May 24^th , 2010

Dear parents—

We have lots of forms and important information coming home with your child today, so please take a moment to read this newsletter carefully.

Upcoming Dates:

• 5/26—Port of Seattle field trip (9:45-12:30)
• 5/27—Baseball book report/packet due
• 5/28—Noon Dismissal
• 5/31—No School
• 6/2–Mariner Game (7:00pm)/Tailgate Party (12:30-1:30)
• 6/9—Graduation/Pool Party field trip (12:00-3:00)
• 6/16—Field Day
• 6/17—Last Day of School!

Port of Seattle Field Trip: we are still waiting to hear from a couple potential drivers and are still in need of 11 permission slips to make this field trip happen. If we have not received your permission slip, we will send home an additional copy with your child today. Please make sure it is returned by tomorrow.

Our current list of drivers is:

**not available on website–parents please refer to email for this information**

We will send home directions and an informational packet with your child today.

Mariners Game: I have been told by a couple students that they are planning to attend the game, but have not yet sent in their orders. I will hold off on purchasing tickets until tomorrow morning, so if you would like to join us please remember to coordinate tonight. Tailgate Party: we will be sending home hot dog orders today. We will need to get a head count of how many people will be attending as well as how many hot dogs each will want, so we can purchase accordingly. Parents and non-school aged siblings are welcome to attend this event (too many school aged siblings causes disruptions to other classes). Parents and fourth graders are welcome to attend the tailgate party even if they will not be attending the game in the evening. This is a celebration of a great unit and a great year, and will give students the opportunity to share some of their work with those who attend. We hope you all can make it. Please make sure that you fill out the form sent home with your child today or let us know via email how many will attend the tailgate and how many hot dogs you would like, no later than THIS WEDNESDAY, May 26^th.

***This is not a school sponsored field trip; attendance is optional and all transportation and supervision needs to be coordinated or provided by the parents.

Parent Volunteers Needed: Jan and I will be attending the graduation breakfast on Wednesday, June 9^th prior to the pool party. During this time, students will be turning in their textbooks and coordinating for the end of the year. We are in need of two or three parents who can assist our amazing classroom aides in monitoring the students and helping them get safely off on the field trip. We will need volunteers from about 9:50- 11:40. Please email Kori if you are available to help.

We are also in need of parents to help out on field day from about 8:45-11:45.

Measurement of Student Progress—students have now completed testing, with the exception of a few make up tests which will take place this week. You should receive your child’s scores via mail in September.

Science—students continue their look at the circulatory system this week. Tomorrow, students will be able to watch a heart and lung dissection by our own Principal Hand! I am sure you will hear all about it tomorrow night!

Social Studies—today we looked at the importance of the Port of Seattle on trade within the Pacific Rim. Tonight students will be asked to locate and report on objects from home which have been imported from other countries. This will help prepare them for tomorrow’s trade lesson and our field trip on Wednesday.

May 17^th , 2010

Dear parents—

We are in for a busy week in 4^th grade. This week students will finish their MSP testing and present on their Famous Washingtonian. Because our schedule includes two days of testing and two days of presentations, we will not be sending home Week in Review sheets or Homework Logs. Students should focus on preparing for their presentations as well as their regularly scheduled homework (reading, math practice, and typing).

Upcoming Dates:

• 5/17—MSP Reading
• 5/19—MSP Writing II
• 5/20-5/21—Famous Washingtonian Presentations
• 5/27—Baseball book report/packet due
• 5/28—Noon Dismissal
• 5/31—No School
• 6/2–Mariner Game/Tailgate Party
• 6/9—Graduation (possible pool party date???)
• 6/16—Field Day
• 6/17—Last Day of School!

Mariners Game: We have received many orders already and are looking forward to a great time at this event. We will be sending home hot dog orders next week for the Tailgate party, but be sure to mark your calendars for Wed, June 2^nd at 12:00 if you would like to join us. Parents and non-school aged siblings are welcome to attend this event. Just a reminder that if you are planning to attend the game with us, we will need to have all orders and ticket money in by Friday, May 21^st.

***This is not a school sponsored field trip; attendance is optional and all transportation and supervision needs to be coordinated or provided by the parents.

Measurement of Student Progress—students have now completed three of the four assessments, with the final writing assessment still scheduled for this Wednesday, May 19th. We will schedule make up tests for students who have missed assessments next week.

The best thing you can do to help your child perform their very best on this assessment is to make sure they come to class each day well rested and well fed. It might be a good idea to send your child with an extra snack on testing days as well.

Famous Washingtonian Presentations—students should be practicing their speeches for presentations coming up this Thursday and Friday. Be sure to check sign-up genius to confirm your child’s presentation session, and please email me with any questions/concerns. I still have 4 students who have not yet signed up for a time slot.

Science—students completed “Cauliflower Brains” last week to demonstrate their understanding of the nervous system. This week and next, students will begin studying the circulatory system, and will have the opportunity to observe a heart and lung dissection by our very own principal Hand!

Social Studies—this week we will begin our final unit in social studies which focuses on economics, especially in the Washington/Pacific Northwest region. We are looking into a new field trip for this unit that will allow students to get as better look at the importance of trade by visiting the Port of Seattle. It might not be possible so late in the year with so much going on, but we have placed a request anyway and will let you know if we hear anything.

May 10^th , 2010

Dear parents—

Upcoming Dates:

• 5/12—MSP (WASL)—Writing I
• 5/13—Final Drafts of Famous Washingtonian due
• 5/14—MSP (WASL) Math
• 5/14—Play Preview 2:30
• 5/18—MSP Reading
• 5/19—MSP Writing II
• 5/20-5/21—Famous Washingtonian Presentations
• 5/27—Baseball book report/packet due
• 5/28—Noon Dismissal
• 5/31—No School

Mariners Game: As we begin our baseball unit today, we are starting to look ahead to our annual Mariner Game. I have spoken to our group representative and we are set to attend the game on June 2^nd. We will be sending home an order form through the Wednesday envelope, so if you normally receive the school newsletter electronically, please be sure to also check the envelope this week for that information. We will need to have all orders and ticket money in by next Friday, May 21^st.

***This is not a school sponsored field trip; attendance is optional and all transportation and supervision needs to be coordinated or provided by the parents.

Measurement of Student Progress—(The test formerly known as the WASL) will begin this week. The tentative testing schedule is listed above. We may need to move testing times/days however, so please make sure that you let us know as soon as possible if your child will be missing class time so we can plan accordingly. There is no time limit for testing but once a student begins a test they must finish on that day.

The best thing you can do to help your child perform their very best on this assessment is to make sure they come to class each day well rested and well fed. It might be a good idea to send your child with an extra snack on testing days as well.

Famous Washingtonian Presentations—the assignment sheets state that final drafts are due on Wednesday, May 13^th. This is an error, as the 13^th is actually Thursday. We will accept final drafts on either the 12^th or the 13^th. Remember that students will need to turn in bibliographies with their final drafts and should have an additional copy of their speech from which to practice.

The presentation schedule is complete and I am currently working on an on-line sign up form. The presentations will take place on May 20^th -21^st. Each parent will sign their child up for a session which lasts between 30-60 minutes. Parents are welcome to attend, so please check your schedule before signing your child up for a time slot.

Science—students will have an in class project in lieu of a traditional “test” over the nervous system.

May 3^rd , 2010

Dear parents—

Upcoming Dates:

• 5/12-27—WASL testing
• 5/13—final drafts of Famous Washingtonian due
• 5/27—Baseball book report/packet due
• 5/28—noon dismissal
• 5/31—Memorial Day No School

Mariners Game: As we begin our baseball unit today, we are starting to look ahead to our annual Mariner Game. We have tentatively scheduled Wednesday, June 2^nd to attend the 7:00 game. This date is not set in stone, and more specific information about this event will be coming home in the next couple weeks, but we thought we would give a heads up so you can all save the date!

Parent Volunteers: We would like to thank all the parents who helped out with note taking last week. If there are any additional parents who would like to help out tomorrow or Wednesday with rough draft writing, we would love to have you!

Writing—students began working on rough drafts for their Famous Washingtonian project in class today. This will continue through Wednesday. Students will work on final drafts more independently. Final drafts may be hand written or typed, but students must have a copy to keep for practice as well as a copy to be turned in on the May 13^th due date.

Reading—students were introduced to our baseball unit today in class. They should be coming home with an assignment sheet with more specific information on the book report aspect of this unit.

Grammar—this week, students will review parts of speech.

Math—this week we will have daily practice of WASL format practice problems. In addition to this, we will begin a unit on area and perimeter

Science—students will begin our look at the nervous system this week.

Religion—we continue our discussion of Catholic Social Teaching this week, and students will learn more about our Sparrow and how they can help!

April 26^th, 2010

Dear parents—

Progress reports will be coming home with your child this Friday. Look for important sample work to come home at this time as well, including a math problem solving packet, their Gary Paulsen reviews and project rubrics, and their most recent reading comprehension assessment. The narrative WASL sample writing assignment is still being completed by a few students. We do not want to rush the students or our feedback for this assignment, so it will not be included this week with the report. Look for it to come home the following Thursday with the Week In Review.

