4th Grade did a wonderful job leading in Chapel last week! I am very proud of them, and the way that they used their gifts to glorify God!

In Reading, we will be continuing to work through our first official novel study of the year, 'Shiloh'. In Math, we will be starting our second unit of the year, and will be learning about more advanced multiplication. Students are also working on Timed tests for fact fluency, see more notes on that below. For Social Studies this week, we will be wrapping up our geography unit and painting their salt maps of California. In Science, students will be exploring the Animal Kingdom. In Bible, we will be starting our 3rd unit of the year, which spans many of the famous stories from the Old Testament.

We are excited to announce our upcoming field trip to Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa on Thursday, October 16th! This visit aligns perfectly with our study of the California Mission System. To make this trip successful, we need your support! We are seeking parent drivers and chaperones to accompany us. If you're available to help, please let us know as soon as possible. 

*Wear tennis shoes on Tuesday and Thursday for PE 

*Bring binders to and from school each day

*Early Out on Wednesday, 1:30 Release

*Family Fun Night, September 19th starting at 5:00 pm

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. 

This is not a test week for spelling and vocabulary! In addition to their packet, there is also a Quizlet link that they can use at home to study, linked here. 

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 1, that goal is 35 problems in a minute. This goal will change each quarter. If your child reaches the goal, the next week they will move on to the next fact. 

Here is how the students will be graded for Quarter 1:

1. A grade will be put in the grade book for each timed test they do. This grade will be out of 10 points. 

10/10- Students who get 45 or more questions correct in 1 minute.

9/10- Students who get 36-44 questions correct in 1 minute.

8/10- Students who reach their goal and get 35 questions correct.

7/10- Students who get 30- 34 questions correct.

6/10- Students who get less than 30 questions correct. 

2. Students who do not reach the goal will have to retake this timed test on Friday or the next week until they pass this fact. 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! We 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.