Weekly Update

Families of Room 31 ~

WOW.... it is hard to believe that we are entering into our second month of school this week.   I am impressed at how well the students have adjusted to the routines in our classroom.  They are truly becoming 4th graders!

A few important pieces of information:
1.  Monday /Tuesday - I will be out of the classroom on Monday and Tuesday this week.   I have shared this information with the students on Friday and we have discussed the expected class behavior.  I am keeping the same routines, but sometimes when there is a sub, homework falls apart.  I am sharing with you the homework for MONDAY and TUESDAY in case the planners are not accurate.

Monday - Reading Log, Word Sort and Complete a map project of the EAST that was started in class today.  They will have had close to 45 minutes of in class work so I hope??? they are putting the final touches on the map at home.  Please make sure they follow the RUBRIC and expectations.  They will have seen a sample in class.    They will bring home their social studies book to complete this.  Please make sure they return the book to school tomorrow.    NO WRITTEN MATH HOMEWORK

Tuesday - Study Link 2.5;  Study for EAST QUIZ on Friday; also, Mrs. LeMay will be assigning a health test that will take place next Tuesday.  They papers should go home today.   I had them write this studying portion in their planners on Monday.

2.  MEDIA is MONDAY - Please send your child to school with their MEDIA BOOKS on Monday!

 I hope all goes smoothly  the next few days.  I will be checking my email, but if there are any emergencies, changes in dismissals, please contact Mrs. Stacey in the office to let her know.

Thanks for all your support!

Miss Finneran

STUDENT COUNCIL

Congratulations to Colby, Caroline and Neel for being elected as  Student Council Representatives.  All of the students wrote fantastic opinion pieces, supporting their reasons with details.  Everyone is to be congratulated for their hard work!

Update

It was a pleasure meeting many of you at Curriculum Night last Thursday.  If you were not able to attend, I sent home an overview of the evening with your child on Friday.  I will be making contact soon with those who did not attend to set up a parent conference.

NEWSLETTER - Please check the NEWSLETTER section of the blog for more information!

SPELLING – We will begin our spelling routine this week.  This first week all students will have the SAME list.  We are PRACTICING our class work and homework spelling routines.  Next week, the children will be grouped into four different spelling groups based on the results of the spelling assessments taken earlier this year.   The groups are flexible and often children will switch groups based on their need and growth.

MATH – We will be wrapping up our Unit One – GEOMETRY this week.  We will complete and correct a study guide in class (truly a practice test) that the students will be bringing home to review. 

POWER SCHOOL –  If you haven’t already updated your information in Power School, especially your child’s emergency contact information, please do so at your earliest convenience.   It is important for our school to have the correct information to make contact if necessary.

Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions!

Weekly Update

The start to our school year has been busy!   It is great to see all the smiling faces each morning!  We’ve been spending the first few days sharing some of our ALL ABOUT ME Bags, discovering and exploring new routines, establishing classroom rules / expectations and focusing on our Hopes and Dreams for the year.

A few reminders:

HOMEWORK PLANNERS

Please sign your child's homework planner every night after homework has been completed.   It is important that you check their assignments to assure they have been completed prior to signing the planner.     Also, I recommend that the children place their completed work in their red homework folder and place the planner and homework folder in their backpack when their work is completed.

READING LOGS

The students began their reading logs this week.   They are expected to read for a minimum of 15 – 20 minutes each night.   After they have read, they are to complete a brief summary of their reading.   There are samples of what the entry should look like on this week’s log.   I recommend that the children complete this nightly as it is due on FRIDAY of each week.   I request that a parent / caregiver sign off each day of the reading. 

MATH FACTS

The children completed their 5-minute baseline math assessments last week.   The expectation for fourth grade is that the students master these facts and receive a score of 90 out of 100 within the 5-minute time.   I was please to have many students at mastery for their addition and subtraction facts.  Those students who scored below a 90 in either area were given some flash cards to use at home.  The children established goals in class yesterday based on their score.   The students are expected to practice their facts 3 – 4 times a week.   Each month we will reassess their facts and set new goals.  

SCIENCE / SOCIAL STUDIES

We are being our study in each of these subjects this week.  In science we will begin exploring the properties of rocks and mineral.  This unit of study involves several hand-on experiments.  The students will be keeping science notebooks to document their observations.   In social studies we will begin with a study / review of the continents and oceans of the world.  We will then move to explore the regions of the United States focusing on the climate, natural resources, physical features, immigrants and the economy of each region.  We will begin with a unit of study on the EAST.

WATERBOTTLE / SNACK

Please send your child to school each day with a water bottle and a snack.   Lunch is at 1:05 each day and it is important to have the students “refueled” and ready to work. 

 There are a few important dates that I want you to keep in mind:

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10^th – PTO MEETING in the Media Center 7:00 PM

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12^th – Curriculum Night  6:30 - 7:30    This is the evening when I will share an overview of the expectations for fourth grade.   We will discuss some of our curriculum and it will be a time for you to sign up for our Parent Conference Day. 

MONDAY, OCTOBER 14^th – Columbus Day – NO SCHOOL

Please let me know if you have any questions.   I look forward to meeting everyone on Curriculum Night September 12^th.

Miss Finneran