The 210 Press

April, 2006

2006-04-13T11:34:00.000-07:00

Mark Your Calanders:
April 3rd – 7th No School: Spring Break
April 10th School Resumes
April 12th Last day for ALC
April 18th – 19th MCA Testing: Reading
April 21st Book Orders Due
April 20th – 21st TEAE Test (ELL Students only)
April 25th – 26th MCA Testing: Math
April 27th – 28th TEAE Testing (ELL Students Only)

Mark your Calendar!
The BIG EVENT
(Culture and Science Fair)
May 4th 5:30 to 7:30

Conferences
I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of you for taking the time to come in for your child’s conference. It is very important for you to be involved in your child’s education and I can see from the turnout you all take your child’s education seriously. It was wonderful to meet all of you and thank you again for coming in to meet with me.

Math
We have been taking a break from our regular math curriculum to get ready for the MCA tests. We have been reviewing all the things that the students will be expected to know for the test. We are also trying to develop better test taking skills. We will also be starting a new unit on measurement. The students will be learning/reviewing area and perimeter and the units of measurement.

Writing
We have completed our unit on poetry and have also done some letter writing. We wrote thank you notes and friendly letters. We will now be starting our non-fiction unit of writing. This will involve the students researching a state and writing postcards as if they visited that state. The students will also be doing some art with this writing unit to make their postcards. This will be our last big unit of the year.

Social Studies
We are continuing our study of the regions of the United States. We will be wrapping up soon and then we will be talking about Minnesota History. We will also be taking some field trips related to our social studies units. We will be going on the Big River in May. We also plan on going to the Minnesota History Center and Fort Snelling.

Testing
We will be doing a lot of testing this month and in May. There are just a few things I want to share with you about testing. For starters, the students will not have homework during testing periods. I do this because I want the students to be well rested and focused. Also, it is extremely important that the students get a good night’s sleep and eat breakfast everyday. Finally, it is important that your child is at school for testing. Not only does the state use the scores from the tests but also so do teachers to assess what students know

Art/Science Fair
During the afternoons of a few of the testing days, we will have an artist in residence doing an art project with the students. We will be making clay masks. We will spend 3 days doing these masks. Also, during testing, some students will be completing science fair projects. We will be doing projects related to our human body unit. Both of these projects will be on display for the Big Event on May 4th.

March, 2006

2006-03-07T13:24:00.000-08:00

Miss White

Mark Your Calendars:
March 10th: No School
March 15th: Evening Conferneces 5 PM to 8 PM/No ALC
March 17th: Book orders due
March 22nd: No ALC
March 23rd: Evening Conferneces 5 PM to 8 PM
March 24th: No School – All Day Confernces
April 3rd – 7th: No School – Spring Break

The year seems to be flying by! I can’t believe we are already into March! I am already seeing the signs of spring outside as well as in the students. We still have a lot of learning to do! I am looking forward to meeting with you all again at conferences. As always, if you need anything or have questions please call (778-3217) or email me at rachel.white@spps.org.

Conferences
The time has come again! Conferences are only weeks away. Please be sure your child has returned their conference slip so we can schedule the most convenient time for you. I also want to remind you that it is important to take this time to come to school and discuss your child. If you are unable to attend on the set conference days please call me to set up an alternate day and time.

Math
We have just started our unit on fractions. I must say I am impressed with how the students are diving in and having fun. We are also very lucky to have a Justine Beadle, our basic skills teacher, helping us out daily during math. It has been great to work in small groups everyday. I feel this has been a great addition to our classroom! We are also continuing to practice our multiplication facts. Please continue to practice with your child.

Writing
We are finishing up our poetry unit. The students have learned about metaphors, similes, beautiful and poetic language, line breaks, and patterns. The students will be publishing 3 of their poems they wrote during this unit. We will be putting their poems into a book. We will be doing some letter writing activities through spring break. After break, we will start our last big unit on non-fiction. The students will be able to pick a state and research it. They will be making postcards for their end product.

Social Studies
We are just starting our unit on the Midwest. We have covered many things so far. The students have learned about the different climates and land across the United States. At the end of each unit, we have completed graphic organizers to compare and contrast the region and Minnesota. The students have really explored these similarities and differences. I am proud of the progress they are making in learning the geography and landforms of the United States!

Reading
We are still working on our genre studies. We have two groups that are wrapping up and they will begin doing a final project on the books/genre. They will also be giving a presentation to the class about their books. This will be a great speaking opportunity for the students as well as a great wrap up project on their books. I can’t wait to see what they do!

Testing! Testing! Testing!
The testing season is fast approaching! We have our MCA’s at the end of April and SAT 10’s in mid May. The students are already preparing by doing activities in the classroom. We are working at our listening center and shared reading times to work on our testing skills. In past years, 4th grade scores have not been included in the state reporting but this year that will change. Please be talking with your child about the importance of these tests. I will be sending more information home after spring break.

February, 2006

2006-02-09T10:08:00.000-08:00

Miss White

Mark Your Calendars:
February 8th: Early Release @ 1:40
February 10th: Book Orders Due
February 13th: Circle Time @ 10:15
February 16th: Open House/Family Night 5:30 – 7:30
February 20th: No School

I Love to Read Month
February is I love to Read month. I have given the students a challenge this month. As you know, each child is required to read 25 books each year. As of right now, 5 students have completed this task. If every student in the class meets their 25-book goal by February 28th, I will treat the
class to a pizza party. Please encourage your child to fill out their book sheets and get
them turned in my February 28th.

Homework! Homework!
As you know, your child started receiving new homework packets at the beginning after winter break. All homework is due on Friday’s or the last day of the week. Homework includes their packet, planners with summaries, and their flashcards. Also, please be sure your child is practicing his/her flashcards every night. It is extremely important that your child memorizes their basic facts if they have not done so already. Thank you for your cooperation with this.

Happy February!
I hope to see all of you for our Open House/Family Night coming up on February 16th. We will be showcasing some technology projects and have our memoirs on display alongside the block prints the students made in art class. If you have any questions, please call me at 778-3200 or email me at rachel.white@spps.org.

Math
We have finished our unit on multi-digit multiplication. We just started our unit on division. Some students are struggling with this because they have not memorized their multiplication tables. Please continue to work on their flashcards. We will also be studying rotations, flips, and turns.

Congratulations!
Congratulations to the following students for reaching their 25- Book goal.
Lindsey
Giang
Mary
Ben
Sarena

Reading
We have been working on test preparation in reading along with our continued genre study. On Friday’s, we do a shared reading lesson that is on grade level and then answer questions about the reading. These readings are similar to what the students will see on the standardized testing they will take in April and May.

Writing
We have started our unit on poetry. The students have done lessons on taking ordinary objects into extraordinary poems, taking big ideas and turning them into small moments, and how to put in line breaks to make poems sound more like music. When we finish poetry, will be working on our procedure writing and persuasive writing unit.

Box Tops/Milk Caps/Pop Tops
We are continuing to collect Box Tops, Milk Caps, and Pop tops for our school and the Ronald McDonald House. If you have been saving these, please have your child bring them in.

Getting Home
If your child is getting home in a different way than normal, please call the office and let them know. You can also send notes to school with your child to let us know if they are going home by a different means. Please do not leave voice mail messages for me about this because I don’t always get to my messages before the school day ends.