A+ Spellers

Kortez
Aliza
Michael
Haley
Mackenzie
Brady
Jesse
Tony
Aaron
Larissa
Leah
Dustin
Evan
Logan
Emily
Alesha
Elizabeth
Karter

It is a big list this week. Great job to those that made the list!

Room Parents

I know there are some parents that were interested in becoming room parents. If you would still like to be a room parent, please send in a note with your child and I will add you to the list. Thanks for considering.

Things the room parents can do:


-donate food for parties
-organize a game to play with the students during a party
-bring plates/napkins/forks/cups
-donate drinks for parties

A room parent wouldn't necessarily have to come if they couldn't make it to a party.

A Visitor Is Coming!

Thursday, Sept. 29

Author Visit

Buck Wilder
(buckwilder.com)


Students and staff are encouraged to wear
camouflage clothes, plaid shirts and/or a hat that day

Mystery Desk

Does anyone recognize this one?

Mastery Club

We had four people pass one challenge today. Remember this is completely optional, and for the fun of knowledge. Remind your child to say something in the morning if they are ready to take a challenge that day. Happy studying!

Carnival Refunds

Carnival money will be sent home tomorrow after school for those who prepaid. Mr. Critell will be making calls to parents letting them know this as well.

A+ Spellers

Elizabeth
Evan
Logan
Kortez
Tony
Leah
Ava
Michael
Mackenzie

Great job this week spellers!

Computer Lab

Here's a game we played yesterday in computer lab. The students have been learning about circuits in science, so this was a bit of a recap.


Game

Carnival

Unfortunately the PTA needed to cancel the carnival scheduled for Friday. This is due to the lack of volunteers needed to pull it off. All money will be refunded if your child turned in a pre-order.

Any Volunteers?

The PTA is still in need of helpers for Friday's carnival. If you are willing to help, we would love to have you. You may call the school office or send in a note with contact information. Thank you for the support!

Writing Scores

When a student gets his/her writing piece back you will see two scores.

One score will be out of 6 points (Applications). This score is based on how well the student got their ideas across, staying on topic, and using interesting language.

The second score will be out of 4 points (Conventions). This score is based on grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling.

The scale for the letter grade is as follows:

Applications (out of 6):
6 = A+
5 = A
4 = C
3 and below = F


Conventions (out of 4):
4 = A+
3 = B
2 = C
1 = F


The kids will be getting back their letters they wrote to me during the second week of school, tomorrow. If you have questions don't hesitate to comment or contact me.

Reading Book Quiz

A parent made me realize I hadn't posted this information yet. I have discussed this with the students.

Every week when the students check out library books they are able to take a Reading Counts quiz over the book. If you look at the small white tag on each cover, you should see a reading level and points (pts) listed. The points are gained by taking a quiz on the school computers and getting enough questions correct. The more books you read, the more points you receive. The higher the level of book, the more points the book is worth. Each student has a goal and when they reach the goal, they receive a prize. Encourage your child to read at home, so they can take a quiz at school.

School Carnival

I will be sending a second flier home today with information on the upcoming School Carnival. The carnival is from 5-8 pm on Friday, September 23. Hope to see you there. The office is reminding students that money is due ASAP. Preferably by tomorrow.

A+ Spellers

Elizabeth
Emily
Aliza
Haley
Aaron
Leah
Kortez
Logan
Alyssa
Bryuna
Brianna
Brady
Jesse
Mackenzie
Evan
Shaston
Karter

Congratulations to those who made the list. It was a big list this week!

School Carnival

Friday, September 23 is the school carnival. Mark your calendars!

Today

I'm out sick today. My boys have been passing around a stomach bug and it must have been my turn. Our student teacher is there, so it should still be business as usual.

Parents

Scholastic book orders were sent yesterday for those who sent in money. I'm guessing they will be in early next week.

A+ Spellers

Tony
Larissa
Logan
Karter
Ava
Aliza
Emily
Mackenzie
Shaston
Elizabeth
Brady
Brady
Aaron
Alesha
Alyssa
Evan
Kortez


Welcome back to the list this week. Great to see so many A+ spellers!

