Pizza, pizza, pizza

The wonderful parents are providing pizza for lunch tomorrow before Early Release. No lunches are necessary unless your child chooses to not eat pizza. Thank you, PTA!!!

Shirts

Please have students wear their Green Lantern grade level shirts tomorrow (Friday). Luckily, they are festive green!

Intervention and Enrichment Folders

Folders are coming home today with your child. We have provided a parent letter and work to review over the holiday and/or week of return, as they are not due back to us until Friday, January 10th.

Blessing

We hope you enjoy your holiday break and catch up on time with family. Please know that you and your child are blessings to us! Stay safe and we look forward to seeing you next year!

Holiday Party and Early Dismissal Friday

Our holiday party will take place on Friday at 11:00AM.
**Early dismissal will be at 12:30.
Please bring a sack lunch or let us know you need to order a sack lunch from the cafeteria.
We know that some students may choose to eat at home after dismissal, however, we are providing a lunch time to ensure all students have an opportunity to be fed. Thank you!

Homework and Testing

This week we are administering our Writing Benchmark. These tests will guide our instruction as we move into the winter term. Today, we completed Day 1 and we will wrap up with Day 2 tomorrow. Please make sure your child gets plenty of rest and a sensible breakfast. Thank you!
Due to this testing and our short week, we will not be handing out homework.

Holiday Store

Due to our campus being closed yesterday, the Holiday Store schedule needed to be adjusted. Please note our times below:

Christian homeroom- Thursday- 10:30-11:00AM
Milot homeroom- Friday- 11:15AM- 11:45AM

Coyote Call-Out- Friday

This week hosts our next Coyote Call-Out. Please join us at 2:00PM.
Students are encouraged to bring/ wear holiday hats and maracas (or other shakers) if you have them.

Texas Revolution Project

Your kiddo will be bringing home a paper that outlines a home project they will be working on during the week before the holiday break. Please look for this paper in their folders tomorrow. There will be three projects from which to choose. Please read all directions and choose the one that best fits your child's learning style.

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like.....Ice !!!

Yikes! I have to say that I am beginning to think this field trip to the museum is NOT supposed to happen. LOL  After having to be rescheduled in 3rd Grade, a hassle to iron out details this year, and now possible ice in the forecast for Friday... one can't help but wonder.

At this point, everything is still on schedule. Unfortunately, we will not know anything for sure until Friday morning. With temperatures dropping so suddenly and weather patterns constantly changing, we will have to see whether we have just a cold rain or a sleet/ice when we are ready to go and what the weather will do while we are there. Dr. Truncale is watching everything closely, as are we.
**I will be updating the blog and emailing to keep you informed. Please check before contacting us.
A sound/safe judgment will be made and we are prepared to stay here, if needed. Thank you for your patience, as we are in the same holding position. The good thing is that this trip should only take 2 hours. Short and sweet.
Please check back for updates.

MOCK STAAR TESTING NEXT WEEK

The district is giving a "mock" STAAR WRITING test next Monday and Tuesday to all 4th Grade students. These two days will run just as the actual STAAR test in April. We will test each day from 8AM- 12PM- (Less if everyone finishes early).
Each day will consist of writing one paper addressing expository or narrative text, as well as, multiple choice questions focused on revising and editing.
**If at all possible, please make sure that your child is present for these two days. This benchmark is very important, as scores will be used to guide future instruction. Thank you!

 Did Someone Say...Santa??

Holiday shopping is right around the corner for us! The Holiday Store will be open next week. Our scheduled time to visit is Wednesday 10:30-11:00. Please feel free to join us or send money for your child to shop for gifts.

Grades, Grades, Grades

Yes, the expected and feared "Drop" has hit 4th Grade. At this time in the year, we start to allow students to become more responsible for their learning. During this transition process, it is not uncommon for grades to fall slightly. Reading directions effectively and following through appropriately until the end is imperative. Many times, it is not the skill that is weak, but the amount of effort put into the assignment without the teacher guiding them through it several times. Our goal is to help each student become a successful, independent learner.

