April 27th-May 1st

Let's Be Sparky!

Important Dates:

Library Field Trip: Thursday- Tomorrow is the very last day I will accept field trip permission slips and money. I am also short on chaperons and need two parents that can stay for the whole day. If you are available I would love your help. Or, if you can help with the research portion of the field trip at the library let me know. The research portion will be between 12pm and 2pm. I will be emailing a copy of the report requirements via email. I will also be giving each child a copy. 

I will be conducting monthly spelling and phonogram tests this week so our spelling list will be short.

Galileo testing is next week. It is the last one of the year! Yay! We will be having our waffle party next Friday May 8th to celebrate the end of testing. I will provide the waffles and will be sending out assignments to each child to bring items for toppings. I will hand these out Friday so you have the weekend and week after to get them. We have not decided on a movie but if it is PG I will need you to sign a permission slip as well that will be included on the assignment sheets. So keep your eyes peeled. 

Several Students have earned $1000 for the $1000 swim party!! YAY!! More info to come on this event. 

Spelling List:

1. pressure
2. produce
3. product
4. purchased
5. purchase
6. quarrel
7. radio
8. recess
9. saucer
10. secret
11. similar
12. sleigh
13. society
14. social
15. solution
16. source
17. speech
18. steak
19. successful
20. tails
21. tales

April 20-24

Love it. 

WOW! What a week last week! The children did such an amazing job. I am so proud of them. Also, thank you for all the donations and snacks. They were a highly anticipated part of our morning. 

We have a lot to do still this year. We will be completing a biography essay by next week. The biographical interview was due last Friday. Please check with your student to make sure it is completed there are quite a few missing. They need to interview a person who is special to them first, that is the homework portion. The students will be missing a recess each day it is not completed. 

We are going to go to the library to do research for our end of the year research project. The children are very excited about this because they can pick ANY topic they are interested in and want to learn about. I told them that this project is JUST like college because you get to study what you are interested in. We will walk around and explore the Riparian Preserve for the morning. Then eat our lunches together at the park area and head to the library for a couple of hours to learn how to use the resources there.  The field trip is Thursday April, 30th and all parents are invited. I do need chaperons but even if you wanted to meet us there for all or part of the field trip would be awesome! Permission slips will be sent home today and are due Thursday this week. The cost of the field trip is $4. 

YEARBOOKS- Yearbook orders will be completed online this year. The school nor I will be handling any money. If you would like to order one the link is www.treering.com/validate?PassCode=1014285297091457

You can even customize a page for your child! Orders are due April 26th

$1,000 party

You may have heard about our $1,000 party. This will be a culminating activity for our class and class money system. To attend the party each student must have $1,000 class money cash. It is a special party that I will have at my community pool in Agritopia. There are BBQ's there and I was hoping to make it a family fun event/potluck. It will be one of the last two weeks of school I haven't nailed a date down just yet. If your student has earned his/her way to the party you will be notified with your dinner assignment. I think it will be super fun! The kids are excited about it. 

Important Dates:

Wednesday: Earth Day wear green accessories

Spelling

1. elephant
2. everybody
3. frightened
4. frighten
5. grocery
6. group
7. health
8. listened
9. listen
10. nickel
11. niece
12. northern
13. southern
14. eastern
15. western
16. poet
17. poetic
18. poetry
19. poem
20. potatoes
21. potato

Short Spelling Test this week! 

Have a wonderful day!

Ms. T

AZ Merit Week April 13th-17th

Have Courage and Be Kind

Dear Fourth Grade Families,

This next week is AZ Merit testing. There are a lot of things I have implemented to make this week go as smoothly as possible. Please prepare your child by helping them get a lot of sleep. I would like everyone going to bed EARLY if possible; with a book to read to keep their mind sharp and working but resting. Also, children need a full tummy for their brains to work correctly. Please make sure they have a yummy breakfast each morning a few good ideas are: oatmeal, yogurt and granola with fruit, eggs and toast etc. This will help them feel ready to do their best each day. I have asked for snack donations via last weeks email. Thank you to those of you who have already signed up! That helps me so much. 

I have some fun things up my sleeve for testing besides snacks to make the week go smoothly. I am excited for the kids to show us how much they have learned and how smart they are. I just know they are going to do great! We have all been working very hard! 

One of the fun things we will be doing is having a fairy tale week next week. We will studying different fairy tales, reading, writing and even doing some art! 

HOMEWORK

*No homework this week or spelling. HOWEVER, I expect the kids to go to bed early with a book to read so they can relax but keep their brain active! :)

INCENTIVE

I know it can be hard to get here on time some days! We will be starting the AZ Merit promptly right after announcements. I will have a morning "on-time" treat for every student that gets to school before 8:03! Those who get here late will not get the special treat.

PARENT LETTER

I sent a letter and envelope home last week. I will have these on the students desks on Monday morning. PLEASE return these by Monday 4/13. It would be so sad if someone didn't get one. Please talk about how special your child is and give them a pep talk of encouragement for the test. The kids LOVE this! 

It is going to be a great week! Let's all work together to help these kids be AWESOME!

Love,

Ms. T

March 30-April 3

Good Morning!

