Hi,
We had a great week!
Monthly Reading Challenge Lunch was on Wednesday, January 27 during our lunch time. Most of the children from our two reading classes met the challenge! Congratulations! The February Reading Challenge is to read a historical fiction book. Happy Reading!!!!!
Bluebonnet Book Voting happened on Thursday and Friday. If you read at least 5 Bluebonnet Books, you were able to vote for your favorite. The Bluebonnet Breakfast will be after spring break. Be sure to keep reading them. You need to read 17 books to go to the breakfast. You can do it!!!!!
Science projects were due on Monday and the students worked hard on them. Thank you to the families who were able to come to the Math and Science Showcase on Thursday. It was a lot of fun and we learned a lot. Juliana won the estimation jar of M&Ms! Our science projects did well in the fair also!
Service Club Meeting on Feb. 1 from 2:45-3:45-The Service Club students will make bowls in Mrs. Arnold's room that will be donated to the Empty Bowl Project. All fourth and fifth graders are invited to come and be part of Service Club and make bowls. At another meeting, we will glaze the bowls.
Pen Pal Visit-Our pen pals will visit on Feb. 2 from 9:30-10:45. Come and meet our pen pals while we celebrate Valentine's Day with them.
Valentine's Day Party-Our party will be on Feb. 12 at 1:00. More information to come.
Remember-READING RESPONSE LETTERS DUE EVERY FRIDAY. Turn any missing letters in ASAP.
Read about our week:
Reading-We began reading traditional literature-fairy tales, trickster tales, and folk tales. We read Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude and discussed the characters, (traits, protagonist, antagonist, trickster), summary, and theme. We will learn some more about tall tales and plot/theme this week and we will write about a traditional tale read independently for our 20 Book Challenge. We will also read more non-fiction.
Writing-We are working on some original traditional tales and including all the characteristics that we've discussed while reading them. (setting, plot, antagonist, protagonist, conflict, climax, resolution). We will finish them this week and work on more expository writing as well as grammar and combining sentences.
Spelling- Last week we added endings to verbs to change the verb tense-(chase=chases, chasing and chased). This week we will continue to work on verb tense but will work with doubling the final consonant when adding the ending.
Vocabulary-We will work on homophones or words that sound the same, yet are spelled differently and have different meanings. .Go to quizlet.com to practice and look for the words in the homework packet.
Social Studies-We had so much fun simulating life on a Texas Mission. The children were the Native Americans and Mrs. Espinoza and I were the priests or nuns running the mission. They all had to work in silence as they listened to chants in the chapel, picked food (beans) in the fields, learned to write Spanish words, slept in the dormitory, and made (drawings) tools in the workhouse. It helped them realize what life could have been like in a mission. We will learn a bit more about missions then will study empressarios. We will even create a plan for our own settlements.
Dates to remember:
Monday, Feb. 1-Wear FCE shirts. Service Club meeting from 2:45-3:45 with Ms. Arnold making bowls for the Empty Bowl Project-Jumprope for Heart all week!
Tuesday, Feb. 2-Pen Pals coming at 9:30 in Art Room
Wednesday, Feb. 3-Early Release Day at 12:45
Friday, Feb. 5-Spelling test, Vocabulary test, Reading Response letters due, Reading Logs due, Wear college shirts-Jump Rope Performance at 9:30
Monday, Feb. 8-Wear FCE shirts-Writing Club from 2:45-3:45.
Tuesday, Feb. 9-Library check out. Spring Pictures
Friday, Feb. 12-Spelling test, Vocabulary test, Reading Response letters due, Reading Logs due, Wear college shirts-Valentine's Day Party at 1:00
Monday, Feb. 15-No school for students
Have a great weekend. Enjoy this beautiful weather! Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Pam
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Friday, January 22, 2016
Newsletter
Hi,
We had a great week!
Monthly Reading Challenge Lunch will be on Wednesday, January 27 during our lunch time. The kids will bring their lunch or get a school lunch and we will provide some treats. Everyone will bring one of the books they read this month to share. To come to the lunch, each child needs to fill out a paper form for the biography that they read and also fill out a form (paper or goggle form) for one other book. I will send out electronic invitations either tonight or tomorrow to those who already completed the forms for biography and one other book. If your child doesn't receive an invitation, he/she has until Tuesday afternoon to get those forms to me. Happy Reading!!!!!
Science projects are due on Monday! Presentations will begin on Monday. Checkpoint #6 and the board or poster are due on Monday. I am excited to see these amazing projects!
Volunteer at the Round Rock Serving Center Tomorrow-We will volunteer at the Serving Center on Saturday, Jan. 23 from 9-10:30. We will take all the donated paperback books and will do whatever they need us to do. All are welcome to join us.
Service Club Meeting on Feb. 1 from 2:45-3:45-The Service Club students will make bowls in Mrs. Arnold's room that will be donated to the Empty Bowl Project. All fourth and fifth graders are invited to come and be part of Service Club and make bowls. At another meeting, we will glaze the bowls.
Talent Show-The FCE Talent Show will be tonight from 6:30-8:30. Come and see all of our amazing students perform as well as a surprise performance by some FCE teachers!
Science Fair and Math/Science Night-Thursday, Jan. 28 will be another awesome night at FCE. Come and play math games and view all the incredible science projects from 5-7.
