Important Announcements

Welcome back, fourth grade families!

We hope everyone had a wonderful break!  On Tuesday, the students came back rested and prepared to learn.  We have some important upcoming events these next few weeks:

• Monday, Jan. 9th - Thursday, Jan 19th: We will be administering Winter CBM (Curriculum Benchmark Measurements) testing throughout these next two weeks.  These tests measure your child's progress in all main subject areas since the beginning of the school year.  It is important that students come to school on time, well fed and well rested.  Thank you for your support in this matter.  You will receive the Winter CBM testing results in the upcoming quarterly report card envelopes.
• Friday, Jan. 13th: Everyday Math Unit 6 Test - The Study Guide and Review Packet went home this weekend.  You can find an electronic copy in the Everyday Math folder of the Parent Files section  of our 4th grade website.  For some fun angle measurement and long division online practice, visit the web page section of our website.

• Monday, Jan. 16th: Martin Luther King Holiday - No School
• Friday, Jan. 20th: No School - Teacher Workday
• Tuesday, Feb. 28th: FCAT Florida Writes - There is a resource folder in the Parent Files section of our 4th grade website for you to reference for more information.  We will also send home some resources in the following weeks.  
• March 12th - 16th: 4th Grade Scholastic Book Fair Fundraiser - We will need parent volunteers in order to run this event and make it a success.  Look for more information to come you way in February.  

Reading Logs will continue this week, so look for new ones in your child's daily folder - they will be due next week.  Also, Word Study work is on pause as we are in the process of doing our mid-year testing.  We will notify you once Word Study continues.  Thank you for your continued support!  

Dress your child for cold weather!

Dear families,


In these winter months, not only the outside temperature can vary from hot to cold, but also the temperature inside out classrooms!  We strongly suggest that you check the weather forecast each morning before you send your child to school. Also, as a precaution, dress him/her in layers.  Thank you so much for you help with this! We look forward to having a great week back at school!


Thanks,
The Fourth Grade Team

As Winter Break Approaches...

Greetings to all!
Here are some announcements:

• Thursday, December 15th, from 11am – 12pm:   Fourth grade is holding a pizza party celebration.  Parents are welcome to come and lend a hand, and enjoy the festivities with the students.  We ask that each parent donate $3 cash to help make this possible.  This will cover the cost for pizza and drinks for the fourth graders.  Please turn in the $3 by Tuesday afternoon, in time for us to order the pizza and buy the supplies.  Thank you for making this possible!
• Weds., Thurs., and Fri. (Dec. 14-16):  Early Dismissal Days at 12:15pm
• Unit 6 Math Update: Last week we got into long division, with the students learning the partial quotients method first, and the traditional method on Friday.  This week, due to the early release days, we will continue reviewing long division, so that the students get a handle on the process.  Remember to use the great resources (printables, videos, etc.) available on Everyday Math Online (your child should have his/her login information). Once back from Winter Break, we will continue with the Unit 6 lessons, which focus on measuring angles with half & full-circle protractors.
• No Home Reading Logs will go home this week.  We will continue logs after the Winter Break.
• There will be no new Word Study words this week, either.  We will still have our test on Tuesday, Dec. 13th, for last week's words.

Thank you for your continued support!  We look forward to having a great week at school! 

What's Happening

Welcome back, families!  

I hope you had an enjoyable and relaxing Veteran's Day weekend.  Let me share some current happenings:
    In Math this week, the students will learn how to multiply large numbers using the Partial Products Algorithm (Lessons 5.5-5.6).  On Friday, we will teach them the traditional method (which we adults frequently use). Next week, they will learn the third and last multiplication algorithm - Lattice (Lesson 5.7).  Please refer to Everyday Math Online's website (use your child's student login information) to obtain resources on all of these various algorithms.  Once the students have learned all three methods, they will pick one which they can confidently use. On the Unit 5 test, they will be required to use the Partial Products method to solve some multiplication problems.  
    If you would like some great resources and tutorials for these algorithms, you can refer to the Everyday Math Online's website.  First, access the website with your child's student login, and click on the Family Resources launch button (see below):

    Next, you'll be taken to a page titled "Family Resources."  Select the button "Algorithms in Everyday Mathematics," and you will then be lead through a list of other options (see below).  For a video tutorial on the various multiplication methods (Partial Products, Lattice, Standard), choose from any of the online resources.

    I hope this information helps you.   Another great way for your child to practice the Partial Products method is by playing the "Multiplication Wrestling" game on Everyday Math's website.  

    Next week, on Tuesday, 11/22, we will be presenting our American Revolution Timeline in the Community Classroom, from 9:45-10:45am.  Friends and family members are welcome to attend, and to eat lunch with their fourth graders, afterwards!  

Save the date:

• Friday, December 2nd is our St. Augustine field trip.  This will be an all-day event.  Permission forms and money is due by this Friday, Nov. 18th.  If your child will not be attending, please notify his/her teacher, so that accomodations can be made at school during the field trip.

