Hello Families!

Here is what's ahead for the week:

We will be doing a lot of review and Christmas work for the most part.  We will be continuing to practice long division.  We will also look at solids, liquids, and gases in science. 

Wednesday is Polar PJ Day.  We will be doing learning/craft stations from 11:30 to 1:00.  We will then watch the Polar Express movie at 1:00.  Remember, your child may wear their pajamas!

Thursday is the Christmas Party.  It begins at 1:30.

Friday is the all school Christmas Sing-a-Long.

It will be a busy, but super fun week!!

Thanks to all who volunteered to help with Polar PJ Day!  Please be here around 11:10 to pick a station to run. Parents, you can wear your pajamas too! I will!  Thanks again!!

Week of December 10th

Hello Families!  Here is the agenda for the busy week ahead:

Reading - The children should finish their novels this week if they haven't already done so.  They are due next Tuesday.  We will do a character trait project with it. (I described this project in last week's post.)

Spelling - Christmas words (This list is found on spellingcity.  The enriched list is the "o" enriched list.)

English - Owl Reports are due on Wednesday.

Math - Long Division and Algebra

We will be doing benchmark testing this week in math and reading.

Please look for your child's NE Region location test and capital test results.  Most did well on the location test, buy many failed the capital test.  We practice USA locations every week in computer lab, so I know that helped with that test.  :( I know it is a busy time, but please make sure your child studies for tests.  They are getting old enough to show some responsibility on their own, but they are still pretty young and need some guidance and help to learn good study habits.  Thanks!

We will also be practicing everyday for our 4th grade program.  Dress Rehearsal will be Thursday at 8:45a.m. and the actual program will be 6:00p.m..  Please make sure your child is wearing the appropriate attire as stated in the note sent home last week.

We will be making our gingerbread houses this Wednesday!  Fun! Please make sure your child has the requested supplies: one tub of white frosting, one bag of candy, and one package of graham crackers.  Parents who volunteered...thanks so much for helping!! If you signed up to help with set up/clean up, please be here at 1:15.  If you signed up to mix candy, I will send home the candy and ziplocks with your child on Tuesday.  Thanks again!!

Week of December 3rd

Hello Families!! Here is this week's agenda:

Reading - The children will continue to read their leveled novels.  Many have completed their books already and have done very well on their AR tests! Wow!  I'm so proud of them!!  The project for this book is a character trait flip book.  I am teaching the children about various charater traits.  They have to choose 3 traits their main character showed and proof of how they showed that trait.  They will also have to write about a time they showed that same character trait as well.

Spelling - List 19 sounds of /oo/  Enriched list 19.5

English - We will put our owl research into 5 paragraph reports this week.

Math - Long Division

Science - We will make Owl Fact Books on Tuesday.  The children will need to know these facts for a test on Thursday over this information.  We will also disect owl pellets this week!!

Social Studies - The children will finish their NE Region posters this week.  They are due on Friday.  They will also have tests over the NE states' locations and capitals.  A study guide should come home on Monday.  The location test will be Thursday and the capital test will be Friday. 

Talk to your children about procrastination.  With 4 tests at the end of this week, they need to start studying on Monday.  Time management is a HUGE skill in 4th grade!! We really work on this skill when we do long term projects, read novels in a certain time frame, and have big tests to study for.  Help your child with this important skill.  If they master this skill now, it will help them tremendously in the coming years!

I will be sending home a note on Tuesday requesting gingerbread house materials.  Next Wednesday is Gingerbread House day.  Please have the supplies by Tuesday.  They need a tub of white frosting, 6 grahamn crackers, and a large bag of candy to share.  We will mix everyone's candy to give everyone a variety of candy!  Types of candy are: peppermints, Skittles, M&M's, M&M minis, pull apart Twizzlers, gum drops, small candy canes, Lifesavers, redhots, etc.. Pretzel sticks and marshmellows would be great too!

Thanks for your continued support!!

Week of November 26th

Hi Families! Hope you had an enjoyable Thanksgiving! I have had a wonderful time with my family and extended family.  Here is a look at this week's agenda:

Math - Division.   We will continue to review multiplication and previously learned concepts.

Reading - Owls in the Family.....We will finish this novel and continue to check for literal and inferential comprehension.  We will also begin a new leveled novel. This novel is due December 18th.

English - Subject/Predicate, Parts of Speech review

Spelling - Owls in the Family Vocabulary   Look under Owl words on spelling city.com.  We will do enriched spelling again next week.

Science - Owl research......We will be using individual I-Pads this week to do our research!

Social Studies - Northeast Posters

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Reading - Owls in the Family, We will be working on literal and inferential comprehension as well as predicting and visualizing. 

Math - Estimating Products

Science - Owls!!