Cox Coyote Jingle Run 5K

Please join Mrs. Milot and I in our "jingly" shoes as we take part in our Cox fundraiser on Saturday, December 14th at 5:00PM. We hope to see you!

Holiday Joy and Supplies!

Happy (early) Thanksgiving! 

While you are traveling (or just lounging around the house J) this break please have your kiddo study for their Social Studies test that will be on the Tuesday we get back. They brought home the study guide today. I have emailed it to you as well for those study guides that have “wondered off.” The more they know this material, the better they will do! This test will end our unit on Colonization and guide us to our unit on the Revolution in the coming weeks.

                                                                             

In science, we are continuing our study of soil when we return. One of the experiments we will do involves a need for knee-high nylon hose. We will use this item in our exploration of soils capacity to retain water. In order to do this experiment I will need 16 pairs of knee-high nylon hose. I would like to do this experiment on Thursday. If you happen upon some inexpensive nylon hose in the next week or so, please contribute to our exploration. 

When we return, math will have us begin our studies of combinations. This is a fun concept and can easily be applied to everyday life. How many different combinations of Thanksgiving food can you create on your plate?

Thank you for all of your support. I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday!

Mrs. Milot

Wax Museum

Can anyone say "Awesome"? We want to congratulate all of our stars. The amount of work that was put into this project sure paid off, as they were fantastic presenters. Students and visitors were excited to meet historical figures such as Abe Lincoln and Benjamin Franklin, as well as, movie stars and athletes. They did a wonderful job and we are so proud! Way to go!

Field Trip- Friday December 6th

Our trip to the Dallas Children's Theater is quickly approaching. We will be leaving the school at approximately 8:30. Please know that we have no control over the buses and flexibility is always a must for us. The show begins at 10:00 and lasts 90 minutes. We will be back in time for lunch.
As previously stated, parents that paid for this trip last year ARE INVITED to join us, as planned. We apologize for limitations on additional parents joining and thank you for understanding this unusual circumstance. Parents attending may follow the bus or meet us there.
**Please know that we will have another "official 4th Grade" field trip in May and all parents are welcome!

The following are students who  previously paid ( in 3rd grade) FOR A PARENT to attend: 
(from Milot and Christian)
Lexi Joseph
Harmony Armstrong
Triniti McBride
Grace Christner
Josh Watson
Emily Williams
Maddie Hatch
Jose  Molina
Travis Goodnight
Cooper Limes
Talissa Smalley
Savannah Taylor
Kayleigh Contreras
Brandan Nurse
Joseph Turcios


Thank you for your support!

Long Division!!!

We are fully into our unit on long division. We are learning a couple of methods, but our main focus is on the big seven method. Here is a link that will walk you through the big seven method:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7xSGYBpaUw

Below is the image that we use to describe big seven including a way to check your answer.

 

Big seven keeps place value in division and allows kiddos to solve division problems when they don't have a great grasp of multiplication facts. This makes long division seem easier for the kiddos!

Below are a couple of more methods that we could use to solve long division problems.

 

You are all familiar with the standard method, but it can really make division difficult because of the removal of place value. Expanded division is more similar to standard, but it is looking at the dividend in chunks and tries to keep place value in division.

As you know, I do not have one way that I require kiddos to solve problems. I want them to do the method that works the best FOR THEM. So far, big seven is the preferred method in class. Have your kiddo show you what method they like the best!

Please let me know if you have any questions about this. I am more than willing to help in any way that I can! Thank you for your support!!!

Mrs. Milot

Biography Project- Wax Museum- Homework

We are so excited for our Wax Museum! We will be presenting on Friday, November 15th from 8:00am-9:30am. The living museum participants will be presenting simultaneously and continuously. We will position everyone around the room and in the hall with a sticker on his/her hand. The sticker represents the "on/off" button. Anyone at anytime may walk up to a character and "push his/her button" to hear a short speech spoken is first person (Hello, my name is....).
The speech needs to be about 1-2 minutes in length and contain accurate details of significant accomplishments made.
All resources and materials are coming home today with your child.

