Friday, December 20, 2019

Mr. Sassman's 4th Grade Class Blog

Weller Elementary School

Okay...I know I said last week was the last post of the year, but...

I am so grateful for your children and the joy they bring to school every day. I am also thankful and appreciative for all of the generous gifts and cards I received this week. I hope you have a wonderful holiday break - whatever you celebrate - and use some of that time to recharge for the new year. This second half is going to fly right by, and in no time, you will say, "WOW! I can't believe we are already on our way to Twin Bears!" In the meantime, enjoy the pictures of our ice skating field trip today!

It's a good life!

Mr. Sassman

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Mr. Sassman's 4th Grade Class Blog

Weller Elementary School

Advice from the moon...

Live life to the fullest

Be someone to look up to

Don't be phased by difficulties

Take time to reflect

Enjoy a little space

Honor the cycles of nature

Light up the night

(We will be finishing up our Space Unit this week!)

Last week...

The Alaska Room was great! The students wore Traditional Regalia while immersing themselves in Alaskan Native Culture and Art. There were three stations: Quiver making and beading, Paper Hunting Visors, and Raven Medalians. The items should have come home with them on Friday. 

Art Specialists were here and the kids made beautiful pieces of art inspired by fourth-grade featured artist, Hokusai. Lastly, the kids made origami wreaths and included a nice holiday haiku on tiny scrolls. Look for those to come home this week, in time to use for decor.

Kudos to Mrs. Young for taking such good care of the kiddos last week. She was required to take over for most of it as part of her university studies and in preparation for her full-time student-teaching experience this spring. WOW, did I just say spring? While she took the helm, I was productive at Woodriver Elementary School from Monday through Thursday, substituting as Principal for Mr. Grant. It was an amazing opportunity and experience, but I was so happy to be back with the kids on Friday.

This week...

As you know, this is the last week of the 2019 school year! We will be working towards finishing a lot of things up. Bio Book Reports, My Side of the Mountain (I am not sure we will finish), Where the Red Fern Grows (we have two chapters left and they are rough!), Cursive Handbooks, Figurative Language (which we are just getting started really), Space School...and much more, just check out our TDL below.

On Friday, December 13th, we have yes, another field trip! Marble Jar Field Trip to the Big Dipper. We will leave Weller at 9:15 and return around 11:30. It will be a total of $10 per student and that includes transportation and ice time (1 hr.). Thank you, if you have already sent in money. Skate rental is an additional $3 per kiddo and I will cover the cost of that, however, if your student has skates, please have them bring them to school that day. All are welcome to join, including siblings...we have the entire rink booked for the hour!

Early out (dismissal) at 1:30 PM on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday this week. I will be - trying my best to -  finish grading and report cards by Friday, even though they don't come out until January.

It is also "Dress up week" -  Please keep in mind, these are not requirements!

• Monday - White-out (kiddos can wear white)
• Tuesday - Dress Nice Day (since there's a concert)
• Wednesday - Head-To-Toe Day (wear hats/headbands/antlers etc./socks)
• Thursday - Seasonal Colors (red/green(Christmas); blue/white (Hanukkah); red/green/black (Kwanzaa colors); etc.)
• Friday - PJ Day

On your radar...

I am considering Wednesday, February 12th, 2020 as our Twin Bears/Angel Rocks Educational Excursion and Camping Trip, "Parent/Guardian Information Night." It will be from 5-6 PM, with some time built in for questions. I will have a lot of information for you, and we will need all hands on deck for the trip. This meeting will be the first of two. The second will be for volunteers that have signed up and been cleared through the district. Our class' PTA Rep, Keri Herning may also be asking you for some help with a few things! Your help and these meetings are critical to our success, so if you know already that you cannot make it, please let me know. Thanks so much!

Monday looks like:

8:30 - 9:00

Arrive

Writing Prompt

Morning Announcements

New Jobs

9:00 - 9:30

Gym

9:30 - 10:00

Music

10:00 - 11:30

Snack/Read Aloud - Where the Red Fern Grows

TDL

11:30 - 12:00

Lunch

12:00 - 12:30

Recess

12:30 - 1:45

Math Block

1:45 - 2:00

Break/Movement Activity

2:00 - 2:45

Biography Book Report Presentations

Class Novel - My Side of the Mountain

Our Place in the Universe - Jupiter!

2:45 - 3:00

Clean Up

Pack Up

Stack Up

Mailboxes

*Please note that math, specials (PE, music, and library), lunch, and recess are part of a fixed schedule 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
See Q2 TDL Above

HOMEWORK
ONGOING
--Reading Logs (ongoing)

MATH HOMEWORK DUE THIS WEEK
DUE ON
--None this week.

***A brief note about homework. It is my philosophy that homework is an opportunity for students to practice skills that they have learned in school that day/week. The benefits are proven and tremendous. I try to keep things simple: 20 minutes of reading practice (reading logs), 20 minutes of math practice (worksheet), and 5-10 minutes of spelling (1 page per night). If your student is working on homework for more than an hour each night (Monday - Thursday, none on the weekends), please contact me so we can discuss things further. It is not my intention to make life impossible for you at home.

***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 and check PowerSchool regularly.

ONGOING INFORMATION

READING LOGS
Reading logs are a regular part of our class. Students will receive "points" 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).

Reading 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 grades improve significantly while naturally benefitting 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.

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. Simply 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. All passwords have been reset and synched to their individual defaults for the start of the school year. Please do not make any changes. It is as follows:

Username: s#@student.k12northstar.org

Password: s#g

User Name for example: s123456@student.k12northstar.org
User Pswd  for example: s123456g                                            

DATES TO REMEMBER AND FIELD TRIPS
Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday - December 18-20, 2019
--Early Dismissal at 1:30 PM and the end of the second quarter.

Friday, December 20, 2019
--Marble Jar Field Trip to the Big Dipper. We will leave Weller at 9:15 and return around 11:30. It will be a total of $10 per student and that includes transportation and ice time (1 hr.). Skate rental is an additional $3 per kiddo and I will cover the cost of that, however, if your student has skates, please have them bring them to school that day. Thanks.

Friday, January 31, 2020
--Field Trip to UAF's Davis Concert Hall to see "Bach to the Future." More details to follow.

Friday, March 20, 2020
--Field Trip to Herring Auditorium at Lathrop HS to see "Eileen Ivers." More details to follow.

Wednesday, May 13, 2020 - Friday, May 15, 2020
--Angel Rocks Hike and Twin Bears Educational Excursion. We will have several meetings throughout the year about this as it is a 3-day overnight camping trip, and yes we will need volunteers!

It's a good life!

Mr. Sassman