Hello Everyone,

I'd like to give a big thank you to Parents' Club for their generous gift of funds to teachers for their classrooms. It is truly appreciated and valued.

We are in the home stretch of our year! Here are a few reminders and messages for this week and next.

Students successfully completed their DRA /reading and writing assessments last week. 

Science Fair Projects were a big hit, and all students successfully presented their boards and projects last week. Thank you for supporting your little scientist and for attending our Open House to take a peek at their hard work and listen to their explanations of their experiments and projects.

iReady Spring Math Assessment: will be administered in class on T, W, TH in 30-45 minute sessions.  Please be sure that your child comes to school well nourished and has water.

iReady and DRA Assessment Results and Report Cards: go home May 27th.

Last day of school: May 27th 

a.m. cohort schedule 8:30-10:30

p.m. cohort schedule 11:00-1:00

Have a wonderful week,

Heather

 Hello Everyone,

**Just another thank you to parents for classroom supplies that continue to come into the classroom. Your generosity is unparalleled!

*As the weather continues to get warmer, the kiddos get thirstier. Please be sure your little doodle has plenty of water. 

Science Fair Projects are due in class Monday 5/10: We are in the last week of our science fair experiments. This week your child should focus on their board. Tri-fold boards can be purchased at Staples in a variety of colors. Students may complete sections on their boards by hand if desired, or they may use their google classroom report as it is completed to print out sections and then paste on the board. For example: the purpose statement, material's list, procedures, results and conclusion.  Please ask your budding scientist about their google classroom report and support them with getting accurate data into the report. We are attempting it in class, of course, but there are times when they do not have their notes and going from memory is difficult for them. 

The Report: writing lessons and supporting your child with their science fair report is continuing in class. The template for doing the report is on google classroom. Checking your child's data together for accuracy and understanding and, in particular, how they have set up the table, chart or graph will be important--they only need 1 model, and it can be done by hand if desired. This is tricky for most students and the data collected during a project can be complex. Please support your child, so that adjustments can be made for a great final project. I appreciate your help on the home front with these projects and experiments.

CAASPP Update: there is no CAASPP this year! In lieu of CAASPP, we will administer a spring DRA (reading and writing assessment) and the iReady math assessment. These assessments will be administered and proctored over a number of days in 30-45 minute sessions in class. 

Important Dates: 

*DRA and iReady: the week of May 10th will be devoted to the DRA and the week of May 17th will be devoted to iReady for 4th grade. These will be conducted on campus during instructional time for students in their cohorts. 

*Open House: May 12

over zoom to celebrate science fair project completion. Stay tuned for the 4th grade time :)

Assessment Results and Report Cards: go home May 27th.

Last day of school: May 27th a.m. cohort schedule 8:30-10:30; p.m. cohort 11:00-1:00.

Have a great week!

Heather

 Hello Everyone,

I hope you enjoyed your weekend and this stunning weather!

Things are going well in the classroom with students and teachers falling into rich and rewarding routines. There is a lot of powerful, small-group learning going on!

5-day hybrid Schedule: starts tomorrow, Monday. There are no more whole-class Monday zooms. Distance learners are the only students who remain on zoom with their cohort.

Schedules: a schedule of work-at-home, time-value assignments will still be given on google classroom. Please continue to support your child with this work at home. This gives them more time to finish in-class assignments like spelling and reading and keeps them on track with their science fair experiment.

Science Fair Projects: please post the calendar on the fridge or wherever it's handy for you and your child so that you keep pace with the science experiment which should begin this week. If followed, the project will be completed in a timely manner, and there will be more time to enjoy the process with lowered stress.

The Report: I will be giving writing lessons and supporting your child with their science fair project report in class. The doc template for doing the report is on google classroom. We will be filling in each section of it on a more or less daily basis according to the calendar. That said, as we near the end of the report, checking your child's data for accuracy and understanding and how they have set up the tables, charts and graphs will be important. This is tricky for most students and the data collected during a project can be complex. Please proofread their report as they go, so that adjustments can be made for accuracy and a great final project. I appreciate your help on the home front with these projects and experiments.

