Don't Forget!

It's time to turn in your Entertainment Book orders! All orders and unsold books need to be returned to school no later than Friday, October 28th. Prizes will be awarded during lunch waves on Friday.

A few things....

In your child's backpack this week, you may have found the following:

Halloween parade information
Unicef boxes

Pay special attention to the Halloween Parade letter as it has guidelines that must be followed for the safety and well-being of the students.

For the party, only Room Representatives, selected In-Room Helpers and the Yearbook Class Photographer will be invited inside the classroom. All others may come to enjoy the parade, weather permitting, outside at 2:45pm. Dismissal will occur immediately following the parade from the classroom.

On another note, now that we have established our dismissal routine, the office will be calling students to the gymnasium for pickup at 3:30. Doors will open for parents between 3:20 and 3:25. Our first bus wave will be called at the close of our day, 3:35.

Entertainment Book orders will be accepted through October 28th.

Thanks again for your support!

Take Home Books

Hope you and your child are enjoying the Take Home Books that are coming home each week. Just a reminder that the new book given at the start of the week MUST be kept in the child's Take-Home Folder for the week. Homework assignments will involve the book throughout the week.

Once a new book is given, old Take Home books may be taken out of the folder. I would keep them in a container - shoe box, for example - and have your child read them for 20/20 Reading.

The homework assignments are meant to review concepts being taught during reading, language arts and writing. Take a minute to review your child's answers and familiarize yourself with what is being taught/discussed in class. I'm sure you will be impressed with that your child is doing.

Learning the Facts

Some of you may have been surprised by the recent letter that came home with your child's scores for addition, subtraction and multiplication math facts. The letter was not intended to shock as it was to bring to your attention the need to learn basic math facts at home. Because we are covering other concepts and skills, we do not have the time here in class to review facts. As much as I would love to play our "3 Strikes" game with you children every day, time does not allow for it.

These recent tests will serve as a baseline. The goal is to see growth throughout the year as these same tests will be given three more times.

Our ETC site has lots of great math games that students can use to practice math facts and fluency. I mentioned this at Open House earlier in the year. By going to www.monroeps.org students may then click on "Students" and then on "Elementary Technology Center" or ETC. There, they may select their grade level and access different sites picked by our staff to review various areas in our curriculum - math facts being one of them. Students enjoy playing the games while learning at the same time.

Again, by sending the scores home, it was a way to reiterate the importance of reviewing math facts at home. I am positive that scores will climb as students practice and become more comfortable. Practicing will also improve other areas in math as students will feel more confident!

Scholastic Books - Last day to order.....

Last day to order books from Scholastic for this month is tomorrow, October 19. You may order using the order form that was sent home or online at scholastic.com. Our class activation code is GW9ZN.

FLEX / WYNN Times

In September, all Grade 4 students were assessed in different areas of reading. Students took five short assessments over five days testing them on 12 different reading strategies including recalling facts and details, understanding sequence, making predictions and identifying author’s purpose. Teachers then graded each assessment to see which reading strategies students were weakest in.

The Grade 4 team then got together to divide all students into appropriate FLEX or WYNN groups. Every day after recess, from 1:30 to 2pm, Grade 4 students switch for FLEX or WYNN time. FLEX, which was what the time was originally called, is a flexible time where students work in small groups with a teacher on something academic they may be struggling or having difficulty with. Groups are led by many teachers within the building. Your child may be working with a Grade 4 teacher, Reading Teacher, Special Education Teacher or Permanent Substitute Teacher. The more adults we have working with the children, the smaller the groups are which means more direct attention and guidance can be given. Now we call it WYNN time, which stands for What You Need Now.

Since reading is so important, as you need to be able to read and understand what you read to succeed in other academic areas, we always start our FLEX or WYNN groups using reading data and reviewing strategies students need more help with. Once students have rotated among the groups reviewing all weak areas, students are then put into an enrichment group where they will do activities using a certain novel. Again, this will be directed by a teacher in the building – not necessarily a fourth grade teacher.

Grade 4 teachers have decided to strengthen weak reading strategies during WYNN time on Mondays thought Thursdays. On Friday, teachers plan on using the WYNN time to address needs in Math.

Later in the year, if all reading needs are met, we might use the time to address needs in writing or social studies. The idea is to use the time, given data that we regularly collect, to address needs of students across the grade level.

Please Help!

With the start of a new school year comes many new changes and guidelines as each of your child's teachers will have different expectations. Considering the messy start to this school year – with weather related issues and the death of my father, I am very pleased with how your child has adjusted to fourth grade.

While I was away, however, my substitute collected most 20/20 Reading logs and in reviewing them, I must say that I was disappointed. The 20/20 Reading log is not an optional assignment. As you can see, your child should be writing 20/20 in their homework log each night as a reminder. Students are required to read 20 minutes a night for only 20 nights during the month. That reading must be logged on the 20/20 Reading Log. I do count this as a homework assignment. I expect each and every child to return a completed log at the end of each month.

If you can not sign-off each day, then please write a note on the log or on a separate piece of paper stating that your child did read for 20 minutes for at least 20 days during the month.

If your child reads more than 20 minutes – please note that. If your child reads less, make up the time another night. It doesn't have to be exact, but it is my hope that you will help me in making sure that your child does read. This log is the only way of noting whether or not your child is practicing his/her reading. The more he/she practices their reading, the more fluent they will be. Reading also builds vocabulary and helps students to become better writers as students mimic their favorite authors when writing.

On another note, Take Home Books will be coming home starting this week. A “Take Home Book” is a paper book which I copy for each child here at school. Your child will have homework each night with regards to that Take Home Book that reviews skills being taught in class. It is important that your child keep the book in his/her Take Home Folder each day for use during the week. Each child will receive a new book at the start of each week. On Friday night, children should remove the Take Home Book from their folder. I would keep the books in a shoebox or another container at home for extra reading practice at home. Reading these Take Home Books at home is a great way to complete the 20/20 Reading assignment.

I thank you in advance for your help and support. Together we will help make your child better readers and enjoy literature.

Thanks!

I just wanted to quickly thank each and every one of you for your kind words and thoughts during this difficult time. My family is doing well and we take comfort in knowing that we have many people holding us up and keeping us in thoughts and prayers. I have been overwhelmed with the support and positivity I have received. Again, I thank you.

I was a bit nervous today – almost like the first day of school again! However, your children welcomed me back with open arms. Just like riding a bike, we easily got back into the swing of things.

For those who ordered from Scholastic, rest assured that it was the first thing I took care of this morning before students even entered the room. All September orders have been placed online and I should receive books sometime next week. Thanks for your patience and understanding.

Enjoy your weekend!