Dear 4B Families,
Catholic Schools Week was a wonderful celebration. Thank you to all of the families that have or will be delivering certificates to our local businesses. The above picture is a copy of what the students gave to Mrs. Horton last week on staff appreciation day. that took the 4th graders around to deliver certificates.
Congratulations to all of the 4th graders who did so well on our class spelling bee. We had to complete many rounds before we were able to name our three class winners…Matt, Indy, and Dean! Well done!
Zoomer Pick-up/Drop-off: This week, there is another pick-up, which will include your child’s Valentine’s Day boxes (full of goodies!) and mid-tri reports. Because of the holiday weekend, we are offering the pick-up time on Thursday from 8:00-4:00 or Friday, 8:00-12:00. If you’d like to bring back your ziploc bags each week, we’d be happy to reuse them!
Mid-tri reports will be in your child’s filer on Thursday, February 11th. Zoomers will receive the mid-tri reports with the pickup materials on Thursday/Friday. Please sign the envelope and return (just the envelope) to school to indicate that you have received the report.
Valentine’s Day: Students should bring their Valentine boxes and cards to school on Monday, February 8th. Thursday the 11th the students will share their Valentine Box creations with the class. I can’t wait to see what the creative 4th grade students come up with.
A Note from the Office: As a courtesy to our neighbors and fellow parents, please DO NOT park and exit your car in drop-off areas. The front of the school (42nd) and the alleyway are for pulling up and letting children out. If you need to assist your child or walk them to their door, please park in the surrounding neighborhood and walk in.
Reading: Last week the students read an informational text on Stagecoaches. This week we will read the story Riding Freedom. This wonderful story is based on the true story of a girl that overcomes many challenges to pursue her dream of becoming a stagecoach driver. The biographies we have read in the last few weeks have led to discussions of the traits that have made these people successful. Qualities like grit, perseverance, determination, compassion, overcoming obstacles, courage, faith and so many more have been highlighted.
Spelling: There will be a spelling test this Thursday for Unit 16. We went over the words in class last Thursday, and we will complete practice sheets and Spelling City activities to practice the words in class.
Religion: Last week we began a new religion unit on the Seven Sacraments. The students will be required to memorize the names and categories of each of the Sacraments for a test on February 24th.
Math: Last week, we started chapter 6, Long Division. The beginning of the chapter focuses on conceptual knowledge of division and modeling out the division process. This week, we will begin the algorithm for long division. This is a new and challenging process for fourth graders, but it gives us an opportunity to focus on our habits of persisting and striving for accuracy. JK Rowling has a great quote: “Some failure in life is inevitable. It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all—in which case, you fail by default.” I will be encouraging the students to embrace their failures on the path towards understanding. It’s a challenging journey that is very much worth it! Also, we will be doing our daily Xtra Math work in class. Students are still encouraged to review multiplication and division facts at home as much as possible.
Science: This week, we are wrapping up our discussion about masks. Students will take a short quiz, and then they will have an opportunity to invent their own mask! The goal is to think of a specific problem with masks and then create a solution using various materials. This will be fun! Who knows…maybe we’ll be wearing your child’s newly invented mask!
Social Studies: After a week away we are continuing along the trail with Lewis and Clark. My apologies for having the incorrect date for the West/SW map test on recent communications. This test will take place this Wednesday, February 10th. The 50 state test will be next on February 25th. I will give the students time during all SS classes to practice, but they should plan on practicing at home as well to solidify the locations. Thank you for keeping up on regular practice/review.
Have a great week everyone.
Ms. Benson