Sunday, December 15, 2019

Quarter 2 Week 10: December 16-18

Families of 4C,

There is a full day of school on Monday, and Tuesday and Wednesday will both be half days with a dismissal time of 12:05. On Wednesday, we will be cleaning our classroom in the morning and we will begin our winter celebration after morning recess.

Please send your child to school with a sturdy bag on Wednesday to store their desk contents in over the break. I recommend either a tote bag or sturdy shopping bag, and I will have a few extra bags to give any student that does not have one, or if their bag breaks.

Please be advised that the last day for students to turn in any absent work or missing assignments is on Tuesday, December 17. After Tuesday, no late work will be accepted.


Lessons This Week:

Spalding: There is no Spalding this week.

Writing/Grammar: There is no writing/grammar this week.

Math: This week, students will be reviewing what we have learned in the semester so far. For any students that have completed all four levels of rocket math, they will have a celebration with Mr. Naaktgeboren on Tuesday and will be grandfathered in to the rocket math celebration at the end of the school year!

History: There is no history this week.

Science: Students will continue learning about the process of the scientific method on Monday. On Monday and Tuesday, they will be taking review quizzes over the first units we learned: chemistry, electricity, and life sciences.

Literature: We will continue reading The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Please send your copy to school with your student. For nightly homework, students will read a book of their choosing for 20 minutes every night, unless otherwise specified. Students will keep their quarterly reading log in their yellow take-home folder. All reading logs are due on Tuesday, December 17.

Greek and Latin Roots: On Tuesday, students will be taking their cumulative roots review test over all roots learned this year, #1-50.

Poetry: Students will continue their memorization of the poem, “The Flag Goes By” by Henry Holcomb Bennett. Recitations for this poem will be on Monday, December 16.


Important Dates: *assessment dates are subject to be pushed back if necessary


  • Monday (12/16):
    • Poetry Recitations: “The Flag Goes By” by Henry Holcomb Bennett
    • Science Review Quizzes
      • Chemistry
      • Electricity
  • Tuesday (12/17):
    • Roots Test: #1-50
    • Science Review Quiz
      • Life Sciences



Class Information:

Winter Review Packet:
There will be an extra credit packet sent home over the winter break. This packet is completely optional, but highly recommended to keep students’ brain warmed up over the long break. Complete pages from the packet will be taken for extra credit in the third quarter. Any students who complete the ENTIRE packet will receive a pizza party with Mrs. Conforti when we get back from break (date TBD).

Typing:
The skill of typing is an important one for all of our students to be able to learn and perform effectively. While I do not expect any fourth grader to be a typing professional, I would like to get them as comfortable as possible using a keyboard. Not only do we type essays in class, but students will be expected to type their essays for the AzMERIT Writing test in the Spring. For this reason, it is imperative that students feel comfortable enough to perform this skill.

I highly encourage you to allow your student to practice typing on a computer keyboard as often as possible at home. Many students are wizzes when it comes to navigating a tablet, phone, or other touch screen device, but many of them do not have proper exposure to regular computers. It would be beneficial if you and your student found something on a computer that they enjoy, that would also help them practice typing on a regular computer keyboard. I will be periodically updating the blog with any examples I find, and if you have any ideas, feel free to email us and share them! Thanks!

Xtra Math:
Any student who passes multiplication, addition, subtraction, and division on XtraMath will earn a special secret prize from Mr. Gillingham! Please encourage your students to work on this at home whenever you have spare time. Each practice session of XtraMath only takes about 5 minutes to complete.

Headphones:
All students need to bring in a pair of headphones to keep at school. Students are expected to use headphones whenever they do activities on the computer, such as Khan Academy and TypingQuest. They will also need to have them each time they take a standardized test. I have room in the classroom for students to keep headphones at school. Thanks!



I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and enjoy your time with loved ones! I look forward to a strong start to 2020 for all. See you in the new year!

--Mrs. Conforti
TMartin@ArchwayArete.org

--Mrs. LaVell
RLavell@ArchwayArete.org

Monday, December 9, 2019

Quarter 2 Week 9: December 9-13

Families of 4C,

This is the last full week of the first semester. Next week, there is a full day of school on Monday, and Tuesday and Wednesday will both be half days with a dismissal time of 12:05. On Wednesday, we will be cleaning our classroom and having our winter celebration to end the second quarter.


Lessons This Week:

Spalding: This week, students will study their next 30 words. For nightly Spalding homework, students should have the words dictated to them by someone at home and should write them one time each in syllables. Any words that are misspelled should be written again for additional practice. We will take our 30-word Spalding test on Friday.

Writing/Grammar: This week, students will continue their study of Grammar. We will be learning everything we have covered this semester and be doing some in-class practice for the cumulative review test this Friday (12/13).

Math: This week, students will be practicing their cumulative review over everything we have learned this far in the school year. They will be taking their cumulative review test on Thursday. Their cumulative review will cover place value, ordinal numbers, order of operations, factors, multiples, 2-digit multiplications, writing expressions, solving various word problems, and all things fractions (including adding, subtracting, multiplying, fractions of a set, ordering fractions, and word problems).

History: This week, students will continue their study of Arizona’s history and will take their cumulative review test on Arizona’s history this Tuesday. Later in the week, students will study ancient Rome and will begin learning about the start of the American Revolution.

Science: On Monday, students will finish the meteorology unit by taking the unit test. Students will also be learning about the process of the scientific method this week, and will learn how to use scientific observations to make predictions.

Literature: We will continue reading The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Please send your copy to school with your student. For nightly homework, students will read a book of their choosing for 20 minutes every night, unless otherwise specified. Students will keep their quarterly reading log in their yellow take-home folder. All reading logs are due at the end of the quarter.

Greek and Latin Roots: Students will learn roots #48-50 on Wednesday. On Wednesday, students will take the review quiz over roots #45-47. Next week, students will be taking their cumulative roots review test over all roots learned this year, #1-50.

Poetry: Students will continue their memorization of the poem, “The Flag Goes By” by Henry Holcomb Bennett. Recitations for this poem will be on Monday, December 16.

Important Dates: *assessment dates are subject to be pushed back if necessary



  • Monday: 
    • Science Test: Meteorology
  • Tuesday:
    • History Test: Arizona’s State History
  • Wednesday:
    • Week 9 Math Quiz: Review
    • Roots Quiz: #45-47
  • Thursday:
    • Math Test: Cumulative Review
  • Friday: 
    • Spalding Test: 30 words
    • Grammar Test: Cumulative Review
  • Monday (12/16):
    • Poetry Recitations: “The Flag Goes By” by Henry Holcomb Bennett
  • Tuesday (12/17):
    • Roots Test: #1-50



Class Information:

Typing:
The skill of typing is an important one for all of our students to be able to learn and perform effectively. While I do not expect any fourth grader to be a typing professional, I would like to get them as comfortable as possible using a keyboard. Not only do we type essays in class, but students will be expected to type their essays for the AzMERIT Writing test in the Spring. For this reason, it is imperative that students feel comfortable enough to perform this skill.

I highly encourage you to allow your student to practice typing on a computer keyboard as often as possible at home. Many students are wizzes when it comes to navigating a tablet, phone, or other touch screen device, but many of them do not have proper exposure to regular computers. It would be beneficial if you and your student found something on a computer that they enjoy, that would also help them practice typing on a regular computer keyboard. I will be periodically updating the blog with any examples I find, and if you have any ideas, feel free to email us and share them! Thanks!

Xtra Math:
Any student who passes multiplication, addition, subtraction, and division on XtraMath will earn a special secret prize from Mr. Gillingham! Please encourage your students to work on this at home whenever you have spare time. Each practice session of XtraMath only takes about 5 minutes to complete.

Headphones:
All students need to bring in a pair of headphones to keep at school. Students are expected to use headphones whenever they do activities on the computer, such as Khan Academy and TypingQuest. They will also need to have them each time they take a standardized test. I have room in the classroom for students to keep headphones at school. Thanks!



--Mrs. Conforti
TMartin@ArchwayArete.org

--Mrs. LaVell
RLavell@ArchwayArete.org

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Quarter 2 Week 8: December 2-6

Families of 4C,

I hope you all have a relaxing and enjoyable holiday with loved ones! It is hard to believe how quickly the second quarter is coming to a close.

Eval Writing Day:
As the semester draws to a close, Archway Arete teachers are hard at work drafting narrative evaluations for each of their students. This labor of love requires many hours of intentional reflection and to facilitate this process, our teachers are given one work day to focus on writing these evals. On Friday, December 6, Mrs. Conforti will be away from the classroom writing narrative evaluations. If you are interested in supporting our classroom during this absence, please email Mrs. Conforti and Mrs. LaVell (tmartin@archwayare.org and rlavell@archwayarete.org). Thank you in advance!

Lessons This Week:

Spalding: This week, students will study their next 30 words. For nightly Spalding homework, students should have the words dictated to them by someone at home and should write them one time each in syllables. Any words that are misspelled should be written again for additional practice. We will take our 30-word Spalding test on Friday.

Writing/Grammar: This week, students will continue their study of Grammar. They will be learning about the predicate nominative, predicate adjective, demonstrative pronouns, and state-of-being verbs this week. Next week, they will review the parts of speech we have learned about this year in preparation for their cumulative review nest next Friday (12/13).

