MR. SASSMAN'S 4th GRADE CLASS BLOG: January 2017

Sunday, January 29, 2017

Mr. Sassman's 4th Grade Class Blog

But really...

This week is a short one. Teacher In-Service Friday, so no school for the kiddos. I will also not be at school tomorrow...my little girl has a pretty terrible stomach bug, so I will be home with her. I have made sub plans and will be back Tuesday.

As I mentioned in last week's post, I am starting an after-school extended ELA (English/Language Arts) program for some students this week. I have called an spoken to parents that will be participating, so if we have not spoken in regards to this, disregard the following information. Even though I will not be at school tomorrow during the day, I will be here from 3:30-4:30 to kick off our first session. In this, we will have a group read of a chapter book that I have picked, and write brief reflections about what we read. We will be using Chromebooks and Google Drive to keep records of our accomplishments and progress.

STEM NIGHT THIS WEEK!

Pearl Creek PTA presents STEM Night: Thursday, February 2, 5:30–7:30 p.m.
Cost: all activities are FREE (dinner available for a fee).
Join us at STEM Night! Pearl Creek PTA is happy to bring together dozens of community and school volunteers to expose our students to the many different aspects of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math in Fairbanks. Hands-on activities and demonstrations will keep everyone busy! Activities include circuit building, permafrost tunnel, dinosaurs, fossils, drones, raptors, emergency services, nursing, science fair information, and much, much more.
PTA will be starting the book drive for the spring book giveaway. Students can bring in gently used books and drop them off in the box by the kaleidoscope. The giveaway will be just before spring break. Keep an eye out for more details coming home.

Quick note about field trips: As you may have noticed, there are three performances that we are signed up for. ONE OF THEM was last week and we have another this Thursday! I tallied up the amount each student will need for these, as some parents have asked, and if you could send you child in with $20, that will cover the total balance of the shows. In the near future, I will also be scheduling a parent meeting (night) to discuss Twin Bears (3-day overnight camping trip in the spring and the rest of the year's field trips). I am super-excited for this by the way...Thanks for those that already sent in money. I also added a list of spring field trips, with limited dates.

Mr. Dunavin is taking kids snowshoeing NEXT week. Our class goes on two separate days: FEEL FREE TO JOIN IN. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR KIDS HAVE ALL THE APPROPRIATE WINTER AND SNOW GEAR. They will have to sit at the office and wait till the class gets done otherwise. Thanks so much.

OUR TIMES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

--Tuesday, February 7th, from 9:15-10:25

--Thursday, February 9th, from 11:00-12:10

Fractions start this week in math!!!

Monday looks like:

9:00 - 9:10

New Jobs

9:10 - 10:30

Persuasive Essay Rough Drafts

10:30 - 11:10

Library

11:00 - 11:40

Read Aloud - The One and Only Ivan

11:40 - 12:10

Lunch

12:10 - 12:40

Recess

12:40 - 1:55

Math Block - Topic 10 Review

1:55 - 3:30

TFK

Partner Read

*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
By Thursday, February 2, 2017
-- Cursive Handbooks (should be up to letter "M")

HOMEROOM HOMEWORK
NONE this week

MATH HOMEWORK DUE THIS WEEK (only if your child is in my math class)

DUE ON
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
-- Topic 10 take home test
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
-- Practice 11-1
Thursday, February 2, 2017
-- Practice 11-2

*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 LOGS
Reading 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

Thursday, February 2, 2017
Field Trip - Herring Auditorium
Versa Style Dance Company - Two volunteers needed

Thursday, February 2, 2017
STEM Night @ Pearl Creek 5:30-7:30 PM

Friday, February 3, 2017
--No School - Teacher in-service day

Monday, February 20, 2017 and Tuesday, February 21, 2017
--Student-led Parent-Teacher Conferences

Friday, March 3, 2017
Portland Cello Project - TBD

Wednesday, May 10 - Friday, May 12, 2017 (3-days)
--Twin Bears/Angel Rocks Hiking/Camping Trip

Field Trips coming in the spring...we will talk more about these soon.
--Morris Thompson Cultural Center
--Superior Courthouse tour and mock trial
--Birch Hill
--Bowling/Pioneer Park
--Permafrost Tunnel UAF (hopefully)
--Ice Park (hopefully)

It's a good life!

Mr. Sassman

Monday, January 23, 2017

Mr. Sassman's 4th Grade Class Blog

I guess the deep freeze is back for today!!! Tomorrow should warm up quite a bit!

Last week was heavy on science with Newton's Laws of Motion, States of Matter Experiments, and Scientific Inquiry. We will keep a STEM theme this week with more activities and STEM night coming up on Thursday, February 2, 2017. Solar System starts this week by the way!