Pen Pal Visit-Our pen pals will visit on Feb. 2 from 9:30-10:45. Come and meet our pen pals while we celebrate Valentine's Day with them.
Valentine's Day Party-Our party will be on Feb. 12 at 1:00. More information to come.
Remember-READING RESPONSE LETTERS DUE EVERY FRIDAY. Turn any missing letters in ASAP.
Read about our week:
Reading-We began reading traditional literature-fairy tales, trickster tales, and folk tales. The book, Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters, was read together and we discussed the protagonist and antagonist and their character traits. We also did a reader's theater called The Sticky Coyote which is a trickster tale. We will continue with more fairy tales, folk tales and other traditional literature. We will create story mountains to show the progression of the story, continue to discuss character traits, and continue to discuss theme or author's message in what we read. Be sure to talk to your child about these things when you are discussing books with him/her.
Writing- We took a STAAR Ready Writing test on Wednesday and will use data from that assessment to drive our instruction. We also read a wonderful short story by Sandra Ciseneros called Eleven and discussed how she used specific details and slowed down the heart of the story to make the reader feel like they were in the story. We will practice this while writing our own fairy tales this week.
Spelling-This week we will work on words ending in -ian. This week we will add endings to verbs to change the verb tense-(chase=chases, chasing and chased)We will also have individual words.
Vocabulary-We talked about words that deal with traditional literature. These words are tricky and we didn't have enough time with the shorter week and the STAAR Ready testing to go over them enough. We will continue with these words and will have the test on Friday, Jan. 29.Go to quizlet.com to practice and look for the words in the homework packet.
Social Studies-We are almost done with our explorers poster and will begin learning about missions on Tuesday.
Dates to remember:
Friday, Jan. 22-FCE Talent Show-6:30-8:30
Saturday, Jan. 23-Volunteer at the Round Rock Serving Center from 9:00-10:30.
Monday, Jan. 25-Wear FCE shirts-Writing Club from 2:45-3:45.
Tuesday, Jan. 26-Monthly Reading Challenge papers and forms due, Library check out.
Wednesday, Jan. 27-Monthly Reading Challenge lunch in library with a few treats.
Thursday, Jan. 28-Math and Science Night-(Science Fair) 5-7 pm
Friday, Jan. 29-Spelling test, Vocabulary test, Reading Response letters due, Reading Logs due, Wear college shirts
Monday, Feb. 1-Wear FCE shirts. Service Club meeting from 2:45-3:45 with Ms. Arnold making bowls for the Empty Bowl Project
Have a great weekend. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Pam
We had a great week!
Monthly Reading Challenge Lunch will be on Wednesday, January 27 during our lunch time. The kids will bring their lunch or get a school lunch and we will provide some treats. Everyone will bring one of the books they read this month to share. To come to the lunch, each child needs to fill out a paper form for the biography that they read and also fill out a form (paper or goggle form) for one other book. I will send out electronic invitations either tonight or tomorrow to those who already completed the forms for biography and one other book. If your child doesn't receive an invitation, he/she has until Tuesday afternoon to get those forms to me. Happy Reading!!!!!
Science projects are due on Monday! Presentations will begin on Monday. Checkpoint #6 and the board or poster are due on Monday. I am excited to see these amazing projects!
Volunteer at the Round Rock Serving Center Tomorrow-We will volunteer at the Serving Center on Saturday, Jan. 23 from 9-10:30. We will take all the donated paperback books and will do whatever they need us to do. All are welcome to join us.
Service Club Meeting on Feb. 1 from 2:45-3:45-The Service Club students will make bowls in Mrs. Arnold's room that will be donated to the Empty Bowl Project. All fourth and fifth graders are invited to come and be part of Service Club and make bowls. At another meeting, we will glaze the bowls.
Talent Show-The FCE Talent Show will be tonight from 6:30-8:30. Come and see all of our amazing students perform as well as a surprise performance by some FCE teachers!
Science Fair and Math/Science Night-Thursday, Jan. 28 will be another awesome night at FCE. Come and play math games and view all the incredible science projects from 5-7.
Pen Pal Visit-Our pen pals will visit on Feb. 2 from 9:30-10:45. Come and meet our pen pals while we celebrate Valentine's Day with them.
Valentine's Day Party-Our party will be on Feb. 12 at 1:00. More information to come.
Remember-READING RESPONSE LETTERS DUE EVERY FRIDAY. Turn any missing letters in ASAP.
Read about our week:
Reading-We began reading traditional literature-fairy tales, trickster tales, and folk tales. The book, Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters, was read together and we discussed the protagonist and antagonist and their character traits. We also did a reader's theater called The Sticky Coyote which is a trickster tale. We will continue with more fairy tales, folk tales and other traditional literature. We will create story mountains to show the progression of the story, continue to discuss character traits, and continue to discuss theme or author's message in what we read. Be sure to talk to your child about these things when you are discussing books with him/her.
Writing- We took a STAAR Ready Writing test on Wednesday and will use data from that assessment to drive our instruction. We also read a wonderful short story by Sandra Ciseneros called Eleven and discussed how she used specific details and slowed down the heart of the story to make the reader feel like they were in the story. We will practice this while writing our own fairy tales this week.
Spelling-This week we will work on words ending in -ian. This week we will add endings to verbs to change the verb tense-(chase=chases, chasing and chased)We will also have individual words.