Math: Students will continue learning about fractions of a set this week. In order to allow for more practice, I have pushed the date of the Fractions of a Set test to Friday (12/6).

History: This week, students will continue their study of Arizona’s history be learning about the Mexican War, the days of Arizona being a Territory of the US, and learning how Arizona finally became a state. They will also be learning about the state symbols and the state crest.

Science: Students will continue their study of meteorology this week by learning about the difference between weather and climate, as well as the people who study weather and climate. On Wednesday, they will review for their unit meteorology test that will be given on Thursday.

Literature: We will begin reading The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Please send your copy to school with your student. For nightly homework, students will read a book of their choosing for 20 minutes every night, unless otherwise specified. Students will keep their quarterly reading log in their yellow take-home folder. All reading logs are due at the end of the quarter.

Greek and Latin Roots: Students will learn roots #45-47 on Tuesday. On Wednesday, students will take the review quiz over roots #42-44.

Poetry: Students will learn their new poem for memorization, “The Flag Goes By” by Henry Holcomb Bennett. Recitations for this poem will be on Monday, December 16.


Important Dates: *assessment dates are subject to be pushed back if necessary


  • Wednesday:
    • Week 8 Math Quiz: Review
    • Roots Quiz: #42-44
  • Thursday:
    • Science Test: Meteorology
  • Friday: 
    • Spalding Test: 30 words


Class Information:

Typing:
The skill of typing is an important one for all of our students to be able to learn and perform effectively. While I do not expect any fourth grader to be a typing professional, I would like to get them as comfortable as possible using a keyboard. Not only do we type essays in class, but students will be expected to type their essays for the AzMERIT Writing test in the Spring. For this reason, it is imperative that students feel comfortable enough to perform this skill.

I highly encourage you to allow your student to practice typing on a computer keyboard as often as possible at home. Many students are wizzes when it comes to navigating a tablet, phone, or other touch screen device, but many of them do not have proper exposure to regular computers. It would be beneficial if you and your student found something on a computer that they enjoy, that would also help them practice typing on a regular computer keyboard. I will be periodically updating the blog with any examples I find, and if you have any ideas, feel free to email us and share them! Thanks!

Xtra Math:
Any student who passes multiplication, addition, subtraction, and division on XtraMath will earn a special secret prize from Mr. Gillingham! Please encourage your students to work on this at home whenever you have spare time. Each practice session of XtraMath only takes about 5 minutes to complete. If you need another login sheet, send us an email and we will send your student home with a new one.

Headphones:
All students need to bring in a pair of headphones to keep at school. Students are expected to use headphones whenever they do activities on the computer, such as Khan Academy and TypingQuest. They will also need to have them each time they take a standardized test. I have room in the classroom for students to keep headphones at school. Thanks!



--Mrs. Conforti
TMartin@ArchwayArete.org

--Mrs. LaVell
RLavell@ArchwayArete.org

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Quarter 2 Week 7: November 25-26

Families of 4C,

Spelling Bee:
We conducted our class spelling bee this week! All of the scholars worked very hard and should be proud of their participation in this event.

We are proud to announce that the winners of our 4C spelling bee are Eden W. and Brooklyn B. Eden will move on to compete in the school spelling bee with her 1st-5th grade peers. Brooklyn will attend as a runner up.

The school spelling bee is on Friday, January 10th at 5pm in the MPR. All are welcome to attend this event but only the 1st place winners from each section will perform in the school spelling bee.

Please reach out to Ms. Modisett (bmodisett@archwayarete.org), Arete's Spelling Bee Coordinator, with any questions or concerns.

Eval Writing Day:
As the semester draws to a close, Archway Arete teachers are hard at work drafting narrative evaluations for each of their students. This labor of love requires many hours of intentional reflection and to facilitate this process, our teachers are given one work day to focus on writing these evals. On Friday, December 6, Mrs. Conforti will be away from the classroom writing narrative evaluations. If you are interested in supporting our classroom during this absence and have an up-to-date fingerprint clearance card, please email Mrs. Conforti and Mrs. LaVell (tmartin@archwayare.org and rlavell@archwayarete.org). Thank you in advance!

Thanksgiving Break:
Please note that due to the holiday, there is only school on Monday and Tuesday. On Tuesday, we will be practicing our table manners with a short class celebration in the afternoon. Due to the holiday, this weekend will also be an R&R weekend. Enjoy the festivities!

Lessons This Week:

Spalding: There is no Spalding this week due to the short week.

Writing/Grammar: Students will continue writing their second expository essays on animal conservation. These essays will have very little teacher involvement to allow me to see where each student is in their writing skill level. Students will be using the same guidelines as the water conservation essay to write their first independent expository essay that is due on Tuesday. Although there will be substantial class time dedicated to this essay, students are encouraged to work on their outlines and rough drafts at home.

Math: Students will continue learning about fractions this week. On Tuesday they will be taking their test on Fractions of a Set and the week 7 review quiz will also be given on Tuesday.

History: This week, students will continue their study of Arizona history.

Science: Students will continue learning about meteorology by learning about different kinds of severe weather. This week they will learn about tornadoes and hurricanes.

Literature: We will continue reading Robin Hood and His Merry Outlaws. Please send your copy to school with your student. For nightly homework, students will read a book of their choosing for 20 minutes every night, unless otherwise specified. Students will keep their quarterly reading log in their yellow take-home folder. All reading logs are due at the end of the quarter.

Greek and Latin Roots: There will be no roots this week due to the shortened week.

Poetry: Students will continue their memorization of the poem “Sin of Omission” by Margaret E. Sangster. Recitations for this poem will be on Monday, November 25.

Important Dates: *assessment dates are subject to be pushed back if necessary


  • Monday:
    • “Sin of Omission” recitations
  • Tuesday:
    • Week 7 Math Quiz: Review
    • Math Test: Fractions of a Set
    • Expository Final Drafts due for everyone



Class Information:

Typing:
The skill of typing is an important one for all of our students to be able to learn and perform effectively. While I do not expect any fourth grader to be a typing professional, I would like to get them as comfortable as possible using a keyboard. Not only do we type essays in class, but students will be expected to type their essays for the AzMERIT Writing test in the Spring. For this reason, it is imperative that students feel comfortable enough to perform this skill.

I highly encourage you to allow your student to practice typing on a computer keyboard as often as possible at home. Many students are wizzes when it comes to navigating a tablet, phone, or other touch screen device, but many of them do not have proper exposure to regular computers. It would be beneficial if you and your student found something on a computer that they enjoy, that would also help them practice typing on a regular computer keyboard. I will be periodically updating the blog with any examples I find, and if you have any ideas, feel free to email us and share them! Thanks!

Xtra Math:
Any student who passes multiplication, addition, subtraction, and division on XtraMath will earn a special secret prize from Mr. Gillingham! Please encourage your students to work on this at home whenever you have spare time. Each practice session of XtraMath only takes about 5 minutes to complete. Students were sent home with another sheet with login information on Friday, so keep an eye out for that so that you can help your child get logged in and practice those math facts!



I hope you all have a relaxing and wonderful Thanksgiving with loved ones!

--Mrs. Conforti
TMartin@ArchwayArete.org

--Mrs. LaVell
RLavell@ArchwayArete.org

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Quarter 2 Week 6: November 18-22

Families of 4C,

It was such a pleasure to see all of the hard work our students did on their Europe Projects this past week! It has been such a treat to see them grow in their confidence and autonomy in completing a large project.

Our Winter Concert is this Wednesday, November 20. I’m looking forward to hearing all of our students and seeing the hard work they have been putting in this year!

Winter Concert Dress Code:
The PSO normally has a uniform exchange to help families with putting together concert attire, but they needed to move the date of the exchange for the Prep's awesome playoff game! Unfortunately, the exchange is now after the concert, Nov. 20th. If you would like to use the uniform exchange, please email Deanna Carpenter at uniformexchangepso@gmail.com

The dress attire for the concert will be as follows:
Boys: Black pants, white dress shirt, black dress shoes, and black socks.  Hair should be combed neatly.
Girls: Black skirt, white top, black tights, and black dress shoes. Hair should be pulled away from the face with no distracting adornment. Please follow the Archway Arete dress code for guidelines on jewelry.

Lessons This Week:

Spalding: This week, students will study their next 30 words. For nightly Spalding homework, students should have the words dictated to them by someone at home and should write them one time each in syllables. Any words that are misspelled should be written again for additional practice. We will take our 30-word Spalding test on Friday.

Writing/Grammar: Students will continue writing their first teacher-guided expository essay this week. This essay will be largely teacher-led and will be completed in class, and they will finish final drafts in class on Wednesday. Throughout the rest of this week and next week, students will be using the same guidelines to write their first independent expository essay, which will also be completed in class and will be due next Tuesday (11/26).

Math: Students will continue learning about fractions this week. On Tuesday, they will take their test on using division to find mixed numbers.

History: This week, students will begin their study of Arizona history.

Science: The extra credit AZ Biome Project will be due on Monday, November 18, and any students who decided to partake will present their biome project on Monday. Throughout the rest of the week, students will continue their study through Meteorology by learning more about clouds, air pressure, wind, fronts, and severe weather. There will be two review quizzes this week on Wednesday and Friday, which will cover the layers of the atmosphere and air pressure.

