Stafford's Scoop

Hi Parents,
Thank you all for attending our first quarter conferences. I had a great time getting to know you all better and learning more about your children. It is amazing how different they can be at school compared to home!
Let me give you the breakdown of our upcoming week:
Class News: On Monday, I will begin a game of BOO with the students. I will anonymously put a small treat ($1 max in value) in one person's desk. The game is that then that child will anonymously bring in a very small present/treat to put someone else's desk. That child will continue the game. We'll go until everyone has been BOO'ed! Please don't stress. Any small treat either brought from home or purchased is fine. It is all for fun!
The Halloween party will be on Monday Oct. 31st. the Parade will begin at 2:30 and the party will follow immediately. Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Sunset, Mrs. Rauwerdink, and Mrs. Rhee will be putting on our party. Thanks so much, moms!
Math: My class is working on decimals - comparing them, estimating, adding and subtracting them. Your family letter for the unit will come home Monday.
Reading: We will be starting our second CORE classis novel this week. It is Robin Hood. It will coincide with our CORE unit on the Middle Ages. We will culminate the CORE unit with a Middle Ages Fair. You will receive email notices shortly to volunteer if you'd like.
Please continue having your child read at home nightly. As we discussed at conferences, this is an integral part of your child's reading growth this year. You may consider increasing the time your child reads at home daily if he/she didn't make the goal for the first quarter. I will set new AR goals for the second quarter. They will be listed in the front part of your child's planner. Please sign the page in the planner when it comes home. I'll get to everyone between Monday and Wednesday.
Spelling/Grammar We will be working on Unit 8 this week. The spelling and grammar skill is making plural words that end in "y." Remember that your child is allowed to type his/her spelling sentences.
Writing: We are creating and using similes in our writing to add great detail to our thoughts. We will also be writing another essay.
CORE: We will begin Middle Ages. This is such a fun unit. Ask your child his/her new Middle Ages name.
I hope you are all enjoying your weekend, and please contact me if you have any questions.
Fondly,
liz:)

Stafford's Scoop

Hi Parents,
This is a fun week. The students have earned a "Special Chair Day" by accumulating enough ROAR tickets for the month of September. Therefore, this Wednesday you may help your child bring a special chair from home to sit in ALL DAY LONG! The only thing I ask is that you be able to get the chair to and from school on Wednesday. If your child doesn't have a special chair or you don't have time to bring one, I have plenty here that he/she can choose from.
A Peek at our Week:
Math: All of 4th grade is taking benchmark assessments to make sure that they can add and subtract according to the Colorado State Standards. You can follow up more with your math teacher. My class is continuing to work on Unit 3 and learning how to write logical explanations for their math work.
Reading: We are starting three novels that are Book Bowl Books: Tuck Everlasting, Mick Harte Was Here, and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. Your child will do most of the reading in class, but he/she will have comprehension questions at night. This will help everyone participate in Book Bowl. Make sure your child is working toward his/her AR Goal. The quarter will end in couple of short weeks.
Spelling We are on Unit 6 in spelling (Long o and u sound). In grammar we are working on Complete Subjects and Predicates.
Writing: We are continuing to add good, solid E sentences (examples, events, evidence, elaboration to our paragraphs. We are conducting a benchmark assessment this week in paragraphs.
CORE: We are continuing to learn about Geology and the Earth.
Other News: I will be out of the building this week on Thursday and Friday. I'm not sure who the substitute will be. If you have any problems, you may contact any of my teaching partners or talk to me at the beginning of next week.
I would also like to thank everyone who bought a book for our classroom at the bookfair. WOW! We'll use them throughout the year for read aloud, group reading, and individual AR time reading. Thanks again.
Finally, I'd like to thank you all again for your support in and out of the classroom. You are helping to make our classroom run smoothly.
Fondly,
Liz