Fun in Fourth Grade
A Newsletter About Our Fantastic 4th Grade "Chastain-ians"
Heartfelt Thanks & Shout Outs
By now, your young lad has rested up from his or her fantastic adventure aboard the Balclutha. The Chastain-ians were blessed with beautiful, clear weather and a talented crew. This experience would not have been possible without the many parents who donated their time and resources to our students. I would like to thank Christa Cobb for visiting our classroom several times during recent weeks to teach students the necessary knots for Age of Sail. She and her family also graciously transported breakfast bags to our hungry lads once we departed the Balclutha. Speaking of breakfast bags, many thanks to Tanya Holland for organizing this effort, as well as Sonia Gutierrez, Elena Thrower, Aruna Gobalan and Sultan Acimis and to all those who contributed items to feed the hungry lads. Many thanks to Elena Thrower for organizing a cooking party for our galley crew so that they could practice their cooking skills and prepare a snack to be brought aboard the ship. Thank you so much, Victoria Johnson, for sewing our beautiful ensign. I appreciate Jeanine Brown's time in copying and binding crew manuals. And last, but certainly not least, I appreciate the time of our tall sailors who ensured our students were safe and sound during our field lesson: Joe Clark, Eloisa Gomez, Soner Acimis, Tanya Holland, Sherry Nealon, and Chris O'Brien. Thank you ALL for your support of our students!
Age of Sail wasn't the only event that was worthy of a shout out this week. Akarsh G. and Ahana I. reached two million word goals, and Yathin M. reached four million words this last week. Fantastic job, super readers!
Talent Show!
- Please note that because the Chastain-ians were on Age of Sail during the scheduled audition date, there will be an audition for our students' acts on Monday, January 11th from 3:45-4:45 in room W17.
Middle School Information Night!
Believe it or not, you will be making decisions about your 4th grader's middle school enrollment before you know it! Come learn about WCS's middle school program on Thursday, January 21st at 6 p.m. in the Pebblewood campus cafeteria. Don't miss this important opportunity to learn more about our program!
Gate Testing
It is that time of year! If you wish to have your child tested for Gifted and Talented Education eligibility, please email me. The process begins with submission of parent and teacher referral forms, which must be turned in by Friday, Feb. 5th. Parent forms and information are available at the following links:
Curriculum Updates
English Language Arts
- Just a reminder that students' affix practice packets are due tomorrow and we will be doing a "check in" in class to assess students' understanding. (Most kids finished this in class.)
- We are moving on to learning about Greek and Latin roots. Understanding the meaning of common roots unlocks so many vocabulary words for advancing readers. The Unit 1 practice packet will be due on Friday, 1/15. During the following week I will assign Unit 2 roots and both units will be tested on Friday, 1/22.
- Students will be working on Spelling City List #7 this week. Students should complete all activities by Friday in preparation for the spelling test that will be given that day in class.
- Students will be working on five paragraph essays about Age of Sail this week. They will have time to work on this in class and is due on Friday.
- This week we will begin preparing students for literature circle discussions. We will learn about how to effectively agree, disagree and add on to a discussion. Students will begin learning about Depth and Complexity icons to assist them in delving beneath surface-level observations of what they read.
- Reminder: AR halfway goals on Tuesday, Jan. 19th. Read, read, read kidlings!
- We have begun our unit on fractions. 4th grade IXL strands that support our learning in this area include D.4, A.5, Q.1-Q.6; Q.9-Q.20 and Q.22. Students requiring an extra challenge with these skills will be working on fifth grade standards: K.1-K.5 and K.7-K.10.
- Timed math facts tests will be given on Thursday.
Science
This week we kick off our study of sound and light waves. Essential questions to be investigated include: What are waves? How do waves move? What differences can be seen between transverse and compressional waves?
Art
Check out Ms. Jackson's website to see what's currently happening in art.
Upcoming Dates
- January 11: Talent Show auditions for Chastain-ians
- January 14: Timed Math Facts Tested in Class
- January 15: Spirit Day! Show off your favorite sports team!
- January 18: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday - NO SCHOOL
- January 19: Mid-Trimester AR Goals Checked
- January 21 at 6 p.m.: Middle School Information Night in PW cafeteria
- January 22: Mid-Trimester Progress Reports go home
- January 22 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.: WAVE Astronomy Night
- February 5: GATE referral forms due
- February 15-19: Presidents' Week Break
- March 4: End of Trimester Accelerated Reader Goal Due
- March 11: End of 2nd Trimester
- March 16-18: Parent Teacher Conferences (Early dismissal)
- March 21-April 1: Spring Break
Thanks so much for your time! If I can answer any questions, please email me at hchastain@westlakecharter.com. Have a wonderful holiday!
Warmly,
Heather Chastain