December 19, 2010

This may be the last blog for 2010, but you never know.

There will probably NOT be a Tuesday folder this week because of the chaos of the Christmas party. Students may start bringing gifts tomorrow already. This includes their $1 gift for their classmate as well as the suggested $4 offering for those less fortunate.

In case y'all haven't heard, I will be spending a good deal of my Christmas break on the way to and from Friendswood Texas, which is where my daughter Elizabeth will be teaching grades 2-4 beginning January 3. That is not much time to get her moved and settled, so your prayers are much appreciated.

December 15, 2010

Spelling this week is days of the week and months. The test will be on Friday instead of Thursday because the kids just got the list yesterday. Each child also has to learn the Spanish word for his/her birth month. This word is not capitalized. Other than the Spanish word, everyone is taking the same test.

There will be a science test tomorrow, but it will not be necessary to study for it. The kids will be able to use their binders during the test. We went through the binders today to be sure they had all the papers they need. This is a difficult unit, which is why we are doing it this way.

Book-it reports for this month need to be handed in by Tuesday, December 21. Some students have already handed them in, but I have not gotten their coupons to them yet. I will get these out next week.

I have just a few reminders about the Christmas party, which is December 21 in the afternoon.
We could use a few more treats and a beverage. So far we have puppy chow, fruit salad, and veggies and dip. Plates are also taken care of. Don't forget to have your child buy a gift for $1.00 and to bring $4.00 or so as a gift for almoner fund. If you want more details, check back to the November 23 blog.

December 9

Here is the information you need for Monday. We are going to see "A Christmas Carol" at WLC. The play begins at 12 noon, and the bus leaves at 11:20 am. We will be eating a very early lunch before we leave. These are the parents who signed up to go. If you wish to drive yourself and meet us there, instead of taking the bus, you may do so. Just let me know so we aren't waiting for you.

Grube
Daniels
Harder
Kosloske
Kane
Conte
Moriarty
Boreson
Goba
Bigalka
Rivera
Smrz
Burke

The play lasts about an hour.

Next week the fourth graders will be having something they rarely ever get--a substitute. Mrs. Spaude will be teaching Wednesday afternoon and all day Thursday and Friday. That is because Mrs. Johnson is going to New Ulm, Minnesota for her daughter's graduation. Mrs. Hackmann is going to Washington DC with Mr. Hackmann in connection with the PEP Grant. Mrs. Johnson will be teaching her classes on Wednesday morning, and Mrs. Spaude will be teaching the morning classes in the afternoon, except for phy ed, which will stay as is.

December 7, 2010

Permission slips came home today regarding the pep grant. Please sign and return ASAP. Your child signed one in school today also. Those that came home are one/family.

Spelling this week is different. We are doing homonyms. Your child did not get an individual list this time. We are all practicing the same words, and there will be a sentence test on Thursday, with all students taking the same test.

Book orders are due Tuesday at 3:15.

This week's blog word is "elbow bump", which is what we are doing now at the end of the day instead of high five. It's an effort to keep from spreading germs.

Check back to previous blogs for information on the Christmas party.

Christmas and other info, November 23

This is also coming home today in your Tuesday folder.

Science
The test for this unit will be next week Wed. Dec. 1. A study guide will be coming home on Monday.

Singing
We sing with grade 3 in church this Wednesday at 7:00. Please meet in the classroom at 6:40 to warm up with our pianist. We will be sitting upstairs in the balcony. If you want your child to join you after we sing, please let him/her know. Otherwise we will remain upstairs until the service ends.

Christmas
The Christmas party in our room will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 21 in the afternoon. If you would like to bring something, you may sign up in the parent tray in the classroom, starting on Monday. Since we just finished talking about health in science, we encourage healthy treats, such as fruit, cheese and crackers, popcorn, veggies and dip, and juice instead of soda. You could also sign up to bring paper products, if you prefer. If you wish to send candy or other sweet treats, please have it wrapped so that it can be sent home later. Those who don't get to contribute for this party will have an opportunity to do so for Valentine's Day.