Upcoming Events:

• 4/26—Sparrow Assembly
• 4/29—music concert 7:00 pm

4^th grade attending daily mass at Assumption 9:00 am

• 4/30—progress reports
  • Art parents
  • Birthday celebrations
  • Muscular test

• 5/3—noon dismissal for teacher in-service

Materials needed:

• We are desperately in need of pencils for classroom use, especially as we get closer to WASL testing time. If you would be willing to send some in, we would greatly appreciate it!

Parent Volunteers: Students began gathering facts and placing them into their graphic organizer for their Famous Washingtonian project today. Students are off to a great start and we would like to thank Laura Weinand for coming in to help out today. Currently, we have no parent volunteers for tomorrow, only one for Wednesday. We also have no volunteers for next week’s rough draft work time. If you would be available to come and help out between 9-10, we would love to hear from you.

Famous Washingtonian Project: We were all very impressed with the students’ growing independence in gathering information from non-fiction text. We will continue to work on note taking throughout the week, with designated work time Mon-Tues-and Wed mornings from 9-10. Students should come home with more focused ideas about what information they still need to locate as the week progresses.

On Wednesday, we will focus our work time on answering the “historical context” question. This guiding question helps students tie their Washingtonian to our states history. Students need to research what was happening in Washington State during the time their figure made their “significant contributions/accomplishments.” There are three sites linked to the fourth grade resources page which should help students get started.

Students have also been asking about the “What would Washington State be like without this person?” question. This question is obviously more subjective than the others and students will not likely be able to “research” the answer to this question. We will discuss this question in detail with the students tomorrow during our lesson/work time, so be sure to ask your child what they came up with tomorrow afternoon!

Writing—students will be working on note taking and prewriting for their Famous Washingtonian project in class this week. Next week, they will work on first drafts.

Reading—students will be introduced to their final book report/unit on May 3^rd. (Think Baseball!) Until then, our focus is reading for information using non-fiction text. We will also discuss primary versus secondary sources of information.

Grammar—this week, students will review parts of speech.

Math—Friday’s quizzes over the first portion of our unit on time and measurement have been reviewed. Overall, students are demonstrating a good understanding of time units and elapsed time. Some students will require more review in conversion of customary units, while other students will move on to metric conversions this week.

Science—students will have their muscular quiz THIS FRIDAY. It will be much shorter than last week’s look at the skeletal system.

Religion—we continue our discussion of Catholic Social Teaching this week, and students had the opportunity to meet our school’s Sparrow, Emilio, today at the assembly. Be sure to ask your child all about it! We will also be attending daily mass this Thursday, at 9:00 am if anyone would like to join us in celebrating!

April 19^th, 2010

Dear Parents:

Hope you all had a chance to enjoy the beautiful weather yesterday! Today we spent the morning looking at Gary Paulsen projects and we were all blown away by the creativity shown by the students!  Thank you to the parents who stopped by to see them today!

Upcoming Dates:

4/23—midterm

4/29—music concert in the gym 7:00

4/30—progress reports

Art parents

Birthday celebrations

Famous Washingtonian Projects—this has traditionally been the final unit of the school year, but with the later start date of the WASL testing window, we were able to move it up this year, and think it will work out much better for student pacing and focus. This is a cross-curricular project with objectives for reading, writing, and social studies. The project was introduced to students this afternoon, and they were provided with a detailed assignment sheet which you will also find attached. We spent a great deal of time reviewing this assignment today in class, so please be sure to ask your child about it!

Students will choose their topic via a “lottery” on Wednesday afternoon. Each student’s name will be pulled randomly at which point they will make their choice from the list provided. There will be only one student assigned to each Washingtonian, so once a choice has been made, that name will be crossed off the list. If your child is interested researching an individual not on the list—please let me know before Wednesday and we will sign them up separately.

A couple key points brought up in our discussion today were:

• Make sure you will be able to adequately research your individual—you must use a variety of resources to gather information.
• Some more contemporary choices may seem “fun,” but are often more difficult to research.
• You must address all guiding questions in your report/speech. Look especially at guiding questions 4, 5, and 6 when choosing a topic. These are more difficult to answer!

After topics are given on Wednesday, it is the responsibility of the student to gather resources on their person to have in class by Monday, April 23^rd . We will not have computers available, so if students are using web resources they must be printed out ahead of time (if you do not have access to a computer, send me the link and I can print it). During language arts on Mon, Tues, and Wed of next week, we will focus on gathering information from non-fiction resources. To keep groups as small as possible, we would love to have parent volunteers who would be willing to guide students through this process next week. If you would like to help out on any or all of these days please email me as soon as possible and I will sign you up. We have language arts from 9-10am. We will also need volunteers the following week as students work on their rough drafts if you are looking ahead!

Literature—as we wrap up our Gary Paulsen unit, we will be taking a short break from literature circles as we instead shift our focus to reading non-fiction text to help with our Famous Washingtonian projects. We will also take some time to complete a reading comprehension assessment, which will help students get a feel for the format of the WASL test (now called the Measurement of Student Progress or MSP).

Writing—tomorrow, students will begin a prompt writing assignment in writers’ workshop. This will be a WASL sample prompt for narrative writing. This will not only provide students with practice in testing format, it will also provide us with a baseline assessment of their independent writing abilities. This assignment will be done entirely in class for all students and will not be typed. In upcoming weeks, students will also be given the opportunity to practice an expository writing piece as well.

Grammar—we have completed nouns and action verbs in grammar and are now moving on to adjectives and adverbs. Adjectives are words that describe nouns or pronouns. An example would be—The green crocodile swam away. Green is the adjective in the sentence. It describes the crocodile. Adverbs are words that describe a verb, an adjective, or an adverb. Most adverbs answer the question When? Where? or How? An example would be—The second grade class proudly marched in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Proudly describes how they marched.

Technology—there is no spelling list this week. Please remind your child that they should be practicing typing each night in lieu of this! We will also be practicing creating bibliographies during technology class this week.

Math—this week we continue our look at time and measurement. Students will receive a packet of worksheets tomorrow which will provide additional practice of the concepts we will be working on in class each day. We will have hands on activity and mini lesson, along with group and individual work time to complete the practice sheets, but some work will need to be done at home. The packets are due on Friday, so please make sure your child keeps up but doesn’t rush through the packet

Social studies—as we wrap up our look at explorers and fur traders, we move into our unit on Famous Washingtonians. While the majority of this project will be done in writing class over the next couple weeks, we will also take time in social studies to look at the historical context of our “Famous Washingtonians” for students to incorporate in their reports.

Science—skeletal test—Friday, April 23^rd

The students have their study guides for this test. We have been working on various hands-on activities to prepare for Friday, as well as taking notes and working on practice worksheets covering the required material. If students are familiar with the information provided on their study guide, they will do very well on the test! We introduced the muscular system to the class last week, and will be having a short quiz on Friday, April 30^th. Study guides will also be provided for this quiz. 

Religion—Catholic Social Teachings—We have been learning about the Beatitudes and the Great Commandments. These teachings of Jesus tell us how we should act; as fourth graders and people of God. Helping other people and treating them as you would like to be treated are ways that you can act responsibly and respect the rights of others. These key concepts are the platform for our upcoming lessons in religion. We are going to be looking beyond ourselves and toward others in our family, classroom, school, and neighborhood.

Have a great week!

April 12^th, 2010

Dear Parents:

Hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing break. I was so jealous to see so many tanned faces in class today!

Upcoming Dates:

4/15—All school mass 2:15

Julie Metzger—parent education speaker “Parenting Teens and Tweens” 7pm

4/16—3^rd grade shares LRS projects

4/19—Paulsen Projects DUE!! Share from 9-10

4/23—midterm

4/30—progress reports

Literature—before break, students completed prediction or summarization assignments for their Gary Paulsen book. This week, they wrap up the unit by completing book reviews and working on their culminating projects which are due on Monday, April 19^th. Students will share their projects with one another from 9:00-10:00 on this day, and we welcome parents to come see the projects as well!

Writing—today, students were guided through the first steps of a writers workshop on book reviews for their Paulsen project. This workshop is available on the Scholastic website and can be accessed by you at home through the following link:  http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/bookrev/index.htm . Students will also receive a handout during workshop tomorrow. We will continue to work through this process over the course of the week, and students will have the opportunity to submit their book reviews for possible publication on the website or in the Scholastic News magazine on Friday. If you do not wish for your child to submit their work, please let me know.

Grammar—our focus this week in grammar is action verbs.

Technology—there is no spelling list this week. Please remind your child that they should be practicing typing each night in lieu of this! We will also be practicing typing skills during technology class this week.

Math—we will review fractions and decimals this week. We will also begin our next unit on time and measurement, looking first at elapsed time. Our problem solving focus will utilize sample WASL problems from past years to help familiarize students with the format.

I am also reattaching the website from the last newsletter for those that would like additional practice on fraction concepts.

http://www.internet4classrooms.com/skills_4th_math.htm

Social studies—this week we begin looking at the early explorers and fur traders of the Pacific Northwest. Today, students began a Venn Diagram that asked them to compare and contrast transportation in the eighteenth century and today. As they work through the unit, students will also map the route of Robert Gray, look at explorer/Indian relations, and compare American and European timelines.

