Newsletter for Week of 9/28-10/02
Hello Families and Friends of the 4/5 Classroom,
Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and got a chance to see the blood moon and lunar eclipse last night or simply view it with your child on you tube. The kids did an excellent job last Friday with the substitute teacher they had. To acknowledge and celebrate this good behavior, I am giving them a small popcorn party on Friday this week at 10:30 (snack time). If any parents would like to contribute, I am accepting bags of popcorn (like from Trader Joes, etc.) and juice. Thank you in advance!
New Announcements: We are going to see the "Micha Scott Dances" show at the Mello Center on Friday October 9. The show is from 10-11. Your child should come to school at the usual time and we will leave the school at 9:00. This amazing opportunity came up rather suddenly and most classrooms are going to this unique performance. We do need drivers, however, and the cost is $2.00 ea. for every child and parent driver. If you are able to drive, please let me know as soon as possible. You must have all paperwork signed in the office to do so. Permission forms will go home tomorrow with your child in the blue binder homework folder. Please sign and return this form along with $2.oo for your child.
Reminders:
Field Trip: O'Neill Sea Odyssey. Tuesday October 20th from 7:45 -12:00. Please be sure you are here at the school with your child promptly at 7:45. Space is limited. We are allowed no more than 8 parent volunteers/ chaperones. Your child should eat a good breakfast. There are no breaks once on board. Dress comfortably, wear soft-soled sneakers only (no sandals, platforms, heels, or thick-soled shoes allowed) and a jacket (gloves and hats as necessary). This is a free event. This should be a great adventure!
ELA: We will continue with our literature circle book--The Birchbark House.
Math: homework on factors, multiples and divisibility will continue each night this week as we prepare for our test on this unit this Friday. Please check your child's planner for specific page numbers. We will continue to review our concepts.
Science: Experiments with making a compass and other magnet projects continue on Wednesday.
Social Studies: We will practice highlighting chapter 3 in our History Alive texts and making notes in the margins on Tuesday and Thursday. Photocopied chapter notes went home with your child for a first-read preview last week and will be used for the purpose of developing these useful note-taking skills.
Writing and Grammar: We are working on sentence variety this week in grammar and will use the strategies we learn in our journal writing this week. Sentence variety makes writing interesting to read. This skill will help students develop their writing as we begin writing projects like personal narratives, opinion, and expository pieces.
Have a great week!
Warmly,
Mrs. Young
Monday, September 28, 2015
Monday, September 21, 2015
Newsletter for Week of 9/21-9/25
Hello Families and Friends of the 4/5 Classroom,
Hope you all had an enjoyable weekend. The kids shared many of the things they did, and it sounded wonderful; camping, Bird Island, Renaissance Fair, the SC County Fair, the Boardwalk, and more.
Reminders:
Field Trip: O'Neill Sea Odyssey. Tuesday October 20th from 7:45 -12:00. Please be sure you are here at the school with your child promptly at 7:45. Space is limited. We are allowed no more than 8 parent volunteers/chaperones. Your child should eat a good breakfast. There are no breaks once on board. Dress comfortably, wear soft-soled sneakers only (no sandals, platforms, heels, or thick-soled shoes allowed) and a jacket (gloves and hats as necessary). This should be a great adventure!
ELA: We will continue with in our literature circle book--The Birchbark House.
Math: homework on factors and multiples went home on Monday and will continue each night this week. Please check your child's planner for specific page numbers. We will continue to review rounding and estimating with whole numbers and using number lines. In an effort to keep all organized, your child has selected his/her favorite notes on this concept to keep on hand in the blue binder. All other papers relating to this topic where gathered together and put into their drop folders at school. We are starting a new unit on prime factorization this week. We will work on prime and composite numbers, factors and multiples.
Science: We will continue our study of magnets this week. We experimented with permanent and temporary magnets, learned about north and south poles, and how magnets attract and repel.