Vocabulary-We talked about words that deal with traditional literature. These words are tricky and we didn't have enough time with the shorter week and the STAAR Ready testing to go over them enough. We will continue with these words and will have the test on Friday, Jan. 29.Go to quizlet.com to practice and look for the words in the homework packet.
Social Studies-We are almost done with our explorers poster and will begin learning about missions on Tuesday.
Dates to remember:
Friday, Jan. 22-FCE Talent Show-6:30-8:30
Saturday, Jan. 23-Volunteer at the Round Rock Serving Center from 9:00-10:30.
Monday, Jan. 25-Wear FCE shirts-Writing Club from 2:45-3:45.
Tuesday, Jan. 26-Monthly Reading Challenge papers and forms due, Library check out.
Wednesday, Jan. 27-Monthly Reading Challenge lunch in library with a few treats.
Thursday, Jan. 28-Math and Science Night-(Science Fair) 5-7 pm
Friday, Jan. 29-Spelling test, Vocabulary test, Reading Response letters due, Reading Logs due, Wear college shirts
Monday, Feb. 1-Wear FCE shirts. Service Club meeting from 2:45-3:45 with Ms. Arnold making bowls for the Empty Bowl Project
Have a great weekend. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Pam
Newsletter-Jan. 18
Hi,
Libraries of Love-Thank you for your support of donations of books and money for the Walk to Read Event for Libraries of Love. We had a good turnout for our event and beautiful weather. You can still donate this week. Thank you again for helping children in Uganda, Africa learn to read and achieve success.
UIL Teams-We had a great UIL competition on Saturday. Two of our fourth graders competed in Ready Writing. Kelton K. won 1st place and Sofia S. won 2nd place. Our school earned the most points in our division! Look at this link for details. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1cD2W5qdq2I4aOgMEj2OlMVe_eu-40-1MVNrYGu5m-TY/edit?ts=569d4752#slide=id.gf5e2469c7_0_274 Be sure to join UIL next year!
Volunteer at the Round Rock Serving Center-We will volunteer at the Serving Center on Saturday, Jan. 23 from 9-10:30. We will take all the donated paperback books and will do whatever they need us to do. All are welcome to join us.
Talent Show-The FCE Talent Show will be on Friday from 6:30-8:30. Come and see all of our amazing students perform as well as a surprise performance by some FCE teachers!
Science Fair and Math/Science Night-Thursday, Jan. 28 will be another awesome night at FCE. Come and play math games and view all the incredible science projects from 5-7.
Reptile Assembly-We had a great time learning about reptiles and seeing them up close. Thank you PTA for providing us with this amazing assembly.
Remember-READING RESPONSE LETTERS DUE EVERY FRIDAY. Turn any missing letters in ASAP.
Read about our week:
Reading-We read more biographies, more about Martin Luther King, Jr., and civil rights. We read a book written by Dr. King's sister telling about Martin as a child and how he vowed to make a difference in the world. We also read Ruth and the Green Book that told about a book created to help African American travelers find places to eat, sleep, and shop during the years of segregation. We used post-its to keep tracks of our thinking as we read and answers questions about character traits and theme. This week we will read traditional literature-fairy tales, trickster tales, and folk tales.
Spelling-Last week, we worked on words ending in tion. This week we will work on words ending in -ian. When you add that suffix to many words, it changes the word from a noun to someone who works with that noun. For example-magic changes to magician, music to musician, and comedy to comedian. We will also have individual words.
Vocabulary-Last week, we learned character trait words and this week we will learn words that deal with traditional literature. Go to quizlet.com to practice and look for the words in the homework packet.
Social Studies-We are completing a quick project about the TX Explorers and will begin learning about missions soon.
Dates to remember:
Wednesday, Jan. 20-STAAR Ready Writing Test-Be sure to eat breakfast, bring a snack and water bottle, and go to bed early on Tuesday. Most of all do your best and put forth lots of effort.
Friday, Jan. 22-Spelling test, Vocabulary test, Reading Response letters due, Reading Logs due, Wear college shirts. FCE Talent Show-6:30-8:30
Saturday, Jan. 23-Volunteer at the Round Rock Serving Center from 9:00-10:30.
Monday, Jan. 25-Wear FCE shirts-Writing Club from 2:45-3:45.
Tuesday, Jan. 26-Monthly Reading Challenge papers and forms due.
Wednesday, Jan. 27-Monthly Reading Challenge lunch in library with a few treats.
Thursday, Jan. 28-Math and Science Night-(Science Fair) 5-7 pm
Friday, Jan. 29-Spelling test, Vocabulary test, Reading Response letters due, Reading Logs due, Wear college shirts
Hope you had a great MLK Day. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Pam
Libraries of Love-Thank you for your support of donations of books and money for the Walk to Read Event for Libraries of Love. We had a good turnout for our event and beautiful weather. You can still donate this week. Thank you again for helping children in Uganda, Africa learn to read and achieve success.
UIL Teams-We had a great UIL competition on Saturday. Two of our fourth graders competed in Ready Writing. Kelton K. won 1st place and Sofia S. won 2nd place. Our school earned the most points in our division! Look at this link for details. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1cD2W5qdq2I4aOgMEj2OlMVe_eu-40-1MVNrYGu5m-TY/edit?ts=569d4752#slide=id.gf5e2469c7_0_274 Be sure to join UIL next year!