In connection with the party, the tradition has been to pick names and buy a gift for $5.00. In our classroom, we do something different.
1. We don't pick names. It seems that it is hard to keep it a secret anyway, so the girls bring a gift for a girl, and boys bring a gift for a boy. Then on party day, we pick numbers to see who gets what gift.
2. We only spend $1.00 on the gift. Since all of us seem to have more "stuff" than we need, we buy our gifts at the Dollar Store (you wouldn't believe the amazing gifts we have seen over the years, and it is fun to see what you can find!) and bring the other $4.00 to put in the almoner's box. That way we can have fun, and also help those who aren't as fortunate as we are. By the way, the $4.00 is just a suggestion. You can give as much as you feel moved to give, or less if your situation makes that a necessity. Oh, and shopping at the Dollar Store isn't a requirement either. Wherever you shop, you can find gifts for $1.00. And please do not feel moved to spend more than a dollar, because that can lead to hurt feelings in everyone who did not get the expensive gift.

December field trip
This is just a quick reminder that we are going to see A Christmas Carol at WLC on Dec. 13. Those of you who signed up are already paid. I will post more details after Thanksgiving.

Having a blessed holiday and safe travels, if you are going anywhere.

November 21

This will be short and quick. I just want to let you know that there will be a Tuesday note in your folder this week filled with lots of information about the coming weeks. I will also post the same information here. Stay tuned.

November 14

It was great to have time to chat with all the fourth grade parents. I hope all of you enjoyed your days off also.

The mini-report is due in one week, November 22.

Your "bread-in-a-bag" should be sealed in a closet somewhere. Bring it to school on Wednesday.

The form to fill out for your interview with a smoker should have come home today. The student should interview the smoker and write down the answers. The form should not be filled in by the person who smokes. If no one you know smokes, try to find a former smoker. The interview can be done in person or over the phone. This form should be filled out and turned in on Monday, November 22.

Watch for spelling lists to come home on Mondays, stick them up on the fridge, and then study for a test on Thursday.

The blog word for this week, which must be spelled correctly, is actually a phrase, "Smoking--don't get me started." Put it in your assignment book for Friday.

mini-report and family trees

On Friday, I handed out instructions for doing a mini-report for science. It should be self-explanatory, but I will clarify a few points. This is NOT a major report which requires a title page, bibliography, etc. That one will come later. This is about one page of information about a disease that is of interest to the student for whatever reason. Even though a formal bibliography is not required, there does need to be a list of resources that the student used. Even if the student already knows a lot about this disease, the purpose is to do research to learn something new, and then share what was learned in the report. It is due November 22, in case the student did not write that down. But I would encourage getting it done earlier, if possible, since there are several other "home" assignments to do this month. These include recording what you eat for a day, interviewing a smoker, and an experiment with bread, which is coming home this week. Each of these activities will be assigned and given a due date, but I am making you aware that they are coming.

Students will also be getting forms to fill out for Family Tree Day, which is not until spring. This is family tree information that we will be sharing in class. I hand them out early because the holiday season can be a great time to get information from relatives we may not get to see very often.

I can answer questions about either of these projects at your consultation this week. We look forward to seeing you all!

November 1, 2010

Today we begin the second quarter. For the kids, it's like a clean slate, a chance to start over. If the first quarter did not go well, we get another chance. If it DID go well, perhaps it's time to dig in and challenge ourselves to work above and beyond what is expected.

There will be a spelling test this week Thursday, but there will be no spelling next week, just as there was none last week. You can plan on NOT having spelling whenever there is a 3-day week.

We begin a new science unit this week, all about the human body, health, and nutrition. Because a lot of this is also part of the PEP grant, even after we finish this unit, we will continue to be stressing healthy eating and exercise.

