Week 5 Updates

Hello 4B Families!

I hope you all had a restful weekend and you had a chance to enjoy the gorgeous weather yesterday.  I have a few dates for you all to keep on your radar.

• Field Day, February 9th: If you are unfamiliar with Field Day, each classroom participates in athletic games in a celebration modeled after the traditions of ancient Greece.  The city-state for our classroom is Crete and our classroom color is green.  Students will be allowed to wear green athletic clothes on Field Day; please refer to the student handbook for guidelines on choosing appropriate attire.  In addition to the athletic games, each classroom will be competing in an intellectual contest.  Each room will be presented with curriculum-based questions from throughout the year.  The fourth grade will begin the games at 11:00, and the games will continue until the end of the school day.  If you have any questions, please contact our wonderful parent liaison, Debbie Sinykin.    

•   Great Hearts Day, February 10th: This year, we will be devoting one class period to the celebration of the virtue of friendship.  Our classroom celebration will begin at 11:35 and continue until dismissal.  As a reminder, next Friday is a half day.  I will be coordinating with Mrs. Sinykin to create a sign-up for snacks and a couple of parent volunteers.  Please remember that students are not to bring in any Valentine’s cards or treats for their classmates. We will take care of showing our appreciation for our friends during our party. If any student brings in Valentines or candy, we will need to put them in the backpack to be returned home.

• Field Trip, February 17th: Our grade will be going to the MIM (Musical Instrument Museum) in a couple of weeks!  I will release more details as they become available, so be sure to check the blog for updates.  Last year, we left shortly after school started and returned an hour before dismissal.  I am not sure if the schedule will remain the same, but I wanted to give you a general idea in case anyone is interested in volunteering as a chaperone.

In Language Arts this week, we will be reading through chapter 13 in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.  Now that the students have completed their narratives, our writing will take a different focus.  We will be working on comparing different kinds of literature and writing paragraphs about these different genres.  This will come in the form of a packet with a short excerpt to read, some multiple choice questions, and a writing prompt.  The first packet will be going home tomorrow, but most of it should already be completed as I expect to walk the students through the majority of the first packet.

In History, we are continuing our exploration of Arizona history.  The students are very excited to begin work on their brochures and I cannot wait to see what they create!  Please encourage your scholar to do their very best to create a professional looking product.

In Science, we are continuing our study of meteorology and shifting our focus to the atmosphere.  We will be taking an in-depth look at the different layers of the atmosphere and how the sun's rays react as they penetrate through these layers to our surface.

Have a wonderful week and, as always, thank you for your continued support.