Below are the tasks to complete before next Friday:

- Use materials provided to create a short speech.
-Practice the speech many times to (hopefully) memorize it for Friday.
-Create a costume and/or props to accompany your presentation on Friday.
*Please note that costumes need not be extravagant or expensive. Use things from around the house, neighbors, friends, thrift store, etc.

*Students will have a few minutes to change into any costumes before we begin and then may return to regular clothes before PACK.

Please join us and see our masterpieces!

The Book Fair is Coming! Wahoo!

Our annual book fair will begin next week. A paper highlighting most of the selections will be sent home today to preview. Students will be visiting the book fair during their PACK time Library rotation next week.
Christian- Tuesday  10am- 10:55
Milot- Thursday  10am- 10:55

Students are able to bring money on those days and parents are welcome to join!
The store will also be open right after school.
*A teacher wish list will also be on display at the fair.

Biography Assignment

We are so excited about the Wax Museum where we will dress as our character and present our information in first person (speaking as if we are the character). Time will continue to be given in class to research and prepare but you will also want to go through a few test runs at home, beginning next week. More details will follow.
**Please mark your calendars for Friday, November 15th. We will present the Wax Museum in the morning from 8:00am- 9:30am. We hope you can make it for the tour!

Spelling this Week

Unit 31 is hard this week. We will be working on it multiple times. In place of a typical test, I will have students complete assignments using the words in context. Spelling books will be used for reference when completing the assignments.
The pattern this week has been the /sh/ and /zh/ sound spelled :
sh as in shelter
tion as in election
cian as in magician
sion as in division
tient as in patient

Other examples include: invitation, shadow, publish, confusion, imitation, abolish, multiplication

Field Trip- Friday, December 6th

Last year, the Third Grade was to visit the Dallas Children's Museum to see a performance. Payment was made yet unforeseen circumstances did not allow them to make it to the show. A credit was given and we are using that credit on Friday, December 6th to see Stuart Little.
New students have paid since they were not here last year. The museum was also kind enough to honor last year's price, as it had a $3 increase.
***Parents that paid to attend last year will still be able to join us. Unfortunately, we can not add additional parents as seating is limited. Homeroom teachers will have lists of parents that are included to go, please check with them if in doubt. Thank you!
We will be back in time for lunch so you may send a packed lunch or have your child buy a lunch on that day.

This week in 4th Grade...

Tuesday 11/5 - Math Test

Wednesday 11/6 - Social Studies Test

Thursday 11/7 - ELAR Test and UIL Practice

Word Problem Strategies

We are working on different strategies to use when working on word problems. One of the strategies that we are using deals with problem solving maps. The kiddos have to think about what the problem is asking and determine which "map" would work best for the question.

Our problem solving maps are:
Some and Some More (SSM) dealing with addition
Some Went Away/Bigger Smaller Difference (SWA) dealing with subtraction
Equal Groups Put Together (EGPT) dealing with multiplication
Equal Groups Take Apart (EQTA) dealing with division

Here is a visual of the maps that we use:

They are to determine the map to use, draw a box and label it, then fill in the blue spaces with the information given in the problem. They will then calculate the problem to determine the red box or missing information.

Another strategy we use is the CUBES strategy. We use this strategy to help us pull out important information in a word problem. Here is the CUBES strategy: 

Be on the lookout for your kiddo using both of these strategies to work through word problems!

Biographies Galore!

This unit for ELAR focuses on drama and biographies. We are putting together a fabulous project called a "Wax Museum". The kids are so excited! More detailed information regarding this museum will be posted at a later date, as it will not be presented until November 15th. 

The next couple of weeks will be used to gather research on the person of choice and complete a few mini projects regarding this information. This is what you need to know NOW:

Your child should have already chosen a person to research. I had over 80 books presented from which each may choose. ***If a student had a person in mind and a book was not available, each student was told to go onto the site Wikipedia.com and print out some info. regarding the person of choice. This was to be completed at home since the student chose to go to an outside source when materials were already provided. Materials were to be brought from home TODAY, if an outside source was chosen. Many came unprepared. Please bring materials tomorrow, as we will be in station rotations conducting research.  Please ask your child if they are prepared. Thank you for your help! You will be provided additional information as progress is made. Please refer to the pics below to see the forms that will be completed in class. 