Pearl Creek PTA presents STEM Night: Thursday, February 2, 5:30–7:30 p.m.
Cost: all activities are FREE (dinner available for a fee).
Join us at STEM Night! Pearl Creek PTA is happy to bring together dozens of community and school volunteers to expose our students to the many different aspects of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math in Fairbanks. Hands-on activities and demonstrations will keep everyone busy! Activities include circuit building, permafrost tunnel, dinosaurs, fossils, drones, raptors, emergency services, nursing, science fair information, and much, much more.
PTA will be starting the book drive for the spring book giveaway. Students can bring in gently used books and drop them off in the box by the kaleidoscope. The giveaway will be just before spring break. Keep an eye out for more details coming home.

Book Reports: The kids should have a book picked out and have started it. I will be sending home individualized reading comprehension homework for their book reports.

Fourth Grade No Excuse Spelling List Two this week, should be a breeze! I will send the kids home with those words, and we will have a quiz on Friday. Please keep in mind this may be easier for some than others, but it is imperative that all students learn/reinforce their knowledge of these benchmarked words.

Quick note about field trips: As you may have noticed, there are three performances that we are signed up for. ONE OF THEM IS THIS FRIDAY! I tallied up the amount each student will need for these, as some parents have asked, and if you could send you child in with $20, that will cover the total balance of the shows. In the near future, I will also be scheduling a parent meeting (night) to discuss Twin Bears (3-day overnight camping trip in the spring and the rest of the year's field trips). I am super-excited for this by the way...Thanks for those that already sent in money. I also added a list of spring field trips, with limited dates.

Starting next Monday...I will be staying after school until 4:30, to meet with kids for extra support in reading and math. This is meant for students that need more one-on-one time, not homework club. I will meet with a few students this week and speak with parents where needed. If you think your child would benefit from this, please either email or call me.

Mr. Dunavin is taking kids snowshoeing next week. Our class goes on two separate days: FEEL FREE TO JOIN IN. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR KIDS HAVE ALL THE APPROPRIATE WINTER AND SNOW GEAR. They will have to sit at the office and wait till the class gets done otherwise. Thanks so much.

--Tuesday, February 7th, from 9:15-10:25

--Thursday, February 9th, from 11:00-12:10

In January:

Figurative Language

DOL

Zentangle

States of Matter

Book Reports

Folk Tale Triramas

STEM

Pen Pals

Monday looks like:

9:00 - 9:10

Class Meeting

New Jobs

New Seats

9:10 - 10:25

Spelling

Book Reports

10:25 - 11:00

Library

11:00 - 11:40

One-on-One Meetings

SSR

11:40 - 12:10

Lunch

12:10 - 12:40

Recess

12:40 - 1:55

Math Block - Topic 10

1:55 - 3:30

Solar System - Yes...this starts today!

*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
By Friday, January 27, 2017
-- Cursive Handbooks (should be up to letter "K" and "L")

HOMEROOM HOMEWORK
By Thursday, January 26, 2017
-- Spelling Practice (No Excuse Spelling Words List Two) (See the options I sent home with the kiddos)

MATH HOMEWORK DUE THIS WEEK (only if your child is in my math class)

DUE ON
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
-- Practice 10-3
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
-- Practice 10-4
Thursday, January 26, 2017
-- Practice 10-5
Friday, January 27, 2017
-- Practice 10-6

ONGOING INFORMATION

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

Thursday, February 2, 2017
STEM Night @ Pearl Creek 5:30-7:30 PM

Friday, February 3, 2017
--No School - Teacher in-service day

Monday, February 20, 2017 and Tuesday, February 21, 2017
--Student-led Parent-Teacher Conferences

Friday, March 3, 2017
Portland Cello Project - TBD

Wednesday, May 10 - Friday, May 12, 2017 (3-days)
--Twin Bears/Angel Rocks Hiking/Camping Trip

Field Trips coming in the spring...we will talk more about these soon.
--Morris Thompson Cultural Center
--Superior Courthouse tour and mock trial
--Birch Hill
--Bowling/Pioneer Park
--Permafrost Tunnel UAF (hopefully)

It's a good life!

Mr. Sassman

Monday, January 16, 2017

Mr. Sassman's 4th Grade Class Blog

WOW! That was a full week! Back in the swing of things, and Mr. Shultz came on Tuesday instead of Monday due to some car trouble. In case you missed us, you can find it right here. Simply find the date at the bottom of the video player. We are on (1/10, 1/11, 1/12, and 1/13) Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings towards the end of the newscasts. It was a fun and educational experience for our class. Big thanks to Mr. Mike Shultz.

