Testing & Homework

This week, I am posting a copy of our testing schedule, so that you have access whenever you may need it.

Also, during the weeks of testing, I will be requiring students to read at least 20 minutes a night. However, I will not require students to complete any written or math assignments.

Thank you for your support!

Friday Folders

There will be NO Friday Folders sent home this week, due to upcoming conferences next week. Any completed work will be sent home next Friday or with families following their conference. 

I look forward to connecting with all of you next week and if you are unsure of your time or still don't have one, please let me know! See the contact page at the top of the classroom website or click here. 

Thank you!!

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Spring Recess Letter

**This letter is going home, in homework folders, today March 19th. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Dear Parents,    

                                              

With spring weather (hopefully) upon us, the 4/5 team has decided to more fully embrace the idea of natural consequences regarding outside clothing for recess times.  This means that if a child decides to go outside without wearing a jacket, he or she might have to deal with the natural consequence of being cold.  If a child decides not to wear boots or snow pants, goes in the snow, and gets wet, he or she will have to deal with wet shoes and clothing for the rest of the day.  We encourage you to help your child make appropriate clothing choices when thinking about what the weather will be like on a particular day, and we will be encouraging independent and appropriate decision making, as well.  Thank you for your support.

The TVES 4/5 Team

March Madness & Snowshoeing

As we are in the midst of March, we are beginning our own March Madness excitement. In 4th and 5th grade, we are always sharing our favorite book titles with each other. Since we love books, we are choosing to vote for the top book of 2015! Students have completed their own Book March Madness bracket and each week we will be voting. Students will slowly hear the announcement of winning books. We are so excited and many of us can't help but speculate which title will win!! We will keep you posted...

Next week (beginning March 16th), Mr. Walling will be taking students snowshoeing for gym. Please make sure they bring appropriate clothing. This will be the last week. Thank you for your help!

P.S. A HUGE "THANK YOU" to our para Lia Kingsley for creating a beautiful bulletin board! 

Announcements

This note will be going home tomorrow (weather permitting) with students in their homework folders. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to let me know! 

February 10, 2015

Dear Families,

Wow, can you say “SNOW!” We are having some cold weather for sure! Vacation week is only a few short days away and I wanted to share a few announcements and notices:

• I will not be sending home Friday folders this Friday. They will go home with students the Monday after vacation. Please let me know if you need any information sooner. 

• Over vacation, I will be scoring reading responses. I have seen some great responses and I want to share any feedback I have with you and your child. 

• This Friday, we will exchange Valentines for students who want to bring them in. Please make sure that your child brings in one valentine for each student. Attached to this note, I have included a list of student names. There won’t be a party, but rather a possible movie/popcorn afternoon as part of our whole school bead goal. 

Thank you so much for your understanding and support! We look forward to a great week and enjoying an exciting field trip to the Montshire Museum on Thursday. Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions or comments. 

Mrs. Moore

Shinning Stars

Dear Families,

On Thursday, the whole class took a really challenging long division assessment. Many students faced challenging moments where they had to make a decision to give-up or persevere and each one persevered. As a teacher, I was so proud of their growth mindset and determination.

Late Thursday night, I finally graded their tests (Baby Anali doesn't give me any time until she falls asleep). After watching the hard-work and determination, I just felt that each and every student deserved to be recognized for their effort. So, I contacted Mrs. Fillion to make sure that I could give everyone a shinning star, she said "No Problem!"

I apologize for not informing you prior to REP, but I made the decision at the last minute. I hope you know that they worked very hard for their shinning star and deserve all the glory!

Thank you 4th graders for making me proud to be your teacher!

Mrs. Moore

New Homework Expectations and Pictures

This year, I am loving the fact that I have a classroom filled with readers. Students are showing me that they are taking the strategies and skills we talk about in class and applying them to their independent reading.

With a group of students who love reading and yearn for more homework (a teacher's dream come true), I have decided to give students a revised homework response. Students will still continue to read their 30 minutes of homework, but will have a letter response they will be required to complete each night.

Tomorrow night, students will come home with a letter that outlines all the details. I hope the expectations are clear, but please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Next week, students will start having math fact homework each night. In 4th grade, we really expect students to know their multiplication and division facts. Since we will be working on our multiplication and division units, I have decided to assess students and provide them with nightly homework practice. I will have a note that will outline all the details. I just wanted to prepare you ahead of time.

On a lighter note, we have been working on QR Codes in math and reading. I have a few pictures to share with everyone! We were able to use our new iPod touches to scan our cards. You can see them on our Pictures page!

Thank you for all of your support as we shift the homework focus! :)

Mrs. Moore

Class Schedule

Dear Families,

I wanted to share that I have added a new class page with the class schedule. If you click here, or click on the page titled Class Schedule, it will lead to a page with our class schedule for the year. The schedule is the same copy I gave you at the beginning of the school year, but this way you have access to it at all times.

