Ms. Hahn’s Newsletter and
School Policy Information
August 30, 2015
Dress Code
- All shirt straps should be 1 inch or wider.
- All shoes and slippers should be closed toe and have a back.
- All shorts and skirts should be mid thigh length.
- No umbrellas at PCCS.
Extra Clothes
It is important that students keep an extra set of clothes at school. The students may need to change due to wet weather, mud, or food spills.
Math Facts
Students should be practicing their math facts for about 5 minutes daily. Most students in fourth grade are working on multiplication and division facts. A good way to practice math facts is skip counting forward and backward.
Math
We started the year with a jeopardy review of third grade math skills. This past week we reviewed addition strategies and learned subtraction strategies. The students are encouraged to solve the problems using the standard algorithm and one other way. Next week we will continue subtraction and then begin our unit on multiplication. The students will be reviewing multiplication learned in 3rd grade and starting to solve larger problems.
Reading
This past week the students did a great job staying focused on reading while reading by themselves or with a partner. This coming week we will be reading two more chapters from Wayside School. The students will be comparing the main character from Wayside School to the main character in The Bad Case of Stripes. We also learned common themes in books. Next week we will try to determine the theme of the chapters from Wayside School. I have started my individual reading assessments and will be continuing next week. I am using Fountas and Pinnell to determine reading levels. You can find out more about Fountas and Pinnell at http://www.heinemann.com/fountasandpinnell/reading-assessment.aspx.
Writing
This past week the students wrote an opinion essay for a beginning of the year writing assessment. In the coming week the students will be learning about google docs. The students will be getting a login and password for google. This login only has google docs and search. It does not have email.
Science
The past week the science focus was on magnets. The students tested many object to determine if they are magnetic or nonmagnetic. They also tested if those same objects would block the magnetic force. Next week we will continue learning more about magnets.
Environment
Wednesday we began Phenology. Phenology is the study of plants and animals over time. The students learned about phenological phases of plants. Once outside the students found a spot that they will be observing 4 different plants during the year. During the school year, we will have quiet spots or phenology almost every Wednesday. This coming Wednesday we will be going to quiet spots.
Spelling/Word Work
At Prairie Crossing we use Words Their Way spelling program. Students are placed in spelling groups based on what spelling patterns they need to learn. It is common for students to repeat sorts especially at the beginning of the school year. Students have an explanation of the sorts glued into their spelling journals. Spelling journals should be kept in their binders everyday. We use the journals and words at school and their is spelling homework.
Behavior
In my classroom all student have a clip on a behavior chart. During the day students can clip up or down based on behavior. The order of the colors from the bottom up are red, orange, yellow, green, light blue, purple, and dark blue. We follow the rules of safe, respectful, and responsible. If a your child is on green or higher at the end of the day at least 4 days, he/she will earn a reward for 10-15 minutes on Friday. All students earned about 15 minutes of recess on Friday at 3:00.
Academic Recess
Two days a week the third and fourth grade teachers host academic recess. Academic recess is used for students to catch up on missing or late work. The students will be staying inside from recess the whole time. Sometimes the teachers use this time to have students catch up on science experiments missed due to an absence. During academic recess the hosting teacher is available to answer questions about assignments.
Classroom Website
Please check the school website for updates and pictures throughout the school year. Mrs. Steinbeck and I will be posting the newsletters, classroom updates, pictures, and other important information. You can log on to the website using the following login and password:
Parent Portal Username: PCCSparent
Parent Portal Password: pccsgreen201516
Curriculum Night
Parents are invited to come on September 1st at 6 pm to hear about the curriculum for third and fourth grades. We will start in Muir Hall, the large open space in our building, and then move to the classrooms. You will hear about what the students will be learning this school year, school policies, and classroom procedures.
Upcoming Dates
9-1 Curriculum Night 6 PM
9-2 Early Release
9-7 No School
9-8 Green Assembly 8:15
9-16 Early Release