TerraNova Testing

Next week, students begin the TerraNova testing. They will not have any homework that week so that they can rest while at home. Please help your child to do his or her best by making sure that he or she:
1. Has at least 2 #2 sharpened pencils at school.
2. Eats a good breakfast.
3. Gets at least 8 hours of sleep.
4. Arrives at school on time. This is especially important since we will be starting some of the tests as soon as school begins in the morning in order to finish the section before lunch.
5. Relaxes and reads all the instructions.
6. Brings a healthy snack (fruit, granola bar, carrots, etc).

A note or words of encouragement are also always helpful. Do not stress the importance of this test (I believe that the projects and tests throughout the year are a better reflection of their learning than a single test anyways), but instead reassure them that you know they will do their best and that you believe in them.

In other classroom news, students brought in their finished "circuit rooms" this week. They did a wonderful job with them, and we had a good discussion comparing the different types of circuits that people made. We're also reading Shiloh right now, and will have a guest coming to our classroom next week from the Anti-Cruelty Society to share some stories about pets and abuse next Friday.

February 9, 2010

We had a very eventful Catholic Schools week last week. Monday, the students wore pajamas to school and we had extra time at the end of the day for DEAR (Drop Everything and Read). We also made pancakes as an example of a chemical change. Tuesday was a pep rally to celebrate our sports teams, we made cards with our buddies to give to Catholic Charities, and students came dressed as twins. On Monday, we had several parents visit the classroom, and fourth grade almost won the trivia contest that night! Thursday we had our annual school Olympics, and we ended the week with an all-school Mass and prayer service on Friday. Congratulations to the students who won an award: Joel won the peacemaker award, Javielys for effort, and Delanie won a poetry contest!

In computer class, students have been creating and recording weather forecasts that we wrote in December as part of our weather unit. Several of them can be seen below:
Clarissa's Weather Forecast
Bella's Weather Forecast
Arianna's Weather Forecast
Barbara's Weather Forecast
Christopher's and Wilfredo's Weather Forecasts

Since the spelling words have been getting more challenging, and I feel like students need some more time to practice and study, I am going to start giving the spelling tests every other week. The first week, we will complete the usual work from the book, and the second week, students will have assignments to complete from a spelling contract. Students will also have quizzes in social studies on the location of the states. These will be the first two weeks of any unit.

We will celebrate Valentine's Day this Friday. Students are welcome to bring treats (healthy foods are encouraged) or cards to share with the class. We have another new student, bringing our class total to 21.