Mrs. Clemens' 5th Grade
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Weekly News

5th Grade

School Website

September 28, 2016

9/27/2016

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Important Dates
​
Towel Drive NOW- 9-30
Nursing Home Field Trip 9/30 
Feast of the Guardian Angels 9/30
Prayer of Saint Francis Quiz 10/3

Blessing of the Animals 10/4
4th Grade Mass 10/7
Noon Dismissal 10/7 

Columbus Day No School 10/10
Book Report Novel must be finished 10/11
Halloween Carnival 10/28


Reminders
  • School Photo Proofs are going home today in students' yellow folders. Orders can be placed online.
  • Graded work is coming home today - please review the work with your child and send in the graded work file folder with a signature.
  • Student schoolwork and behavior REFLECTIONS are going home in graded work files. They need to be reviewed and signed by a parent and turned back in.  (Part of Responsible Behavior Grade)
  • Prayer of Saint Francis QUIZ next Tuesday- students need to be able to recite and write the prayer. (This is one of our 4th grade required prayers to learn)
  • We are writing our first book report in class together. Students need to have their novels finished by 10/11. If they finish early they should re-read or go back in their novel and take notes on the characters, setting, problem and solution so that they do not forget!
  • Families should be checking gradelink each week! Assignments that are over two weeks late will not be accepted. 

Other Notes:

Blessing of the Animals- this is a special tradition at SJA. Families are encouraged to bring their pets to school for a blessing at 2:30 on the blacktop. Students will be sitting on the perimeter of the blacktop with their classes. 

4th Grade Mass is next Friday 10/7- families are welcomed and encouraged to join us for mass! Students are expected to be at the church between 7:30-7:45. If students are late, this will affect their music grade. 

Star of the Week presentations will begin in 2 weeks. Each student is assigned one week (listed on my website) in which they will create a presentation about themselves on their iPad using the application keynote. On Friday's students will have the opportunity to share their presentation with the class. They may also bring in something special to share if they wish. Directions for the presentation are on my website - we will go over them together in class next week! 

Uniforms- Just a reminder that boys need to be wearing a belt every day. Also, on Fridays, students may only wear their dress uniform outerwear. No spirit wear or sweatshirts are allowed on Fridays. 

Sunscreen & Water bottles- Students are allowed and encouraged to have reusable water bottles  in the classroom. They may also bring in a sunscreen stick (labeled with their name) to be kept in the classroom in a basket. We have PE in the afternoons on Mondays and Thursdays so it is a good idea for students to apply extra sunscreen before heading outside. 

Homework/Classwork Notes & Expectations

Spelling/Vocab - Just to clarify, students will typically have spelling or vocabulary words each week, not both. In general, we alternate weeks.  Spelling and vocabulary tests are always on Fridays. For spelling, I give pre-tests on Mondays. There are 3 spelling lists (with varying difficulty levels) all with the same spelling pattern. Students' pre-test scores determine which spelling list they should study that week. 

Grammar- Students will typically have a short grammar quiz every Friday that assesses what we covered in class that week. Grammar homework is meant to give students extra practice and also help them to review for their weekly quiz. At the end of a unit, we will have an English/Grammar unit test. IXL is also an excellent option for students to get extra grammar practice.

Homework- Often times I give students multiple days to complete a homework assignment. This is because the assignment is a larger assignment that will take more time.  For these types of assignments, students should be working on them a little bit each night. We've talked a lot about time management in class, so hopefully students are practicing this at home. 

Tests- Students will typically have a project or test at the end of each subject unit to asses their learning. For tests, students are expected to study outside of school.  We are continually talking about good study habits in class, but at this age, the students still need help and support at home.  I will always send a study guide home at least one week before we have a test (also posted on my website). 

Spanish- Maestra Snyder, the Spanish teacher, said that our class did a GREAT JOB reviewing verbs and preparing for class last week. Just a reminder that parents are expected to initial their child's Spanish homework in their workbooks each week. Thank you for the extra support at home, keep up the good work!! 

Reading logs need to be signed by a parent and turned in every week.  For the first trimester, students are expected to read 1 hour a week (total) outside of school. This can be on the weekend if that works best for your family. Reading logs are turned in every Monday when the new homework planner is passed out. 

Expectations
There are some expectations that are considered "No Excuse" in 4th grade. Students will automatically be deducted points on the assignment if they do not fulfill these requirements. We discuss these a lot in class, but I appreciate that they are reinforced at home. 
  1. Every Assignment must have the student's name, number and date.
  2. Every sentence must begin with a capital and end with punctuation.
  3. If students have access to a word (on the assignment, on their homework planner, in their book, copying notes from the Smart Board, etc.) then it should be spelled correctly. 
  4. If we have studied the topic that year, then it should be done correctly on future assignments. For example: writing in complete sentences, capitalizing proper nouns, capitalizing titles and headings, spelling list words, etc. 

