Dear 4B Families,
The big week has arrived!
This Wednesday, October 29th is the All Saints’ Day school Mass at 8:45. Students should come to school completely dressed as their saint. All students should be in the classroom no later than 8:25. Thank you! Students that usually come in the second group should plan to come in the first group on Wednesday. Doors open at 8:15
Just a reminder, the School Mass has limited seating. There will be some pews reserved where the 4th grade students usually sit. You will not be sitting with your children during the School Mass. The All Saints Day Mass will also be live-streamed using the Holy Rosary Parish vimeo link for those who are unable to attend. The link can be found here.
Friday, October 31st is Halloween! We will have our final Mass practice for the weekend Masses and we will enjoy a Halloween Party the last hour of the day. Students may wear Halloween themed free dress, no costumes, face paint or hair dye please. Thank you to our room parents and all those that are helping out during the party.
There is not a spelling test this week and there will be no math HW Tuesday night so you have time for any last minute saint costume preparations! Word lists for the November 8th spelling test will come home this Thursday the 30th.
November Food Drive
Our Catholic faith calls us to remember and care for those in need, especially those living on the margins. As people of faith, we are invited to act with compassion and generosity toward others.
This November, our school will hold a food drive to help stock the shelves of our parish St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry, which serves individuals and families in need right here in our West Seattle community.
Donations may be brought to school and placed in the collection boxes located at the school entrance. Please check expiration dates before donating.
Items most in need include:
Canned Tuna
Canned Chicken
Peanut Butter (16 oz.)
Canned Chili
Canned Pasta with meat
Boxed cereal
Boxed Oatmeal (instant packets)
Canned Fruit
Canned Vegetables
Hearty Soups
Macaroni and Cheese
Rice a Roni
Rice Sides (Knorr)
Pasta Sides (Knorr)
Instant Mashed Potatoes
Veterans Day: On Monday we will be sending home directions and a blank flag for the Veterans Day Flag homework project. I will go over the project in detail in class on Monday, so the students should be prepared to complete this activity. The project is due no later than next Thursday, November 6th. On Friday, November 8th, we will have a special classroom prayer service to honor the Veterans using these flags prior to the Veterans Day holiday. If you do not know a Veteran you can honor, you can research databases online with profiles of Veterans. Here is one site we have used in the past.
Thank you for your assistance on this special project. Students are expected to work neatly, spell correctly and follow all expectations. They should also practice reading their flags prior to bringing them to school so they are prepared for the prayer service.
Reading/LA: This week the students are working on a special “Postcard From the Barn” project related to an event we have read about in Charlotte’s Web. We are also learning to craft quality responses to comprehension questions along with our reading and vocabulary work.
Language Arts: We are continuing to make progress on the saint reports. Students are learning how to edit, revise, and add more details to their drafts. The final writing sections include writing a prayer to their saint and reflecting on how they can follow in their saint’s footsteps. In November, there will be two special bulletin boards showcasing the 4th grade saint projects—one in the main hallway downstairs and another by each of our classrooms. You’ll have the chance to admire these wonderful projects when you come for your conference!
Religion: On Wednesday the students will be making saintly visits in their costumes to the preschool, kindergarten and 3rd grade classes to teach about their saints. The students share who their saint was, when and where they were born, and how their saint followed God’s path. It’s a wonderful opportunity for the younger students to get a glimpse of what they’ll experience when they reach fourth grade!
Math: This week in math we will be continuing to work on chapter three, multiplication and division. The students are doing Xtramath most days to support our fact mastery. Monday will likely be the only day the students have math HW this week.
Science: This week, we’re exploring the fascinating world of volcanoes and lava eruptions! Students will learn how pressure builds beneath the Earth’s surface and what causes a volcano to erupt. We’ll observe a teacher-led lava eruption experiment to see these forces in action. This exciting demonstration will help students connect what they’ve learned about Earth’s layers and natural changes to real-world science.
Social Studies: The students will receive a new set of states to practice, the SE State states. The SE State test will take place Friday, November 7th. The next test is a combination NE/SE test one week later on November 14th. The online practice sites that are linked on the 4A webpage under Map Study Sheets.
Just a reminder, students are expected to CAPITALIZE abbreviations and the names of the additional locations they are labeling—like Lake Erie, or Cape Cod. They should also be spelling locations correctly when they have a word list on their test. I will be taking off points when students have more than one or two errors on capitalization or spelling. Developing the habit of carefully checking over work is an important skill in all subject areas. Thank you for supporting this at home as well.