Grandparent's Day

Hi,

Tomorrow is Grandparent's Day!  You are welcome to come and eat lunch with your child.  If our cafeteria table is full, you may come to our classroom to eat. (your child can only come if he/she has a guest)  Our lunch time is 11:25-11:55.  

Spirit Day is every Friday!  Wear purple and green and show your FCE pride!

Information went home in Thursday folders today about Writing Club and Choir.  If your child wants to come to the informational meeting for either club, you need to send me a note or email letting me know that he/she will be staying afterschool and let me know how he/she is getting home. Monday 2:50-3:30 will be the Writing Club meeting and Tuesday will be the Choir meeting.  Thank you so much for letting me know in advance.

Don't forget that homework is due tomorrow. That includes the math and weekly grammar paper.  Also the Cultural Information paper is due.  Be sure to read every night and record on reading log.  Next week we will have individual spelling lists and will have a test on Friday, Sept. 16.

Thank you and let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Have a great evening!

Newsletter-Keep Reading

Hello,

Thank you to all the parents who were able to attend our Back to School Night on Thursday. If you ever have any questions or concerns, please let me know. Here is the link to the district At A Glance Map. This resource lets you know what we are teaching in each subject throughout the year. Be sure to click on the 4th grade tab. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1E1_YhCIGt318TMTaJni84G0rV0JdndSRzDteWugZM44/edit#gid=1362765212

Read about our classroom:

Reading-We are working on expectations in the reading workshop and beginning to write responses to our books. We will practice more next week and will begin reading response letters for homework in a few weeks. We are focusing on reading fiction and talking about characters and character changes, setting, plot, and theme. We read Stone Fox together and made predictions as we read. We will continue with fiction for a few more weeks and will include using context to figure out unknown words and rereading to be sure comprehension is happening effectively.

Writing-We went through the writing process as they wrote poems about themselves. We brainstormed, planned, drafted, revised, edited, and published. We conferenced about our writing and shared it with others. We did all of this while working on the expectations of writing workshop. We are now writing entries about personal narratives and will begin working on leads and drafting one of our entries to take it to publication.

Social Studies-Thank you for all the wonderful photos of your children in Texas. Our map in the hallway is covered and it looks amazing. We are using the photos to learn about each other as well as to learn about the regions in Texas. We are taking a virtual bus trip to learn about each region and taking notes. We will continue this next week.

Writing Club will begin on Monday, Sept. 12 after school at 2:50. Writing Club will be every OTHER Monday. In Writing Club, the students in 2-5 grade free write and share their writing. We will have a mini-lesson and talk about a writing craft or strategy. Then the writers can choose to write whatever they want. It can be a poem, story, rap, comic, essay.... anything. They can write individually or in groups. They can choose to share their writing with others as well. It is a place and opportunity for children to be creative and use their imaginations in a risk free environment. Writing Club will take place in the library and we will walk out to the front of the school for pick up. After school, the kids will meet in Mrs.Crochet's music room by the cafeteria and I will pick them up to go to the library to write. All 2-5th graders are welcome.

Service Club will begin on Monday, Sept. 19 after school at 2:50. Service Club will alternate with Writing Club and will be on every OTHER Monday. In Service Club, the children plan, advertise, and facilitate service learning projects for our school. We make signs, write announcements for broadcast and Coyote Call, and persuade people to help. In the past, we helped our school collect toys for Dell Children's Hospital, flip flops for children in Honduras, books for Libraries of Love in Africa and food for the Round Rock Serving Center. We also meet at the Round Rock Serving Center once a month on a Saturday morning to volunteer. . After school, the kids will go to Mrs. Crochet's music room by the cafeteria and I will pick them up to go to my classroom for our meeting. All 4th and 5th graders are welcome.

40 Book Challenge! Fourth Graders are involved in a 40 Book Challenge this year! We will be reading from a variety of genres and charting our progress. It is going to be great and the kids have already finished Stone Fox, so we have 39 books to go! Your child is expected to read everyday for at least 20 minutes. They will record their reading on their reading logs and will let me know when they finish a book. They will talk to me about their book and write a reading response on a notecard. Any books that they already finished since fourth grade started counts! Our September Monthly challenge is to read the first book in a series. It can be any genre, but not a book that they read before. The Monthly Challenge is due on Sept. 29 and we will have a treat and lunch in the classroom on Friday, Sept. 30 for all the children who met the monthly challenge. (1st book in a series) View the powerpoint below. Happy Reading!


