Quarter 3 Week 9 March 2 - 6

Hello 4C Families!

This is our last week of the quarter and we have all worked very hard,  I hope you will all have a relaxing Spring Break! We have a busy week and I am looking forward to our class celebration on Friday. We will be watching Prince Caspian in class and enjoying some Prince Caspian themed food.  Thank you to all who are working to make that celebration possible!

Lessons This Week:

Spalding: This week, students will study their next 31 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 31-word Spalding test on Friday. 

Writing/Grammar: We will do small writing assignments this week and paragraph editing.

Math: This week, students will continue their study of decimals and we will be learning how to
multiply and divide decimals..

History: The Americans have won the revolutionary war and we will be taking our end of unit test
on Tuesday.

Science: We will be doing AIMS review for the remainder of the quarter.

Literature: We will continue reading Carry On, Mr. Bowditch this week. Please send your copy of
this book to school with your student in advance. 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 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4th.

Greek and Latin Roots: On Wednesday, students will be tested on roots 1-75. It is a multiple choice
test. I have offered a practice multiple choice test to help with studying and I have seen many of
them working on it..

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

• Monday:
• Poetry Recitations
• Tuesday:
• all make-up work due
• History unit 4 test, chapters 1-20

• Wednesday:
• Math Quiz: Week 9 Review
• Roots Quiz: #1-75
• Reading logs due
• Thursday:
• Math Test: B 7.2 Multiplying Fractions
• Friday:
• Spalding Test: 31 words

Class Information:

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.

--Mrs. LaVell

RLavell@ArchwayArete.org

--Mrs. Chilson

VChilson@ArchwayArete.org

Quarter 3 Week 8 February 24 - 28

Hello 4C Families!

We had a great week and I am so thankful to Mrs. Chilson for her support and for making 4C her new home.  I am also happy to announce that Nathaniel Conforti has arrived!  Both baby and momma are doing well.  Your students were able to see a picture of Mrs. Conforti's adorable baby and we spent some time making a book of advice for her. 

Lessons This Week:

This week on Wednesday  and Thursday  morning we will have Galileo testing. Wednesday will be math and Thursday will be ELA. The only preparation is that your students are well rested and have had a good breakfast.

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 29-word Spalding test on Friday.

Writing/Grammar: Students will continue their writing practice this week. They have done a great job with our writing practice days and I can see that they are improving on their writing stamina. You should be very proud of the work they are doing and the focus that they have for these long assignments.

Math: This week, students will take a cumulative review test on units 1-6 and continue their study of decimals. They will learn about adding and subtracting decimals.

History: Students will continue learning about the American Revolution.

Science: Students will continue their study of geology this week. We will take our Unit 7 test and we will spend the remainder of the quarter doing review for AIMS.

Literature: We will continue reading Carry On, Mr. Bowditch this week. Please send your copy of this book to school with your student in advance. 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: On Wednesday, students will be learning their next four roots on roots #72-75. The review quiz will be over last week’s roots #69-71. The multiple choice test on 1-75 will be next week

Poetry: Students will learn their next poem for recitation, “Paul Revere’s Ride” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Recitations for this poem will take place on Monday, March 2.

ALL MAKEUP AND LATE WORK IS DUE ON TUESDAY, MARCH  3


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

• Monday:
• History Test Chapters 1-14
• Math Test Cumulative 1-6
• Tuesday:
• Science Test Unit 7
• Wednesday:
• Math Quiz: Week 8 Review 
• Roots Quiz: #69-71
• Friday:
• Spalding Test: 20 words

All late and make-up work is due on Tuesday, March 3rd


Class Information:

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.


--Mrs. LaVell
RLavell@ArchwayArete.org

--Mrs. Chilson
VChilson@archwayarete.org

Quarter Three Week 7 February 17-21

Hello 4C families!

I hope you are enjoyed the long R&R weekend. We had a wonderful Great Hearts Celebration and I am very thankful for the kindness and love that you poured out on Mrs. Conforti  I know she was very touched and thankful to all of you. Mrs. Chilson and I plan to continue with the strong foundation that Mrs Conforti and I have laid and I anticipate a smooth transition. 

History: We will continue our study of the American Revolution. 

Literature: Students will continue reading about the life of Nathaniel Bowditch. For nightly homework. For nightly homework, students will read a book of their choice for 20 minutes every night unless otherwise specified. All reading logs are due at the end of the quarter.

