Hi Parents,
Sorry I had a computer problem yesterday that didn't allow me to update the blog. When this happens, I'll just email assignments to you. I just wanted to remind all of you to come join the fun tomorrow night at the Zach Book Fair. They have amazing books this year. Many of our Book Bowl books are for sale if you'd like your child to have his/her own personal copy. I hope to see you there. I am scheduled to read at 6:30p.m. to the kids.
Thank you to those of you who are donating small items to our weekly treasure box. I just can't tell you how much the kids love being selected to get a prize. I appreciate your support in this.
Quick update for reading: We finished Pollyanna and are just working through some non-fiction material this week focusing on main idea, sequencing, comparing and contrasting. Your child will have a StoryWorks magazine to use. This is the publication you helped us purchase at the beginning of the year.
In math, no matter whose class you are in, please work with your child on multipication facts. They are so important to know.
We are on Unit 5 Spelling (long i sound). We are working on the components of a friendly letter in grammar.
We are continuing to write paragraphs in class. Instead of taking each final paragraph home, I'm having the students put them in their writing binders in their desk. If you ever want to see them, you can ask your child to bring the binder home for a night or stop by in our class.
CORE: We are working on Maps/Globes this week. It has been a blast trying to locate different areas in the world by their global map coordinates. Ask your child what he/she has learned this week.
If you have any questions, please never hesitate to call or email.
Fondly,
Liz
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Stafford's Scoop
Hi Parents,
How do you like the new look of the blog? I had heard from a few of you that the red/black combination was hard to read. I hope this one is better for you. Thanks for keeping up with our blog. Remember, you can send me comments on this about homework or anything you would like to. I've told students to ask you to check it or show them how to from home. They may also make comments on our blog.
I hope you enjoyed your three-day weekend. We have a short, yet busy week ahead of us.
In Math: My class is working on Organizing Data and mastering multi-digit addition and subtraction. We are using bar graphs and line plots to organize data. Our new class volunteers who will come and help on Fridays are Kim Smith and Cheri Soulier. Thanks so much. We will begin next Friday the 30th of Sept.
In Reading: We are almost finished with Pollyanna in class. Please be sure to have your child spend part of his/her time of reading outloud to you. It is the best way to improve their fluency...practice, practice, practice. Even if they spend 5 minutes reading aloud to you and the rest silently, that will help.
In Spelling: We are on Unit 4: long e sound. In grammar we are simple and compound subjects, dates, months, and days. Your child will bring home the spelling sentences tomrrow, which will be due on Friday.
In writing: we have just finished reviewing paragraphs. We will spend some time refining this skill and strengthening our quality of writing of it.
In CORE: Your child received a Study Guide tonight for the test tomorrow. We will review again before the test. Then we'll culminate our Chemistry unit with a little Coke and Mentos experiment! Watch the blog for pictures of it!
In general: I would like to thank the Rauwerdink family for donating fun items to our treasure box. The students loved the new choices they had on Friday! If anyone else finds themselves at the store or just running across neat, gently used items in your house that you would like to donate, we SERIOUSLY appreciate them!
Please, as always, contact me if you need anything. Let's make this a great week!
Fondly,
Liz
How do you like the new look of the blog? I had heard from a few of you that the red/black combination was hard to read. I hope this one is better for you. Thanks for keeping up with our blog. Remember, you can send me comments on this about homework or anything you would like to. I've told students to ask you to check it or show them how to from home. They may also make comments on our blog.
I hope you enjoyed your three-day weekend. We have a short, yet busy week ahead of us.
In Math: My class is working on Organizing Data and mastering multi-digit addition and subtraction. We are using bar graphs and line plots to organize data. Our new class volunteers who will come and help on Fridays are Kim Smith and Cheri Soulier. Thanks so much. We will begin next Friday the 30th of Sept.
In Reading: We are almost finished with Pollyanna in class. Please be sure to have your child spend part of his/her time of reading outloud to you. It is the best way to improve their fluency...practice, practice, practice. Even if they spend 5 minutes reading aloud to you and the rest silently, that will help.
