Archives

4th Grade Field Trip

Oct7

Happy Wednesday!

Tomorrow our 4th grade students will be going to The American West Heritage Center.  This annual field trip has been a fantastic experience for our 4th grade classes.   In order to ensure your child has an amazing time, please consider the following:

  • Apply and pack extra sunscreen (I recommend a hat as well), the students are outside all day.
  • Check the weather in Wellsville to make sure your child is dressed appropriately.
  • Pack a lunch AND water bottle, the students walk a lot.
  • Be on time!  The bus will leave with or without your child on board.

All students will need to come into the classroom prior to getting on the school bus for transport to the American West Heritage Center.

 

 

Multiplication Facts

Sep22

Knowing math facts is a supremely important skill in order to advance in the upper elementary classroom.  Until students are fluent in math facts, they are “stuck” in terms of abstract (paper-pencil) math progress.  It is my goal to work with all students in order for them to become fluent in all multiplication facts before they leave for Christmas Break.  As such, we are using a variety of methods for practicing these skills.

If you have an unused deck of cards, or one missing one or more bits, that you would be willing to donate to our classroom, it would be greatly appreciated.  We are building skills and having fun at the same time.

Please take this opportunity to practice the facts that they may not know yet.  As a group, we identified the facts that they know (ones and tens) and facts they may not know (6,7,8,9).  Your children will be coming home with 2 to 3 flash cards daily of facts they are currently working on.  We will call these facts their “meanies”.  Multiplication facts that, for one reason or another, are difficult to your child.  Throughout the day we will practice “meanies” until all students in our room are fluent with their times tables.

As always, don’t hesitate to contact me with questions regarding what your child is doing in the classroom.  I am happy to share our triumphs as well as struggles with you.

Weekly Update and IXL Homework

Sep8

Good Evening!  I hope you all had a fantastic three day weekend!

We have a lot of things happening in our classroom this week, the first of which is your child’s first IXL homework assignment.

Each week your child will be given an assignment in IXL.  The assignments have several purposes: to review previously learned material (from 3rd or perhaps even 2nd grade), to practice newly taught material in a format different from that they see in the classroom, and to practice skills using language that they will see on end of year testing.  This homework is by no means “teaching to the test” nor is it meant to drill your children to death.

IXL homework should take, on average, 20 minutes each night.  If your student is not able to earn the “badge” at the end of each session, or score a minimum of 80,  within that amount of time, I have asked them write a note in their planners letting me know that they may need more help with a particular concept.

IXL logins are in the back of your child’s planner (along with Utah Compose and SAGE which we have not accessed yet).  The link to login can be found here as well as at the top of the page under IXL.   Please do not allow your child to reset or change their passwords.  If they are unable to login, please let me know and we will troubleshoot from school.

In addition to being written in your child’s planner, the IXL homework will be posted at the IXL page weekly.  This week, because of the holiday, students will have until next Monday evening to complete their homework.  Typically homework will be given Monday and is due Sunday evening.   As discussed in class, this homework is not optional.  The school has purchased a license for each student to be able to practice and it is an expectation that they are following through.  As will all homework and home projects, any that are not completed on time, will receive a pink slip notifying you they are not complete and asking your child to create a plan for completion.

If you do not have internet access at home, please let me know either with a note in your child’s planner or an email and we will make arrangements for your child to practice IXL during class time.

Tomorrow, Gary Hogge, a local children’s author, will be visiting our school to do an assembly.  Each grade level will then have their own break-out session either tomorrow or Thursday for further writing instruction.  He has come to our school several times in the past, is a fantastic educator, and the students learn so much from him.

Stay tuned for more updates coming later this week.

 

Celebration of Life

Aug30

In our class we have reserved Wednesday afternoons at 2:40 for Celebrations of Life.  If you would like to celebrate your child’s birthday with us you can sign up on the sidebar of the blog where it says Celebration of Life.

Please bring photos and stories about your child to share, but no food or trinkets please.

Update Week 1.5

Aug25

We successfully navigated our way through the first week of school and are off to a good start for our second week.

During our first week we did a lot of team building and activities that helped everyone get to know each other.  Our class is slowly coming together and friendships are being made. Even our most shy students are beginning to make connections with their classmates.   As we begin our modified work cycle, we will continue building our class culture.

This week we begin our great lessons.  You can read a post that I wrote about the great lessons here.  Our class did something a little different this year to begin our study of the great lessons.  Your children decided to become teachers of the first great lesson to our lower elementary peer mentor class.  Several students presented the lesson and afterward we went outside and they facilitated experiments and demonstrations for the younger students.  Ms. Holly’s class was completely engaged!  Well done, little teachers!

Today Ms. Holly is hosting another great lesson for our class.

We are beginning a modified work cycle with returning students carrying on where they left off last year, and new students beginning to learn routines and procedures for choosing work, getting it checked and turning it in.  Because we are going slowly to ensure success, you will see their planners gradually begin to fill up as your children learn how to plan their day.  By October 1, they should be planning their work day all on their own.