The Pizza Hut Book It program began October 1, but I did not get any information out to you, for which I apologize. Because it was my fault, I am sending home a coupon with each child in this week's Tuesday folder. I am going to count the reading they did for forensics as having earned their pizza. Earning a coupon for November will not be so easy. They need to read an actual book, on their own time, not in SSR. It can be of any genre, but they must show it to me first so that I can see that it is challenging enough. After they finish the book, they should ask me for a little form to fill out, and then they will receive their next coupon.

The blog word this week is not going to be written here. You must think of a word that kind of goes with Halloween, but will also be part of the human body unit, and was also part of the animal unit. It has 8 letters. You have until Friday to figure it out. Write it in your assignment notebook Friday's page.

October 27

We started keyboarding today, and the kids seemed to catch on rather quickly.

Since I was not here to help review for the science test today, I made it rather simple, and I also allowed them to use their books.

Check the school newsletter for information about a special mission collection for kids going to St. Lucia. We will be collecting for this next week Monday and Tuesday so as not to get it mixed up with our regular mission offerings.

Today is the end of the third quarter, and I am hoping to use the weekend to get caught up with grades on Power School. If your child has been absent recently, they may need to use the beginning of next week to finish up a few things.

Please call if you have any questions, because it is taking me a little time to get back into the swing of things.

10/10/10

I wanted to do this yesterday so I could type this cool date. I didn't make it, but I used the date anyway.

Thank you to all the parents who made the effort to get the kids to sing for the mission festival program in the gym yesterday. The kids sang well and hopefully they learned something about mission work in Hong Kong.

For those of you who are going along to the museum, look for a note in your Tuesday folder. We decided that we are also going to see the IMAX film "Bugs!"

This is a reminder that there is an at-home activity for science that is due a week from today. It involves being outside, so be sure to do it while the weather is still nice.

Keep track of the link from the Sept. 13 blog. It goes to our science book and the online activities.
The same link works for the whole year, but you need to go to the correct chapter.

The blog word for this week is animals, but I don't want you to write that word in your assignment book. I want you to use some of the letters of the word to make the name of an inverterbrate, and THAT is the word you should put in your assignment notebook. I will be checking on Friday this week, not Thursday. Be sure you have an invertebrate and that it is spelled correctly. You may NOT ADD letters, and you do not need to use all of them.

October 5

This blog is also coming home in the Tuesday folder.

Those of you who wish to go on the museum trip on October 25 to see the Frogs exhibit and more need to pay $8.00 no later than THIS Friday, October 8. If you signed up and no longer wish to go, just let me know and don't pay the money. Whether you already signed up or not, if you DO wish to go, just let me know and pay the money by Friday. It's an all day field trip, leaving St. Jacobi about 8:30 a.m. and returning about 2:30 p.m. Talk to Mrs. Johnson if you have any other questions.

We began a new unit in science today, about animals. There is only one at-home activity, and it should be in today's homework folder. It involves walking around the yard or the neighborhood looking for animals, enough to fill the chart. Please do not use any pets. We will finish up this unit with a test on October 27. The at-home activity needs to be completed by Monday, October 18. I strongly recommend doing it this week if possible because the weather is predicted to be so beautiful. We will be doing some worksheets for this unit, mostly in class, and also studying some vocabulary words.

The kids seem to be excited about working in groups. We made new ones on Friday, and some of them already have names for their group! The class as a whole seems to work well together. We thank God for this blessing.

There is no blog word this week since this is also coming home as a note. Book orders are due on Friday. Check the previous blog if you are not sure what to do.

Sept. 26

The singers and ringers did a nice job this morning. Thanks to all the parents who got them to church at such an early hour. Being in front of church made us a little nervous, but God helped us through it. To Him be the glory!

Science News
On Monday we will learn how to make a graph out of our rain gauge information. On Tuesday the weather report and Bible verses are due. On Friday we need to bring our anemometers to school, and also the graph and daily record. The chapter test will also be on Friday instead of Thursday. I think we could use an extra day to prepare for our first one.