      

Sorry for the second image being sideways! You get the gist. :)

Double Digit Multiplication!!!!

Today your kiddo was introduced to double digit multiplication. We are going to learn a couple of ways to calculate these types of problems. I wanted to be sure that you were aware of the methods introduced so that you can support your kiddo at home. We will learn about the standard/bow method next week. This week we are learning the box/partial product method. Below are images of the steps/notes that your kiddo will be using for both methods.

 

Here is a link that can help demonstrate and explain the connection between the box/partial products method and the bow/standard method: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPF9oOKl_BY

Box/partial products method does a good job of keeping place value in double digit multiplication. This concept can be lost when calculating using the standard method. It is also less overwhelming and therefore seems easier to some kiddos. I do not care which method your child uses as long as it make sense to them.

Please feel free to ask questions if you need some clarification!

Thank you for all your support!

Mrs. Milot

Tuesday Info

Red Ribbon Week in in full swing. We are focusing on the importance of staying drug free. Tomorrow is "jersey" day with a number on it. This represents that we are a team together standing in unity.

Spelling words this week will focus on the -er ending.

Examples include: camper, farmer, hiker, banker, reporter, etc.

The comprehension focus this week is determining the author's purpose for writing his/her text. Author's purpose will be one of the following:

-to inform

-to persuade

-to entertain

We had a great time in Social Studies last week, as we presented our knowledge on early Native Americans in Texas in the form of a virtual museum. Check us out!

Homework/Spelling/ AIMS results

Regular homework was sent home a day late in Mrs. C's class due to my absence. Therefore, it is due on Friday instead of Thursday. Additional Language Arts homework for both classes was sent home, also, and is not due until Monday.

Our beginning of the year assessment (AIMS) results were also sent home today so that they did not get mixed in with Thursday folder papers. Please look for them today. 

No Spelling words were given this week. We will review prior spelling patterns and continue with a new unit on Monday. 

Red Ribbon Week

Cox Elementary will be celebrating Red Ribbon Week the week of October 21st-25th. The Red Ribbon Campaign is now the oldest and largest drug prevention program in the nation and an ideal way for people to unite and take a visible stand against drugs. Please support us at Cox by participating in next week’s activities.

Mon.-“Kick Off Red Ribbon Week”-Wear your favorite pair of boots.

Tues.-“Sock it to Drugs”-Wear colorful, crazy socks.

Wed.-“Team up against Drugs”-Wear team shirts to school. (An athletic team shirt with numbers on it)

Thurs.-“An Education is a Terrible Thing to Waste.” Wear your favorite college t-shirt.

Fri.-“Wear Red Day”-Wear all the red that you can! 

Tests and Labs!

We will close out our unit on rounding numbers, determining the perimeter, and interpreting bar graphs with our Math Unit 2 test on Thursday. We will meet in small groups tomorrow to help make sure everyone feels comfortable with the content.

We will then close out our unit on comparing and contrasting a variety of mixtures and solutions with our Science Unit 2 test on Friday. Your kiddo brought home a study guide today. Please help them do their best by studying!

Here is a peek into one of our labs, Separating Mixtures. The kiddos had fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Magnificent Monday

Fall is here and it is wonderful! I hope all enjoyed their day off, as I did. I enjoyed seeing a few of you at the State Fair.
**Please remember that our Fourth Grade performance is this Thursday evening. Students should arrive at 6:50pm and the program begins at 7:00pm. Thanks for your support!

Spelling
This week we will continue in our study of suffixes. Words will include the suffix of -ment or -ness.

-ness means "a condition or quality"
-ment means "the result of an action"

Examples include: kindness, treatment, enjoyment, thickness, softness, apartment.

ELAR
The students have enjoyed the novel study and will no doubt be sad to end Because of Winn Dixie this week. We will conclude the week with a viewing of the movie and compose a news article which compares/contrasts the story depicted in different forms.