Dates to remember:

No school on Monday. Be sure to add some reading to your weekend plans! Enjoy the time with family and friends.

Tuesday, Sept. 6-PTA meeting at 9:00 am in the PTA portable.

Wednesday, Sept. 7-Family Fun Night-5-9 at Chipotle Mexican Grill, 2424 Farm to Market Road 685, Pflugerville, TX 78660

Friday, Sept. 9-Grandparents' Day-our lunch time is 11:25-11:55. All are welcome to come and eat with your child. College Shirt day. Homework Packet is due.

Monday, Sept. 12-FCE Spirit Day! Wear green and purple. Writing Club 2:50-3:50 in the library, Watch DOGS kick off at 6:00, Homeroom Parent & Volunteer Orientation at 6:30

Tuesday, Sept. 13-Homeroom Parent & Volunteer Orientation at 8:15, Sr. Choir Interest Meeting 2:55

Friday, Sept. 16-Austin Jazz Concert at 1:15 for grades 3-5, Homework packets due, Spelling test, College Shirt Day


Thank you for sharing your children with me. They are working hard, being creative, and helping each other. They love to share what they are thinking and learning with each other. It is wonderful to see!

Sincerely,
Pam

Great First Week!

Dear Families,

Our first week of 4th grade has been wonderful! Your children are working hard and doing well. I am impressed with the excitement for reading and writing so far and I know this will continue and increase as the year progresses!

Every Friday is Spirit Day! Your child should wear green, purple, or an FCE shirt to show his/her school pride! Monday is College Shirt Day. Hook 'em!

We will have our Back to School Night next Thursday from 6-6:30 in the classroom and at 6:30, Mrs. Lehnick will go over some school wide information in the cafeteria. We hope to see you there.

Your child brought his/her Thursday folder home today. Inside is a letter about joining our Class Dojo group. We are using this to track individual and class positive behavior. You can receive notifications about your student's progress and also view our class story which will have photos about classroom activities. I am still learning the specifics of this program, but Mrs. Moellenberg used it the last two years with her classes and really liked it. We will have classroom rewards like shoes off and lunch in the classroom that can be earned with points. Let me know what you think.

This week in:

Reading-The students set up the expectations for our Reading Workshop, wrote on their reading logs, and read independently for 20 minutes each day this week. The children talked with a friend about their reading and several students had individual conferences with me. They also decorated our book boxes and chose books from our classroom library. Our class library check out day is Friday. We will go tomorrow for an orientation and will get some books.

Grammar-We played active games and watched Schoolhouse Rock videos about nouns and verbs. We will continue to play games to practice complete sentences and parts of speech.

Writing-The students created self portraits included some writing about a few of their inner characteristics and some of their favorite things. They also wrote a letter to me introducing themselves. I loved reading and responding to them. We read some poetry books and began practicing the writing process by writing a poem about themselves. They brainstormed, wrote rough drafts, and are in the process of revising, editing, and publishing. The kids are excited to share their poems with you on Back to School Night. Next week, we will begin working on personal narrative writing.

Social Studies-We brainstormed things that we knew about Texas and colored a Texas map according to the regions. We began sharing information about our Texas photos. We will continue to share our photos tomorrow and write about them. We will go on a virtual bus tour of the regions next week.

Homework will be sent home on Monday. Your child should be reading everyday for at least 20-30 minutes and should record the reading on the book log that will be in the homework folders on Monday. There will also be a packet that will be typically given on Friday and due the next Friday. The math and grammar papers has a daily assignment that will be graded the next morning. There will be some additional assignments (reading response letters, spelling words, vocabulary words, etc..) that will come in later weeks.

Thank you for sharing your child with me. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,
Pam

Welcome Fourth Graders!

Hello,

I am so excited to start our fourth grade year. We are going to work hard toward our goals, have thoughtful discussions, ask lots of questions, use our imaginations, help each other, challenge each other, and grow as learners.