Science—we will review the skeletal system and help students prepare for the test next week (currently scheduled for Friday, April 23^rd, but this could change).

Religion—students will be attending daily mass on Wednesday morning and there is an all school prayer service on Thursday at 2:15. Parents are welcome to join us for either of these events.

Have a great week!

March 29th

Dear Parents:

Holy week is here! Students began the day with a Stations of the Cross assignment that will help them reflect on the significance of this week as Catholic Christians. We will end the week with Stations of the Cross presented by the 7^th grade class. 4^th grade will attend this presentation at 9:40 am and you are welcome to join us!

Upcoming Dates:

4/2—Good Friday (noon dismissal) Stations of the Cross at 9:40 am

4/5-4/10—Spring Break

4/15—All school mass 1:30

Literature—Last week, we discussed the three elements of characterization, and students practiced pulling this information from their Gary Paulsen book. On Wednesday, we will look at author’s craft by sharing “golden lines” from our novels as well as short book talks. Students will end the week by completing a prediction assignment in class. Novels should be completed over spring break and culminating projects are due on the 19^th.

Writing—students are putting the final touches on their essays which will be due before break. They are looking good and students are beginning to revise more carefully and intentionally which is great to see!

Grammar—we have wrapped up our work over subject and predicates and have moved on to verbs. The students will be learning a verb is a word that shows what someone or something is doing. It is found in the predicate of the sentence. It is easier for the students, at this time, to remember that the verb in the sentence is the action word.

(Ex): The rocket blasts into the sky.

- Blasts is the verb or action word in this sentence.

Technology—there is no spelling list this week. Please remind your child that they should be practicing typing each night in lieu of this!

Math—we will review fractions and decimals this week. All students will review ordering and work on problem solving activities. Later in the week, students will be broken into smaller groups to work on individual concepts which are still causing difficulty. Below you will find a great link to a website that has many games, worksheets, and activities for those struggling with fractions concepts. It also allows you to make your own worksheets based on the concepts of your choice. I encourage you to check it out this week or over the break. I will also link it to the website shortly.

http://www.internet4classrooms.com/skills_4th_math.htm

Science—we will have lab time this week in science. The topic will be joints; where two bones join together. The 4 types of joints in the human body that we will be covering are the hinge joints located at the elbow and knee, a ball and socket joint located at the pelvis and shoulder, the pivotal joint at top of your spinal column and the gliding joints.

Religion—Holy Week- We will be observing and commemorating the journey death of Jesus and his death in various observances and services this week. Today during religion class, we discussed what Holy Week is, the importance, and the impact on our lives. We also discussed the concluding days of Holy Week; The Triduum- the three days we have devoted to special prayers and services. At the conclusion of class, each student was given their own Stations of the Cross booklet. Their booklet is for them to color and add their own interpretation of the station. The Stations are portrayed in both the traditional format as well as in modern day in the booklet. We want the students to personalize the stations to their lives.  Hopefully this week they will begin to make some connections to Jesus’ suffering and giving His life for us and their life and the choices they make.

Have a great week!

March 22^nd

Dear Parents:

Hello! We hope you all enjoyed the long weekend and beautiful weather! The staff had a wonderful in-service on Friday which was all about learning targets, progression of learning, and resources. It specifically centered on student understanding of targets and their ability to articulate them. The fourth grade team will be working to implement this learning primarily in the area of mathematics over the remainder of the year.

Math Review:

As you know, Assumption St. Bridget School has adopted the NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) standards for all grades K-8. When we finish up our unit on fractions at spring break, we will have completed our two major core content areas–multiplication and fractions, as well as some key content areas such as graphing, and  median, mode, and range of number sets. This week, we will be sending home a highlighted copy of the standards. This sheet will highlight any areas covered in which the student has not yet demonstrated mastery. Along with the standards sheet, you will receive a packet of practice worksheets, geared specifically to individual student needs. If your child has shown proficiency in all or most areas, we will include a packet of extension worksheets. The packet is entirely optional and does not need to be returned to school. After spring break, we will be moving on to geometry, with a review focus on fraction/decimal concepts. We will spend much less review time on multiplication, so if your child has not yet mastered these concepts it is important they are working on this at home.

Upcoming Dates:

3/24—Class pictures 9:20am Drama Plays 12:45 and 2:00

3/26—March B-day celebration and Art Parents

4/2—Good Friday (noon dismissal) Stations of the Cross at 9:40 am

4/5-4/10—Spring Break

Materials Needed:

• We are running low on disinfecting wipes
• Pencils

Curriculum:

Literature—almost all students have been checked off for their Gary Paulsen book. Today, we reviewed the assignment sheet and discussed projects and timelines. Students then worked to create their reading schedules for the unit. We will meet again in literature groups on Wednesday. Students should be up to date with reading and ready to discuss characterization.

Writing—this week we will be a continuation of last weeks look at revising writing. We will practice revising for word choice, looking at powerful verbs, specific nouns, and changing sentence beginnings.

Grammar–Simple Subjects and Simple Predicate- Students are learning that every sentence must have a subject and predicate. The subject of the sentence tells what or who the sentence is talking about and the predicate is the portion of the sentence that says something about what the subject does or is in the sentence. We will move into compound subjects and compound predicates later this week and into next week.

Technology—there is no spelling list this week. Please remind your child that they should be practicing typing each night in lieu of this!

Math—we continue our fractions and decimals unit this week. Mrs. Myers’ math group will begin the week with converting fractions and decimals, and look at decimal place value. Mrs. Boyd’s group will work on comparing, ordering, and rounding fractions and decimals.

Social Studies—due to the drama plays on Wednesday, and Art Parents on Friday, we have very little time for social studies this week. Our time will be spent reviewing and reflecting on our Lewis and Clark unit.

Science—skeletal system- The students are learning about the many functions of the skeletal system: it provides the shape and form for our bodies in addition to supporting, protecting, allowing movement, producing blood for the body, and storing minerals.

This week, we will be making our own” mock-up” of a section of bone, as well as replicas of the various types of joints in our bodies.

Help: We still need guest speaker to come in to class and share their knowledge with the students. If this is something you would like to do please contact Jan at janmyers@asbschool.org and we can set up a date and time that works for you. Also, we have only heard from one parent who is interested with helping on science lab/center days. If you can help out on Wednesday or Friday afternoons, we would love to hear from you and set up some hands on activities for the kids!

Religion—Honest Choices- the Eighth Commandment says this: you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. We in fourth grade want to live by these words. This week we will be discussing and analyzing what it means as a fourth grader to live out this commandment in our lives. And how can we repair damages that we might bestow upon someone else when we do not tell the truth.

Have a great week!

March 15^th

Dear Parents:

Hello! We hope you all enjoyed your weekend and have adjusted to the time change. Hard to believe we are already into the final trimester of the school year, but here we are with only 11 weeks left…how time flies!

Reminder—Ms. Bryne wrote a letter to be included in the report card, which gives an explanation of her grading policies and more specific details as to what students are working on in technology. We inadvertently left this out of the report cards on Friday and will be sending it home with your child today.

Also, students will all have tech class on Thursday this week, and students must have geek sticks in class on this day!!

Upcoming Dates:

3/17-St. Patrick’s Day (free dress) Daily mass at 9:00am

3/18—Students must have geek sticks in class today!!

3/19—No school (faculty in-service day) Extended Care Closed

3/24—Class pictures 9:20am Drama Plays 12:45 and 2:00

3/26—March B-day celebration and Art Parents

4/2—Good Friday (noon dismissal) Stations of the Cross at 9:40 am

Materials Needed:

• We are in need of (empty) toilet paper rolls for a science project (paper towel rolls will work too)
• We are running low on disinfecting wipes
• Pencils

Curriculum:

Literature—this week we are introducing our author study unit on Gary Paulsen. I have attached all the information for this unit and its projects. Students were also provided this information in hard copy form today. We hope that you get the opportunity to look over this packet with your child tonight and start looking at  choosing a book that is “just right” for your child.

Writing/Grammar—this week we will be looking at revising writing. In addition to our regular grammar review, we will be looking more specifically at simple and compound subjects. In writing, we will practice revising for word choice, looking at powerful verbs, specific nouns, and changing sentence beginnings.

Technology—on Thursday, students will work in groups to cut and paste their body paragraphs into their essay and begin the revision process. STUDENTS MUST HAVE THEIR USB DRIVE (“GEEK STICK”) ON THIS DAY!!!!!!

Math—we continue our fractions unit this week, as we move on to converting fractions and decimals, as well as decimal place value. Next week, we will move into comparing and ordering fractions and decimals, and we will try to wrap up the unit before Spring Break.

Social Studies—This week students will finish up and have the opportunity to play their Lewis and Clark games on Thursday. This should be a wonderful celebration of their learning throughout this unit and we invite parents to come and join in the fun. Game time starts at 2:00 this Thursday, March 18^th. Please let us know if you would like to attend!

