Post #14

A quick post before we all leave for Thanksgiving break. The girls had a packed two days. Everyone loved the movie, Wonder. The girls are creating a Buncee to depict their favorite scene. Look for those in the next post. Our annual Math Expo with St. Chris was a blast. The girls were impressive and confident in their math abilities. A few pics of the girls in action. The PE bicycle unit begins after Thanksgiving. The girls brought home a permission slip today. Here it is just in case it doesn't make its way home:)

The fall Book Fair is on 11/29, 11/30, and 12/1. Our class goes on Wednesday @ 1:10-1:30.

Post #13

The girls put forth a good effort during the testing sessions. I am proud of their focus and determination. And there were ZERO absences! We used the week to complete assignments and projects. The girls also did a little house cleaning-seatsack, cubbies, shelves, etc. to get ready for the fast paced learning that is about to happen.  The next couple of weeks are going to be filled with joyful explorations, creative thinking and holiday celebrations. The girls continue to take a few minutes each day to express their gratitude. Their ability and eagerness to craft a heartfelt note for a peer makes me grateful to be their teacher. Each student practiced reading a gratitude precept or wrote her own. Here's a feel good compilation of these grateful Fourthies to get you in the holiday spirit.

The movie, Wonder, was the inspiration for our math activities this week. Next week we will look at a real-life "Auggie" and use his story as problem-solving inspiration. Here's an example of some Wonder math:

The girls finished writing lab #6. They did a good job incorporating compound sentences. The younger girls are enjoying the creative magazine covers that spotlight this special group of Fourthies.

Nuts and Bolts:

Information needed a parent response is highlighted.

* We are so excited for Monday's field trip to see the movie Wonder with our fifth grade friends. Please remember field trip attire.

* St. Chris fourth graders will visit for a Math Expo on Tuesday.  This tradition started five years ago. It's a blast to have all fourth grade Saints together!

* Homework- Homework is posted each Friday for family planning. NO homework until after Thanksgiving!

* Book Fair- 11/29, 11/30, and 12/1 Our class goes on Wednesday @ 1:10-1:30

* Special Week Girl- Next Special Week is Camden  (December 4th) 

* Carpool Helpers- Eliza

Class Leadership Week of 11/20

Ambassadors- Alice and Ceci

Photographer- Lucy

Girls-

Your blog question is....... When does homework start back up again? Post your answer here. Remember to bring a canned food for our Outreach project.

Post #12

We had some fun with multiplication facts this week. That's a statement I've never written before. The girls really got into flipgrid. Some were a little silly but they totally enjoyed listening to each other sing, giggle, and chant the multiplication facts. Take a look here. We will use this nifty tool for some problem solving next week. 

We spent a good chunk of time practicing long division. Most girls could use the standard algorithm to solve equations but had a difficult time explaining the concept. We worked with manipulatives and "talked" math. I love when they spend time reflecting, talking, and writing about math. The girls were introduced to a math singing/problem-solving project using clips from the movie SING! Look for these in next week's work folder. 

The San Fransisco earthquake movies are finished. We had great success using Adobe Spark to create the movies. We will enjoy some "corn of the popped variety" and will watch them together for a relaxing breaking between ERB testing. History4Fourthies will be all about government for the next several weeks. 

The girls finished last week's writing lab and produced descriptive paragraphs about each other. Now they are creating magazine covers featuring each other. These will be outside the classroom for all to enjoy. Here's Caelan's magazine cover celebrating Laila.

ERB testing begins on Monday. The girls will be taking the tests on the computer. The Middle School has been using the digital format for years and rave about it. We had a few practice modules, so the girls will be in great shape next week. It is a homework free week (yippeeee!). I know you will send your daughters to school rested and ready for the test. The girls may bring in cozy slippers or socks- just to make the testing environment a little more palatable.

