Dear 4A Families,
Happy 3rd week of Advent, and last newsletter of this year!
Wednesday the students in 4A will have their reconciliation service with Fr. Oakland. In class on Monday I will be going over the steps with the students so that they are comfortable and prepared. At home they will be asked to do an examination of conscience that Fr. Oakland has provided. Thank you for helping your child remember to do this as part of his/her homework on Monday and Tuesday. The backside of the examination of conscience will have the step-by-step directions for the actual service that parents should also review. Fr. Oakland has also offered to visit with any students that have not yet received the Sacrament of Reconciliation, but this is optional. Taking part in a communal penance service is perfect way to celebrate the third week of Advent—the week of Joy—and prepare for the birth of Jesus. Wednesday will be a perfect uniform day.
Outreach: Thursday we will have a special prayer service to bless all the items the students have been bringing in as part of our Advent Outreach. We still have lots of room in our bins for warm items and food for the food bank. Thank you so much for your generosity. All donations need to be to school by this Thursday the 17th.
- Warm items for St. Vincent de Paul: Hats, scarves, gloves, socks, blankets, etc.
- Monetary donations for St. Vincent de Paul
- Non-perishable food donations
Prayer Partners: Hopefully, all students are finishing up their handmade cards for their prayer partners. All cards should be brought to school no later than Wednesday the 16th. We will exchange them at our Faith Family meeting this week.
This Friday is a half-day and students are invited to wear Christmas colored or themed clothing that day. Hats are okay as long as they fit the theme. No face paints or hair color please. We will exchange cards in our Faith Families and have an All School Sing-Along to end the day.
Reading: We are wrapping up our Charlotte’s Web unit this week with some final tests. On Thursday the students will take the vocabulary portion of this test. All students have a study sheet for this test in their filer. Directions for review are on the back of the word list.
Spelling/ LA: There is a spelling test this week with some of the words from the Charlotte’s Web vocabulary list. The Reindeer Writing the students have been working on will come home by the end of the week so you can enjoy them over the break. The stories are very creative and clever.
Math: There will be some math homework the next two nights. Our work will focus on multiplication of larger numbers and problem solving skills as well as continued review of factors and multiplies.
Science: This week we will be exploring electrical energy. Students will learn where electricity comes from and how we use it. They will also learn about the relationships between charge, voltage, current, and resistance. On Wednesday we will apply this information when we create simple circuits. Students will be able to see first hand the difference between an open and closed circuit and how a switch works.
Corrected Papers: I have gotten a bit behind inputting grades on recent assessments and had a busy weekend with Montana company. I will be sure to be all caught up by Thursday—so check filers throughout the week. Thank you for your understanding.
Christmas vacation: Of course the majority of the 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! This is a great time to put some added effort into mastering the math facts (if you have not already done so). I would love to see all the students dive into some Mathletics activities as well—this site is a great place to review and build skills. If using Mathletics on a computer, students also have access to quick tutorials if they are if they need additional support mastering a skill.
I will keep students updated with assigned tasks on Mathletics over the break. This is optional of course—and students are free to explore other lessons that are not assigned. The assigned lessons will be review/practice of skills we have already covered.
The 4A website has many great sites to explore that review and build skills in all subject areas. The students enjoy Free Rice—a site where they can practice vocabulary as well as help feed the hungry! The sites on the webpage are in subject area categories.
Remember, the 50 state test is coming up, as well as the rivers and lakes. All can be reviewed online!
And of course all students should take time to read regularly over their Christmas holiday as well. There’s nothing better than snuggling up with a great book.
I want to wish you all a Christmas filled with joy and peace,
and a very Happy New Year 2016.
Thank you all for sharing the gift of your children with me,
and for your support, generosity and kindness.