Science—we are continuing our look at the skeletal system this week, and have some wonderful hands on lab activities scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. If possible, we are in need of empty toilet paper rolls for this project. We still have not heard from any parent volunteers/guest speakers for this unit. If you or someone you know is an expert in any of the body’s systems, we would love to hear from you. We will work to schedule around you! If you are not able to participate as a guest speaker, but would like to help out during one of our hands-on lab days, please let us know this as well (usually Wed and Fri afternoons), and we will be happy to sign you up or contact you when we have more information on specific dates/topics!

Religion—we will be attending daily mass on Wednesday, March 17^th. Parents and friends are welcome to attend with us. This is also a free dress day for St. Patrick’s Day. Students are still welcome to free dress, but we ask that they are still appropriate to attend mass (no face paint, etc.). Hats will be fine, as long as they can be removed prior to mass.

Have a great week!

2.22.10

Dear Parents:

Happy Monday! Hope you all had a chance to enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend. We are so excited to start a week without any schedule disruptions, which hasn’t happened in quite awhile!

Upcoming:

2/29: Art parents/ Feb Birthday celebrations

3/1: Assembly 1:20

3/4: Slim Goodbody Field trip

3/5: Reconciliation

Reminders:

• Still in need of pencils and disinfecting wipes if you would like to donate some to the class
• If you have not yet sent in your permission slip and field trip fee, please do so as soon as possible
• We are still in need of drivers for the trip if you are available.

Homework Log/Week in Review:

• This week, you will see some changes to the format we have used over the first part of the school year. On the Week in Review, we have added sections were the students can log their progress reporting scores on review and mad minute activities. This will help us to all be on the same page regarding specific progress from week to week. Please be sure to take a closer look when this comes home on Thursday.
• Also, on the homework log we will no longer be typing in specific homework assignments, but we will continue to provide longer term due dates and project information. As we move closer to the end of their 4^th grade year, it is important that students begin to grown in their academic responsibilities, a big part of that is knowing for themselves what they need to complete and when. In addition, we are beginning to move into smaller groups working on different material in both math and literature, so individual assignments will vary by student. It will be very important that you check in with your child regularly as they transition into this new responsibility.

Curriculum:

Science—students are finishing up their final water cycle lab this afternoon and will complete a short test over important information on Friday. They will be provided a study guide, and we will take time to go over the material in class.

Social studies—Students have been working for a combined 1.25 hours in class on gathering information from resources in our Lewis and Clark webquest. As I circulated among students today, I noticed a great deal variance in output up to this point. We discussed as a class immediate versus long term goals for this project and took a closer look into the timeline of the project. The individual research/notetaking will finish up this week, with students finishing up their notes and their 10-12 questions by Monday. They should also begin to THINK about the important points on which they would like to focus for their paragraph, but we will complete the actual writing of that piece in class next weekend we will begin our group projects the first week in March. All students have been asked to bring home their Lewis and Clark folders tonight. It would be great if you could take a few moments to see how they are progressing and talk with them about how they have been using class time.

Math—As we get father into our unit on fractions, we are finding that many students are still in need of review and extra practice of some initial concepts before moving forward. This week, we will begin breaking up our math lesson time, as we have done in years past, to allow for smaller groups to work at a pace and level which is most comfortable for them.

Have a great week everyone!

2/18/10

Hello Parents:

Due to the short week, ASB is sending home the “Thursday” envelope this week. Even if you normally get the newsletter electronically, please check this week for the
following information:

• Scrip
• Field trip permission slip (please send in form and fees as soon as possible)
• weekly homework/assignments

Upcoming Dates:

• Friday, Feb 26th–Art Parents/Feb Birthday celebration
• Thursday, March 4th–Slim Goodbody field trip
• Friday, March 5th–Reconciliation

Curriculum:

• Spelling: This week’s list is up on Spelling City, so check it out! The list consists of words that are not only commonly misspelled, but also misused (ex: there, their, they’re). Students will be required to not only spell the words, but also use them correctly in context. The working words are parts of speech. Again, not only will students be required to spell them correctly, but identify them in sentences provided.
• Math: Still working through our fraction unit. We are also focusing on problem solving and familiarizing students with WASL format (explaining thinking, etc.). Last week, students completed a packet of sample problems. Over the break, we corrected them, and on Wednesday we went over them as a class. This packet should be in your child’s Wed envelope, so please take some time to go over it with them. We are sure it will help you better understand the test content and format as well.
• social studies/tech: tech students received their webquest “jobs” today. Ms. Bryne has asked students to look over their guiding questions and skim through their material. We will guide them through the more formal notetaking in class. The link is on the 4th grade page.

Materials needed:
we are running low on the following classroom materials. If anyone is willing to bring in these supplies, we would appreciate it!

• disinfecting wipes
• pencils

Thanks everyone. Have a great night.

2-8-2010

Dear Parents:

Happy Monday everyone! Even with the short week, it looks like we are finally getting back to a semi-regular schedule in 4^th grade, after spirit week, Catholic Schools Weeks, and the artifact projects/museum.

Upcoming:

2/11—Valentine’s Day Free Dress/Valentine’s celebration **No cards, please! See info below!

2/12—No school. Faculty retreat. Extended Care Closed.

2/15-2/16—No school. Presidents Day break.

2/17—Ash Wednesday. Mass for 2-8 at 9:00am in the church

Valentine’s Day:

Because we are out of school from the 12^th to the 17^th, we thought we could take this opportunity to make Valentine’s Day more meaningful to our fourth graders. Instead of purchasing Valentine’s for the class, we had each student draw a name during our Monday Meeting today. The name chosen is the student’s “Secret Valentine.” For the remainder of this week (Tues-Thurs) it will be their job to try to make their “Valentine” feel special. This can be through notes or any creative means, but as we told the students today, it is not our expectation that anything be purchased for the person. We will celebrate with treats on Thursday afternoon, at which point students will find out the identity of their “Secret Valentine” with another activity and a reflection.

**A couple students informed me today that they have already purchased cards for the class. If you already have cards, please feel free to have your child bring them in.

Reach for the Stars! – scrip @ ASB

Thanks for your ongoing support of scrip at ASB!  You’re encouraged this month to convert to a monthly standing order for your basic scrip needs, if you don’t already have one.  We are having a school-wide contest to increase support of this important fund-raiser. Students in the classroom with the most standing orders at the end of February will receive free dress coupons.  Visit:  http://www.asbschool.org and click on “scrip” to find the form. Standing orders help us anticipate demand so that we have the cards you need. They also help us anticipate our earnings for the year. You can help us reach for the stars and meet our goal for ASB!  Thanks again for your support of ASB!

Girl Scout Raffle:

The 4^th grade Girl Scouts are sponsoring a raffle this week. They are selling tickets to win 20 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies. Raffle tickets are $0.50 each and can be purchased during lunchtime this week.  All money will be donated to Haiti Earthquake Relief.

Curriculum:

Language Arts:

Grammar: Pronouns: A word that takes the place of a noun in a sentence. Students are learning that pronouns are used in writing so that we don’t have to continually keep repeating the nouns. This week we are covering three kinds of pronouns; subject, object, and possessive. Upon completion of this week’s lessons on pronouns, the students will be able to define what a pronoun is, recognize them in their writing and reading, as well as being able  to distinguish between the three types. Future lessons will focus on singular and plural pronouns. We will wrap up this unit with a review of all the various pronouns and their uses.

Writing: This week, we are focusing on proofreading in writing and reviewing strategies for spelling. We are using our Writer’s Express workbooks and worksheets in class this week. We are also using our current social studies text to continue our practice of research and pulling specific information from sources.

Reading: This week, students will begin their literature circle activities for their Lewis and Clark novels. The projects and assignments are different for each novel, so please be sure to ask your child about it and look for specific information in their “journals.” This is a fun and exciting unit for students and many have already asked about moving ahead in their books. However, we are stressing the literature aspects of this novel as well, focusing on pulling specific information to be included in their journals. It would be helpful to ask your child for specific details about what they are reading, and have them show you the work they are doing in their journals. If you would like to read along with your child through this unit, we do have some additional copies of the books in the classroom, so let us know if you would be interested in borrowing one.

Spelling: Students received a new spelling list this week. Because we do not have school this Friday, the test will take place the following week on 2/18 or 2/19. Today, Boyd’s class worked on spelling strategies, so be sure to ask your child what they learned and have them practice using these techniques with their current list. (Myer’s class will receive the lesson on Wednesday.)

Math: This week in math, we continue our study of fractions; specifically looking at equivalent fractions. Tomorrow, a small worksheet packet will come home with your child. We will be working through this all week, and students will be given specific instructions about what needs to be completed at the end of each lesson, depending on the outcome and pace of learning. It should not be the case that students complete the packet in one night. Also, on the homework log you will see that the packet has a due date of Thursday. This is flexible and will be determined by the student’s readiness to move forward.

We will also be turning our mad minute focus from multiplication to division facts. In problem solving, we will be focusing on higher order thinking using fractions. Our review focus for this week will continue to be practice of multiplication of greater numbers. Although many students performed well in our initial chapter test over this material, review problems have proven difficult for many students. We would definitely recommend providing your child with the opportunity to practice these problems at home from time to time.