I know that this may seem strict, but the more I am a stickler now, the better habits the students will develop from here on out. 
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September 21, 2016

9/20/2016

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4th Grade is Excited About Getting iPads!!

Important Dates
​
Towel Drive NOW- 9-30
Absentee Picture Day 9/21
Bocce Ball Tournament 9/24 - HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE
Nursing Home Field Trip 9/30 
Feast of the Guardian Angels 9/30

Blessing of the Animals 10/4
4th Grade Mass 10/7
Columbus Day No School 10/10
Book Report Novel must be finished 10/11
Halloween Carnival 10/28



Reminders:
  • FREE DRESS TOMORROW - red, white & green to support the Bocce Ball Tournament!
  • Get Nursing Home Field Trip Permission Slip turned in ASAP (was in the red Back to School Night folder)
  • Help your child set up their cardboard and make their dough for our Salt Relief Maps (due Friday)
  • By now you should have logged into gradelink & Class Dojo and should be checking it weekly! :)
  • Graded work was not sent home today - I apologize,there was a lot of excitement at the end of the day. It will go home tomorrow! Please review the work, keep it at home, and send the signed folder back to school.

Salt Relief Maps- we are making relief maps this Friday. To prepare for this project your child needs to bring in cardboard covered in tinfoil and they need to make salt dough. I recommend that they do not make the dough until the night before so that it does not dry out. The instructions and recipe went home in their yellow homework folder last week.

Our first visit to the Encinitas Nursing and Rehabilitation Center is next Friday 9/30. This is a beautiful mission outreach project that the 4th & 5th grade has been participating in for over a decade! Our students bring so much joy to the residents.  I still need permission slips from several students. If your child needs another one, please have them come ask me. Thank you to my parents who have volunteered to drive and chaperone: Linda, Katharine, Patty, Elayne & Pam!  We still need one more driver, so if you are would like to join us please use the link to sign up! :) 

Monitoring iPad Use 
4th Grade is so excited about getting our iPads! I will be going over rules and expectations over the next several weeks. I am very strict about appropriate use of the ipads - so if your child tells you that they received an "Oops Slip" it is because they have not followed one of our school rules. This includes being prepared for class with their ipad fully charged. If I have to take the iPad away from a student during class, they cannot have it back until it is picked up by their parent. This results in an automatic Oops slip.  
1 Oops Slip = warning
2 Oops Slips = 2nd warning/ parent contact from teacher
3 Oops Slips = 30 minute after school detention that must be served the very next day. 


Mrs. Wilcox is spending the whole first trimester teaching about online safety, cyber bullying prevention, copyright law, etc. I urge you to continue these very important conversations at home while also being diligent about monitoring your child's iPad use. We do not go into explicit details about what types of images and language students could possibly be exposed to online, so these are topics that should be discussed between parents and students. 

Part of the students' homework tonight is to discuss with parents what family rules and expectations are regarding iPads. We talked a lot about e-mail today. We discussed and practiced the appropriate way to send an e-mail. The students seem very anxious to communicate with one another outside of school. In class the students are never allowed to send e-mails without permission. I told them that at home, they also need to be asking permission from their parents before sending e-mails. I've reiterated to them several times that outside of school Mom & Dad have the final say for what is and is not allowed when using the iPads. I respect your family rules and will support you 100%. 
The biggest thing they need to keep in mind is that the iPad is meant to be an educational tool.  


Check Gradelink & Class Dojo
Parents, please make an effort to login to Gradelink and Class Dojo weekly. These are great tools for communicating student progress academically, organizationally and behaviorally.  Class Dojo also has features for posting photos and for students to showcase their work as an online portfolio! Login information went home in the red Back-to-School Night packets.  I appreciate all of the at-home support with reinforcing our class expectations! :) 

Just to clarify, the reading logs need to be signed by a parent and turned in every week.  For the first trimester, students are expected to read 1 hour a week (total) outside of school. This can be on the weekend if that works best for your family. Reading logs are turned in every Monday when the new homework planner is passed out.  Part of the reason for the parent signature is because I want parents looking at the HW planner and reading the weekly announcements. Thank you :) 

Track Tuesdays are returning next week! Students and staff have the opportunity every Tuesday during lunch to track their running, set personal goals, burn off some steam and have fun with friends! I hope many of my 4th graders are planning on joining me on the track!

Students may also run or walk laps before school from 7:45-7:55  Monday-Thursday. This is a great alternative to standing in line waiting for the bell!

