Friday, January 15, 2021

Friday, January 15, 2021

 

Mr. Sassman's 4th Grade Class Blog

Weller Elementary School



Last Week...
Was productive as we started a few new things. Spelling Packet 7 should be mostly done by now, as well as GoeNotes 8. We did these together in our Zoom sessions. We also started our next class novel, My Side of the Mountain (MSOTM in the future), by Jean George Craighead. I think that the kids are loving it so far. We did quiz 1 in the packet together too. Finally for now, we finished The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, and have started Where the Red Fern Grows, by Wilson Rawls. New Year's Resolutions should have been completed, but I will press on that next week.  
 
Next week...
Well, if you haven't heard by now, no school on Monday (MLK), and kids are back in the building on Tuesday. I am so excited to see them all. We will be busy establishing routines and procedures, while moving forward with our current agendas. It will be a bit tricky to start, but I am confident that we will be successful and appreciative.
 
Lynn sent out a few emails this week regarding new pick-up and drop-off procedures, so please check those out. We are trying to streamline things a bit to get you in and out of here as quickly as possible while maintaining proper social distancing guidelines. The District also sent out a parent survey asking for your input about what characteristics you think (as a parent) a new Principal should have when being considered for Weller next year. There was also a survey sent out from the District, to nominate yourself or another parent from the school to serve on the hiring committee. In case you missed it: Principal Input Survey.
 
Quick reminder: Breakfast and lunch are free until the end of the school year. This is an option and not required. I also want to let you know that the kids will not be able to heat up food from home in the class microwave. We have been told that that is not allowed. The school usually provides a lot of options for breakfast and lunch, so I think that this should be okay. You can find the school lunch calendar right below if you need. I have to say, it saves me about 10-15 minutes of prep for my own kiddo each morning, and she likes the lunches (for the most part).
 

 
 
I have had several parents ask me about what the kids should bring on Tuesday. First and foremost: Please have the kids bring back their Chromebook and charger. We will use them here daily. Also, please have them bring any and all paperwork that they have gotten from school, including books from our classroom. We can go through things and start to organize and prioritize. As for materials, below is the list we published in the fall. Try to have your kiddos bring as much of this as possible. They will only be able to use their own supplies. Feel free to bring the stuff that they have been using all this time. Nothing has to be new. If for some reason you cannot get this stuff, please do not worry. I will make sure everyone has what they need, no questions asked. Thanks and I hope that answers your questions.
 
 
 
The Third Quarter Plan:
  
New Additions/Finishing Up
  • State Reports and Posterboards
  • Poetry - Winter Haikus, Diamantes, What I love about Winter, and more...
  • Class Novel - My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
  • Read Aloud - Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
  • Art - Warm and Clod Trees, Space Art
  • New Year Resolutions and goal-setting
  • Advice to a fourth-grader
  • Student-led Parent-Teacher Conferences
  • Long Division
  • Fractions
  • The Rock Cycle
  • Cereal Box Book Reports
  • Superhero Stories
  • Newton's Laws of Motion
  • STEM Kits
  • Current Events
The Staples
  • Spelling Packets
  • Cursive Handbooks
  • Reading Logs - SSR
  • EnVision Math
  • Daily Oral Language (DOL)
  • Weekly Geography
 
Tuesday looks like:
8:00 - 9:10
Arrival/Breakfast
Class Meeting
Organize stuff and settle in
Writing Prompt
9:10 - 9:40
Library
9:40 - 10:15
Snack
Read Aloud - Where the Red Fern Grows
10:15 - 11:30
Math Block - Topic 9 finish up
11:30 - 12:00
Lunch
12:00 - 1:00
Class Novel - My Side of the Mountain
Class Game
1:00 - 1:10
Clean up
Pack up
Dismissal

*******Please note now that we are going back to in-person instruction***********
-Kids should be reading for 20 minutes every night, and recording it in their reading logs. I will have a folder filled with them by the door. They may also continue with their digital reading logs too. Either one works for me. If they fill 5 days a week, they will get a ticket for the weekly prize box drawing on Fridays.
-Kids will receive about 20-30 minutes of classwork to complete each night that we have school.  This can include math, spelling, GeoNotes...Please work with them on this if they need help. I would like for students to have no more than 40-50 minutes of work each night. Please let me know if this expectation is beyond reach and we can talk about how your child can be successful. Please again, I don't want tears along the way or any surprises at the end of the quarter!

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/PERSON ASSIGNMENTS - QUIZZES - TESTS
--None for now! But hopefully soon :)

HOMEWORK
-Reading Logs each night and record it online or on paper
-I have posted on our Google Classroom Stream our list of items that needed to be completed for the day and things we are working on over the week. Kids may have additional work to finish up from the day, and therefore would essentially become "Homework," for the evening.

MATH HOMEWORK
-I will send home worksheets for the topics that we are working on. I will be updating this section as we progress through in-person instruction. Stay tuned please.

ONGOING INFORMATION
ZOOM
Here is our class' meeting ID and password:

CLASS WEBSITE
If you have not yet, please browse our class' website: www.wellerwhales.org. It has a lot of great resources and we will use this from time to time. I am currently making adjustments and enhancements on some pages, but the site is full and live.

READING LOGS (In-Person)
Reading logs are a regular part of our class and the students' overall reading grade. Students will receive 5 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). I have a yellow folder by the classroom front door filled with new reading logs or they can submit through our GC. If a student reads for 5 days or more, they will receive a ticket for the "Prize Box" drawing. We draw prizes weekly, on Fridays at the end of the day.

READING LOGS (Remote Learning)
Reading Logs are required and will count towards the students' overall reading grade. Kiddos will receive 5 points for each day that they read during the school week. They can be turned in either digitally in our Google Classroom or by paper during our drop off and pick up days.

ClassLink/GOOGLE CLASSROOM
ClassLink is the portal in which students can access their Google Classroom. Once they log into their Chromebook, kids can access the bookmarks folder on their Chrome browser and click on ClassLink. That will bring them to the apps page where they will find Google Classroom. 

DATES TO REMEMBER
Monday, January 18th, 2021
-Martin Luther King Jr. Day (No school)
 
Monday, February 15th, 2021 - Tuesday, February 16th, 2021
-Parent/Teacher Conferences (No school)
These are student-led so your kiddo will need to be present as well. More to come on this.

Wednesday, February 17th, 2021
-Teacher Professional Development Day (No school)

Monday, March 8, 2021 - Friday, March 12, 2021
-Spring Break (No school)

 
It's a good life!

Mr. Sassman
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