Dear 4A Families,
We are entering the last week of September. The month ahead will be a very busy one including the MAP testing (see below) a Saint report, preparation for the All Saint’s Day Mass and Halloween! Please know that I do understand that these first weeks of school can be a big transition—sometimes stressful for both students and parents. It will get easier as the students (and parents) settle into the new routines. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions or concerns. Effective communication is the key to a successful year.
Please be sure all recorder orders are in by this Friday the 29th. Online Recorder Order Form. Parents can choose to use a recycled recorder or order a new one. A NEW recorder and/or instruction booklet are $6 each. New recorders must be ordered online by Friday September 29. Your FACTS account will be billed for any recorder charges. Please use the attached link to submit your orders online. If we do not receive an order from you by Friday your child will automatically be given a used recorder and instruction booklet.
Religion/Language Arts: We are beginning our study of saints in preparation for the All Saint’s Day Mass, which will be held on Wednesday, November 1st. Next Monday each student will be assigned the saint he or she will write his or her report on as well as portray at the Mass. All of the work for this report will take place at school except for one homework assignment that is due Thursday, October 5th. Detailed directions for this homework assignment will come home with your child next Monday the 2nd, and will also be available on the website in PDF form. We have compiled a extensive collection of student friendly information on many saints. When possible we match students with Saints of the same name/interests. Students also have the opportunity to trade with classmates or select from our collection. Our goal is to have one saint per student, per class without repeating a specific saint. If you have a particular saint that is very special to your family that you would like us to consider, please email me with the name of the saint no later than this Thursday, September 28th. I will do my best to accommodate your requests.
All students will have a copy of the Prayer of St. Francis that they should be practicing daily for memorization. The students recite this prayer at the All Saints Day Mass.
Steps to Respect: Last week we had lessons on the definition of bullying, rumors and how to block rumors. Attached you will find a parent handout that supports our lessons. We will continue to include these areas into our lessons this week. Our focus will be using helpful/respectful words to communicate with classmates and conflict resolution steps. I have also included a copy of what we will use in class as a guide for conflict resolution.
Reading: After finishing activites from our tall tale/figurative language mini unit, we will move into our first novel, E.B. White’s masterpiece, Charlotte’s Web. Even if your child has read this book before, we will delve into themes and vocabulary that will both inspire and challenge the students. Charlotte’s Web is a beautiful expression of true friendship. The story is also masterfully written to reinforce and build vocabulary and comprehension skills. The book lends itself perfectly to our reading standards and target skills—and never ceases to enchant! (You can probably tell I love this book! J)
Science: This week we will be identifying key vocabulary for our unit on wind energy. We will also begin creating a wind instrument, an anemometer. Using the Beaufort Scale we will look at how we can measure wind speed using observational data.
Social Studies: Look for corrected continent tests in your child’s filer. This week we will begin learning about latitude and longitude. The students will learn how to locate places on world maps using latitude/longitude coordinates. The students will also have a study sheet for a West/Southwest state test. Yes, they need to remember the state locations and abbreviations they leanred last year! Knowing the state locations assists with our social studies lessons all year—and will continue to be an important part of United States History as students move up the grades. The test on the West/SW states will take place on Thursday, October 12th. Along with the study sheet, I encourage the students to visit the websites linked on the 4A website. Look under “Map Skills” on the right hand side of the webpage. I will show the students these sites in class as well.
Math: This week we will be wrapping up our chapter on place value. Look for nightly homework, including a practice test on Wednesday. This homework will mirror the actual test the students will take on Thursday. On Monday the students will also recieve another multiplication practice assignment that will be due on Friday. The students all have a copy of the Month Poem in their filer. They are required to have it memorized by this Friday. They may recite it to me at any point this week.
Have a wonderful week.
Don’t forget to sell those magazines!
