Welcome back from our first long weekend of the year! I hope you enjoyed the beautiful weekend as much as my family and I did.
I want to start by saying that our class rocked their first math test!! We had so many perfect and near perfect papers and I was super happy! I can't wait to pass them back tomorrow and see the looks on their faces when they see the results of their hard work. Students will be bringing them home tomorrow so you can see them as well. We are scoring things different this year so I want to explain how to read their scores. This year we are getting away from the 'Mastery', 'Near Mastery', and 'Remediation' colors of green, yellow, and red. This year we are grading on a scale of 1-4. We want all students to attain a level 3 on their material yielding a mastery level, or green in relation to last year. A 2 would be the same as the previous near mastery, and a 1 would be remediation or that they still needed to practice that particular skill. A level 4 is above and beyond the desired level and will not be an attainable score on all assignments. Please ask your students to explain this to you tomorrow when they bring home their tests. We have discussed it in class and will continue to discuss it as they get assignments and assessments back. More information on this will be available at Leader In Me Night at Willard East later this month. As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions. NWEA Students will be taking the beginning of the year NWEA test this week in math and reading. This test shows us where each student is in each area so we can better instruct them at their level and help them move to the end of 4th grade level come May. We will be taking this computer test at the beginning of the year, mid-year, and end of the year. This is not something that students should be worried about and it is not as rigorous as the MAP test. This is also not a graded assessment just gives us an idea of where your child is and what we need to work on with them. This week we will test math on Wednesday and reading on Friday. Math We will not start a new unit this week with the NWEA testing. I will be giving students a chance to reassess on their math test and improve their scores to a 3 if they did not get there last week. Writing We are going to wrap up our sensory writing this week with taste and smell. We are also going to start our daily language lessons. Reading Students are working on responding to reading daily with prompted questions. Last week we focused on questions in the book and this week we are going to move to questions in our head and in our heart. Social Studies We finished up our short unit on reading maps last week and this week we are going to start learning about the different regions of Missouri and researching our state. Students will start working on a group project next week that I think they will really enjoy. Important Dates to Remember September 21 - Half Day attendance September 27 - Leader in Me Night - more info to come home soon September 28 - Tiger Pride Assembly @ 2:30
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We had our first full week of school and it was a success!! Students are starting to adjust to our class routine and we are falling into our new normal.
This week: Math: We will continue with place value and look at rounding to a specific place value. Students have been working hard on our math lessons and we will be taking their first assessment over the first four lessons this Thursday. We will have a review day on Wednesday to help them prepare. Social Studies: We are going to begin our map unit this week. We will start with basic map skills, how to read a map, and how to construct a map. Then after Labor Day we will move in to studying the Missouri Regions and our state map. Writing: We are going to look at writing using our 5 senses this week. We will look at some books to help us identify their use descriptive words and then use those describing words in our writing. Reading: We have been working on building up our reading stamina in the classroom. Students have literally been begging for read to self time and I love that. They will end up having about 30 minutes a day for read to self time in our classroom. This week we are going to start looking at responding to our reading with writing. This will be a skill we work on throughout the year. Leader In Me: We spent last week looking at key components of belonging. This week we are going to start talking about the paradigms we have and our class mission statement. Spelling: This week we will start our spelling unit. Students will get a new list every week. Spelling tests will be given on Friday. If students do not get 80% of the words correct or better they will retake their test on Monday morning. Important Dates: August 31 and September 3 - No School for Labor Day weekend September 21 - Half Day attendance September 27 - Leader In Me Night at Willard East - more info to come Last week was a wonderful week getting to know each other. This week we are going to start getting used to our daily routine in 4th grade.
Math: We are going to start our math units this week revisiting some things that were covered in 3rd grade. We will start this week with place value, comparing numbers, and writing numbers in multiple forms. Reading: We are going to begin building our reading stamina back up and talk about a fun reading challenge we are going to have in 4th grade this year. Writing: We will be decorating our writer's notebooks this week so if your child would like to bring in supplies to use for their notebook please make sure they bring it to school Tuesday at the latest. We will also be brainstorming some topics that we can refer back to this year for writing assignments. Social Studies: This week we are going to continue to use this time to build community in our classroom with group challenges and teamwork. The students really enjoyed these activities last week. DOJO will begin tomorrow. We talked about this last week and used Friday as a practice day full of reminders for things that would cause them to lose or receive points. Please keep in mind this week is a learning week for them. Lots of points will be given as positive reinforcements and some will probably lose some as they adjust back to school expectations. It should only be alarming if they continue to lose points daily once they get used to our 4th grade expectations. Students will also be bringing home a DOJO calendar starting tomorrow in their Take Home folder. If students get this signed they will receive an extra DOJO point the following morning for being responsible. Signatures are only required once a week in order for them to be paid their DOJO money. Please let me know if you have any questions. We will go over this again in class tomorrow before they bring it home so your student should be able to answer any questions you may have. This year we will have PE on Wednesdays so please make sure your child wears appropriate shoes that day. It's going to be a GREAT week!! Hello! I am looking forward to the opportunity to meet you at the Willard East Pool Party on August 10 and also at Meet the Teacher on August 14. This is my class blog where I will post updates and information about what we are doing in class. I use ClassDojo in the classroom as an additional form of communication and I will be sending you an invitation to that site soon.