Math: This week in math students will study rounding decimals and be tested on Friday.

Poetry: Students should continue to work toward memorizing "Paul Revere's Ride." Recitations will take place on March 2nd. 

Greek and Latin Roots: Students will be assessed on roots 66-68 this week and learn the next three roots. 

Science: We will continue our study of geology. 

Spalding: I am happy to announce that Mrs. Chilson will be taking over our daily Spalding lesson. Mrs. Chilson has been trained to be a coach by Great Heart’s Spalding director, Mrs. Clouse and I am excited that 4C gets to benefit from her expertise.  Students will learn new words this week and be assessed on Friday.


Scheduled tests and quizzes this week:

Wednesday: Greek and Latin Review Check (67-69), Math Quiz

Thursday: Meteorology Quiz
Friday: Math Test - Decimals (Rounding)

Friday: Rock Quiz
Friday: Spalding Test

Please send all e-mails to both me and Mrs. Chilson & please note that Mrs. Conforti will not be reading or responding to e-mail while she is on maternity leave. 

rlavell@archwayarete.org

vchilson@archwayarete.org

Quarter 3 Week 6: February 10-14

Families of 4C,

Please read through the blog until the end, and thank you for allowing me to use this week's blog as an opportunity to bear my soul and give kuddos to the 4C team we have assembled! This will be the final blog post I will write, as this is the last week I will be working before I begin my maternity leave. Next week, Mrs. LaVell will be taking over the blog to discuss weekly assignments, testing dates, and any pertinent classroom information.

I am so pleased with the partnership Mrs. LaVell and myself have built over the past two years working together. She and I both came into assistant roles at Arete part-way through the 2018 school year in fifth grade classrooms, which allowed us to establish a strong foundation of what we wanted to have as a classroom dynamic when we became partners in 4C. From the beginning of our time as lead and assistant in fourth grade, it was important to us both that we built a strong rapport and open lines of respect and communication with one another, teachers, students, parents, and other faculty members. I am beyond blessed and grateful to have had a loving and competent comrade in my journey as a teacher. Her support to me and to all of our students has remained consistently exceptional, and I know she will continue the routines and high expectations for the students of 4C for the remainder of the school year. I am excited for her to step into this opportunity as lead teacher for your children in my absence, and am fully confident in her ability to finish out the school year strong, bearing the responsibility of state testing, field trips, class parties, and the daily grind that comes with the rich learning we do here at Great Hearts.

I am equally excited with the opportunity of Mrs. Chilson stepping in to fill the assistant role in our classroom, and fully confident that she will do her due diligence to uphold the expectations of our classroom that have been cultivated with care. Mrs. Chilson has known many of the students in our class since they were in kindergarten, and the experience she has both with the school and with these students as individuals has given me peace of mind in leaving for a few weeks to take care of my personal responsibility as a new mother.

To ease the transition of team LaVell-Chilson and to better support the students of 4C, I kindly ask that you continue to CC both of them on all email communications just as you have done with Mrs. LaVell and myself. I find that students are more strongly supported when both teachers, parents, and other faculty members are all in open lines of communication.

Beginning Friday after school, I will have an out-of-office reply to my email address and will not be available for communication on leave from Feb. 15-May 18. RLavell@archwayarete.org and VChilson@archwayarete.org will be your go-to resources for any questions or concerns you may have for the rest of the year.


Great Hearts Day:
A Day for Friendship - Friday, February 14th is Great Hearts Day! We have reserved this special day to focus on the virtue of friendship and celebrate the traits that make a great-hearted student. Teachers are planning interactive and fun activities centered around these topics. Archway Arete strives to cultivate a rich, academic environment rooted in the classical tradition. This many times requires popular culture to be left at the door. On that note, students will not be permitted to bring store-bought valentines, candy, or gifts to school. Thank you for partnering with us.

In the morning, we will have a Great Hearts Day assembly and be doing buddy reading with our first grade buddy class. We will also have a library visit. Students will then have a couple hours of regular instruction time before lunch, and then finish with out Great Hearts Day celebration following their afternoon special.


Lessons This Week:

Spalding: This week, students will study their next 29 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 29-word Spalding test on Friday.

Writing/Grammar: Students will continue their writing practice this week. On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, students will be practicing paragraph edits where they are to find errors in writing. On Thursday, they will do an expository writing assignment from start to finish, simulating what it will be like on AzMERIT writing day.

