4th Grade Updates

Week of June 14th and June 21st

This is the last full week of school! As we have been reflecting on the school year with students, we have said this is definitely a year everyone will remember. We are grateful for all of your support for remote and in-person learning. There have been many challenges, but we are grateful that we were with this group of students and families.

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES

Friday, June 18th will be the last day we switch classes between Ms. Finke and Mr. Idlas. Students will have essentials and stay with Homeroom teachers the week June 21st.

Monday, June 21st - End of Year Celebration Breakfast "Picnic"

• Make your favorite breakfast

• Throw down a beach towel or blanket

• Wear your favorite picnic outfit

• Log-in to class for an end of 4th Grade picnic celebration

Tuesday, June 22nd - Last Day of School & Return School Chromebooks

Students who were issued a CPS Chromebook and Hotspot must return these items back to Murray. Devices will be collected for 4th Graders on Tuesday, June 22nd.

Week of June 7th

End of Year Assessment

On Monday and Tuesday students will be taking end of year assessments in Reading and Math. This assessment will help use to understand your child's strengths and areas of learning need. We will be able to share this information with the 5th grade teachers sot that they can begin planning for next year.

We ask you to encourage your child to try his/her very best.

Schedule

Room 203

• Monday - ELA Assessment

• Tuesday - Math Assessment

Room 204

• Monday - Math Assessment

• Tuesday - ELA Assessment

Wednesday - we will share a schedule with students who may need additional time to finish their assessments.

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🇺🇸Week of May 31st

Happy Memorial Day Weekend! Enjoy the holiday and we will see you on Tuesday, June 1st!

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Week of May 24th

Here we go! The last 5 weeks of the 2021-2022 School Year! We know it's been a tough and challenging year, but let's continue to work together to make it a successful end of year!

This is our last week of choir rehearsals with the Chicago Children's Choir. We are so grateful to our conductor, Magdalena Delgado, for her flexibility and creativity to reach all of our students this school year.

On Thursday we sent and email sharing information about the upcoming CPS"My Body. My Rights." training on Wednesday, May 26th at 11:10 am. Additional information is found below.

4th-8th Grade: My Body. My Rights Overview

Request to Opt Out Form

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Week of May 17th

IAR Testing Begins May 17th

IAR TESTING

Pod A - ELA on Monday and Math on Tuesday

Pod B - ELA on Thursday and Math on Friday

Link to Schedule for Remote Students

Please read and go over with your child. Students will be working independently for much of the day so please help support the expectation to complete assignments posted in Google Classroom for Ms. Finke and Mr. Idlas. We will meet with students at the beginning of the day for attendance and the end of the day for check-in and a lesson. Pod B will follow this schedule on Monday and Tuesday. Pod A will follow this schedule on Thursday and Friday.

Wednesday is a normal Wednesday Schedule, no testing

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Week of May 10th

🌷 🌺 🌼 🌸

Happy Mother's Day to all of our wonderful 4th Grade mothers! We hope you have a wonderful and relaxing day!

🌷 🌺 🌼 🌸

We have wrapped up the 3rd week of the Fourth Quarter. We encourage parents to have their children log-in to Aspen Gradebook to show their progress and make a plan as needed to finish out 4th grade on a high note.

Link to Aspen Gradebook

IAR Testing Begins May 17th

In Person Students

In Person students only will participate in the IAR testing, Illinois Assessment of Readiness, beginning on Monday, May 17th. Pod A will test on Monday and Tuesday. Pod B will test on Thursday and Friday. We are waiting for the testing schedule from administration and will share it with you as soon as we have it.

Remote Students

Remote students will have asynchronous assignments (independent work) during the testing window. Students will log on for attendance, Essentials, and one lesson a day. We are waiting for this schedule from Administration and will send it as soon as we have it.

Week of May 3rd

Thank you to all the families in Room 203 who made the quick return to Remote Learning this past Monday. We know this was a bit of a pause in our return to in-person learning, but we are grateful for all of your efforts!

SCHOOL DAY

The Murray school day is 8:45-3:45. A reminder of how students should be using some of this time.

