Saturday, February 27, 2016

February 27th-March 11th

Ms. Hewitt’s Fourth Grade Class Newsletter  
Saturday, February 27th, 2016

Good Evening Guardians and Students,

Parent-Teacher Conferences
Conference week is coming up fast during the week of March 14-17th. I ended up creating 7 conferences on Monday and Tuesday, 12 on Wednesday, and 2 on Thursday. If none of those work for you please contact me and we could perhaps meet before school. Please click here to schedule your student led parent-teacher conference. The portal is open, beginning Monday, Feb. 29. I look forward to sharing your child's progress with you! 4th Grade Award Assembly is on Friday, March 18th 8:30-9:00 a.m. I will let you know at the conferences whether or not your son or daughter will be receiving an award. Students completed their NWEA tests and continue to show growth! We will be tracking their growth in their growth trackers next week to show at our upcoming conferences.

Digital Book Clubs
Book clubs have been amazing! This week we had two tech leads come and observe our class run digital book clubs. Nate, Manal and Ava McDonald also signed up to share with them step by step how we set them up. They were so impressed with their tech skills and their professionalism.March 4th is when student will take their next book club quiz on AR. I have really enjoyed watching students create group norms, schedule and pace out their book selections, give feedback about their groups on google forms, choose vocabulary from their books giving them voice and choice, and so much more!

Parents Go to School Night

Please join us for "Parents Go to School Night" on the Del Paso campus on Thursday, March 3rd from 5:45-8:00 p.m. to learn more about supporting your child's learning at WCS! You don't want to miss out on our keynote speaker, Kristen Baisden, school psychologist for the Roseville City School District and facilitator for Becoming a Love and Logic Parent®. This will be followed by fantastic staff-led sessions about topics of interest to all of our families. Our teachers will be presenting ideas for encouraging all WCS students from our littlest explorers to our middle school students! I'll be leading a session titled, "Fostering a Growth Mindset." Come check it out! BASE will be open for the evening.


Language Arts

  • Book Clubs round 2 started this week! Students will meet with their groups on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Students will  come prepared with 3 questions written down on a post it with the page number. They will take notes digitally and have their vocabulary and page numbers on their group doc. Friday, March 4th students will take an AR test on their book.  Round 3 of book clubs will continue the following weeks.
  • AR point goals are due Friday, March 4th.
  • This week- Spelling City List #17 and then #18- Complete all activities before Friday to be prepared for the test on Friday in class.
  • Vocabulary:  Students will be introduced to five new Greek & Latin Roots during Unit 7 this week. Then Unit 8 the following week. Practice Packets will be due on Friday. They will be tested on both Unit 7 and 8 on Friday.
  • Writing: Will have their final assessment opinion writing piece this week and next.
  • My assessment day will be on Tuesday, March 1st next week. This is when I will be able to conduct running records for students current fluency reading,

Math
IXL Strands- Complete IXL strands 30 minutes a week is the minimum requirement.
4th Grade: U.1-U.10   5th Grade: G.1-G.10

Monday-Lesson 6- Place Value and Models to Add
Tuesday- Lesson 7- Compare and Order Decimals
March 2nd- Wednesday- Lesson 8- Problem Solving (All four Math Timed Tests Today!)
Thursday- Study Guide
March 4th- Friday- Chapter 10 Test

Monday-Lesson 1- Customary Units of length
Tuesday- Lesson 2- Convert Units of length
Wednesday- Lesson 3- Units of Capacity
Thursday- Lesson 4- Convert Units of Capacity
Friday- Quiz from lessons 1-4

Encourage your children to utilize our many math resources XtraMath,  Mangahigh our school ID is 67993,  McGraw Hill, Front Row, and Prodigy!

Science
We continue investigating how natural processes shape the surface of the earth and the ensuing effect on humans. Some of the essential questions that will be explored next week include: How can we see evidence of changes in the earth over time? What story of the earth can rocks and fossils tell us? What slow and fast processes change the earth's surface? How are humans affected by these processes? We also started learning about earthquakes and next week will be on volcanoes!

P.E.
I'm uploading 4th grade's fitness tests, and some scores are lower than desired. Classes have been informed two ways they can make up points.

#1: They can redo the 2 bonus questions and redo question 15
Bonus Q#1: What is your Target Heart Rate and Max beats per minute?
Bonus Q#2: How many minutes are kids supposed to be active every day?
Question #15: Write about your experience so far in the Fitness Unit: what have been your favorite activities? How do you think this new information will help you be a person who makes sure to be active in your lifetime? (10 sentences)

#2 : They can do a Tabata, Yoga, or Step Aerobic workout, write a paragraph, and have a parent sign for up to 5 points.
Can always send other questions Sabra’s way.

Art
Check out Ms. Jackson's website to see what's currently happening in art. Tons of neat pictures of students work!

