April 19, 2024

Dear Parents,

We had another great week in 4th grade.  This week we wrapped up our Newbery unit.  Everyone seemed to have loved reading the award winning books.  We were able to get a bit more creative in writing this week while writing about our best features and how these features help us appreciate the world around us.  We are currently reviewing all of the math concepts we have learned this year to prepare for the Math STAAR next week.  And finally, we learned about inherited traits and learned behaviors of organisms in science.

MATH STAAR - WEDNESDAY

Next Wednesday students will be administered the Math STAAR assessment. A small snack will be provided by our amazing room moms with your generous donations from the beginning of the year. Most students also like an additional snack from home to have as they take mini breaks throughout the test. If at all possible, we ask that you not plan to eat lunch with your students on these testing days. There are so many moving pieces to the day and this can be a bit of a challenge.

*** PLEASE ensure that your child’s chromebook is fully charged with their charger in their backpack on Wednesday morning***

FAMOUS TEXAN PROJECT

This week I introduced to the students our Famous Texan project.  Your child chose a person from Texas that they would like to research.  Students are to do this research over the weekend, and complete the notes page.  Students will use their research notes to write a report about their famous Texan.  This will be done in class next week.  We will construct the template of the final product in class on Monday, but the decorating of the project will be done at home.  Please see the pictures below for example of projects from past years.  The final project is due Tuesday, May 8th.

CCE VOLUNTEER BREAKFAST

The staff of Canyon Creek would like to invite any volunteers who served our campus this school year to an appreciation breakfast.  Please join us on Thursday, May 2nd from 7:20am - 8:00am. as we celebrate an amazing year together and honor all of you who have given your time to make our school and community such a special place to be!

TEXAS DAY - CHILI COOK OFF

On Tuesday you will receive a blue sheet of paper with an introduction to Texas Day.  All students need to bring a chili recipe to school by Wednesday, May 1st.  Students will be put into groups, and the groups will decide on which chili recipe they want to make for the Texas Day Chili Cook-Off.  Each student will be responsible for contributing ingredients and/or supplies needed to make the chili.  Your child will bring home a list of their responsibilities on Wednesday, May 1st.  Please sign  this form and send it back to school by Friday, May 3rd.

TEXAS DAY - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

On May 9th while our chili is cooking, all 4th graders will be rotating through 4 different Texas themed activities that last about 45 minutes each.  Each station is in need of 2-3 volunteers during each rotation.  Please consider signing up to volunteer to make Texas Day fun for everyone!  The SignUp Genius is divided into different time slots and activity locations.  We have noted where each class will be during specific time slots if you’d like to volunteer at an activity where your child will be.  You must be on the RRISD approved volunteer list  to sign up to help.

A NOTE FROM PTA - SCHOOL SUPPLIES

Order Your School Supplies NOW!

We know that you have a lot on your plate right now, so in order to make things a little easier for you, we've set up a system through EPI, where you can order your students 2024-2025 school supplies today online or on our printed form which will go into your child's Tuesday folder next week!!!

It's that simple!!

Printed Forms will go out next week in students Tuesday folders and all printed order forms will be due back into the school no later than May 15th.

ONLINE ORDERS:

An easier alternative is you can order online.

Just click here to order an EPI school supply pack by May 21st . Make sure to enter the school ID: CAN043. Your supplies will be shipped directly to Canyon Creek Elementary School and waiting for your child when the next school year starts during Comet Kick off.

Should you have any questions please contact Pam Kuss at pamelacassells@hotmail.com

SAVE THE DATE - 4TH GRADE SHOWCASE

On Thursday, May 16th, the fourth grade students will be hosting their Showcase from 7:20 am to 7:40 am.   This is a time where students get to show off what they have learned this year.  They will guide you through a list of activities for you to complete while admiring all of the hard work they put in creating quality products.  We can’t wait to see you!

UPCOMING UNITS OF STUDY:

Reading :: Restart and Nonfiction Study

Writing :: Famous Texan report

Math :: STAAR Review and Financial Literacy

Science :: Life Cycles

UPCOMING DATES:

April 24th- STAAR Math 

May 9th - Texas Day

May 16th - 4th Grade Showcase Day (7:20 - 7:40 am)

May 21st - Field Day

May 22nd - Texas Escape Room

May 23rd - Last Day of School (Pancake Party)

Enjoy the weekend!