Our next unit for ELAR covers the drama and literary non-fiction. We will be looking closely at biographies and autobiographies. Students will enjoy a very special project within this unit. I can't wait! We will also explore the structural elements particular to dramatic literature: characters, plot, theme, dialogue.

Social Studies
We now know the economic and geographic features of the four regions of Texas and we will explore the early settlers who inhabited the land now known as Texas. The tribes we are focusing on specifically are the Comanche, Apache, Karankawa, Jumano, and Caddo. The main aspects of research include culture, economic system, and political system of each. We will be creating a virtual museum of our information.

A personal message from Mrs. Christian:
I had an unexpected death in my family over the weekend and will be flying home to the East coast. Details are still being worked out and plans will be made. I wanted to let you know because I will most likely miss a couple of days of school in the near future. Sorry to be out. :(
Your thoughts and support are appreciated.

Make it a GREAT week!

Tomorrow!

Smile! Your going to be on camera!!!

Don't forget that tomorrow is picture day. Be sure your kiddo brings their order form if you are wanting to purchase pictures.


Calling all 4th Graders!!!

We are looking to fill a few spots in our UIL groups. Information was sent home and tryouts were held earlier last month. We still have some spots available only to 4th graders and would like to have them filled ASAP. Practice occurs every Thursday (except October 31) after school from 2:30-3:30. The competition will be on November 21. Transportation will need to be provided for your student.

We have openings in:

• spelling
• dictionary skills
• maps, graphs, and charts (with Mrs. Milot!)
• oral reading
• art memory 

If your kiddo is interested in any of these events please let us know! To find out more about these events please visit http://www.uiltexas.org/aplus/events.


Conference Letters

We are filling up fast! In fact, we are so full we are having to move some conferences into next week! If you still have not sent in your conference letter, please do so soon so that we can get our schedules ironed out. Thank you for your support!

A look ahead...

Next week:

Math -
We will continue our work with rounding numbers to a variety of place values. We will review ways to determine the perimeter of numerous shapes and we will work on analyzing and interpreting bar graphs.

*Please make sure your kiddo is getting on xtramath.org to practice their math facts! This will help a great deal in everything we do in math!!*

Science -
We will begin comparing and contrasting a variety of mixtures and solutions such as rocks in sand, sand in water, and sugar in water. This exploration will involve a multitude of labs so it should be a lot of hands on fun!

Picture Day -
Wednesday, October 2nd is picture day. Be sure your kiddo brings their best smile...and their purchasing package if you are wanting to purchase pictures!

Friday, Friday, Friday!

Conference letters went home and are due back Monday. Please return all forms signed, even if you are opting out of a conference at this time. We would like to hear from each of you. Thanks!

Language Arts has had a busy but great week! The students really seem to be enjoying our first novel, Because of Winn Dixie. They are eager to read each day and moan when we stop. I will take that as a fabulous sign! Ask your child questions regarding this story thus far. If comprehension strategies are being used and details given, you may enjoy hearing the story just as much as we have enjoyed reading it.

Next week's spelling pattern will be using the suffixes -full and -less. I have uploaded a list for you to reference. Please remember, the pattern and examples are what we study, as test words may include examples given but not be limited to them only.

joyful                     powerful
helpless                  restless
restful                    playful
careless                  cheerful
useful                     thoughtful
thankless               powerless
peaceful                thankful
hopeless          


Over the next couple of weeks,Social Studies will cover early Texas settlers. We will explore tribes that inhabited Texas and early European explorers' journeys to Texas. Several art projects (in class) will accompany this unit, so I know we will enjoy ourselves.

Tardies

Tardies are still an issue with my class. Please know that we begin right at 7:30 and students leave our room for enrichment time. When students are even a couple minutes late, they come in frazzled and miss instruction time. Thank you for your help in this matter. :)

Snacks

We have run out of snacks in the room. If you would like to donate, we would appreciate it! You have some hungry kiddos in the morning!. LOL
Appropriate snacks would be pretzels, goldfish, cheez-its, honey graham bears. ***Please avoid any items with nuts, peanut butter, etc. Allergies are present.
Thank you VERY much!

