February 13 All School Meeting (Plovers will present) and Spirit Day (Pirates!)
February 13 Friendship Celebration
February 16 No School
February 18 Celebrations of Learning
February 20 Lunch Orders Due
February 23 Library Visit
Homework Due Thursday, February 12th
1. Read for at least 20 minutes every night.
2. Complete Reading Response Letter OR Opinion Paragraph Packet
3. Complete at least 30 minutes of math practice*
*Suggested IXL skills for 3rd grade math practice:
R.19 Angles and R.24 Triangles
For an extra challenge, try R.25 Quadrilaterals or 4th Grade P.3
*Suggested IXL skills for 4th grade math practice:
B.1-B.5 Addition
Literature Circles and Book Clubs
Some students began meeting with new book clubs last week. Each book club agreed on a book to read (either Catwings or Because of Winn Dixie) and decided together how many pages to read. All Plovers will have time in class to read and write about their book, but some students may choose to read at home and complete their book club assignment as extra homework. I do not want this to be an extra burden for families, so if your Plover seems worried about completing their assigned reading or writing, please let me know so I can help their book club figure out a more reasonable pace. Not all students have joined a book club yet, but my hope is for everyone to try it out this month!
Friendship Day Brunch (Valentines Day)
We will show appreciation for our classroom community and friendships with a Friendship Day Brunch on February 13th. There are additional sign-ups on the Community Breakfast VolunteerSpot page for veggies, cheese and crackers. If your Plover would like to bring in cards for their classmates, they MUST bring one for every student. Students can make cards or buy them. Please be modest with candy contributions; Plovers will not be allowed to eat treats at school.
Class list: Aidan, Aiello, Bailey, Blue, Che, Dakota, Everett, Francis, Hannah, Jacob, Jamie, Joey, Josiah, Luke, Maya, McKenzie, Micah, Nasya, Natalie, Ryan, Sam, Sophia, Tessa, Tommy, Ulee
Upcoming Out and Abouts
We will use our Out & About time this week for more Science Labs! Some students still have some work to do on their Take Apart Day projects and posters from last week. They will also work on their circuitry quiz boards, which will be on display next week during Celebrations of Learning.
Volunteer Opportunities - http://vols.pt/drMimF
We are in need breakfast donations for the month of February and snacks for our Friendship Brunch on February 13th! Thanks :)
Math Notes
Last week, third grade mathematicians used an interesting material to build triangles, quadrilaterals and angles - dried spaghetti noodles! We focused on building right angles and recognizing if other angles were larger (obtuse) or smaller (acute) than 90 degrees. You can talk about angles with your student by noticing when you make turns while walking around the house, neighborhood or grocery store. Many of the turns you make will be 90 degree turns (right angles), like the intersection of two streets. If you have any games at home with spinners, look at their designs with your Plover or Puffin. Do you see any right angles? What other angles do you see?
In fourth grade math, we are continuing Unit 3: Investigation 2 which focuses heavily on multiplication and division. During the remaining sessions of this unit, students will develop the following skills:
(1) Solving multiplication problems with 2-digit numbers
(2) understanding and using multiplication to solve division problems
(3) making sense of division problems, remainders, and creating story problems to represent division expressions
Wondering how to support this development at home? Please take a moment to review Related Activities to Try at Home. As always, if you have questions/comments/concerns, please let me or Becky know ([email protected]).
4th Grade NAEP Testing
FGCS 4th grade students have been selected to participate in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The NAEP assessment will be given at FGCS on Tuesday, March 3. For more information, click here to read a note from our principal, Vanessa Gray. If you have questions, please contact school test coordinator Karen Torry at [email protected] or 503-359-4600.
Returning Student Form Due March 3rd
Click here to submit a Returning Student Form. Please fill out a separate form for each currently enrolled student who will be returning next year.
Weekly Review
Last week, many students finished typing and editing their compare-and-contrast literary essays. Most Plovers chose to compare Belle, from Beauty and the Beast, with Despereaux, from Tales of Despereaux, but some students included other favorite literary characters. Students evaluated their writing using a rubric and will have one more chance to revise after I've scored their writing. Completed essays will go in students' portfolios and they will have time to reflect on their writing goals. Our next writing unit will focus on Informational writing, to prepare students for the migration project later this spring.
Communication
Please contact me with any questions or concerns. Parents and students can e-mail me at [email protected]. You can also leave a voice message on the class phone, come into the classroom before or after school, or call me before 8PM at home.