We had such a fun time at Boyce Thompson Arboretum last week. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you who made sack lunches, made sure your child had enough H2O, and especially my chaperone's! It would not have been a successful field trip without all of your help. Thank you! 

There will be no Spelling tests or lists until after AZ Merit. We are working in our ELA workbooks, Math workbooks, and Science workbooks for the next several weeks. We are down to the last few weeks to prepare and will really be cracking down. 

Please make sure your children are here and prepared to test during that week. We are hoping to not have any absences. 

Oration Contest permission slips are due. This years topic is American Poets. 

Permission slips to have your child tested for the gifted program are also due today. The testing will take place this spring. 

Important Dates: 

Wednesday: Half Day- Teacher Training

Thursday: Picture Day!! 

Friday: No School-Good Friday 

Have a great week,

Ms. T

March 2-6

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss! 

In honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday, one of America's prolific artist's and children's book authors we will have Spirit Week at school. 

Monday- Wear Red Day

Tuesday- "Fox in Sox" Day wear Wacky Socks/Leadership Day all parents are invited to attend we will have a leadership lesson beginning at 10:15. 

Wednesday- Wear a wacky outfit...while still wearing your uniform...so get creative.. :)

Thursday- Cat in Hat day--wear a hat 

Friday-Dress up as your favorite Dr. Seuss Character..In our class we are going to celebrate Dr. Seuss' Birthday by having a read-a-thon during Friday Fun Time. Students may bring a blanket and pillow to get comfy somewhere in the room. Don't forget your favorite book to read or two! Children may also bring in a snack for that time. 

Then end of quarter 3 is coming up fast! Check grades in IC so there are no surprises. I add new grades weekly. So they change often. 

Our class showed TONS of growth on our last Galileo test! I bought the kids Popsicles last week since they did such an outstanding job! Way to go! Thank you for all of your help.

A heads up that we are hoping to have 100% attendance for the AzMerit test. We do not want to have to have kids make up the test during instruction time. Please plan ahead now to have your students here. Thank you! 

Spring Break is March 16-20 No School that week. 

We are studying weather and we are going to have some rain this week! YAY! As your student about what we are learning!

Thank you parents for all you do. This is an exceptional bunch of students and I don't have to look very far to see why! You are wonderful. I love these munchkins and am doing my best every day to plan, prepare, and execute engaging lessons. We are working very hard in class. These kids are amazing! 

Love,

Ms. T

Spelling:

1. piece
2. peace
3. certainly
4. certain
5. witness
6. investigate
7. therefore
8. before
9. pleasant
10. ability
11. appearance
12. atmospheric
13. atmosphere
14. autumn
15. canvas
16. ceiling
17. celery
18. salary
19. college
20. communities
21. community
22. creation
23. creative
24. created
25. create
26. concert
27. decided
28. decide
29. design
30. dictionary

February 23-27

Hello There! 

The class did such a great job on Galileo testing last week. WHEW! They all worked so hard and I was very proud of them. We had so much fun celebrating Chinese New Year last week. We will wrap up our study of Chinese Dynasties this week. We are getting closer to taking the AzMerit test. We will continue to work in our Common Core workbooks for ELA ( English Language Arts) and Math. We are starting a Science unit on Weather this week. I will be asking the children to watch and record the weather for homework on Tuesday night, Heads up! This will be an enjoyable unit. The mile run is this Friday. 

It is now the time for re-enrollment for the 2015-2016 school year. Attached below is a link to fill out for re-enrollment. You'll want to fill this out to secure your spot for next year. In addition, in order to honor teacher request forms that have been sent in, your student must be re-enrolled.

 If you could also let me know in an email what your plans are for next year, I'd appreciate it. The office has asked me to highlight students who are re-enrolling, transferring to another ALA, or withdrawing from ALA. 

ALA Re-Enrollment Link

Have a great week! 

Love,  Ms. T

Tuesday- Homework: Students will watch a weather report on the news and record tomorrow's weather prediction. 

Friday- Mile Run for PE-wear tennis shoes! 

Spelling Words: 

1. assist
2. difference
3. examination
4. examine
5. particular
6. affair
7. course
8. coarse
9. neither
10. local
11. marriage
12. marry
13. carriage
14. carry
15. further
16. serious
17. doubt
18. condition
19. government
20. govern
21. opinion
22. onion
23. union
24. companion
25. million
26. behavior
27. believe
28. system
29. possibly
30. possible

February 17-20

Hello! 

I hope everyone had a wonderful long weekend. Thank you so much for all of the darling Valentine's Day treats and notes! I loved it and felt so loved. This week we will be taking our next set of Galileo tests. Please help your children get a good nights rest and eat a healthy breakfast. I know you will. :) We will also be celebrating Chinese New Year this week as it falls on the 19th this year. I like to make long noodles for a long and happy life for the kids. 

If you could do me a favor.......

The class has been very chatty as of late. There have been consequences such as losing their morning snack break but it hasn't seemed to help. I moved every one's desks to change it up a bit and am hoping this quells the talking. It is beginning to disrupt the learning in our classroom. If you could please just have a little talk with your student about classroom behavior, following the class rules, and being respectful of other learners and me that would help so much. Thank you! 

Due to the short week, Galileo and monthly spelling and phonogram testing, we will not have a spelling test this week. Enjoy! 

Ms. T