Reminders/Mark Your Calendars-   

  • March 3 from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. on Del Paso Campus: Parents Go to School Night
  • March 4: End of Trimester Accelerated Reader Goal Due
  • March 11: End of 2nd Trimester
  • March 16-18: Parent Teacher Conferences (Early dismissal)
  • March 21-April 1: Spring Break
  • Update on Morning Hall: From now on morning hall will not begin until 7:50. If you have any questions about this please let me know. Morning Hall

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Newsletter for Feb 23rd-March 4th

Ms. Hewitt’s Fourth Grade Class Newsletter  
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2016


Good Evening Guardians and Students,


Thank you to all of the families that came out to show your support for this year’s 5th annual talent show. It is a night I will surely never forget!


Hope you all enjoyed your February breaks! Can you believe our next break is in less than 4 weeks? I am excited to explore new units and continue to grow units that have already launched. Thanks for your continued support in your child’s learning!


Click on this link for more information on WAVE Movie Night that is this Friday night!


4th Grade Award Assembly is on Friday, March 18th 8:30-9:00 a.m. I will let you know at the conferences whether or not your son or daughter will be receiving an award. I will only be able to hold a few conferences on Thursday, March 17th and none on Friday, March 18th. I will set conference slots on Thursday, March 10th, Friday the 11th, instead to make up for those two days. I also plan on having some time available on Monday, March 14-March 17th as well. I will let you know when the portal is open to book conferences. I will make as many available slots as I can and can open before school time slots if that works for some families too. These will still be student-led conferences like first trimester. I look forward to meeting with each of you. I will continue to add grades throughout this week. Thanks for checking Infinite Campus. Updated grades will post this Friday.


Students completed their NWEA tests and continue to show growth! We will be tracking their growth in their growth trackers next week to show at our upcoming conferences.


First round of book clubs were amazing! We are already in full swing with round 2! March 4th is when student will take their next book club quiz on AR. I have really enjoyed watching students create group norms, schedule and pace out their book selections, give feedback about their groups on google forms, choose vocabulary from their books giving them voice and choice, and so much more!


Language Arts


  • Book Clubs round 2 started this week! Students will meet with their groups on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Students will  come prepared with 3 questions written down on a post it with the page number. They will take notes digitally and have their vocabulary and page numbers on their group doc. Friday, March 4th students will take an AR test on their book.
  • AR point goals are due Friday, March 4th.
  • This week- Spelling City List #15- Complete all activities before Friday to be prepared for the test on Friday in class. Next week Spelling City List will be #______.
  • Vocabulary:  Students were introduced to five new Greek & Latin Roots during Unit 6 this week. Practice Packets will be due on Friday. They will be tested on both Unit 5 and 6 on Friday. They will learn 5 new ones for Unit 7 next week.
  • Writing: Will have their final assessment opinion writing piece this week and next.
  • My assessment day will be on Tuesday, March 1st next week. This is when I will be able to conduct running records for students current fluency reading,


Math
IXL Strands- Complete IXL strands 30 minutes a week is the minimum requirement.
4th Grade: U.1-U.10   5th Grade: G.1-G.10


Monday-Lesson 1- Tenths and Hundredths
Tuesday- Lesson 2- Tenths
Wednesday- Lesson 3- Hundredths
Thursday- Lesson 4- Model Decimals and Fractions (Quiz on Lessons 1-3)
Friday- Lesson 5- Decimals and Fractions


Monday-Lesson 6- Place Value and Models to Add
Tuesday- Lesson 7- Compare and Order Decimals
March 2nd- Wednesday- Lesson 8- Problem Solving (All four Math Timed Tests Today!)
Thursday- Study Guide
March 4th- Friday- Chapter 10 Test


Encourage your children to utilize our many math resources XtraMath,  Mangahigh our school ID is 67993,  McGraw Hill, Front Row, and Prodigy!


Science
We continue investigating how natural processes shape the surface of the earth and the ensuing effect on humans. Some of the essential questions that will be explored next week include: How can we see evidence of changes in the earth over time? What story of the earth can rocks and fossils tell us? What slow and fast processes change the earth's surface? How are humans affected by these processes? We also started learning about earthquakes and next week will be on volcanoes!


P.E.
I'm uploading 4th grade's fitness tests, and some scores are lower than desired. Classes have been informed two ways they can make up points.


#1: They can redo the 2 bonus questions and redo question 15
Bonus Q#1: What is your Target Heart Rate and Max beats per minute?
Bonus Q#2: How many minutes are kids supposed to be active every day?
Question #15: Write about your experience so far in the Fitness Unit: what have been your favorite activities? How do you think this new information will help you be a person who makes sure to be active in your lifetime? (10 sentences)


#2 : They can do a Tabata, Yoga, or Step Aerobic workout, write a paragraph, and have a parent sign for up to 5 points.
Can always send other questions Sabra’s way.


