4th Grade News

January 31, 2025

Valentine's Day Boxes

A letter was sent home last week with information regarding our Valentine's Day classroom exchange and student created boxes. Please use the link below if you need access to this inforamtion. Thank you in advance for your help!

Valentines Day Letter

Baby Pictures Needed

We have a Valentines Party Activity called "Guess That Baby" where students will get to see baby pictures of their classmates and they try to guess who it is. We need your help by sending in a cute digital baby picture. Pictures where your child is between the ages of 6 months-2 years work great. We will display the baby pictures in a slideshow during our Valentines Party on February 13th. Please email the picture to your child's homeroom teacher by Friday, February 7th. Thank you in advance for your help!

Ball Point Pens Needed for ELAR

We have exhausted the supply of pens generously purchased last semester. If you can help us keep journaling with the preferred writing Instrument, we would greatly appreciate it!! These are on Dr. Ballard's Amazon Wish List.

Growth Mindset - The Key to Business Success

The article (below) discusses the reasoning behind Google's 80/20 rule, where 20% of the time, employees are encouraged to spend their time on side projects that interest them and how this relates to a growth mindset.

https://thebossmagazine.com/creating-growth-mindset/

Without love, do you have grit?

We've discovered a quote from author Jon Gordon (The Energy Bus). It has made us reframe our thinking when it comes to grit because this statement rings true. If kids don't love what they're doing, they won't put the effort to become great at it...and you can't force love. Students may feel okay about a subject (such as writing), so they won't show that grit...they won't show that extra effort to keep trying and trying until they master it. This has led us to think of questions such as "What can we do to make students have that love for certain subjects?" "What if they don't develop that love?"

Curriculum Next Week

Language Arts:

Writing an ECR

4th Math:

Input/Output tables
Math Olympiad #3 (Wednesday)
Word Problems with unknown variables

Science:

Water Cycle
- I can describe and illustrate the continuous movement of water above and on the surface of Earth through the water cycle.
- I can explain the roles of the Sun as a major source of energy in the water cycle process.

Social Studies:

Road to Revolution

Lead With GCISD

NBC 5 visited Cross Timbers Middle five years ago for a special day and specifically highlighted the ASPIRE program. To watch the news clip, please click below.

https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/carter-in-the-classroom/cross-timbers-ms-students-howl-about-their-school/2291635/?fbclid=IwAR0Lh5piXTMtfWo5ZFc608niRYnBULuO60nPIvx2DB0Rx_EpoOfRGUjZ6a8

GT Corner

Have you ever heard of Ian Byrd? He has become a guru in the realm of gifted education. Many of us in ASPIRE rely on Ian to help us shape and enhance our curriculum. You should check him out using the links below!

Website: http://www.byrdseed.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ianabyrd