Dear 4A Families,

Happy third week of Advent. I hope you all had a joyful weekend. Thank you for your generosity with our St. Vincent DePaul food drive and the Giving Tree. If you have not had a chance to donate, we are still collecting food and cash donations purchase gift certificates through the 14th (Tuesday). We are hoping each student will bring in one or two dollars! Thank you

This Friday is a free dress with Christmas colors/themes/ugly sweaters day. Have fun being festive! Speaking of festive, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the poinsettias and cups of cocoa the students made to decorate to “Deck the Hallways!”

Report Cards: Trimester 1 report cards were emailed directly from ALMA on Friday, December 10th. If you did NOT receive an email, please let me know as soon as possible.

A note about Ms. Corrigan’s reading groups:

Beginning in January, Ms. Corrigan will be teaching 4B homeroom full time as Mrs. Benson is on maternity leave through the end of the school year. Ms. Corrigan’s reading groups will finish up their novel study this week with her, so these will be their last days with her as one of their reading teachers; however, come January, Ms. Corrigan will be teaching science to 4A. Then in January, all students will have reading class with me. The third and fourth grade teachers will continue to work as a team to plan long-range reading strategies and goals and Ms. Corrigan will assist us with planning, as needed. In addition, we will have the support of an instructional aid several times a week during reading class to help facilitate fluency practice and provide additional support to students when necessary. We are very blessed to have such wonderful support here at Holy Rosary!

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 switching things up this week to do some supplemental geometry work! We are excited to explore solid shapes in creative ways. We will also incorporate some measurement and data. There will be some review math homework this week. 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 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 4A website has many great sites to explore that review and build skills in all subject areas.

Social Studies: The Midwest State test will take place this Monday, December 13th. In class we will be completing some timelines and reflections on portions of the journey.

Spelling Words for January 3-7 will be calendar words. We will not pass out the lists until January 3rd, but you can access them on the website if you want to get a head start on practice.