Mr. Sassman's 4th Grade Class Blog
Weller Elementary School
Last week...
We made the time to meet with kiddos one-on-one to see where they were in their progress for Persuasive Essays and Current Event Reports, so our STEM lessons were pushed back to this week. We explored idioms and hyperbole and saved personification and alliteration for this week.
This Week...
We have a field trip to UAF's Davis Concert Hall to see "Bach to the Future." I will send home an informational sheet with a reminder to send in $5 if you could...That will cover transportation and the show. It will have an option to join on the bottom. We will have space for 3 parents/guardians to join.
We have about 3 full school-weeks until Student-Led Parent-Teacher Conferences to finish up some projects and we will make a push to work on those independently and as a group. Current Events presentations start next week, so this is time-sensitive work!
On your radar...
In addition, Parent-Teacher conferences are coming up in February. This round is "Student-Led" so PLEASE make sure your child is here for it. I can't tell you how important this is for them and their development, and I know you will love it. When I get sign-up information, I will let you know. Let's hope it goes smoother than the fall's sign-up procedures.
Report Cards...
In an effort to save paper (and money), the district has now gone digital with all report cards. Please sign on to Power School (Parent Account) for access. There is a tab on the left-hand side that says "Report Cards." Thanks and here is the link - Power School Parent Login
The third-quarter looks like:
Space Art
Rock Cycle
Pacific Rim
Volcanoes
Spelling Packets
DOL - Paragraph Development and Figurative Language
Current Events Google Slides Presentations***(Project)***
Persuasive Essay Writing***(Project)***
Folk Tale Triramas
Exploding Canisters
Read LIVE
Paper Airplanes (Possibly Q4)
Rockets (Possibly Q4 at UAF)
Newton's Laws of Motion
Read-a-Thon Class Fundraiser
Student-led Parent-teacher Conference Prep
Monday looks like:
8:30 - 8:50
Writing Prompt
Morning Announcements
New Jobs
8:50 - 9:20
Gym
9:20 - 9:50
Music
9:50 - 11:30
Snack/Read Aloud - The Adventures of Huck Finn
Current Events - Work Session
DOL - Personification
11:30 - 12:00
Recess
12:00 - 12:30
Lunch
12:35 - 1:50
Math Block
1:55 - 2:10
SSR
2:10 - 3:00
Persuasive Essays - Paragraph Development
Class Novel - My Side of the Mountain
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
DUE ON
--I would like the kids to have started the first three paragraphs of their Persuasive Essays.
--My Side of the Mountain (finish).
--"Calculate your weight on other worlds"
--I have posted the due dates for the Current Events Projects above. I will also put a copy in each student's mailbox this week.
HOMEWORK
ONGOING
--Reading Logs (ongoing)
--Spelling 9 (due by Friday)
--If your child needs additional time or help with in-class assignments, please let me know. I will be doing weekly check-ins with the kids on their progress and I may be in contact with you if we need to send some work home.
MATH HOMEWORK DUE THIS WEEK
DUE ON
--We have started our unit on long division and homework will be adjusted day-to-day this week. I had to modify some lessons and assignments last week because, for many of the students, they needed more time to comprehend the concepts and algorithms before I sent them home with homework. Either way, they will get homework each night, however, I have not decided what it will be until I learn where the majority of the class is at.
***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
--We have started our unit on long division and homework will be adjusted day-to-day this week. I had to modify some lessons and assignments last week because, for many of the students, they needed more time to comprehend the concepts and algorithms before I sent them home with homework. Either way, they will get homework each night, however, I have not decided what it will be until I learn where the majority of the class is at.
***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 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
Password: s#g
User Name for example: s123456@student.k12northstar.org
User Pswd for example: s123456g
User Name for example: s123456@student.k12northstar.org
User Pswd for example: s123456g
DATES TO REMEMBER AND FIELD TRIPS
Friday, January 31, 2020
--Field Trip to UAF's Davis Concert Hall to see "Bach to the Future."
***DATE CHANGE******DATE CHANGE***
New Date is now Monday, February 24, 2020 - sorry for the change but it was necessary. I hope this is enough notice.
--Twin Bears/Angel Rocks Educational Excursion and Camping Trip, "Parent/Guardian Information Night." It will be from 5-6 PM in room 22 (next to ours), 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 meeting will be in March and it will be for volunteers that have signed up and been cleared through the district. Your help and these meetings are critical to our success. Thanks so much!
Monday, February 17, 2020
--Professional Development Teacher Work Day (No School).
Tuesday and Wednesday, February 18 and 19, 2020
--Student-led Parent-Teacher Conferences (Please make sure your child is present for this).
Friday, March 6, 2020
--End of Q3. Early dismissal at 1:30 PM.
Monday, March 9, 2020, to Friday, March 13, 2020
--Spring Break - No School
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!
Friday, May 15, 2020, to Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Early dismissal at 1:30 PM and final three days of the school year.
It's a good life!
Mr. Sassman