Volunteer at the Round Rock Serving Center-We will volunteer at the Serving Center on Saturday, Jan. 23 from 9-10:30. We will take all the donated paperback books and will do whatever they need us to do. All are welcome to join us.
Talent Show-The FCE Talent Show will be on Friday from 6:30-8:30. Come and see all of our amazing students perform as well as a surprise performance by some FCE teachers!
Science Fair and Math/Science Night-Thursday, Jan. 28 will be another awesome night at FCE. Come and play math games and view all the incredible science projects from 5-7.
Reptile Assembly-We had a great time learning about reptiles and seeing them up close. Thank you PTA for providing us with this amazing assembly.
Remember-READING RESPONSE LETTERS DUE EVERY FRIDAY. Turn any missing letters in ASAP.
Read about our week:
Reading-We read more biographies, more about Martin Luther King, Jr., and civil rights. We read a book written by Dr. King's sister telling about Martin as a child and how he vowed to make a difference in the world. We also read Ruth and the Green Book that told about a book created to help African American travelers find places to eat, sleep, and shop during the years of segregation. We used post-its to keep tracks of our thinking as we read and answers questions about character traits and theme. This week we will read traditional literature-fairy tales, trickster tales, and folk tales.
Spelling-Last week, we worked on words ending in tion. This week we will work on words ending in -ian. When you add that suffix to many words, it changes the word from a noun to someone who works with that noun. For example-magic changes to magician, music to musician, and comedy to comedian. We will also have individual words.
Vocabulary-Last week, we learned character trait words and this week we will learn words that deal with traditional literature. Go to quizlet.com to practice and look for the words in the homework packet.
Social Studies-We are completing a quick project about the TX Explorers and will begin learning about missions soon.
Dates to remember:
Wednesday, Jan. 20-STAAR Ready Writing Test-Be sure to eat breakfast, bring a snack and water bottle, and go to bed early on Tuesday. Most of all do your best and put forth lots of effort.
Friday, Jan. 22-Spelling test, Vocabulary test, Reading Response letters due, Reading Logs due, Wear college shirts. FCE Talent Show-6:30-8:30
Saturday, Jan. 23-Volunteer at the Round Rock Serving Center from 9:00-10:30.
Monday, Jan. 25-Wear FCE shirts-Writing Club from 2:45-3:45.
Tuesday, Jan. 26-Monthly Reading Challenge papers and forms due.
Wednesday, Jan. 27-Monthly Reading Challenge lunch in library with a few treats.
Thursday, Jan. 28-Math and Science Night-(Science Fair) 5-7 pm
Friday, Jan. 29-Spelling test, Vocabulary test, Reading Response letters due, Reading Logs due, Wear college shirts
Hope you had a great MLK Day. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Pam
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Newsletter
Hi,
We had a great week back to school. It was wonderful to see everyone after the break. I was especially excited to hear about all the reading that was done over the break! Keep up the amazing work!
Walk to Read Event on MLK Day, January 18 at 2:00 pm. Donate money and gently used hard back books to Libraries of Love in Uganda, Africa. Plan to come to school for our Walk to Read Event on MLK Day and save your coins and hard back books. Check out this site to learn more about Libraries of Love. https://librariesoflove.wordpress.com/ This organization was created by a former RRISD librarian named Trudy Marshall. She was in Uganda and was talking to some kids about books. She learned that going to school was a huge challenge and the schools had no libraries and hardly any books at all. She continues to work hard to change that and has established 36 libraries in schools there since 2005. Ms. Marshall is back in Uganda, but her daughter will come to our event on Monday as a guest speaker. Thank you in advance for your support.
20 Book Reading Challenge-Everyone is progressing well on the 20 Book Challenge. Don't forget this month's challenge is to read a biography or autobiography AND a book of his/her personal choice. A form for each book (either google on line or paper copy) is due the last week of January. Keep reading!!!
Writing Club will be on Monday from 2:45-3:45.
Read about our week:
Reading-Civil Rights was our focus this week. We read about the Sylvia Mendez case in California in which she won the right to go to her neighborhood school instead of the Mexican school. We also read and discussed Brown vs. the Board of Education in Topeka which made segregation illegal in public schools in America. The Story of Ruby Bridges was our focus on Friday and we learned about a brave girl's struggle to go to school. We will continue practicing reading skills while learning about Martin Luther King, Jr. and Thurgood Marshall next week.
Writing-We wrote about our holiday break and wrote our interpretation of a quote about snowflakes. (Like snowflakes, the human pattern is never cast twice.) We also worked on identifying complete sentences and revising and editing. We will write more expository pieces next week.
Social Studies-We are learning about explorers in Texas.
Homework packets will come home on Monday. Character traits will be our vocabulary this week and we will work on words ending with ion in spelling.
Dates to Remember:
Monday, January 11-Wear FCE shirts. Writing Club from 2:45-3:45.
Tuesday, January 12-Library Check-out
Fri, January 15-Wear college t-shirts, Spelling and vocabulary test. Homework packet and reading response letter are due. Turn in reading logs.
Monday, January 18, 2016- No school for students. Walk to Read Event for Libraries of Love in Uganda. Come to the FCE Library at 2:00 with a hard-back book to donate. We will learn more about Libraries of Love from our guest speaker, then walk the track like the kids in Uganda walk for miles to go to school. We will stop walking and read our books then we will donate them. Thank you so much for coming and supporting this cause.
