Spelling L15

The pretest will be on Wed., and the final test on Thurs.

several
level
model
total
single
candle
terrible
labeled
pickle
wrinkle
triangle
medical
triple
motorcycle
humble
gentleness
eternal
settled
disciple
biblical

The students taking the modified list will be responsible for the first 15 words.

Always review the words and make sure they understand what they mean. I do ask them to write sentences for extra credit.

SHORT WEEK DEC 17-20

Just a reminder that next week is the last school days of the year. It has flown by and we are so amazed at how quick it went.

There will be a spelling test on L15, Thursday, Dec 20th in the morning.

The SONG OF THE BROOK book reports should all have been handed in today but if your child hasn't completed his/hers make sure it is turned in on Monday.

Character Suitcase book report will be due on Jan 4th, 2008. The kids brought home the instruction sheet today, Friday, and know the requirements. If you have any questions feel free to email me at victorialhess@yahoo.com and I will be glad to explain the project in detail. I will also post a blog that goes into more depth next week.

Wednesday Mrs. Harris will be delivering the gifts to our "adopted family" so please bring in items by Tuesday so they can be wrapped. As a reminder the girl is seven years old and the boy is nine. Thanks for all that has been donated already...what a blessing this class will bestow on this precious family.

The History test that covered 3 chapters has been graded and everyone in the class received an A. Awesome job!!! Please ask you child how they did because they were so proud of their accomplishment, it was a long test. (5 pages). The tests have been returned to the students.

30 minutes a night

Just a reminder:

Your child is suppose to read 30 minutes a night. Each student has been assigned a historical novel and will be doing a "report" about their person which will be due after returning from Christmas break.

They can read this assigned book or another of their choice for their required 30 minutes per night.

Please check your child's reading progress on the Historical person book...it is important that they feel it is as important to you that they read as it is to us.

Thanks for all your help and support.

Christmas Family

The fourth grade is gathering gifts for a family of 3.

The girl is 7 and the boy is 9. The mom is a size 6.

If you would like to make any donations please feel free to drop them off at the classroom.

The class will also be preparing a meal to deliver to this family next week. They are so excited to be able to help and share the spirit of the true meaning of Christmas.

Ask your child about this family. I am sure if they haven't shared with you already, they will be more than happy to talk about them and what they would like to do to help them out. Their enthusiasm is contagious.

L14 Spelling Dec10-14

Here are the words:

bought
daughter
laundry
autumn
broad
false
fought
taught
hawk
golf
vault
automatic
drawing
bosses
offerings
altar
offices
redrawn
almighty
alter

The words in red are for those that test with a modified list.

Art supplies needed

If you have any of these items laying around the house looking for a place to go we could use them for upcoming projects:

CD case: clear & unscratched
Old magazines
White Sculpey Clay
Popsicle Sticks
burned out light bulb (regular kind)

Thanks in advance.

Volunteers

I know this word is scary and intimidating but we would really appreciate any help you can give the class. Here are some ideas where your inventiveness, athleticism, creativeness, and helpfulness will be inspiring to the kids:

ARTS/CRAFTS
GYM CLASS
MUSIC
SPORTS
INTERESTING HOBBY TO SHOW/ COLLECTION/ ADVENTURE/ CRAFT /
GOD MOMENT / etc
BAKING WITH THE KIDS
LUNCH PROGRAM

We want to expose the kids to lots of educational/extra curricular activities so any ideas please feel free to run them past us. You are as much a part of the class as the students...but YOU don't have to worry about being graded ;-)

Also, the more kids see their parents/relatives involved in school the more likely they will have a positive outlook towards education. They are ALWAYS WATCHING!!!

2nd Quarter

Can you believe that the 2nd quarter of this 2007-2008 school year has begun? I encourage you to communicate daily with your child about what they did during the day and what projects/tests are coming up.

The assignment sheets they are using show a whole week and if there is any question about the completion of work have your child bring home their papers/books daily to show you. The page numbers on that particular day you are checking will be the same in the book that should be completed for turning in the next day.

History: index cards are regularly filled out to aid in studying important facts. Please encourage your child just to read through those cards and be able to define/identify the word/name on the card. One side will have a term and the back side will have more in depth information written to aid in studying.

