I want to take a quick moment to thank you in advance for thinking of me at this time of year. If you're considering getting a Christmas present for me, I just want you to know that I am very blessed and really don't need anything. If you would like to find some way to show your appreciation, I do have a couple suggestions:

• Donate to a charity and let me know about it
• Volunteer with a charitable organization and tell me about it
• Donate used or new books to our classroom library
• Donate $ to be spent on our next Scholastic book order for the classroom library

Reading: Our reading groups are reading chapters nine and ten and focusing on different reading strategies. They seem to be enjoying There's an Owl in the Shower and it has been tying in very well to what we are learning in science about ecosystems.

Math: We are playing catch up in science and beginning government this week, so we will be starting Unit 5 math on Friday. Unit 5 is all about multiplying large numbers (like 622 x 84). Students will learn a few different methods to do this (partial products, lattice, traditional, etc.). After they have learned all the methods, they can decide which works best for them and focus on using that method. The Unit 5 parent letter will be going home on Friday. Please refer to that to help you understand the different methods.

Science: We have almost finished our science unit on ecosystems. The students really seem to understand it! We will be having our test tomorrow. The students brought home a jeopardy review we did in class today. Their homework is to have friends or family members quiz them until they feel comfortable with the information (the biodiversity information will not be on the test).

Government: We will be squeezing in our government unit before we head to the capitol. We will begin this unit on Friday.


Upcoming Events:
Tuesday, November 30- Report cards go home
Wednesday and Thursday- Student-Teacher-Parent Conferences
Monday, December 13- Field trip to the capitol (paper work went home today for this)


Ask your kids about:
-our mini-field trip to Sunrise Park. Ask them what living and non-living things they saw interacting.
-the relationship between Leon and Bardy in our book, There's an Owl in the Shower.

Reading: Students are reading chapters 7 and 8 of There's an Owl in the Shower this week. They also have time for their own independent reading.

Writing: We are continuing to practice writing dialogue correctly in our stories. Students are also working on drafting lots of different personal narratives.

Math: This week we will finish Unit 4- Decimals. The test will be next Monday, November 22.

Science: Students are working on their very own ecosystem powerpoint that shows the relationship between certain animals and plants. We are really focusing on the food chain/web and what happens when one species can't find enough food. On Friday, we will be doing a mini field trip to a nearby park. It will be cold, please make sure your child is dressed warmly!

Upcoming Dates to Remember:
Wednesday- We will have our first Mary Art lesson (paid for by a PTA grant- thank you!)
Friday- Mini field trip to park- dress warmly
Friday Night- Talent Show, 7pm.  Many of our classmates and even I will be performing in the show. Come support us!
Monday, November 22- Unit 4 math test
Wednesday, November 24- Report cards go home
Thursday, Nov. 25 and Friday, Nov. 26- NO SCHOOL. Happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday, December 1st


8:20- Alexis

8:40- Duncan

9:00- Kelsey

9:40- Nicole G

10:00- Andy Q

11:20- Dillon

11:40- Jake

12:00- Nicole B

12:20- Stephen

1:20- Stacia

1:40- Michael

2:00- Lucile

2:20- Gwen

3:00- Charlie

3:40- Cole

4:00- Amir

Thursday, December 2nd

8:00- Wills

8:20- Emily

8:40- Griffin

9:00- Carson

10:00- Peri

10:20- Andi W

Report cards and conferences are right around the corner! Report cards go home on Wednesday, November 24th and conferences are on Wednesday, December 1st and Thursday, December 2nd.


Conferences this year will be different than what you are used to. I would like your child to be present during conferences. This week I will be talking with the class about this, and they will fill out self assessments based on the social/learning skills from the report card. I like to have student input about how they feel they are doing on these components. This is a great way to discuss skills your child is doing well, as well as areas that need improvement. We will take that time to set some new goals based on the conversations we have. It’s a great way we can all be on the same page about what’s been working well, what hasn’t, and where do we go from here.

We will also discuss academics, but conferences will not be a time to discuss the report card. If you have a specific question regarding a grade on the report card, please email or call me and we can discuss it separately.

Below is our conference schedule. Please double check to find your date/time of your conference. Conferences are twenty minutes long and I have them scheduled back to back so please be sure to be on time.

Conference reminders will be coming home with your child in the Friday Packet this week. Please let me know if you have any questions. I know this might be different than conferences you’ve had in the past, but I feel that this is the best way to keep students responsible and accountable for their own learning and the classroom environment.

Online Ordering Information


Web address: www.scholastic.com/bookclubs

Class Activation Code: HCP22

Order Due Date: Nov. 24th, 2010



Dear Parents,

New Scholastic catalogs are available for your review. There are two ways to order Scholastic books…

1) The Traditional Paper Way

You receive your Scholastic catalogs, mark your selections on the catalog order form and return the order form, along with your check made out to Scholastic, to the classroom by the deadline noted above. Books will come to the classroom and be sent home with your child.

Or…

2) The Online Way

You receive your Scholastic catalogs as usual then, using the information below, you access the Scholastic Book Clubs Web site and browse the titles online. Choose your books and place your order online using your credit card. Your payment will go directly to Scholastic’s secure server; your books will come to the classroom and sent home with your child. You can order anytime, day or night, up until the order due date noted above.

For online ordering, and access to additional catalogs, please go to www.scholastic.com/bookclubs and log in using your user name and password.

*If it’s your first time ordering online, use the web address and the Class Activation Code shown above to get started.

Online ordering offers you several advantages:

Larger selection: Choose from thousands of titles, and more detailed product information than in the printed flyer. 


Exclusive online-only offers: Enjoy discounts available only on our Web site. 


Easy payment: Use your credit card! No need to worry about printed forms or sending checks to school.



Thank you,

Tammy Fung, Scholastic Volunteer, 4th grade / D Ness

What a great Veteran's Day assembly. Thank you for all of you who came and brought family members that have served in our armed forces. It is such a special time to recognize and honor those who have fought for our freedom!

Writing- Students are learning how to use dialogue correctly in their writing to add more interest and details to their personal narratives.

Math- Students are working in depth with decimals, mostly adding and subtracting them this week.

Science- We are looking at food webs in more depth this week. Students are even making an interactive food web with powerpoint.

Reminders:
11/9- Veterans Day Assembly, 2:30 (families and veterans welcome)
11/11- Veterans Day- NO SCHOOL

For our October session with our buddies, we wrote Halloween poems. It's amazing how comfortable they feel with their buddies already, compared to our September session. Here are pictures of the kids writing together.

Fourth grade is lucky enough to get an owl from the zoo to come into the classroom. This was funded by our fourth grade PTA grant! Two classes will have an hour with the owl this Friday and the other two classes will be a part of the program the following Friday. Our class gets to meet Bob the Great Horned Owl this week. I haven't told the kids yet, but will tell them tomorrow. This goes along perfectly with our ecology and predator/prey studies we are currently doing in science. Pictures to come soon!

We learned how to play chess today in class. The students won that as one of their gold coin rewards! This was the first class I've had where so many students already knew how to play. We learned the rules and had the chance to play a couple of games. If you have a chessboard at home, ask your kids to play with you. If you don't know how to play, hopefully they can at least teach you the basics now!