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

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

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

Quarter 1 Week 1: August 5-9

Families of 4C,

We are incredibly excited to have our students in class this Monday! We hope everyone has a restful weekend and comes ready to learn!

The first week of school we will be establishing and practicing our daily routines and procedures, and familiarizing ourselves with our classroom and our school! Students will be taking a tour of the entire Archway Arete campus with Mrs. LaVell and myself on Monday morning, and we will spend the rest of the day enriching our minds and hearts in learning.

In these weekly blog posts, I will outline the week subject-by-subject, and will also include any pertinent announcements or reminders each week. While I try to include as much detail for the week as possible in my posts, Mr. Naaktgeboren’s class blog is often more in-depth, as it is the product of over 5 years in the making. If you’d like more detail or information, feel free to subscribe to his classroom blog as well: http://naakarete.blogspot.com/ 

Lessons This Week:

Spalding: On day one, students will take a 50-word spelling test that will help me see what your child's spelling grade level is. This is an important piece of data for me, but it does not factor in your child's grade. Students will then start learning the rules of the English language. They will be taught 10 words this week and there is a Spalding Test on Friday.

Writing/Grammar: This week, students will review the parts of a sentence, review the main parts of speech, and learn about nouns (singular vs. plural; common vs. proper).

Math: The study of mathematics starts with a review and study of place value. This year, students must memorize all whole numbers from the ones place to the hundred millions place. They will have a test on Monday of week 2.

History: The year beings with a study of geography in history. Students will learn how to measure the distance between two places on a map, the role of latitude and longitude lines, how to find a place on a map using coordinates, and time zones. There is a quiz on Friday. All history tests and quizzes will be open-note throughout the year.

• 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 learn about atoms. This will include what an atom is, how atomic theory was developed, and the parts of atoms. Once they understand that everything is formed by atoms, they will discover the terms matter, mass, density, volume, and vacuum.

Literature: Literature: The first book of the year is The Princess and the Goblin. Please have your child bring his/her copy of the book on Tuesday. This week, students will read chapters 1-4.

Greek and Latin Roots: On Wednesday, students will learn the first four Greek and Latin roots. They will have a review check-up on these next Wednesday.

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. Students should practice this poem nightly until memorized and then every other night to maintain the memorization.

Important Dates:

• Friday: History Quiz
• Friday: Spalding Test
• Monday (Week 2): Place Value Test

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 chips, 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.

I look forward to beginning our fourth grade journey in the pursuit of all that is True, Beautiful, and Good!

--Mrs. Conforti