8:45-8:55

• Make sure materials are organized and near workspace- Notebooks, pencils, etc.

• Test technology - log-in to computer, open Google Classroom, plug in charger or have charger nearby.

• Log-in to homeroom no later than 8:55

2:45 - 3:45

The day is not over! Students are to complete daily assignment from Ms. Finke, Mr. Idlas, and Essentials teachers. This includes daily practice on IXL and Independent Reading.

Here's to a great week!

Week of April 26th

It was wonderful talking with each of your during conferences this past week. A gentle reminder we still have a full quarter of learning ahead of us and we will be working hard each day. Please help your child to monitor his/her progress in Google Classroom , Seesaw, as well as Aspen.

Welcome back to our Pod A and Pod B. They have made a smooth transition back to in-person learning.

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FREE BOOKS!

Saturday, April 24th, 9-11 am

Semicolon Bookstore

515 N. Halsted Street

They are offering FREE BOOKS to children and young adults - all CPS students and Chicago school-age children are eligible. You need to sign-up so follow this link for more information.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSemnbX8Hi5EwxSaXmuvM99rm3rI76DBkhntSQG6_R32ZUmYnA/viewform

Week of April 19th

New quarter, fresh start! It's hard to believe we have reached the last quarter of the year. What a year it has been! This week we will welcome back the next wave of students to Murray. There is a slight shift in our schedule that only affects Specials and Choir. All other class periods will remain the same for in-person and remote students. Please print the schedule for your child so s/he can access with ease.

Parent Conferences on Wednesday, April 21st - students do not have classes this Wednesday so that teachers can conduct conferences. Based on your sign-up preference, we have sent confirmation times. We look forward to talking with you then.

**Wednesdays** - a reminder on other Wednesdays, students attend remote classes in the morning and have independent work assignments to complete in the afternoon. We have been diligent to make sure the afternoon work is appropriate in length and accessible for students to complete on their own. We are noticing a trend that some students are not using this time and work is incomplete. Please touch base with your child to help him/her to make a plan in order to make the days a success.

Have a wonderful week!

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Week of April 12th

The 3rd Quarter comes to an end on Thursday, April 15th.

Homeroom teachers have sent emails to parents to sign-up for Parent Conferences scheduled for Wednesday, April 21st. Report Cards will be mailed home, but likely won't arrive before conferences. Please be sure to make sure you can log into Aspen in order to review your child's grades before our meeting.

4th Quarter - The fourth grade will be welcoming back several new students for in-person learning beginning on Monday, April 19th! We will continue with the current 2.0 schedule. Attention all in-person learning families: be on the lookout for information from Administration that identifies the days your child will be attending school.

Have a wonderful week!

❗️Important schedule update ❗️

Please note that there was a mistake on the 204 schedule- We caught a mistake in the 204 schedule. Writing is not in the morning, it will be after lunch in the afternoon with Ms. Finke. The 203 schedule was correct and has not changed. Apologies to families of Homeroom 204 who have already printed the schedule. Below you will find the correct schedules for both homerooms.

Room 203 Room 204

Week of March 1st

WELCOME BACK STUDENTS! This week 15 fourth graders will make the return to the classroom for in-person learning while 39 students continue with remote learning. This will be an adjustment for all students, parents, faculty, and staff. We ask for everyone to be patient as we know there will be kinks as we figure out this new rhythm.

We will continue this week with Schedule 1.0 - the schedule your child has used throughout the year. We will introduce Schedule 2.0 this week.

Keeping up with Classwork - since the start of the 3rd quarter, there has been a downward trend in students using independent time to complete assignments. We have brought the missing work to your child's attention, have held study periods to catch-up, and have been working on rebuilding independence in the classroom. We strongly encourage you to review Aspen, Google Classroom, and Seesaw to help your child set some personal goals for class participation and completing work when it's assigned.

Week of February 22nd

Hybrid Learning Model begins on Monday, March 1st.

We ask that students returning to school begin practicing mask wearing for the entire school day. In order to maintain the safest learning environment possible students will be required to wear a mask at all times, except while eating.

