Dear 4A Families,
I hope you all had a great weekend. It sure was nice to have some sun—looks like a mixed bag this week. It is starting to feel like spring however! 4A is signed up to attend the 7:45 am daily Mass this Wednesday, April 5th as part of our Lenten goal of added prayer. If your child is able to attend, be sure to arrive on time. I will be sitting near the front on the school side and students that attend without a parent should sit with me. Thank you.
I was so impressed with the quality and creativity of the oral biography presentations last week. The talks were both informative and entertaining. It was clear the students (and parents) worked very hard. This is a very challenging project. The students should be so proud of what they were able to accomplish. I know I am!
Last Friday the students should have all brought home their Flat Stanley journals and flat people. We completed the first entry at school. Please be sure to look over the directions for the project if you have not done so already. There are specific expectations for the entries—quality work is expected. If the students complete one entry a week they will have their required 6 entries completed by the May 17th due date. Note, this means six entries not counting the one we completed at school. Let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you for sending in your Lenten Outreach Items:
- St. Vincent de Paul Society collection:
- Blankets
- Socks
- Personal hygiene items such as soap, deodorant, lotion, toothbrushes and toothpaste, etc.
- Everyone is asked to bring in at least one can of food for the Holy Rosary food bank.
- Monetary collections. We are collecting for our Ugandan students and the Rice Bowl.
Please collect and send in any of the above items from now until Holy Thursday, April 13th. It would be wonderful if the students could do some extra chores at home to earn their own money to purchase items. Anything you can donate is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Mark your calendars! The annual 4th grade charity Bake Sale will be taking place on Wednesday, May 17th. Each family will be asked to bring in some delicious baked goods for the sale. We will also be in need of parent volunteers to price and set up, clean up and assist the students during the sale. Look for more information as we get closer to the day.
Spelling: Study sheets for Lesson 17 were sent home last Friday. This test will be this Friday as usual.
Reading: On Monday we will begin a fun mystery/adventure novel—a classic you may have read—called From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. It is a wonderful combination of adventure, mystery and relationships. It contains rich vocabulary and endearing characters.
Language Arts: All year the students have been learning about and researching quotes on various topics, as well as the people they have studied. To wrap up our Oral Biography Projects, the students will be creating quotes that match their values and beliefs. These quotes will be displayed with a quote they have selected from the person they represented in their presentation. We will work on the quotes in class, but they will bring home their quotes on Wednesday night to share with you and perhaps work on a bit. Final quotes need to be ready by Thursday.
Religion/Steps to Respect:
We continue our study of the Beatitudes this week. The students discover ways to “weave” the Beatitudes into their daily lives. The Beatitudes tie in very nicely with the Steps to Respect lessons as well. Look in your child’s filer for two handouts titled Spreading Rumors is Bullying and Put Downs Hurt. Fr. Oakland will be visiting the classroom on Wednesday to talk about Holy Week.
Math: Look for math homework most nights this week. We will be focusing on fractions, simplest form, ordering/comparing, mixed numbers and improper fractions.
Science: Last week we finished testing our sail designs. This week our objective is to take what we learned about sail shapes and various materials and apply it to replicating three or four sails for their windmill project. Thank you to all who donated 1/2 gallon containers. We have plenty now for our windmills.
Social Studies: We will be finishing up our Oregon Trail simulation before spring break. This will lead us into the settling of Washington State.
On Thursday we will enjoy a special visit from the Kennedy Catholic Excalibur Choir. Have an excellent week everyone!