Room 24 News
March - April 2014
Save the Dates:
- Thursday, March 20th 1:45pm "Go West!" Dress Rehearsal for school (bring performance clothing in a bag to change into)
- Friday, March 21st 1:15pm "Go West!" Parent Performance & Cast Party!
- Tuesday, March 25th Gold Rush field trip to Jamul. ARRIVE TO SCHOOL AT 7:10AM, return to SSF at 8:15PM.
- April 7 - 11th: Spring Break! No school.
- May 19 - 23: Ocean Week!
- Wednesday, May 21st 5pm - 6pm Open House - classrooms open
- Wednesday, May 21st 5:30pm - 8pm Spring Fling & Art Show
- Monday, May 26: Memorial Day. No school.
- Thursday, June 12th @ Noon: School's out for summer! WOW!
"Go West!"
ATTIRE: Please dress your child in "Gold Rush"/cowboy "vaquero"/prairie clothing. At the very least, please dress your child in denim, and a plaid or collared button-up shirt. Really want to get into the spirit? Consider cowboy hats, bandanas, vests, boots, etc. Feel free to add "dirt smudges" to the face, draw on mustaches, etc! Be creative! We have a few extra bandanas on hand in the classroom, as well.
Please be sure to sign your child out at the front office if you excuse them from school before day's end. Thank you!
4th Grade Gold Rush Field Trip - Tues 3/25
- Your child must arrive to school at 7:10am on Tuesday, March 25th so that we can stop at the restrooms and begin loading buses to begin our journey east; PLEASE BE ON TIME! We will depart school at 7:30am SHARP.
- Please pack a snack for your child to eat when we arrive at the camp around 9:00am. It will be a long haul between breakfast and lunch, and we know they will need a "pick me up" mid-morning.
- We will return to school around 8:15pm that evening. PLEASE BE PROMPT in picking up your child! If you are making arrangements to have your child carpool with another family to get home (aka, you're not picking them up yourself), PLEASE let me know in ADVANCE!
ATTIRE: We are encouraging "Gold Rush" (see Go West! attire, see above) to allow students to get into character on our fun study trip. Please allow for these clothes to get dirty. Closed-toed shoes and a hat (of any kind) are a must! Since this will be a full day event, please plan to dress your child in layers (including a jacket they can remove) and lather them with SUNSCREEN since we will be outdoors staking our gold claim!
Please ensure your child eats a healthy and complete breakfast that morning! Lunch and dinner will be provided by the camp.
Solana Santa Fe Technology Drive
- Updating and repairing iPads, computers, and projectors - all of which students access daily!
- Implementing SSF's technology upgrade plan
- Technical support across campus
- Purchase of educational apps and software requested by teachers
- Continuing education and staff development for teachers
Academics
- Mathematics: Well, it has been a rocky road teaching in this new and exciting way, but I feel that this shift in teaching and learning has developed my students into problem solvers and critical thinkers...I'm excited for them to take their new found knowledge and confidence to 5th grade with them! We just completed our unit on measurement and will now begin geometry! Click here for information about what, specifically, will be taught, reinforced, and assessed in our next unit.
- English-Language Arts: We are reading a variety of literature: fiction and non-fiction, and applying vocabulary and comprehension strategies across multiple genres. Students continue to participate in Book Club on Fridays. Grammar, revision, and editing skills were "hot" on my conference list (as you may know!). We will be using the iPad accessibility feature "Speak Selection" to help students "hear" their written text spoken back to them; then, they may address the grammatical inconsistencies/errors to edit their written text. Spell check will also be encouraged. We just began integrating our writing with our study of the news and non-fiction articles by becoming bloggers! We just finished working on our first blog regarding the FDA's newly proposed food labels. This topic has lent itself to in depth science and nutrition discussions - our students are very passionate about health! Parents will soon have access to students' blogs; stay tuned!
- Social Studies: Note taking and multimedia projects continue to help students learn and master their California history standards. In our current studies, Mexico rules California and has been giving out land grants...but not for long! California is ready to become part of the United States, and we're about to have a population BOOM due to the Gold Rush! It is an exciting time in our state's history!
- Science: Coinciding with our Gold Rush studies, we are currently studying Earth Science and Geology! Students have been working on their note taking skills and applying their knowledge in science lab.