Newsletter November 6

Dear 4B Parents,

Happy Monday everyone. I hope you all enjoyed the chilly weekend, and the extra hour of sleep!  I was so proud of the excellent job the students did at both the Wednesday and Sunday All Saints Day Masses. They represented the saints so well!  Thank you all again for your help at home preparing the costumes and bringing them to mass on Sunday.

We have a fun week ahead, highlighted by our Thursday field trip to Pike Place Market! This Wednesday we will be having a special class prayer service in the 4B classroom to honor the veterans that the students are writing about on their flags. Just a reminder that the Veterans Day Flags that were sent home last week are due by this Wednesday the 8th.  Thank you!

Pike Place Market! Thursday the 9th we will be heading off to wonderful Pike Place Market. Students are required to wear their uniforms, but they can opt to wear their Gator Gear or their red Holy Rosary Sweatshirts to the Market. Students should also wear good shoes for walking. All students will need to bring a sack lunch and a beverage, and they may also bring $5.00 to $10.00 to spend at the Market, but no more please. Students will not be allowed to buy their lunches. The money is to buy a small treat or craft item. There is no cost for this field trip, but there is a cost for parking. If you are not driving and would be able to send in 2-3 dollars to help with the parking costs we would greatly appreciate it. Thank you!

Please make every effort to also send in a donation or two—or three… for the Pike Market Food Bank. We are hoping to have lots of donations to bring with us on Thursday.  Thank you so much!!!

Conferences: Parent/Student/Teacher conferences are fast approaching.  If you have not already done so be sure to sign up for your conference on Sign Up Genius.  You will find a yellow Pre Conference Survey sheet in your child’s filer on Monday that will help me prepare for your child’s conference.  Please return these sheets by next Wednesday the 15th.  Thank you!

Spelling:  We will not have a spelling test this week.

Religion: We will be wrapping up our study of Saints this week and finish the corresponding chapter on Saints from our religion book.

Reading:  The students have a vocabulary assignment (in your child’s filer) with words from our most recent  chapters in Charlotte’s Web. Students will be writing original, well written, quality sentences that show the meaning of the word. Please help your children with editing their sentences. The sentences should not be definitions however. Here are examples for the word trough. (Wrong way) A trough is a feed bin for animals. This example is a definition, not an original sentence. (Right Way) Wilbur eagerly ate warm slops out of his trough three times a day. Completed sentences are due by next Wednesday the 15th.

Math: Look for corrected math tests in your child’s filer.  We will be moving into our unit of study on multiplication and division of larger numbers.  Knowing math facts for quick recall is an important skill.  I would like students to visit Xtramath nightly (A session only takes about 5 minutes).  All students have been moved to multiplication and division on Xtramath. Thank you for your support of regular fact practice at home. While I would like students to continue with XtraMath on a regular basis, I do encourage a variety of practice forms. If you choose to work with your child using flash cards or paper and pencil tests in lieu of XtraMath for some of your nightly practice, that is fine. Look for math homework on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. The students should visit XtraMath each night this week.

Science: This week the students will be building and testing their windmills/wind turbines. They will see if their blades will catch the wind and turn the drive shaft. This will raise a cup that is attached with a string on the drive shaft. They will also see if they can add weight to their cup and still have it lifted by their windmill/wind turbine blades. Finally the students will be introduced to their Scholastic Super Science magazines. This is a great resource I will share with the students throughout the year. They also have access online, click on this link Super Science. Login as a student and our classroom password is gators4142 Enjoy!

Social Studies/LA: The combination West/SW/Midwest test will take place this Wednesday, November 8th.  The test includes knowing the locations of the 5 Great Lakes, Mexico, Canada, Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean. Online location practice here and abbreviation practice for West/SW here, and finally Midwest here.

Homework: Just a reminder about homework.  In 4th grade homework is often ongoing.  Students are generally reviewing/studying for upcoming tests.  Currently they should be reviewing for their West/SW/Midwest test  as well as working on their Veterans Day Flags. Math fact review, recorder practice and reading should also be incorporated into routines. So even if we have not sent home a math sheet or other specific worksheet, students should be setting aside nightly time to work on their ongoing homework and test prep. Having a nightly routine, with an expectation that time is set aside each night for studies, will help develop good habits and help prepare students for the upper grades.

Have a wonderful week and enjoy the Veterans Day Holiday on Friday.