Tuesday will be our first "Switch Day" for this school year. That means that Mrs. Johnson will be there in the morning, teaching the classes she usually teaches. Mrs. Hackmann will be there in the afternoon, teaching the classes that she usually teaches. This happens occasionally in fourth grade. It allows us as teachers the flexibility to take care of personal obligations once in awhile.

The blog word for this week is switched. It should be written, by the student, in the assignment notebook on the page for Thursday. It also needs to be spelled correctly to get the sticker. I am trying to encourage parents and students to read the blog together.

September 19

I hope you all have made your rain gauge by now. You should have caught some rain! Don't forget to empty it each day also, after you write down your measurement. We want a new number each day, not a cumulative number for the 10 days.

We sing in church on Sunday at the 8:15 service, but we sing at the end. We will meet in the classroom before church, at 8:00, to be sure that all of our ringers are here and to run through the song once or twice. We will be sitting in front of church as a class, so there will be no going to sit with parents this time as the younger grades have been doing.

Parents, don't forget to sign up for the museum trip. There's a list in the "Parent Tray." This field trip was NOT out on registration day. You may have seen ads for the Frog exhibit that is coming. You will get to see it for $4, plus the cost of the bus ($4.00?), so that is a really good deal, as you will see if you check the prices. We are going on Monday, October 25 with the third grade. You can sign up now, but I will be collecting money in October.

I would still encourage your child to bring a water bottle to help keep down the line for drinks. But since it is no longer so warm in the room, they will need to be kept in the hall instead of in the classroom. Some children like to play with them.

Finally, the blog word this week is sing. Write it down in your assignment notebook on the day that will be Thursday, which is when I will look for it and award you your sticker.

One of our science assignments this week will be to find examples in the Bible of God's power over weather. I will be showing the students how to get to a website called Bible Gateway that will help. Hopefully the link to this site is here.

September 17

After talking to some parents, I realized I need to clarify the weather instruments. You need to make two instruments, a rain gauge and one of the wind tools. Then you need to record information once a day for 10 days, preferrably at the same time each day, if possible. That means that Sunday is the last possible day for you to make your instruments and still record for 10 days before the end of this unit. The record should be on a piece of looseleaf paper. After this is finished, we will learn how to transfer that information to a graph.

REMINDER
We are scheduled to sing in church on Sunday, September 26 at the 8:15 service. We will be singing the closing song, so your child will need to stay for the entire service. We will be sitting in front of church, and we are also planning to use hand chimes. If there is a good reason why your child will NOT be able to sing with us, please let me know ASAP because those who are chosen to play the chimes need to be in attendance.

I'm hoping to put up a new blog word this weekend. Stay tuned.

science info for weather and stuff

science weather instrument link

The link above will hopefully take you to the website that shows how to make a rain gauge. It also shows a barometer and wind vane. If you like that wind vane better than the one I sent you, go ahead and use it.

textbook science link

The link above here is for your science text. It will link you to vocabulary games like the one we did in class and also reviews. Check it out.

Our first spelling list came home today. Keep it handy and study from it for your test on Thursday.

I do not have a blog word this week because if you use these links like you should, I will know that you have been here. Also, please let me know if either one does not do what I said it should.

More science

I hope you didn't struggle too much with the science sheet. It was meant to cause the student to think about "what if..." We are talking about it in class today also. They will not be graded on these until they are more comfortable doing them.

The next science assignment is to build two weather instruments and keep track of the measurements for 10 days. After that, we will be putting the information on a graph. Directions for instruments will be coming home in the Tuesday folder along with a link for a website that tells how to make them. After the 10 days are up, I will show them how to turn the information into a graph. There is enough time to fit in 10 days if you want to wait until the weekend to make the instruments, but rain is predicted on Wed. or Thurs. so you might want to get the rain gauge done ASAP. In last year's class, out of those who made a rain gauge, only one student actually timed it right to get some rain. This year I am requiring two instruments so that there will be some information to graph even if it doesn't rain. The student must make a rain gauge, and they also need to make an anemometer (which is easier to make than it is to say) OR a wind vane. The directions for making these are quite simple, but the supplies you use do not necessarily have to be exactly what the directions say. You may make substitutions as long as the instrument still works. And if anyone finds easier or better directions somewhere other than what I give you, please share them with me. Most kids enjoy doing these. If you want to know how to turn it into a science fair project, just ask.

