Notes and Things

Pictures are this Friday. Everyone gets their picture taken even if they are not purchasing a picture packet. Please make sure to send the money to school with your student before picture time.

Keep working on those Reading Logs. Your child should be reading 4 times a week for at least 20 minutes each time. Please keep the Reading Log in your child's folder with the planner. I check them on Monday. If it is complete, your child gets a "Hawks Pride" slip for the drawing on Friday. This is also part of their Reading Effort grade.

The planner goes back and forth between home and school each day. Please be sure to check it. If something is circled, it is homework. If it comes back with something circled in red, it means I didn't receive the homework. This is a great place to send me a message and I will do the same. It's an easy way for me to have daily contact with each of you every day. Your child's job is to make sure you see it. Your job is to make sure you sign it each night. They get a sticker if you do!

As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. We are off to a GREAT start!

The Smartboard Is Working!

I'm so excited to have a Smartboard this year. It's the first time 4th grade has had them. The kids love being the "teacher" and showing what they know. Here are couple of students working on our DLP (Daily Language Practice).

It's so cool seeing them work at the board and explaining their thinking to us!

Popcorn and Reading Go Together Nicely!

We have a popcorn jar in our room. Every time the kids are being their "wonderful" selves, they get a scoop of popcorn. When the jar is full, they earn a popcorn party. They also earn a letter when they are doing what they should during Silent Reading. The letters eventually spelled "Squirt". Our friend, Bella, is moving and today was her last day. It was perfect timing for the popcorn and Squirt.
It's funny how food and a camera bring out the "best" in kids! I think the boys were giving me their "cool" faces.
Of course, what fun is popcorn if you can't try to toss it into your mouth?
Apparently, some of us really "love" popcorn!
And some people just enjoyed the treat.Of course, being a teacher...we couldn't have too much fun for too long. We have a lot to learn this year! It was time to take the first Reading test. This was just a "pretest" and I told the kids that it wouldn't count in their grade but it was important information for me. It would let me know what they know and what I need to teach. Just look at these faces and that concentration. They took me very seriously. And, yes, it was as quiet in the room as it looks!

Maybe we should have popcorn every time we take a test!

Bones, Bones, and more Bones....

We are still working with our Human Body science kits. We are trying to learn the names of some of the bones and what their purposes are. We decided to make it a "life size" project. First, we needed some "life size" bodies....this took a lot of team work.
Gorgeous models and artists, don't you think! Next, the bodies had to be cut out.
Finally, it was time to add the bones. The kids had to draw the bones in and then label as many as they can. I should have taken a picture of the final project but didn't think of it. However, they are proudly on display in our hallway if you happen to stop by!
The Human Body really is a "puzzle". The teachers thought this would be a quick project but we were wrong. It is much harder than it looks, even with a guide to follow. Such concentration!
It was hard, but still a lot of fun. These kids are truly learning the meaning of "perseverance". That is the word of the year in 4th grade. With a little perseverance, we can do anything!!

Watching these "future scientists" at work is one of the highlights of my week!

1st Week Of School...It's Going To Be A Great Year!

We survived the first week of school! I was a little worried. We have never started school with a full five day week! The kids did great! They worked hard all the way to the last bell on Friday!! I just know it's going to be a great year!

I took a few pictures of their life at school this week. I know it's hard to send them off to school and wonder what they are doing all day. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

Yes! Your kids do like to read...no matter what they tell you at home! :) Here they are...enjoying some SSR (Sustained Silent Reading) time.

They created their time capsules. A couple of the tasks for the time capsules were to trace hands and feet. They cut these out and put them in their capsules. We will open them in the spring and see how much we've grown!How tall am I?Sometimes, they get to work around the room with their buddies!
Sometimes, I get to take a little break and the kids do the teaching!
We have started science. This unit is called "The Human Body". In this activity, they had to predict how many bones were in different parts of the body and then they were able to look at pictures of a skeleton. They counted to see how close they were. They loved doing this!
Can you believe I get to spend my days doing this? I'm so lucky!

Why In The World Does Your Child Need An Old Clean Sock At School?

As many of you have noticed, the 4th grade supply list has an "old clean sock' on it. I'm sure read that several times and thought, "What???" Well, it really isn't a test to see if you read the list and follow directions! :) We will use our individual white boards A LOT! The socks are their individual erasers for the white boards. They work perfectly!

Welcome Back To School!

It was great to meet almost everyone at Open House today. I'm looking forward to meeting the rest of you on Monday! It's going to be a GREAT year! I'm very excited to get started!

I wanted to take a minute and talk about a couple of things. The first is homework. Spelling homework is generally given on Mon., Tues., and Wed. There may occasionally be other homework given. Homework should never take more than 40 minutes. If it is, please talk with me! All homework is due the next day unless indicated otherwise.

Your child will also have a Reading Log. This should be kept in the planner. I ask my students to read at least 20 min a night, four nights a week. I will check Reading Logs on Monday mornings. This is part of the Reading Effort grade.

Spelling: I will try hard to post Spelling words on my website and the blog on the Friday before the week that we actually study them. A "pre-test" will be given on Monday. If your child scores a 90% or higher on the "pre-test", he or she will be given "challenge words" for the week. For the challenge word test, I will record the score that was higher...either the pre-test from Monday or the final test on the challenge words. Challenge words will start the 2nd week of school.

As always, let me know if you have any questions or concerns. We need to work together to create a successful year for your child!