Welcome to

What We Study in 4th Grade:

Curriculum

Reading - 4th graders need to continue to improve fluency. I strongly encourage children to find time to read at home!  They are welcome to borrow my books at any time - please just return them.  I encourage adults to ask them about what they are reading, why they chose it, and what is happening in the book - do they relate to it?

Math: We use the 4th grade I ready program. Key 4th-grade topics include: 

Literacy:  The Benchmark Literacy program will be a centering focus for  literacy instruction in 4th grade. Benchmark Advance will be a centering focus for literacy instruction in 4th grade. Students work to analyze and evaluate key ideas, details, author's craft, and text structures of fiction and non-fiction text.  Students work in narrative and expository writing genres that include autobiographical incidents, persuasive, and argumentative essays.

Writing : Students work in narrative and expository writing genres that include autobiographical incident, persuasive, and argumentative essays.

Science: We explore three main units of science through our STEMScopes curriculum:: Nature of Matter, Natural Resources, and Ecosystems.

Social Studies: 

Classroom Management

We expect students at Pine Lane to model  great behavior while at school by showing respect, responsibility, and safety. If the situation cannot be handled in the classroom between the teacher and student, a referral form will be filled out and submitted to the office. I will use email or a phone call to inform you of any behavior concerns.  We use crew time in the morning to discuss positive and negative behavior and the effect it has on others as well as ourselves. I do use various reward systems created in the classroom by the students as a collaborative effort with me and they are usually very effective.

Birthdays

We love celebrating your child's birthday in class ! Feel free to communicate with me what you would like to do, if anything, certainly not required! Options that don't include food are small dollar-store treats such as pencils, trinkets, etc.  Please just give me notice so if we have more than 1 - we can plan accordingly.  If you would like to send invites, please have your students give them to me, to be discreet, if they are not to the entire class.

Absences

If your child will be absent for more than 3 days, please notify us as soon as possible, as well as the office. Because most schoolwork requires teacher instruction, there are some lessons and activities that cannot be made up. We recommend the student read their independent novels while they are absent.

Cell-Phones

I get it - this is their lifeline.  However,  as we all know it is also a major distraction.  PLE school policy requires cell phones not to be used during the day for any reason.  If you need to contact your student - please call the main office and have them send a note to the student.  If your student needs to contact you - I will send them to the office to contact you by phone.  They will have access to their phone at the end of the day at 3:50 pm  -  if you have texted/ left a message for them.

Thursday Folders 

Every Thursday, your child will bring home a folder provided by the school.  It will contain flyers from school, PTO info, class information, graded work etc.  Please go through this every week and send back the empty folder the following day.

Homework

Your child will have homework this year.  This helps them with accountability and responsibility.  It will be a practice of what is taught in class.  And spelling tests help them learn to study for something and achieve results.

Homework -  Not all 4th-grade classes at PLE require it, it is teacher choice and discretion- I do, because I believe they need the responsibility, the accountability, and the practice as they will have it in middle and high school. If you have twins in different classes and would like me to send 2 packets -I can do that - just let me know. 

Link to access I ready from home - For Students: Schools are encouraged to provide this link (student.dcsdk12.org) 

Volunteers 

We always encourage volunteers in the classroom. I will send out emails that ask for specific events.

Toys and Fidgets

Toys are not allowed at school. They get lost, stolen, or broken. I will ask them to put them in their backpacks and not to bring them back. We, as a 4th-grade team, have encountered several incidences with fidgets that have distracted from teaching and learning over the past few years.  The original purpose for these fidgets, including spinners, are to help students focus when working. However, students often use them as toys, which is not the intended purpose of the device. As a result of students using these fidgets inappropriately, we will not allow them in the classroom.  Our administration supports us in this policy. Unless your child has a legal document such as an Individualized Education Plan or 504 that directly specifies the use of a fidget as a modification to support academic achievement, fidgets will not be allowed and are expected to stay home. 

Dismissal

If there is a change to your child's normal schedule - please advise the office so that they can advise me, I don't check emails often during the day.  If there is a permanent change, just let me know so I can update the records for end-of-day dismissal routines.  If school is called for weather, etc., you will be notified and will be required to pick up and sign out your child in the classroom.

Nut-Free Snack and Water Bottle

We have the opportunity to have a healthy snack that you will provide your student, during the day. In addition, please send in a NON SPILLABLE water bottle with only water in it.  I do have some snacks that I purchase, in the classroom, as I do not want them to go without, but - it cannot be re-occurring - Thanks!

Pine Lane empowers excellence in character, achievement, and contribution to a better world.

Link to PLE WEBSITE for more information: http://dcsdples.ss14.sharpschool.com/