Dear 4A Families,
Hopefully you found your child’s mid-trimester report in their filer last Friday. Be sure to sign the envelope that you have seen the report and MAP test scores and return the empty envelope to school. Thank you.
All Saints’ Day November 1st
We have a busy week ahead preparing for the All Saints’ Day Masses. We will have our first trips over to the church this coming week to get a feel for the logistics of moving and seating. We will be using the microphones and rehearsing all the parts. If you have any questions about anything saint related, please reach out! If your child has a reading part, thank you for practicing with them at home as well. Be sure they are correctly pronouncing each word—and most importantly reading slowly and pausing at commas and periods. Fast reading with a microphone become mumbled and hard to understand. Thank you so much! The reading in your child’s filer can stay at home as we have copies her for our practices.
Wednesday, November 1st is the All Saints’ Day Mass. Your child will come to school with their saint costume on. There will not be time to change at school. If you need ideas for a costume, you can look here. Scroll down to see pictures. On Mass day, students should be in the classroom no later than 8:25 with their saint costumes on! We will head over to church at 8:35 to line up for our entry. If you are in need of saint costume help we do have a few donated costumes that can be adapted for many saints. Just let us know and we will see what we can find for you!
Weekend Saint Masses November 4th and 5th
Thank you for signing up to attend one of the weekend Masses with the 4th grade saints. Students come to the Masses in their costumes. The Saturday Mass begins at 5:00, Sunday at 8:30 and 10:30. We will send detailed information next week regarding these masses.
Spelling: Spelling words for Unit 3 Long a: a, ai, ay are in your child’s filer. The focus is on long e sounds, and at least one challenge word is required. The test will be on Friday, October 27th. Looking ahead for your planning, there will not be a spelling test on November 3rd.
Reading: As we continue to read Charlotte’s Web, students get to know the various characters and their personalities based on things they say and do. We analyze two of the main characters: Templeton and Charlotte. Various themes emerge, such as “friendship” and the “love of nature.” Students appreciate the personal importance of such themes as they transcend the book itself and apply to our lives.
Math: Look for corrected chapter two math tests in your child’s filer.
We will start chapter three on multiplication and division this coming Monday. Along with our class work, students are required to master their multiplication facts from 0-12. Please have your child practice on Xtra Math at least 4x per week at home along with our practice at school. Students can also use flash cards–it is a great idea to have some in the car! The memorization of math facts is crucial to learning multiplication and division algorithms. Thank you!
Science: This week the students will be finishing up the last lesson in the Birth of Rocks unit: Erosion, Natural Hazards, and Engineering. In this lesson students will learn about the types, causes, and dangers of landslides. The activity, Slide City, will consist of students being faced with an engineering problem of protecting a house from a landslide and preventing a future one. They will use a brainstorming technique to design creative solutions. The students will have an upcoming test that covers concepts learned in unit 1 on November 9th. They will receive a study guide that we will review in class on October 27th.
Social Studies: Corrected NE State tests will be in your child’s filer on Monday. Our next set of states are the SE States and study sheets for this test were passed out last week. Study sheets and online practice links for the test are also located on the 4A page in the Map Study Sheet link at the top of the page. The SE State test will take place on November 3rd. This week we will begin learning about the Native People Washington State.
Veterans Day: On Wednesday, October 25th, I will send home directions and a 
blank flag for the Veterans Day Flag project. I will go over the project in detail in class as well so that the students know what to do. The project is due no later than Tuesday November 7th. Thursday, November 9th, we will have a special classroom prayer service to honor the Veterans using these flags. If you do not know a Veteran you can honor, you can research databases online with profiles of Veterans. Here is one site we have used in the past.
Next Tuesday the 31st is Halloween! Thank you to our room parents for planning a party for the class. Students may wear orange and black Halloween themed free dress on Tuesday the 31st. No face paint or hair dye please.
Here’s to a great week ahead!