: Math Home link sheet 3-2 Shape and Color Patterns
Have a great week!
Homework: Due Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Mrs. Gordon’s Class
Happy November to all!
Today we begin a new story in our Reading Street Curriculum. It is called Armadillo’s Orange by Jim Arnosky. It is a story about an armadillo and all the animals he encounters in the orange grove. Our theme is, “Where do animals live?” and this week we focus on the question, “Who lives in an orange grove?” I am teaching the letter Ss this week and the /s/ sound. I will reteach and review our sight words “have” and “is”.
Homework 1: Family Times sheet
Homework 2: Letter formation (Practice writing first and last names with
One capital and the rest lowercase letters)
Last week was a fun-filled Halloween week. Thank you to all the parents that helped out! The children got to graph candy corn, count, sort, and decorate treats and pumpkin cookies, read and match words on a pumpkin scarecrow (based on the book The Little Old Lady Who Wasn’t Afraid of Anything, and make Halloween pattern bracelets. It was a great Friday! Special thanks to Mrs. Lamoureux and Mrs. Blouin for all the cookie making supplies!
Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Gordon
Homework: Due Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Mrs. Gordon’s Class
Today we begin a new story in our Reading Street Curriculum. It is called Life in an Ocean by Carol K. Lindeen. It is a nonfiction story about the ocean and all different life forms that live and grow there. Our theme is, “Where do animals live?” I am teaching the letter Aa this week and the short a sound (like in am and ant). Our new sight words are “have” and “is”.
Homework 1: Family Times sheet
Homework 2: Math Home link sheet (estimation)
Thank you to all our parents and families who were able to accompany us on our field trip. Four Town Farm was fabulous, as always! The children had a fun, hands-on learning day! A great introduction to planting/seeds/ and growing (all part of our science curriculum.) Thank you all!
Starting next week, I will be sending home book bags and real books for the children to borrow and read with your family. These books should be returned the next day. I will send a letter accompanying the books next week, as well. The children are doing a great job reading to me daily and also partner reading with their friends. It is such a joy to see students making letter/sound/word connections and learning to read!
Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Gordon
.
PS - Our volunteer schedules went home yesterday. Please contact me if you need to make changes to the assigned dates. Thank you
Homework: Due Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Mrs. Gordon’s Class
Today we begin a new story in our Reading Street Curriculum. It is called Dig Dig Digging by Margaret Mayo. It is a story about all different types of vehicles and describes the work that they do. Our theme is, “How do machines help people work together?” I am teaching the letter Tt this week and the /t/ sound. I will review our 6 sight words (a, to, the, little, am, and I). Please review these words at home, as well.
Homework 1: Family Times sheet
Homework 2: Math Home Link 2-9 Coins
Have a great week! I will be sending home the volunteer schedule for November next week. Also, our field trip to Four Town Farm is on Monday, October 26th at 9 am. Parents that have signed up to chaperone, please be in the lobby by 9:00 sharp. We will be back for 11:30 am. This day we will have lunch AT SCHOOL, but we will eat later. Please pack two snacks for your child that day. We will have snack as soon as we get back from the farm. A reminder note will be sent home at the end of THIS week.
P.S. I hope to see you all at the Harvest Hoopla on Saturday night from 6-8pm. I will be there, too! I can’t wait to see all the wonderful costumes.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Gordon
IMPORTANT DATES:
Saturday, October 24: Harvest Hoopla at Hill-Roberts from 6-8 pm
Monday, October 26: Kindergarten field trip from 9-11:30 a.m. (Please pack your child 2 snacks on this day. LUNCHES WILL BE SERVED AS USUAL.)
Wednesday, October 28: ½ Day of school. Dismissal at 12:25 p.m. (Please pack your child 2 snacks) NO LUNCHES WILL BE SERVED
Mrs. Gordon’s Kindergarten News
October Newsletter 2009
Our Kindergarten routines are in full swing and the children are enjoying doing morning “work jobs.” These jobs involve signing in every morning, putting their name cards in a basket for attendance, placing their name magnets in the correct column to order hot lunch or cold lunch, and unpacking their belongings. These repetitive jobs help the students learn routines.
We are working on the second section in the Everyday Math curriculum this week. The students have been making two dimensional shape collages, practicing ABAB patterns, playing Spin a Number game to count and read numbers 1-10, and doing obstacle courses to practice spatial vocabulary and concepts. It has been an exciting, hands-on month! We will be practicing coin matching and the children will be using finger paint and shaving cream to learn and prepare for correct number formation.
We are also finishing our third week in the Reading Street Curriculum. We read Miss Bindergarten Takes A Field Trip by Joseph Slate. This week we will begin reading Julius by Angela Johnson. Our concept question is “How do people and animals work and play together?” Our new sight words for this week will be “to” and “a”. Please save and continue reading the little paper phonics books that are sent home. These will reinforce and encourage your children to read. (“Yes, I can read!”).
Thank you all for the hard work and effort you put into helping your child do his/her weekly homework. Every night please have your child read a book to YOU from their book box. The paper phonics books are a great start for your child. The books are very short and contain the sight words I have introduced at school. The picture clues will help your child to read words he/she doesn’t know. Very soon I will be sending home vinyl book bags and your child will borrow a book NIGHTLY to read to you! This is such an exciting thing to listen to and watch. More information to come soon
Homework: Due Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Mrs. Gordon’s Class
Today we are beginning the new story in our Reading Street curriculum. It is about a girl named Maya and her new pig, named Julius. Her grandfather sends her this new pet, and the story discusses the fun and difficulty with having a pet pig. The title is Julius by Angela Johnson. The theme is, “How do people and animals cooperate?” The sight words that will be introduced this week are “to” and “a”.
