Mr. Sassman's 4th Grade Class Blog
Weller Elementary School
 |
| Thanks for coming out to PTC Conferences this week. It has been a pleasure and we hope you have enjoyed them as much as we have. |
Last week...
It was a productive one, to say the least. We finished up all of our PTC preparations and Mrs. Young and I were blown away with what the kids came up with. I think you were too! We also completed our Space Art Projects, and they are "Out of this world," just sayin'. We wrapped up two class read alouds, Gooseberry Park, and Huckleberry Finn. To conclude the joyous events, the school had a Reading Parade and assembly to celebrate our accomplishments. As if that weren't enough, the Spelling Bee was Friday and we had two student representatives. Way to go Oscar and Eve! Lastly, our Valentine's celebration was a success. Thank you for your support.
 |
| Way to go Eve! |
 |
| Way to go Oscar! |
 |
| Reading Parade! |
This Week...
Is a short one again, but we will be making some explosions in class! Don't worry we will try to have them home in one piece. But really, Newton's Laws of Motion. More Current Events Presentations are due, kids yoga, and of course math and TDL work. We have Persuasive Essays to finish, so we can start our Superhero Stories soon! We will also be voting on a classroom reward - yes, the kids filled the marble jar again. Oh, and, Pancake Breakfast is Friday morn.
On your radar...
As you know from conferences, our Twin Bears/Angel Rocks Parent Informational Meeting is coming up on Monday, February 24th from 5-6 PM. Hope to see you there.
The Science Fair projects are due Tuesday, February 25, 2020. Judging is the following day, and school-wide viewing is Thursday the 27th. Parent viewing is Wednesday the 26th from 3-7 PM.
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.
Thursday looks like:
8:30 - 9:20
Writing Prompt/Cursive Handbooks
Morning Meeting
New Jobs
New Seats - Get to know your new neighbor
9:20 - 9:50
Music
9:50 - 11:30
Snack/Read Aloud - The Phantom Tollbooth
Current Events Presentations
Newton's Laws of Motion - Intro
11:30 - 12:00
Recess
12:00 - 12:30
Lunch
12:35 - 1:50
Math Block
1:55 - 2:10
Yoga
2:10 - 3:00
Newton continued
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 BY FRIDAY
Short week...
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
Short 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.
Short 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 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!
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
