Dear 4A Families,
I hope you all had a nice weekend. It was nice to have some rain. As the weather begins to change be sure students come to school with jackets (preferably with hoods) to be prepared for inclement weather. Also, temperatures in the classrooms can be chilly with our windows open. Students need to wear their red Holy Rosary sweatshirts or sweaters in the classroom if cold–not non-uniform sweatshirts to keep warm. Thank you!
Hopefully you found your child’s mid-trimester report in their filer last Friday. Be sure to sign the envelope that you have seen the report and MAP test scores and return the empty envelope to school. Thank you.
This Wednesday we will have a “Living Rosary” led by the 7th graders in the church. If students have a rosary, we encourage them to bring them on this day to use during the service. We also have a few at school that we can lend out.
All Saints’ Day!
We have a busy week ahead preparing for the All Saints’ Day Masses. We had our first trip over to the church last Friday to get a feel for the logistics of moving and seating. This week we will be using the microphones and rehearsing all the parts. If you have any questions about anything saint related, please reach out!
Weekend Saint Masses
Thank you for signing up to attend one of the weekend Masses with the 4th grade saints. Students come to the mass in their costumes. The Saturday Mass begins at 5:00, Sunday at 8:30 and 10:30. There will be reserved seating for the saints and their families—look for the signs. You can sit in any of the reserved pews (one saint per pew) The students should gather at the back of the church in the vestibule 10 minutes prior to the start of the each mass. There will be a teacher there to help them get set up to process in at the start of Mass.
Tuesday, November 1st is the All Saints’ Day School Mass.
Your child should come to school with their saint costume on. There will not be time to change at school. If you need ideas for a costume, you can look here. Scroll down to see pictures. On Mass day, students should be in the classroom no later than 8:25 with their saint costumes on! We will head over to church at 8:35 to line up for our entry.
Spelling: Spelling words for Unit 3 Long a: a, ai, ay are in your child’s filer. The focus is on long e sounds, and at least one challenge word is required. The test will be on Friday, October 28th.
Reading: As we continue to read Charlotte’s Web, students get to know the various characters and their personalities based on things they say and do. We analyze two of the main characters: Templeton and Charlotte. Various themes emerge, such as “friendship” and the “love of nature.” Students appreciate the personal importance of such themes as they transcend the book itself and apply to our lives.
Math: Look for corrected chapter two math tests in your child’s filer. We started our chapter on multiplication last Friday. All students are expected to master their multiplication and division facts for automatic recall. Please have your child practice on XtraMath at least 3x per week for at least 10 minutes. We also encourage other types of practice including flash cards and paper and pencil tests. The memorization of math facts is crucial to learning multiplication and division algorithms as well as fractions. Ask your child to explain what multiplication means. For example, 3×4=12 can be shown with an array meaning 3 groups of 4. Have fun with it, and don’t be afraid to push your child’s thinking and encourage them to use multiplication and division in real world situations. Keep flash cards in the car, download multiplication songs—be creative!
Science: This week the students will be finishing up the last lesson in the Birth of Rocks unit: Erosion, Natural Hazards, and Engineering. In this lesson students will learn about the types, causes, and dangers of landslides. The activity, Slide City, will consist of students being faced with an engineering problem of protecting a house from a landslide and preventing a future one. They will use a brainstorming technique to design creative solutions. The students will have an upcoming quiz that covers concepts learned in unit 1 on November 7th. They will receive a study guide next week.
Social Studies: The NE State test will take place this Thursday, October 27th. Students can use the study sheet they have in their filer, as well as the online practice site I have created for this test. Remember, this year students need to know both the locations and abbreviations along with a few features of the region. Links and extra study sheets can be found here.
Next Monday the 31st is Halloween! Thank you to our room parents for planning a party for the class. Students may wear orange and black Halloween themed free dress on Monday. No face paint or hair dye please.
Here’s to a great week.