I have enjoyed our first short week with your beautiful children. They are a wonderful, curious group. I am honored to be their teacher this year.
Thank you to our classroom parents and the Parents Club for your constant support with supplies, wipes, hand sanitizer, and so much more to our classrooms!! Your generosity knows no bounds.
Thank you to our classroom parents and the Parents Club for your constant support with supplies, wipes, hand sanitizer, and so much more to our classrooms!! Your generosity knows no bounds.
We will continue to learn our routines and procedures in the coming weeks and gradually work into our curriculum next week. The content can be challenging in this level, but will open up and broaden your child's knowledge, grit, stamina and confidence.
I communicate through email and the 4th grade blog. You will find messages from me on our blog as well as links to various field trips, volunteer sign up sheets, events, etc. Please check the blog once a week to be sure you are connected to the workings of our classroom. 4th Grade Blog
We will work on setting up our binders in class next week on Tuesday. Please be sure your child has:
- a 1.5 inch blue binder
- a 1.5 inch red binder
- dividers
We have already practiced filling out our planners and the blue binder will travel back and forth between home and school on a daily basis.
The following outlines our curriculum this year. We will gradually move into this with support to help your child be as successful as possible.
4th Grade Dance: Due to constructions this year and the lack of a stage for performances, all grade levels will be working with the talented Micha Scott this year on a dance performance rather than a play which will be performed at the Subud Center down the road. We will have our performance Nov. 14th at 7p.m. More to follow as it gets closer.
Art, Music, and P.E.: your child is enjoying a full, well-rounded curriculum that includes the arts and physical education. We are so very lucky to have these very talented teachers supporting our students. Thank you Mary Beth Duncan, Ket Tom-Conway and Kim Fleming!
Reading Buddies: our buddies are Ms. Martin's first graders this year! Buddies meet on Friday afternoons before going home for the weekend. Happiness is a reading buddy!
The Blue Binder: includes the planner, a colorful homework pocket for each day's assignments, and a reading log for parent signatures/initials every night. This binder has four sections: Classwork, homework, lessons, and tests. This is the only binder that will travel back and forth every day between the classroom and home (doesn't come home on Fridays, generally). 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 parent signatures/initials are complete every morning. This is a system to help your child manage and organize class work, homework and a schedule. We support each child with this, but it is very important that your child brings his/her binder each day with a parent signature and an initial for the reading log. Academic success can be impacted if this is a regularly forgotten item. The front of your child's binder has a sheet which outlines all the expectations for homework, please discuss this with your child and revisit that periodically, to keep yourself and child on track. It is helpful to complete and pack the binder in the back pack and place it by the door the night before so that in the rush of the morning it is not left behind. We appreciate the support you give your child with this at home.
Math: we will review whole numbers and place value up to the millions. We will continue to review math facts and begin to go forward this coming week with estimation, approximation and rounding. We, 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.
History Social Sciences: My World. We have a new program this year K-6th grade. The Gold Rush will be our first stop as we prepare for our Coloma trip this year Oct. 16-18. Gold Country here we come!!
Science: Foss curriculum on solid earth--land forms and soils.
Current Read Aloud: Kit Carson. We are mapping Kit's journey through the Sierra Nevada Mountains from California to Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Accelerated Reader: Your child will be taught how to successfully log into Accelerated Reader in class next week and will practice taking a comprehension quiz here in class just to see how that works. All quizzes should be completed within 24 hours of finishing a book and must be taken in the classroom, not at home. Time will be given each morning for this purpose.
Accelerated Reader Book Find: click here Your child should be reading "good fit" books--on their reading level and interest level. You can check to see that the books your child is choosing to read are in AR. If you put the title in and see the book pop up with information on reading level, points, and quiz #, you know that this is a good pick. If you cannot find the book in the AR book find, this is a book that has no quiz associated with it and no points. This is not a good pick.
Lucy Calkin's Novel: The Tiger Rising
Growth Mindset video: I support best practices and a growth mindset in the classroom. Please click here to view an excellent video on this concept. Your child will view this in the classroom this week.