Social Studies: We will continue our study of the migration routes of the Native Americans who settled North and South America. We are diving deep and will be discussing this and writing summaries in our interactive notebooks. This background information will help support our study of some of the Indian tribes and civilizations like the Hopis, Mayans, Incas and Aztecs.
Writing: We will edit and print out our preposition poems Tuesday. A pen and ink illustration drawing will accompany this work which will be finished in class this week.
Grammar: Homework on the 4 types of sentences: exclamatory, declarative, imperative, interrogative in conjunction with simple, compound, and complex sentences went home Monday night as practice. We will journal write this week and practice incorporating these into our writing.
Enjoy your week!
Warmly,
Mrs. Young
Hello Families and Friends of the 4/5 Classroom,
Hope you all had an enjoyable weekend. The kids shared many of the things they did, and it sounded wonderful; camping, Bird Island, Renaissance Fair, the SC County Fair, the Boardwalk, and more.
Reminders:
Field Trip: O'Neill Sea Odyssey. Tuesday October 20th from 7:45 -12:00. Please be sure you are here at the school with your child promptly at 7:45. Space is limited. We are allowed no more than 8 parent volunteers/chaperones. Your child should eat a good breakfast. There are no breaks once on board. Dress comfortably, wear soft-soled sneakers only (no sandals, platforms, heels, or thick-soled shoes allowed) and a jacket (gloves and hats as necessary). This should be a great adventure!
ELA: We will continue with in our literature circle book--The Birchbark House.
Math: homework on factors and multiples went home on Monday and will continue each night this week. Please check your child's planner for specific page numbers. We will continue to review rounding and estimating with whole numbers and using number lines. In an effort to keep all organized, your child has selected his/her favorite notes on this concept to keep on hand in the blue binder. All other papers relating to this topic where gathered together and put into their drop folders at school. We are starting a new unit on prime factorization this week. We will work on prime and composite numbers, factors and multiples.
Science: We will continue our study of magnets this week. We experimented with permanent and temporary magnets, learned about north and south poles, and how magnets attract and repel.
Social Studies: We will continue our study of the migration routes of the Native Americans who settled North and South America. We are diving deep and will be discussing this and writing summaries in our interactive notebooks. This background information will help support our study of some of the Indian tribes and civilizations like the Hopis, Mayans, Incas and Aztecs.
Writing: We will edit and print out our preposition poems Tuesday. A pen and ink illustration drawing will accompany this work which will be finished in class this week.
Grammar: Homework on the 4 types of sentences: exclamatory, declarative, imperative, interrogative in conjunction with simple, compound, and complex sentences went home Monday night as practice. We will journal write this week and practice incorporating these into our writing.
Enjoy your week!
Warmly,
Mrs. Young
Monday, September 14, 2015
Newsletter for the Week of 9/14- 9/18
Hello Friends and Families,
It was nice to see many of you at the spaghetti dinner and movie night on Friday. What a great event and a wonderful community! Thank you to the Parent Club and all those who made the evening possible.
Announcements and reminders: See you at Back to School Night Wednesday Sept. 16! The orientation for new families begins at 6:30 in the PAC room with Ms. M. Teachers will deliver their classroom presentations at 7 and again at 7:30.
Field Trip: O'Neill Sea Odyssey. Tuesday October 20th from 7:45 -12:00. Please be sure you are here at the school with your child promptly at 7:45. Space is limited. We are allowed no more than 8 parent volunteers/chaperones. Your child should eat a good breakfast. There are no breaks once on board. Dress comfortably, wear soft-soled sneakers only (no sandals, platforms, heels, or thick-soled shoes allowed) and a jacket (gloves and hats as necessary). This should be a great adventure!
ELA: We have read Chapter 1 in our literature circle book--The Birchbark House. We will begin the group discussions and comprehension questions this week. It is an insightful and touching story about a Native American girl and her family. This will enhance our history reading on Native Americans for the next few weeks.