A special thanks to Mrs. Wendy Connelly, who came in and volunteered her time to do an art lesson with the kiddos, while I conducted Universal Screenings. I am just about finished with the reading and math assessments, and I am so pleased with the progress that they are making. We will discuss this more during Student-led P/T Conferences in February.

PTA has asked me to post this: I will be there with the K'NEX Bridge Building Kits, and there will be a lot of special guests and exhibits.

Pearl Creek PTA presents STEM Night: Thursday, February 2, 5:30–7:30 p.m.
Cost: all activities are FREE (dinner available for a fee).
Join us at STEM Night! Pearl Creek PTA is happy to bring together dozens of community and school volunteers to expose our students to the many different aspects of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math in Fairbanks. Hands-on activities and demonstrations will keep everyone busy! Activities include circuit building, permafrost tunnel, dinosaurs, fossils, drones, raptors, emergency services, nursing, science fair information, and much, much more.
PTA will be starting the book drive for the spring book giveaway. Students can bring in gently used books and drop them off in the box by the kaleidoscope. The giveaway will be just before spring break. Keep an eye out for more details coming home.

Last week, the kids and I talked about new years resolutions, goal setting, and they also offered bits of advice for their fellow classmates. I wanted to share just a few here, as we all may benefit from their wonderful insights!

My advice is:
"Never wear socks for three days in a row."
"Don't sneeze in the wind."
"Pick up stuff if you drop it."
"Drink coffee every morning."
"Wear shoes to gym inside and boots outside, so you don't wreck your shoes like I did."
"Do a lot of gymnastics and drawing, and never ever wear socks with sandals."
"Not to run during fire alarms."
"Listen to teachers and not play around."
"Don't lose your homework in your backpack."
"Don't eat all your Halloween candy."
"Make sure you get enough sleep, 10 hours."
"Let your dog out before you let it into your bed."
"If you have Mr. Sassman, always write in complete sentences."
"Don't talk in the hall or Mr. Sassman will make you practice walking in the hallway."
"Practice your spelling words."
"Try your best, if life is good for your teacher, life is good for you."
"Don't get Mrs. McEwen mad."
"Never kiss a plant."
"Eat candy, cupcakes, and pizza whenever you can."
"Never slip in gym, because if you do, you will get trampled."
"Don't eat too much chocolate."
"Eat more food to bulk up."

I enjoyed reading these tremendously :)

This week: Book Reports will start. The kids should have a book picked out and started by Friday. I will send them home with a list of books that they may choose from. Please help them attain the book if it is not available here at the Pearl Creek school library or our classroom collection. Due to the short week, I would like to revisit the 4th Grade No Excuse Spelling List. I will send the kids home with those words, and we will have a quiz on Friday. Please keep in mind this may be easier for some than others), but it is imperative that all students learn/reinforce their knowledge of these benchmarked words.

We will also be exploring States of Matter in more depth. Experiments and such...should be a blast!

Quick note about field trips: As you may have noticed, there are three performances that we are signed up for. I tallied up the amount each student will need for these, as some parents have asked, and if you could send you child in with $20, that will cover the total balance of the shows. In the near future, I will also be scheduling a parent meeting (night) to discuss Twin Bears (3-day overnight camping trip in the spring and the rest of the year's filed trips). I am super-excited for this by the way...

In January:

Figurative Language

DOL

Zentangle

States of Matter

Book Reports

Folk Tale Triramas

STEM

Pen Pals

Tuesday looks like:

9:00 - 9:10

Class Meeting

New Jobs

9:10 - 10:25

Spelling

Reading Comprehension

Book Reports Discussion

10:25 - 11:00

11:00 - 11:40

Read Aloud

Pen Pal Letters

Cursive

Typing Agent

Kahn Academy

11:40 - 12:10

Lunch

12:10 - 12:40

Recess

12:40 - 1:55

Math Block - Topic 10

1:55 - 3:30

States of Matter

*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
By Friday, January 20, 2017
-- Cursive Handbooks (should be up to letter "M")
-- Pen Pal Letters (we still have a few kiddos finishing up)

HOMEROOM HOMEWORK
By Friday, January 20, 2017
-- Spelling Practice (No Excuse Spelling Words List One) (See the options I sent home with the kiddos)

MATH HOMEWORK DUE THIS WEEK (only if your child is in my math class)

DUE ON
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
-- Practice 10-1
Thursday, January 19, 2017
-- Practice 10-2
Friday, January 20, 2017
-- Practice 10-3

ONGOING INFORMATION

Username: s#@student.k12northstar.org (for example: s123456@student.k12northstar.org)

Password: s#g (for example: s123456g)

DATES TO REMEMBER

It's a good life!