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
9:00-10:00	8:30-9:30	9:00-10:00	9:15-10:15	8:15-9:15
Auditory Comprehension	Reading Comprehension	Math Part 2	Writing Concepts	Quantitative Reasoning
11:30-12:30	11:30-12:30	11:30-12:30
Math Part 1	Writing Mechanics	Verbal Reasoning

Nuts and Bolts:

Information needed a parent response is highlighted.

* We are so excited to go on field trip #2 to see the movie Wonder with our fifth grade friends. Please take a minute to review the trip with your daughter. We do need parent permission because the movie is rated PG. Trip details are here.

* Homework- Homework is posted each Friday for family planning.

* Spanish Project details.

* Help replenish the St. Stephen's Food Pantry for the holidays. Please bring in canned or boxed goods through 11/20/17. 

* Special Week Girl- Next Special Week is Camden  (December 4th) 

* Carpool Helpers- Cate

Class Leadership Week of 11/13

Ambassadors- Alice and Ceci

Photographer- Lucy

Girls-

Your blog question is....... What is included in the concession snack? Post your answer here. 

Post #11

Phew! I think we will all need much rest this weekend. It was a week filled with fun, laughter, and lots of learning! The girls had a blast on Halloween. The parent volunteers did an amazing job with games, snacks, and crafts. Many thanks! Wordly Wise Dress Up Day got the party started. 

We have been celebrating who we are as a school in both language arts and math. Our week ended with the St. Catherine's Day Chapel. Several Fourthies were speakers. Our class was well represented by Ava, Ceci, and Lydia. We are working our way through the parts of speech and have been focusing on using strong adjectives. We used https://www.menti.com/ to write adjectives describing St. Catherine's. A word cloud is created as the girls enter the descriptions. The frequency of an adjective determines the size of the font. Take a look at how your daughters describe our wonderful school and their education.

Of course these Fourthies celebrated our school with some math problem-solving. Some of the problems were pretty tough but these determined girls found the solutions. 

                
I'm happy to report that many girls are solving the weekly math challenge. We even have a Inspector Gadget Pride Wall. Several girls now have accounts in Solve Me Mobiles. Solve Me Mobiles is a great site that promotes algebraic thinking and reasoning. It's exciting to see them seeking enrichment activities. I remind the girls that enrichment is for everyone not just the early finishers.

November is Native American Heritage Month. The girls are  reading Newsela articles about Native Americans. Understanding and appreciating other cultures helps the girls develop empathy. The girls are putting the finishing touches on their San Francisco earthquake documentaries. Look for the finished product in next week's post. 

A few girls complained that we didn't do enough writing this week? WHAT??? I thought I had built plenty of creative writing into the week's lesson plans. I'll do better next week:) The girls interviewed a friend during our writing lab. They practiced asking questions that would encourage a detailed response. The second step was to write a descriptive paragraph and include compound sentences. We are all about commas and FANBOY. Your daughter can explain. "Can we share our writing?" is a question I hear often so we started "table sharing" this week. I shared the folder of Halloween Spell Stories with the girls. They read the stories of the girls at their table. We like feedback in Room M02 and our homemade monogram notepads came in handy. The girls wrote notes of encouragement and commented on each others' stories. 

Next Wednesday is our first field trip. We are going to George Washington's home in Mt. Vernon. All information is here. It's going to be a long day; we leave at 7:15 and return at dismissal. Let's hope the weather cooperates.

ERBs begin the week of November 11th. There is no preparation needed other than a good night's sleep and a positive attitude. More on ERBs next week.

Mrs Iven's shared this video clip of our class performing The Ghost of John in music class.

Nuts and Bolts:

Information needed a parent response is highlighted.

* Our field trip to Mt. Vernon is on November 8th. Details here.

* Homework- Homework is posted each Friday for family planning.

* Special Week Girl- Next Special Week is Camden  (December 4th) 

* Carpool Helpers- Stella

Class Leadership Week of 11/6

Ambassadors- McKenzie and Sarah

Reporters- Ava and Stella

Photographer- Eliza

Girls-

Your blog question is....... What time do you have to be at school on Wednesday? Post your answer here.