Dear 4A Families!
Happy November! I hope you all enjoyed the weekend, and the extra hour of sleep! I was so proud of the excellent job the students did representing the Saints at the first of our two Masses. It was a very special event. We are looking forward to our next Saint Mass this Wednesday, November 4th at 8:45. Thank you all again for your help at home preparing the costumes and organizing your schedules around the Masses.
The next big mass is this Wednesday, November 4th for the (final) All Saints’ Day Mass!
Students should come to church completely dressed as their saint—If your child is reading at mass, please arrive at 8:00am sharp. Readers will practice on the microphone before mass. Everyone else, please arrive at 8:15, as we will need to get all families in their assigned seats. Thank you for getting your little “saints” here on time. Please refer to this link for COVID screening and protocols.
You will find a “Reserved for Saint……..” sign for your chid in your assigned seat. Look for your child’s reserved sign and sit in the pew with them. Please do not take pictures before or during the service. Also, please take the “Reserved for” signs with you when you leave. Let me know if you have any questions.
These are the students that have signed up to attend the mass on Wednesday, November 4th:
Leo
Charlie
Pixie (reader)
Alice
Kennedy
Lennox
Jesse
Alec (interviewed by Fr. Oakland)
Sabina (reader)
Miles (interviewed by Fr. Oakland)
Elijah (reader)
Religion: This week the students will be visiting several classrooms dressed in their saint costumes. As of Sunday, I only have the 3rd grade time set. I am working to get the times set for kindergarten and preschool. As soon as I know the times I will let you know. For now, the 4A students should plan to put on their costumes Friday morning, to start the day! Friday, November 6th: 4th grade will zoom with the 3rd graders to teach about our saints.
Music: Dear Parents – For music homework on Friday afternoons, your child will find a video in Google Classroom under the topic “Music”. These videos review previous information for recorder instruction and introduce new material that will be used in future classes. In order for your child to stay current on our lessons, it is highly recommended that these videos be watched. Another excellent study habit is daily practice. Four to five minutes per homework day is not much time but can make a huge difference. Setting a timer is a great idea as most kids will practice beyond the five minutes. Please know that our goal is to reduce frustration in class and forge ahead with new songs each week. Practice time aids in both.
Math: We started chapter 3 last week, which is a deep dive into understanding multiplication and division. There is a lot of thought that is going into this chapter, and it can be challenging for fourth graders! Please make sure your child is practicing their multiplication facts at least 3x per week for 10-15 minutes. All students have playing cards, so this is a good supplement to Xtra Math. Just have them pull two cards and find their product as fast as possible.
Reading: The students will have their Postcards From the Barn finished up this week. Students will be reading chapters 5-8 in Charlotte’s Web. As we study the main characters, students use text evidence in the form or quotes and actions to identify character traits.
Science: Your fourth grade scientists are creating their own experiment this week! They will test how their reaction time changes when they include a variable of their choice. Help your child get creative! They could try with sunglasses, their non-dominant hand, their feet…the possibilities are endless! Be on the lookout for a special science visitor to our zoom room this week.
Social Studies: The SE State test will take place this Thursday the 5th. I had originally said the 4th, but changed the date because of the Saint Mass. Our class work continues to focus on the Native People of Washington State. Students are learning about the customs of the NW Coast People of Western Washington, and the Plateau People of Eastern Washington.
Language Arts: We are making good progress with our Saint reports. Last week the students wrote prayers to their saints, this week they will be writing about how they can be more like their saint. The plan is to have the entire report completed on or before November 12th. Completed saint reports will be sent in to school to be graded during the next drop-off/pick up days on November 13th and 14th.
Spelling: The students do have a spelling test on Friday this week. The words all have long “e” sounds. One challenge word is required
Veterans Day: The Veterans Day Flags project was explained in detail last week to all students. Flags should be completed by this Friday, November 6th. This is a project that needs to be completed with families as homework. We will not be working on the flag during class Zoom times. Thank you for your assistance on this special project. On Tuesday, November 10th, we will have a classroom prayer service to honor these Veterans using these flags. If you do not know a Veteran you can honor, you can research data bases online with profiles of Veterans. Here is one site we have used in the past.
Here’s to a peaceful week ahead.