Important Announcements

Here are some important upcoming dates for fourth grade:

• Tuesday, November 8th - Math Unit 4 Test; the study guides/review packets went home this week.
• Thursday, November 10th - The final version of students' American Revolution timeline summary is due.  It will be worth 100 pts. We’ll be grading grammar, attributes, strong verbs, elaboration of details and a thesis statement or topic sentence.  (The rough draft of students' summaries is due tomorrow.)
• Friday, November 11th - Veteran's Day; No School
• Friday, November 18th - Money and permission slips due for Saint Augustine field trip
• Weds.-Friday, November 23-25th - Thanksgiving Holiday; No School
• Friday, December 2nd - 4th grade Saint Augustine field trip

*Saint Augustine Trip - our tour price includes the following:

• 2 Professional Licensed Guide Services all day
• Itinerary Planning and Scheduling
• Admission to the Oldest Wooden School House program
• Hour long Trolley ride w/narration around the city of St. Augustine
• Admission to the Old Florida Museum which includes 2 programs with take home souvenirs-Native American program and Archeology program.
• Guided walking tour and admission to the Castillo de San Marcos
• Trolley transport to and from the Old FL Museum back to the Visitor's Information Center

Out with October and in with November!

Wow!
      Our first 9 weeks of school has come to a close, and the second 9 weeks has begun! As we teachers finalize these first quarter's grades, please be sure that you are regularly logging onto SKYWARD so that you can view an updated report of your child's grades/averages for each subject.  Fall conferences have commenced, as well! Mr. Steffens, Ms. A and I look forward to meeting with you and sharing your child's fall benchmark measurements (CBM's) with you.  
      In Math, we launched into Unit 4, which covers the relationships between decimals, fractions, and percents.  This is still a challenging topic for many students, so the more they are exposed to it, the better.  There are some great games available for practice on Everyday Math Online's website (students should have their login information):

• Number Top-It with 2-Place Decimals
• Number Top-It with 3-Place Decimals
• Credits/Debits Game
• Frac-Tac-Toe (there are several versions)

      We finished our studies about the American Revolution, last week.  Today, students selected topics for their individual project.  They will spend the next couple of weeks researching, writing about, and completing their selected topic assignments. All together, each 4th grade student's topic will create a cohesive American Revolution timeline.  Stay tuned for more information!

Important dates:

- Wednesday, Oct. 26th & Weds., Nov. 2nd:  Wacky Wednesdays!  Be sure to send your child to school in sneakers and comfortable clothing

- Thursday, October 27th, 5pm-9pm: Gator's Dockside Dinner Fundraiser for 5th Grade DC Trip

- Friday, October 28th: no school; teacher workday

- Friday, November 4th: no school; UF Homecoming

- Friday, November 11th: no school; Veteran's Day

October has arrived!

Wow!  October is here, and fall weather has finally reached our city of Gainesville!  The students have definitely enjoyed the cooler breezes during recess, although the inside temperatures have been up and down (the air conditioner still rules the roost in our rooms!).  With that said, we'd recommend sending your child to school dressed in layers, with some sort of light-weight jacket or cardigan he/she can keep on his/her chair.  Also, please remember to get a water bottle  for your child to keep in class at all times.  This way, if a student would like a drink of water, it will not disrupt instruction or learning/practice time.

In Reading/S.S., we've traveled through history from the point of the French and Indian War, have visited all the important causes and events which led to the American Revolution, and now are engaging in the actual battles of the Redcoats versus the "Rebels."  The students are truly engaged and have a vested interest in the ultimate outcome.  For instance, we dissected the Declaration of Independence into its important parts, which helped us understand why America wanted to break free from Britain.

Students are able to learn more about each important topic on our Reading Weebly Website.  Please feel free to visit this site with your child!  There are many interactive websites which allow you to further explore what we've discussed in class.  The website link is on our PK Yonge 4th Grade Webpage.  There is a special password you need in order to enter the website, which your child knows and can provide.

In Math, we will finish Unit 3 next week, with the End-of-Unit test scheduled for Monday, October 17th.  Study Guides and Review Packets will be sent home next week.  Many complex concepts will be covered on the test, such as: true/false number sentences; using parentheses (order of operations); multiplication/division relationships (in particular, the key terms - factors, products, multiples).  We will also post the Study Guides and Review Packets on our website, soon.

Students are into their 3rd week of Word Study, and have been doing well on their homework and assignments, overall.  As a reminder - your child will come home every Wednesday with a NEW set of words to study and practice in his/her Word Study Journal.  He/She must complete all assignments in the Journal, and return it to school every Tuesday (which is the day he/she will be tested on his/her words).  Please contact your teacher should you have any questions.

Mark your calendar for these important dates:

• Friday, October 14th, 4-7pm: PKY's Fall Carnival fundraiser for the PTO.  If you've signed up for a shift for your class booth, then a parent rep. will be contacting you this next week to remind you of your specific times.
• Monday, October 17th: Everyday Math Unit 3 Test
• Friday, October 28th: NO SCHOOL-Teacher Workday