Week of November 17th

Dear 4A Families,

Our trip to Pike Place Market last Thursday was great fun. We were blessed with a chilly but beautiful day. Thank you all for your donations to the Pike Place Food Bank as well. Part of our tour included a visit to the Food Bank, which was a special addition to the day. Thank you also to all of the chaperones that drove and traveled around the market with the students. The students will be working on some online “books” sharing some of their favorite Market finds.

untitled2.jpgConferences: The students and I have been very busy finishing up projects and preparing for conferences. Your child will be making introductions at the door, leading us in prayer, sharing their goals and some of their work.   I look forward to meeting with you all as we discuss your child’s progress and goals.  Last Thursday I sent home a green sheet of paper for you to fill out prior to conferences. Please turn in these sheets by this Friday. Thank you!

Religion: The Corporal Works of Mercy memorization test will take place this Thursday the 20th. This is a date change. I have also decided to cancel the homework assignment called Cool School News related to this topic. We will complete an in class assignment instead. For the test the students need to be able to write each Work of Mercy. The order does not have to be exact, but we did work on a mnemonic device to help remember the order. Those students that have perfect spelling on the test will receive extra credit on their spelling grade. In class this week our follow-up to the Works of Mercy will be a chapter called A Generous Spirit: developing a better understanding of unselfish giving. This is a nice lead in to Advent, which begins Sunday the 30th.

Speaking of Works of Mercy, 4A is signed up to bring in Lunches of Love this month, but I am late in reminding you, so you can send them in any time up until December 10th. The students will be bringing home a decorated bag to but their lunch items in. Thank you for “Feeding the Hungry”. Here is a list of recommended items:

untitledLUNCHES OF LOVE

Thank you for making and providing a lunch for someone in need.

The items in the bag must be all NON-PERISHABLE. (No fresh fruit or sandwiches)

Can of tuna/chicken/salmon (pull-top only!)   Snack packs work great!

or Vienna sausages (pull-top only!)       No soups.

protein baruntitled

fruit cup

juice box

chips – prepackaged

cookies – prepackaged

napkin, spoon

Reading: Along with our Charlotte’s Web work, Ms. Corrigan and I will be administering running recorders to assess reading fluency and accuracy. During your conference I will go over your child’s reading assessments.

Math: Look for math homework most nights this week. I am so proud of the effort the students have been putting into learning their math facts. Until facts are mastered for accurate recall, nightly practice is expected. 5-10 minutes of focused practice is all it takes. Thank you.

Social Studies: Corrected Midwest map tests from last week are in your child’s filer. The students did very well overall, but please continue to review regularly. The goal is to commit the states and abbreviations to memory, as they will continue to review and build on their knowledge of US geography in the years ahead. On Tuesday you will find a new study sheet for the combination NE/SE/Midwest States in your child’s filer. This test will take place on Friday, December 5th. The students will also need to know the 5 Great Lakes. There will be a list provided with the states, but students need to memorize the Great Lakes. They should use H.O.M.E.S: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior. Spelling does not have to be perfect but should be reasonable—showing that they know the pronunciation of the lakes.  Upcoming map tests: West/Southwest States on December 16th and the full 50 state test on January 16th.

I look forward to seeing you next week during conferences. I also want to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! I am so thankful for all of my 4th grade families! Wishing you a blessed holiday full of joy!

untitled