Dear Parents!

This week was one of those weeks where I found myself thinking, “I really love fourth grade.”

We met with our Pre-K 4 buddies this week. We read together and then completed a scavenger hunt. It was so fun to watch the fourth graders with their little buddies. They were patient, careful, encouraging, and so sweet with them. And somehow, seeing them next to a group of tiny Pre-K students made them look about ten years older! It is funny how different fourth graders can seem when they step outside our classroom. They really are growing into such wonderful young people.

This Generation

These fourth graders give me so much hope for this generation. Their faith, their questions, and the way they genuinely want to understand things continue to surprise me.

This week in Religion, we learned about Padre Pio and the Stigmata. As you can imagine, this led to some pretty big questions. One student asked, “Why did Padre Pio receive the stigmata?”

That is not exactly an easy fourth-grade question!

The best answer I could give was that it was a gift from God that united Padre Pio to the suffering of Christ. From there, we talked about suffering and how we can offer our suffering to God and for other people. We talked about how even things that are difficult, frustrating, or painful can become an offering when we give them to God.

I love that fourth graders don't just accept an answer and move on. They want to know why. Sometimes their questions make me stop and think, too.

A Stinky Lunch, a Guilty Conscience, and Confession

We also found a pretty unexpected way to connect Religion and Reading this week!

In Sideways Stories from Wayside School, we met Joy, who steals her classmates' lunches and then blames someone else. One of her classmates loses a delicious lunch and ends up having to eat the lunch lady's disgusting “mush” instead.

But here is where Louis Sachar gets wonderfully strange.

The student who was forced to eat the mush eventually forgets about it and goes outside to play. Joy, meanwhile, forgets how delicious the stolen food was, finds herself hungry again, and eventually discovers that all food tastes like the lunch lady's mush. For years!

We decided that this was Joy's “logical punishment.” She may have gotten away with stealing, but she didn't get away from her own guilt.

So I asked the class, “Have you ever done something that you got away with, but somehow felt worse because you didn't get caught?”

Almost every hand went up.

That led us right into a conversation about Confession. We talked about how admitting what we have done, asking for forgiveness, and receiving God's forgiveness can lift that weight off of us.

I asked, “So what is Confession for?”

I got several thoughtful answers.

Then Camden said, “To wash away our sins.”

I think he pretty much summed it up.

Wayside Meets Language Arts

We also found a way to turn our Language Arts lesson into a little performance!

We have been learning how to properly punctuate and format direct quotations, so several volunteers acted out a scene from Wayside School that contained lots of dialogue. The rest of the class had to listen carefully and write down exactly what was said, then format the dialogue correctly.

It was one of those activities where they were practicing something important without quite feeling like they were doing a worksheet. And, of course, fourth graders are always happy to have an excuse to act something out.

We also celebrated Homecoming this week by dressing down on Thursday and heading to the assembly to get ourselves pumped up.

Go Cardinals!

And Then There Were No More Chapters...

We officially finished Sideways Stories from Wayside School this week!

After all the strange characters, impossible situations, missing teachers, mysterious lunches, and upside-down logic, we had to give the book a proper send-off. We worked in groups to create character inference posters about our favorite characters.

It was a fun way to end a book that has given us so much to laugh about and talk about. I think the kids are going to miss Wayside a little bit... although I have a feeling they are going to bring some of Wayside's absurdity into our own writing.

Looking Ahead

Next week we will have our first all-school Mass, and Brendan will be serving as an altar server. We will also begin one of my favorite projects of the year: writing ourselves into a Wayside School chapter!

The students will work in groups to create their own Wayside characters and write a chapter that could belong in the book. I cannot wait to see what they come up with. Between the things that happen in our classroom and the things that happen at recess, I have a feeling they will have plenty of wonderfully absurd material to work with.

Fourth grade is a pretty special place right now.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Ms. Enright

Dear Parents!

What a week of learning we had! Sometimes I wish you could see your kids in school. What they accomplish, the questions they ask, the way they say their prayers, and the ways they really do listen to their teacher. It is so fun to watch.

