Classroom News for the Week of October 7th

Notices and Reminders:

Hurray! Our Donors Choose Project has been funded!

Thanks to the support of Veronica, and the Ebert-Scherer, Zakis, Zepeda, Harth, and Staley-Thomas families our project on Donors Choose has been funded! I am so grateful for your support of the project and arts education for all of our students. The materials should arrive within a month.

FIELD TRIP THIS FRIDAY (10/11):

Students need :

A lunch from home and a BIG breakfast. Students will not have time to eat a snack before the tour begins. We will have a small quick snack for them (Goldfish crackers or pretzels) to eat before boarding the bus back to school after the tour. They will be eating lunch at school at about 12:30. 

Parents attending: Nicole, Gina, Rey, and Heidi. Please come to room 17 at 8:11. We will try to leave as early as possible.

REMINDERS: 

* Please make sure to check (and sign) your child's Homework Log each evening.  

* Check out the class garden bed outside of room 17. Wow! Thank you Garden Team!!!

* Please join the PTA!

Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and Your Child:

Dear Families,

As you know, we are in the midst of a huge period of educational reform. There is a lot going on at the district, state, and national level regarding what and how students are taught. It is looking like we will be fully switching over to the Common Core standards this year. Questions regarding student assessment are still being worked out. In the meantime, you may want to read this brochure from our national PTA, Parents' Guide to Student Success, to learn about new benchmarks for grade 4 students in language arts and math. The guide also gives suggestions for helping your child succeed.

What's Going On This Week In Class:

Math: 

Two digit by two digit multiplication using partial products and the standard algorithm. More rounding: How do you decide which place to round to? 

Fact Practice: "Multiplication Madness" (daily, 1 min. multiplication fact practice). Please work with your child to help him/her memorize facts x1-x12.

Writing:

This week we will continue our writing piece about John Muir's life and the effects of his conservation efforts.

Students will also write short responses to two articles in the current issue of Scholastic News: "Reasons for Running" and a debate on bullying and parent responsibility.

Reading:

Close reading of the article "Reasons for Running" in Scholastic News.

Wondering if that book your reading has an AR quiz? Wondering what level that book is?

Go to www.arbookfind.com to find out.  Remember, you can (and should!) be taking quizzes on the books you are reading at home.

Greek and Latin Roots Homework:

There will be no words assigned this week. Please use this extra time to begin your social studies project. Posters are due Friday, October 18th. We will resume root words next week.

Health:

We are beginning a new health unit. The focus is on physical health, mental and emotional health, and family and social health. this week students will be learning about and discussing goal making, character, and responsible decisions.

Social Studies/Science:

California poster project due October 18th.  If your poster paper is lost or damaged, please replace it with a any sturdy paper that is 12"x18".

Class/Team Building:

This week our focus will be on listening and using our time in class wisely.