Dear 4B Parents,
Wednesday we begin the season of Lent with the Ash Wednesday service at 8:35. Perfect uniform is required. Lent is a time when we are compelled to ask forgiveness for our sins and change our lives for the better. The ashes we receive are a sign that we are ready to change our lives. We will be focusing on three types of sacrifice and practices during Lent that will help us grow in our faith: prayer, fasting from excess and unkind actions, and good works or almsgiving. During Lent the students will be reading special Lenten prayers and Bible readings for the season. In class on Wednesday we will be reflecting on our plans for Lent. You may want to talk with and help your child think about what they would like to focus on this Lenten season. This will help prepare them for Wednesday. As a school we will be participating in several service related activities to share our gifts with those less fortunate. Each family will receive a Rice Bowl this year instead of each child. The 4B rice bowls will go home on Monday with the youngest or only children.
BROWN BAG FRIDAYS FOR ST. MARTIN de PORRES MEN’S SHELTER: Our first Brown Bag Lunch collection for St. Martin de Porres is this coming Friday, 3/8. This first collection is for lunches only – no additional toiletry item. Every year, as part of our Lenten Outreach, Holy Rosary School has provided lunches to the men at St. Martin de Porres shelter. These lunches can be kept cold, so perishable food is fine. What nice family activity to make a special lunch together on Thursday night to bring in on Friday!
Upcoming Events:
Holy Rosary’s Drama Elective Presents The Fearsome Pirate Frank
Mark your calendars for the evenings of March 7th and 8th, and plan on bringing the whole family to enjoy Holy Rosary’s Drama Elective’s debut of The Fearsome Pirate Frank. Come indulge your imagination in an evening filled with fun, humor, whimsical entertainment, and community building!
Religion: Corrected Sacraments tests will be in the graded papers crate. Please check your child’s filer. Lent remains at the heart of all of our religion lessons. The students will be introduced to the Ten Commandments as our next religion unit. We will focus on how the Ten Commandments apply to our actions and the choices we make in 4th grade. Our Second Step lessons will focus on joining in and showing compassion.
Oral Biography Projects: Students should be finished or close to being finished reading their books at this point. Note taking should be the main goal as they re-read portions of their books. Organizing notes into sections like: childhood, young adulthood, adult/main accomplishments/ later years can help with planning. Focus on one section at a time, plan and write notes, then practice that section before moving on. Remember, these are the areas that need to be included in the presentation. I realize not all of the biography choices will have all of these sections, for example, Anne Frank will not have an adult section, fill in the information that applies to your individual person.
Framework of the Presentation:
- Brilliant beginning that catches the audiences attention. This is often an exciting or important moment of the person’s life
- Childhood/family information
- Schooling/occupations
- Important accomplishments and how they were reached—be sure to include times of struggle and how challenges were overcome
- Later years
- Final thoughts when the student speaks in his or her own voice explaining what they most admire and how this person has positively impacted our world and what we can learn from this person.
This week I will be reviewing brilliant beginnings with the students and practicing different skills that will help them with their presentations. I will also be answering any questions they have. The students will also learn about bibliographies and how to write them. Please make sure they have at least one book at school on Wednesday to practice writing their bibliography. Students will come home with an instuction sheet and template to create their bibliographies with their sources of inforamtion. Remember, at least three sources of information are required for this project.
Spelling: Lesson 18 spelling words were passed out last Friday. The test will take place this Friday as usual.
Math: We will be wrapping up our division chapter this week and testing early next week. Thank you for checking your child’s homework nightly for accuracy. I am so proud of how well they have mastered the long division algorithm! Problem solving and interpreting remainders will continue to be a focus in future lessons.
Social Studies:The River and Lake test will take place this Friday, March 8th. The test will have a word bank and the rivers will be numbered. Answers will be written on the corresponding numbered lines. In class we will be finishing up pre-work for our Oregon Trail simulation. On Thursday the students will be placed in “families” to travel the Oregon Trail. They will purchase supplies, decide on jobs and try to make it to the Oregon Territory! The simulation is a fun way to learn about the challenges of the trail as well as use math, map, and planning skills.
Science: On Tuesday we will take part in our lab on sound energy. We will be looking at the key terms of low and high frequency, pitch, and volume. The students will also be able to see and hear sound waves travel through vibrations. On Thursday we will begin electrical energy looking at electrons and protons and how they travel.
Homework Overview:
- Spelling test for Lesson 18 on Friday
- Math HW Monday, Tuesday and Wedensday
- River and Lake Test Friday, March 7th
- Oral Biography Project-continued reading and note taking Bring at least one book on Wednesday to class to work on bibliographies
Have a great week!