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From art to salt relief maps, to science labs and The Blessing of the Animals... it has been a very busy and fun week in 4th grade!
Important Dates
Other Important Announcements
4th Grade Mass is this Friday!
Join us for a beautiful mass this Friday to celebrate the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary. We also pray a decade of The Rosary every Friday after mass in October. We would love to see you there!
Science Test This Friday
Students received their science test study guides last week. They should be reviewing the readings and notes that we took in class. This is an open note test, so if students took neat, organized notes it will help them on the test. The major focus of the test is the scientific method.
Flipped Math Videos
Most nights, students will be asked to watch a "flipped classroom math video" as part of their homework. This allows students to preview the next day's lesson so that I can spend less time in class on direct instruction and more time working with individual students and helping them work through homework problems. Watching the videos is a required part of their math homework because I give them a significant amount of class time to start their workbook homework with teacher support. All of the videos are posted on my website under "Flipped Classroom" and then the chapter number. We are currently on chapter 2.
Book Report Novels need to be finished by this Tuesday 10/11. We will write this first book report together in class so that I can model for the students what expectations are for book reports in 4th grade. Students need to bring their book report novel to school with them everyday so that they can use it for reference.
Towel Drive for Father Joe's Village!
Students who bring in a towel to donate to this charity will get to participate in an all-school students vs. teachers water balloon fight! The towel drive ends this Friday.
Halloween Carnival
This year tickets sales will be a little bit different than in years past. Before the carnival, students have the opportunity to buy an all inclusive wristband for $15 that offers unlimited games and booths in addition to one lemonade and one popcorn. Water is free and unlimited. If students choose not to purchase the wristband then they can buy tickets on the day of the carnival. Avoid the line and buy the wristband before and after school everyday starting 10/11.
Costumes
I know it seems early but many students start planning their costumes in August! While preparing for Halloween this year, please keep our school dress code in mind. Students may not wear anything that is too short, tight, shows midriff, contains violence or weapons of any kind. The costume should be school appropriate. Keep in mind that we are visiting the nursing home that day to Trick-or-Treat with the elderly residents, so students should not wear anything too scary.
Multiplication Fast Facts
Our next chapter in math covers multiplication. It is very important that students are working hard at home to master their fast facts. This will help them not only in our next math chapter but in almost every chapter of the book. A strong foundation in math facts help students to better understand relationships between numbers including division, fractions, decimals, ratios, probability, statistics, conversions, and so much more. There are so many fun options for practicing facts that don't involve using flash cards. I sent home a list of card and dice games in the Back to School Night packets, the students have access to IXL, and there are several fun iPad games available. Thank you for your support on this!
Virtue Program/School Families
For our monthly school family meetings this year, students will be learning about different virtues and Saints. This month the students will be learning about the virtue affability while studying Saint Pier-Giorgio Frassati. Please encourage your child to enter the Saint of the Month Drawing contest and discuss what affability looks and sounds like.
Please continue to check gradelink and class dojo weekly. Talk to your children about their goals and progress toward meeting those goals.
Current Academic Topics
Reading: Sequencing a story
Grammar: Subjects & predicates
Writing: Personal Narratives
Math: Addition & subtraction
Science: Scientific Method
Social Studies: California Geography
Religion: Mass Preparation, Prayer of Saint Francis & Virtues
In case you did not have time to read this in last week's newsletter:
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 orvocabulary 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.
- 10/5 Wednesday Envelope coming home today (with oldest child)
- 10/5 Graded Work going home Today
- 10/7 4th Grade Mass
- 10///7 Science Test
- 10/7 Noon Dismissal
- 10/9 Happy Birthday David!
- 10/10 No School - Columbus Day
- 10/11 Book Report Novels Need to be Read
- 10/14 Chapter 2 Math Test
- 10/17 Halloween Carnival Ticket Sales Begin
- 10/26 Halloween Carnival Ticket Sales End
- 10/28 Halloween Carnival
- 10/28 Nursing Home Visit
Other Important Announcements
4th Grade Mass is this Friday!
Join us for a beautiful mass this Friday to celebrate the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary. We also pray a decade of The Rosary every Friday after mass in October. We would love to see you there!
Science Test This Friday
Students received their science test study guides last week. They should be reviewing the readings and notes that we took in class. This is an open note test, so if students took neat, organized notes it will help them on the test. The major focus of the test is the scientific method.
Flipped Math Videos
Most nights, students will be asked to watch a "flipped classroom math video" as part of their homework. This allows students to preview the next day's lesson so that I can spend less time in class on direct instruction and more time working with individual students and helping them work through homework problems. Watching the videos is a required part of their math homework because I give them a significant amount of class time to start their workbook homework with teacher support. All of the videos are posted on my website under "Flipped Classroom" and then the chapter number. We are currently on chapter 2.
Book Report Novels need to be finished by this Tuesday 10/11. We will write this first book report together in class so that I can model for the students what expectations are for book reports in 4th grade. Students need to bring their book report novel to school with them everyday so that they can use it for reference.
Towel Drive for Father Joe's Village!
Students who bring in a towel to donate to this charity will get to participate in an all-school students vs. teachers water balloon fight! The towel drive ends this Friday.
Halloween Carnival
This year tickets sales will be a little bit different than in years past. Before the carnival, students have the opportunity to buy an all inclusive wristband for $15 that offers unlimited games and booths in addition to one lemonade and one popcorn. Water is free and unlimited. If students choose not to purchase the wristband then they can buy tickets on the day of the carnival. Avoid the line and buy the wristband before and after school everyday starting 10/11.
Costumes
I know it seems early but many students start planning their costumes in August! While preparing for Halloween this year, please keep our school dress code in mind. Students may not wear anything that is too short, tight, shows midriff, contains violence or weapons of any kind. The costume should be school appropriate. Keep in mind that we are visiting the nursing home that day to Trick-or-Treat with the elderly residents, so students should not wear anything too scary.
Multiplication Fast Facts
Our next chapter in math covers multiplication. It is very important that students are working hard at home to master their fast facts. This will help them not only in our next math chapter but in almost every chapter of the book. A strong foundation in math facts help students to better understand relationships between numbers including division, fractions, decimals, ratios, probability, statistics, conversions, and so much more. There are so many fun options for practicing facts that don't involve using flash cards. I sent home a list of card and dice games in the Back to School Night packets, the students have access to IXL, and there are several fun iPad games available. Thank you for your support on this!
Virtue Program/School Families
For our monthly school family meetings this year, students will be learning about different virtues and Saints. This month the students will be learning about the virtue affability while studying Saint Pier-Giorgio Frassati. Please encourage your child to enter the Saint of the Month Drawing contest and discuss what affability looks and sounds like.
Please continue to check gradelink and class dojo weekly. Talk to your children about their goals and progress toward meeting those goals.
Current Academic Topics
Reading: Sequencing a story
Grammar: Subjects & predicates
Writing: Personal Narratives
Math: Addition & subtraction
Science: Scientific Method
Social Studies: California Geography
Religion: Mass Preparation, Prayer of Saint Francis & Virtues
In case you did not have time to read this in last week's newsletter:
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 orvocabulary 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.
- Every Assignment must have the student's name, number and date.
- Every sentence must begin with a capital and end with punctuation.
- 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.
- 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.
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