**Back to School Night and Coloma Meeting: Wednesday September 25th. I will give a classroom presentation at 7:15 - 8:00 for parents. At 8:00 p.m. I will provide information about the COD--Coloma Outdoor Discovery School this year. I look forward to greeting everyone and talking about the new Coloma program that the Outdoor School provides. (Mark your calendars Coloma: Oct. 16-18).
Classroom volunteers: please find the volunteer expectations for our classroom here. If you are interested in volunteering in our classroom, know that we appreciate it very much! It's what makes Mountain so special. You can click here to put your name on the volunteer list. Thank you.
Warmly,
Heather
The following outlines our curriculum this year. We will gradually move into this with support to help your child be as successful as possible.
4th Grade Dance: Due to constructions this year and the lack of a stage for performances, all grade levels will be working with the talented Micha Scott this year on a dance performance rather than a play which will be performed at the Subud Center down the road. We will have our performance Nov. 14th at 7p.m. More to follow as it gets closer.
Art, Music, and P.E.: your child is enjoying a full, well-rounded curriculum that includes the arts and physical education. We are so very lucky to have these very talented teachers supporting our students. Thank you Mary Beth Duncan, Ket Tom-Conway and Kim Fleming!
Reading Buddies: our buddies are Ms. Martin's first graders this year! Buddies meet on Friday afternoons before going home for the weekend. Happiness is a reading buddy!
The Blue Binder: includes the planner, a colorful homework pocket for each day's assignments, and a reading log for parent signatures/initials every night. This binder has four sections: Classwork, homework, lessons, and tests. This is the only binder that will travel back and forth every day between the classroom and home (doesn't come home on Fridays, generally). 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 parent signatures/initials are complete every morning. This is a system to help your child manage and organize class work, homework and a schedule. We support each child with this, but it is very important that your child brings his/her binder each day with a parent signature and an initial for the reading log. Academic success can be impacted if this is a regularly forgotten item. The front of your child's binder has a sheet which outlines all the expectations for homework, please discuss this with your child and revisit that periodically, to keep yourself and child on track. It is helpful to complete and pack the binder in the back pack and place it by the door the night before so that in the rush of the morning it is not left behind. We appreciate the support you give your child with this at home.
Math: we will review whole numbers and place value up to the millions. We will continue to review math facts and begin to go forward this coming week with estimation, approximation and rounding. We, 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.
History Social Sciences: My World. We have a new program this year K-6th grade. The Gold Rush will be our first stop as we prepare for our Coloma trip this year Oct. 16-18. Gold Country here we come!!
Science: Foss curriculum on solid earth--land forms and soils.
Current Read Aloud: Kit Carson. We are mapping Kit's journey through the Sierra Nevada Mountains from California to Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Accelerated Reader: Your child will be taught how to successfully log into Accelerated Reader in class next week and will practice taking a comprehension quiz here in class just to see how that works. All quizzes should be completed within 24 hours of finishing a book and must be taken in the classroom, not at home. Time will be given each morning for this purpose.
Accelerated Reader Book Find: click here Your child should be reading "good fit" books--on their reading level and interest level. You can check to see that the books your child is choosing to read are in AR. If you put the title in and see the book pop up with information on reading level, points, and quiz #, you know that this is a good pick. If you cannot find the book in the AR book find, this is a book that has no quiz associated with it and no points. This is not a good pick.
Lucy Calkin's Novel: The Tiger Rising
Growth Mindset video: I support best practices and a growth mindset in the classroom. Please click here to view an excellent video on this concept. Your child will view this in the classroom this week.
**Back to School Night and Coloma Meeting: Wednesday September 25th. I will give a classroom presentation at 7:15 - 8:00 for parents. At 8:00 p.m. I will provide information about the COD--Coloma Outdoor Discovery School this year. I look forward to greeting everyone and talking about the new Coloma program that the Outdoor School provides. (Mark your calendars Coloma: Oct. 16-18).
Classroom volunteers: please find the volunteer expectations for our classroom here. If you are interested in volunteering in our classroom, know that we appreciate it very much! It's what makes Mountain so special. You can click here to put your name on the volunteer list. Thank you.
Warmly,
Heather