Math: We will continue our work on rounding and estimating with whole numbers and using number lines. This has been tricky for many students as the numbers go into the millions for 4th graders and the billions for 5th. We will take time to practice these concepts in groups, as a class and on the computer. There are notes with guidelines that your child receives and files in his/her binder. These are to help with homework and to give them and you support with the concepts and practice.
Science: We will begin our study of magnets this week. There will be hands-on interactive lab work, and this will dove tail nicely into our unit on electricity and circuits. This is always a very interesting and fun topic for students at this level.
Social Studies: We will be reading about the migration routes of the Native Americans who settled this land. There will be some photocopied History Alive chapter reading that will come home as a "second read" on Tuesday and Thursday nights for homework. It is designed to be their nightly reading on those nights. Your child is not expected to do 20-30 additional minutes of reading, unless they love to read!
Writing: We are finishing, editing and typing our preposition poems in class this week. We will probably be able to accomplish that in class.
Grammar: We will be reviewing and practicing the 4 types of sentences and incorporating them into our writing: exclamatory, declarative, imperative, interrogative. This will be in conjunction with simple, complex and compound sentences. This stuff makes our writing so much more fun to read!!
Have a lovely week,
Mrs. Young
Hello Friends and Families,
It was nice to see many of you at the spaghetti dinner and movie night on Friday. What a great event and a wonderful community! Thank you to the Parent Club and all those who made the evening possible.
Announcements and reminders: See you at Back to School Night Wednesday Sept. 16! The orientation for new families begins at 6:30 in the PAC room with Ms. M. Teachers will deliver their classroom presentations at 7 and again at 7:30.
Field Trip: O'Neill Sea Odyssey. Tuesday October 20th from 7:45 -12:00. Please be sure you are here at the school with your child promptly at 7:45. Space is limited. We are allowed no more than 8 parent volunteers/chaperones. Your child should eat a good breakfast. There are no breaks once on board. Dress comfortably, wear soft-soled sneakers only (no sandals, platforms, heels, or thick-soled shoes allowed) and a jacket (gloves and hats as necessary). This should be a great adventure!
ELA: We have read Chapter 1 in our literature circle book--The Birchbark House. We will begin the group discussions and comprehension questions this week. It is an insightful and touching story about a Native American girl and her family. This will enhance our history reading on Native Americans for the next few weeks.
Math: We will continue our work on rounding and estimating with whole numbers and using number lines. This has been tricky for many students as the numbers go into the millions for 4th graders and the billions for 5th. We will take time to practice these concepts in groups, as a class and on the computer. There are notes with guidelines that your child receives and files in his/her binder. These are to help with homework and to give them and you support with the concepts and practice.
Science: We will begin our study of magnets this week. There will be hands-on interactive lab work, and this will dove tail nicely into our unit on electricity and circuits. This is always a very interesting and fun topic for students at this level.
Social Studies: We will be reading about the migration routes of the Native Americans who settled this land. There will be some photocopied History Alive chapter reading that will come home as a "second read" on Tuesday and Thursday nights for homework. It is designed to be their nightly reading on those nights. Your child is not expected to do 20-30 additional minutes of reading, unless they love to read!
Writing: We are finishing, editing and typing our preposition poems in class this week. We will probably be able to accomplish that in class.
Grammar: We will be reviewing and practicing the 4 types of sentences and incorporating them into our writing: exclamatory, declarative, imperative, interrogative. This will be in conjunction with simple, complex and compound sentences. This stuff makes our writing so much more fun to read!!
Have a lovely week,
Mrs. Young
Monday, September 7, 2015
Week of Sept. 7-11
Dear families,
I hope you had a happy and safe Labor Day weekend! Thank you to all those who have generously supported our classroom with donations, plants and time! We are all settling in and rolling along.
This past week, we began art, music, and P.E. In addition, on Friday at 2:15 we met with Ms. Bombaci's first graders who are our reading buddies this year! The kids were really sweet with the first graders. It was a wonderful thing to see. Happiness is a reading buddy.