CAASPP Update: there is no CAASPP this year! I lieu of CAASPP, we will administer a spring DRA (reading and writing assessment) and the iReady math assessment. These assessments will be administered and proctored in class and are assessments that your child has completed before, so there will be familiarity. 

The Dates for DRA and iReady: May 10 through May 21.

Important Dates: 

*2021 Auction begins 4/19/21. Don't miss out!

*Open House: May 12

More info coming on how this will be designed. More than likely, it will be online.

Have a great week!

Heather

 Hello Everyone,

I am pleased to welcome you and your children back to school!

Please pick up your child's packet which is out on the 4th grade table under the eves at school. In future, these items will go home with your child on Fridays unless you are staying in distance learning. If you are, you will still come to the school Fridays to pick up materials and packets.

-All lessons and in-person work will be scanned and placed in the pdf folder on the website, should your child be absent for any reason.

Parking lot info is attached. PLEASE check it out before your first trip to school.

Here is the agenda for the week:

Hybrid Starts Next Week 3/23/21

• Monday 3/22: distance learning on same zoom link @ 8:30 -10:00

• T-F in-person hybrid cohorts

am 8:30-11:30

pm 12:15-3:15

4th Grade Hybrid Cohorts

Morning 12  (8G, 4B)	Afternoon 9 (4G, 5B)
Chloe	Xander
Harlan	Asher
Sophie	Will
Austin	River
Amaya	Emma
Zoe G.	Olivia
Jack	Lucas
Rowan	Quinn
Luke	Gabriella
Zoe C.
Aurelia
Aviva

• Do not bring computers to school. They stay at home.

• Your child needs their blue binder

• your child needs: a mask,1 glue stick, 5 dividers, 4-5 mechanical pencils, #7 mechanical pencil lead, 1 pack thin water-based colored markers, 1 pack colored pencils, blunt-tip scissors, ruler, 20-30 sheets of paper in the blue binder, a black sharpie, 2 highlighters, a pack of sticky notes, spiral notebook, composition book, protractor, and earbuds that can stay here in their bucket.

• Their math workbook B

• Their math lesson

• Their history lesson

• A printed copy of the schedule on google classroom and in the schedules with checklist folder on the website--may need help printing schedule as chromebooks don't have that feature.

• A substantial, healthy breakfast or lunch before arriving at school

•  Easy-to-open snack and water bottle daily for break

Please remember, if your child has a fever, runny nose, sore throat or any other flu/covid-like symptoms to contact the office right away. We want to do everything we can to keep everyone safe.

We are looking forward to seeing all of you at school again.

Warmly,

Heather

 Hello Everyone,

We are very excited to be opening, and we have many details to iron out in the next few weeks.  Here is cohort info as well as answers to commonly asked questions.

 

**We planned carefully and many factors have been taken into account (siblings in other grades, balance, etc.). Should you have questions regarding cohorts, please direct those to Diane and Sharon in the office (dmorgenstern@mountainesd.org, sespinosa@mountainesd.org).

March 1, 2021	4th Grade Cohorts 20 Total
	Morning 11  (8G, 3B)	Afternoon 9 (4G, 5B)
1.	Andrews, Chloe	Buhr, Xander
2.	Bonigut, Harlan	Lee, Asher
3	Cartagena, Sophie	Matthews, Will
4.	Forest, Amaya	Russell, River
5.	Goldring, Zoe	Smith, Emma
6.	Harn, Jack	Summers, Olivia
7.	Hazelton, Rowan	Swanson, Lucas
8.	Coatney, Luke	Taylor, Quinn
9.	Coatney, Zoe	Trask, Gabriella
10.	Pawlak, Aurelia
11. 12.	Williams, Aviva Clark, Austin

**Please read and familiarize yourself with the attached "Reopening Plan and Appendix A" for detailed instructions about what you need to know about returning to school.

1) MASKS: 

-Children will be required to wear masks at all times (inside & outside)

-Please send your child to school in a mask (or 2 if you wish)

 

2) SEATING IN THE CLASSROOM

-Students will be seated 6 feet apart with shields. 

-For group work, students will wear masks and have shields between children AND between children and teachers.

