Mr. Sassman's 4th Grade Class Blog
Please Note: We have a short week and early outs (2:00 PM) Monday and Tuesday. Grades will be finished and finalized over the break, and report cards for the second quarter will go home the first week back in January.
If you have not yet, PLEASE SEND IN $7 FOR LAST THURSDAY'S FIELD TRIP. Many students forgot.
Last week was a busy one. Above, you will see some pictures from our trip to the Alaska Room, where the students learned about Alaskan Native culture, art, and history. It is always one of my favorite trips of the year. It is so rich with learning, respect, and activities. Ahmal and the Night Visitors was a great time. The live music and acting were excellent. We finished up our winter round of MAP (National Measures of Academic Progress) testing, the Handball Finals and Spirit Assembly were a bit hit, our door is now decorated for the Student Council Contest, and our Party Planning Committee was busy, busy, busy.
Art Specialists were here last Monday and it was amazing per usual! Speaking of art, I sent the kids home with most of their artwork from the first half of the year on Friday. Please check it out and give praise, the kiddos worked really hard each piece and I was so proud to display it around our school. State report posterboards will come home tomorrow, as well as, a little something-something we made with our first grade buddy class.
Back to this week: Because I would like to be culturally cognizant, and not everyone in our class celebrates Christmas, I have decided to facilitate a "Book Exchange" on Tuesday afternoon during our class party. Please send your student in with a wrapped book (we also have newspaper here if they want to use that). It should be a fourth grade reading level book, fiction or non-fiction, and chapter books are preferred. We will gather around in a circle at the end of the day and let kids pick a new book from their classmates. The goal is: That they read it over the break :)
Also, the party planning committee has taken a class vote, and the students have spoken! They would like to have a Subway lunch party on Tuesday - as a part of the party - so please send in $5 for the expense and perhaps some juice and/or chips. Oh...on more thing - We really need a parent volunteer to pick it up and deliver it for us ;)
Tuesday morning we will hopefully be making 6-point paper snowflakes. If you would like to join us, we could use some extra hands and would love to have you share in the fun. Same goes for wreath making on Monday afternoon.
Monday looks like:
9:00 - 9:10
Class Meeting
9:10 - 10:30
Current Events Presentations
10:30 - 11:00
Library
11:00 - 11:30
Current Events Presentations
11:30 - 12:00
Lunch
12:00 - 12:30
Recess
12:30 - 2:00
Origami Wreaths and Winter Haikus
*Please note that Math, Specials, Lunch, and Recess are Intermediate schedules and stay in blocks. At times, curriculum instruction will be shuffled to accommodate different initiatives.
If you have any questions, concerns, or comments, please feel free to call or email me anytime to discuss things further. I hope you find this information helpful and useful.
IN-CLASS ASSIGNMENTS - QUIZZES - TESTS
NONE
HOMEWORK (homeroom)
Current Events Presentation Due Dates are on a rolling basis. Please ask your student what their date is. They have been able to sign up on or before December 20, 2016.
MATH HOMEWORK DUE THIS WEEK (only if your child is in my math class)
NONE
*Please keep in mind, projects or tests we have in class may have to be brought home to be finished or to study. Please ask your child if they have completed their work before you have signed their planner.
ONGOING INFORMATION
READING LOGSReading logs are a regular part of our class. Students will receive "points" for for each day that they read a minimum of 20 minutes at home. The purpose: for students to read each day (not 100 minutes over the weekend or 40 minutes on Tuesday to catch up for Monday).
The logs will be due on a rolling basis and should have dates read on them. I will give credit as they are turned in and filled out correctly (please initial these). The points students receive will be added to their overall reading grade, counting towards their final grade.
It is simple, if students read and turn in their logs, they will see their grade improve significantly while naturally benefiting in fluency and accuracy. If they do not, they will not be given a "0" on the assignment, they simply will not receive any points.
Please look for these to come home this week. I have a yellow folder by the classroom front door filled with new reading logs. Email me with any questions or concerns please.
GOOGLE DRIVE
You can access all of your student's digital assignments online and work at home if you would like. Just go to www.gmail.com and type in their email address and password. Then find the Google Menu (where you will find the Drive, Docs, and Slides) icon in the top right corner (it is a nine square grid next to their s-number). This is where they will make their Google Slides Presentation for their Biography Book Reports. It is as follows:
Username: s#@student.k12northstar.org (for example: s123456@student.k12northstar.org)
Password: s#g (for example: s123456g)
DATES TO REMEMBER
Friday, January 27, 2016
Field Trip - University of Alaska - Davis Concert Hall
"A Children's Symphony" - Two volunteers needed
Thursday, February 2, 2017
Field Trip - Herring Auditorium
Versa Style Dance Company - Two volunteers needed
Friday, March 3, 2017
Portland Cello Project - TBD
It's a good life!
Mr. Sassman
