Dear 4B Families,
Happy third week of Advent. I hope you all had a joyful weekend..
Advent Giving!
Thank you for your Advent Donations. All items should be at school by Wednesday, December 14th. Students can bring them to the classroom or drop them off on the table in the main hallway. We are collecting diapers, pull-ups, wipes, and new or gently used coats and kids clothing for Westside Baby and other local organizations that support families in our Seattle Community.
Religion: This Wednesday, December 14th, the 4B students will be receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation with Fr. Oakland. We will review how to prepare and receive this sacrament in class this week. Your child will be bringing home an examination of conscience and the steps for receiving reconciliation on Monday. Thank you for taking time to remind/assist your child in his or her preparations for this special sacrament. Wednesday, during our preparation time I will give the students time to reflect and write notes down for what they want to say while in the confessional. They will bring a small copy of the steps with the notes they write on the back with them, so they do not have to memorize what they say. The sheet they bring home does not need to come back to school. Students that have not received the Sacrament of Reconciliation should still take part in the reflections. Fr. Oakland invites those students that have not received the Sacrament of Reconciliation or are not Catholic students to receive a blessing instead of confession.
The Christmas Program Returns!
This Thursday,December 15th, Our Christmas Program begins with the Holy Rosary School band at 6:00 pm. All classes K-8 will have a chance to perform. We’re excited to see this tradition return. Please have your child in their classroom between 5:30pm and 5:45pm. Students need to arrive in “Sunday Best” attire.
This Friday is a half day and students may wear free dress with Christmas colors/themes/ugly sweaters day. Have fun being festive!
Report Cards: Trimester 1 report cards were emailed directly from ALMA on Friday, December 9th. If you did NOT receive an email, please let me know as soon as possible.
Language Arts: This week, we will be wrapping up our Christmas related art projects. The students will be completing their reindeer writing, including some art to go with it. We will be having the students carefully attach their final drafts and art together. Be sure your child shares his/her story with the family. There will not be a spelling test this week.
Math: We will be wrapping up chapter 4 this week with a test on Multiplying with One-digit Numbers on Wednesday. Then we will be switching things up to do some supplemental geometry work! There will be some review math homework on Monday and Tuesday this week to prepare for the test.. Please be sure your child is keeping up with math fact practice as well.
Reading: We are wrapping up our Charlotte’s Web unit this week. There will be some final tests, which will include a vocabulary section. All students brought home a pink vocabulary review sheet last week. Parents are encouraged to quiz their children on these words as well as use the Quizlet log-in on the back of the study sheet for extra review. The students will also be given class time to review.
Christmas vacation: Of course the majority of Christmas break should be all about family, fun, relaxing and playing—but hopefully a bit of time will also be set aside for some educational pursuits!
Regular reading is highly encouraged! All students were encouraged to bring home books from the school or classroom libraries during the Christmas break. We are expecting students to read at least one novel over the break (any book of their choice that they haven’t already read). Curling up with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate is a special treat.
This is also a great time to put some added effort into mastering multiplication and division facts if not already completed. It is so important that the facts are mastered. All students should take some time to review so they return with sharp skills! We do not want students to fall back on their fact mastery during the break. Thank you. The 4B website has many great sites to explore that review and build skills in all subject areas.
Social Studies: Students will be given a study sheet for the next map test which will be a combination NE/SE/Midwest State test. This test will take place on Friday, January 13th.
Science: We will move on to Lesson 2 about Sounds and Vibrations. Students will explore the role that air plays in enabling a sound vibration to travel. In the activity “Act out a Sound”, students will do two short activities that explore sound vibrations. Students will experiment with sound to understand how it moves through the air and then consider what would happen in an environment like space where there is no air.
Spelling Words for January 2-6 will be calendar words. We will introduce the words this week and give all students a study sheet this Wednesday just in case they want to practice over the holiday. 🙂