Have a wonderful weekend!

A few more things...

Think Through Math

Today your kiddo brought home a letter that explains the math program previously mentioned (Think Through Math). Attached to this letter is your kiddos user name and pin. This information will help you to access this program at home. Please read over this letter and get your kiddo on when you can! It will help them succeed in Math!

Science Study Guide

Science Study guides were sent home today so that students could utilize them to study for the test on Thursday. Please look for these in your kiddos daily folder and start reviewing them. There will also be an email sent out with the answer key in case any kids "misplace" their copy.

Grade-Level T-Shirts

This is the last call to order grade level t-shirts!!!! Money was due today, but we are allowing money to be submitted through this week to allow for paychecks to come in. Please be sure to get your money and size in by the end of this week or you will miss the opportunity!

Thank you for all the support!

Mrs. M

Homework and Dates

Homework

Spelling Pattern for the Week- Words with double consonants in the middle and words with /l/ as the final sound spelled -le (Ex- giggle, rattle, bottle, table, ankle, jungle).

Today was the first day that a homework sheet was sent home. It is due back to the homeroom teacher by Thursday. Tuesday will continue to be the day homework is assigned unless otherwise noted. Additional homework/practice may be sent based on individual needs.

Below, we have listed websites for additional help at home. These are activities that we would like students to do on a regular basis...

• Read nightly; aloud and silently. Library books and leveled readers are available.
• xtramath.org:
• You will be receiving a paper tomorrow that explains this program. It is an online program that has your kiddo practicing their math facts on the computer. It is very quick and very effective practice. I will be able to view each students progress, so please have them get on nightly.
• Think Through Math:
• This is another online program that reinforces math concepts being taught in class. A paper will come home shortly regarding this program.
• iStation:
• This is an online program that supports reading concepts being taught in class. A paper will come home shortly regarding this program.

Dates

Please note the upcoming dates:

9/19 - Math Test

9/25 - Early Dismissal - Please complete a sack lunch form if you want your child to have one on this date, as NO hot lunches will be served. The forms will be sent home in the Thursday folders.

9/26 - Science Test

If your kiddo is involved in Rhythm Rockers please be aware of the following meeting days from 2:30-3:15:

10/1

10/8

10/15

10/22

10/29

11/5

11/12

11/19

12/3

12/10 (last meeting)

Fourth Grade Shirts

We are pleased that the kids are excited about the first ever 4th Grade shirt! Most have ordered, even though ordering is optional. 

***Thank you, thank you, thank you for your generosity, as a few parents have donated money for those students that may have difficulty purchasing a shirt. If you would like to donate a shirt cost or two, please let us know. You are awesome and exemplifying the Wylie Way!

Math Help Wanted!

As we close out our unit on place value, your kiddo will be creating a real world project demonstrating their knowledge of decimals. They will choose five items to purchase, create an ordered table of items, and represent the prices using two different decimal models. In order to complete this project, we are in need of store fliers, weekly advertisements, inserts, or circulars. These items must have dollar amounts listed that include values in the hundredths place. We are working on this project on Wednesday, so I would like to have these items by Tuesday, if possible. This project gives applicable value to all the hard work they have been doing! Thank you for your support!

Mrs. M

Homework

Homework will begin coming home next week. Mrs. Milot and I are aligned with our philosophy with homework. We feel that we have high expectations and work loads during the day and do not want to overload students (or parents) with homework. We feel that homework teaches responsibility and provides adequate review when necessary. One assignment per week, consisting of Math and Language Arts will sent home on Tuesdays and is due back on Thursdays. Should a student need more review during the week, contact will be made with the parent explaining expectations. 

Look for our first assignment next Tuesday. Thank you!

Starting our Morning with Lantern Time

We want to emphasize that our day immediately begins at 7:30 with Lantern Time (Math intervention/enrichment). Students may be with other Fourth Grade teachers during this time or in the computer lab. We appreciate the extra effort to have your child here on time so he/she may have time to unpack and go to appropriate classroom on time. This helps everyone start the day well! :) 

Curriculum Night Tonight!