Friday, January 22, 2016-Wear college shirts, spelling and vocabulary tests, Reading Response letters due. Homework packet due. FCE Talent Show at 6:30.
Saturday, January 23, 2016-Volunteer at the Round Rock Serving Center from 9-10:30.
Have a great weekend! Happy New Year! Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I am excited for 2016 and a great rest of 4th grade with your child.
Sincerely,
Pam
We had a great week back to school. It was wonderful to see everyone after the break. I was especially excited to hear about all the reading that was done over the break! Keep up the amazing work!
Walk to Read Event on MLK Day, January 18 at 2:00 pm. Donate money and gently used hard back books to Libraries of Love in Uganda, Africa. Plan to come to school for our Walk to Read Event on MLK Day and save your coins and hard back books. Check out this site to learn more about Libraries of Love. https://librariesoflove.wordpress.com/ This organization was created by a former RRISD librarian named Trudy Marshall. She was in Uganda and was talking to some kids about books. She learned that going to school was a huge challenge and the schools had no libraries and hardly any books at all. She continues to work hard to change that and has established 36 libraries in schools there since 2005. Ms. Marshall is back in Uganda, but her daughter will come to our event on Monday as a guest speaker. Thank you in advance for your support.
20 Book Reading Challenge-Everyone is progressing well on the 20 Book Challenge. Don't forget this month's challenge is to read a biography or autobiography AND a book of his/her personal choice. A form for each book (either google on line or paper copy) is due the last week of January. Keep reading!!!
Writing Club will be on Monday from 2:45-3:45.
Read about our week:
Reading-Civil Rights was our focus this week. We read about the Sylvia Mendez case in California in which she won the right to go to her neighborhood school instead of the Mexican school. We also read and discussed Brown vs. the Board of Education in Topeka which made segregation illegal in public schools in America. The Story of Ruby Bridges was our focus on Friday and we learned about a brave girl's struggle to go to school. We will continue practicing reading skills while learning about Martin Luther King, Jr. and Thurgood Marshall next week.
Writing-We wrote about our holiday break and wrote our interpretation of a quote about snowflakes. (Like snowflakes, the human pattern is never cast twice.) We also worked on identifying complete sentences and revising and editing. We will write more expository pieces next week.
Social Studies-We are learning about explorers in Texas.
Homework packets will come home on Monday. Character traits will be our vocabulary this week and we will work on words ending with ion in spelling.
Dates to Remember:
Monday, January 11-Wear FCE shirts. Writing Club from 2:45-3:45.
Tuesday, January 12-Library Check-out
Fri, January 15-Wear college t-shirts, Spelling and vocabulary test. Homework packet and reading response letter are due. Turn in reading logs.
Monday, January 18, 2016- No school for students. Walk to Read Event for Libraries of Love in Uganda. Come to the FCE Library at 2:00 with a hard-back book to donate. We will learn more about Libraries of Love from our guest speaker, then walk the track like the kids in Uganda walk for miles to go to school. We will stop walking and read our books then we will donate them. Thank you so much for coming and supporting this cause.
Friday, January 22, 2016-Wear college shirts, spelling and vocabulary tests, Reading Response letters due. Homework packet due. FCE Talent Show at 6:30.
Saturday, January 23, 2016-Volunteer at the Round Rock Serving Center from 9-10:30.
Have a great weekend! Happy New Year! Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I am excited for 2016 and a great rest of 4th grade with your child.
Sincerely,
Pam
Friday, January 1, 2016
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year!
I hope that your holiday break was wonderful and that you had the opportunity to spend time with family and friends. It is hard to believe that the school year is half over. We have worked hard and learned a lot so far, but we still have a lot of fun and hard work ahead of us. I know that your child will be ready to return to school and excited about new goals and challenges. It is going to be a great year.
Service Club meets on Tuesday from 2:45-3:45-We will have a Service Club meeting on Tuesday so that we can finish planning our Walk to Read Event for Libraries of Love in Uganda, Africa. Plan to come to school for our Walk to Read Event on MLK Day and save your coins and hard back books. More information will come soon.
20 Book Reading Challenge-I am excited to hear about all the reading that was done over break. I just finished my third book last night. I read Wild by Cheryl Strayed which is also a movie. It was a inspirational book, which made me want to go hike the Pacific Crest Trail. I am now reading some more Bluebonnet books and will start a book by Amy Tan. Our monthly challenge for January is to read a biography or autobiography AND a personal choice book. This will be due during the last week of January and we will have our special monthly challenge lunch. Be sure to keep a list of books finished and the HOLIDAY READING LOG is due on Tuesday, January 5. Prizes will be chosen by everyone who read at least 200 minutes. Be sure a parent or guardian signs the reading log. If the log was missplaced, write the days, titles, and times read with a parent signature and return on Tuesday.
Holiday Party-Thank you to Mrs. Bannister and everyone who helped or donated items for our holiday party. It was a great success and we all had a fun time celebrating together.
Read about our week:
Reading-We will continue to read some more biographies this week and learn about the characteristics of Literary Nonfiction. We will also read some books about Civil Rights.
Writing-We will write about our holiday break and continue to revise, elaborate, and organize our expository and narrative writing pieces. We will also write our opinions and interpretations of quotes. Run on sentences and sentence fragments will be a focus for us and we will also continue using a color coded system to edit our work.
Social Studies-We will learn about explorers in Texas.
