Last Week of School...

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I can’t believe that we have reached the home stretch! This week, we will be wrapping up our independent writing projects and a few other little projects.

Announcements/Reminders:

I wanted to remind you all that we have scheduled a picnic lunch at Leonard Field on Thursday afternoon. This is a child-only event, as it provides them one last time to play together as a fourth grade group. Please send your child to school with a disposable lunch, but plenty of water. Also, they may bring a beach towel to sit on during lunch.

The children will be cleaning and organizing a bit this week. Please send in extra paper or plastic bags with your child so that they may pack anything that doesn’t fit in their backpacks.

Report cards will go home this Friday, June 24^th. Please make sure that you receive it when your child arrives at home!

I’ll update the blog later this week with some end of the year photos.

Enjoy the beautiful weather!

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We had a wonderful day on Friday! I thought I’d share my perspective as the celebrities started filtering into the classroom.

Beethoven dimmed the lights and began dramatically playing his shiny black piano next to the beautiful Helen Keller, who was reading Braille. The Wright Brothers entered the classroom after safely landing their airplane out on Tufts Road.  The talented Lionel Messi happily dribbled his soccer ball around the desks, but tripped. Luckily, Clara Barton had just entered and was able to bandage the soccer player’s wound nicely. Across the room, Ma Yan and Sorojini Naidu discussed their personal diaries, and how it felt to inspire others. George Washington Carver munched on some peanuts in the classroom library as Albert Einstein and Ben Franklin discussed the similarities in their scientific thinking. Just then, Franklin Delano Roosevelt wheeled into the classroom in time to discuss the upcoming presidential election with Queen Elizabeth. The Brothers Grimm had been working on a new story, so when Jeff Kinney arrived, they asked him for literary advice. Suddenly, Houdini magically appeared in the writing center, leaving the audience in awe as he wrestled out of some handcuffs. At this point, Sally Ride politely excused herself, as she was running late for takeoff.

Well, maybe it wasn’t FDR in his wheelchair, but it sure looked like him. The children did a wonderful job reading their biographies and performing presentations to show what they learned. The highlight of the day was when our second grade buddies came to visit and shared that they are already looking forward to this assignment in fourth grade!

Classroom/Muraco Announcements

We will be taking a short “field trip” on Thursday, June 23^rd. Please send a bag lunch in on this day, as we will be enjoying a picnic lunch and play time at Leonard Field.

This Wednesday, June 15^th, we will be holding our annual fourth grade “Cultural Fair.” This is a morning that we set aside to celebrate what we have learned through our tour of the United States. We set up craft stations in the classrooms for the children to cycle through. I would love to invite you to come in to volunteer to run these stations! If you are available from 9:30-11:30 on Wednesday, please let me know and I’ll assign you a station! 

Field Day will be held this Friday, June 17th. In case of inclement weather, the rain date will be June 20th.

I would like to also extend an invitation to our annual parent appreciation breakfast on Friday, June 17th at 8:00am in the Library. This is an adult only event, and will be held on the morning of June 20th in case of rain on the 17th. I appreciate all that you do to support our classroom!

Enjoy the pictures, and let me know if you’d like to volunteer on Wednesday!

Best, 

Jen and Denise

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Your children have been very busy over the past week! They completed their tour of the West as well as their rocks and minerals unit. We have moved on to a plant study in science, so we will be busy planting and observing over the next couple of weeks. In writing, the children have continued to work very hard to research information on an assigned state. They have also started an independent writing project, which will wrap up writing for fourth grade.

Classroom/Muraco Announcements

Our last BEA is due this Friday, June 10. Your children will share what they’ve learned in a “wax museum,” during which we will invite our buddies and other fourth grade classes in to visit.

Next Wednesday, June 15^th, we will be holding our annual fourth grade “Cultural Fair.” This is a morning that we set aside to celebrate what we have learned through our tour of the United States. We set up craft stations in the classrooms for the children to cycle through. I would love to invite you to come in to volunteer to run these stations! If you are available from 9:30-11:30 next Wednesday, please let me know and I’ll assign you a station! 

Field Day will be held on Friday, June 17th. In case of inclement weather, the rain date will be June 20th.

I would like to also extend an invitation to our annual parent appreciation breakfast on Friday, June 17th at 8:00am in the Library. This is an adult only event, and will be held on the morning of June 20th in case of rain on the 17th. I appreciate all that you do to support our classroom!

Upcoming Curriculum Highlights

Science:                Plants

Social Studies:  Miss Lassins' personal road trip pictures through all regions

Math:                    Probability, Division

Reading:               Book Groups

Writing: Independent Writing Project (drafting, writing, revising and editing,    

                              final draft)

Please let me know if you would like to come in to volunteer next Wednesday morning! Enjoy the sunshine!

Best, 

Jen and Denise

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Our week was filled with geology, as we finished our rock study! Your children are almost certified Geologists, as they completed their rock observations. We have happily moved on to minerals this week, and you can soon ask them how they observe luster, light, and other ways to observe the delicate minerals that we may come across daily! We also "visited" the West region of the United States today, so please be ready to hear all about the West at home!

