Weekend News 10-25-18

Hello Fourth Grade Families,

You are getting this update today because there is no school tomorrow! Enjoy the extra day this weekend! Your students worked hard this week and took two tests today. They need the extra day off to recover!

We will still be collecting wreath sales next week! Thanks to all who've sent one in! Mrs. Allen has announced that the items currently in the lost and found will be donated this weekend. If you think your child is missing something, check before the end of the day today!

Our class will swim on Tuesday October 30 from 12:20-1:20 pm. I am all set with parent volunteers. Please send a bathing suit and towel in a labeled bag. 

Thank you for meeting with me during fall conferences. I love being able to share the awesome things I get to see your children do each day. I feel fortunate to get to spend time with these amazing kids each day! 

To recap some of the things that came up during conferences with many families:

• Math homework can be a challenge, especially since we teach things differently than the way many parents learned. PLEASE utilize Mr. Saunders Math Homework Tutorials any time you need them! He has created a video example of how to do each homework sheet. You could even use this as a way for your child to check independently. 
• Mrs. Allen has posted the long term sub position for my maternity leave. She will begin to interview soon to ensure that we have the best candidate for the job. My rough estimate is that I will be out of the classroom from Winter Break until Spring Break. I look forward to popping in periodically during that time since I also have a student in the building.
• We will begin an in-class spelling program next week! This will be suited to your child's independent spelling needs.
• You are all doing an amazing job supporting your student. This is a special class and we have had so much fun learning together in the first few months of school. Keep doing all of the wonderful things you're doing!

Next week we will celebrate Halloween on the 31st with a class party and parade. The party will begin at 1:30 and end around 2:15. The parade will begin at 2:30. If the weather cooperates, join us on the outside path to see all of the adorable costumes!

Halloween Reminders:

• Bring costume to school, we will change into them around 1:15.
• Nothing gory and no violent props, please.
• You are welcome to join us for the party!

This week in fourth grade:

• We mapped the tracking path of loggerhead sea turtles to learn about their migration and behaviors.
• We will take the Life Science Unit Test on Friday November 2.
• We read challenging nonfiction and noticed text structure. We also learned strategies to figure out the meaning of unknown words.
• We completed our unit on multiplication and will begin to learn about division next week.

Have a fantastic weekend,

SG

Weekend News 10-19-18

Hello Fourth Grade Families,

Thank you to all who met with me last night at conferences. I look forward to meeting with the rest of you next week. This fourth grade class is on fire and I have so many wonderful things to share! 

Mrs. Allen has requested that all snacks on the 3-5 playground be nut free. Students have not been doing a great job cleaning up snacks on the playground and in the stairwells, and we need to ensure the safety of our students with allergies. Thank you for making this adjustment. 

Please continue to work on your Wreath Sales, the orders are due on October 25th! Remember, all money raised goes towards the Mackinac trip!

No school on October 26th! Enjoy the long weekend!

We will celebrate Halloween on the 31st with a school-wide parade and class party! The party will be in our classroom (311) from 1:30-2:15. Students will have a few minutes to change into their costumes before the party. The parade will begin at 2:30. We will do a quiet activity in the classroom at the end of the day. Look for a sign up genius to help with the party... coming soon from Gloriana Zimdar! 

Upcoming Assessments:
October 25- Math Chapter 3
October 25- Social Studies, Unit 1 (use study guide!)
October 30- Life Science Unit 1

This week in fourth grade:

• We researched invasive species that are a threat to Michigan. We worked on a presentation to teach the class about the invasive species. Students made posters, slideshows, news broadcasts, and live action skits. Look for these to come to Seesaw soon!

• We launched our nonfiction reading unit! We will be learning about text features and how they can help us read to learn! Please remind your fourth grader to do their nightly reading. They are welcome to read fiction or nonfiction!

• In math we worked hard on solving 2 digit multiplication problems using the area model, partial products, and the bow tie method. Look for a Chapter 3 study guide to come home on Monday. We will take the test on Thursday.

Weekend News 9-12-18

Happy Weekend!
I hope you all had a nice week! We have been busy getting ready to show you all of the hard work we've been up to in fourth grade. I look forward to meeting with you all during conferences on the 18th and 23rd! 

Hopefully your child has shown you the forms for our wreath sale. Orders are due October 25th! All funds raised go towards our Mackinac Island trip in June!

Congratulations to our Variety Show cast and crew members. We were so proud to see you up on stage!

There will be No School on October 26th.

This week in fourth grade:

• We finished our first Reading Workshop unit (realistic fiction) and had a celebration! Our book from this unit, The Tiger Rising featured Rob, a boy who liked to whittle as a way to reduce stress. We celebrated by whittling our own creations out of Ivory Soap to channel our inner Rob. Your student is bringing home their creation today!
• We did our second Kids Have Rights lesson about safe adults. Talk to your child about who they have selected as a safe adult.
• We took our Chapter 2 math assessment and the class ROCKED it! Woo hoo!! Thank you for all of the work you're doing at home to help support your student in math!

Have a wonderful weekend, stay warm!

SG

Whittle Pics:

Weekend News 10-5-18

Hello Fourth Grade Families,

I hope you had a nice week! We had a great field trip to Michigan Heritage Park on Tuesday. Thank you to all of the parents who took time from your day to join us. Check out the Wealthy 4th Grade Facebook Group for pictures of our fun day.

We will take our Chapter 2 math assessment next week on Thursday. Look for a study guide in today's folder. Work on this over the weekend and next week to help your child prepare!

I will submit the next Scholastic book order on October 11th. 
Class code: HB4N7 

This week in fourth grade:

• We learned about different parts of Michigan history on our field trip. This was a great preview for our big Mackinac trip at the end of the year!
• We are wrapping up our first reading unit of study. We will be practicing writing about reading next week and take the post assessment on Friday. I can't wait to share all of your child's hard work with you at conferences!
• We are continuing to learn and practice ways to multiply in math. 
• We observed our Ecocolums and learned about the role each organism plays to help the ecosystem survive.