Back to School Night is Next Wednesday September 16. At 6:30 Ms. M will meet new families in the PAC room and then teachers will give classroom presentations for everyone at 7:00 and again at 7:30. I look forward to greeting everyone and talking about the curriculum and our fabulous year.
This past week we worked on our organizational binders. The blue binder is the math binder which includes the planner, a purple homework pocket for each day's due assignments, and a reading log for parent signatures every night. This binder has three sections: notes; homework and classwork; and tests. This is the only binder that will travel back and forth every day between the classroom and home. Although I will try to post assignments here every afternoon, your child's planner is the best place to see what is assigned and when it is due. We fill in our planners every morning and Shauna, our wonderful aide, will be checking to see that homework, planners, and signatures are complete. This is a system to help your child manage course work and a schedule. We will practice together until everyone has it down. In addition to this binder, there is a red ELA and Social Sciences binder as well as a black science binder. These stay at school. If you have any questions regarding the binders, the planner or the reading log, please let me know.
Math: we have been reviewing whole numbers and place value up to the millions. We will continue to review math facts and begin to go forward this week with estimation, approximation and rounding. We will, as a general rule, have a test every Friday to assess the week's concepts. In addition, we are working on a POM (problem of the month) and continue to do math story problems each period to reinforce concepts.
Social Sciences: We will continue our study of maps and longitude and latitude as well as landforms and bodies of water. This will build background knowledge for our upcoming writing project Explorers: A Personal Narrative.
Science: we are completing our STEM project on domes and will move into our Foss curriculum on electricity and magnets in the next week.
Read Aloud: Kit Carson. We are mapping his journey through the Sierra Nevada Mountains from California to Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Field Trip: O'Neill Sea Odyssey. October 20 from 8:30-12:00. Drivers needed. Please be sure that you have filled out the necessary paper work with the office. You will find our field trip drivers sign up page on our blog if you are interested in driving and joining us.
Warmly,
Mrs. Young and Shauna
I hope you had a happy and safe Labor Day weekend! Thank you to all those who have generously supported our classroom with donations, plants and time! We are all settling in and rolling along.
This past week, we began art, music, and P.E. In addition, on Friday at 2:15 we met with Ms. Bombaci's first graders who are our reading buddies this year! The kids were really sweet with the first graders. It was a wonderful thing to see. Happiness is a reading buddy.
Back to School Night is Next Wednesday September 16. At 6:30 Ms. M will meet new families in the PAC room and then teachers will give classroom presentations for everyone at 7:00 and again at 7:30. I look forward to greeting everyone and talking about the curriculum and our fabulous year.
This past week we worked on our organizational binders. The blue binder is the math binder which includes the planner, a purple homework pocket for each day's due assignments, and a reading log for parent signatures every night. This binder has three sections: notes; homework and classwork; and tests. This is the only binder that will travel back and forth every day between the classroom and home. Although I will try to post assignments here every afternoon, your child's planner is the best place to see what is assigned and when it is due. We fill in our planners every morning and Shauna, our wonderful aide, will be checking to see that homework, planners, and signatures are complete. This is a system to help your child manage course work and a schedule. We will practice together until everyone has it down. In addition to this binder, there is a red ELA and Social Sciences binder as well as a black science binder. These stay at school. If you have any questions regarding the binders, the planner or the reading log, please let me know.
Math: we have been reviewing whole numbers and place value up to the millions. We will continue to review math facts and begin to go forward this week with estimation, approximation and rounding. We will, as a general rule, have a test every Friday to assess the week's concepts. In addition, we are working on a POM (problem of the month) and continue to do math story problems each period to reinforce concepts.
Social Sciences: We will continue our study of maps and longitude and latitude as well as landforms and bodies of water. This will build background knowledge for our upcoming writing project Explorers: A Personal Narrative.
Science: we are completing our STEM project on domes and will move into our Foss curriculum on electricity and magnets in the next week.