Literature: We will continue reading Robin Hood and His Merry Outlaws. Please send your copy to school with your student. For nightly homework, students will read a book of their choosing for 20 minutes every night, unless otherwise specified. Students will keep their quarterly reading log in their yellow take-home folder. All reading logs are due at the end of the quarter.

Greek and Latin Roots: Students will learn roots #39-41 on Tuesday. On Wednesday, students will take the review quiz over roots #36-38.

Poetry: Students will continue their memorization of the poem “Sin of Omission” by Margaret E. Sangster. Recitations for this poem will be on Monday, November 25. 

Important Dates: *assessment dates are subject to be pushed back if necessary


  • Monday:
    • Extra Credit Biome Presentations
  • Tuesday:
    • Math Test: Division and Mixed Numbers
  • Wednesday:
    • Week 6 Math Quiz: Review
    • Roots Quiz: #36-38
    • Science Quiz: Water Cycle
  • Thursday:
    • Spalding Test: 20 words
  • Friday: 
    • Science Quiz: Layers of the Atmosphere
  • Monday (11/25):
    • Poetry Recitations: “Sin of Omission” by Margaret E. Sangster



Class Information:

Headphones:
All students need to bring in a pair of headphones to keep at school. Students are expected to use headphones whenever they do activities on the computer, such as Khan Academy and TypingQuest. They will also need to have them each time they take a standardized test. I have room in the classroom for students to keep headphones at school. Thanks!

Xtra Math:
Any student who passes multiplication, addition, subtraction, and division on XtraMath will earn a special secret prize from Mr. Gillingham! Please encourage your students to work on this at home whenever you have spare time. Each practice session of XtraMath only takes about 5 minutes to complete.



I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

--Mrs. Conforti
TMartin@ArchwayArete.org

--Mrs. LaVell
RLavell@ArchwayArete.org

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Quarter 2 Week 5: November 12-15

Families of 4C,


All presentations for the history Europe Project are due on Tuesday, November 12. Please see the history project presentation schedule below to see your child’s timeslot.

Winter Concert Dress Code:
The PSO normally has a uniform exchange to help families with putting together concert attire, but they needed to move the date of the exchange for the Prep's awesome playoff game! Unfortunately, the exchange is now after the concert, Nov. 20th. If you would like to use the uniform exchange, please email Deanna Carpenter at uniformexchangepso@gmail.com

The dress attire for the concert will be as follows:
Boys: Black pants, white dress shirt, black dress shoes, and black socks.  Hair should be combed neatly.
Girls: Black skirt, white top, black tights, and black dress shoes. Hair should be pulled away from the face with no distracting adornment. Please follow the Archway Arete dress code for guidelines on jewelry.

Lessons This Week:

Spalding: There is no Spalding this week due to Europe Project Presentations.

Writing/Grammar: Students will continue writing their first expository essay this week. This essay will be largely teacher-led and will be completed in class.

Math: Students will continue learning about fractions this week. This week, they will continue to learn about improper fractions and will be taking their test on improper fractions on Wednesday.

History: Students will continue their study through the Middle Ages and will complete the review study guide for their test on Friday. All tests and quizzes for history are open-note. 
All presentations for the history Europe Project are due on Tuesday, November 12.
Please see the history project presentation schedule below to see your child’s timeslot.

Science: Students will begin their study of Meteorology by learning about the water cycle and clouds. The extra credit AZ Biome Project will be due on Monday, November 18.

Literature: We will continue reading Robin Hood and His Merry Outlaws. Please send your copy to school with your student. For nightly homework, students will read a book of their choosing for 20 minutes every night, unless otherwise specified. Students will keep their quarterly reading log in their yellow take-home folder. All reading logs are due at the end of the quarter.

Greek and Latin Roots: Students will learn roots #39-41 on Tuesday. On Wednesday, students will take the review quiz over roots #36-38.


Important Dates: *assessment dates are subject to be pushed back if necessary


  • Tuesday:
    • Europe Project Presentations
  • Wednesday:
    • Math Test: Improper Fractions
    • Roots Quiz: #36-38
  • Thursday:
    • Week 5 Math Quiz: Review
  • Friday: 
    • History Test: Middle Ages



Class Information:

History Project Presentations:
Below are the dates and times for the Europe project presentations.  If you will be attending your student’s presentation you must stay in our classroom for the entire 30 minute block of presenters and we will not be able to accommodate any arrivals or departures during each 30 minute block.  Thank you for partnering with us to reduce disruption.

All essays and presentation boards are due at the beginning of the day on 11/12 and will remain in the classroom.  If you are bringing food or a display it is acceptable to bring that on the 13th if that is your presentation day.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12th
9:35 – 10:05
Brooklyn Butterfield
Brady Conklin
Emily Ames

10:30 – 11:00
Sophia Thomas
Margaux Trahan
Nicholas Thomas

11:05 – 11:35
Rylee Johnson
Spencer Higgins
Stewart Higgins

11:40 – 12:10
Elisha Phan
Cami Roberts
Leighton Roberts-Gamble

1:40 – 2:10
Alexa Gerson
Cole Gustafson
Elle Hanchett

2:15 – 2:45
David Rodriguez
Kailey Straub
Zach Decker



WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13th
9:35 – 10:05
Ella Stevens
Sully Fuerst
Priyasha Ghimire

10:30 – 11:00
Grace Hernandez
Keira Murphy
Esteban Rivas-Jimenez

11:05 – 11:35
Adriana Erives
Dax Miller
Eden Weigle

11:40 – 12:10
Sarah Morawa
Bruin Elrey
Will Letizia


Headphones:
All students need to bring in a pair of headphones to keep at school. Students are expected to use headphones whenever they do activities on the computer, such as Khan Academy and TypingQuest. They will also need to have them each time they take a standardized test. I have room in the classroom for students to keep headphones at school. Thanks!


I hope you all had an enjoyable long weekend, and I look forward to seeing some of you this week for presentations!

--Mrs. Conforti
TMartin@ArchwayArete.org

--Mrs. LaVell
RLavell@ArchwayArete.org

Friday, November 1, 2019

Europe Project Presentation Times

History Project Presentations:
Below are the dates and times for the Europe project presentations.  If you will be attending your student’s presentation you must stay in our classroom for the entire 30 minute block of presenters and we will not be able to accommodate any arrivals or departures during each 30 minute block.  Thank you for partnering with us to reduce disruption.

All essays and presentation boards are due at the beginning of the day on 11/12 and will remain in the classroom.  If you are bringing food or a display it is acceptable to bring that on the 13th if that is your presentation day.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12th
9:35 – 10:05
Brooklyn Butterfield
Brady Conklin
Emily Ames

10:30 – 11:00
Sophia Thomas
Margaux Trahan
Nicholas Thomas

11:05 – 11:35
Rylee Johnson
Spencer Higgins
Stewart Higgins

11:40 – 12:10
Elisha Phan
Cami Roberts
Leighton Roberts-Gamble

1:40 – 2:10
Alexa Gerson
Cole Gustafson
Elle Hanchett

2:15 – 2:45
David Rodriguez
Kailey Straub
Zach Decker



WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13th
9:35 – 10:05
Ella Stevens
Sully Fuerst
Priyasha Ghimire

10:30 – 11:00
Grace Hernandez
Keira Murphy
Esteban Rivas-Jimenez

11:05 – 11:35
Adriana Erives
Dax Miller
Eden Weigle

11:40 – 12:10
Sarah Morawa
Bruin Elrey
Will Letizia

Quarter 2 Week 4: November 4-8

Families of 4C,

Please copy Mrs. LaVell on all email communications. Her email is RLavell@archwayarete.org.

Thank you all who submitted responses to the homework survey. We value your feedback and input!

All presentations for the history Europe Project are due on Tuesday, November 12. Please see the history project presentation schedule below to see your child’s timeslot.

Winter Concert Dress Code:
The PSO normally has a uniform exchange to help families with putting together concert attire, but they needed to move the date of the exchange for the Prep's awesome playoff game! Unfortunately, the exchange is now after the concert, Nov. 20th. If you would like to use the uniform exchange, please email Deanna Carpenter at uniformexchangepso@gmail.com

The dress attire for the concert will be as follows:
Boys: Black pants, white dress shirt, black dress shoes, and black socks.  Hair should be combed neatly.
Girls: Black skirt, white top, black tights, and black dress shoes. Hair should be pulled away from the face with no distracting adornment. Please follow the Archway Arete dress code for guidelines on jewelry.

Lessons This Week:

Spalding: This week, students will study their next 30 words. For nightly Spalding homework, students should have the words dictated to them by someone at home and should write them one time each in syllables. Any words that are misspelled should be written again for additional practice. We will take our 30-word Spalding test on Friday.

Writing/Grammar: Students will write their first expository essay this week. This essay will be largely teacher-led and will be completed in class.

Math: Students will continue learning about fractions this week. This week, they will learn about mixed numbers and improper fractions. On Wednesday, they will take their test on mixed numbers.

