Spotlight
Four Seasons A+ Elementary April 2023
Calendar
- April 3-7 Spring Break, NO SCHOOL
- Monday, April 10 school resumes
- Tuesday, April 11, 7:30-8:30am - Morning Meet Up
- Wednesday, April 12, 6:00pm - SPPS Honors Concert/Visual Art Exhibition at Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
- Friday, April 21, NO SCHOOL (teacher professional development)
- Thursday, April 27, 7:30-9:30am - Ms. Vue Pre-K Family Day
- Thursday, April 27, 5:00-7:00pm - DHH APTT (Ms. Charity, Ms. Sarah, Ms. Christina)
- Tuesday, May 2, 7:30-8:30am - Morning Meet Up
- Monday, May 8, 5:00-6:00pm - Year in Review
- Thursday, May 18, 5:30-6:30pm - Pre-K & K Welcome Event
- Thursday, June 8 - 5th Grade Recognition (time TBD)
Enrollment in SPPS Summer Learning Programs is now open. https://www.spps.org/summer
Thank You Families
Please take our short Spring Survey to help us plan for the coming school year. We want to know what is working for you and what you would like to see at Four Seasons A+. This survey will help us with our Title I budget, Compacts, and Family Engagement Plan. If you have additional comments, contact Karen Shanahan at karen.shanahan@spps.org or 651-325-2492.
Star Mascot Visits Classrooms During Spirit Week
Morning Meet Up
Join us for coffee/cocoa/tea & conversation!
The last two Morning Meet Ups of our 2022-2023 school year:
- Tuesday, April 11, 7:30-8:30am
- Tuesday, May 2, 7:30-8:30am
Parents/guardians/family members are invited to join us for a treat and conversation in the Four Seasons A+ Family Room. The focus for Tuesday, April 11 is How Are We Doing? We will discuss Four Seasons A+ Elementary's SCIP (School Continuous Improvement Plan - our plan for student success) implementation for our current school year. We will also gather feedback on our Title I budget (federal money used to support our school). During our May 2nd Morning Meet Up we will continue the conversation with Where We Are Going for the 2023-2024 school year. Family feedback makes us stronger. We hope you can participate in one, or both, of these events.
Tuesday, Apr 11, 2023, 07:30 AM
Four Seasons A+ Elementary, North Moore Street, Saint Paul, MN, USA
Summer Learning Programs
In Our Classrooms
DHH Pre-K
Our DHH preschoolers are ready for spring! With the melting of the snow and warmer weather comes a new area of study- Cycles in Our World! We will be learning all about the changes and cycles that happen around us as spring comes. We will compare how we have grown and changed since the fall and spend lots of time outside observing what is different! π Sarah's DHH Pre-K class will be going on a field trip to the Tamarack Nature Center on Wed. April 19th, and we will have our final APTT Family Conference on Thurs. Aprill 27th!
Pre-K Ms. Vue
Pre-K is continuing our Area of Study: Creating and Constructing in Our World. They are working hard on using their imagination to create things using recyclables at school. We will move on to another AOS soon. It will be Cycles in Our World where students will be learning about cycles of our day, life cycles of animals, plants and seasons. We will also focus on physical growth and change over time.
We have a field trip on April 19th to the Tamarack Nature Center! Students will be learning about salamanders. Please practice safe behaviors with your child, it is our very first field trip!
Pre-K Family Day is Thursday, April 27, 7:30-9:30am. We will look at what our Pre-K students have learned and explore the transition between pre-K and Kindergarten. We look forward to you seeing you. Contact Ms. Vue with any questions.
Kindergarten
1st Grade
1st grade families, spring is finally in the air! Reminder, we go out for recess every day for 30 minutes. Please send students to school with outdoor gear. We continue to review and practice being a STAR daily in our classrooms. In math we are learning addition and subtraction and are learning various strategies to help us with that, as well as beginning to add teen numbers into our addition practice. In literacy we are working in whole and small groups with a strong emphasis on phonics. Every week, students learn new skills from our specialist teachers and enjoy spending time in art, music, and gym.
In partnership,
Ms. Pappas and Mrs. H
2nd Grade
In April, we will be going on a field trip to the Bell Museum on the 20th. Please let us know if you would like to be a chaperone!!
- In Math, we will be working with money, measurement, time, and then we will be moving into geometry of 2D and 3D shapes.
- In Literacy, we will be writing about fiction stories, noticing text resources, and doing an author/illustrator study. We will continue our Phonics work in digraphs, moving on to long vowel sounds with a silent e.
- Social Studies will focus on making good choices, money, and saving goals.
We will also be observing our tulips grow that we planted in the Fall! They are already starting to emerge! π
3rd Grade
In third grade math, throughout the month of April and some of May we will be learning about fractions, parallel and perpendicular lines, perimeter, measurement and data analysis. In literacy and writing: poetry, and journal writing.
Additionally, third graders will be taking the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCAs) in math and reading. These are state-wide tests that help teachers support students. These assessments will happen after spring break and you, and your student will get more information leading up to the date.
Come on, spring! We are looking forward to warmer weather so we can enjoy some learning time outside, too.
Thank you,
Ms. Rejda and Ms. Thorpe
Fourth Graders Make Magnets with The Works Museum
4th Grade
5th Grade
Registration is open for Summer Quest, the SPPS Summer Learning Program for students currently enrolled in grades 5-8. For more information visit https://www.spps.org/Domain/12605 or watch this video.
MCA Testing
Each spring, the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) is provided to students in math, reading, and science. Both tests provide information about student learning of grade level content in reading, math, and science. The MCA and is used to meet federal and state legislative requirements. The tests are administered every year to measure student learning relative to the Minnesota Academic Standards that specify what students in a particular grade should know and be able to do.
Four Seasons A+ 3rd, 4th and 5th graders will take the MCAs from April 17th-April 28th. If you would prefer that your student not participate in statewide standardized testing, please inform Principal Fell by providing a written note or a completed MDE Parent/Guardian Participation Guide and Refusal form.
For more information on the MCA please go to:
SPPS Family Testing Information website: spps.org/Page/33916
MDEβs Family Testing Information website: education.mn.gov/MDE/fam/tests/
During testing, it's very important that your child brings their iPad to school every day, charged and ready to use. The MCAs are administered on iPads, and they will not be able to participate without it.
Speech-Language tip of the month: Retell
Retelling helps with sequencing and expanding language. We all have photos on our phones and school iPads. Take time with your child to look back at photos and talk about them together. Take new photos of activities with your child then retell what you did in sequence. Either model for your child, or encourage your child on their own to retell using the words, First....next...then...
Honors Concert/Visual Art Exhibition
DHH Pre-K and Kindergaten APTT
- meet other DHH families and school staff
- get a progress update on their student
- learn games to build skills at home
- set goals for learning
- have fun!
Transportation, childcare, and interpreters will be provided. Questions, contact your child's teacher.
Friday, Mar 31, 2023, 09:00 PM
Four Seasons A+ Elementary, North Moore Street, Saint Paul, MN, USA
Four Seasons A+ Elementary
Email: karen.shanahan@spps.org
Website: www.spps.org/fourseasons
Location: 318 North Moore Street, Saint Paul, MN, USA
Phone: (651) 290-7595