In Spelling: We are on Unit 4: long e sound. In grammar we are simple and compound subjects, dates, months, and days. Your child will bring home the spelling sentences tomrrow, which will be due on Friday.
In writing: we have just finished reviewing paragraphs. We will spend some time refining this skill and strengthening our quality of writing of it.
In CORE: Your child received a Study Guide tonight for the test tomorrow. We will review again before the test. Then we'll culminate our Chemistry unit with a little Coke and Mentos experiment! Watch the blog for pictures of it!
In general: I would like to thank the Rauwerdink family for donating fun items to our treasure box. The students loved the new choices they had on Friday! If anyone else finds themselves at the store or just running across neat, gently used items in your house that you would like to donate, we SERIOUSLY appreciate them!
Please, as always, contact me if you need anything. Let's make this a great week!
Fondly,
Liz
Monday, September 12, 2011
Stafford's Scoop
Hi Parents,
Well, I believe we are in full swing now for school. Thank you for all your emails inquiring on how your child is doing. Remember that I said at Back To School Night that it takes a while to settle in and become comfortable with the daily routine and the homework pace. If your child is struggling to stay organized, please help him/her by just double checking all the homework etc. is in the backpack before you sign the planner each night. This will get easier in the next few weeks!
What's Up This Week:
Math: see your child's teacher's individual blog
Reading: We are still working through Pollyanna and learning to write complete answers for all comprehension questions. We are also focusing on "Inferencing" this week.
Spelling/Grammar: We will be doing Unit 3 on Long A sound with vowel pairs. Grammar will focus on differentiating between subject and predicate.
Writing: We will apply what we have learned about parts of speech and writing detailed sentences by writing paragraphs.
CORE: We will continue doing chemistry experiments and demonstrations to model the concepts of volume, density, mass, saturation and crystalization. We have the Chemistry unit test coming up next week.
I will send in the Book Order for the books you have chosen online for your child from Scholastic.
Thanks to all the volunteers who started this week. I look forward to seeing everyone each week.
Fondly,
Liz
Well, I believe we are in full swing now for school. Thank you for all your emails inquiring on how your child is doing. Remember that I said at Back To School Night that it takes a while to settle in and become comfortable with the daily routine and the homework pace. If your child is struggling to stay organized, please help him/her by just double checking all the homework etc. is in the backpack before you sign the planner each night. This will get easier in the next few weeks!
What's Up This Week:
Math: see your child's teacher's individual blog
Reading: We are still working through Pollyanna and learning to write complete answers for all comprehension questions. We are also focusing on "Inferencing" this week.
Spelling/Grammar: We will be doing Unit 3 on Long A sound with vowel pairs. Grammar will focus on differentiating between subject and predicate.
Writing: We will apply what we have learned about parts of speech and writing detailed sentences by writing paragraphs.
CORE: We will continue doing chemistry experiments and demonstrations to model the concepts of volume, density, mass, saturation and crystalization. We have the Chemistry unit test coming up next week.
I will send in the Book Order for the books you have chosen online for your child from Scholastic.
Thanks to all the volunteers who started this week. I look forward to seeing everyone each week.
Fondly,
Liz
Friday, September 2, 2011
Stafford's Scoop
Hi Parents,
YEA! We made it through our second week of school. Now we get to rest and have fun for three days! Don't forget, there is no school Monday! Thanks to all of you for coming to learn about our class this week. I hope our routine is more clear for you now.
What's Happening in Class?
VOLUNTEERS:We will start this week. I'll send you a confirmation of your day and time this weekend. I still need more volunteers for reading on Wednesday at 10:00-11:00, a Friday Folder preparer, and anyone else willing to help us in writing. Please email me if you think you can help us in any of these areas.
MATH:We will continue in our first unit on Geometry. Remember to expect homework Monday through Friday. For specifics in your child's math class, go the link below for his/her teacher. If you are in my math class, I will send home an email form on Monday so I can start a Distribution List of my math class.
