5/30/14
As many of you have seen on the school calendar, fourth grade will be going on a field trip on Tuesday, June 17. We will be sending home permission slips next week for the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA. We hope many of you will be able to join us either as a chaperon or meet us there to see the exhibits.
As many of you have seen on the school calendar, fourth grade will be going on a field trip on Tuesday, June 17. We will be sending home permission slips next week for the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA. We hope many of you will be able to join us either as a chaperon or meet us there to see the exhibits.
4/14/14
April vacation is nearly here! Although we still have lots to learn this week, I wanted to make you aware of some in school and out of school events.
Monday and Tuesday are the start of Variety Show practices. You should have received a note with your child's assigned practice dates.
The kids had a special music presentation this morning; both 4th grade classes got to participate in a cultural dance program. Also, we will be going to visit the fifth grade science fair tomorrow, Tuesday. Ask your child what they were interested in, because next year it will be their turn to present!
Passover includes this Monday and Tuesday evening. As a result, there will be no homework on either of these days. This Friday we will have the day off from school, and as a result, Book Circles and fact check practice will NOT be collected on Friday. There will also be no assigned, graded homework over vacation. Vacation should be a break, and I hope you all have a chance to relax and have fun. If you would like any academic practice for your child, please feel free to look over the videos and tutorials posted on this blog.
Our spelling test is scheduled for Thursday, since we will have our "regular homework" Wednesday night including the MCAS packet and studying for spelling.
April vacation is nearly here! Although we still have lots to learn this week, I wanted to make you aware of some in school and out of school events.
Monday and Tuesday are the start of Variety Show practices. You should have received a note with your child's assigned practice dates.
The kids had a special music presentation this morning; both 4th grade classes got to participate in a cultural dance program. Also, we will be going to visit the fifth grade science fair tomorrow, Tuesday. Ask your child what they were interested in, because next year it will be their turn to present!
Passover includes this Monday and Tuesday evening. As a result, there will be no homework on either of these days. This Friday we will have the day off from school, and as a result, Book Circles and fact check practice will NOT be collected on Friday. There will also be no assigned, graded homework over vacation. Vacation should be a break, and I hope you all have a chance to relax and have fun. If you would like any academic practice for your child, please feel free to look over the videos and tutorials posted on this blog.
Our spelling test is scheduled for Thursday, since we will have our "regular homework" Wednesday night including the MCAS packet and studying for spelling.
3/18/14
The children were surprised and thrilled with their surprise notes. There were smiles all around right before we started our first MCAS test of the year! I was able to snap a few photos of the kids opening their notes before the tests were delivered to our room. Remind me of them next year for the yearbook.
That's one test finished, and two to go next week. The 2 next week should be nearly identical in format to the practice MCAS tests they've had for homework each Wednesday night.
We'll start Math MCAS Practice on Wednesdays in April to prepare for the tests in May.
The children were surprised and thrilled with their surprise notes. There were smiles all around right before we started our first MCAS test of the year! I was able to snap a few photos of the kids opening their notes before the tests were delivered to our room. Remind me of them next year for the yearbook.
That's one test finished, and two to go next week. The 2 next week should be nearly identical in format to the practice MCAS tests they've had for homework each Wednesday night.
We'll start Math MCAS Practice on Wednesdays in April to prepare for the tests in May.
3/17/14
As you probably already know, fourth grade is starting the first of their MCAS tests tomorrow. This first test will be on writing. They do not have homework tonight; we ask that they have a nice dinner and go to bed on time. Please be sure they arrive to school on time in order to have time to settle and prepare.
I also sent home a letter today asking that you write your child a quick note of encouragement. I'm sure you plan to tell your child how proud you are of them tomorrow anyway, however seeing it in writing too is even more powerful. I'm sure they'll never for get it. The children will open these surprise envelopes tomorrow while they are enjoying their breakfast from the PTO. Thanks for taking the time to do the "homework" tonight for them. :)
As you probably already know, fourth grade is starting the first of their MCAS tests tomorrow. This first test will be on writing. They do not have homework tonight; we ask that they have a nice dinner and go to bed on time. Please be sure they arrive to school on time in order to have time to settle and prepare.
I also sent home a letter today asking that you write your child a quick note of encouragement. I'm sure you plan to tell your child how proud you are of them tomorrow anyway, however seeing it in writing too is even more powerful. I'm sure they'll never for get it. The children will open these surprise envelopes tomorrow while they are enjoying their breakfast from the PTO. Thanks for taking the time to do the "homework" tonight for them. :)
3/14/14
It was great seeing so many of you for conferences. The children have been working hard, and they are ready to show off everything they've learned on the MCAS test this Tuesday March 18.
On an unrelated note, we are starting 2 new online programs in class.
The first, if you have older children, you may remember from years past. That's right, once again McCarthy school has received a site license for Study Island! Ask your child for the letter from Mr. Smoyer that was sent home with more information.
The second website we are starting is called Edmodo. This site is similar our classroom blog, but it has enough different features that I wanted to try it in conjunction with the blog. That is, I still plan to post photos and videos to aid with homework and studying here on this blog. However, the great thing about Edmodo is all the privacy features. Unlike our blog, the general public will NOT be able to see our Edmodo page; it is basically password protected.
I sent home a letter with more information about Edmodo. This letter must be signed and returned before I can allow your child to create an account. I want to make sure I can answer any questions you might have about student privacy and publishing prior to signing them up. Because we have computer class on Friday afternoons, the deadline for these permission slips is Friday, March 21. That is the day I will create accounts with the students who have permission. I have uploaded a copy of the permission slip below.