Reading: THE SONG OF THE BROOK book should be read 20 minutes each night and they should be at least on chapter 8. This book will be used for their first book report so it is important that they comprehend and remember what they are reading.
Each night your child should be reading at least 20 minutes, preferably on something they enjoy. Magazines, newspaper, fiction, non-fiction, etc.

Language: Your child has been working on making their writings more descriptive. Their assignment due Monday (29Oct07) is to write a descriptive paragraph about the classroom. As the paragraph develops it should have descriptions using as many senses as possible. Sound, Touch, Taste, Sight, Smell

Science: The Science Project will be the focus till December.

Math: 3-digit subtraction and estimating have been the topics recently.

Bible: We have been talking about people that stand up for God...back in the Bible and today. Elijah and Elisha are the most recent studies.

We are looking into a field trip to the Bath Maritime Museum. It will correspond well with what we are covering in history.

If you have any ideas for field trips please share them with us.

Have a great weekend and week.

Harvest Party

The students are working towards earning a Harvest Party. Monday, Mrs. Harris went into depth again about the expectations of the 4th grade: respect, focus, following the rules, classwork, maturity, etc Each day that no one's name is on the board the class earns a letter towards the party. So far, as of today, they have an "H".

For the Harvest Party, we suggested baking some pies together, playing games, just fun stuff for half a day. If you can think of some suggestions or if your child has mentioned things they would like to do please share with us. We want it to be FUN!! We don't know the exact date because it depends on the behavior of the class so encourage them!

Science Fair Projects

The 4th grade will be participating in the first annual Science Fair at the school. It will be held the week before Christmas break. The students in our class have been put into teams and have had projects assigned. We decided that this would be a good way to encourage teamwork and also learn how to approach all the work that is needed in a scheduled manner to complete a science fair project.

The teams are as follows:

Team A
VIDEO GAME ADVANTAGE: What effect does playing video games have on reaction time?
Gabby Padilla
Gabe Boda
Noah Bergeron

Team B
UP ON THE ROOFTOP: What is the effect of the color of roofing on a house's temperature?
Annabelle Marcotte
Brianna Sturgis
John Fosset
Blake Horton

Team C
FAMILY FINGERPRINTS: What effect does heredity have on fingerprint characteristics?
Abby LeBlanc
Hanna Pullen
Noah Williamson

We will start this adventure tomorrow and with your support at home and the class time we shall devote these teams are going to do a GREAT JOB and learn A LOT!! I am encouraging the team members to be in contact with each other outside of school when needed if questions arise and if possible to get together as a group.

Each team has a project sheet and we will start discussing the 6 steps to the scientific method and how their project will be set up to show all the steps.

Late Work/Correcting Errors/Take-Home Tests

The students are given back work on a regular basis to correct and return so that we know the concept has been understood. Many times the paper does not make it back to us and then it must be redone. Math is the class that this happens the most in. Please check with your child on how they are doing with their classwork and if they have corrections that need to be taken care of. Thanks!

We have also given some tests as take-home and have encouraged your child to ask for help if needed. Our goal is that the child understands what is being taught more than just pushing through material. A math and a language test was available to be taken home this past Tuesday and Wednesday, even if they finished it in class. No one took the math home. There was more participation on taking the language test home but I am wondering if you, the parent, was even asked to look over it with them.

On the right hand side of the classroom white board is an updated list of late work so that you can check it and the student is aware of what needs to be turned in.

THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO!!

Special Speaker Sensei Gary

On Wednesday, Oct 3rd, Sensei Gary was our speaker at chapel. He addressed the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades and his presentation centered on RESPECT, HONOR, INTEGRITY and VALUES. The children were riveted to what he was saying and seemed very taken by his Kempo Bedtime Story. If you have the time ask your child about what he shared. He gave an analogy concerning the relationship between a wolf, a sheep and a sheepdog comparing their traits to bullying behaviors, the person being bullied or just standing by watching, and a person who stands up for what is right and honorable. We will again invite Sensei Gary to speak because they really seem to get what he is saying and he really relates to the children with stories of his past. He also challenges the children to stand up for what is right and not be bystander when something wrong is happening either to them or to someone else. He gave them the correct manner to handle situations: address the offender and let them know it is wrong, tell a teacher or an adult, take it to the principal. It was an awesome presentation!!!