Math Textbook Passwords

I am sending home a username and password for parents/students today. Students can view their textbook online if they ever have a question. It also has a copy of the homework. This series is new to us this year, so I am still trying to figure out the online side of the textbook. This is nice for the kids because if they do forget their book it is still available. There are other goodies that have yet to be explored, so report back if you find things.

Math Activities

Here are two of the activities we did today. Your child only played one of the two.

Math Activity 1

Math Activity 2

Mastery Club Info

Sorry parents. I haven't sent the paper copy of all the goals yet. I will send it home tomorrow with the students. You can always go to the link in the "Important Links" section if the student misplaces it. We will begin next week for anyone wanting to participate in his/her first challenge.

Assignment Books

Assignment books have arrived. Every student received one today. They are responsible for writing their assignments down each night. If your student ever has his/her name on the board for something that happened during the day, it will be written down inside the book.

Other things you will see written down in them are spelling words, important events coming up, or even due dates for assignments. This book is to be taken home everyday and brought back each morning.

Fact Practice

Reminder to all parents/students:
Please continue to work on multiplication facts throughout the year (ex. 3x4=12). Five minutes a night does wonders for a child. We are moving into division by relating the facts to each other, so it is very helpful when the students already know the basic multiplication facts.

Writing

We made lists today during writing time. The students were asked to write as many first names as they could think of in 10 minutes. We had one person list 91 names! The students can use this list throughout the year as a resource when they need a name for a character.

A+ Spellers

Tony
Ava
Leah
Emily
Brady
Elizabeth
Karter
Mackenzie
Logan

Nice job top spellers of the week. Most of you made it a second straight week. Congratulations!

Scholastic Book Orders

I sent Scholastic Book catalogs home with the students today. There were four different catalogs. Some of the catalogs were for younger ages, so if you were interested in ordering for younger siblings feel free to include those. The orders are due on September 13th. If you are interested in ordering, just send in the order form with the catalog and payment of cash or a check made out to Scholastic (check is the easiest).

If you want the easiest way for everyone feel free to order online. Here is the information:

Online Ordering Information
Web address: scholastic.com/bookclubs
Class Activation Code: J3G7L

Dear Parent,

Now it's easier than ever to find the perfect books for your child -- shop our NEW online Book Clubs Web site. Choose from a much-wider selection of books than in the printed flyer. Plus, you can send your orders directly to me online and use your credit card to pay.

Best of all, we earn a FREE book for the classroom library every time a parent places an order online.*

It's so simple! Here's how it works:

* SIGN UP at www.scholastic.com/bookclubs. On the parent page, click the "Register" button in the "First Time Here?" section. Register for your own user name and password. When prompted, enter the one-time Class Activation Code shown above. This unique code ensures that your order is sent to me.

* SELECT the books you'd like to order -- choose from thousands of titles -- many more than in our monthly flyers.

* SEND your order to me online by the due date and your child's books will be delivered directly to my classroom.

Ordering online is fast, easy, and secure.

Of course, you can still order using the form from the printed flyer. But why not see for yourself how convenient it is to order online?

Thank you,

*Excludes eBooks.

Mastery Club

We have had parents request additional challenges for their children over and above what is going on in school. This year we are tapping into the Mastery Club encouraged by other teachers across the US, stretching our students' overall knowledge. Students have a list of the challenges. They can collect this information to study in any way, but can get into the Student Section of mrsrenz.net, where additional help is provided.

Each time a student passes a written challenge, his/her name will be placed on the bulletin board in the hall. Students that accomplish 16 challenges over the course of the year will have their names and the date of the accomplishment hanging in a prominent place in the hallway. Hopefully, they will be able to visit years down the way and still see their name! We will also have some kind of recognition that they will be able to display at home.

Participation is not a requirement for any student. Just strongly encouraged.

There is now a link on the right side of this page that says Mastery Challenges. Click on the link and scroll down to all 86 challenges.

Mystery of the Missing Lunch

This week our story was a mystery. Ask your child about the guilty cats and Ramon's lunch. We have some real detectives this year.

Multiplication

The fourth grade is the year the students really need to master multiplication. We will do this throughout the school year. I'm asking every student to practice 5 minutes a day outside of school. This greatly increases their chance of success in upper grade concepts.