History: Students will continue their study through the Middle Ages by learning about the Hundred Years War and Joan of Arc. On Friday, they will take a review quiz. All tests and quizzes for history are open-note.
All presentations for the history Europe Project are due on Tuesday, November 12.
Please see the history project presentation schedule below to see your child’s timeslot.

Science: On Monday, students will review for the Life Sciences test on Tuesday. Throughout the rest of the week, students will begin their study of Meteorology by learning about the water cycle and clouds. The extra credit AZ Biome Project will be due on Monday, November 18.

Literature: We will continue reading Robin Hood and His Merry Outlaws. Please send your copy to school with your student. For nightly homework, students will read a book of their choosing for 20 minutes every night, unless otherwise specified. Students will keep their quarterly reading log in their yellow take-home folder. All reading logs are due at the end of the quarter.

Greek and Latin Roots: Students will learn roots #36-38 on Tuesday. On Wednesday, students will take the review quiz over roots #33-35.

Poetry: Students will continue their memorization of the poem “Clouds” by Christine Georgina Rosetti. Recitations for this poem have been pushed back to Monday, November 4.

Important Dates: *assessment dates are subject to be pushed back if necessary


  • Monday:
    • “Clouds” Recitations
  • Tuesday:
    • Science Test: Life Sciences
  • Wednesday:
    • Math Test: Mixed Numbers
    • Roots Quiz: #33-35
  • Thursday:
    • Week 4 Math Quiz: Review
  • Friday: 
    • History Quiz: the Hundred Years War
    • Spalding Test: 20 words



Class Information:

History Project Presentations:
Below are the dates and times for the Europe project presentations.  If you will be attending your student’s presentation you must stay in our classroom for the entire 30 minute block of presenters and we will not be able to accommodate any arrivals or departures during each 30 minute block.  Thank you for partnering with us to reduce disruption.

All essays and presentation boards are due at the beginning of the day on 11/12 and will remain in the classroom.  If you are bringing food or a display it is acceptable to bring that on the 13th if that is your presentation day.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12th
9:35 – 10:05
Brooklyn Butterfield
Brady Conklin
Emily Ames

10:30 – 11:00
Sophia Thomas
Margaux Trahan
Nicholas Thomas

11:05 – 11:35
Rylee Johnson
Spencer Higgins
Stewart Higgins

11:40 – 12:10
Elisha Phan
Cami Roberts
Leighton Roberts-Gamble

1:40 – 2:10
Alexa Gerson
Cole Gustafson
Elle Hanchett

2:15 – 2:45
David Rodriguez
Kailey Straub
Zach Decker



WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13th
9:35 – 10:05
Ella Stevens
Sully Fuerst
Priyasha Ghimire

10:30 – 11:00
Grace Hernandez
Keira Murphy
Esteban Rivas-Jimenez

11:05 – 11:35
Adriana Erives
Dax Miller
Eden Weigle

11:40 – 12:10
Sarah Morawa
Bruin Elrey
Will Letizia


Headphones:
All students need to bring in a pair of headphones to keep at school. Students are expected to use headphones whenever they do activities on the computer, such as Khan Academy and TypingQuest. They will also need to have them each time they take a standardized test. I have room in the classroom for students to keep headphones at school. Thanks!

Library Books:
If you believe you have returned a library book but still received a past-due notice, please forward the email to Mrs. LaVell and Mrs. Conforti and we will follow-up. Thanks!


I hope you all have a great weekend!

--Mrs. Conforti
TMartin@ArchwayArete.org

--Mrs. LaVell
RLavell@ArchwayArete.org

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Quarter 2 Week 3: October 28 - November 1

Families of 4C,

Please copy Mrs. LaVell on all email communications. Her email is RLavell@archwayarete.org.

Thank you all for attending conferences! It was great touching base with all of you!

Parents, thank you for partnering with us in your child's learning.  We believe that homework, while important, needs to be carefully balanced with a child's full family and extra-curricular life.  With that in mind, please reflect on your child's experience with homework in the first quarter by responding to a short survey.

All presentations and information packets for the history Europe Project are due on Tuesday, November 12. All presentations will be taking place on either Tuesday the 12 or Wednesday the 13, between 10:30 and 2:00. There will be a list sent out after conference week with your student’s presentation date and time specified.

Our Read-A-Thon celebration will be on Thursday, October 31. As a reminder, students may come to school dressed as a literary character, historical figure, or famous scientist of their choice, once it has been approved by your student’s teacher.

Lessons This Week:

Spalding: This week, students will study their next 20 words. For nightly Spalding homework, students should have the words dictated to them by someone at home and should write them one time each in syllables. Any words that are misspelled should be written again for additional practice. We will take our 20-word Spalding test on Friday.

Writing/Grammar: Students will be reviewing for their test on Direct and Indirect Objects, the “Not” Adverb, and Helping Verbs for the test that will take place on Friday.

Math: Students will continue learning about fractions this week. On Tuesday, Students will learn how to subtract fractions. They will take the test on adding and subtracting fractions on Friday.

History: Students will continue their study through the Middle Ages. On Tuesday, students will take a quiz. All tests and quizzes for history are open-note. 
All presentations for the history Europe Project are due on Tuesday, November 12. All presentations will be taking place on either Tuesday the 12 or Wednesday the 13, between 10:30 and 2:00. There will be a list sent out this week with your student’s presentation date and time specified.

Science: This week, students will continue their study on life sciences. The quiz from last week on Interactions Among Living things has been pushed back to this Tuesday. Students will be learning about biomes, environmental issues, renewable vs. nonrenewable resources, and the regions of Arizona. On Friday, students will review for their Life Sciences test on Monday, November 4. There will be an optional project on Arizona biomes explained this week for extra credit in science.

Literature: We will continue reading Robin Hood and His Merry Outlaws. Please send your copy to school with your student. For nightly homework, students will read a book of their choosing for 20 minutes every night, unless otherwise specified. Students will keep their quarterly reading log in their yellow take-home folder. All reading logs are due at the end of the quarter.

Greek and Latin Roots: Students will learn roots #33-35 on Tuesday. On Wednesday, students will take the review quiz over roots #30-32.

Poetry: Students will continue their memorization of the poem “Clouds” by Christine Georgina Rosetti. Recitations for this poem will be this Friday, November 1.

Important Dates: *assessment dates are subject to be pushed back if necessary


  • Tuesday:
    • History Quiz
    • Science Quiz: Adaptations and Interactions Among Living Things
  • Wednesday:
    • Week 3 Math Quiz: Review
    • Roots Quiz: #33-35
  • Friday: 
    • Math Test: Adding and Subtracting Fractions
    • Grammar Test: Direct and Indirect Objects, “Not” Adverb, Helping Verbs
    • Poetry Recitation: “Clouds” by Christine Georgina Rosetti
    • Spalding Test: 20 words
  • Monday (11/4)
    • Science Test: Life Sciences



Class Information:

Headphones:
All students need to bring in a pair of headphones to keep at school. Students are expected to use headphones whenever they do activities on the computer, such as Khan Academy and TypingQuest. They will also need to have them each time they take a standardized test. I have room in the classroom for students to keep headphones at school. Thanks!

Library Books:
If you believe you have returned a library book but still received a past-due notice, please forward the email to Mrs. LaVell and Mrs. Conforti and we will follow-up. Thanks!


I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend!

--Mrs. Conforti
TMartin@ArchwayArete.org

--Mrs. LaVell
RLavell@ArchwayArete.org

Friday, October 18, 2019

Quarter 2 Week 2: October 21-25

Families of 4C,

Please copy Mrs. LaVell on all email communications. Her email is RLavell@archwayarete.org.

Conferences will be held this week during Week 2 of Quarter 2, from October 21 through October 23. Each conference will last 25 minutes, allowing 5 minutes to transition between each conference. Please click the link to the Sign-Up genius below to review your time slot that you selected.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0B4FAAAF2FAAFC1-parentteacher

Due to parent-teacher conferences, every day this week will be a half day. Half Day dismissal time is 12:05. Please arrange to have your student picked up by that time.

Parents, thank you for partnering with us in your child's learning.  We believe that homework, while important, needs to be carefully balanced with a child's full family and extra-curricular life.  With that in mind, please reflect on your child's experience with homework in the first quarter by responding to a short survey.

All presentations for the history Europe Project are due on Tuesday, November 12. All presentations will be taking place on either Tuesday the 12 or Wednesday the 13, between 9:30 and 2:00. There will be a list sent out after conference week with your student’s presentation date and time specified.

Lessons This Week:

Spalding: There will be no Spalding this week due to the half day schedule.

Writing/Grammar: There will be no grammar or writing this week due to the half day schedule.

Math: Students will continue learning about fractions this week. On Thursday, they will take their test on equivalent fractions, and the weekly quiz will be given on Wednesday. Later in the week, students will learn how to add and subtract fractions.

History: Students will continue their study through the Middle Ages. This week they will complete the study guide on chapters 11-16, and will take a test on those chapters on Tuesday. The rest of the week, students will learn how the Magna Carta helped influence the US Constitution.  All tests and quizzes for history are open-note. 
Since students have now been assigned their country for the Europe Project, they should be working on this independently at home. The Europe Project details are outlined in the packet they were given, and should reflect the student’s own best work. All presentations for the history Europe Project are due on Tuesday, November 12. All presentations will be taking place on either Tuesday the 12 or Wednesday the 13, between 9:30 and 2:00. There will be a list sent out after conference week with your student’s presentation date and time specified.

