November News - Vol.1

Important Information

  • Spelling - We will receive a new spelling list on Tuesday. These short weeks have thrown us off schedule; we will pick up again and plan for a quiz on the new word list on Friday, October 18th.


  • Our room moms are kindly putting together a classroom directory for us. If you have already filled out the short form, thank you very much! I know they are trying to plan a fun celebration for the class for October 31st, and would like to communicate with all families. If you have not yet done so, please click on the link, fill out the quick questions, and they'll do the rest. πŸ˜‰


  • Our first field trip is on Thursday, October 24, at B Street Theater in Sacramento. All 4th and 5th graders will see a production of The Sword in the Stone. Before he was King Arthur, ruler of the Britons and head of the infamous Round Table, Arthur was a young boy destined for greatness. This adaptation explores the thrilling adventures that made the boy into a man of legend and the powerful sword that only the rightful King could pull from the stone.


  • iReady - To get the most out of what iReady offers, your child needs to spend 40 minutes a week completing iReady lessons in both math and reading (so 80 minutes total), with a lesson passing rate of 80% or higher. I do my best to fit this time into class, but please expect that your child will need to do approximately 20 minutes at home each week. The cut-off time for the week's minutes is Sunday at 8:00 pm. It's easy to track your child's progress in iReady. Just ask them to show you how! Or, set up a time to see me after school, and I can show you. 😁


  • PLEASE review your child's planner and have them show you their math homework page nightly. Sign the planner and hold your child accountable for their 20+ minutes of reading every night. They might need your help setting up a helpful routine for this. They should be in a location away from distractions such as TV, electronics, family conversations, etc. If you need advice / guidance from me on how to support your child with their reading time, please reach out to me and I can share what I know!

Celebrations!

  • A big THANK YOU to our 308 families who helped make the Fun Run such a huge success. The kids earned some fun rewards as we came together for a great cause. I loved seeing all the families out there cheering us on and marking those laps. Apparently we shook up Sun City a bit with our loud music, but it was all in good fun. πŸ˜‚
  • We had quite a special day on October 2nd! We played host to some children and teachers / aids as we learned a bit about Down Sydrome from one of our adored students and his family. The kids were so attentive, respectful, and hospitable during this time, and we were swimming in yellow and blue to show our support. It was definitely a day to remember. πŸ’™πŸ’›
  • We rocked the topic 3 Place Value math test! We had some great scores-- I love seeing the confidence and pride on those faces! Let's keep it up, kiddos!

What We're Learning

    • Language Arts ~ We have been enjoying Island of the Blue Dolphins and will wrap up the novel this week. We have been exploring the setting and events in the novel while discussing and evaluating character decisions. We will continue to develop our writing skills using the RACE strategy that will help students craft a complete, thoughtful written response to questions about their reading. We will be exploring theme as we finish up the novel and will write a persuasive piece on this topic. In vocabulary, we will move our attention to studying some common roots along with target prefixes and suffixes. We are also spending some time with VERBS during grammar lessons.


    • Math ~ We have been adding and subtracting large numbers, and mastering regrouping. The students showed they are ready to take on the test when we reviewed on Friday. We will test on topic 4 on Tuesday. Click on the link below to access the slideshow we used in class to review the topic and practice for the test. Topic 5 eases us into multiplying 1-digit numbers. We will look at arrays and a useful strategy called the break apart method.

Topic 4 Review for Test

    • Social Studies ~ We soon will begin our first research project that will focus on an assigned California Native Tribe. Students will read, take notes, and publish an accordion book on assigned tribes. We will present these to our classmates and our buddies.


    • PE ~ Team games, football drills. Ask your child to tell you about Mission Impossible. Scooters, tricycles, and boxes-- oh, my!


  • PLEASE help your child meet their 20+ minute reading requirement each night. This is part of their NIGHTLY homework.

Important Upcoming Dates:

Week of November 12th:


Beyond:

  • Mon., 11/18 - Fri., 11/22: Parent-Teacher Conferences, 12:30 early release
  • Mon., 11/25 - Fri., 11/29: Thanksgiving Break, NO SCHOOL
  • Mon., 12/18-Fri., 12/23: Book Fair
  • Tue., 12/17, 4:00 & 6:00: Family Paint Night, two sessions 4:00pm & 6:00pm