This summer has been amazing and full of travel for me and my family. We started the summer with a trip to Yellowstone National Park with my parents and my brother. The mountains and scenery were absolutely breathtaking. Then in June, Mrs. Hillenburg and I had the privilege of presenting at an International Conference in Chicago. We took Mrs. Angie with us and had a great time exploring the amazing city together. My family and I wrapped up our summer with a trip to the Dominican Republic just a week ago. It was an amazing summer and now I'm ready to get started with an amazing school year. See you soon!! Just 3 more weeks of school until summer!!!
It is crazy that the school year is already coming to a close and the last few weeks will rush by. This week we will wrap up MAP testing for the year. Students will test in the area of math on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. If you can make sure your child is at school on Tuesday and Wednesday thru lunch that would be really helpful in getting all the testing completed. I know circumstances arise and that is fine but hopefully we will wrap up Wednesday. These last few weeks are going to be busy so I want to pass along a few important dates for all of you: Wednesday May 16 - Jeff City Field Trip. The bus will leave school promptly at 7:30 and return around 7:30 PM. Thursday May 17 - 4th Grade will have a transition day at the Intermediate. Friday May 18 - Field Day Thursday May 24 - 1/2 Day early dismissal at 12:30 We will be holding a class auction on Wednesday May 23 for the students to spend their hard earned class money. If anyone would be willing to donate some items it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you to the Polites Family for the recent donation. The kids are excited about bidding for things they want. Please be in touch if you have any end of the year questions or concerns. Just 14 more days of school!! Important Upcoming Dates:
Friday April 27 -Last Tiger Pride Assembly at 2:30 Tuesday May 1-Thursday May 9 - MAP Testing Friday May 4- Field Trip Permission slips due Wednesday May 16 - Jeff City Field Trip Thursday May 17 - 4th Grade Transition Day at the Intermediate School Friday May 18 - Field Day Thursday May 24 - Last day of school. School dismisses at 12:30 The next few weeks are going to be busy but I think the students are excited about the end of year activities coming up. MAP Testing: We have been reviewing skills that we have learned this year the past couple of weeks in preparation for the MAP test. We hope by them practicing the type of questions that they will see that they will not be as worried about the test. It is important that your child is present at school May 1-9 if at all possible. The first week we will test ELA and writing and the second week we will test on math. Math: We will take our unit 13 math assessment this week over unit conversions as well as area and perimeter. We want to get it finished up before we get in to MAP testing. Writing: We are looking at one final practice prompt on opinion writing this week. We will look at graded examples from the state to allow the kids to see how they score the writing and then use the same grading criteria to grade each others writing. This allows them to begin with the end in mind and see what their final copy needs to look like. Reading: We are starting book clubs this week. Students will work with their groups to hold book studies and talk about their books as well as respond to their reading. Students got their books on Friday and seem to be excited about this group-led activity. Field Trip: Permission slips were sent home on Friday. If you never got one please let me know and I will make additional copies to send with your student this week. Permission slips and money are due on Friday May 4. If you have any questions about the field trip please don't hesitate to contact me. Reminder: We will be holding an auction at the end of the year for students to spend their hard earned money from 4th quarter. If you have any items that you would be willing to donate for their auction it would be greatly appreciated. Sample auction items could be candy, packs of gum, drinks, dollar tree items, etc. I hope everyone had a wonderful long Easter weekend!
Spring Concert - Thursday night April 5 is our Spring Concert. The students and music teachers have been working really hard on their performance this year and are anxious for their performance. Students are asked to arrive at 6:45 at the high school and come find me so I can get them seated and ready for their performance. Students have been asked to dress nicely for the performance. The concert will begin at 7PM. Math - We are wrapping unit 12, decimals, at the end of this week. We are also going to start MAP preparations with math as well. This will include reteaching some of those areas where students struggled with certain math concepts. I will be meeting each of them where they are to give them the best support possible going in to the state test. I think they are going to do great! Writing - We are finishing up figurative language this week. Students have done well with this unit and have been very creative in writing their own examples. Social Studies - We are moving forward with our lesson on economy. Students seem to be enjoying our economy system in the classroom and their ability to make money. At the end of the year we will be having a class auction so if anyone would be interested in sending in some items that students could use their "money" to bid on I would appreciate anything you would be willing to send in. Some items could include; candy bars, small toys, small games, drinks, etc. Students in years past have really enjoyed this to wrap up the school year. Upcoming Dates: Thursday April 5 - Spring Concert at the high school. Arrive at 6:45 Friday April 27 - Last Tiger Pride Assembly at 2:30PM Wednesday May 16 - Jeff City Field Trip - more information will be coming home soon Thursday May 17 - Field Day Thursday May 24 - Last Day of School Welcome back!!