Math: This week, students will continue their study of decimals. They will learn about decimals by each place value, and learn how to round and compare the sizes of decimals.

History: Students will continue learning about the American Revolution.

Science: Students will continue their study of geology this week.

Literature: We will continue reading Carry On, Mr. Bowditch this week. Please send your copy of this book to school with your student in advance. 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: On Wednesday, students will be learning their next three roots on roots #66-69. The review quiz will be over last week’s roots #63-65.

Poetry: Students will learn their next poem for recitation, “Paul Revere’s Ride” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Recitations for this poem will take place on Monday, March 2.


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

• Monday:
• Math Test: Hundredths
• Wednesday:
• Math Quiz: Week 6 Review
• Roots Quiz: #63-65
• Science Test: Geology Mid-Unit Exam
• Friday:
• Spalding Test: 29 words
• Science Quiz: Life Sciences Review

Class Information:

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.


--Mrs. Conforti
TMartin@ArchwayArete.org

--Mrs. LaVell
RLavell@ArchwayArete.org

--Mrs. Chilson
VChilson@archwayarete.org

Quarter 3 Week 5: February 3-6

Families of 4C,

There is no school on Friday, February 7.

Mrs. Conforti’s Maternity Leave:
Baby Conforti is expected to arrive any day now! Mrs. Conforti’s last day before going on maternity leave will be Friday, February 14, and she will be returning in May for the final week of the school year. In her absence, we are pleased to announce that Mrs. LaVell will be stepping in to fill the position as 4C’s lead teacher, and Mrs. Chilson from 4B will be coming in to help as 4C’s assistant! We are so eager to have Mrs. Chilson aboard the 4C team while Mrs. Conforti takes this much-needed time to be with her family! Please see the welcome note below from Mrs. Chilson.


Dear Families of 4C,

My name is Victoria Chilson and I have been a member of the Arete community since 2015!I have had the pleasure of working in Kindergarten, 1st, 3rd, and now 4th grade. I am excited for this midyear change and the opportunity to help in 4C during Mrs. Conforti’s absence. Aside from enjoying my career at Arete, my free time is spent with my family! My husband and I were married in October 2014 and I am the proud wife of a firefighter with the Scottsdale Fire Department. We have a 3 ½ year old daughter named Charlotte. She is an absolute joy and keeps us smiling all day long. In addition to Charlotte, we have our two dogs who mean the world to us, Lou and Harvey. We enjoy spending time outdoors, going to sporting events, and cooking together. We are also looking forward to Baby Chilson joining us this July! 

Thank you for entrusting your children with us, as I know they are your most prized possessions. I look forward to getting to know your families better for the remainder of the school year. Please let me know if you have any questions!

Warmly,

Mrs. Chilson
VChilson@ArchwayArete.org


Great Hearts Day:
A Day for Friendship - Friday, February 14th is Great Hearts Day! We have reserved this special day to focus on the virtue of friendship and celebrate the traits that make a great-hearted student. Teachers are planning interactive and fun activities centered around these topics. Archway Arete strives to cultivate a rich, academic environment rooted in the classical tradition. This many times requires popular culture to be left at the door. On that note, students will not be permitted to bring store-bought valentines, candy, or gifts to school. Thank you for partnering with us.


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 Thursday.

Writing/Grammar: Students will continue their writing practice this week. This week, students will be focusing on writing opinion essays. Most of this essay should be completed in class, unless otherwise directed by the teacher.

Math: This week, students will begin their study of decimals. They will learn about decimals by each place value, starting with hundredths on Monday.

History: Students will continue learning about the American Revolution. On Monday, they will take their unit test over chapters 1-10.

Science: Students will continue their study of geology this week. Our volcano making day has been pushed back to this Tuesday.

Literature: We will begin reading Carry On, Mr. Bowditch this week. Please send your copy of this book to school with your student in advance. 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: On Wednesday, students will be learning their next three roots on roots #63-66. The review quiz will be over last week’s roots #60-62.

Poetry: Students will learn their next poem for recitation, “Paul Revere’s Ride” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Recitations for this poem will take place on Monday, March 2.


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

• Monday:
• History Test: Unit 4 Chapters 1-10
• Wednesday:
• Math Quiz: Week 5 Review
• Roots Quiz: #60-62
• Thursday:
• Spalding Test: 20 words

Class Information:

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.


--Mrs. Conforti
TMartin@ArchwayArete.org

--Mrs. LaVell
RLavell@ArchwayArete.org