Of course, we are all still growing, but I am growing right alongside these kids. Every day I am learning more about what I can do to help them learn and grow, and also how I can help them come home and say that they had a good day at school. I am very proud of the way fourth grade has been learning!

A few things from this week:

The whole class received 2 Cardinal Cash from Mrs. Gangner for being good role models on our way down to church. They did a great job!

Danny F., Connor, and Marty received Cardinal Cash for cleaning up a pretty nasty mess of pencil sharpener shavings that they did not even make. They saw it, cleaned it up, and did it without being asked. I love those moments. It is so nice to see kids doing the right thing simply because they see that something needs to be done.

Madelyn took on the Social Studies extra credit challenge to find a way to serve others and helped make dinner for her family! Way to go, Madelyn!

I-Ready is officially finished! The kids worked hard, and they got to enjoy a little yoga brain break afterward.

One thing I really want to work on this year is reading comprehension. The best way to help with that is to read with your kids. It really can be that simple.

Have them read aloud to you while you are making dinner or doing the laundry. You do not have to stop everything and sit down for 30 minutes. Just listen when you can. Laugh when something is funny. Say, “Hmm, that’s interesting,” or ask, “Why do you think that happened?” It is a joy to me when they ask, "What does this word mean?" You are the best advocate to expand your child's vocabulary and reading comprehension. 

Those little conversations are a great way to help them think about what they are reading without making it feel like more schoolwork.

I have been very proud of the way fourth grade can learn. They have been doing a great job, and I am excited to keep watching them grow!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Ms. Enright

Dear 4th Grade, 

We had a busy and fun week in Room 9! We celebrated birthdays, welcomed Evan back, finished our first personal narratives, held our first classroom spelling bee, had some really thoughtful conversations, and even had a surprise visitor outside Music class!

There were lots of little moments this week that made me smile and reminded me how much this group is learning and growing together.

What We Learned

ELA: Our First Writing Workshop

This week we had our first Writing Workshop!

Students finished their personal narratives and read their final drafts aloud to their classmates. After listening, students shared something they thought the writer did well.

It was really nice to see students listening to one another and noticing the good things their classmates are doing as writers. Sharing writing can feel a little uncomfortable at first, so I was proud of the way they participated and encouraged one another. 

Reading: Sideways Stories from Wayside School

We had a lot of fun reading Sideways Stories from Wayside School this week! The students have loved all of the strange, silly, and completely absurd things that happen at Wayside.

I kept reminding the kids that this book was written for kids, and they did a great job looking past the funny and ridiculous parts to figure out the real ideas underneath the stories.

Some of the ideas they came up with were:

• Ruby: “Lies stink like dead rats.”

• John M.: “Sometimes doing the right thing will get you in trouble.”

• John G.: “You don't need a reason to be happy.”

• Eli: “Sometimes the hard way is the only way.”

I was really impressed by how the students were able to go from laughing at something completely absurd to thinking, “Okay, but what is the real idea here?”

That has been one of my favorite parts of reading this book with them. They are having fun with the story, but they are also learning to look a little deeper.

We are getting very close to the end! Instead of taking a test, we will celebrate finishing the book with a choice activity. Students can either draw their favorite character and explain why that character was memorable or write themselves into the story and imagine what it would be like to be a student at Wayside School.

Religion: The Eucharist

We continued learning about the Eucharist and talking about Jesus' sacrifice for us. We had some really thoughtful conversations about what it means to follow Jesus and make sacrifices for others.

During our discussion, Aria shared a quote that really stood out to us:

“Because Jesus sacrificed His life for us, we can sacrifice our life for Jesus.”

We talked about how following Jesus does not always mean doing something huge. It can also mean making small sacrifices, choosing kindness, helping someone, serving others, and putting someone else before ourselves.

Social Studies: September 11 and Service

We had a really thoughtful conversation about September 11 this week. I was impressed by how much the students already knew and by the questions and ideas they brought to the conversation.

We talked about what happened on September 11, 2001, the people who were affected, and the many people who stepped up to help others.

This connected naturally to our conversations about Labor Day, service, and helping others. We talked about how people can use their time, talents, and work to help others, both in big ways and in small everyday ways.

