Dear 4B Families, 
We are entering the last week of September. The month ahead will be a very busy one including MAP testing, a Saint report, preparation for the All Saint’s Day Mass and Halloween! Please know that I do understand that these first weeks of school can be a big transition—sometimes stressful for both students and parents. It will get easier as the students (and parents) settle into new routines. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions or concerns. Effective communication is key to a successful year.
Please be sure all recorder order forms are in by this Friday the 29th. Students can choose to use a recycled recorder and booklet or order new ones. A NEW recorder and/or instruction booklet are $6 each. New recorders must be ordered online by Friday, September 29th. Your FACTS account will be billed for any recorder charges. Please use the attached link to submit your orders online Online Recorder Order Form. If we do not receive an order form from you by Friday your child will automatically be given a used recorder and instruction booklet.
Religion/Language Arts: We are beginning our study of saints in preparation for the All Saint’s Day Mass, which will be held on Wednesday, November 1st. Next Monday each student will be assigned the saint he or she will write his or her report on as well as portray at the Mass. All of the work for this report will take place at school except for one homework assignment that is due Thursday, October 5th. Detailed directions for this homework assignment will come home with your child next Monday, the 2nd, and will also be available on the website in PDF form. We have compiled an extensive collection of student friendly information on many saints. When possible we try to match students with saints of the same name or interests. Students also have the opportunity to trade with classmates or select a different saint from our collection. Our goal is to have one saint per student, per class without repeating a specific saint. If you have a particular saint that is very special to your family that you would like us to consider, please email me with the name of the saint no later than this Thursday, September 28th. I will do my best to accommodate your requests.
All students will have a copy of the Prayer of St. Francis in their filers on Monday that they should be practicing daily for memorization. The students recite this prayer at the All Saints Day Mass.
Reading: After finishing activites from our tall tale/figurative language mini unit, Stormalong, we will move into our
first novel, E.B. White’s masterpiece, Charlotte’s Web. Even if your child has read this book before, we will delve into themes and vocabulary that will both inspire and challenge the students. Charlotte’s Web is a beautiful expression of true friendship. The story is also masterfully written to reinforce and build vocabulary and comprehension skills. The book lends itself perfectly to our reading standards and target skills—and never ceases to enchant! (You can probably tell I love this book! J)
Science: This week we will be identifying key vocabulary for our unit on wind energy. We will also begin creating a wind instrument, an anemometer. Using the Beaufort Scale we will look at how we can measure wind speed using observational data.
Social Studies: Look for corrected continent tests in your child’s filer. This week we will begin learning about latitude and longitude. The students will learn how to locate places on world maps using latitude/longitude coordinates. The students will also have a study sheet for a West/Southwest tate test. Yes, they need to remember the state locations and abbreviations they learned last year! Knowing the state locations assists with our social studies lessons all year—and will continue to be an important part of United States History as students move up the grades. The test on the West/SW states will take place on Thursday, October 12th. Along with the study sheet, I encourage the students to visit the websites linked on the 4A website. Look under “Map Skills” on the right hand side of the webpage. I will show the students these sites in class as well.
Math: This week we will be wrapping up our chapter on place value. Look for nightly homework, including a practice test on Wednesday. This homework will mirror the actual test the students will take on Thursday. On Monday the students will also recieve another multiplication practice assignment that will be due on Friday.
Have a wonderful week.
Don’t forget to sell those magazines!