April 12, 2024

Dear Parents,

I cannot believe that we are so close to the end of the year.  This week sure has been packed - starting with a once in a lifetime view of the total eclipse - STAAR test - a day off…..  We have so many more fun events and activities planned, and I am excited to spend the next few weeks celebrating 4th grade.  This week we continued our Newbery unit.  We were able to get a bit more creative in writing this week while we began planning our writing about our best features and how these features help us appreciate the world around us.  We are currently reviewing all of the math concepts we have learned this year to prepare for the upcoming math STAAR test.  And finally, we looked at how plant and animal adaptations allow them to survive in their environment…. They loved the bird beak lab!

A NOTE FROM PTA - SCHOOL SUPPLIES

Order Your School Supplies NOW!

We know that you have a lot on your plate right now, so in order to make things a little easier for you, we've set up a system through EPI, where you can order your students 2024-2025 school supplies today online or on our printed form which will go into your child's Tuesday folder next week!!!

It's that simple!!

Printed Forms will go out next week in students Tuesday folders and all printed order forms will be due back into the school no later than May 15th.

ONLINE ORDERS:

An easier alternative is you can order online.

Just click here to order an EPI school supply pack by May 21st . Make sure to enter the school ID: CAN043. Your supplies will be shipped directly to Canyon Creek Elementary School and waiting for your child when the next school year start during Comet Kick off.

Should you have any questions please contact Pam Kuss at pamelacassells@hotmail.com

UPCOMING UNITS OF STUDY:

Reading :: Complete Newbery Unit

Writing :: BEST Part of Me

Math :: STAAR Review and Prep

Science:: Life Cycles

UPCOMING DATES:

April 18th - Kona Ice Day (after school)

April 24th- STAAR Math 

May 9th - Texas Day (more info to come)

May 16th - 4th Grade Showcase Day (7:20 - 7:40 am)

May 21st - Field Day

May 22nd - Texas Escape Room

May 23rd - Last Day of School (Pancake Party)

Enjoy the weekend!

Enjoy some pictures of our Solar Eclipse and our Bird Beak Lab!

April 5, 2024

Dear Parents,

Whew! We have worked very hard during this first week of April.  We continued our Newbery Book study, and we are halfway through reading our books.  In writing we reviewed how to write an Informative ECR, and in math we finished our assessment on algebraic reasoning.  In science we studied ecosystems, food chains, and food webs.   

Language Arts STAAR - Wednesday

This Tuesday, students will be administered the Language Arts STAAR assessment. A small snack will be provided by our amazing room moms with your generous donations from the beginning of the year. Most students also like an additional snack from home to have as they take mini breaks throughout the test. If at all possible, we ask that you not plan to eat lunch with your students on these testing days. There are so many moving pieces to the day and this can be a bit of a challenge.

*** PLEASE ensure that your child’s chromebook is fully charged with their charger in their backpack on Monday morning***

UPCOMING UNITS OF STUDY:

Reading :: Newbery book study - focus on theme and inferences

Writing ::  The Best Part of Me

Spelling :: No Spelling this upcoming week

Science :: Structures and Functions

Math :: Financial Literacy

UPCOMING DATES:

April 8th- Total Solar Eclipse

April 9th- STAAR ELA

April 10th- Student Holiday/Teacher Work Day

April 18th- Kona Ice after school

April 24th- STAAR Math

Enjoy the weekend!

March 8th, 2024

Dear Parents,

It has been a busy week! I know everyone is excited for spring break and I hope we can all return well-rested and ready to dive into learning together again!  This week in reading we continued our review of nonfiction text structures while in writing we studied the rules for comma usage.  We wrapped up our decimal unit in math, and in science we learned about the phases of the moon and even built a model to help us see the pattern of those phases.

FIELD TRIP

Thank you for sending in your permission slips and money for admission for the Bob Bullock Museum.  We are looking forward to our field trip on Wednesday, March 20th, after we return from break!  Your child will need to bring a sack lunch and a hearty snack as we will be eating at different times than usual.