In-person and Remote learning will occur simultaneously. During the week we will work with all students to understand their new schedules. We will also have meetings with the In-Person students to discuss procedures and expectations in the school building.

Reminder that Hybrid Learning Model requires a shift to our daily instructional schedule to support In-Person and Remote students simultaneously. We will work with students to help them build independence. We do ask families to review and see the shifts in lunch time and Specials schedule. This schedule will go into effect on March 8th.

Printable Links:

Room 203 Room 204

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Week of February 15th

Monday, February 15th is President's Day, No School!

Arts Enrichment Opportunity - Chicago Children's Choir - Follow this link above to find out more about an opportunity from the Chicago Children's Choir!

Hybrid Learning Model begins on Monday, March 1st.

In-person and Remote learning will occur simultaneously. During the week of February 22nd, we will work with all students to understand their new schedules. We will also have meetings with the In-Person students to discuss procedures and expectations in the school building.

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Week of February 8th

First the snow, now the cold, we must live in Chicago! Thank you to our students and families for your continued flexibility over these past few weeks (months, and now, almost a year!). We know it's been challenging and we will continue to do our best to provide high level instruction and learning for your child.

NEW QUARTER - FRESH START!

We look forward to starting the 3rd quarter with new energy as well as new units. Please continue to help your child monitor his/her progress by looking at "View My Work" in Google Classroom and "Journal" in Seesaw.

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Week of February 1

End of 2nd Quarter

It's hard to believe, but we have reached the middle of our academic year as we wrap up the 2nd quarter. As always, grades are visible online through Aspen. Report Cards will be mailed home to families.

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The Hybrid Learning Model requires a shift to our daily instructional schedule to support In-Person and Remote students simultaneously. We will work with students to help them build independence. We do ask families to review and see the shifts in lunch time and Specials schedule.

Room 203 Room 204

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Week of January 25

In-Person Learning begins on Monday, February 1st. Our daily instructional schedule will be changing for all students . The administration is in the process of finalizing the 4th grade schedule and we share it with you as soon as we can.

2nd Quarter ends February 4th - We will be working hard to make these next two weeks meaningful. Please remember, students are given time throughout the day to work on assignments. Your child's work can be monitored in Google Classroom under "View My Work" and in Seesaw under "Journal". We do take brief bathroom/stretch breaks during the day, but that's only for 5 minutes. Otherwise, your child should be engaged in classes or independent work throughout the school day.

Week of January 18

Monday we honor and celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr.

Hybrid Learning Model begins February 1st

The Hybrid Learning Model begins on Monday, February 1st which means remote and in-person learning will be occurring simultaneously. For the families who have signed-up for in-person learning, we are asking for your support to help your child with this transition. To help build stamina for district-wide expectations and routines, during the week of January 25th please have your child:

1. Wear a mask for the entire school day. Masks are only to be removed when eating.

2. Develop self-awareness of being in a personal desk space. There will be limited movement during the school day.

3. Understand school-wide social distancing (6 feet) at all times.

Remote Learning Families who have not signed-up can choose to opt into the Hybrid-Model at the beginning of 4th Quarter. Parents can opt-out of the Hybrid-Model at any time.

Remote Learners will continue to attend the Google Meets sessions daily. We know it will be an adjustment listening to us teach with a mask on for the entire school day. Please be patient as we adjust to a new way of teaching both Hybrid-Learners and Remote Learners simultaneously. Wednesdays will be fully remote learning days for both students and teachers.

We will send out additional information about schedules and rosters when we receive it from administration and the district . We do not have that information at this time.

Have a Wonderful Weekend!

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Week of January 11

We had a successful first week back to school. Students worked hard to rebuild routines and work stamina. We are proud of them and look forward to what's to come.

Please help your child to monitor his/her work it can be seen under "View My Work" in Google Classroom and "Journal" in Seesaw.

Reminder: Children are to stay logged in to class until they have been dismissed by the teacher. At this time, our schedules are pretty consistent. If your family is experiencing internet issues, please be sure to let the teacher know.

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Happy New Year!

We hope you had a wonderful and restful holiday and Winter Break!