Art
Check out Ms. Jackson's website to see what's currently happening in art. Tons of neat pictures of students work!


Reminders/Mark Your Calendars-   

  • March 3 from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. on Del Paso Campus: Parents Go to School Night
  • March 4: End of Trimester Accelerated Reader Goal Due
  • March 11: End of 2nd Trimester
  • March 16-18: Parent Teacher Conferences (Early dismissal)
  • March 21-April 1: Spring Break
  • Update on Morning Hall: From now on morning hall will not begin until 7:50. If you have any questions about this please let me know. Morning Hall

Monday, February 8, 2016

Newsletter February 8th-12th

Ms. Hewitt’s Fourth Grade Class Newsletter  
Monday, February 8th, 2016

Good Evening Guardians and Students,

Students had a wonderful week last week showing growth on NWEA, impressing me with in depth discussions during book club groups, and showing JOYFUL LEARNING during our new science unit!

NWEA Dates and Times: Tuesday, February 9th 8:30-9:50- Math

Talent Show
Come support Emery, Ava Morrow, Ava McDonald, Kloie, Jamar, Francisco, Jason, and Nate, at our 5th annual Westlake’s Got Talent performing on the NP3 stage, February 12th, at 6:00pm! One of my favorite nights all year!

Spirit Day on Friday, Feb. 12th!
1) Fourth Graders are asked to wear blue.
2) Clothes must be free of inappropriate wording and images
3) All clothing must fit properly. Pants around the natural waist, tops completely covering the torso area
4) All shirts must have sleeves, no sleeveless shirts.
5) All clothing must be free of rips and tears

Transportation Survey

As we look out a short 17 months into the future and continue planning for our new K-8 campus, we’re exploring how our students will get to/from school. If you can please complete this transportation survey, the results will help us with the planning process.

Language Arts

  • Book Clubs are continuing this week! Students will meet with their groups on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. They need to come prepared with 3 questions written down on a post it with the page number for everyone to reference. They will take notes digitally and have their vocabulary and page numbers on their group doc on Google Classroom. Friday they will take an AR test on their book.
  • Spelling City List #8- Complete all activities before Friday to be prepared for the test on Friday in class.
  • Vocabulary:  Students will be introduced to five new Greek & Latin Roots during Unit 5 this week. Practice Packets will be due on Friday.
  • Writing: Will start new opinion piece this week on “Are Screens Hurting Your Friendships?” from Storyworks.

Math
IXL Strands- Complete IXL strands 30 minutes a week is the minimum requirement.
New: R.4, R.5, R.6, R.7, R.8, R.9, R.10, R.11, R.12

Monday-Lesson 9 Multiply Fractions by Whole Numbers- T.1-T.10
Tuesday- NWEA Testing!- Math
Wednesday- Study Guide on McGraw Hill
Thursday- Chapter 9 Test (or Friday depending on readiness)
Friday- Chapter 10 pre-test on Fractions and Decimals

Encourage your children to utilize our many math resources XtraMath,  Mangahigh our school ID is 67993,  McGraw Hill, Front Row, and Prodigy!

Science
We continue investigating how natural processes shape the surface of the earth and the ensuing effect on humans. Some of the essential questions that will be explored next week include: How can we see evidence of changes in the earth over time? What story of the earth can rocks and fossils tell us? What slow and fast processes change the earth's surface? How are humans affected by these processes?

Art
Check out Ms. Jackson's website to see what's currently happening in art. Tons of neat pictures of students work!
Girls on the Run
We are very excited to announce that registration is open for the Spring 2016 season of Girls on the Run.  Westlake will once again have a team this season and we can’t wait to get started. The Mission of Girls on the Run is as follows: “We inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running.” The girls that participate will meet twice a week to do activities and to start training to complete a 5K right here in Natomas.   Practices begin on February 22nd and will be at the Del Paso Campus from 4:30-6:00pm. Registration is open until February 19th.  The registration is $165 and scholarships are available for qualifying families.  For more information about this program, please go to www.gotrsac.org  or contact one of the coaches:
Barbara Kampmeinert                     Stacey Bradford
bkampmeinert@me.com                 jlynnsma@yahoo.com
916-425-1986                                   415-713-7147

Reminders/Mark Your Calendars-   

  • Talent Show- Friday, February 12th 6:00 pm at NP3 Gym
  • February 15-19: Presidents' Week Break
  • March 3 from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. on Del Paso Campus: Parents Go to School Night
  • March 4: End of Trimester Accelerated Reader Goal Due
  • March 11: End of 2nd Trimester
  • March 16-18: Parent Teacher Conferences (Early dismissal)
  • March 21-April 1: Spring Break
  • Update on Morning Hall: From now on morning hall will not begin until 7:50. If you have any questions about this please let me know. Morning Hall