I hope this will help make your families school year smoother!

Mrs. Moore

Thank You, Donors Choose!!

Dear Families,

I have some super exciting news to share!

First, I will give you a little background information. Have you heard of Donors Choose? It's amazing website that connects teachers and generous donors, so that teachers can fulfill needs they have in their classroom. I discovered this amazing website from other teachers I know.

I decided to seek funding for 2 classroom iPods. I had never posted a project before and I was hopefully optimistic that I would be able to get this project funded. To my surprise, in just a few short weeks, I was able to get funding for the 2 iPods due to MANY generous donations from kind donors that support education.

I'm so thankful to Donors Choose and the donors for bringing these amazing tools into our classroom!

In the next few weeks, students will be spending time putting a "Thank You" package together for our donors. Also, I will be setting up the new iPods we just received...so lucky!

Mrs. Moore

Pillows or Cushions

Dear Families,

In class we have reading spots for independent reading. I invited students to bring in a small pillow or cushion that will fit on their seat to use for the day, as well as during independent reading. It should be small enough to fit on their chair and it will stay in the classroom throughout the school year. Students will be able to take them home at the end of the school year. 

If your child would like to bring one in, he/she may do so beginning tomorrow. Please feel free to email me  with any questions you may have. 

Thank you,

Mrs. Moore

Spring Recess Rule Change

Spring is here...it may not feel like it, but it is! With that, the 4/5 Team is making some recess rule changes. Below, you can find a copy of the letter that was sent home. If you have any questions about the rule changes, please don't hesitate to email or call!

Thank you for your support!

Dear Parents,                                3/28/14                                                 

With spring weather (hopefully) upon us, the 4/5 team has decided to more fully embrace the idea of natural consequences regarding outside clothing for recess times.  This means that if a child decides to go outside without wearing a jacket, he or she might have to deal with the natural consequence of being cold.  If a child decides not to wear boots or snowpants, goes in the snow, and gets wet, he or she will have to deal with wet shoes and clothing for the rest of the day.  We encourage you to help your child make appropriate clothing choices when thinking about what the weather will be like on a particular day, and we will be encouraging independent and appropriate decision making, as well.  Thank you for your support.

The TVES 4/5 Team

Parent Teacher Conferences

Parent-teacher conferences will be held on Wednesday, April 2nd and Wednesday, April 9th. I will be sending a notice home tonight with dates and times you may choose from. Please don't hesitate to email or call me to arrange another time if these dates do not work for you. Also, if for some reason you need another copy of the notice and the questions, I have attached a PDF copy at the bottom of this post. Feel free to use this copy, as well.

I look forward to connecting with you again!

Weekly Happenings!

On March 14th, the TVES students and staff got the surprise of a lifetime. Devin Logan, Silver Gold Medalist in Slope Style Skiing made a trip to visit our school! We were thrilled to listen to her stories, ask questions and even touch the medal (for those lucky few). 

Math

In math this week, students will finish working on mutliplying 2-digit numbers by 3-digit numbers. Next, we will continue our work with division. Our focus will be on division with regrouping. We will begin by dividing 3-digit numbers by a 1-digit number. 

ELA

Students will continue to begin their ELA block in guided reading groups. Each group will be reading different pieces of text, but our focus will be on locating proof to support our answers, as well as writing reading responses. After guided reading groups, students will enjoy a read-aloud. Currently, we are finishing The Chocolate Touch and begin Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. Students will be writing reading responses based on our read-aloud selections. Our writing focus will be on using transition words as we transition from detail to detail. Lastly, we will work on our independent reading skills with weekly reading conferences. 

Science

Students will begin their new science unit - Earth Materials. Students will learn about rocks and minerals and explore the various properties we use to identify the various types of rocks and minerals.

**Last week, I took the time to update my contact page with the different ways to get in touch with me. Please don't hesitate to email, call or schedule a meeting. I am always here to support you and your child!

Picture Sharing

We had a strange start to the school year, but I had a chance to take a few pictures. In the first few pictures, students are practicing building stamina as independent readers. Some of the other pictures show students practicing one of their favorite games -- reflex math! There will be a picture section devoted to pictures from the school year, so please check-out as we make our way through 4th grade. I hope you enjoy some of the snapshots I have been able to capture.

Up and Running

After a lot of work, our classroom website is finally up and running. There are many sections for you to check-out. I hope they are very helpful and make you feel connected to our classroom! Students are welcome to check out the math, reader's workshop, and writer's workshop sections where I have added websites that will support extra practice in those areas. Hope you enjoy and thank you for your patience!!!