This week we will work hard to rebuild relationships and routines to make each day meaningful. Please help your child to review the schedule page to ensure on-time arrival to class, maximize independent work and online support opportunities.

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Week of December 14th

Wow! We are almost to Winter Break! Hip-Hip Hooray!

Progress Reports will be mailed home on Friday, December 18th.

Holiday Celebration on Friday

Students will stay with their homeroom teachers on Friday, December 18th for a variety of activities including:

• Pajama Day - come dressed in your favorite and most cozy pajamas

• Class Breakfast @ 9:00 a.m- prepare your favorite breakfast and bring it to class for a shared meal

• Games, Puzzles, and Brainteasers

• Holiday Activities in Seesaw

• Art or PE as always!

• Afternoon Movie!

Wednesday is Hat Day and Thursday is Crazy Hair Day

Week of December 7th

Happy December! We have two full weeks remaining before a much deserved Winter Break.

Arriving On Time: It's very important for children to log into class on time. That may mean starting up the computer 5 minutes before the start of class to make sure he/she logs-in on time.

Reminder: Children are to stay logged in to class until they have been dismissed by the teacher. At this time, our schedules are pretty consistent. If your family is experiencing internet issues, please be sure to let the teacher know.

Students are given time in class and during independent work periods to complete assignments. We strongly encourage families to review student work in Google Classroom under "View My Work" and in Seesaw under "Journal" every couple days to make sure your child is keeping up with his/her work.

Progress Reports will be sent home on December 18th

Week of November 30th

Murray Schoolwide Assessments

We hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving break and that you and your families are well. The week of November 30th students will be taking a benchmark assessment created by Murray staff to help teachers understand skills your child has mastered and skills that need additional attention. It's very important your child take his/her time, put effort into the work, and make sure it is his/her work. We will review this data to make instructional decisions to help guide our work over the next few months.

Testing Schedules

Room 203

• Monday - Reading

• Tuesday - Reading, continued if needed

• Wednesday - Math

• Thursday - Math, continued if needed

Room 204

• Monday - Math

• Tuesday - Math, continued if needed

• Wednesday - Reading

• Thursday - Reading, continued if needed

As usual, students are to report to all classes on time and we will give guidance on how to log in to the assessments and work to do when finished. Students are to stay online throughout the assessments and we will give additional directions as needed.

Week of November 23rd

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! 🦃🥧 🦃 🥧🦃🥧

We send warm wishes to you and your family this Thanksgiving. We know it will look and feel different this year as we celebrate in smaller groups away from our extended families. We wish to all of you peace and good health.

No School - Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

We will see everyone back rested and ready to go on Monday, November 30th. Students will be taking a middle of the year reading and math assessment that week (starting on Monday!) so please be log in to class on time ready to go :)

Week of November 16th

Wednesday, November 18th is Parent Conference Day. Your child's homeroom teacher has emailed a confirmation time. Please remember the conferences are back-to-back so we will do our best to call you at the scheduled time. There is no school for students on Wednesday.

Reminder: Children are to stay logged in to class until they have been dismissed by the teacher. At this time, our schedules are pretty consistent. If your family is experiencing internet issues, please be sure to let the teacher know.

Students are given time in class and during independent work periods to complete assignments. We strongly encourage families to review student work in Google Classroom under "View My Work" and in Seesaw under "Journal" every couple days to make sure your child is keeping up with his/her work.

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A Message from Mr. Mason and Ms. Burton

We will distribute student report cards at Murray on the following days:

· Thursday, November 12^th from 8:45AM- 6:00PM

· Friday, November 13^th from 8:45AM- 3:45PM

· Monday, November 16^th from 8:45AM- 6:00PM

· Tuesday, November 17^th from 8:45AM- 6:00PM

Parents do not need an appointment. We do ask that parents provide an ID for security purposes.

We have a limited amount of door prizes to give on a first come, first served basis. Each parent’s name will be entered into our raffle for some additional cool prizes.

Week of November 9th

Parent Conferences are scheduled for Wednesday, November 18th. Your child's homeroom teacher will email you directly a sign-up form. Please complete as soon as possible and know we will do our best to accommodate your preferred time.