Science: This week, students will continue their study on life sciences. They will be learning about population density, animal adaptations, interactions among living things, biomes, environmental issues, and the regions of Arizona. There will be a quiz on population and interactions among living things on Friday. There will be an optional project on Arizona biomes explained this week for extra credit in science.

Literature: We will begin the quarter reading Robin Hood and His Merry Outlaws. Please send your copy to school with your student. For nightly homework, students will read a book of their choosing for 20 minutes every night, unless otherwise specified. Students will keep their quarterly reading log in their yellow take-home folder. All reading logs are due at the end of the quarter.

Greek and Latin Roots: Students will learn roots #30-32. On Wednesday, students will take the review quiz over roots #26-29.

Poetry: Students will continue their memorization of the poem “Clouds” by Christine Georgina Rosetti. Recitations for this poem will be on Friday, November 1.

Important Dates: *assessment dates are subject to be pushed back if necessary


  • Tuesday:
    • History Test: Chapters 11-16
  • Wednesday:
    • Week 1 Math Quiz: Review
    • Roots Quiz: #26-29
  • Thursday:
    • Math Test: Equivalent Fractions
  • Friday: 
    • Science Quiz: Populations/Interactions of Living Things



Class Information:

Headphones:
All students need to bring in a pair of headphones to keep at school. Students are expected to use headphones whenever they do activities on the computer, such as Khan Academy and TypingQuest. They will also need to have them each time they take a standardized test. I have room in the classroom for students to keep headphones at school. Thanks!


I look forward to seeing you all at conferences this week!

--Mrs. Conforti
TMartin@ArchwayArete.org

--Mrs. LaVell
RLavell@ArchwayArete.org

Monday, October 14, 2019

Quarter 2 Week 1: October 14-18

Families of 4C,

I hope everyone had a wonderful Fall Break!

Please copy Mrs. LaVell on all email communications. Her email is RLavell@archwayarete.org.

Conference time is upon us! Conferences will be held next week during Week 2 of Quarter 2, from October 21 through October 23. Each conference will last 25 minutes, allowing 5 minutes to transition between each conference. Please click the link to the Sign-Up genius below to select your slot.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0B4FAAAF2FAAFC1-parentteacher 

Due to parent-teacher conferences, every day next week (week 2) will be a half day. Half Day dismissal time is 12:05. Please arrange to have your student picked up by that time.

Lessons This Week:

Spalding: Students will learn their next 30 words. For nightly Spalding homework, students should have the words dictated to them by someone at home and should write them one time each in syllables. Any words that are misspelled should be written again for additional practice. We will take our 30-word Spalding test on Friday.

Writing/Grammar: This week, students will be continuing their study in grammar. Students will be learning about direct and indirect objects, as well as helping verbs and the “not” adverb.

Math: On Monday, students will be reviewing 2-digit multiplication and practicing a unit review for their tests this week. They will take their test on multiplication and division on Tuesday. On Wednesday, they have their first weekly quiz of the quarter. On Tuesday, students will be taking their test on multiplication by a 2-digit number. On Wednesday, they will be taking their Unit Review Test. Toward the end of the week, students will be learning about fractions.

History: Students will continue their study through the Middle Ages. This week they will be learning about Henry II and Thomas Becket, and Eleanor of Aquitaine. They will be taking their next unit test on Tuesday. All tests and quizzes for history are open-note. 
Since students have now been assigned their country for the Europe Project, they should be working on this independently at home. The Europe Project details are outlined in the packet they were given, and should reflect the student’s own best work. When we return from fall break, students will have specific presentation dates assigned.

Science: This week, students will learn about seed dispersal and animals. They will be learning about biotic and abiotic factors of habitats, and population size and population density. They will also have a review quiz on plants on Tuesday of this week and a review quiz on animals on Thursday.

Literature: We will begin the quarter reading Robin Hood and His Merry Outlaws. Please send your copy to school with your student. For nightly homework, students will read a book of their choosing for 25 minutes every night, unless otherwise specified. Students will keep their quarterly reading log in their yellow take-home folder. All reading logs are due at the end of the quarter.

Greek and Latin Roots: Students have now learned their first 25 roots. This week, they will learn roots #26-28. There will be no review quiz this week.

Poetry: Students will learn their next poem for recitation this week, “Clouds” by Christine Georgina Rosetti. Recitations for this poem will be on Friday, November 1.

Important Dates: *assessment dates are subject to be pushed back if necessary


  • Tuesday:
    • Math Test: 2-Digit Multiplication
    • Science Quiz: Plants
  • Wednesday:
    • Week 1 Math Quiz: Review
    • Math Test: Unit 1 Review
  • Thursday
    • Science Quiz: Animals
  • Friday: 
    • Spalding Test: 30 words


Class Information:

Headphones:
All students need to bring in a pair of headphones to keep at school. Students are expected to use headphones whenever they do activities on the computer, such as Khan Academy and TypingQuest. They will also need to have them each time they take a standardized test. I have room in the classroom for students to keep headphones at school. Thanks!


I am eager to get back into the swing of things with some well-rested students!

--Mrs. Conforti
TMartin@ArchwayArete.org

--Mrs. LaVell
RLavell@ArchwayArete.org

Monday, October 7, 2019

Parent-Teacher Conference Sign-Up

Families of 4C,

Conference time is upon us! Conferences will be held during Week 2 of Quarter 2, from October 21 through October 23. Each conference will last 25 minutes, allowing 5 minutes to transition between each conference. Please click the link to the Sign-Up genius below to select your slot.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0B4FAAAF2FAAFC1-parentteacher

If there are any conflicts with the time slots and your schedule, please email Mrs. Conforti and Mrs. LaVell so we may work with you in setting up another time that fits.

We look forward to seeing you all! Enjoy Fall Break!



Warmly,

Mrs. Conforti and Mrs. LaVell

TMartin@ArchwayArete.org
RLavell@ArchwayArete.org

Monday, September 30, 2019

Quarter 1 Week 9: September 30 - October 4

Families of 4C,

There will be no tutoring this week: Thursday, October 3 or Friday, October 4. Please arrange for your student to be picked up at the normal dismissal time of 3:05.

There will be an end-quarter celebration on the last day of the quarter, Friday, October 4. The celebration will begin in the afternoon.

All late/absent work is due no later than Wednesday, October 2.

Please copy Mrs. LaVell on all email communications. Her email is RLavell@archwayarete.org.

All students need to bring in a pair of headphones to keep at school. Students are expected to use headphones whenever they do activities on the computer, such as Khan Academy and TypingQuest. They will also need to have them each time they take a standardized test. I have room in the classroom for students to keep headphones at school. Thanks!

Lessons This Week:

Spalding: This week, students will continue learning the Rules pages inside their notebooks, and will study their next 20 words. For nightly Spalding homework, students should have the words dictated to them by someone at home and should write them one time each in syllables. Any words that are misspelled should be written again for additional practice. We will take our 20-word Spalding test on Friday.

Writing/Grammar: This week, students will be writing their first independent essay, which will be a personal narrative. All of the essay is to be completed in class.

Math: This week, students will be reviewing the four operations of whole numbers and learning how to bar model word problems. They will take their test on multiplication and division on Tuesday. On Wednesday, they have their final weekly quiz of the quarter. On Friday, students will be taking their test on multiplication by a 2-digit number.

History: Students will continue their study through the Middle Ages. This week they will be learning about women’s roles in the Middle Ages. They will be taking their next unit test on Tuesday. All tests and quizzes for history are open-note. 
Since students have now been assigned their country for the Europe Project, they should be working on this independently at home. The Europe Project details are outlined in the packet they were given, and should reflect the student’s own best work. When we return from fall break, students will have specific presentation dates assigned.

Science: Students will continue their study of Life Sciences by learning about the parts of a flower and the reproductive cycle of flowers. I pushed back last week’s quiz to be this Tuesday. They will also have a quiz on plants on Thursday of this week.

Literature: This week we will be finishing The Princess and the Goblin. For nightly homework, students will read a book of their choosing for 25 minutes every night, unless otherwise specified. Students will keep their quarterly reading log in their yellow take-home folder. All reading logs are due at the end of the quarter on Wednesday, October 2.

Greek and Latin Roots: Students have now learned their first 25 roots. They will be taking the cumulative multiple choice test on roots #1-25 this Wednesday.

Poetry: Students will learn their next poem for recitation this week. Recitations for this poem will take place this Thursday, October 3.

Important Dates: *assessment dates are subject to be pushed back if necessary


  • Tuesday:
    • Math Test: Operations of Whole Numbers Multiplication and Division
    • Science Quiz: Plants
    • History: Unit Test chapters 1-10
  • Wednesday:
    • Roots test #1-25 
    • Week 9 Math Quiz: Review
  • Thursday:
    • Science Quiz: Plants
    • History Quiz: Life During the Middle Ages
  • Friday: 
    • Spalding Test: 20 words
    • Math Test: Multiplication by a 2-Digit Number


Class Information:

Khan Academy Logins:
If you would like your child to practice Khan Academy math at home with their school account, click the following link: khanacademy.org
Click “Login” in the top right corner of the homepage. Students use the username and password pasted on the last page of their math notebooks to login. From there, they should be able to continue with their progress.

