Swenson's Scoop
Beginning of the year newsletter
Welcome to 4th Grade!
Welcome to a new school year! I am really excited to have your child in class, and I am looking forward to a brand new year! The first weeks of school are always exciting and full of information for the students, teachers, and parents. In this letter I will highlight important things within each subject area that you may find useful.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Mrs. Swenson
320-693-2436 ext. 1217
Don't forget to sign up for Remind!
Math
Math will be split into two different parts during the day. We will have 30 minutes of whole group math and 30 minutes of small group math, more specifically Guided #Math.
Guided #Math is a workshop approach that focuses on centers and small group work. Students will rotate through different stations during a 30 minute period. The #MATH stations are #Technology, Math Facts, At Your Seat, Teacher Time, and Hands On. This approach allows for me to work closely with students who need help with specific concepts.Language Arts
Reading/Language Arts:
A weekly study guide with the vocabulary words, spelling words, and skills that we will be working on for that week will be sent home on Monday.
Vocabulary Tests:
Vocabulary tests will be given every Friday. Students will be given the vocabulary words on Monday and are asked to study them for the test on Friday. We will also work with the vocabulary words throughout the week.
Spelling:
Your student will bring home their spelling words on Monday for the week’s test, which will take place on Friday. Throughout the week, we will be working on different word study strategies to help us learn the words.
- I will place our spelling list on spellingcity.com every week.
Grammar/DOL (Daily Oral Language):
We will have grammar and DOL every day. Please encourage your child to bring home their work to use as a study tool. This subject area can be difficult for many students so a little help studying would be very beneficial. Students will take a test in grammar and DOL on Friday.
Science and Social Studies
- We will be working with new curriculum this year in the area of social studies and science. I will keep you updated on what skills we are working on in our monthly newsletter.
Seesaw
Your student will be participating in many different aspects of technology this year. One of the apps that we will be using is called Seesaw. Seesaw is a digital portfolio that allows students to share what we are doing in the classroom with their family. Please take the time to sign up for this by clicking on the button below.
Classroom Discipline
Infinite Campus
- Please check infinite Campus regularly to see how your child is doing. This is an important tool for you to use not only for grade purposes but for communication with the district as well. You should already have a username and password if you have every updated your information or paid online. If you don’t remember this information, please let me know.
Planners
This is an important communication tool between you and me. In your child’s planner you will find everything that we did during the day and any other information that I need to let you know about. Please make sure that you look at and sign their planner every night. I realize that we all get busy and sometimes this slips our mind, but please try to make an effort.
- Every day I will check each student’s planner. They will receive a classroom dollar for every day that their planner is signed. The dollars that they collect will be redeemed towards a variety of classroom incentives
Accelerated Reader (A.R.)
Each student is required to read at least 2 A.R. books at their level each quarter. Their new AR levels will be given to them once the fall FAST tests are completed. Each score is out of a possible of 10 points, much like an average vocabulary quiz or reading worksheet would be.
Book Order
- I will send home book orders monthly. Please do not feel obligated to order, but if you choose to order there are two different ways to for you to do this. I have enabled the online ordering for our classroom, so if you choose to order online our classroom code is H48Y8. If you would rather write a check for your order, please make the check out to Scholastic Reading Club.
- If you click on the button below, it will bring you to our classroom ordering page.