Classroom/Muraco Announcements:

In writing, the children have continued to work very hard to research information on an assigned state. Packets from states have started to fill my mailbox, and soon your children will be creating "Yelp" reviews on their state! The next step will continue be to put the research together and create an essay or slideshow to showcase what has been learned!

Tissues/Hand Wipes: It’s that time of year again... our tissue supply and hand wipe supply is running dangerously low. If you can spare/send in a couple of boxes or tubes, it would be greatly appreciated!

Upcoming Curriculum Highlights

Science:                 Minerals, Plants

Social Studies:       West Region of the United States, Miss Lassins' personal road trip through all regions

Math:                     Volume, Probability, Division

Reading:                Non-Fiction, Biography

Writing:                -5 paragraph stories using a writing process

                             -Descriptive language

                             -Appropriate mechanics

                      -Research Projects

Enjoy the Sunshine, and stay tuned for updated pictures!

Jen and Denise

April Showers Bring May Flowers!

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to parents and children for all of the beautiful cards and gifts that I received during teacher appreciation week last week.  My hydrangea plant is gorgeous, and I look forward to giving it a spot in my garden at home!  I feel so appreciated… THANK YOU!

MCAS Test Dates:

I wanted to send a reminder that Math MCAS testing will be held tomorrow and Wednesday. Your children are ready to shine and show what they know! Please make sure that your child brings in a snack (more than usual is okay) during both days.

Classroom/Muraco Announcements:

In writing, the children have been working very hard to research information on an assigned state. The next step will be to put the research together and create an essay or slideshow to showcase what has been learned! In science, we have been observing rocks as a part of our earth study. It looks like there may be a few future geologists in the class! Our class has also adopted a second set of buddies! We have been working closely with Mrs. Testa's kindergarten class to model the "Meta-Moment."

Tissues: It’s that time of year again... our tissue supply is running dangerously low. If you can spare/send in a couple of boxes, it would be greatly appreciated!

Upcoming Curriculum Highlights

Science:                 Minerals, Plants

Social Studies:       West Region of the United States

Math:                     Volume, Probability

Reading:                Non-Fiction, Biography

Writing:                -5 paragraph stories using a writing process

                              -Descriptive language

                              -Appropriate mechanics 

                              -Research Projects

Enjoy the Sunshine!

Jen and Denise

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I can’t believe that we are now a little bit over the halfway point of fourth grade! I am pleased, as I hope you are, with the growth that has taken place with your child. Children are reading award winning literature and developing the skills to think critically. Strategies to solve math problems are being employed, and students are beginning explore more complex concepts in math.

MCAS Test Dates

For planning purposes, here are the MCAS test dates for 4^th grade. We ask that you not plan family vacations during this time period.  Thank you in advance!

Thursday, March 31^st & Friday, April 1st:  Reading Comprehension

Tuesday, May 10^th & Wednesday, May 11^th:  Math

Classroom/Muraco Announcements

Some children who are writing and proofreading multiple paragraph stories with ease will be meeting in groups to discuss more sophisticated methods of improving their compositions, while other students will concentrate on expanding ideas and checking over for sentences, spelling, and sense. In addition, all students have been working very hard in their book clubs to identify character traits, story purpose, and inferencing.

Conferences: It was wonderful to meet with all of you during our winter conferences. It was especially exciting for me to share all of the hard work that your children have completed!

BEA: The next BEA will be a flexible one that will encourage you and your child to read together. More details will follow next week.

Field Trip: We will be visiting The Harvard Museum of Natural History tomorrow! Please remember to send your child to school with a completely disposable paper bag lunch. No glass bottles, please! If you are chaperoning, don’t forget to pack your own lunch, too!

Tissues: It’s that time of year again... our tissue and hand wipe  supply is running dangerously low. If you can spare/send in a couple of boxes, it would be greatly appreciated! The snow and constant fluctuating temperatures have brought some runny noses!

Upcoming Curriculum Highlights

Science:                 Rocks and Minerals, Plants

Social Studies:     Southwest and West Regions of the United States

Math:                     Fractions, Division, Volume, Probability

Reading:                Inference, Cause and Effect, Character Analysis

Writing:                -5 paragraph stories using a writing process

                                -Descriptive language

                                -Appropriate mechanics 

Happy Spring, and enjoy the rest of your week!

Best, 

Jen and Denise

Greetings!

Happy New Year! Your children have been very busy exploring the Southeast, beginning to explore how to multiply larger numbers, and writing thesis statements in their writing!

Classroom/Muraco Announcements:

·                     The winter concert will be held at Lincoln School on Monday, February 1^st at 6pm. The children should arrive no later than 5:45pm.

·                     Friday, Februray 5^th is our next spirit day. The theme is “Hats off for Literacy Day.” Each child is welcome to wear a hat that represents a book.

·                     I am excited to report that we have another Mystery Skype scheduled for next week!

Enjoy your weekend!

Best,
Jen and Denise