I hope you all have a great week!

--Mrs. Conforti
TMartin@ArchwayArete.org

--Mrs. LaVell
RLavell@ArchwayArete.org

Monday, September 23, 2019

Quarter 1 Week 8: September 23-27

Families of 4C,

Our classroom is in need of some disinfectant wipes. If you are willing and able to contribute, you may send some into school with your child. Thanks!

There will be no tutoring on the final week of the quarter: Thursday, October 3 or Friday, October 4. Please arrange for your student to be picked up at the normal dismissal time of 3:05.

There will be an end-quarter celebration on the last day of the quarter, Friday, October 4.

All late/absent work is due no later than Wednesday, October 2.

Lessons This Week:

Spalding: This week, students will continue learning the Rules pages inside their notebooks, and will study their next 20 words. For nightly Spalding homework, students should have the words dictated to them by someone at home and should write them one time each in syllables. Any words that are misspelled should be written again for additional practice. We will take our 20-word Spalding test on Friday.

Writing/Grammar: On Monday, students will take their grammar test on pronouns and prepositions. This week, students will continue their study of Writing by learning about the three types of writing they will practice this year: Narrative Essays, Persuasive Essays, and Expository Essays.

Math: This week, students will be reviewing the four operations of whole numbers and learning how to bar model word problems. On Tuesday, they will take their test over addition and subtraction. Next week, they will be taking their test on multiplication and division.
Parents should review math homework with their students and have them re-work any incorrect problems. If your student is unable to figure out how to solve a problem, they should circle it and ask the teacher at school the next morning.

History: Students will continue their study through the Middle Ages. They will learn about serfs, knights, heraldry, and city life in the Middle Ages. They will be taking their next unit test next week. All tests and quizzes for history are open-note. 
Since students have now been assigned their country for the Europe Project, they should be working on this independently at home. The Europe Project details are outlined in the packet they were given, and should reflect the student’s own best work.

Science: Students will continue their study of Life Sciences by learning about the taxonomy of living organisms, the parts of a flower, and how plants make their own food (photosynthesis), and the difference between vascular and nonvascular plants. They will have a quiz on plants on Thursday of this week.

Literature: The first book of the year is The Princess and the Goblin. Please have your child bring his/her copy of the book if they have not already done so. This week, students will read chapters 26-29. For nightly homework, students will read a book of their choosing for 25 minutes every night, unless otherwise specified. Students will keep their quarterly reading log in their yellow take-home folder. All reading logs are due at the end of the quarter on Wednesday, October 2.

Greek and Latin Roots: On Wednesday, students will learn the next Greek and Latin roots in the set. They will have a review quiz on roots 20-22 on Wednesday as well.

Poetry: Students will learn their next poem for recitation this week. Recitations for this poem will take place on Thursday, October 3.

Important Dates: *assessment dates are subject to be pushed back if necessary


  • Monday:
    • Grammar Test
  • Tuesday:
    • Math Test: Operations of Whole Numbers Addition and Subtraction
  • Wednesday:
    • Roots quiz #20-22 
    • Week 8 Math Quiz: Review
  • Thursday:
    • Science Quiz: Plants
  • Friday: 
    • Spalding Test: 20 words


Class Information:

Khan Academy Logins:
If you would like your child to practice Khan Academy math at home with their school account, click the following link: khanacademy.org
Click “Login” in the top right corner of the homepage. Students use the username and password pasted on the last page of their math notebooks to login. From there, they should be able to continue with their progress.

I hope you all have a great week!

--Mrs. Conforti
TMartin@ArchwayArete.org

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Quarter 1 Week 7: September 17-20

Families of 4C,

There will be no school on Monday, September 16.

There will be no tutoring on Thursday, September 19 due to me having a doctor’s appointment in the afternoon. Please arrange for your student to be picked up at the normal dismissal time of 3:05. Friday tutoring will resume as normal. Thank you for your understanding!

Lessons This Week:

Spalding: This week, students will continue learning the Rules pages inside their notebooks, and will study their next 10 words. For nightly Spalding homework, students should have the words dictated to them by someone at home and should write them one time each in syllables. Any words that are misspelled should be written again for additional practice. We will take our 10-word Spalding test on Friday. There are fewer words this week due to the shortened week.

Writing/Grammar: This week, students will continue their study of Grammar by learning about Possessive Pronoun Adjectives, Possessive Noun Adjectives, and singular vs. plural possessive nouns. On Friday, students will be completing a cumulative review to prepare for their next Grammar test on Monday of next week (Week 8).

Math: This week, students will be reviewing everything they have learned so far this year, and will take a unit review test on Thursday. This test will cover place value, rounding and approximation, order of operations, and negative numbers. Parents should review math homework with their students and have them re-work any incorrect problems. If your student is unable to figure out how to solve a problem, they should circle it and ask the teacher at school the next morning.

History: Students will continue their study through the Middle Ages. They will learn about feudalism, castles, knights, and serfs. All tests and quizzes for history are open-note.  Since students have now been assigned their country for the Europe Project, they should be working on this independently at home. The Europe Project details are outlined in the packet they were given, and should reflect the student’s own best work.

Science: Students will begin their study of Life Sciences by learning about the six characteristics that all living things share.

Literature:  The first book of the year is The Princess and the Goblin. Please have your child bring his/her copy of the book if they have not already done so. This week, students will read chapters 23-26. For nightly homework, students will read a book of their choosing for 25 minutes every night, unless otherwise specified. Students will keep their quarterly reading log in their yellow take-home folder. All reading logs are due at the end of the quarter.

Greek and Latin Roots: On Wednesday, students will learn the next Greek and Latin roots in the set. They will have a review quiz on roots 17-19 on Wednesday as well.

Poetry: Students will learn their next poem for recitation this week, which is "Dreams" by LAngston Hughes.

Important Dates: *assessment dates are subject to be pushed back if necessary


  • Wednesday:
    • Roots quiz #17-19 
    • Week 7 Math Quiz: Review
  • Thursday:
    • Math Test: Cumulative Review Unit 1
  • Friday: 
    • Spalding Test: 10 words


Class Information:

Khan Academy Logins:
If you would like your child to practice Khan Academy math at home with their school account, click the following link: khanacademy.org
Click “Login” in the top right corner of the homepage. Students use the username and password pasted on the last page of their math notebooks to login. From there, they should be able to continue with their progress.

I hope you all have an enjoyable long weekend!

--Mrs. Conforti
TMartin@ArchwayArete.org

Monday, September 9, 2019

Quarter 1 Week 6: September 9-13

Families of 4C,

There will be no tutoring on Thursday, September 12 or Thursday, September 19 due to me having doctor’s appointments in the afternoons. Please arrange for your student to be picked up at the normal dismissal time of 3:05. Friday tutoring will resume as normal the next two weeks. Thank you for your understanding!

On Wednesday, September 11th from 6:00-7:00 pm, K-5 parents are invited to a Curriculum Q&A Workshop in their children's classrooms. This will be an informal opportunity for teachers to answer your real-time questions regarding homework, curriculum, classroom routines, and more. Come and go as you are able, there is no formal agenda for this event. (Please note, teachers will be speaking to classroom specifics. To view our school-wide policies, please visit our Family Handbook.) To allow for efficient flow of conversation, we kindly recognize this as a parent-only event.

Lessons This Week:

Spalding: This week, students will continue learning the Rules pages inside their notebooks, and will study their next 20 words. For nightly Spalding homework, students should have the words dictated to them by someone at home and should write them one time each in syllables. Any words that are misspelled should be written again for additional practice. We will take our 20-word Spalding test on Friday.

Writing/Grammar: This week, students will continue their study of Grammar by learning about pronouns, prepositions, and the understood subject pronoun.

Math: This week, students will learn about negative numbers and will take the test on negative numbers on Friday. Parents should review math homework with their students and have them re-work any incorrect problems. If your student is unable to figure out how to solve a problem, they should circle it and ask the teacher at school the next morning.

History: Students will continue their study through the Middle Ages, and will take their unit test on the Byzantine Empire on Tuesday. On Wednesday, students will take a test placing the European countries where they belong on a map. All tests and quizzes for history are open-note.  Throughout the rest of the week, students will learn about Feudalism in the Middle Ages.

Science: Students will continue learning about electricity by learning about electromagnets. There will be a quiz on Tuesday this week to review the information they have learned. Students will take the Unit 2 Test on Electricity on Thursday. On Friday, students will begin their study of Life Sciences.

Literature: The first book of the year is The Princess and the Goblin. Please have your child bring his/her copy of the book if they have not already done so. This week, students will read chapters 20-23. For nightly homework, students will read a book of their choosing for 25 minutes every night, unless otherwise specified. Students will keep their quarterly reading log in their yellow take-home folder. All reading logs are due at the end of the quarter.

Greek and Latin Roots: On Wednesday, students will learn the next Greek and Latin roots in the set. They will have a review quiz on roots 14-16 on Wednesday as well.

Poetry: Recitations for the poem, “Afternoon on a Hill” by Edna St. Vincent Millay will be this Friday, September 13.