It was great seeing so many of you for conferences. The children have been working hard, and they are ready to show off everything they've learned on the MCAS test this Tuesday March 18.
On an unrelated note, we are starting 2 new online programs in class.
The first, if you have older children, you may remember from years past. That's right, once again McCarthy school has received a site license for Study Island! Ask your child for the letter from Mr. Smoyer that was sent home with more information.
The second website we are starting is called Edmodo. This site is similar our classroom blog, but it has enough different features that I wanted to try it in conjunction with the blog. That is, I still plan to post photos and videos to aid with homework and studying here on this blog. However, the great thing about Edmodo is all the privacy features. Unlike our blog, the general public will NOT be able to see our Edmodo page; it is basically password protected.
I sent home a letter with more information about Edmodo. This letter must be signed and returned before I can allow your child to create an account. I want to make sure I can answer any questions you might have about student privacy and publishing prior to signing them up. Because we have computer class on Friday afternoons, the deadline for these permission slips is Friday, March 21. That is the day I will create accounts with the students who have permission. I have uploaded a copy of the permission slip below.
2/27/14
The kids have been working very hard this week! We've had our test on the Northeast Region, Animals, Math Benchmark, STAR Reading and Reading Benchmark.
Due to the amount of studying students have had and the number of tests this week I will NOT be requiring students to hand in Book Circles or Math Fact Practice pages tomorrow, 2/28.
You should be receiving the fraction tests back now that the kids have had time to ask questions and learn from their mistakes. The letters they completed help break down what they've learned already, and what they are still working on.
You can expect a regularly scheduled spelling test, Book Circle homework and Math Fact Practice homework next week. I hope you all had a wonderful February break and are ready for report cards and MCAS in March!
The kids have been working very hard this week! We've had our test on the Northeast Region, Animals, Math Benchmark, STAR Reading and Reading Benchmark.
Due to the amount of studying students have had and the number of tests this week I will NOT be requiring students to hand in Book Circles or Math Fact Practice pages tomorrow, 2/28.
You should be receiving the fraction tests back now that the kids have had time to ask questions and learn from their mistakes. The letters they completed help break down what they've learned already, and what they are still working on.
You can expect a regularly scheduled spelling test, Book Circle homework and Math Fact Practice homework next week. I hope you all had a wonderful February break and are ready for report cards and MCAS in March!
2/6/14
The math test for fractions will be tomorrow, 2/7 for both 4th grade classes. The kids have been working hard in class on equivalent fractions, common denominators, mixed numbers and simplest form. I know they have been studying their math journals as well as the photographs and instructional videos here on the blog to help them study. Please help them feel rested, confident and ready to do their best tomorrow!
Also, I received the following memo from the superintendent about free online tutoring available! If you try it out, please let me know if you find it helpful.
The math test for fractions will be tomorrow, 2/7 for both 4th grade classes. The kids have been working hard in class on equivalent fractions, common denominators, mixed numbers and simplest form. I know they have been studying their math journals as well as the photographs and instructional videos here on the blog to help them study. Please help them feel rested, confident and ready to do their best tomorrow!
Also, I received the following memo from the superintendent about free online tutoring available! If you try it out, please let me know if you find it helpful.
Thank you to everyone who has donated their time and resources to the PTO this year. Thanks to you, we had an amazing cultural event: a local artist came and taught the children about U.S. geography while drawing a map of the U.S. from memory! Ask your child to see the slideshow on the students' blog for some photos of his map. The kids really enjoyed learning about the geography and history of our country!
Updated 11/7/13
Updated 11/7/13
Chapter 2 Math Test:
By now you should have received the results of the Chapter 2 test in math. The kids have worked very hard in math, and they are proud of what they learned, and motivated to practice the skills that they still need support in order to master. I've also attached a letter with all the skills your child has learned over the past few weeks to prepare for the test. Please sign the letter and let me know if you have any questions about what your child is learning.
Updated 11/7/13
By now you should have received the results of the Chapter 2 test in math. The kids have worked very hard in math, and they are proud of what they learned, and motivated to practice the skills that they still need support in order to master. I've also attached a letter with all the skills your child has learned over the past few weeks to prepare for the test. Please sign the letter and let me know if you have any questions about what your child is learning.
Updated 11/7/13
Updates to the Homework Policy:
Now that we are in our second month of school and we've gotten to know the kids, the fourth grade team has created the following guidelines for homework. We believe that these policies will benefit the children, giving them the practice they need to reinforce what they have been learning in class.
As always, please let us know if you have any questions.
Mr. Earls and Mrs. Thomas
Revised 10/24/13
Now that we are in our second month of school and we've gotten to know the kids, the fourth grade team has created the following guidelines for homework. We believe that these policies will benefit the children, giving them the practice they need to reinforce what they have been learning in class.
- Students should spend up to 40 minutes on written homework Monday through Thursday. Typically there are 2 assignments each day that should add up to 40 minutes worth.
- Students should read at home for a minimum of 80 minutes per week.
- Reading logs/Book Circles will be due on Fridays.
- Math fact practice homework will be due on Fridays. Students should practice for 15 minutes per week.
- Starting on October 30, we will start giving MCAS practice homework on Wednesdays. We will start with ELA and later in the year begin math. On these days there will not be two written assignments, just the MCAS practice packet.
- Spelling tests will typically be given every other Friday. If this changes, we’ll note this in the students’ agenda books.
As always, please let us know if you have any questions.
Mr. Earls and Mrs. Thomas
Revised 10/24/13