Social Studies: This week, we begin looking at chapter 3 in our textbook, which looks at early explorers of the Pacific Northwest. In addition to learning about the history involved in these journeys, we will also be focusing on the use of timelines, distinguishing between primary and secondary documents, and pulling specific information from text.

Have a great week.

2.3.10

Hey parents:

The students had work time today and (I hope) I circulated to everyone. There were two groups which still needed  to make final touches tomorrow and I assured them we would provide time. Please let me know if you hear differently at home so I can check in with them in the morning.

Also, I know many of you are upset by the timing of the Chrissa project assigned by Mrs. Landes. We understand this can seem overwhelming with the recent Artifact project, and we apologize for not having better communication with her earlier. However, Mr. Bahlman, the music teacher was out today so we coordinated with the sub to allow this time to be used for the project. We also provided them with whatever materials we had on hand in the classroom to help them get this started. Jan and I also set aside a half hour on Friday for groups to finish up. I checked in with the class after their music class and asked if any groups felt they would need additional time beyond this and only 2 said they felt they would. I am coming to understand however that they are not always so forthcoming with this information, so if you hear differently at home, please let me know and we can try to make accommodations to get this done at school.

Also, I had a question today about the date for drama plays. I spoke with Adam today and he said that they will take place sometime before spring break in late March, but he had not yet set a date because they schedule had been disrupted in recent weeks and he wanted to make sure all groups had adequate time to prepare. We will send home specific details when we get them.
Thanks everyone, and we hope to see you all on Thursday at the museum from 9-12!

Kori

February 1, 2010

Dear Parents:

Welcome back. Today we kick off Catholic Schools Week, so we are geared up for another full week in fourth grade. Thursday will be the all school Open House from 9-12:00, followed by a mass in the gym at 1:15. Parents, families, and friends are welcome to attend either or both of these events.

Upcoming:

2/4—Open House 9-12/ Mass 1:15

2/5—Guest speaker 10:20/Legend readings 12:30

2/12—No school/ In-service day

2/15-2/16—No School/Presidents Day Break

2/17—Ash Wednesday

Grading—The following section was included in last week’s newsletter, but we felt it should be added again this week. If you did not see this last week, or have questions about grading on your child’s progress report, please read below–\

An “E” means that the student is “extending concepts” presented in class. This student consistently and independently takes learning to a deeper level and shows a level of understanding beyond which is presented in class. This is not a grade typically given and is not our expectation of students.

An “M” means the student is “meeting standard.” This student is consistently and independently working at grade level and has shown proficiency in meeting grade level standards. It is our expectation that all students are performing at this level by the end of the year.

The “A” student is approaching standard. This could mean that the student needs more practice in the area before establishing proficiency, or that they are not able to perform independently at this time. Many students will likely fall into this category at this time, as we are only at the midpoint in the school year. However, most foundational concepts (math facts, reading fluency and comprehension) should be at standard, so that we can begin to build on them during the second half of the year.

The “N” student is in need of support. This student is having difficulty in an area for which we feel regular classroom instruction will not be enough to get them to standard by years end.

Basically, if your child falls into the “A” or “M” category they are likely on par with our expectations at this point in the year. If your child is receiving an “A” and we feel as though there will be an issue getting them to standard by years end, we will provide a comment, be in touch with you separately, or we have already been in discussion with you about it. However, it is most likely the case that this is a newly introduced or developing skill which students are not yet able to do independently.

Curriculum:

Tech: Last week, Marilu posted the bibliographical information for all the classroom resources used by students under the resources page of the 4^th grade website. In addition, on Friday, we gave a hardcopy of this information to the students and had them highlight the actual information used so

Math: With Catholic Schools Week and the wrap up of our Native American unit, our math curriculum has been significantly disrupted this week. Instead of trying to rush through new concepts in our fraction unit, we will be reviewing concepts covered thus far, and working on problem solving with a few WASL sample problems.

Spelling: We will continue to work on typing in lieu of a spelling test this week. Please make sure that your child is practicing at home.

Daybook: While there is a Daybook assignment this week, there will be no Daybook rotation. The assignment (pp59-63) will be due next week. Please have your child focus on their projects instead!

Reading: This week, students will begin our Lewis and Clark unit. In literature circles, students will be reading one of three novels based on the Lewis and Clark expedition. Look for specific information about your child’s novel and the unit expectations to be coming home later this week. This unit will be cross curricular in nature and will weave throughout our social studies, writing, and reading curriculum through the end of the trimester.

Social studies: This week we wrap up our study of Native Americans with our museum on Thursday and guest speaker on Friday. We hope you can come and see all the presentations on Thursday. Also, we ask that all projects be taken home with the child after the museum on Thursday or Friday at the latest if arrangements cannot be made on Thursday. Next week, we will move into our study of the westward movement in America and begin to look at the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Science: With the wrap up of our Native American unit, we will not be having science this week. We will resume our study of the water cycle next week.

Religion: This week, students will attend two masses; daily mass on Wednesday, and the all school mass on Thursday. In addition, we are continuing our look at the commandments and reflecting on what makes a Catholic education unique. Students have also been working with Lori Landes, finishing up their “Chrissa” unit. She spoke with all the students today about the project requirements, and I have attached a letter from her. We will try to allow class time to work on this later in the week, but with an already packed schedule, we cannot anticipate how much (please keep in mind that Wed and Thursday night will be “homework free” as well as being “post project,” so this might be a good time to focus on this assignment. If you have any questions about this assignment, please contact Lori directly at llandes@asbschool.org.

1/25/10

Dear Parents:

Midterm has come and gone, which means we are moving into the second half of the trimester this week. Progress reports will be coming home with your child on Friday. This week is Spirit Week. We would like to remind students and parents that while we encourage students to be creative with their themed dress this week, we also need to make sure that all clothing is appropriate for school and will not disrupt regular classroom activities. The dress days are as follows: Mon—Matching Day, Tues: Sports Day, Wed—Comfy Day, Thurs—Character Day, Fri—Crazy Day

Reports/Grading: We have had some questions and confusion about our grading scale, so we would like to take a moment to explain what the grades mean and what you should expect from your child.

An “E” means that the student is “extending concepts” presented in class. This student consistently and independently takes learning to a deeper level and shows a level of understanding beyond which is presented in class. This is not a grade typically given and is not our expectation of students.

An “M” means the student is “meeting standard.” This student is consistently and independently working at grade level and has shown proficiency in meeting grade level standards. It is our expectation that all students are performing at this level by the end of the year.

The “A” student is approaching standard. This could mean that the student needs more practice in the area before establishing proficiency, or that they are not able to perform independently at this time. Many students will likely fall into this category at this time, as we are only at the midpoint in the school year. However, most foundational concepts (math facts, reading fluency and comprehension) should be at standard, so that we can begin to build on them during the second half of the year.

The “N” student is in need of support. This student is having difficulty in an area for which we feel regular classroom instruction will not be enough to get them to standard by years end.

Basically, if your child falls into the “A” or “M” category they are likely on par with our expectations at this point in the year. If your child is receiving an “A” and we feel as though there will be an issue getting them to standard by years end, we will provide a comment, be in touch with you separately, or we have already been in discussion with you about it. However, it is most likely the case that this is a newly introduced or developing skill which students are not yet able to do independently.

Curriculum:

Math: This week, we begin our second major concept area: Fractions. This week, we will focus on reading and writing fractions as well as working with mixed numbers. Next week, we will begin comparing/ordering/converting/ and simplifying fractions and decimals. In our review and practice this week, we will be continuing to practice multiplication of greater numbers.

Writing—This week, students will be provided time in writing to work on their artifact paragraphs. Please make sure that they come to class each day with materials so they can make the best use of this time. Already today, many students missed out o0n an hour of work time because they were unprepared.

Reading: This week, we are wrapping up our unit on Eagle Song. Depending on how this goes, we will likely introduce our next literature section on Lewis and Clark later this week, or early next week.

Spelling/Tech—No spelling test again this week! Instead, we are asking that students spend their study time practicing typing skills on using the typeonline program (follow links on 4^th grade site). In addition, this week in technology class, Ms. Byrne will be showing students how to create bibliographies for there artifact projects using EasyBib, so please make sure your child has access to the resources they have used and make sure they have that information with them for tech this week!

Social Studies—We are continuing to work on artifact projects this week. Soon, I will be grouping students according to their artifact categories, and describing how the museum presentations will work. However, groups and partners can often take precedence and overshadow the more important objectives and learning for the project, so I have very purposefully outlined the timing for grouping students. Right now, they should focus on writing their papers here at school, and creating their artifacts at home. The rest will be done in due time!

Science—This week, students will be learning about the stages of the water cycle and will complete a lab.

Thanks everyone. Have a great week.

1/20/10

Updates:

Jan and I will again be out tomorrow…this time at a math assessment conference. We hope to come back with lots of new ideas and materials! If you need to contact someone at the school regarding anything that needs to be dealt with that day (such as attendance issues, change in carpool plans, etc) please email Mary Jo Marshall at mmarshall@asbschool.org.

I also called the court and found that I will not be needed for the first week of my scheduled jury duty so I will be around next week. I will still be required to check in for the following week, but I will keep you posted!