Be sure to come to supply drop off on Thursday, August 18. If your last name begins with the letter A-L, come at 4:00-4:30. Students with last names beginning with M-Z, will come from 4:45-5:15. Drop off your supplies and do some activities in the classroom. Go to the library and get your photo taken for a new ID card. See old friends and begin making some new friends. Be ready to talk about your favorite book that you read over the summer. I can't wait to see all of the fourth graders and hear about your summer reading and some of your adventures over the break.

The first day of school will be on Tuesday, August 23. The doors open at 7:15. Fourth graders meet in the hallway. The students will sit outside their classroom door until 7:30. Bring a book to read while you sit quietly. The tardy bell will ring at 7:40 am. The school day ends at 2:50 pm. Be sure that you know how you are getting home from school each day.

Be sure to bring a jacket or sweater for the classroom. It can be cold in our room.

Bring a water bottle and a healthy snack each day.

Be sure that you have a book to read each day in your backpack.

Back to School Night for grades 3-5 is Thursday September 1 at 6:00 p.m. The night will start with teacher presentations in the classrooms from 6:00 to 6:30 p.m. Then Mrs. Lehnick,our principal, will have a short presentation in the cafeteria. I look forward to seeing you there and sharing information about our expectations, procedures, and policies in fourth grade.

Have fun and soak in those last days of summer. Spend time exploring and creating with friends and family. Read some more books and talk about them with others. Go online and do some I-Station and Think through Math (in between Pokemon Go games). We are going to work hard and have an amazing year!

Feel free to email me with any questions or concerns. pam_bartholomew@roundrockisd.org

See you soon!
Mrs. Bartholomew

Happy Summer!

Hi 5th Graders and Families,

Thank you for a wonderful year. Your children are amazing and worked very hard. I enjoyed watching them learn and grow into 5th graders! Have a great summer, but be sure to spend time reading, observing, writing, questioning, discovering, creating, and problem solving!

Keep writing in your writer's notebook.

Write letters or emails to me and tell me about your adventures.

Go to Google Classroom and write about the books that you are reading. Respond to the posts of your friends. https://classroom.google.com/c/MjE2MzE5NDEw
(Let me know if you have any problems logging on)

Take part in a summer reading program. Check out the library webpage to get more information.

Grab your computer and have fun while you learn on I-Station and Think Through Math.

Go outside and read or write under a tree or by the pool or creek.

Enjoy time playing board games and card games with your family and friends.

Use your imagination and make up your own games.



"A book is a gift you can open again and again." — Garrison Keillor

Reading lists for 5th graders

http://www.educationworld.com/summer_reading/5th_grade.shtml

http://www.whatdowedoallday.com/2015/04/5th-grade-summer-reading-list.html

Have an incredible summer. Learn something new everyday!

I can't wait to hear from you on Google Classroom, in an email, or in a letter in the mail!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Bartholomew

Lots of End of Year Information! So Many Celebrations!

Hi,

We had a busy and fun week and are prepared for more excitement in our last three days of fourth grade.

Reading Challenge Forms due on Tuesday! Monthly challenge for May was to complete the graph of genres for the 20 Book Challenge. We will celebrate with the children who completed their graph on Wednesday with lunch in the classroom and a special treat. Congratulations to all our amazing readers! Even if you didn't reach 20 books, I hope everyone read more and enjoyed more genres. Keep going over the summer and read everyday!

Texas Hero Projects due on Tuesday- Presentations will begin Tuesday also. Remember...be creative, use easybib.com for bibliography, bring in 3 objects or drawings, practice presentations this weekend, do your best, and have fun!

Reading/Writing Fun on Wednesday-Students can bring in a book that they would like to swap for another book. We will put all the books out on the table and everyone who brought a book, can choose a book to keep. Students can also bring in a sleeping bag/blanket, pillow, and books to read. We will move the desks and the kids will read or write for at least an hour. We will share our writing and reading with each other also and have a fun time reading, writing, and talking together.

4th Grade Bat End of Year Celebration on Thursday, June 2 at 1:00. See the sign up genius. Bring in a t-shirt to decorate and sign. Thank you Mrs. Banister for all your work as our room parent this year!

www.SignUpGenius.com/go/20F0A4BA8AD292-4thgrade

Yearbook Signing-We will have time with the entire fourth grade to sign yearbooks. If you didn't get a yearbook or don't want it signed, we will have paper books for autographs. This will probably happen on the last day of school, but I will let you know for sure.