Spelling

We had our first classroom spelling bee this week!

Congratulations to Rowan, who won by correctly spelling the word “fuse.” Rowan earned an automatic 100% on our first spelling test.

Way to go, Rowan!

Room 9 Celebrations

Happy Birthday, Marty and Madelyn!

We celebrated Marty and Madelyn's birthdays this week!

Welcome Back, Evan!

We were so happy to have Evan back with us this week! He came back to school with a soft cast on his arm after we had all been praying for “Mr. Pacheeko.”

Some of Evan's friends even chose to sit out at recess with him while he waited to get his hard cast. When he finally got it, we all signed it, and lots of his friends have been eager to help him with his things throughout the day.

It has been really sweet to see how much the kids care about Evan and look out for him. It was a great reminder that our classroom is a community, and we take care of each other.

Congratulations, Melania!

Congratulations to Melania for receiving a Cardinal Call-Out this week!

We are proud of you, Melania!

Congratulations to Our Football Team!

Congratulations to our football team for their win this week!

The team was kind enough to share their victory with Room 9, and their win earned the whole class two pieces of bubblegum!

Needless to say, everyone was pretty excited about that!

Picture Day

Everyone looked snazzy for Picture Day!

A Surprise Visitor

We had an unexpected visitor outside Music class this week: a praying mantis!

We were all amazed and had to stop for a minute to watch it. Definitely not something you see every day!

A Goal for Room 9

One thing we are continuing to work on in Room 9 is getting along and learning how to handle the little things.

Fourth grade is a big step, and part of growing up is learning that not every disagreement needs to become a big problem. We are working on using kind words, giving each other space, talking things out, and knowing when it is time to simply let something go.

There is no good reason for classmates to be fighting over silly things. We may not always agree with each other, and we are not always going to be best friends with everyone, but we do need to treat each other with kindness and respect.

A Favorite Part of the Week

One of my favorite parts of the week was seeing how much the students had to say.

Whether we were laughing at something ridiculous in Wayside, listening to a classmate read a personal narrative, talking about September 11, or trying to figure out the deeper meaning behind a story, the kids were engaged and had plenty of ideas to share.

They are learning that being a good student is not just about knowing the answer. It is also about asking questions, listening to other people, sharing your ideas, and being willing to think a little deeper.

Extra Credit Opportunities

Sunday, September 13: Fr. Brady's Teaching Mass

Students can earn extra credit by attending Fr. Brady's Teaching Mass this Sunday.

This is a great opportunity for students to participate in Mass and continue learning about our faith outside of school.

Serve Others This Week

Students can also earn Social Studies extra credit by finding a way to serve others this week.

It does not need to be anything complicated. Students could help clean up at home, help a family member, do a job without being asked, pick up litter, or find another way to help someone.

We are connecting this to our conversations about Labor Day and September 11 and the ways people use their time and talents to serve others.

Looking Ahead: September 14–18

Next week is our first i-Ready Diagnostic week.

Students will complete:

• Math Diagnostic: Monday and Tuesday

• Reading Diagnostic: Thursday and Friday

We will remind students that i-Ready is not something they need to stress about. It is simply a way for us to see what they already know and what they are ready to learn next.

We will take our time, do our best, and take breaks when we need them.

We will also continue our regular classroom learning, including finishing Sideways Stories from Wayside School, our celebration activity, Social Studies, Religion, spelling, and writing.

Important Dates

Sunday, September 13
Fr. Brady's Teaching Mass — extra credit opportunity

Monday, September 14
i-Ready Math Diagnostic

Tuesday, September 15
i-Ready Math Diagnostic

Thursday, September 17
i-Ready Reading Diagnostic

Friday, September 18
i-Ready Reading Diagnostic
Spelling Test
Hot Dog Day orders due

Friday, September 25
No School — Teacher Professional Development

A Note for Families

Thank you for all of your support at home as we continue settling into fourth grade. We are working hard on academics, but we are also learning how to be responsible, kind, and independent members of our classroom community.

I am really enjoying getting to know this group of kids. They have a lot of personality, a lot of questions, and definitely a lot to say!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Ms. Enright