Reminders:

Just a few clarifying notes about the artifact project:

• Please keep in mind there are only 3 very basic research guiding questions which will be assessed for this assignment. (What is it? How was it used? Why was it important?) There is not a huge amount of research that needs to be gathered in order for students to answer these questions.
• The majority of the information can be gathered from the general information presented in class and given in Chapter 2 of their social studies text. This should be used as resource #1.
• Jan also rented the “Burke in a Box” artifacts for our classroom use. They are currently displayed in the classroom and will be through next week. These are actual artifacts which have an accompanying description of each in a field guide. (You are welcome to stop by and check them out if you’d like) Many of the student’s choices of artifacts are there, thus for many students supplying a second resource.
• Finally, we have a large number of print resources in the classroom. Students will have the opportunity to begin looking through these materials during their scheduled spelling time on Thursday and Friday. These resources belong to us, and will be available throughout the course of the project.
• It might be helpful for some parents to understand the objectives of this assignment and how they relate to the state standards. I have listed below the EALR’s we use to guide this assessment. You should notice that while the content of the assignment deals with the history strand of social studies, the majority of the project centers on developing social studies skills. These objectives and outcomes have been discussed with the students in class in more general terms, but you may find it helpful to have a discussion with your child about this at home.

EALR 4: History

Component 4.1: Understands historical chronology.

4.1.2 Understands how the following themes and developments help to define eras in Washington State history from time immemorial to 1889:

• Growth of northwest coastal and plateau tribes prior to treaties (time immemorial to 1854).

EALR 5: Social Studies Skills

Component 5.1: Uses critical reasoning skills to analyze and evaluate positions

5.1.2 Evaluates the accuracy of primary and secondary sources.

Component 5.2: Uses inquiry-based research.

5.2.2 Understands the main ideas from an artifact, primary source, or secondary source describing an issue or event.

Component 5.4: Creates a product that uses social studies content to support a thesis and presents the product in an appropriate manner to a meaningful audience.

5.4.1 Draws clear, well-reasoned conclusions and provides explanations that are supported by artifacts and/or primary sources in a paper or presentation.

5.4.2 Prepares a list of resources, including the title, author, type of source, date published, and publisher for each source.

Finally–I found another great website you can use to find artifact info. This is specific to the Tlingit tribe, but has many links!
http://www.bigorrin.org/tlingit_kids.htm

1/19/10

Parents:

Welcome back! We hope you all had a nice relaxing weekend and enjoyed a little break from all the rain.

Language Arts:

Writing—This week we are working with the students on how to research. Today, we discussed how to find information and save it to access later. Be sure to ask your child, and check out some of the great websites listed below for more specific information to get them started. We are not able to access the computers as often as we would like, so if the students could gather resources outside of class, that would be great! Students were given their artifacts and the assignment sheet last week, so they should be set to go! I also attached the assignment sheet to last week’s email, so check it out if you have not already done so.

We will be providing work time in class next week, during both writing and social studies time, so please help your child remember to bring their materials to class each and everyday, to limit the amount of work to be done at home.

Reading—Students are finishing up the novel Eagle Song this week. Students are continuing to work on generating strategies to determine someone’s intentions in various situations. They are also working on problem solving in an effective way.

Spelling: We are taking a break from spelling this week. We would instead like students to use their “study time” practicing their typing skills. Ms. Byrne has worked with them on using a free site (see attached site below or follow the links on our webpage).

Each lesson should be practiced at least 5 times with a goal of 100% accuracy

http://www.typeonline.co.uk/lesson1.html

Religion: We are working on the Ten Commandments. Last week, we covered the first, this week, we will look at commandments 2 and 3.

Math: We will be wrapping up our graphing unit this week. Our final lessons will be on line plots and determining median, mode, and range. We will quiz over the unit’s concepts on Friday and see how the students are progressing.

Science: We will be putting our knowledge on evaporation and condensation together in upcoming weeks to better understand the workings of the water cycle.

Social Studies: We will be working through Chapter 2 on Native Americans this week. Today, we looked at timelines and reviewed artifacts. In upcoming days, we will look at similarities and differences between Coastal and Plateau tribes.

Websites for Artifact Projects:

Extensive website from the University of Washington, but higher reading level. http://content.lib.washington.edu/aipnw/renker.html

Great site!

http://www.mce.k12tn.net/indians/reports3/northwest_coastal.htm

Not quite as extensive, but appropriate reading level and links help students find specific information.

http://nativeamericans.mrdonn.org/northwest.html

Website from kidsworld.com. Be careful if you navigate from this specific page to make sure it is still covering Northwest Coastal tribes.

http://www.kidzworld.com/article/1387-american-indians-northwest-bands

Some good images, and links to other sites:

http://www.native-languages.org/northwest.htm

This website breaks down information by individual tribes, not artifacts or topics.

http://www.archaeolink.com/indian_tribes_of_the_pacific_nor.htm

1/11/10

Parents:

Happy Monday! We’re all set for another exciting week in fourth grade! This week we have a half day, a field trip and an all school assembly in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. so our schedules will be a little abnormal.

Field trip: We are all set to go on our museum field trip this Wednesday. We will be leaving school as soon as we can after the bell rings, so please make sure your child arrives on time. We also need all students to bring disposable lunches and wear their uniforms on this day. The drivers on the field trip are as follows:

Bonipart                      DiPietro                       Dittmaier                     Ferguson

Hartz                            Heffernan                     Mele                               Merrywell

Murray                        Nelson                           Riley                              Saltvig

Seto                             Weinand

Drivers—please be sure to gas up and get coffee before you arrive at school, so we can leave by 8:40!

Kards for Kids: We still have some cards left from our original sale, so if you are interested in stocking up, please contact Mary Jo Marshall for the unbelievable clearance price of $ 0.25 a card!

NO School: Don’t forget there will be no school next Monday in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Extended Care will also be closed.

WASL: As I mentioned in the last newsletter, ASB has decided to take the WASL (which has been renamed and is now referred to as the MSP–Measurement of Student Progress). The testing window for this assessment is May 12-28^th. Please try not to schedule appointments etc. for your child during this time. Also, if you have plans to be out during this time, please let us know ASAP so we can make arrangements. Thanks.

If you would like more information regarding the test or the changes from previous years, please check out the OSPI website at: http://www.k12.wa.us/ and follow the assessment links.

Language Arts:

Writing—students are well underway with their legends and hard at work. As the rubric states, their writing time this week is entirely dedicated to working on this assignment in class—there should be no need to work on these at home. Some students have been working at home and will have little to do during class. Working on this in class also gives us the opportunity to not only guide them through the process, but also assess their current understanding and progress in both writing and technology skills. If your child would like to work on this project at home, we encourage them to work on their cover and illustration outside of class.

Reading—This week, students are working on answering comprehension questions for Eagle Song. They have been doing a great job in discussion and noticing how the themes in the book cross over to our work in religion and social studies. They have also been very responsible in sharing books through this unit.

Students will also be completing a reading assessment of comprehension skills this week.

Spelling: This week’s spelling list is much like last week. We are continuing to work on content words and the students will be required to match the word to its correct definition on the test. The list is up on spellingcity.com, so be sure to check it out.

Math:

We are continuing to work on graphing skills this week in math. In correcting last week’s quizzes, we have determined that students need a bit more review in reading graphs and data. We will focus on this as well as learn about stem and leaf plots in class this week. You can help your child in this area, by asking them about graphs when you see them in everyday life, such as in your own work projects, on television, or in the newspaper. We are focusing specifically on determining what the data tells us and how to interpret information on a graph.

I apologize that the link for the math site does not work. If you are interested in checking it out, you can try to go to the site directly at www.pearsonschool.com and following the math link. Again, the graphing chapter for this book is chapter 4. Also, ASB has been working for about a year to adopt a new math series for grades K-6. It looks like we will be buying the Math Connects series. They have a great site as well. Not all information is accessible since we have not yet purchased the series, but I encourage you to check it out for tutorials, games, and other activities. We will let you know when and if the school makes a final decision on adoption.

http://www.mhschool.com/math/mathconnects/index.html

Social Studies:

The students have been working in small groups in social studies to jigsaw some initial information about Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest. They are working to make posters and on Wednesday will present their information to the class. We also introduced the artifact project today. They received an assignment sheet for this project in hard copy form today, and I am attaching an electronic copy for you as well. This project has two main components: students will create a replica of an artifact and will write a 3 paragraph description of the artifact. The information and artifacts will be displayed at our Native American museum on Thursday, February 4^th. Due to the nature of the artifacts, they will need to be created at home. The paragraphs however should be completed in class. We will provide work time and guided instruction in both writing and social studies for this over the next few weeks. While students are welcome to gather resources for this project outside of class, it is very important that the rest is done by the students in class so that we can assess their research and writing skills. If you have concerns about this please contact us. If your child is currently using accommodations in writing, we understand that some students will need to work both in and out of the classroom on this project.

Students will not be able to choose their topics for this assignment until Friday. The reason for this is we want for them to have the background information provided in the presentations on Wednesday and we would like for them to actually see some of the artifacts at the history museum before making decisions on the project. Students will work in topic groups to present information at the museum, but will work independently on their paragraphs and artifacts.

