Week of 1/21 Newsletter

January 21, 2014

Dear 4/5 Families,

I hope you had a wonderful weekend! This weather has been just beautiful! I am writing this letter to enlist your help in the upcoming weeks in 2 major areas.

SCIENCE:

First of all, thank you for working with your child to write up the science fair proposal. I was very impressed with the high caliber of project ideas. I encourage you, while your child continues to research and set up his/her project, to ask questions and discuss with your child the process they are following. One of the most important parts of participating in the science fair is for the children to understand how the Scientific Method works. While we will continue to use the method at school, my hope is that by completing the project, the ideas will be reinforced. Please keep the packet that I sent home readily available throughout this process and use it as a guide. I will be available after school this Thursday, Friday and next Monday to meet with students to discuss their progress. This is not required, but highly recommended. If you’d like your child to meet with me, please send me a note or email and I look forward to being as involved as I can.

MATH:

Both the 4th and 5th graders are working very hard in math, using the 8 Mathematical Practices outlined in the Common Core State Standards. I would like to ask you to work with your child at home on his/her multiplication facts. It is imperative that they know them with automaticity by the end of 4th grade, through the 12s. Our 4th graders have just begun a unit on fractions and will be asked to recall factors and multiples of numbers as they learn how to compare, order, add, subtract & multiply with common fractions. Our 5th graders are learning how to multiply and divide decimals and it will benefit them immensely if they know their facts automatically. So, I’m asking you to commit to making sure your child spends a minimum of 15 minutes a night, with flash-cards, practicing his/her multiplication facts. If you are unable to get flash-cards for your child, please let me know ASAP.

Thank you for your support at home and in class. We appreciate it so much! If you have any questions or concerns, please send me an email at: rhonig@santacruz.k12.ca.us.

Warmly,

Ms. Honig