Important Dates: *assessment dates are subject to be pushed back if necessary


  • Tuesday:
    • History Test: Byzantine Empire (open-note)
    • Science Quiz: Electricity
  • Wednesday:
    • Roots quiz #14-16 
    • History Test: Europe Map
    • Week 6 Math Quiz: Review
  • Thursday:
    • Science Test: Electricity Unit 2
  • Friday: 
    • Spalding Test: 20 words
    • Math Test: Negative Numbers
    • Poetry Recitation: “Afternoon on a Hill” by Edna St. Vincent Millay


Class Information:

Khan Academy Logins:
If you would like your child to practice Khan Academy math at home with their school account, click the following link: khanacademy.org
Click “Login” in the top right corner of the homepage. Students use the username and password pasted on the last page of their math notebooks to login. From there, they should be able to continue with their progress.

I hope you all had a good weekend!

--Mrs. Conforti
TMartin@ArchwayArete.org

Monday, September 2, 2019

Quarter 1 Week 5: September 3-6

Families of 4C,

There will be no school Monday, September 2, in observance of Labor Day.

Hearing and Vision Screenings for new students will be on Friday, September 6.

On Wednesday, September 11th from 6:00-7:00 pm, K-5 parents are invited to a Curriculum Q&A Workshop in their children's classrooms. This will be an informal opportunity for teachers to answer your real-time questions regarding homework, curriculum, classroom routines, and more. Come and go as you are able, there is no formal agenda for this event. (Please note, teachers will be speaking to classroom specifics. To view our school-wide policies, please visit our Family Handbook.) To allow for efficient flow of conversation, we kindly recognize this as a parent-only event.

Lessons This Week:

Spalding: This week, students will continue learning the Rules pages inside their notebooks, and will study their next 10 words. For nightly Spalding homework, students should have the words dictated to them by someone at home and should write them one time each in syllables. Any words that are misspelled should be written again for additional practice. We will take our 10-word Spalding test on Friday. Please note that there are fewer words this week due to the shortened week.

Writing/Grammar: This week, students will continue learning about the Six Traits of Writing, focusing on Voice, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency, and Conventions.

Math: This week, students will learn about order of operations and will take the test on the order of operations on Friday. Parents should review math homework with their students and have them re-work any incorrect problems. If your student is unable to figure out how to solve a problem, they should circle it and ask the teacher at school the next morning.

History: Students will continue their study through the Middle Ages.

Science: Students will continue learning about electricity by learning about the difference between a series circuit and a parallel circuit. There will be two quizzes this week to review the information they have learned. Later in the week, students will learn about electromagnets.

Literature: The first book of the year is The Princess and the Goblin. Please have your child bring his/her copy of the book if they have not already done so. This week, students will read chapters 16-20. For nightly homework, students will read a book of their choosing for 25 minutes every night, unless otherwise specified. Students will keep their quarterly reading log in their yellow take-home folder. All reading logs are due at the end of the quarter.

Greek and Latin Roots: On Wednesday, students will learn the next Greek and Latin roots in the set. They will have a review quiz on roots 1-13 on Wednesday as well.

Poetry: This week, students will read the poem “the drum” by Nikki Giovanni. They will also continue to memorize their next poem for recitation, “Afternoon on a Hill” by Edna St. Vincent Millay. Recitations for this poem will be on Friday, September 13.

Important Dates: *assessment dates are subject to be pushed back if necessary


  • Wednesday:
    • Roots quiz #1-13 (multiple choice)
    • Science Quiz: Electricity and Circuits
    • Week 5 Math Quiz: Review
  • Friday: 
    • Spalding Test: 10 words
    • Math Test: Order of Operations
    • Science Quiz: Circuits


Class Information:

Birthday Celebrations:
Celebrating birthdays is a good way to show the kids in our school that they are special and loved.  There are many different ways to mark the occasion, but we want to be careful about the kids eating too many sugary, processed snacks.  If each child brought in cake or donuts for their birthday, that would mean 30 unhealthy lunchtime deserts every year.  Some parents would rather their child not eat this type of food and the effects of these sugary snacks can disrupt the learning environment.  In fact, we strongly suggest a non-food item if parents wish to mark the occasion.  Pencils, books, or other souvenirs can be just as special, don't require clean-up, and won't affect whatever diet parents wish for their children.  Some teachers may allow a healthy snack for their classes as an exception, but please reach out to the lead teacher for details. If your child’s birthday falls on a weekend, I’d like to celebrate it on a weekday that is close to their actual birthday.

Khan Academy Logins:
If you would like your child to practice Khan Academy math at home with their school account, click the following link: khanacademy.org
Click “Login” in the top right corner of the homepage. Students use the username and password pasted on the last page of their math notebooks to login. From there, they should be able to continue with their progress.

I hope you all had a restful long weekend!

--Mrs. Conforti
TMartin@ArchwayArete.org

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Quarter 1 Week 4: August 26-30

Families of 4C,

Class Moms:
I’d like to thank our class moms, Jamie Conklin, Michele Lewis, and Misty Weigle, for their willingness to volunteer their time to 4C! If you expressed interest in wanting to volunteer this school year, your name is on a list and you will be reached out to when class celebrations and class events get closer. Thanks!

Curriculum Night:
You are cordially invited to attend our 3rd-5th grade Curriculum Night, taking place on Wednesday, August 28th. The event starts at 6:00 pm in the Arete gymnasium, with opening remarks from Mr. Gillingham, Mrs. Vaughan, and our Specialists. From 6:30 to 7:30 pm, parents will hear from their child's teachers in their classroom about classroom procedures and expectations, with a demonstration lesson. Due to limited seating, this is a parent-only event. Overflow parking will be available at The Wedgewood Center located just east of the school. Please note that there will be a separate night for Q&A on September 11 where attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions in more detail.

Galileo Testing:
During the week of August 26th, our 2nd-5th grade students will participate in the first round of Galileo benchmark testing in English and math. While we never focus solely on numerical data points to measure students' academic growth, the results from these benchmark assessments will be used to inform teachers of areas for support and enrichment for their students. Fourth Grade will test on Thursday, August 29.

Lessons This Week:

Spalding: This week, students will continue learning the Rules pages inside their notebooks, and will study their next 10 words. For nightly Spalding homework, students should have the words dictated to them by someone at home and should write them one time each in syllables. Any words that are misspelled should be written again for additional practice. We will take our 10-word Spalding test on Friday. Please note that there are fewer words this week due to Galileo Testing on Thursday.

Writing/Grammar: On Monday, students will be taking their classifying and diagramming simple sentences test with adverbs and adjectives. This week, students will begin learning about the Six Traits of Writing, focusing on Ideas and Organization. Next week, students will learn about Voice, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency, and Conventions.

Math: This week, students will learn about multiples and will take the test on multiples on Friday. Parents should review math homework with their students and have them re-work any incorrect problems. If your student is unable to figure out how to solve a problem, they should circle it and ask the teacher at school the next morning.

History: On Monday, students will review the study guide on Unit 2: The Middle Ages. They will take the Test for Unit 2 on Tuesday of this week. All history tests and quizzes are open-note. Later in the week, students will learn about Constantinople and Justinian Law.

Science: Students will begin their new science unit on electricity. At the beginning of this week, we will focus on static electricity, and will learn about circuits, conductors, and insulators later in the week. There will be a quiz on static electricity on Wednesday of this week.

Literature: The first book of the year is The Princess and the Goblin. Please have your child bring his/her copy of the book if they have not already done so. This week, students will read chapters 11-13. For nightly homework, students will read a book of their choosing for 25 minutes every night, unless otherwise specified. Students will keep their quarterly reading log in their yellow take-home folder. All reading logs are due at the end of the quarter.

Greek and Latin Roots: On Wednesday, students will learn the next Greek and Latin roots in the set. They will have a review quiz on  roots 7-9 on Wednesday as well.

Poetry: This week, students will read the poem “Clarence” by Shel Silverstein. They will also learn their next poem for recitation, “Afternoon on a Hill” by Edna St. Vincent Millay.

Important Dates: *assessment dates are subject to be pushed back if necessary

  • Monday: 
    • Grammar Test: Classifying and Diagramming Adverbs and Adjectives
  • Tuesday:
    • History Test: Unit 2 The Middle Ages (open-note)
  • Wednesday:
    • Roots quiz #7-9
    • Science Quiz: Static Electricity
  • Thursday:
    • Galileo Benchmark Testing
  • Friday: 
    • Spalding Test: 10 words
    • Math Test: Multiples


Class Information:

Birthday Celebrations:
Celebrating birthdays is a good way to show the kids in our school that they are special and loved.  There are many different ways to mark the occasion, but we want to be careful about the kids eating too many sugary, processed snacks.  If each child brought in cake or donuts for their birthday, that would mean 30 unhealthy lunchtime deserts every year.  Some parents would rather their child not eat this type of food and the effects of these sugary snacks can disrupt the learning environment.  In fact, we strongly suggest a non-food item if parents wish to mark the occasion.  Pencils, books, or other souvenirs can be just as special, don't require clean-up, and won't affect whatever diet parents wish for their children.  Some teachers may allow a healthy snack for their classes as an exception, but please reach out to the lead teacher for details. If your child’s birthday falls on a weekend, I’d like to celebrate it on a weekday that is close to their actual birthday.