Science:

Last week, students performed a lab that looked at how water evaporates. Due to our field trip and the MLK assembly, we will not hold a lab for science this week.

Management:

Our management focus for the week (and upcoming weeks as well) is cooperation and group work skills. These are important skills which are imperative to their success not only in school but throughout their professional lives as well. We will be focusing in class on specific tips and strategies for success as leaders and members in group activities. I am attaching two websites which provide some more information that we will be covering in class. If your child struggles with group activities, it might be helpful to review these ideas with them and a common vocabulary is always helpful!

http://hci.com.au/hcisite3/toolkit/smallgro.htm

http://www.educ.uvic.ca/epls/faculty/rowles/effective.htm

Have a great week!

1/4/10

Welcome Back! Hope you all had a relaxing break, as we are really going to hit the ground running in 4^th grade during the month of January. We have lots of exciting projects and activities planned!

Odds and Ends:

Field Trip: We are still in need of drivers for our Washington State History Museum field trip and are missing many permission slips and fees. If you have not already done so, please send these in with your child as soon as possible. Thanks.

Closures: Remember that next Monday (Jan 11^th) is a noon dismissal for a faculty in-service. Extended Care will be open. This is also the date for the Mother Daughter afternoon. Please contact Lori Landes if interested. School will also be closed on Monday, January 18^th in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

WASL: ASB will be taking the WASL again this year at the 4^th and 7^th grade level. The format has changed and is much shorter than last year. We will use this opportunity to try out the new format which consists of one math, one reading, and two writing assessments. You can find more information about the new format at the OSPI website.

Jury Duty: Mrs. Boyd has been called to jury duty and will report on Monday, January 25^th. I cannot be sure of the length of this commitment, or my availability during this time. Please feel free to email me, but you may also want to CC all correspondence to Jan Myers, to ensure it is received in a timely manner.

Curriculum:

Math: Today we began our next math unit which covers graphing. We will especially emphasize graphing ordered pairs and graphing in the first coordinate plane. Students will also review picto/bar/ and line graphs in the next two weeks. I have attached a new link to the 4^th grade resources page. It is the Scott Foresman link and will take you to their website which includes a lesson and tutorial for each lesson in their math series. It also contains review and practice activities. We do not currently use the Foresman math series, but the majority of the lessons covered in our current unit are included in their book under chapter 4. If your child appears to need additional help with concepts or if they miss class, this is a fabulous resource and we hope you use it! This is also a great tool for additional practice!

Math Topics This Week:

1/4 –line graphs and pictographs

1/5—ordered pairs

1/6—line graphs

1/7—line plots

1/8—check for understanding quiz

Language Arts (literature): Tomorrow, students will begin their next literature circle novel, Eagle Song. This is a short but powerful novel which we will use in conjunction with our Native American unit in social studies. It will also serve as an introduction to our Second Step program in religion.

Language Arts (writing): Tomorrow students will also be introduced to our legend assignment in writing. This is a 4 paragraph creative writing project that will be done primarily in class. Students will receive an assignment sheet and rubric tomorrow, but I have attached them to this email as well if you would like more specific information. This assignment will be due next Friday, January 15^th.

Language Arts (spelling): due to the high amount of new content introduced this month, we will not be having the normal “focus” lists on our weekly spelling for the month of January. Instead, students will be coming home with much shorter “working word” lists. These are words which we will be using consistently in other curriculum areas. Students will not only be given points for correctly spelling each word, but they must be able to identify it by its definition. Students received a list of 7 words today and will be tested on their regularly scheduled day (either Thursday or Friday). The list (#12) has been added to Spellingcity, so please check it out!

Language Arts (Daybook): In Daybook, students will continue to work on metaphors and similes this week; there is no assignment due this week.

Social studies: This week we begin our study of Native Americans. We will begin with some historical background, and then take a deeper look into the everyday lives and lifestyles of the native peoples of the Pacific Northwest. The culminating project for this unit will be introduced next week, and will include both a project and a short researched writing piece. Again, the writing for this assignment will be largely completed in the classroom, while the creative project will be completed at home.

Many parents inquired about report card grades under “social studies skills.” This category of the report card deals primarily with developing research skills. For fourth graders this is very much a guided process at this point and not something we expect them to do independently. We will certainly be walking them through this process in the classroom as we work our way through this project. You can best help your child by reminding them to have all materials here at school with them each day and by asking them how their work time is going in the classroom.

Thanks,

fourth grade

12/14/09

Just a couple updates/reminders before break.

Field trip: We will be sending home permission slips for our Washington State History Museum filed trip today. We are hoping to get them back by Friday so that we can make sure we are covered for drivers ahead of time. As for the fee, we know that this can be a difficult time wit the holidays, etc. so please feel free hold off on the fee until after break and just send back the permission slip for now.

The WSHM is a great field trip. The students will have the opportunity to get some research for their upcoming Native American projects and they will also have the chance to get some advanced knowledge of some other topics we will cover in social studies this year. In addition to touring the museum, students will also attend the History Lab, which is a program designed to boost research and study skills.

Kards for Kids: If you ordered cards, you should have received them in your Wednesday envelope last week. We do have some overstock on cards, so if you did not order, or would like to get some additional cards, we will be selling them for a discounted price. If you are interested, please contact Mary Jo Marshall for more information.

Afternoon for Mothers and Daughters: You will be receiving an Evite from the parent connections committee through me inviting you to “An Afternoon fort Mothers and Daughters.” If you have a boy in the class, please disregard this message. This event starts at 12:00 on Monday, Jan 11^th. This is a half day with a noon dismissal.

Upcoming:

• Wednesday is the Posada advent prayer. It will take place in the gym at 2:30 if you would like to attend.
• Friday is noon dismissal and the beginning of break!
• Monday, Jan 4^th classes resume
• Monday, Jan 11^th noon dismissal (Mother Daughter Event, 12:00)
• Thursday, Jan 14^th field trip to WSHM

12/11/09

Fourth Grade News

Report Cards: Reports should be coming home with your child today. The report and any papers included in the envelope are for you, but please sign the envelope itself and return it to school with your child on Monday.

Christmas Families: The response to the room parents’ email about our Christmas Families has been absolutely overwhelming. We know that this is a very crazy time of year and it means so much that many of you were able to give up your time and resources to help out these families in need.  ASB families are so very thoughtful and generous, and this community is one for which we feel so lucky to be a part.

Posada: On Wednesday, December 16^th the 4^th graders will be helping our kinder-buddies with the Posada advent prayer at 2:30 in the gym. All you would like to attend are welcome to this event.

Field Trip: The fourth grade will be heading on our next field trip to the Washington State History Museum on Thursday, Jan 14^th. In We are hoping to send out the permission slip forms next week, so we will not be so rushed after the break.

Curriculum: Right now, we are just trying to wrap up all the loose ends before break. When we start back in January we will begin our cross curricular unit on Native Americans. Projects and activities will take place in literature, writing, and social studies during the months of January and February. Look for specific details to be coming home after the break!

In math, we are close to finishing up our unit on multiplication. Many students are still having difficulty with the multi step nature of these problems. We would like you all to know that we will continue to practice these throughout the year; so please do not worry if you feel your child has not yet mastered these concepts. Also, please make sure that if your child is still working on recall of math facts, they should be using their multiplication chart to help out on assignments. I would also recommend they check over their answers with a calculator to make sure they are on the right track.

This week we are also back on our regular routine for Daybook and spelling. Their focus in spelling this week is al-el-le endings. The list is available for practice at spellingcity.com if you would like to check it out. The Daybook focus this week is metaphors. Students should be working through pages 50-53, which we be due next week on Thursday or Friday according to their schedule.

Have a wonderful weekend. Keep warm!

November 25th, 2009

Hello parents–

It has been a crazy busy week with Grandparents Day, our field trip, and all the excitement of today, and the kids have handled it all so well. They enjoyed sharing their book report projects on Monday with classmates and grandparents, and they all did an amazing job with the Thanksgiving mass. Yesterday’s field trip was also a big success! The kids had great questions and learned a lot! They also had the opportunity to see the raising of the “holiday tree” in the rotunda. A very special thank you to all our chaperons and drivers for spending the day with us!
Next week, things will (somewhat) return to normal for a few weeks before Christmas. We will introduce a new project in literature (which involves their buddies and is always a 4th grade favorite!), and will continue our math unit on multiplication of greater numbers. We will also wrap up our social studies and science units before the Christmas holiday.

As you know, the auction committee will be moving in on Thursday afternoon of next week. We will be packing everything up in the afternoon and WILL NOT have access to the classroom again until Sunday morning. If your child has any personal items that they will need over the weekend, please ask them to bring them home next week. Also, we will need to move out all exercise balls as our classroom storage is limited. If you will not be picking up your child from school on Thursday, please arrange to pick it up at some point earlier in the week.