READING: We will continue reading Pollyanna and working on the comprehension and vocabulary sheets. We are trying to have all kids take an AR test on their first book by the end of next week, so be sure to have your child read over the weekend.
SPELLING: We will be working on unit 2 this week. Because it is a short week, the sentences will be assigned on Wednesday and due on Friday. We will also work on our Grammar unit 2 and take a test on that Friday also. The rule for Spelling will be LONG A (with an open syllable or the silent e). The grammar rule will be common nouns and capitalization review.
READ ALOUD: We are reading a beautiful book I found called Floramel and Estaban. I am surprised and thrilled the students like it so much. They will be able to take an AR test on it when we finish!
WRITING: We are working on Sentence Structure and parts of speech.
CORE: We will continue working in chemistry. This is such a fun unit. Please ask your child about what experiments we do during the week!
THINGS TO REMEMBER:
-Turn in book bowl forms
-Go online and order scholastic books (the green sheet in your child's Friday Folder has the easy instructions in it.
-I will email you with volunteer times for this week.
Thanks for sharing your child with me! Have a wonderful weekend!
Fondly,
Liz
Monday, August 29, 2011
Stafford's Scoop
Hi Parents,
Wow, it is hard to believe we are already in our second week of school. Things will begin to pick up now with homework, so be sure to check your child's planner nightly and help him/her get into the routine of completing the homework for the night. Remember it is due the next day. Don't forget to sign each day and initial the minutes your child reads at home nightly.
We have just started our first 4th grade CORE novel called Pollyanna by Eleanor Porter. Your child should have it in his/her planner to read tonight. Please do not let your child read ahead in our class novel. Just have him/her read the AR book checked out after the nightly assignment is done. If your child does need to read a bit in the class novel for homework, this can count toward the 20 minutes of reading.
We do have our first Spelling list of the year this week. It is stapled into your child's planner. Tonight you can have him/her study the words, and tomorrow we will begin writing sentences in class. In the future, you can have your child begin sentence work on Monday night.
Please don't think that the math homework listed on my blog is for your child encessarily. We do switch for math classes, so check the link on my blog to your math teacher to find your child's math homework each night.
Don't forget! This Wednesday night is Back to School Night for all parents. Our meeting will not take longer than one hour, but it is SO important for you to understand our 4th grade routines. In the past, kids whose parents come to Back to School Night do far better in adjusting to 4th grade than those students whose parents did not attend. I hope to see everyone here. We will also have volunteer sign-ups then!
Please don't hesitate to email or call me if you have any questions or concerns about anything. I look forward to getting to know all of you!
Fondly,
Liz
Wow, it is hard to believe we are already in our second week of school. Things will begin to pick up now with homework, so be sure to check your child's planner nightly and help him/her get into the routine of completing the homework for the night. Remember it is due the next day. Don't forget to sign each day and initial the minutes your child reads at home nightly.
We have just started our first 4th grade CORE novel called Pollyanna by Eleanor Porter. Your child should have it in his/her planner to read tonight. Please do not let your child read ahead in our class novel. Just have him/her read the AR book checked out after the nightly assignment is done. If your child does need to read a bit in the class novel for homework, this can count toward the 20 minutes of reading.
We do have our first Spelling list of the year this week. It is stapled into your child's planner. Tonight you can have him/her study the words, and tomorrow we will begin writing sentences in class. In the future, you can have your child begin sentence work on Monday night.
Please don't think that the math homework listed on my blog is for your child encessarily. We do switch for math classes, so check the link on my blog to your math teacher to find your child's math homework each night.
Don't forget! This Wednesday night is Back to School Night for all parents. Our meeting will not take longer than one hour, but it is SO important for you to understand our 4th grade routines. In the past, kids whose parents come to Back to School Night do far better in adjusting to 4th grade than those students whose parents did not attend. I hope to see everyone here. We will also have volunteer sign-ups then!
Please don't hesitate to email or call me if you have any questions or concerns about anything. I look forward to getting to know all of you!
Fondly,
Liz
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Stafford's Scoop
WELCOME TO OUR CLASS OF 2011-2012!