Social Studies - Colonies, Thanksgiving

No spelling or English

The children have all earned their way on the AR Mountain!! This means they have ALL met the 1st reading goal I set for them! I told them we would celebrate when that happened!  We will be having a turtle themed afternoon on Tuesday in honor of Dribble, the turtle pet of Peter in Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing (the first book I read them).  We will be learning about turtles, getting a turtle prize and watching A Turtle's Tale movie.  I will provide animal crackers and juice, but if anyone wants to send in an extra snack to share, that would be great!!  I am super proud of all the reading they have been doing both at home and at school! Many of the children have told me they have more AR points at this point in the school year than they did their whole 3rd grade year!! I'm so proud of their growth!!

We are in charge of Grizzly Growl in the morning!  Please have your child here before 8 and tell them to meet on the stage.  Thanks!!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and God Bless You!!

Hi Famiies! Here is the agenda for this week:

Reading - The children should be done with their fantasies and will be working on a setting project in response to their stories.

Science/Language Arts - We will begin our Owl unit this week! We will be reading Owls in the Family by Farley Mowatt.  It is a delightful tale about a boy who adopts 2 baby owls.  It is based on a true story.  Not only is the book entertaining, but it teaches a lot of facts about owls and nature.  The children will have a comprehension check after each chapter. We will practice the skills of predicting, visualizing, and inferring, as well as defining the story elements. 

English - Prepositions and Possessives

Spelling - List 18, 18.5 is the enriched list

Social Studies - We will be working on Northeast Region Posters.  The children should come home with notes on the American Revolution.  They have a test on Friday. 

Math - Large Number Multiplication

I was gone for 3 days last week with sick children.  We will be playing catch up this week.  :)

We have some important events coming up in December that I need your help with. I am trying to give advanced notice for working parents and parents with small children at home just in case you might can help.

On Wednesday, December 12, we will be making Gingerbread Houses.  I will be sending home a letter the first week of December requesting supplies.  I need some parent volunteers to help set up and clean up in the cafeteria that day.  We will be making them at 1:30.  I need parents to come around 1:15.  If you can help, please fill out the form that will be going home on Tuesday.

Our Polar PJ Day will either by Wednesday, December 19th or Thursday, December 20th. (It depends on when the Christmas Party is. Thursday is my first choice, but if the Christmas Party is that day like it has been in the past, then we will have it on Wednesday.)  We will begin with learning/craft stations at 11:30 and start the movie, Polar Express around 1:00.  I will be serving hot cocoa and s'mores at movie time.  I need parent volunteers to help run the learning stations, and then to help with hot cocoa and s'mores. If you can help with this day, please sign the form that will be going home on Tuesday. 

Thanks in advance for all that can help!!

I wanted to ask if your child can bring a set of watercolor paints.  My paints have been used by over 100 children in the past 5 years and they are getting depleted in certain colors.  It would help tremendously for future art projects, particularly one coming up this Friday, if each child had their very own set.  I know this is short notice, sorry.  The best sets are made by Prang or Crayola.  You can find them at Walmart, KMart, or Staples.  Those that cannot bring one, can still use my older sets of course.  I just thought the children would enjoy having a brand new one for themselves.

Quote for the week: When you play, play hard; when you work, don't play at all. Theodore Roosevelt

Week of November 5th

Hello Families!! It is a beautiful day! Love this weather! Hope you have enjoyed your weekend! Here is a look at the coming week:

Math - Large number multiplication

Reading - The children will continue to read their leveled Roald Dahl fantasies. They have really enjoyed this genre! They actually moan when it is time to quit reading! Music to my ears!!! Ha!  The skill of the week is main idea.  We will go over  sequencing again though, because they really have struggled with picking out the order in stories that use flashback.

Spelling - List 17 spellings of  "o" Enriched list "H"

English - Prepositions

Social Studies - Ellis Island, American Revolution

We will do science again in a couple of weeks when we begin our owl unit! Our owl unit will be a lot of fun! The kids and I are looking forward to it!

Week of October 29th

Happy Halloween families! Here is the week's agenda:

Reading - We will finish the BFG on Monday. The children will have an assigned fantasy by Roald Dahl.  They will have 2 weeks to complete the story. (Due on November 12th.) I will give them an assignment to complete when they are done.  Our skill focus for the week: Review - We will revisit Setting, Context Clues, and Sequencing.

English - Pronoun usage

Spelling - List 16 Plurals, None of the children had even looked at the enrichment list last week, so I chose not to give the test.  If I have children interested this week, I will give the test.  Other wise we will forgo spelling enrichment. It is the "G" enrichment list on spellingcity. 

Math - We will work on multiplication facts this week as well as 2 digit x's 1 digit multiplication.  We will also do some cummulative review, as well as take an addition properties quiz.

Social Studies - Indian Regions, George Washington and the Revolutionary War, and the Boston Tea Party.


***Our Halloween Party will be on Wednesday morning.  If your child is dressing up, please send him/her in costume to school.  The Halloween Parade will be right after Grizzly Growl, and then the party will follow the parade.***

Quote: Happiness springs from doing good and helping others.  Plato