Tuesday, January 5, 2021

Tuesday, January 5, 2021

 

Mr. Sassman's 4th Grade Class Blog

Weller Elementary School
 
 
Welcome back! I hope you and yours had a lovely winter break and were able to spend time together, relax, and eat lots of food (of course)! Here's a little fun pic of our visit to Santa's house...I don't think my youngest, Zoe liked it very much! Once again, thank you for all the kind cards and thoughtful gifts before the break. I truly feel privileged to be your child's fourth grade teacher this year!
 


This week...
Tomorrow we will back to our "Normal" schedule. We will ease into the week, the new year, the third quarter, the second semester...I will be asking the kids to share what they did over the break and I will talk a little about New Year Resolutions and goal-setting. We will be talking about that most of the week, goal-setting and what it means, how to do it effectively. Tomorrow is also Wednesday, and I will have some things ready for you to pick up, if you are able. I have added some items to our agenda for this quarter below and I would like to get some stuff out asap so we can get started. A copy of My Side of the Mountain is one example. It will be our Q3 Class novel. 

As you know by now, the school board voted to bring students back into schools on Tuesday, January 19th, 2021. If this sticks, we (Weller) need to know if you are planning to send your kiddo in. Thank you to those who have filled out the survey already, and if you have not had the chance, please do so. It will help us immensely in planning and prepping. Here is the SURVEY link again.

Here is the link to the Weller Newsletter by the way.
 
I just finished report cards and finalized grades this afternoon, so those should become available via PowerSchool sometime this week.

 
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
 
Monday looks like:
8:30 - 9:15 (Synchronous - With the teacher)
Class Meeting - Welcome Back
Goal Setting for the new year
9:15 - 10:15 (Asynchronous - Independent Work)
Complete Writing Prompt
Snack
Break from a screen
10:15 - 11:00 (Synchronous - With the teacher)
Math Review Multiplication and Division
11:00 - 12:00 (Asynchronous - Independent Work)
TBD
Lunch
Break from a screen
12:00 - 12:30 (Synchronous - With the teacher)
Read Aloud - Huck Finn
Check in with finishing up assignments (Persuasive Essays and Book Reports)
12:30 - 1:30 (Asynchronous - Independent Work)
Finish up the day's tasks
1:30 - till' Tuesday
Go outside
Play
Be a kid
Read for 20 minutes and record it in your reading log
20-30 minutes of TDL work

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 not for long :)

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 sent home worksheets for the topics that we are working on. Please complete those and save them to turn in when we do pick up and drop off days.

*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 before you have signed their planner. 

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

HOMEWORK?
Our Google Classroom "Stream" is a thing! I will post on our Stream at the end of our last session (12:00 - 12:30), a list of tasks that the kids need to finish up with for the day, and the things we have been working on. It has proven to be helpful, so I will keep on doing it. Some work may spill over into the evening and becoming essentially, homework...I promise, no tears!

Please have your child reading for 20 minutes a night. Then, have them record it on their reading logs. When the log is complete, you may either send it in, take a picture and email it to me, or enter it digitally in our Google Classroom.

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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