Special Rock Concert! Come out to support our fellow classmate, Sebastian! :)
On September 24th at 2:00 pm, Sebastian will be performing on his first rock concert, playing the drums! He wanted to extend the invitation to his classmates. Please let me and/or Sebastian know if you are interested in going so that his family can secure tickets. 


Spanish - students should be using the flash cards that we made in class to study their Spanish verbs all week long!


Student Book Report Novels need to be finished by Tuesday, October 11th! We will be writing the reports in class.  

​Follow our class on instagram @4thgradesja





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September 14, 2016

9/13/2016

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Tic-Tac-Change! The 4th grade practiced making change with a fun math game. 

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Important Dates
Religion Quiz 9/15
Picture Day 9/16
iPad Orientation 9/20
Spirit Wear forms due 9/20
Absentee Picture Day 9/21
Bocce Ball Tournament 9/24
Nursing Home Field Trip 9/30 
Blessing of the Animals 10/4
4th Grade Mass 10/7
Columbus Day No School 10/10
Book Report Novel must be finished 10/11



Happy Birthday Ben!

​Volunteer Sign Ups
Link also posted on my website homepage!

Reminders:
  • Set up Apple ID & Make sure tech fee is paid
  • Get Nursing Home Field Trip Permission Slip turned in ASAP (was in the red Back to School Night folder)
  • Help your child set up their cardboard and make their dough for our Salt Relief Maps (flyer going home tomorrow) 
  • By now you should have logged into gradelink and should be checking it weekly! :)
  • Graded work is going home today! Please review the work, keep it at home, and send the signed folder back to school
  • Order your spirit wear! Forms due on 9/20
  • Sign up for the Bocce Ball Tournament!!

Pizza Lunch on Fridays 
The following students have signed up for Friday Pizza:
Tripp 
Sebastian 
Nicolas 
Gavin
Connor
If you haven't signed up for pizza and would like to, you can still place your order which would start next week. 

Music - A note from Mrs. Oldham
To  every class, students need to bring:
  • One inch or 1/2 inch 3 ring binder
  • Notebook paper in binder
  • Cover or title page decorated with music inspired original art work
  • Pencil that is sharp
  • Notes taken on 9/1/16 and all notes taken after that
Note that not being prepared for class will affect students' music grade. 

Spanish
The Spanish teacher, Maestra Snyder, has asked the students to try to spend more than one night a week studying their Spanish.  She would like the students to focus on pronouns and regular verb conjugations so that we can move onto irregular verbs soon.

Thank you again for all of the birthday love! I'm so grateful for the generous class gift and all the individual cards and gifts I've been given the past week. You are all so thoughtful!! 

​Special Rock Concert! Come out to support our fellow classmate, Sebastian! :)
On September 24th at 2:00 pm, Sebastian will be performing on his first rock concert, playing the drums! He wanted to extend the invitation to his classmates. Please let me and/or Sebastian know if you are interested in going so that his family can secure tickets. 
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September 7, 2016

9/7/2016

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STEM Challenge Activity 

Hi 4th Grade Families,

Thank you for the beautiful birthday flowers yesterday! It was so fun to be able to celebrate with my students.

I'm looking forward to seeing all of you at Back to School Night tomorrow night. A light dinner will be served at 5:30 and the general meeting will begin at 6.

Our news is short and sweet this week - we will be going over lots of information tomorrow evening.

Please take a few moments to look at my classroom website and review the homework and behavior policies for 4th grade.

Important Dates
9/8 Back to School Night 6 PM
9/9 Noon dismissal 
9/16 Picture Day
9/20 iPad Orientation - parents and students MUST attend and tech fee must be paid
9/21 Absentee Picture Day
9/24 SJA Bocce Ball Tournament 
10/7 Fourth Grade Mass

Other announcements:
SJA Spiritwear forms went home yesterday. Spiritwear sweatshirts and jackets may be worn on non-mass days. Other spiritwear may be worn on free dress days.

Gerardy Picture Day Forms are going home tomorrow!

Please support your child in selling their Raffle Tickets for the SJA annual Bocce Ball Tournament coming up on September 24th

Please try to get your child to school by 7:50 on Fridays so that they are on time for mass.

Next week will be the first week that graded work goes home. Look for your child's graded work file in their yellow homework folder on Wednesday.

Reading Logs - students are responsible for reading at least 1 hour a week outside of school for the first trimester. Student reading logs are located at the bottom of the weekly homework planner kept in their yellow homework folder.  Students are responsible for recording the name of the novel and number of minutes that they read. This must be signed by a parent and turned in every Monday.

Book Report Novels should be checked off by this Friday. The novel needs to be read by October 11th. 

All textbooks need to be covered by this Friday. 

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