There will be no spelling or vocabulary words this week. There is also no homework packet this week. Be sure to read and practice math facts daily. READING RESPONSE LETTER IS DUE ON FRIDAY.
Dates to Remember:
Monday, January 4-no school for students
Tuesday, January 5-Welcome Back to school. Holiday Reading Logs due.(200 minutes due-bring list of finished books) Service Club Meeting 2:45-3:45
Fri, January 8-Wear college t-shirts, no spelling or vocabulary test. READING RESPONSE LETTER IS DUE.
Monday, January 11, 2016- Wear FCE shirts, Writing Club from 2:45-3:45
Friday, January 15, 2016-Wear college shirts, spelling and vocabulary tests, Reading Response letters due. Homework packet due.
Monday, January 17-No School-MLK Day-Come to our Walk to Read Event for Libraries of Love at FCE-more information to come
Have a great weekend! Happy New Year! Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I am excited for 2016 and a great rest of 4th grade with your child.
Sincerely,
Pam
--
Pam Bartholomew
4th Grade Teacher
Forest Creek Elementary School
Round Rock,TX 78664
512-464-5388
I hope that your holiday break was wonderful and that you had the opportunity to spend time with family and friends. It is hard to believe that the school year is half over. We have worked hard and learned a lot so far, but we still have a lot of fun and hard work ahead of us. I know that your child will be ready to return to school and excited about new goals and challenges. It is going to be a great year.
Service Club meets on Tuesday from 2:45-3:45-We will have a Service Club meeting on Tuesday so that we can finish planning our Walk to Read Event for Libraries of Love in Uganda, Africa. Plan to come to school for our Walk to Read Event on MLK Day and save your coins and hard back books. More information will come soon.
20 Book Reading Challenge-I am excited to hear about all the reading that was done over break. I just finished my third book last night. I read Wild by Cheryl Strayed which is also a movie. It was a inspirational book, which made me want to go hike the Pacific Crest Trail. I am now reading some more Bluebonnet books and will start a book by Amy Tan. Our monthly challenge for January is to read a biography or autobiography AND a personal choice book. This will be due during the last week of January and we will have our special monthly challenge lunch. Be sure to keep a list of books finished and the HOLIDAY READING LOG is due on Tuesday, January 5. Prizes will be chosen by everyone who read at least 200 minutes. Be sure a parent or guardian signs the reading log. If the log was missplaced, write the days, titles, and times read with a parent signature and return on Tuesday.
Holiday Party-Thank you to Mrs. Bannister and everyone who helped or donated items for our holiday party. It was a great success and we all had a fun time celebrating together.
Read about our week:
Reading-We will continue to read some more biographies this week and learn about the characteristics of Literary Nonfiction. We will also read some books about Civil Rights.
Writing-We will write about our holiday break and continue to revise, elaborate, and organize our expository and narrative writing pieces. We will also write our opinions and interpretations of quotes. Run on sentences and sentence fragments will be a focus for us and we will also continue using a color coded system to edit our work.
Social Studies-We will learn about explorers in Texas.
There will be no spelling or vocabulary words this week. There is also no homework packet this week. Be sure to read and practice math facts daily. READING RESPONSE LETTER IS DUE ON FRIDAY.
Dates to Remember:
Monday, January 4-no school for students
Tuesday, January 5-Welcome Back to school. Holiday Reading Logs due.(200 minutes due-bring list of finished books) Service Club Meeting 2:45-3:45
Fri, January 8-Wear college t-shirts, no spelling or vocabulary test. READING RESPONSE LETTER IS DUE.
Monday, January 11, 2016- Wear FCE shirts, Writing Club from 2:45-3:45
Friday, January 15, 2016-Wear college shirts, spelling and vocabulary tests, Reading Response letters due. Homework packet due.
Monday, January 17-No School-MLK Day-Come to our Walk to Read Event for Libraries of Love at FCE-more information to come
Have a great weekend! Happy New Year! Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I am excited for 2016 and a great rest of 4th grade with your child.
Sincerely,
Pam
--
Pam Bartholomew
4th Grade Teacher
Forest Creek Elementary School
Round Rock,TX 78664
512-464-5388
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Newsletter
Hi, December 13, 2015
We had a very fun, busy week! Most of the students completed the Hour of Code challenge Friday. If they didn't finish, they were very close! We even did a little bit of coding with our 1st grade reading buddies. Encourage your child to go to Code.org and sign in through his/her Google account to continue to explore more coding activities. They had fun with Minecraft, Frozen, Star Wars, Infinity Disney, and Flappy Birds. Google email=s######@student.roundrockisd.org password=birthdate
Pen Pal Visit on Tuesday-Our pen pal visit was amazing. The kids did a great job interviewing them about their holiday memories and played lots of games together. It is so nice to see the seniors and their fourth graders enjoying time together. Our next visit will be in February.
Ridgeview Music Assembly-On Friday, the 4th and 5th graders enjoyed a performance by the Ridgeview Band, Orchestra, and Choir. They also learned more about the opportunity to choose one of these classes for an elective in middle school.
20 Book Reading Challenge-Many of the students are making progress on their 20 Book Reading Challenge and on their Monthly Challenge. Tomorrow we will read a Bluebonnet book together as we learn about biographies or literary nonfiction. The class will have an opportunity to fill out a google form about the book and if the form is completed and meets expectations by Tuesday, December 15, then they will get an invitation to the celebration on Wednesday. Be sure that your child is reading EVERYDAY for at least 20 minutes. They need to continue to read at least that much time everyday over the holiday break as well.