Read Aloud: Kit Carson. We are mapping his journey through the Sierra Nevada Mountains from California to Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Field Trip: O'Neill Sea Odyssey. October 20 from 8:30-12:00. Drivers needed. Please be sure that you have filled out the necessary paper work with the office. You will find our field trip drivers sign up page on our blog if you are interested in driving and joining us.
Warmly,
Mrs. Young and Shauna
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
First Newsletter
Week of August 31-Sept. 4, 2015
Dear Parents and Friends of the 4/5 Classroom,
With our first week of school off to a great start, we are looking forward to a successful second week. We will be assembling our math and planner binder tomorrow as a class. Please be sure your child has his/her blue binder so that we can get started with the process. Shauna and I will be handing out the planners and dividers and supporting each student with this task. If all goes as planned, you should notice that the blue binder begins to travel back and forth with your student on a daily basis. They will need a parent signature EVERYDAY, so please be sure to ask your child about it.
We will be diving into our math curriculum on place value this week and the planner, which is in the blue binder, will reflect the math homework assignments with page numbers should you need to reference them. The first math homework assignment is as follows:
Assigned Monday due Tuesday: Exercise 1 pp. 7-10
Tuesday math packet: due Wednesday
Wednesday math packet due Thursday
Thursday math packet due Friday
Friday: test on whole numbers
Our weekly social studies vocabulary homework is assigned Tuesday and is due on Friday. This week's terms: globe, geographic terms, latitude, longitude, geography, physical feature
There is no science homework this week
Grammar homework this week: worksheet on 4 types of sentences due Wed.
Nightly reading is 20 minutes a night for 4th graders and 30 minutes a night for 5th graders. A reading log comes home daily in the planner for parents to sign each night upon nightly reading completion.
Announcements:
Tues. Oct. 20: O'Neill Sea Odyssey field trip 8:30-12:00 (More information to follow). We will need drivers.
Fri. Sept. 11: Spaghetti Feed/Movie Night 6:30-9:30
Wed. Sept. 16: Back to School Night. Ms. M will greet new families in the PAC room at 6:30. Teachers will give presentations at 7 and 7:30. I'll share our curriculum. I look forward to seeing you all then.
Thank you for supporting our classroom and your child.
Warmly,
Mrs. Young
Dear Parents and Friends of the 4/5 Classroom,
With our first week of school off to a great start, we are looking forward to a successful second week. We will be assembling our math and planner binder tomorrow as a class. Please be sure your child has his/her blue binder so that we can get started with the process. Shauna and I will be handing out the planners and dividers and supporting each student with this task. If all goes as planned, you should notice that the blue binder begins to travel back and forth with your student on a daily basis. They will need a parent signature EVERYDAY, so please be sure to ask your child about it.
We will be diving into our math curriculum on place value this week and the planner, which is in the blue binder, will reflect the math homework assignments with page numbers should you need to reference them. The first math homework assignment is as follows:
Assigned Monday due Tuesday: Exercise 1 pp. 7-10
Tuesday math packet: due Wednesday
Wednesday math packet due Thursday
Thursday math packet due Friday
Friday: test on whole numbers
Our weekly social studies vocabulary homework is assigned Tuesday and is due on Friday. This week's terms: globe, geographic terms, latitude, longitude, geography, physical feature
There is no science homework this week
Grammar homework this week: worksheet on 4 types of sentences due Wed.
Nightly reading is 20 minutes a night for 4th graders and 30 minutes a night for 5th graders. A reading log comes home daily in the planner for parents to sign each night upon nightly reading completion.
Announcements:
Tues. Oct. 20: O'Neill Sea Odyssey field trip 8:30-12:00 (More information to follow). We will need drivers.
Fri. Sept. 11: Spaghetti Feed/Movie Night 6:30-9:30
Wed. Sept. 16: Back to School Night. Ms. M will greet new families in the PAC room at 6:30. Teachers will give presentations at 7 and 7:30. I'll share our curriculum. I look forward to seeing you all then.
Thank you for supporting our classroom and your child.
Warmly,
Mrs. Young
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