We hope to see you here at 7:00 PM.

You may also order your FIRST EVER 4th GRADE T-SHIRT ($7) . Yahoo! 

Grades

We are beginning to enter grades, as students have now become acclimated to expectations and routines. As grading was completed by teachers over the weekend, it was evident that several friends did not meet their full potential and received grades lower than expected. For this first semester, we are allowing assignments to be "corrected". If your student comes home with a grade less than 70%, please know that the assignment can be corrected WITHIN THAT SAME WEEK and returned for an adjustment of no higher than a 70%. Thank you for your support!

Fourth Grade Shirt! How Cool!

This year, we have designed our very first fourth grade t-shirt! We are so excited! These shirts are, of course, optional. However, we KNOW all will want one. We designed this shirt around our grade level theme of The Green Lantern...slightly adjusted for educational purposes. These shirts will be able to be worn many times throughout the year; field trips, spirit days, etc. Please look for this order form in their folders today. The shirts are only $7 !!! What a deal!

Hold on to Your Hats! This is Long! :)

We have much to share so please read all. Thank you!

Spelling
Each Monday (Tuesday, if Monday is a holiday), we will have a pre-test. If a 100 is made, the student has alternative choices during Spelling for the week. This eliminates the student repeating material already mastered. I have been asked if spelling words are sent home and let me assure you that they are sent in the form of the pretest taken, not a handout from me. Students are taught a pattern for the weekly words which supports the philosophy that each should be able to transfer knowledge rather than memorize a list. Thank you for your support!

Green Team

Ms. Brandow runs the Green Team for the school and has the team collect the recycling bins each week. The team develops an awareness for global responsibility and is looked at as leaders. They will miss 15 minutes of recess one day a week to empty recycling bins in all classes. Green Team is exclusive to Fourth Grade. This year, Ms. Brandow is having students apply for these positions. Applications are being sent home and should be turned in by Monday.

Unfinished Work

The Fourth Grade Team has met to discuss options for unfinished work that should have been completely in the appropriate time given. One option is having the students stay after school. However, travel accommodations would need to be provided by parents. We want to provide this option so that students are not missing exercise during recess by having to stay inside yet realize the importance of staying on task and finishing the job. We will make you aware if your student is having difficulty finishing work on time so you may encourage your child to stay on task.

Upcoming Events

September 11th- Wear BLUE and support the Wylie Way.
September 12th- Curriculum Night and PTA Meeting- 7:00-8:00PM
Social Studies Test- Study guide will come home.
September 13th - Coyote Call-Out
**Note- Change in time- Call out begins at 1:30PM
Students and staff may dress as super heroes for this day.
September 19th- Math Test (place value)

Weekly Academic Goals

Language Arts
Students will:
use the context of a sentence to determine meaning of unfamiliar words.
make inferences about text.
create and edit sentences using correct subject-verb agreement.

Social Studies
Students will:
describe regions in Texas that result from physical characteristics and landforms.
explain how geographic factors have influenced economic activity.

Math
Students will:
use place value to read, write, compare, and order whole numbers through 999,999,999.

Science
Students will:
measure, compare, and contrast physical properties of matter.

Reminders

Please, please, please send your Super hero letter for your child to their homeroom teacher. We are still missing quite a few! Thanks so much!


Grandparent Breakfast- Friday, September 6th at 7:00AM

Science Safety

We have finished composing our science notebooks for the year and are ready to begin our investigations! Included in our notebooks are student safety contracts. Your kiddos brought home a safety contract for you to sign yesterday. Please sign it and return it to school on Tuesday. The rules that we discussed are as follows:

1. I will act responsibly at all times during science activities.
2. I will follow the teacher's instructions and investigation procedures carefully.
3. I will wear safety goggles and protective clothing when instructed to do so.
4. I will tie back long hair, remove jewelry, and wear closed-end (both toes and heels) shoes when told to do so.
5. I will not taste, eat, drink, or smell anything during science class unless instructed to do so by the teacher.
6. I will tell the teacher if I see someone or something that is unsafe.
7. I know the class emergency plan.
8. I will immediately notify the teacher of any emergency.