Literacy Night-Thank you to all the students for working so hard on their projects for Literacy Night. We learned about China and chose our own projects to show what we learned. Thank you also to everyone who was able to attend and enjoy the projects and activities from around the world. Thanks also for those who were able to donate fortune cookies. They were a huge hit!
Volunteering with Service Club-Members of the Service Club met at the Round Rock Serving Center on Saturday morning. We picked up trash around the grounds and organized books on the book case. Thank you so much to the families that came and helped. We will meet for Service Club on Tuesday, January 5 since we don't have school on Monday. We will talk more about the Walk to Read Event and Libraries of Love. More information to come.
Reading-We will continue to read some biographies this week and learn about the characteristics of Literary Nonfiction.
Writing-We will continue to revise, elaborate, and organize our expository writing pieces. We will also begin using a color coded system to edit our work.
Social Studies-We will talk a little more about the tribes in Texas and then begin learning about explorers.
There will be no spelling or vocabulary words this week. There is also no homework packet this week. Be sure to read and practice math facts daily.
Holiday party is on Thursday, December 17 at 1:00 in our classroom. Thank you to all the people who have signed up already on Sign up Genius. We appreciate your help. We also need about five people to monitor a game or activity during the party. Go to this link to sign up to help or donate needed items.
www.SignUpGenius.com/go/20F0A4BA8AD292-holiday
Dates to Remember:
Monday, December 14-Wear FCE shirt. Writing Club after school from 2:45-3:45
Tuesday, December 15-Monthly Reading Challenge Google form is due
Wednesday, December 16-Special Lunch for students who met the Monthly Reading Challenge
Thursday, December 17-Turn in Reading Logs, Holiday Party at 1:00.
Fri, December 18-Mon, January 4, 2016-Happy Holidays. READ EVERYDAY!!!!!!!!!!!
January 5, 2016-Happy New Year and Welcome Back to School. Service Club Meeting 2:45-3:45
Have a great evening.
Sincerely,
Pam
Monday, December 7, 2015
Newsletter
Hello Bat Families, 12/6/2015
We had an amazing week!
20 Book Challenge! Don't forget to record your books and times. Challenge yourself to read more. December Monthly Challenge is to read the first book in a series or a Bluebonnet Book! After a book is complete, go to the Google Document on our website and fill in and submit the appropriate form. Some students already have a few filled in and are moving right along on their challenge. Remember the students should read 20 books (at least) by the end of the school year. Monthly challenge is due on Dec. 15 and we will have lunch in the classroom on Dec. 16 for those who met the challenge.
Art Field Trip to Blanton Art Museum on Tuesday, December 1. Our field trip was wonderful. The kids had a great time sketching and learning about art and artists. It was great to hear their interpretations and thoughts about the art. They have amazing ideas and are creative, deep thinkers.
Pen Pal Visit on Tuesday, December 8 from 9:30-11:00. We are so excited to see our pen pals again. On Monday, we will make a craft for them as a holiday present. We will interview them about their culture and their holiday traditions. We will also play games and make snowflakes together. It will be a wonderful visit and you are welcome to meet us in the library to share some fun times with our pen pals.
Volunteer at the Round Rock Serving Center on Saturday, Dec. 12. from 9-10. All are welcome to come and volunteer. Email me if you will be coming so that I can let them know. Bring some gently used books to donate to the bookcase in the waiting area. (The date changed.)
Family Fun Day at Barnes and Noble today. Go shopping and earn money for our school.
Reading- To get ready for Literacy Night on December 10, we will talk about heritage together and write Cultural poems. We will also research China and read Chinese traditional tales to create projects to present at Literacy Night. Be sure to come to Literacy Night on December 10. Each grade level will present a different continent and there will be projects to view and Ballet Folklorico. We will also learn about Libraries of Love in Uganda, Africa. It will be a great night of learning and fun.
If you would like to present items or information about your ancestry, please contact Mariah Smith in the library at mariah_smith@roundrockisd.org.
Hour of Code-We will participate in an Hour of Code on Friday from 10-11. Most of our class is signed up on code.org and some kids have already begun some coding. Go to Code.org to learn more or to have your child work on some coding. They can create an account using their google email (s######@student.roundrockisd.org and their birthdate as their password) and then go to http://studio.code.org/join/BLFOEL to join our class and I can see their progress.
Writing-We are beginning to work on another expository writing piece. We are also working on combining sentences using conjunctions such as for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so or FANBOYS. Don't forget the comma before the conjunctions when combining two complete sentences.
Social Studies-We are continuing to learn about bartering and then begin learning about the explorers in Texas. We are also researching China for Literacy Night on Thursday. Be sure to come and see all the projects and hard work.
Spelling-Last week our list included silent letters (b and w) and this week will include more silent letters. (k and g) The list will include words with silent letters like sign, gnaw, knowledge) Each child will also have individual spelling words.
Vocabulary- We will study words with the affixes dis and mis. (ex.misfortunate, disappear)
Go to Learn2earn to log in reading time (use your paper reading log also) and respond to your reading. You can also earn coins to change your owl avatar.
https://www.learn2earn.org/
Dates to remember:
Monday, December 7-Wear FCE shirts. Service Club 2:45-3:45 in room 512. 4th-5th invited.