Monday, November 9th is the start of the 2nd Quarter. As we reflect on the 1st Quarter, we are so proud of the students for digging in and working so hard in this most peculiar manner of schooling. And to you the parents, we know how hard you are working to manage your own work, home, and child's education. Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to another great quarter.

Attendance- Research suggests that students learn the most when they are consistently in school. As we continue into the second quarter we wanted to take a moment to commend students and families who have consistently logged on daily and for each class period. Keep up the great work! We also wanted to note that when students are not in class on a daily basis are at higher risk of falling behind. Our work builds upon previous days work. While we completely understand the occasion need to take a day off for an appointment or other family needs, we also want to make sure that students aren't missing multiple days in a row as it can become very difficult for students to get caught up.

Independent Work- Friendly reminder that even though class is over at 2:45, the school day does not end until 3:45. We strongly recommend that students complete their independent work right after class. That way the work does not pile up and will feel much less overwhelming to complete.

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Week of November 2nd

Tuesday - Election Day, No School & Friday - Teacher Inservice Day, No School

The First Quarter is coming to an end this week.

Save the Date

Parent Conferences are scheduled for Wednesday, November 18th. We will be in touch with details on how to sign-up for a time.

IXL account information has been distributed and at this time all students should have logged in with Mr. Idlas and Ms. Finke. When children finish up an assignment and say they are done but there is still plenty of time in the school day, please remind them 1. Review classwork carefully. 2. Login to IXL and work on the "Recommendations" page. If it's their math/science period, they should work on Math. If it's their reading/writing period, they should work on Language Arts.

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Week of October 26th

As we near the end of the 1st Quarter (November 5th), please have your child review his/her work with you on a regular basis.

This week we will be distributing IXL usernames and passwords. Unfortunately IXL does not link to Google Classroom so these usernames and passwords will need to be stored in a safe place. We will have students record them in their Red Math Notebook and Blue Reading Notebook for quick access during class.

REMINDER:

Murray PTO Virtual Scholastic Book Fair: Please follow this link between October 19th - November 1st to visit and purchase books that will support Murray Language Academy.

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Week of October 19th

The School Day is 8:55-3:45 - Remember, even though we are done with whole group at 2:45, the school day does not officially end until 3:45. Please check in with your child to make sure s/he has completed all assignments. If not, please make sure remaining classwork is completed during this time. Both Ms. Finke and Mr. Idlas are in their Meets in case students need help.

Chicago Children's Choir : Our choir conductor, Ana Magdalena Delgado sent an email on Wednesday with a registration form for the Chicago Children's Choir. Please complete the form as soon as possible. Thank you!

Murray PTO Virtual Scholastic Book Fair: Please follow this link between October 19th - November 1st to visit and purchase books that will support Murray Language Academy.

Reminders:

• Please see Ms. Finke's and Mr. Idlas's pages for upcoming assignments and assessments.

• Assignments are to be completed the day they are assigned unless otherwise noted.

• No late work will be accepted after 5pm on the Saturday of the week it was assigned.

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Week of October 12th

Monday is Indigenous Peoples' Day - No School

Reminders:

• You can view your child's work in real time by having your child open his/her Google Classroom and Seesaw accounts to monitor progress and see comments from the teacher.

• Assignments are to be completed the day they are assigned unless otherwise noted.

• No late work will be accepted after 5pm on the Saturday of the week it was assigned.

Aspen Online Gradebook

Grades have been entered into gradebook and will be regularly added. You and your child can view these grades online. Click here to access the Parent Portal. Click here to access the Student Portal.

Troubleshooting: Use a computer to create and log-in to parent portal to avoid the aggravation that is encountered when using a SmartPhone.