UPCOMING UNITS OF STUDY:

Reading :: Responding to Text & Introduction to Newbery Unit

                    Nonfiction Reading Log Week 4

                   Article: Kim Williams-Guillen

                   Password: CATCH

                   Activities: D, E, F

Writing :: Rules for Commas

Spelling :: Week 22 - Homework is due Thursday, Test is on Friday

Math :: Measurement

Science :: Resources 

UPCOMING DATES:

March 11th - 15th - Spring Break

March 20th - Bob Bullock Museum

Have a wonderful break!

March 1st, 2024

Dear Parents,

It has been a busy week! This week in writing, we worked on capitalization. We finished our unit on the Texas Revolution in Texas history and began our new unit is science on patterns of Earth. In math, we ended our unit with decimals. In reading this week, we reviewed informational text structure including description, compare/contrast, and problem/solution.

Field Trip

We will be taking a field trip to the Bob Bullock Museum on Wednesday, March 20th. The cost of the ticket is $6 per student and will be due on Friday, March 8th. Your child can bring in cash or a check made out to Canyon Creek Elementary. 

• We are in need of volunteer chaperones. If you are interested in chaperoning, you will be responsible for meeting us at the museum and purchasing your own ticket prior to the museum. You will be leading a small group around the museum. In order to chaperone, you must be an approved volunteer.

UPCOMING UNITS OF STUDY:

Reading :: Nonfiction Text Structures: Cause and Effect, Order and Sequence

Writing :: Commas in a series and coordinating conjunctions

Spelling :: Spelling week 18

Science :: Patterns of Earth 

Math :: Customary Units of  Measurement Unit begins

UPCOMING DATES:

March 1st- Multicultural Fair at 5:00-7:30 PM

March 7th- Kona Ice after school

March 11th - 15th  Spring BREAK!

March 20th- Field Trip to Bob Bullock Museum

Have a wonderful weekend!

February 16, 2024

Dear Parents,

What a wonderful week for  Valentine’s Day!  Thank you to the wonderful room parents for organizing the parties, and thank you to all of the volunteers that came to help set up and serve ice cream, sundae toppings, and drinks to our 4th graders.  We played several rounds of BINGO, enjoyed our ice cream and opened all the valentine messages from friends.  Thank you to all of you for the yummy treats and the beautiful gifts that were sent my way.  I’m so glad so many of you were able to attend the party!

We had an intense week of learning too.  We talked about, when reading dramas, we need to look at the dialogue, relationships, and stage directions in order to make inferences about character traits.  In writing we reviewed some grammar rules while studying the lyrics in Taylor Swift’s song “Ours”.  It is a fun way to look for contractions, compound sentences, and homophones.   In Texas History we discussed the events of the Texas Revolution and completed our digital timeline.  Finally, we continued our unit on decimal numbers and looked at numbers that go to the tenths place and to the hundredths place. Please take some time this week to review long division with your student to help keep their skills sharp!

INTERIM RESULTS

Last week, students took a math and reading  interim test that tested their knowledge of 4th grade  skills.  This test puts students on a certain track (low, medium, or high) depending on how well they did on the first set of questions.   A report will be sent home in next week’s Tuesday folder.  The top section will show  a scale score, overall score (how many correct answers/questions), your child’s predicted STAAR performance (will not meet grade level, approaching grade level, meets grade level, masters grade level), and what form/track they were placed on: low, medium or high.

The other section breaks up the test into the different strands that are tested. You will be able to see the strengths and areas for growth for your child in regards to the different learning strands for math and reading. You can look up the specific Math TEKS skill using this MATH TEKS Snapshot.   Reading TEKS can be found here ELA TEKS Snapshot

Middle of Year (MOY) Assessments

After  winter break, the students took assessments that track their progress from beginning to middle to the end of the year. This report is being sent home in a second envelope from the intervention department. It has your child’s first and last name on it. 

UPCOMING UNITS OF STUDY:

Reading :: Review of Nonfiction Text Structures and Features

Writing :: Independent Informative ECR and Grammar Review

Spelling :: Week 16 - Homework is due Thursday, Test is on Friday

Texas History:: The Republic of Texas 

Math :: Comparing Decimals

UPCOMING DATES:

February 19th:  Teacher Work Day

February 22: 4th Grade Performance @ 6:00 PM following the PTA meeting at 5:30 PM

Have a wonderful long weekend!