The test for this unit will be September 30. All projects need to be completed and turned in no later than October 1. I'd like all the students to bring in their weather instruments that day so we can try them out at school. In order to have time to keep records and make a graph and turn it all in by October 1, the latest date on which you could make these instruments would be about September 19, so please plan accordingly.

Our science book has online activities your child can do also, including practicing vocabulary words. We have done some in class. I hope to include the link for that also, as soon as I learn how.

Here's hoping you all have a great time watching and keeping track of the weather!

science activity

Your fourth grader came home with a science activity today, which is due on Monday.
A plastic bottle is needed. I used a 2 liter one in class, but almost any size would work. Since we did it in class, they already know what should happen, but they can experience it up close. They also will be writing about it on the sheet. If they struggle with the writing, you do not need to help them too much because it is a learning activity and we will be talking about it on Monday. I am hoping to put together soon a list of supplies you might want to keep handy for science. Mostly it is recyclable stuff like plastic bottles and glass jars, rubber bands, plastic bags, coffee cans, balloons, and the like. Feel free to call or email if you have any questions.

September 7

This is your first official Tuesday note for this year. It contains some important information and a few reminders. It is online as well as on paper. Most future notes will be online only, so if for any reason you would prefer a paper copy to checking the blog, please let Mrs. Johnson know ASAP. Also, you don't need to keep checking the blog if you sign up for email notification. It sometimes can take up to 24 hours, tho, from the time I publish something new until the time you get the email.

There is a singing schedule for fourth grade attached to this sheet. Please keep it home and handy. Also take out all the papers in this folder and keep those at home.

There is another field trip coming. On Monday October 25 our class is going to the Milwaukee Public Museum for the day. We are going with third grade, and we are taking a bus. If you would like to go, there is a sign up sheet in the Parent Note Tray at school. You can do it yourself, or you can email or call me to do it for you. Depending on how many people come, some of you might have to drive instead of riding the bus. The cost will be $4 per person and another $4 to ride the bus. No money will be collected from you until about 2 weeks before we go, but I do need to get an accurate count of how many plan to attend. This field trip was not out at registration day. The one you signed up for there was in December.

We will not be starting spelling until next week. We took a pretest last week, tho, to get an idea of how much we remember.

Whenever your child is absent, you need to send a note of excuse. State law requires a piece of paper, so even if you call the school (which we do appreciate) or tell us in person, we still need the note. The notes we get BEFORE an absence are acceptable also.

Please try to schedule appointments outside of school whenever possible, but if it is ever necessary to schedule appointments during school time, Tuesdays after 2:30 would work the best. Also, please check the school calendar for updates on changes. The dates for Terra Nova testing have been changed.

The blog word for this week is "blog". Write it in your assignment notebook on the day that would be Friday, which is when I will check it and give you your sticker. The blog word will NOT appear on the paper copy that comes home on Tuesday.

Singing in Church Information

Fourth Grade Tuesday Times

Reminders:

Thursday, April 29 is Family Tree Day. Check the blog or last week’s note if you need reminders about lunch or what to wear.

Old World Wisconsin is Friday, May 14. Details will be coming soon, but the trip lasts all day, we take a bus, and there is no limit to the number of parents we can take.

