UCS Grade 3/4 Newsletter
January 31st, 2025
January 31st, 2025
☃️January Learning in Full Swing!⛄
January has been a great month in the 3-4 as students are fully in the groove of our routines and academic activities! We’ve been diving into informational books, exploring new topics and learning how to gather key details. In math, students are working hard to build their skills and tackle new challenges with confidence. Meanwhile, in writing, they are becoming true experts on their chosen topics, crafting well-organized and informative pieces. It’s been wonderful to see their focus and enthusiasm for learning grow each day!
♥️Valentine's Day Exchange♥️
Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and we’re excited to celebrate with a classroom card exchange! To ensure that everyone feels included, we kindly ask that if your child chooses to participate, they bring a card (or small item) for every student in the class.
Please note that due to school policies, no food items or edible treats can be included in the exchange. Non-food items such as stickers, pencils, or small notes are great alternatives.
If providing cards or items for the exchange presents a challenge, please don’t hesitate to reach out—we’re happy to provide support to make sure every student can take part in the fun.
Your child's classroom teacher will be sending home a class list for your child to reference.
Thank you for helping us create a festive and inclusive celebration!
February Lunch Menu
Snow Motion Reminder:
We are excited to be doing Cochran's each week!
Grades 3,4 from 9-10am
Grades K-2 from 10-11am
If your child is using their own equipment, please bring it to school Thursday morning. There will be large containers near the drop off for you to put skis/snowboards into. Please note: skis and snowboards are not allowed on the bus, they must be dropped off. **Please label your child’s equipment, including helmets!** Ski boots and helmets will go to your child’s classroom. If your child is borrowing equipment, but has their own helmet, please send them with it!! We will have some helmets for students to use if they don’t have their own. Equipment will be outside at end of day during dismissal for pick up. Any equipment not picked up then will be left in the hallway inside main entrance (outside multipurpose room). It can be picked up any time before 6pm.
If you are volunteering at Cochrans, please arrive 15 min early. Thank you so much to all of you who have volunteered your time to help our students. We couldn’t do this program without you!! Please email Mrs. Cowan at Amanda.Cowan@mmuusd.org if you have any questions.
Volunteer Form Updates
Are you interested in volunteering for Snow Motion, Field Trips, or any class events at UCS? Please take a moment to complete the quick and easy VOLUNTEER FORM ... Note that the form is valid for 5 years, so if you previously filled it out for older siblings, it may have expired. If you'd like to volunteer, please submit the form again. Thank you!
Battery Blitz: SAVE YOUR OLD BATTERIES!
BATTERY COUNT: 431.2 Pounds so far!
Mrs. Bernier’s class will be collecting used batteries from January 20 to February 18 as part of the Call2Recycle program! We’re excited about the chance to win a pizza party and up to $1,000 for our classroom. To reach our goal, we need your help!
Dan Abdo Author Visit, February 5th (NEXT WEEK!)
If you did not place an order with the school for the Dan Abdo author visit, you can still order or buy your own books to bring to school on February 5th and have them signed!
To learn more about Dan Abdo, you can visit his website at: https://www.danandjason.net/
GIRLS ON THE RUN: Interest Survey
PLEASE EMAIL MRS. BERNIER IF YOUR CHILD WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE IN GIRLS ON THE RUN. We are looking to get an estimate on the number of girls who will be joining.
Our tentative schedule for the Spring will be:
Practice on Mondays and Thursdays (when school is in session) right after school until 3:45. *This is subject to change, but we will have it solidified closer to registration in February.
We will start meeting with Girls the week of March 17th.
The 5K celebration is on Saturday, May 31st. Every runner will need a running partner on this day.
Important Dates
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
February 5th ~ Author Visit @ UCS with Dan Adbo (Bring Your Books to get signed!)
February 12th ~ Student Early Release / Staff PD
February 14th ~ All-School Meeting (Mrs. Jones' Class)
February 17th - 21st ~ UCS Spirit Week
February 24th - March 4th ~ Winter Vacation - NO SCHOOL
PTO News
Despite the snow and frosty temps, it's not too early to start planning your garden! Be on the lookout for the High Mowing Seeds Fundraiser information coming home this week with your student. You will find a handout with some general information and a catalog/order form. Completed order forms and payment are due by Friday, February 21, 2025, so we can make sure seeds arrive in early March. Please reach out to the PTO with any questions at ucspto@mmuusd.org. Thanks for your support!
Current Curriculum Units
We are learning about the geography of Vermont. We will explore its geographic features and how they affect its residents. We will also explore what features make Vermont unique and what it is known for.
The Focus Questions for this unit are:
What are Vermont's geographic features?
How do they affect its residents?
What do different maps tell us?
Which Vermont features make it unique?
What are Vermont's 14 counties?
This unit focuses on understanding and finding perimeter and area using standard units of measurement, and on classifying 2-D figures. Students use standard measurement tools to measure the length of objects and the distance around 2-dimensional figures (perimeter). They use square units to measure the amount of space a given object covers (area). Students build on work connecting arrays and multiplication, and find area by multiplying length and width. They also recognize area as additive: a shape can be composed and its area found by adding the areas of the parts. Students look at rectangles that have the same area and different perimeters, and the same perimeter and different areas. Students also identify attributes of triangles and quadrilaterals, and explore different categories of quadrilaterals.
Check out this letter that includes samples of the types of math that we’ll be exploring if you are interested in more details. Click Here.
Fourth graders are focused on understanding the meaning of addition and subtraction, understanding the base-10 number system with numbers to 1,000,000, and adding and subtracting multidigit numbers fluently, including with the U.S. standard algorithms.
Check out this letter that includes samples of the types of math that we’ll be exploring if you are interested in more details. Click Here.
Third and Fourth Graders have been busy learning how to identify the main idea and supporting details in informational texts, helping us become stronger readers. We are also practicing responding to texts using the R.A.C.E model (Restate, Answer, Cite, Explain) to support our thinking with evidence. In writing, students are working hard on their informational books, researching and organizing facts about a topic of their choice. Additionally, we continue to practice writing in cursive, building fluency and confidence in this important skill. It’s wonderful to see students developing their abilities in reading, writing, and handwriting each day!
Social Media Sites
Abbie Bernier, Mia Melone, Kristy Giguere
Emails:
kristy.giguere@mmuusd.org
Location: 6 Irish Settlement Rd, Underhill, VT 05489
Phone: 802.899.4676