Friday, December 31, 2010

Week of January 3rd!

Happy New Year Everyone!  2011.....it hardly seems possible!  Better hold on tight to your cute little 4th graders because you will blink and they will be in middle school like my baby girl!  Cherish them, make time for them, cuddle them, play with them.  Can you tell I'm feeling a little emotional.....my soon to be 14 year old is away at Winter Retreat with our church youth group and I am missing her like crazy!!  Giving her roots was the easy part, but giving her wings is very hard on this mama! 

Hope you have had a magical and wonderful Christmas!  Can't believe the break is over, but it will be nice to be back in a routine! 

Remember that Monday your child may bring a game from home, including an electronic one.  We will have some game time while we settle in to our new classroom. 

I don't have my lesson plans at my fingertips (they are in a box in my class marked "important stuff"), but I do know the main things we will be doing ! :) 

Reading: Leveled reading groups studying the genre: Mystery.....We will be exploring plot, character, and setting.

Science: Space

Math: 2 and 3 digit by 1 digit multiplication

We will be doing spelling and English as well, but can't remember the specifics.  The children will get a new spelling list Monday.

I wanted to thank you so very much for the thoughtful cards and gifts I received for Christmas.  It touched my heart deeply to be thought of so warmly.  The children will receive a thank you note in the mail from me sometime soon.  I also wanted to update you on our Boxes of Hope project.  It was a beautiful scene to watch unfold!  The children all did a wonderful job.  I think they really enjoyed this project and hopefully learned a little about the true spirit of Christmas...the giving of ourselves.  :) Thank you for helping to make it so special.

Talk to you soon!

Friday, December 17, 2010

Week of 12-20

Merry Christmas Families!

Just a short post to let you know what we will be up to for our 3 day week:

Practice Testing
Review Work
Fun Work
Christmas Movie
Kindergarten Buddies
Packing up our belongings to move to our      portable

****Things to Remember****

Banana Split Reward Party - Tuesday at 1:00
Christmas Party - Tuesday at 2:15
Box Buddy Gift Exchange - Tuesday morning

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Week of December 13th

Hello Families!  Here is the agenda for this week:

Math - Adding and Subtracting with Decimals

Reading - Leveled Independent Reading

Spelling - Christmas Words

Social Studies - First of all I wanted to say "WOW"....the kids rocked at their American History Test!  I was so impressed with the majority of their test scores!  They did so well! I could tell most of them studied with test scores like A's, B's, and C's!  Now let's rock the classroom again this week!  We will be finishing up our NE Region Posters this week. (Due Thursday)  We will also take a NE Region Location Test on Wednesday and a NE Region Capitals Test on Thursday.  I will send home a study guide on Monday.  This first location test usually gets some of the kids.  Make sure to spend some time helping your child study for this test.  It can get kindof tricky remembering where all those New England states are.  The test will include the states and they will match them with their correct location.  The capital test will be matching as well, and the children need to study for this too.  I try really hard to teach the children about that BIG word called PROCRASTINATION. They have got to learn how to use their time wisely and to not put off things until the last moment.  This is an important skill necessary for future success!  As a mother of an 8th grader, I'm telling you the truth. :) As my pastor's 8 year old daughter told her daddy.  "School is a lot like Mario Brothers with each level getting harder!"  I thought that was a clever analogy!  We as parents and teachers need to prepare our children for that next level!

***Side note: We will still remember to have fun though and enjoy 4th grade as we stretch and grow!***

English - We will finish up our Owl Reports.  They are due Thursday as well.

We will get back to Spanish in January.

****THINGS TO KNOW AND REMEMBER****

Show and Tell will be Thursday.  (No pets...sorry)

Friday is Polar PJ Day!  Your child may wear their pajamas and slippers.  We will be doing learning stations in the morning that include reading, science, social studies, math, and art.  In the afternoon, we will watch the movie Polar Express and drink hot cocoa and eat s'mores!  This should be a fun day!!

Box Buddy packages are due Tuesday, December 21st. Remember, this is a wrapped gift for a secret friend that includes: 
              1) 5 Thoughtful Compliments
                     2) Acrostic Poem
                     3) Letter of Encouragement
                     4) Drawn and Colored Picture or Collage
                     5) Handmade Gift
We have been working secretly behind homemade tents on our desks :) on the first 3 or 4 items, but the children need to make their handmade gift at home as well as wrapping their package with all 5 things inside it.  Please help me to help your child follow through with this special and worthy project.  It would be awful if your child's secret friend didn't get a special package that day because your child didn't finish it.  I love each and every one of my students and I am putting my trust in them and you to complete this assignment.  I don't want anyone left out.  The children and I talked about how this gift will be probably one of the hardest gifts they will ever make and give, but oh what a lesson in the giving of ourselves!!  Hopefully, they will realize that in blessing others, they will in turn be blessed, probably more. :)

I want to thank all my volunteers that helped on Gingerbread House Making Day!  What a crazy, but fun day!!  Thanks in advance for all who signed up to help on Polar PJ Day this Friday!  Also thanks to those who are donating to our Banana Split Party!  Look for those two information notes to come home on Monday if you signed up.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Week of 12 -6

Good Day Families!

Here is this week's agenda:

Reading - We will begin leveled books this week.  The children will be doing a book report in class when they finish their books.

English - Owl research reports

Spelling - Time and Calendar words  List 9 on spellingcity.com

Math - Money!

Science - Disecting Owl Pellets!  Fun!  We will also have a test on owl facts on Thursday.  We will create an owl fact study guide on Tuesday to go home. 

Social Studies - NE Region Posters.  We will also be reviewing the (NE Region) American History.  That study guide will go home on Tuesday as well.  That test will be on Friday. 

****Things to note or remember****

Science(Owl) Test - Thursday

Social Studies (Amer. History) Test - Friday

Gingerbread Houses - Friday - Don't forget to send in: 1 container of frosting, 6 graham crackers, and 1 large bag of candy by Thursday.  If you can help out by mixing the candy and putting it into bags on Thursday or Friday morning, I would greatly appreciate it!  Let me know.  The gingerbread house event will be around 1:15 ish on Friday, so parents that signed up for that, please come around that time.  Thanks so much!!!

Box of Hope and Inspiration - I sent home a letter about this special project on Friday.  Please help your child at home with this.  We will work in class some on it too, but not for all of it. 

Thanks for your continued support and help!!  I greatly appreciate it, but mostly I appreciate your sweet children.  They are an absolute joy to me!!