Mr. Sassman's 4th Grade Class Blog
Weller Elementary School
Last week...
As you know from my emails, PowerSchool has been a bit of a nightmare for teachers and parents alike this week, with conference sign-ups and grade reports. Feedback to the district is critical, and I have made my voice heard about the need for more time to schedule and even made a tutorial for you using my parent account to help. So far we have the most parents signed up at 18 out of 26, so we should be proud. Thanks! In case you missed it, here is the link again: PT Conference Tutorial. As a result of the data loss last weekend and even on Monday, grade reporting deadlines and comments were pushed back to Friday the 25th. I am a glass-half-full kind of guy, so I gave the kids even more time to turn in late work, and many chose to do so. I spent time this weekend finalizing grades and comments. I believe the District is "Going digital" now, so those should be available online sometime this week via PowerSchool.
Lastly, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE be on time for your appointment. There are times when I will be booked with three appointments in a row and if you are late, we may have to reschedule so that we can have a meaningful conference about your child. I purposely included natural breaks in the day, but please respect those slots.
We finished both Out of My Mind and Charlotte's Web...We will start Where the Red Fern Grows as our read aloud next and My Side of the Mountain for our next class novel...both epic and amazing!
I have asked and you have responded...it looks like we have plenty of volunteers to help with pillows and thank you! It will make everything go smoother with all the help we have lined up.
Pillow Making: How does Friday, November 22nd sound? I know, I know, I said December, but why not November? I sent home more information in a flyer (last week), but here is the info again. If you could please, pick up 1 yd. of fabric (of your child's choice) from Joann's Fabric and a small bag of Poly-fil. That is all they will need to complete the project. If you are unable to obtain said materials, for whatever reason, simply send me a quick note, and I will make sure your kiddo is all set up, no questions asked. We will keep the pillows here at school for SSR and school assemblies.
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| Small Bag of Poly-fil |
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| 1 Yard of Fabric |
This week...
Is a short one...I don't think I need to mention why here, but we will not have spelling or regular classroom tasks like DOL and GeoNotes. We will change the pace a bit on State Reports as we are inching closer to some deadlines. Tomorrow, we will have a fun STEM lesson called Scribble Bots, where the kids will learn about electrical engineering and create some cool art in doing so. Tuesday, I will have the kiddos analyze "Scream" by Edvard Munch (1983) and they will write poetry and make a watercolor version! Wednesday will be dedicated to State Reports and perhaps a class party??? We have just one marble left to fill our jar, so I think this may happen. I want to order some Costco pizzas as a surprise, I will cover the pizza, if I can get someone to pick it up and drop it off to us, please...hint, hint...you can even stay and have some, of course!
Please keep checking the "Dates to Remember" section at the bottom of the blog...I would also like to add: Please get "cleared" by the District to volunteer for any future field trips. It is a relatively simple process but takes some effort. It should be noted that it is free and good for two years.
Also on November 22nd...State Reports Potluck. Friday, November 22nd from 5:00 - 7:00 PM. The gym is reserved, permits are approved. I sent home flyers with details about the event and will do so again if necessary.
The Second Quarter Plan:
The Second Quarter Plan:
- Fictional Narratives - States Reports
- Persuasive Essays
- State Reports and Poster Board
- States Potluck
- Spelling
- Life Sciences
- GeoNotes
- Red Bird Math
- enVision Math
- Daily Oral Language (DOL)
- Q2 Book Reports - Biographies
- Reading Logs
- Cursive Handbooks
- Class Novel - Where the Red Fern Grows
- STEM Kits
- Scribble Bots
- Art
- And much, much, more...
8:30 - 9:00
Arrive
Writing Prompt
Morning Announcements
Class Meeting - New Jobs
Student of the Week Presentation
9:00 - 9:30
Gym
9:30 - 10:00
Music
10:00 - 11:30
Snack/Read Aloud
Scribble Bots
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
Class Novel - My Side of the Mountain
2:45 - 3:00
Clean Up
Stack Chairs
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
None this week
HOMEWORK
ONGOING
--Reading Logs (ongoing)
MATH HOMEWORK DUE THIS WEEK
DUE ON
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
--Practice/Reteach 5-1
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
--Practice/Reteach 5-2
***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.
DUE ON
--Practice/Reteach 5-1
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
--Practice/Reteach 5-2
***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 and check PowerSchool regularly.
ONGOING INFORMATION
READING LOGSReading 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 (for example: s123456@student.k12northstar.org)
Password: s#g (for example: s123456g)
DATES TO REMEMBER AND FIELD TRIPS
Thursday, October 31 and Friday, November 1, 2019
--Parent/Teacher Conferences (please sign up online when it opens up, I will post the link as well)
Friday, November 8, 2019
--Field Trip to Herring Auditorium at Lathrop HS to see "The Sound of Music." More details to follow.
Friday, November 22, 2019
--State Reports Potluck!!! More information will come home in a flyer, but you heard it here first!
It will be from 5:00 - 7:00 PM!
Friday, November 22, 2019
--Pillow-making Extravaganza
It will be in the morning from 9:30 AM - to 11:30 AM!
Friday, December 6, 2019
--Field Trip to Herring Auditorium at Lathrop HS to see "The Nutcracker." More details to follow.
Friday, December 13, 2019
--Field Trip to the Alaska Room at Anne Wien Elementary School. We will depart at 11:30 AM and return at 2:30 PM.
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!
Even more to come...I am waiting on confirmation for our trip to the Alaska Room at Anne Wein. It should be in early December.
It's a good life!
Mr. Sassman