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Week of October 5th

Announcement: Testing During Remote Learning

Hello families! We know that every parent wants to see their child succeed and the knee jerk reaction can be to help when we see them struggling. This said, our philosophy is that testing should reflect the student's learning. As such, we have put together this list of guidelines for testing while we are in remote learning:

• Find a quiet, relaxed environment where students can focus and work independently

• Please feel free to help your student with technological questions if they come up

• Please refrain from giving academic help on assessments. The test should reflect only what the student knows

• In the classroom, if a student asks questions about how to answer a question, we will encourage them to think about strategies practiced in class

• If they are still stuck, we encourage students to use test taking strategies like moving on and then coming back to the difficult question

• When assessments are given, the teachers will remain online to offer support and help clarify directions

We want you to know assessments are used to plan future instruction. If we get work that students have received help on, this can actually put students further behind. Everything we do builds upon previous lessons; we want to make sure our data is as authentic as possible. We will always give reminders and a chance to review before assessments. which is the best time to give your student help with their work. As always, we appreciate your support!

Progress Reports

We will be finalizing grades on Wednesday, October 7th and Progress Reports will be sent on Friday, October 9th by administration. Remember, you and your child can access the online gradebook by following the steps below linked in last week's announcements.

Chicago Children's Choir

Room 203 - Thursdays Group A at 1:30 Group B at 2:00

Room 204 - Fridays Group C at 1:30 Group D at 2:00

The students' group assignment will be listed in Google Classroom. Our conductor is Magdalena Delgado and an invitation to join her Google Classroom will be sent soon. We will teach students how to join Ms. Delgado's class and will give reminders on rehearsal day.

In addition, we made changes to the schedule to reflect our choir times.

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Week of September 28th

Announcement: The Chicago Children's Choir start date has been set!

• Room 203 will begin on Thursday, October 8th

• Room 204 will begin on Friday, October 9th

We will be sure to share the details next week about the slight schedule changes and how students will log on for rehearsals.

Aspen Online Gradebook

Grades have been entered into gradebook and will be regularly added. You and your child can view these grades online. Click here to access the Parent Portal. Click here to access the Student Portal.

Troubleshooting: Use a computer to create and log-in to parent portal to avoid the aggravation that is encountered when using a SmartPhone.

Reminder: You can view your child's completed work in Google Classroom and Seesaw to monitor progress and see comments.

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Week of September 21st

Thank you for your continued support throughout our second week of school. We seem to have overcome many of the technology hiccups and the children are demonstrating confidence with Google Classroom and Seesaw. We hope you, as the support network, are feeling you are able to pull back a little bit more each day to let your child navigate his/her day.

Grading Policy

Reading, Math, Science, and Social Studies:

50% Classwork 40% Tests/Quizzes 10% Participation

Writing

50% Spelling and Grammar 50% Essays and Reader Response

Assignments are to be completed the day they are assigned unless otherwise noted.

No late work will be accepted after 5pm on the Saturday of the week it was assigned.

Schedules

Reminder: The end of the day is a period to complete any unfinished work. Mr. Idlas and Ms. Finke are online to answer students' questions or provide support. At this time, your child should have little to no work to complete after school hours.

FORMS

Reminder: Please complete and submit the Family Income Form as well as the Student Information forms as soon as possible. We depend on the Family Income form to receive school funding. Scroll down to last week's announcements for links and directions to completing this forms. THANK YOU!

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Welcome Back to School!

Week of September 8th

We are excited to embark on the new school year and are anxious to meet our new students and find out what makes them so wonderful! This first week of school will be dedicated to beginning our yearlong quest to build relationships, community, and grow as individuals, scholars, and citizens. We are also going to work out the kinks of Remote Learning by focusing to build comfort and confidence with Google Classroom and Seesaw.

As with any new year and endeavor, there may be some bumps in the road ahead. We will work hard together to overcome these hurdles and we ask for your patience as we build our rhythm. Below are lessons we will teach this week:

Leader In Me Lessons

• Revisiting the 7 Habits

• Personal Interests and how we use them to contribute to our classroom community

• Building community from afar

Remote Learning Lessons

• Online etiquette

• Logging in to Google Classroom

• Google Classroom tour

• Seesaw Tour

• Completing assignments and how to submit them

• How to check email

• How to write an email to your teacher

• Reviewing graded work and teacher comments

Executive Function - Organizing our Materials!

• Color coding by subject

• Storing our materials at home

• How to prepare for our Online Lessons

4th Grade School Supply List