Hello Everyone,

We are starting a novel by Elizabeth George Speare this week called The Sign of the Beaver to complement our study of California Native Americans.  If you have not picked up the copy that was left on the 4th grade table, please do so on Monday so that your child can keep up with the reading of this great book.

-Reading log: this week we have a reading log which asks comprehension questions about the novel.

-Math: mixed numbers this week and will look at improper fractions next week.

-History: California Native Americans this week and next.

-We have 2 weeks of school before we break for the winter holiday. Our last day is December 18th.

Winter Break: Monday December 21, 2020 - Tuesday January 5th, 2021

**Our first day back is Wednesday January 6th, 2021.

iReady diagnostic:

I will be giving the iReady (online) math diagnostic to your child next Tuesday-Thursday in approximately 3 half hour blocks on zoom. There will be about 10 children in a breakout room with me and one with Shauna. This is a diagnostic to evaluate your child's math skills thus far.  It is not graded and is not recorded on report cards. That said, it is extremely important that your child complete the diagnostic on their own with no parent help.  This diagnostic's purpose is to help the teacher understand what kinds of skills your child has developed in mathematics and to give them the appropriate differentiated practice that is just right for them.  It will be important that your child have a quiet uninterrupted space to complete each session on Tuesday 12/15, Wednesday 12/16 and Thursday 12/17 from about 9:00-9:30. Because this takes place during our regularly scheduled zooms, I hope that it will be convenient and easy for everyone. 

As a parent, you do not need to be present, and it is best if you are in the background rather than coaching, nodding, giving hints, etc. Any of those kinds of parent (very well intending) supports may prevent a diagnostic result that is best for the student. We want to be sure that your child will be getting assignments and practice that fits them as perfectly as possible. Any additional help will skew those results. Encouraging your child to just do the best they can, is really the best approach. Some problems will be easy, others hard, some just right, and we need nothing from them but their best effort. 

I will be explaining the diagnostic to them, and we will be practicing logging on so that they can take the diagnostic on their chrome books during zoom next week. As it is a brand new assessment to me and the intermediate school, I will be educating myself, you and your child at the same time. We're in this together, and I will do my best to make it as painless as possible.

Please feel free to reach out to me if you have questions or concerns. I will answer them the best that I can. 

Have a wonderful week.

Warmly,

Heather