Our Science Center field trip is on Friday, Dec 4th. We will be leaving school at 9:15 and will return very close to 3:00. As a “thank you” for all their help and flexibility with the auction, lunch will be provided on this day. We will be serving Dick’s cheeseburgers, chips, and juice at the Science Center. We will be ordering on Monday, so if you would prefer to pack a lunch for your child instead, please let us know as soon as possible.
I spoke with the Center to confirm the trip and they informed me that there is a slight discount for each membership. No guest passes or special engagement tickets can be used. If you have a membership and wouldn’t mind allowing us to borrow it next week, please send it in with your child on Monday. We need to get a check prepared by Wednesday, so we will not be able to use any cards brought in after that.
If you have signed up to drive on this field trip, I will be sending a separate email to you with more detailed information.

The auction cookbooks are in the final stages. I got a special sneak peak today and they look great! Remember to get your pre orders in soon! Elaine is hoping to get a couple copies in the classroom for your viewing by Monday. I will let you know when they arrive so you can stop by to have a look.

We hope you all have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

4th grade

November 12, 2009

Fourth Grade News:

With the exception of a couple make-ups, we have completed our student-led conferences. The fourth graders did a great job and we were impressed by their ability to identify strengths and areas for growth and to set goals for the future. We hope that this opportunity helped you to get a better picture of your child’s current progress and addressed any questions or concerns you might have had. If there is anything that has come up in the meantime, or if there was something we did not get around to covering during your conference time, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Kards for Kids:

Thank you to everyone who purchased Kards for Kids. We are hoping to place the orders tomorrow afternoon, so if you have not yet done so, there is still time to get in your orders!

Grandparents Day and Liturgy:

The fourth grade class is in charge of leading the Grandparents Day Liturgy for next Monday, November 23^rd at 11:00am.   In the past, we have had grandparents help us by joining their grandchild in the readings, gift offerings, etc. If your child’s grandparent/grandfriend will be attending this liturgy and would be willing to participate, please contact Jan Myers at janmyers@asbschool.org.

Book Reports:

The projects for the mystery book report are due on Monday, November 23^rd. Since there is a lot of flexibility in student project choice, we have not sent home a specific requirement sheet. There are rubrics available for the different types of projects, so once your child has decided, they can pick one up in the classroom.

Spelling:

The spelling list for the week of 11/12-11/20 is a review of lessons 7-9. There are no new spelling words. Also, with upcoming holidays and field trips, this will be our last spelling test for a couple weeks and the last test of this grading period before report cards come home. The list is up on Spelling City so be sure to check it out!

Math:

At conferences last week, some of you expressed some confusion over the place value models and partial products method for teaching multiplication of greater numbers and asked why we are teaching such complicated processes instead of just the algorithms.  The following is an excerpt from the “Focus on Math Background” section of the McGraw Hill text that might help put the reasoning into perspective.

Students now how to multiply two numbers if both factors are one-digit

numbers. They also know how to multiply by multiply by the powers of ten

(multiples of 10/100/1,000). Putting those two ideas together, along with

visual presentations using base-ten blocks, allows students to begin

multiplying one-digit by two-digit numbers. After students have worked

with pictorial models, but before they move to the standard algorithm for

multiplying, it is helpful to show them how to multiply using expanded

notation or partial products.   (McGraw-Hill 2009)

Materials needed:

We are still in need of Clorox Wipes if you would like to donate them to the classroom. Just send them in with your child.

Fall Play:

The Fall play is this weekend. Our classroom is used as the “backstage area” for the actors. While we do our best to pack away our personal belongings, there will be many people using our space over the weekend. It is important that your child make arrangements to take home any personal effects before the weekend (This might include exercise balls).

Oct. 29^th, 2009

Fourth Grade News

After weeks of begging for drivers, we have ended up with more than enough to attend both the Olympia and Science Center Field trips. Thank you parents, your response was overwhelming! The following is the current list of drivers for each event. Please contact us ASAP if you are signed up below and will not be able to attend.

State Capitol Building Tuesday, Nov 24^th (leaving at 8:30, returning at 2:30)

Acarregui                    Bonipart                      Crumb                         Evans

Kavanagh                    Keaton                         Kodama                      Lynch

Merrywell                    Miner                           Mulick                         Monroe

Murphy                       Pedersen                      Saltvig                         Sheppard

**We have more seat belts than needed for this trip, but would love to bring along the additional chaperons. We will likely try to fill cars the day of the field trip and have some parents ride together, to lessen the amount of cars taking the trip. If there is someone on the list with whom you would like to ride, please let us know before we set the carpools.

Science Center Friday, Dec 4^th (leaving at 9:15-returning at 3:00)

Driving and staying all day to chaperone:

Accaregui                    Blaikie                         Bonipart                      Fetty

Hall                                 Kenny                         Mele                            Murray

Riley                               Schober                    Sullivan

Driving both ways, but not staying to chaperone:

Kodama

Korman

Driving to: Crumb

Driving from: Gallaudet

Curriculum News:

Writing: Students are currently working on revising and editing their writing pieces. Final drafts are due in class on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. Stories should be typed and double spaced. Many students have gotten a good start in class this week and are familiarizing themselves with how to save to their “geek sticks.”

Reading: In lieu of our traditional literature circles, this month students are working in pairs to solve mysteries. The majority of this unit will be done in class, with occasional short extension activities. Combined with this unit is the mystery book report. Students should be acquiring a novel within this genre which is at an appropriate reading level for them. Books need to be checked off with Mrs. Myers no later than Monday, Nov. 2^nd. Specific guidelines for projects and all due dates will be coming home next week, but students can expect to have approximately a month to complete the book and corresponding project. If you need some help locating a mystery book, check out http://www.geocities.com/sseagraves/mysterybooksforchildren.htm website!

Social Studies: With art parents last week and our Halloween party tomorrow, our social studies time has been cut significantly! We are hoping to find time to fit in more lesson time next week, especially since Tuesday is Election Day, but with half days for conferences, this too will be tricky. You can help keep the information fresh in your child’s mind by talking with them this weekend about the election process. If you have not yet filled out your ballot, perhaps they can help you look through the voters’ pamphlet and make your choices!

Materials Needed: In an attempt to keep our classroom clean and germ free, we are already running low on Clorox wipes. If anyone would like to donate some to the classroom, please send them in with your child.

A Few Reminders:

• Kards for Kids designs will be on display and available for order next week in the fourth grade classroom and the main hallway across from the office. Cards are sold in sets of 8 for $10.00
• If you have not yet sent your recipe to Elaine Say, please do so ASAP!
• If you have not yet sent in your field trip fees please send it to school with your child. Also, if you are scheduled to drive, please make sure the school has a copy of your insurance form and that you have completed your background check.

Important Dates:

Nov. 4-6—Noon dismissal for conferences. Extended Care available.

Nov 11^th—Veterans’ Day Holiday. No School. No Extended Care

Nov 23^rd—Grandparents Day and Thanksgiving Liturgy

Nov 24^th—Olympia Field Trip

Nov 25^th—Noon Dismissal

Nov 26-27^th—Thanksgiving Break. No School. No Extended Care.

Dec 4^th—Science Center field trip

Dec 5^th—ASB auction

Thanks. Have a wonderful and safe Halloween weekend!

Wednesday, Oct 14^th

Dear Parents:

We have made it to the first trimester midterm already. Can you believe it? The grading period ends this week, and progress reports will be coming home with your child next Friday, October 23^rd.

Student led conferences will take place the first week in November (2-6). The schedule for sign up will be posted on Monday morning, October 19^th by the main office. We have one morning slot each day and the rest will take place during school breaks and after school on the half days Wednesday through Friday.  If these hours do not work with you, please contact your child’s homeroom teacher as soon as possible so we can make any necessary adjustments to our schedule and find another time to meet.

Auction Day:

As you know, the school auction takes place in our classroom, forcing us to find other accommodations on Friday, December 4^th. In the past, we have tried to schedule one of our class field trips on this day, but we have not been able to secure enough parent driver/chaperones to make it work. This year, we would love to schedule our class trip to the capitol building in Olympia for this date. Before we set this up, we need to know that we will have the drivers to make it work. If you do not have auction responsibilities and would be willing to join us on this field trip, please email Kori at kboyd@asbschool.org as soon as possible. If we do not secure enough drivers by the beginning of November, we will have to cancel the trip.

In related news, the Archdiocese is now requiring that all classroom volunteers take the Safe Environment training course. This includes field trip chaperones. The first session is set for next Thursday, October 22^nd at the Assumption parish hall. More information is provided in the school newsletter.

Curriculum News:

The students have completed their first units in both math and social studies and we were very impressed by their overall scores on the summative assessments. Students began their new math unit this week. It covers relating multiplication and division facts. This unit is mostly review and should wrap up by the end of next week. The following unit deals with multiplication of greater numbers. If your child is still struggling with recall of basic facts, we cannot stress enough the importance of consistent practice in this area. The upcoming units will become increasingly difficult for those who struggle with recall.

In social studies, we are beginning our civics and government unit. It is very timely considering the local elections to take place next month. We are hoping to get some guests to come in to the classroom and speak with the students about low local government works. If you or someone you know might be interested, please let us know (I am looking especially for local politicians and public servants such as firefighters or police officers).

Thanks and have a great week.