Homework 1: Family Times sheet: Parents please initial each of the five days on the back of the sheet. Send in all written work that goes with this sheet.
Homework 2: Math Home Link 2-5: Patterns All Around
Each week we read a small paper phonics story in class. Your child will bring this home every week on day 2 of the program. (This week day 2 falls on Thursday. This week’s book is called Little Mouse). These books are for you to keep. They should be saved and read as often as possible. The books have all the sight words we’ve covered in class, and lots of decodable 3 letter words as well. AGAIN, PLEASE SAVE ALL THE PAPER PHONICS BOOKS THAT COME HOME. These are great ways to reinforce your child as he/she begins to read.
Thank you,
Mrs. Gordon
Due Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Mrs. Gordon’s Class
Homework 1: Family Times sheet
Homework 2: Math Home Link 2-1: I Spy with Geometry
Today we are beginning the new story in our Reading Street curriculum. It is an alphabet book that involves a teacher and her students going for a walk. The title is Miss Bindergarten Takes a Field Trip by Joseph Slate. The theme is, “How do people in a community cooperate?” The sight words that will be reviewed this week are “the” and “little, as well as “am” and “I.”
The second assignment is a home link math page. This week it is an exploration of shapes at home. We will be focusing on shapes (circles, triangles, squares, and rectangles), patterns, spatial directions and counting this week.
Lastly, I sent home calendars for the volunteers that signed up at Open House and at the beginning of the year at Orientation. Thank you to all the parents that are able to come in, and have volunteered their time. All volunteering will begin this week. REMINDER: IN ORDER TO VOLUNTEER, YOU MUST COMPLETE THE VOLUNTEER TRAINING WITH MR. JOSEPH. Please see the school website for dates and times.
Thank you,
Mrs. Gordon
P.S. Thank you to all that have GENEROUSLY donated glue sticks, markers, stamps, stencils, paper towels, baggies, play doh, tissues, wipes and much more!! It is all being put to good use daily!
P.S.S. We are in the process of planning the Kindergarten field trip to Four Town Farm. It is TENTATIVELY going to be in the a.m. on Monday, October 26. More information to follow VERY soon.
Homework for the Week of September 28- Oct. 2
Mrs. Gordon’s Class
DUE ON MONDAY, 10/5
Homework 1: Family Times: Plaidypus Lost
Homework 2: Math Home Link 1-11 Sorting Groceries (Your child may draw the items and parents may help with the writing.)
Parents and families,
Thank you all for coming to Open House last week. I enjoyed seeing you all and also meeting some of you for the first time! The children really enjoyed showing you the classroom and being the “teacher for a night!” I know that it was difficult for many of you to hear the short presentation I gave on the Reading Street curriculum and EveryDay math program. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns before teacher conference time.
This week in math I will be introducing counting numbers in sequence, comparing height and length, and reading numerals 1-10. Home link 1-11 is the homework for this week. This is a review of last week’s sorting and counting lessons we did with coins, buttons and shapes.
The “Family Times” is also attached. This is a weekly overview of our reading/writing curriculum for the week. It will tell you our story for the week, the sight words (the, little) and letters we are focusing on.
Thank you,
Mrs. Gordon
IMPORTANT DATES:
Monday, September 28 – 6:00 – 8:00 School Roller Skating Party at U.S.A. Skates
Wednesday, September 30 – NO SCHOOL
Homework for the Week of 9/21
Due on Monday 9/28
Homework 1: Family Times: Fix-It Duck
Homework 2: Math Home Link 1-7
Thank you all for helping your child complete and hand in their first homework assignments. The book boxes were beautiful and creative. The students loved having show and tell last week to share the boxes. Also, the first written homework looked fabulous. Please remember to have your child write his/her name at the top with pencil. I received many with no names. Also, it would be helpful if you could staple the packet back together when completed and send back in your child's folder. I often have the teacher's assistants take them out for me, and it is easier for me to keep track of the homework if it is stapled. Thank you again!
This week I will be introducing bar graphs, teaching and creating patterns, and sorting coins with the children. Home link 1-7 is the homework for this week. This sheet is attached. It involves measuring volume. This is a great homework for your child to do in the bathtub!! You do not need to send anything back for this math homework. Simply check the sheet and write down any discoveries or notes that you would like to share with me.
The Family TImes is also attached. This is a weekly overview of our reading/writing curriculum for the week. It will tell you our story for the week, the sight words (I, am) and letters we are focusing on. The back side gives you the 5 days of suggested activities.
Also, I have begun using sticker incentive charts in the classroom. The students get to place a sticker next to their names if they hand in homework by Friday or Monday. I will let students pick a prize from my treasure chest when they complete and hand in homework. Thank you for all your support and help at home!
IMPORTANT DATES
Thursday, September 24 - OPEN HOUSE - 6-8 pm
Monday, September 28 - USA Skates Roller Skating Party - 6-8 pm
Wednesday, September 30 - NO SCHOOL
I am very excited to meet you all very soon! Please come and introduce yourselves to me at the Ice Cream Social on Tuesday, September 1rst at 3 pm. I will be there! Also, our orientation is on Thursday, September 3rd. At this time I will discuss with you the schedule of the day and necessary items for Kindergarten. Please check the forms that were mailed to you for the specific time you are scheduled. I have been busy getting our classroom ready and I am very excited to meet our newest and youngest Hill-Roberts Huskies! Below I have listed some optional items that we can always use for our classroom. I will also have these items posted at Orientation. Any and all donations are always appreciated. Thank you :)
tissues
baby wipes
glue sticks
crayons
old sock (used to erase dry erase markers)
See you soon!
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