Write Start Grammar Books-These workbooks came home this week. We did use them a little, but RRISD recommends teaching grammar using more mentor sentences and authentic grammar. Your child can use it this summer to brush up on grammar and continue to get ready for 5th grade and beyond.

Thank you all for the wonderful treats, flowers, notes, and gifts for Teacher Appreciation Week! Mrs. Banister brought in an incredible basket filled with goodies as well as a beautiful cloth box! You all are wonderful! Your children are amazing and I had a great year with them all. I enjoyed watching them learn, grow, and discover new things about the world and themselves. We had fun Skyping with children in Uganda, helping with book drives for Libraries of Love, Flip Flops and Kickball Tournament to benefit people in Honduras, OMS Toy Drive for Dell Children's Hospital, volunteering at Round Rock Serving Center, and especially learning and playing with our mentors from The Court at Round Rock throughout the year. It has been a terrific year and I am excited for our last three days together. I will miss them all, but look forward to seeing them continue to grow as 5th graders.

Thank you for sharing your child with me. Thank you for everything! Have a wonderful weekend!

Sincerely,
Pam

Newsletter-Donate flip flops, Mentor visit on Tuesday, Reading Celebration on Tuesday, Field Day on Friday

Hi,

STAAR Testing for fourth grade is complete! Yay!!!! We are continuing to work hard and learn a lot. We will have fun, but school is still in session. Thank you for encouraging your child to continue to follow expectations and do his/her best on all assignments.

Reading Celebration with Dr. Flores is on Tuesday morning at 8:00. Our 20 Book Reading Challenge will continue until May 31. Our Monthly goal is to complete the chart of genres for the 20 books. We have a few people who are already there and are continuing to read books of their choice. Keep reading!

Pen Pal/Mentor Visit will be on Tuesday, May 17. Our class will meet with them at about 10:00 in the library. Parents are welcome to come and visit with us. You can continue to write letters or visit your pen pals. Just call The Court at Round Rock at 512-640-5053to set up a visit or send letters to 2700 Sunrise Road, Round Rock, TX 78665.

Donate flip flops for Honduras. The FCE Service Club is asking for donations for flip flops for the people of Honduras. Our very own Susan Shogan, awesome third grade teacher, will be going with Friends of Los Ninos this summer and taking our donated flip flops to the children at Copprome Children's Home and people in the villages of Honduras. Our goal is to collect 300 pairs of flip flops for them. Thank you in advance for your help. See http://www.friendsoflosninos.org/ for more information about the children and people in Honduras.

Texas Heroes Project-We will try to work on the projects at school but have lots of other activities that will take away some of our work time, therefore the projects made need some extra work at home. We will begin presentations on Tuesday, May 31. Have fun and be creative. Practice presentations so that they are dynamic and expressive. Reading to the audience doesn't make the presentation engaging.

We will have a spelling and vocabulary test on Friday. Homework packets will be due, but we are done writing reading response letters for the year. Homework packets will come home on Monday. Continue to turn in reading logs.

Dates to remember:

Monday, May 16, 2016-Homework packet will come home. Wear FCE shirts, Writing Club after school from 2:45-3:45

Tuesday, May 17, 2016-Pen Pal Visit, Reading Celebration for 20 Book Challenge with Dr. Flores

Thursday, May 19, 2016-Rising Star Night, 6-7:30 pm

Friday, May 20, 2016-Wear college shirts, NO new Reading Response Letters are due, Turn in Reading Logs, Homework Packet due, Spelling and Vocabulary test, FIELD DAY 12:20-2:20

Saturday, May 21, 2016-Volunteer at the Round Rock Area Serving Center from 9-10:30. All are welcome.

Monday, May 23, 2016-Wear FCE shirts, Service Club after school from 2:45-3:45

Friday, May 27, 2016-Wear college shirts, Turn in Reading Logs, Homework Packet due, Vocabulary test

Monday, May 30, 2016-No school,Memorial Day Holiday

Tuesday, May 31, 2016-20 Book Reading Challenge due. Texas Hero Presentations begin.

Wednesday, June 1, 2016-May Book Challenge lunch

Thursday, June 2, 2016-Last Day of School

Thank you for sharing your child with me. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,
Pam