Mother’s Day Singing in Church

Last October when we talked to you about this, it seemed like a long way off, and now it is here. Fourth grade is scheduled to sing for the 10:45 service on Sunday, May 9, which is also Mother’s Day. It is also examination day for the eighth grade.
The students are in the process of learning the song. They will then bring it home and teach it to you. We will be scheduling a few practices for those who can make it. Otherwise just come to the classroom on May 9 at about 10:15 and we will run through it together. If you come to another practice, you don’t have to be there till 10:25.
FAQ
1. Do we have to sing in front of church?
No, we sit in the balcony. In fact, we reserve the entire balcony for fourth graders and their families, so you can all sit together. It IS Mother’s Day after all.
2. Do we have to memorize the song?
No, the kids do, but the parents get to use words and music.
3. Which parents can sing?
Whatever parents want to: Mom, Dad, stepmom, stepdad.
4. What if I’m not a good singer?
God loves all singing. But if you are really concerned, you can sing very quietly or even lip sync.
Based on your answers to this question last fall, I know there will be enough parents to sing, but I also know that situations can change, so I am asking you again to commit to this. Please return the bottom of this note, indicating your intention to sing or not to sing. Or send Mrs. Johnson an email.

The paper version has a sign sheet at the bottom. Look for it in your Tuesday folder.

Family tree day and other stuff

Fourth Grade Tuesday Times

Science point sheets with grades from the last unit should be in your Tuesday folder today. The sheet for the new unit will be coming home on Friday. This will be our final unit and it is about plants and ecosystems and how animals and plants interact. In connection with this, your child needs to bring a flower on Thursday,
preferably a tulip or daffodil. We already talked about this in class, and some kids told me they don't have these. I told them to ask a neighbor or a friend from school to help them out. I offered to be a friend if they need one, since I have many of these flowers.

There is no spelling list this week. We are practicing adding endings to words, so there will be a test on Thursday in which the kids will write sentences using words we already learned. The test will be words with endings used in complete sentences.

FAMILY TREE DAY
Next Thursday, April 29, after all the social studies projects have been turned in and graded, we will finally have our family tree day. On this day we will share information we learned months ago by talking to our grandparents and filling out those forms. We will also take a trip back in time to the 1840's, just before the time Wisconsin became a state. The kids should dress as the kids back then might have, as much as possible. For the girls this means dresses or skirts and blouses, and scarves or bonnets if they have them. Aprons are also kind of fun. Boys will need to wear shirts with buttons and collars, tucked in, and pants that are not denim, if possible. No one gets to wear any type of athletic shoes, flip flops, or clogs. Wear dress shoes if you have them. I do not expect people to run out and buy things or spend a lot of time making something. Just do the best you can with what you have. At recess that day we will play games like tag and jump rope. No balls will be used. If your child chooses to wear really nice shoes and you do not want them ruined, you may bring shoes to wear at recess, even tho kids back then would not have done so. Most of them only had one pair of shoes anyway and may even have gone barefoot to school. The other thing that will be different is lunch. This is sometimes difficult because we are so used to using plastic. Your child will not be allowed to order lunch or milk that day. You need to bring a lunch from home in some sort of container that is not disposable. We will try to throw nothing away. Leftovers of some kind would be the most authentic lunch (cold meat loaf, chicken, turkey, or ham work well, as do carrot sticks, bread, and maybe a cookie), but you can bring a peanut butter sandwich IF YOU CAN'T FIGURE OUT SOMETHING ELSE. You need to bring a cup of some kind to drink water out of. The cup should not be disposable or plastic. Last year we had some very clever "lunch boxes", like baskets, brown paper wrapping tied with string, or metal buckets. Be creative, but don't make yourself crazy with this. We will be talking about this in class quite often, so if any questions come up, ask the kids. But you can also ask me because sometimes they don't quite get it right.

This note should also be in today's Tuesday folder.

Song of Praise

I almost forgot. Last week in our devotion, we wrote a song. It is sung to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star":

Jesus, Jesus glory be
Jesus shed his blood for me
Died so that I may live free
You are always here with me
Jesus, Jesus glory be
Shine upon this heart of me.

Didn't the class do a great job?