Hi Prents,
Let me introduce myself. My name is Liz Stafford, and I am thrilled to be your child's 4th grade teacher this year. I have been teaching at Zach for eight years now, and seven of those years have been in 4th grade. Before that I taught at Kruse Elementary in the Gifted and Talented program. Teaching children is my passion, and I love partnering with parents to foster the overall growth for your child.
Thank you to everyone who came to our Open House on Thursday. It was nice meeting all of you, and it will make Monday a smoother day for your child! If you weren't able to make it, just come into the class early on Monday, and I'll help get your child ready.
I believe that 4th grade is such a special year for children. They are considered the "big" kids of the school now. They have a new goal of reading to learn rather than learning to read. They begin receiving letter grades which will continue through college now, rather than the primary version of grades. They will have planner to keep track of nightly homework. They are definitely going to have a big year.
Simultaneous with these changes your children will experience this year, we will work on organization. I don't want you to think that I expect your child to walk into 4th grade being organized and resonsibile. This is a trait/skill that takes many years to develop. Therefore, I hope you and I can work together as a team to help model and support for each child how this looks and feels to be organized. Some kids are born this way. Others are not. We will work to help everyone in the class at the level at which he/she is. No worries!
I hope you all can make our Back To School Night on August 31st at 6:00 a priorty for your child. Being at this meeting helps to get your child off on the right foot for the year because all of us will "be in the loop" of knowing what is expected for the year. Plus, I just really like to put names with faces and get to know you all. So, please jot down 6:00-7:00 on Aug. 31st in my classroom!
If you have any questions before then, I have an open door policy that you can come talk with me anytime at all. I'd rather you tell me any ideas or concerns right away than wait and see how it goes. My class number is 488-5159. My email is estaffor@psdschools.org. I will get back to you as soon as possible if you have to leave a message.
My motto in my class is, "Behold the mighty turtle, for he makes progress only when he sticks his neck out." Let's make this a great year for your children. I am honored to be a part of their lives.
Sincerely,
Liz
Hi Prents,
Let me introduce myself. My name is Liz Stafford, and I am thrilled to be your child's 4th grade teacher this year. I have been teaching at Zach for eight years now, and seven of those years have been in 4th grade. Before that I taught at Kruse Elementary in the Gifted and Talented program. Teaching children is my passion, and I love partnering with parents to foster the overall growth for your child.
Thank you to everyone who came to our Open House on Thursday. It was nice meeting all of you, and it will make Monday a smoother day for your child! If you weren't able to make it, just come into the class early on Monday, and I'll help get your child ready.
I believe that 4th grade is such a special year for children. They are considered the "big" kids of the school now. They have a new goal of reading to learn rather than learning to read. They begin receiving letter grades which will continue through college now, rather than the primary version of grades. They will have planner to keep track of nightly homework. They are definitely going to have a big year.
Simultaneous with these changes your children will experience this year, we will work on organization. I don't want you to think that I expect your child to walk into 4th grade being organized and resonsibile. This is a trait/skill that takes many years to develop. Therefore, I hope you and I can work together as a team to help model and support for each child how this looks and feels to be organized. Some kids are born this way. Others are not. We will work to help everyone in the class at the level at which he/she is. No worries!
I hope you all can make our Back To School Night on August 31st at 6:00 a priorty for your child. Being at this meeting helps to get your child off on the right foot for the year because all of us will "be in the loop" of knowing what is expected for the year. Plus, I just really like to put names with faces and get to know you all. So, please jot down 6:00-7:00 on Aug. 31st in my classroom!
If you have any questions before then, I have an open door policy that you can come talk with me anytime at all. I'd rather you tell me any ideas or concerns right away than wait and see how it goes. My class number is 488-5159. My email is estaffor@psdschools.org. I will get back to you as soon as possible if you have to leave a message.
My motto in my class is, "Behold the mighty turtle, for he makes progress only when he sticks his neck out." Let's make this a great year for your children. I am honored to be a part of their lives.
Sincerely,
Liz
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