If you have any questions, please let me know! We begin experimenting with properties of matter next week!

Mrs. M 

What a Day!!!

We had a wonderful first day with your kiddos! Transitions went pretty well and Ms. Milot and I will be working out a few unforeseen "kinks." That is always the case when beginning a new journey. We will have it down in no time! Your precious ones are impressively flexible and just rolled with it. Way to go!
Thursday folders will be sent this week. Please fill out any necessary paperwork and return as soon as possible.

Super Hero of the Week
To coincide with our school theme and build relationships in our classroom, we would like to highlight a "super hero" of the week. We will begin the rotation in 2 weeks. This "super hero" will have responsibilities/privileges both in and out of the room. Students will be notified on Fridays as to who the super hero is for the following week. He/She will be the leader all week and answer the class phone when it rings.
Monday- Have a buddy sit with him/her at the side table at lunch.
Wednesday- Read a special letter written by his/her parents highlighting his/her wonderful qualities.Friday- The super hero will share the "Share Sack", containing (3) items special to him/her.
**Parents- Please write a short letter to your child expressing what qualities you appreciate about him/her. Place it in a sealed envelope (with the name on the front) and send it to us as soon as possible. Thank you!

Upcoming Dates

Labor Day Holiday- Monday, September 2nd

Grandparents Breakfast- Friday, September 6th

Thursday Folder Volunteers
Ms. Milot and I appreciate the help offered this week to stuff folders. It is one less job for us and we are thankful for the help. We would love to get on some sort of schedule or rotation. Please feel free to respond (make comments) on this blog to offer specific dates or rotation ideas. Any mom/dad willing to organize this rotation is more than welcome. :)

Until next post,
Mrs C and Ms. M

 

We enjoyed meeting you!

Thank you for making the trip to Cox for Meet the Teacher. It was fun to meet the kids and see their excitement! We will be updating this blog weekly and as needed, so please tag this link on your favorites for it to be accessed easily.

 

As you are aware, this will be the first time that fourth grade is departmentalizing. Since the students will be switching classes, we want to do everything we can to make it easy on everyone involved, including you. We know that several families decided to order prepackaged supplies and others bought from a store in the community. Either is fine, however, lists were made before the decision to departmentalize was final. This said, we have decided to use community supplies in each room so that the students are not having to lug everything back and forth. We understand that you may have purchased a "special" supply item and want to honor that as best we can, but you may want to choose to take the special item home and we can replace it if need be. Please know that any confusions are unintentional and we thank you for your support in advance.

 

Our Daily Schedule

7:30- 8:00 Math Lantern Lab (enrichment and tutorial)

 

8:00-9:00 Language Arts (Milot's homeroom)

                 Math (Christian's homeroom)

 

9:00-10:00 Writing/ Social Studies (Milot's homeroom)

                   Science (Christian's homeroom)

 

10:00- 11:00  PACK

 

11:00- 12:00 Language Arts (Christian's homeroom)

                      Math   (Milot's homeroom)

 

12:00-12:30 Recess

12:30-1:00  Lunch

 

1:00- 1:30 Language Arts Lantern Lab

 

1:30-2:30  Writing/ Social Studies (Christian's homeroom)

                    Science  (Milot's homeroom)

 

 

Class Needs

 

Many of you asked about class needs while visiting. We need all the help we can get! LOL

Our most important needs (other than sleep :) are the following:

 

-Volunteers to stuff Thursday folders- time is negotiable

-black and white Composition books (wide ruled) We use many of these through the year.

-Snacks to stock our pantry for the kids (pretzels, goldfish, teddy grahams, animal crackers, etc)

*No peanut items due to allergies, or messy items since it is a "working snack."

 

Thank you so much for your support and encouragement! Get ready for a wonderful year!

 

Until next post,

Mrs. M and Mrs. C