I can't believe that as of this week, May is here! The year flew by, and I am looking forward to the rest of our time together in 4th grade. This class is so fun, and has made the year a breeze.

There are a few upcoming events, and you can read about them below:

CVC Ag Day:
This Tuesday, April 29th, 3rd and 4th grade have been invited to CVC's Ag Day. We will take the bus in the morning to CVC, and return around lunch time. This is such a fun event, and we are excited that CVC has invited us to attend! Please send your child to school that day in an HCS shirt. We will be leaving school at 8 AM sharp. Please plan on having your child on campus by 7:50 on this day!

4th-6th Grade Track Meet:

On May 5th, 4th grade is invited to participate in the 4th to 6th grade track meet at CVC! There will be transportation to CVC if your student is interested in particating.Thank you for turning in your permission slips! Students participating will need to wear their GREY Hanford Christian Spirit Shirt, as well as athletic shorts. Preferably navy blue. 

Field Trip:

On May 6th, we will be taking a field trip to SugarPine Railroad! This is my favorite field trip of the year! Students will be gold panning, touring a museum about the history of logging, and taking a steam engine ride through the Sierra National Forest. An email was sent last Thursday with all of the details. If you have any other questions, please let me know.

Please remember to send your student with: A sack lunch, water bottle, shoes suitable for mud (there may still be some snow on the ground), a light jacket, and $6 for Ice Cream after lunch. 

Famous Californian Wax Museum Project: 

Each student picked a famous Californian to study the week before we left for break. Students will be receiving a packet for this project to begin working on in class.  The presentation with include a trifold board that we will work on in class (stay tuned for dates), a short speech (written in class), and a research paper (Also, written in class). Students will need a 'costume' of some form to dress like their chosen Californian. Please refer to the packet for any questions you may have, and contact me if you need any further clarification. Projects will be due May 16th, and presented in the gym on May 21st. Parents are encouraged to join us!
*Students need to bring in a TriFold board by Friday this week. Please do not purchase the large boards that have the additional header top piece, as these boards need to fit on tables for our presentation day and we need to make sure all can be displayed.

In Reading, we have finished our class novel studies! Now, students will be working on a Silent Reading journal in class using a book of their choice.  We also will be working through our second Book Clubs of the year. In Math, we continuing Unit 8, which has a geometry focus.  For Social Studies this week, we will be continuing through Chapter 7, which focuses on California's government systems over time.  We will also be working on our 'Famous Californian' project, which students will present in May. In Science, students will be learning about Earth's resources and plant systems. In Bible, we will be studying what Israel was like during the reigns of various kings who were not walking with God.

*Wear tennis shoes on Monday and Friday for PE 

*Bring binders to and from school each day

*April 29, trip to CVC Ag Day

*April 30, 1:30 PM Release

*May 5, Track Meet at CVC

*May 6, SugarPine Field Trip

*May 9, Spring Festival

This week, please have students show you their binder and planner each day! This will help them get into the habit of checking it themselves daily throughout the year. 

We are back to 2 week spelling/roots units. This is a test week, here is a link to the Quizlet that your students can use to study definitions. 

This year, we are really focusing on making sure that students know their math facts well, so we will be taking a timed test each day in class. Each day will focus on a different operation. Each quarter, the kids have a goal of how many facts they should be able to complete in 1 minute. For quarter 4, that goal is 35 problems in a minute, in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Students who feel they could improve their score may also retest these days to improve their grade. After a student retests, their grade will be updated in FACTS.

If you notice a low grade in one of their time tests, please practice with your child at home! If requested, I can send home extra tests and you can time them. We also made flash cards in class. Multiplication.com is also a great resource that has timed tests in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division that are easy to practice with. Please let me know if you have any questions about this grading system.