Mr. Sassman's 4th Grade Class Blog
Weller Elementary School
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| Should be a warm-up this week...hopefully, we can finally, get to that space art project! |
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| Maybe you caught that game yesterday? Groundhog Day was also last weekend - FYI! |
Last week...
"Bach to the Future" was a great ending to a busy week. Spelling packets went home, DOL featured alliteration and personification, and Persuasive Essays are coming along. We finished My Side of the Mountain and the overall consensus was: "Great book!" There is a sequel that is part of a trilogy, and perhaps we will explore The Far Side of the Mountain? Mrs. Young had the students make Lantern Poetry and the kids delivered some great pieces. For math: We have made it through Long Division and worked a bit on Factors and Multiples. This week we will continue with that campaign, while introducing fractions - Here we go again!
This Week...
Will be simple but imperative. Student-led Parent-Teacher self-reflections and assessments will be the focus, while Current Events Presentations begin. I have posted the schedule of the presenters below. It seems to be warming up for the week, so we may try for some Space Art.
On your radar...
Two full school-weeks until Student-Led Parent-Teacher Conferences and sign-ups open this Wednesday, February 5th, 2020. Same as last semester, log onto your PowerSchool Parent account and sign up through the portal. I will post another instructional guide of screenshots in the next few days if needed. 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. Also and again, please make sure that you are on time for your appointment as there are multiple sessions back-to-back. Here is the link to PS - Power School Parent Login.
The kids have asked if we can have a Valentine's Day Party. I typically have not had parties on V-Day but told them, that at the end of the day on Friday the 14th, the kids will be allowed to exchange cards and/or treats. We will use the last 30 minutes before dismissal. I only have one request: If you bring for one, bring for all. There are 26 kiddos in the class and I can send the kids home with a list of (first names only) to ensure correct spelling and that no one is left out. Please and thank you!
Science Fair and Spelling Bee are this month...9 days to sign up for the SF and we will have a class SB to determine three students to send to the annual competition.
As part of her student-teaching internship, Mrs. Young is required to "Take over the class" for a few weeks and that is coming up at the end of February and the beginning of March. She has been with us all year and has done a great job, so I am confident that it will be a smooth transition. This is a State and University requirement for all prospective teachers. She will also be responsible for publishing the blog. Please keep in mind, that I will still be in the building, should the need arise, and guide her through the process but I am supposed to be as "Hands-off" as possible to give her the most effective experience possible. She will be your primary point of contact for issues and academics, but of course, CC my email on all matters, please.
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
Music
9:20 - 9:50
Gym
9:50 - 11:30
Snack/Read Aloud - The Adventures of Huck Finn
New Seats - Meet your new neighbor and share out
DOL - Personification
Current Events - Work Session
Student-led Parent-teacher Conference Prep
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
My Side of the Mountain Final Quiz
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 have posted the due dates for the Current Events Projects above.
--Student-led Parent-teacher Conference Prep Drafts
ONGOING
--Reading Logs (ongoing)
--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
Tuesday, February 4, 2020
--11-2
Wednesday, February 5, 2020
--11-3
***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
Tuesday, February 4, 2020
--11-2
Wednesday, February 5, 2020
--11-3
Thursday, February 6, 2020
--11-4
Friday, February 7, 2020
Friday, February 7, 2020
--11-5
***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
***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