Tuesday, December 8-Pen Pal Visit from 9:30-11:00 in the library.
Thursday, Dec. 10-Passport to Literacy-Cultural Night 5-7-Return your paper portrait decorated with the country of your ancestry. Come and learn about other countries and cultures. Come and present our China projects!
Friday, December 11-Homework packet is due, Reading Response Letter is due.
spelling test, vocabulary test-Hour of Code for our class from 10-11 am, wear college shirts, Ridgeview Band, Orchestra, and Choir will perform for our 4th and 5th graders at 1:00.
Saturday, Dec. 12-Volunteer at RR Serving Center from 9-10.
Monday, December 14-Wear FCE shirts. Writing Club after school from 2:45-3:45 in the library for grades 2-5.
Tuesday, December 15-Google Form for Monthly Reading Challenge is due
Wednesday, December 16-Monthly Reading Challenge Lunch Party
Thursday, December 17-Holiday Party at 1:00-More information to come.
I hope you continue to have a wonderful weekend!
Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for sharing your child with me.
Sincerely,
Pam
We had an amazing week!
20 Book Challenge! Don't forget to record your books and times. Challenge yourself to read more. December Monthly Challenge is to read the first book in a series or a Bluebonnet Book! After a book is complete, go to the Google Document on our website and fill in and submit the appropriate form. Some students already have a few filled in and are moving right along on their challenge. Remember the students should read 20 books (at least) by the end of the school year. Monthly challenge is due on Dec. 15 and we will have lunch in the classroom on Dec. 16 for those who met the challenge.
Art Field Trip to Blanton Art Museum on Tuesday, December 1. Our field trip was wonderful. The kids had a great time sketching and learning about art and artists. It was great to hear their interpretations and thoughts about the art. They have amazing ideas and are creative, deep thinkers.
Pen Pal Visit on Tuesday, December 8 from 9:30-11:00. We are so excited to see our pen pals again. On Monday, we will make a craft for them as a holiday present. We will interview them about their culture and their holiday traditions. We will also play games and make snowflakes together. It will be a wonderful visit and you are welcome to meet us in the library to share some fun times with our pen pals.
Volunteer at the Round Rock Serving Center on Saturday, Dec. 12. from 9-10. All are welcome to come and volunteer. Email me if you will be coming so that I can let them know. Bring some gently used books to donate to the bookcase in the waiting area. (The date changed.)
Family Fun Day at Barnes and Noble today. Go shopping and earn money for our school.
Reading- To get ready for Literacy Night on December 10, we will talk about heritage together and write Cultural poems. We will also research China and read Chinese traditional tales to create projects to present at Literacy Night. Be sure to come to Literacy Night on December 10. Each grade level will present a different continent and there will be projects to view and Ballet Folklorico. We will also learn about Libraries of Love in Uganda, Africa. It will be a great night of learning and fun.
If you would like to present items or information about your ancestry, please contact Mariah Smith in the library at mariah_smith@roundrockisd.org.
Hour of Code-We will participate in an Hour of Code on Friday from 10-11. Most of our class is signed up on code.org and some kids have already begun some coding. Go to Code.org to learn more or to have your child work on some coding. They can create an account using their google email (s######@student.roundrockisd.org and their birthdate as their password) and then go to http://studio.code.org/join/BLFOEL to join our class and I can see their progress.
Writing-We are beginning to work on another expository writing piece. We are also working on combining sentences using conjunctions such as for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so or FANBOYS. Don't forget the comma before the conjunctions when combining two complete sentences.
Social Studies-We are continuing to learn about bartering and then begin learning about the explorers in Texas. We are also researching China for Literacy Night on Thursday. Be sure to come and see all the projects and hard work.
Spelling-Last week our list included silent letters (b and w) and this week will include more silent letters. (k and g) The list will include words with silent letters like sign, gnaw, knowledge) Each child will also have individual spelling words.
Vocabulary- We will study words with the affixes dis and mis. (ex.misfortunate, disappear)
Go to Learn2earn to log in reading time (use your paper reading log also) and respond to your reading. You can also earn coins to change your owl avatar.
https://www.learn2earn.org/
Dates to remember:
Monday, December 7-Wear FCE shirts. Service Club 2:45-3:45 in room 512. 4th-5th invited.
Tuesday, December 8-Pen Pal Visit from 9:30-11:00 in the library.
Thursday, Dec. 10-Passport to Literacy-Cultural Night 5-7-Return your paper portrait decorated with the country of your ancestry. Come and learn about other countries and cultures. Come and present our China projects!
Friday, December 11-Homework packet is due, Reading Response Letter is due.
spelling test, vocabulary test-Hour of Code for our class from 10-11 am, wear college shirts, Ridgeview Band, Orchestra, and Choir will perform for our 4th and 5th graders at 1:00.
Saturday, Dec. 12-Volunteer at RR Serving Center from 9-10.
Monday, December 14-Wear FCE shirts. Writing Club after school from 2:45-3:45 in the library for grades 2-5.
Tuesday, December 15-Google Form for Monthly Reading Challenge is due
Wednesday, December 16-Monthly Reading Challenge Lunch Party
Thursday, December 17-Holiday Party at 1:00-More information to come.
I hope you continue to have a wonderful weekend!
Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for sharing your child with me.
Sincerely,
Pam
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