I hope everyone had a wonderful break from the school routine and was able to enjoy the beautiful weather outside. We have a few things coming up this week and some important dates to keep in mind. This week: Your child will be bringing home a Spring Conference letter Monday about Parent Teacher conferences. Those conferences will be held on Tuesday March 27. Every student will bring home a letter but I will only be requesting a conference with some of you for the spring. Some parents I have been in recent contact with and so it will not be necessary to meet again. If I do not mark your childs sheet as needing to set up a conference but you would still like to meet please let me know and I will be more than happy to sit down with you or schedule a conference over the phone. We will be having an intruder drill this week to walk through with students what actions we would take should our building be placed in lock down for any reason. Feel free to discuss this upcoming activity with your student. Willard East Skate Night is this Thursday night 3/22 from 6-8PM at Skateland. Please come out and join in the fun with other families and staff members from Willard East. Tiger Pride Assembly is Friday 3/23 at 2:30. Parents and family members are always welcome to come and join us in the gym. Math: We will look at a short unit on line plots and analyzing data. This is a short unit so I am hoping to wrap it up with the assessment on Friday. Writing: We are starting figurative language this week and will be learning how to interpret it in our text but also how to write it. Reading: We are going to be going deeper in text and looking for symbolism and theme. The things the author shows us in our text but doesn't always tell us. We are also going to start a money economy for 4th quarter. Students will be paid daily if they are present for the entire day. They will owe rent weekly and then have the risk of incurring fines for inappropriate behavior, late work, missing assignments, etc. At the end of the year we will have a class auction where the kids are able to spend the money that they have earned and saved. I will be giving them a list of fines so they are aware prior to starting this week. So I will not be focusing on DOJO for positive and negative points for 4th quarter. It will strictly be used for communication with you. If behavior issues arise I may make note of that on DOJO for you, so that you are aware of fines that occurred. Please feel free to message me with any questions about this new process. I think the kids will really enjoy this. Whew! That was a lot of information. Enjoy your last day of break! This week is Reading Across America week and is going to be a busy week.
Dress Up days for this week are: Monday: Dress like an animal Tuesday: PJ Day Wednesday: Dress like your favorite book character Thursday: Crazy hair day Friday: Willard wear Upcoming Dates: Tuesday February 27: Family Reading Night 6-7PM Monday- Tuesday March 12-13: School is IN SESSION Wednesday - Friday March 14-16: Spring Break Thursday March 22: Skating Party 6PM Friday March 23: Tiger Pride Assembly 2:30PM This week: Math- We will be taking our lesson 9 math test over fractions and mixed numbers on Tuesday. Reading- Students are continuing their research projects and putting the final touches on their presentations. NWEA Testing- You should've gotten an email from the school this past week with some information about a standardized test that students throughout our building will be taking this week and next. This week we will be taking one session of math and one session of reading. We will take the math portion on Wednesday 2/28 and the reading portion on Thursday 3/1. These tests will give us an idea of where students are academically prior to the MAP test but are not designed or meant to cause stress to the students. We will also discuss this in the class. Please make every effort to have your students present at school on Wednesday and Thursday this week. Please reach out if you have any questions. Science- We are finishing up rock layers this week and will take a short assessment over them on Friday. Writing: This last week students wrapped up their informational writing and I was very pleased with how well they did on them. I think that you will also be highly impressed when you get their graded papers back! Have a wonderful week! WHEW.....What a week. I first want to apologize for being out last week but there was just no way I could be there. The flu this year is just awful! Relieved to finally be on the mend and working my way back up to where I was before I was sick.
Lots of info this week so get ready.... Math- We are continuing fractions this week and from the looks of their homework they have done a really good job with them while I was gone. We will be looking at decomposing fractions as a review this week. Science- We will wrap up volcanoes this week, take a short assessment, and then do some hands on activities as a class. Should be a fun week of science. Writing- Students finished their Famous Missourian papers and flat stanleys last week. They have been presenting their research and I am looking forward to seeing some of those presentations this week. This week they will do their district writing prompt and show what they have learned about informational writing. Reading- Last week with the sub students got some freedom to research a wonder that they have or something that they are interested in learning more about. I am eager to get back and see what topic they decided on. Last week, they started with their table of contents and chapters. This week they will continue gathering information and conference with me about how to push their thinking even further. Please bring in ALL donated items for the party on Tuesday 2/13!! Please make sure all students bring in Valentine's cards for everyone in the class and not just their friends. I sent students home with a class list last Tuesday. Upcoming Dates: Wednesday Feb 14 - Valentine's Party 2:30-3:30 Friday Feb 16 - 1/2 Day; School dismissed at 12:30 Monday Feb 19 - School WILL BE in session - Snow day make-up Friday Feb 23 - Tiger Pride Assembly at 2:30 Tuesday Feb 27 - Family Reading Night 6-7PM District Snow Make- Up Days Monday February 19 - School in session Monday March 12- School in session Tuesday March 13 - School in session Thursday May 24 - School in session 1/2 day |
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August 2023
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