Mr. Sassman

Sunday, January 8, 2017

Mr. Sassman's 4th Grade Class Blog

Last week was short and sweet...we made neck gators and started Zentangles. We also did some review in math, on Topics 5 through 8. This week we will be back to some regular, routine tasks with the addition of some reading comprehension activities and selecting books for the next round of book reports. Please look for more information that comes home regarding this. Our winter Universal Screening is also now underway.

Our class has been selected to participate in "Kids Weather," with Mr. Mike Shultz on Newscenter 11. He will be here tomorrow, Monday, January 11, 2017 at 2:00 pm to film our class.

Spelling Bee is coming in February. I sent kids home with the list of words if they would like to study some. We will have a class spelling bee for those interested, as I can only send 4 kids to the Pearl Creek preliminary.

In January:

Figurative Language

DOL

Zentangle

States of Matter

Book Reports

Folk Tale Triramas

STEM

Pen Pals

Monday looks like:

9:00 - 9:10

Class Meeting

9:10 - 10:30

Spelling

DOL

Reading Comprehension

10:30 - 11:10

Library

11:10 - 11:40

Read Aloud

Pen Pal Letters

Cursive

11:40 - 12:10

Lunch

12:10 - 12:40

Recess

12:40 - 1:55

Math Block - Topic 9 (long division is here)

1:55 - 3:30

"Kids Weather" with Mr. Mike Shultz

Class Spelling Bee

Universal Screening

*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
By Friday, January 13, 2017
-- Cursive Handbooks (should be up to letter "K")
-- Pen Pal Letters (we still have a few kiddos finishing up)

HOMEROOM HOMEWORK
By Thursday, January 12, 2017
-- Spelling Packets (now differentiated packets)

MATH HOMEWORK DUE THIS WEEK (only if your child is in my math class)

DUE ON
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
-- Practice 9-1
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
-- Practice 9-2
Thursday, January 12, 2017
-- Practice 9-3
Friday, January 13, 2017
-- Practice 9-4

ONGOING INFORMATION

Username: s#@student.k12northstar.org (for example: s123456@student.k12northstar.org)

Password: s#g (for example: s123456g)

DATES TO REMEMBER

It's a good life!

Mr. Sassman

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Wednesday, January 4, 2016

Mr. Sassman's 4th Grade Class Blog

From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU so much for your kindness and generosity before the break. I received many nice cards and thoughtful gifts. I love the coffee, plants, cookies, trail mix, mugs, candy, honey, pictures, gift cards, and speaker!!! I feel so lucky to have such an awesome class and supportive bunch of parents! I had a great break and I hope you did as well!

Again, welcome back! This week is a short one, so there will not be any homework, but look for spelling lessons and book report information next week. Thursday, we will have an in-class activity during the morning: creating neck warmers/gators. Feel free to join and make one for yourself while helping the kiddos. In the afternoon, we will explore Zentangle while I conduct Universal Screenings with the kids...yes, it is that time of year again.

Oh...our class has been selected to participate in "Kids Weather," with Mr. Mike Shultz on Newscenter 11. He will be here next Monday, January 11, 2017 at 2:00 pm to film our class. I will randomly select 3 kids to be highlighted for a story, a picture, and a question. The rest of the class will be on the news as well.

Spelling Bee is coming in February. I sent kids home with the list of words if they would like to study some. We will have a class spelling bee for those interested, as I can only send 3 kids to the Pearl Creek preliminary.

In January:

Figurative Language

DOL

Zentangle

Neck Gators

States of Matter

Book Reports

Folk Tale Triramas

STEM

Pen Pals

Thursday looks like:

9:00 - 9:10

New Seats

New Jobs

Class Meeting

9:10 - 10:30

Neck Warmers

10:30 - 11:10

11:10 - 11:40

Read Aloud

Pen Pal Letters

11:40 - 12:10

Lunch

12:10 - 12:40

Recess

12:40 - 1:55

Math Block - Review Topics 5 through 8

1:55 - 3:30

Zentangle

Universal Screening

*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
By Friday, January 6, 2017
-- NONE (short week)

HOMEWORK (homeroom)
-- NONE (short week)

MATH HOMEWORK DUE THIS WEEK (only if your child is in my math class)

Homework due Friday, January 6, 2017
-- Topics 5 though 8 Benchmark Test (take home)

ONGOING INFORMATION

Username: s#@student.k12northstar.org (for example: s123456@student.k12northstar.org)

Password: s#g (for example: s123456g)

DATES TO REMEMBER

It's a good life!

Mr. Sassman