Khan Academy Logins:
Keep an eye out for an email with your child’s Khan Academy login for our class coming soon! Students are permitted to work on Khan Academy at any time at home for additional math practice.

I hope you all had a good weekend!

--Mrs. Conforti
TMartin@ArchwayArete.org

Monday, August 19, 2019

Quarter 1 Week 3: August 19-23

Families of 4C,

Math Tutoring will begin this week on an invitation-only basis. If your child is recommended for math tutoring, you will be receiving an invitation via email this week. Math Tutoring will be every Thursday and Friday from 3:05-3:45, unless otherwise stated.

We had many kind and helpful parents volunteer to dedicate their time to our classroom this year! Thank you! I will be announcing our official class moms in next week’s blog. If you expressed an interest in volunteering, you will have opportunities throughout the school year to volunteer for class celebrations and activities.

Lessons This Week:

Spalding: Last week, students reviewed cursive handwriting. This week, students will begin learning the Rules pages inside their notebooks, and will study their next 20 words. For nightly Spalding homework, students should have the words dictated to them by someone at home and should write them one time each in syllables. Any words that are misspelled should be written again for additional practice. We will take our 20-word Spalding test on Friday.

Writing/Grammar: On Monday, students will be taking their classifying and diagramming simple sentences test. This week, students will learn about adjectives, adverbs, and article adjectives, and will learn how to classify and diagram sentences with the aforementioned parts of speech.

Math: This week, students will learn about factors and will take the test on factors on Friday. Parents should review math homework with their students and have them re-work any incorrect problems. If your student is unable to figure out how to solve a problem, they should circle it and ask the teacher at school the next morning.

History: This week, students will begin their study of the Middle Ages. Students will also be learning the European countries by studying the map in their notebooks. Students will have a quiz this week on the Middle Ages.

Science: Students will learn about mixtures and solutions and the difference between the two. There will be a quiz this week on solutions and mixtures to review the information covered in class. Students will take their Chemistry Unit Test on Thursday. Students may use their nightly reading time to read and review notes in science. On Friday, we will begin our study of electricity.

Literature: The first book of the year is The Princess and the Goblin. Please have your child bring his/her copy of the book if they have not already done so. This week, students will read chapters 9-10. For nightly homework, students will read a book of their choosing for 25 minutes every night, unless otherwise specified. Students will keep their quarterly reading log in their yellow take-home folder. All reading logs are due at the end of the quarter.

Greek and Latin Roots: On Wednesday, students will learn the next Greek and Latin roots in the set. They will have a review quiz on roots 4-6 on Wednesday as well.

Poetry: Students will memorize the poem "Humanity" by Elma Stuckey. Students should practice this poem nightly until memorized and then every other night to maintain the memorization. All students are expected to recite the poem this Friday, August 23.

Important Dates: *assessment dates are subject to be pushed back if necessary

  • Monday: 
    • Grammar Test: Classifying and Diagramming Simple Sentences
  • Tuesday:
    • Science Quiz: Mixtures and Solutions
  • Wednesday:
    • Roots quiz #4-6
  • Thursday:
    • History Quiz: Middle Ages
    • Science Test: Chemistry Unit
  • Friday: 
    • Spalding Test
    • Math Test: Factors
    • Poetry Recitations: “Humanity” by Elma Stuckey


Class Information:

Heat Advisories:
We have had multiple heat advisories this past week. All students should be bringing a water bottle to school daily and filling it up on their recess, snack, and lunch times, or before and after school.

Khan Academy Logins:
Keep an eye out for an email with your child’s Khan Academy login for our class coming soon! Students are permitted to work on Khan Academy at any time at home for additional math practice.

I hope you all had a relaxing weekend, and I look forward to a strong week!

--Mrs. Conforti
TMartin@ArchwayArete.org

Saturday, August 10, 2019

Quarter 1 Week 2: August 12-16

Families of 4C,

The first week of fourth grade is successfully in the books!

Our class spent the week getting introduced and familiarized with new routines and procedures, which we will continue to practice during the first several weeks of school. Since more time is typically spent in the first weeks on procedures, we may fall behind slightly in our academic curriculum. For this reason, test and quiz dates may be pushed back, but will never be pushed forward. The information your child brings home and what they write in their planner will be the most up-to-date information on the goings on in our classroom.

The history quiz and Spalding quiz will both be pushed to this week, week 2. The math test will still be on Monday.

In the coming weeks, I will be selecting a class parent or parents for the school year. If you are interested in being our 4C class parent, please reach out to me via email at TMartin@archwayarete.org. My goal this year is to have two class parents, if possible. Thanks!

Lessons This Week:

Spalding: Last week, students reviewed manuscript handwriting. This week, we will review cursive handwriting and will have our first few Spalding words. For nightly Spalding homework, students should have the words dictated to them by someone at home. Any words that are misspelled should be written again for additional practice. We will take our first Spalding test for credit on Friday.

Writing/Grammar: This week, students will continue to learn about nouns (singular vs. plural; common vs. proper). They will also learn about action verbs and linking verbs, and will begin learning how to classify and diagram simple sentences. There will be a test this week reviewing plural nouns and parts of a sentence, and next week students will take their first test on classifying and diagramming simple sentences.

Math: Students will take the test on place value on Monday of this week. Throughout the week, they will learn about rounding whole numbers and will take the test on rounding on Friday.

History: Students will continue reviewing how to find places on a map, and will take the quiz on Monday and the Test on Tuesday. All assessments for History are open-note. Later in the week, students will learn about Ancient Rome.

  • The symbol on a map with four arrows pointing in different directions is called a ________________.
  • A map key, or _______________, is a table or chart with symbols that represent places or routes on a map.The earth is divided into four half spheres, called ________________.
  • The ____________ is a line of _______________ dividing the earth into the northern and southern hemispheres.
  • A map _________ can help you find the distance between two places on a map and looks like a ruler.  
  • The ______________ is a line of _____________ dividing the earth into the eastern and western hemispheres.


Science: The study of science begins with a study of chemistry. This week, students will review that everything is formed by atoms, and will understand the terms matter, mass, density, volume, and vacuum. Students will learn about elements, mixtures, and solutions. There will be two quizzes this week to review the information covered in class. Students may use their nightly reading time to read and review notes in science.

Literature: The first book of the year is The Princess and the Goblin. Please have your child bring his/her copy of the book if they have not already done so. This week, students will read chapters 3-7. For nightly homework, students will read a book of their choosing for 25 minutes every night, unless otherwise specified. Students will keep their quarterly reading log in their yellow take-home folder.

Greek and Latin Roots: On Wednesday, students will learn the next Greek and Latin roots in the set. They will have a review quiz on  roots 1-3 on Wednesday as well.

Poetry: Students will memorize the poem "Humanity" by Elma Stuckey. They will have two weeks to memorize this poem and will be expected to recite it in class during week 3, on August 23. Students should practice this poem nightly until memorized and then every other night to maintain the memorization. All students are expected to recite the poem Friday, August 23.

Important Dates: *assessment dates are subject to be pushed back if necessary

  • Monday: 
    • History Quiz (open-note)
    • Math place value test 1.1B
  • Tuesday:
    • History test (open-note)
  • Wednesday:
    • Roots quiz #1-3
    • Science quiz: volume, mass, density, atoms
    • Grammar: Sentence and Nouns Test
  • Friday: 
    • Spalding Test
    • Math rounding test 1.2B
    • Science quiz: elements and mixtures
  • Monday (week 3): Grammar Test on Classifying and Diagramming 


Class Information:
Nut-Free: 4C has a student who is allergic to nuts, and therefore we are a nut-free classroom. Students must consume any food with nuts in them in the cafeteria (MPR). Students will not be permitted to eat a snack with nuts in the hallway during snack time, although I do not anticipate this being an issue as our class has snack outside.

Snack Regulations: The goal of snack time is to provide the students with an opportunity to eat a healthy snack that will help hold them over until lunchtime and help them stay focused in the late morning. Therefore, I limit snack options. Students may not eat candy or cookies during snack time, and must save any foods such as those for their lunch. One exception to the cookie rule is "healthy cookies" such as a protein cookie. Students may only drink water in the classroom. Good snack options include, but are not limited to, fresh fruit and vegetables, popcorn, crackers, Gold Fish, sliced meats, hard-boiled eggs, beef jerky, and cheeses. If you have any questions or comments regarding snack, please don't hesitate to reach out to me.

Back-to-School Traffic: Be advised that as our Arete families are still settling into their routines, traffic pickup will be a very busy time and might take a little longer than it will later in the year. Please plan ahead for these conditions when picking up your child from school in the first couple weeks.

Uniform Policy: You can visit the family handbook for more information and helpful tips regarding student uniforms. As a reminder, shoes must be all black this year (including soles, laces, and logos), shirts must be tucked in, and belts must be worn at all times (exception for skirts). I will give soft reminders to students and families in the first couple of weeks, but all students are expected to be uniform compliant every day.

I look forward to another great week of learning and hard work! I’m eager for all of our students and teachers to have a strong start and strong finish to every week!

--Mrs. Conforti
TMartin@ArchwayArete.org