February 9th, 2024

Dear Parents,

I hope you’ve as much fun as we have this week!  In Reading we finished up our retellings of a traditional literature story in the form of a script and storyboard. In Math we began our decimal unit. We also began our new unit in Texas History this week about the Texas Revolution.  In Writing we continued to work on our extended constructive responses. 

VALENTINE’S DAY PARTY

We will be having a Valentine’s Day party in class on Wednesday, February 14th at 2:00.. Your child can bring in their decorated Valentine's Day box and cards by Tuesday, February 13th. 

UPCOMING UNITS OF STUDY:

Reading :: Inferring character traits in Drama

Writing :: Focus on editing and revising- Coordinating conjunctions, contractions, and homophones

Spelling :: Week 15 - Homework is due Thursday, Test is on Friday

Texas History:: What events led up to the Texas Revolution

Math :: Decimal Unit continues

UPCOMING DATES:

February 13th: Bring in Valentines and box/bag

February 14th: Valentine’s Day Party

February 19th:  Teacher Work Day/Student Holiday

March 1st: Multicultural Fair (5-7:30)

Have a wonderful weekend!

December 8th, 2023

Dear Parents,

I want to start off by saying THANK YOU! I really appreciate the basket of goodies, gift cards, and the sweet card signed by all the children for my birthday! It was such a thoughtful gift from all of you. I felt the love!

I also cannot believe we are looking at only four more days until our first semester of fourth grade is completed. Time sure does fly!  Thank you to all the volunteers and homeroom moms for your help gathering supplies for our Winter Party on Thursday. 

This week we completed editing and revising our biography reports, reviewed simple machines in science, learned more about Stephen F. Austin and the “Old 300” and became more confident in our long division skills.We will have our long division test on Tuesday, December 12th. Any extra practice at home would be very helpful!  We will continue to review these concepts throughout the year. 

RSVP for Holiday Party

All classrooms will be having their holiday parties on Thursday at 2:00.  If you plan to either volunteer or attend the holiday party, please RSVP here.  You will need to fill out one form for each person attending.  Please remember that younger siblings are not able to attend the parties.

From the Library: Schlitterbahn Waves of Pages Challenge is HERE!

Students who read at least 10 hours between next week and February 22 will receive prizes from the library AND a free ticket to Schlitterbahn in April (read the fine print on the log for valid days)! Reading to your child & audiobooks count! Reading logs should be in Tuesday folders. Digital copies and more information can be found on the CCE Library Website. Happy Reading!!

SCIENCE FAIR!

Canyon Creek Comets, demonstrate your passion for science by entering a SCIENCE FAIR project! This year, Science Fest will be held in person on February 23rd at the Palmer Events Center. All grades are encouraged to participate, and projects from grades 3-5 will undergo judging with the opportunity to advance to the Greater Austin Regional Science Engineering Fair.

The deadline for project submissions is Friday morning, January 12, 2024. We will arrange a school-level judging event, and more details will be provided soon.

Students interested in participating can access entry forms and guidelines at https://austinscience.org/elementary.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact CCE PTA Science Fair Program Lead, Latha Sudharsan, at latha.sudharsan@gmail.com.

ORDERING STAAR PRACTICE MATERIALS

If you would like to purchase 4th grade STAAR practice workbooks to use at home for additional practice, please use this link to select the items you would like to purchase.  Please note that this is completely optional.

If your child is in TAG math, you will need to purchase the 5th grade practice workbook as they will be taking the 5th grade STAAR test in the spring.  Please use this link to purchase the 5th grade book.

UPCOMING UNITS OF STUDY:

Reading :: Biography Unit Concluded

Writing :: Biographies - complete final copy and turn in

Spelling :: no spelling until the week of January 8th 2024!

Science:: Simple Machines

Math :: Long Division and Multiplication practice ( A REVIEW went home in Homework Folders on Friday - please use this to study for our district assessment of multiplication and division on Tuesday)

UPCOMING DATES:

December 14 - Holiday parties at 2:00

December 15 - January 4 - Winter Break

January 4- Barn Hill Preserve (permission slip required to attend)

Have a wonderful weekend!