 

3) DROP OFF & PICK UP

-Students may be dropped off 15 minutes before class time.

  *no earlier than 8:15 (morning cohort) and 12:00 (afternoon cohort)

-Parents will be asked to stay in cars for drop off and pick up. 

-Staff members will meet students at their cars, administer safety checks, then bring students on to campus (if children meet all health guidelines).

 

4) EATING & DRINKING

-We will eat and drink outside.  

-We will take breaks daily as we transition and develop students' stamina. There is a 10 minute recess break for each cohort as well.

*PLEASE SEND AN EASY-TO-OPEN SNACK AND WATER BOTTLE DAILY.

 

5) PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT

-playground structures will be open for grade level cohorts and cleaned between a.m. and p.m. groups.

-other equipment (balls, jump ropes, etc..) will be available only during p.e. lessons and sanitized between cohorts. 

6) DISTANCE LEARNING MONDAYS will start and end at the same time 8:30-10:00. If you are dropping off another child, please have your student in this class go ahead and get started on zoom as they ordinarily would.

7) COMPUTERS will be needed at home for Monday distance learning. It has been decided that students will not bring their computers to school.

 

6) HOMEWORK

-Math homework will continue in workbooks

-i-Ready practice will continue on line

-Reading logs will continue on line when assigned

-AR quizzing will continue on line

SUPPLIES LIST

 

Thank you all!  Feel free to email me with any questions.

 

Warmly,

Heather

Hello Everyone,

I hope you thoroughly enjoyed your three-day weekend!

Announcements:

NO SCHOOL: MONDAY 2/8/21 LINCOLN'S BIRTHDAY

NO SCHOOL: MONDAY 2/15/21 PRESIDENT'S DAY

Read-A-Thon: this year Mountain School is participating in The Read Across America program and the theme is "practice empathy." We will be using the Read-A-Thon reading log to help kids log their reading minutes for the next 2 weeks on google classroom.  Please read the parent letter below to find out how this works. Donations are not required, but are very appreciated. There is a pledge letter below to keep track of pledges should you and your child elect to contribute in this way. Your child should focus on selecting books that have to do with practicing empathy and compassion. 

Parent letter 

Pledge Letter

Paper Version of Reading Log

Here are some links to various book choices on themes of empathy:

Links to Recommended Reading: Books with Trailblazing Women - https://www.worldcat.org/profiles/ReadAcrossAmerica/lists/3212914 

American Indian/Alaska Native, First Nations - https://www.worldcat.org/profiles/ReadAcrossAmerica/lists/3899488 

El día de los niños/El día de los libros - https://www.worldcat.org/profiles/ReadAcrossAmerica/lists/3211142 

Stand Tall and Read - https://www.worldcat.org/profiles/ReadAcrossAmerica/lists/3173002 

LGBTQ Reading - https://www.worldcat.org/profiles/ReadAcrossAmerica/lists/3712777 

Books for Césear Chávez Day - https://www.worldcat.org/profiles/ReadAcrossAmerica/lists/3212929

Valentine's Exchange:

Valentine bags will be on the fourth grade table in the PAC room next week. Your child can bring valentines to put/drop into bags for their classmates T-TH (1 per student). They can be homemade and very simple. They should put their name on the valentines they are giving and leave the name of who they are giving them to blank. We have 20 students and 2 teachers.

*Please make sure that your child includes everyone in the exchange if they are going to participate.

You may pick up your child's valentine bag (names are on bags) on Friday 2/12 when you pick up packets. Children may open bags at home. 

Directions for our Valentine's Exchange

class list for valentine's exchange

Hello Everyone,

Announcements: we will be enjoying a virtual mission field trip that is offered through the California Missions Foundation on Thursday, February 11th from 10:00 am – 11:00 am. They will be sending a zoom link that is different from our classroom link, and I will share it with you as soon as they have given it to me next week. I will also tell the kids about it and give reminders so that they can successfully participate. Please see the flyer below for more information:

Virtual Mission Field Trip

Weekly assignments:

Math: multiplying fractions. Students complete the video lesson with the teacher and independent workbook practice pages daily. i-Ready digital math practice is daily. Quizzes are embedded in the assigned i-Ready content. Please make sure that your child is completing their daily i-Ready teacher assigned practice and quiz and their differentiated instruction on "My Path."

History Readers and Writers Workshop: California Missions. Your child has been assigned a California Mission to research here. They should use the link provided and the California Missions website to fill out their Mission Fact Sheet which is located on google classroom. They may use other sources of information as well like our lessons and books from the past 3 weeks. After they have filled in their fact sheets, they will begin the project of creating a mission book on digital book creator. All of this is modeled and scaffolded on zoom so that your child is supported and successful. Please check in with your child to see how they are doing with this and let me know if they need extra support. When it comes to reading about the missions, there is some tricky vocabulary that will be encountered. We are going to keep talking about some of the most common terms that they might have to understand.

Writing: California Mission books on digital Book Creator.

Modified Individual Science Project: this will be introduced as we complete California Mission book projects.

Reading: use the AR Book Finder to be sure there is a reading quiz associated with the books your child is reading.

Reading Quizzing and Comprehension: AR Quiz Site

*Students should aim for AR point goals of 16 this trimester. If your student has not logged in to AR (Accelerated Reader) in a while, please check in with them to make sure that this important reading-comprehension quizzing is being completed.

Have a great week.

Warmly,

Heather

 Hello Everyone,

My blog is delayed a bit due to gusty winds and power outages in my area. I hope that most of you have had your power restored if you lost it. We have had good attendance on zoom.

Please welcome back 2 students to our 4th grade classroom, Aurelia Pawlak and Chloe Andrews. We are so happy to have both girls join us! 

i-Ready diagnostic results went out via email today. Please remember that this is a snapshot in time of your child's math performance. We are midway through the year and have yet to study and complete: fractions, decimals, measurement, and geometry. So, there is still time for your child to reach, maintain and exceed 4th grade math goals. Please urge them to login daily to their i-Ready math practice.

Weekly assignments:

Math: adding and subtracting related fractions. Students complete the video lesson with the teacher and independent workbook practice pages daily. i-Ready digital math practice is daily. Quizzes are embedded in the assigned i-Ready content. Please make sure that your child is completing their daily i-Ready practice and differentiated instruction as well as the embedded quiz. I have reminded students over zoom.

History Workshop: California Missions. 

Writing: mission writing project will follow in the next few weeks.

Foss Science e-Book: earthquakes and volcanoes, review of landforms formed by erosion and deposition.

Reading: use the AR Book Finder to be sure there is a reading quiz associated with the books your child is reading.

Reading Quizzing and Comprehension: AR Quiz Site

*Students should aim for AR point goals of 16 this trimester. If your student has not logged in to AR (Accelerated Reader) in a while, please check in with them to make sure that this important reading-comprehension quizzing is being completed.

Date Adjustment: Read-A-Thon--The read-a-thon will take place February 9th-23rd, with 99 pledges staying open until February 27^th.  The theme will be "practice empathy," as it is February's theme from the Read Across America campaign. The goal is to raise $5,000.

Warmly,

Heather

 Hello Everyone,

Happy New Year.  Students have made a nice transition back to school. Having a short week to reenter school seems to have agreed with everyone.

The i-Ready diagnostic that we completed before winter break went smoothly for the kids. Thank you for helping to prepare your child for this valuable assessment. As teachers and the district unpack this new teaching tool, I will be sharing information with parents regarding results and math progress. All students have been assigned digital practice on i-Ready. "My Path"  refers to practice that is generated based upon your child's diagnostic results and will give them specific, differentiated practice on the areas that are most beneficial to their immediate goals and stretch goals in mathematics. I will also be supplementing i-Ready digital practice that aligns with the Singapore paper lessons.  Although Singapore digital is a thing of the past--no tears will be shed, the Singapore paper lessons will continue to be used this school year.

Weekly assignments:

Math: review 3 on fractions thus far.

History and Reading: California Missions.

Science: Earthquakes and Volcanoes.

MLK Day: 1/18/21: NO SCHOOL

Read A-Thon--January 18th-31st

Here's to a great week.

Warmly,

Heather