Mrs. Finley's Class News
April 12, 2024
CelYOUbration
It was wonderful welcoming students back to the classroom on Tuesday! I enjoyed hearing all about their breaks and cannot wait to embark on the fourth quarter as a class.
The fourth quarter of the year is filled with some of my favorite programs and events. One of the big ones is our "celYOUbration" countdown with students. Essentially, this countdown is a way for us to celebrate each student in our classroom before we end our fourth grade year together. Each student will have their own special day some day between April 22nd - May 30th. They'll get to sit on our special "throne" for the day, lead all of our lines, receive special handwritten notes from their peers and myself, and a few other perks throughout the day.
I would love to add a letter from their grownup(s) to this! The letter to your child would just need to be a note expressing what you love about them... basically just a nice letter that would make them feel extra loved on their day. Please send in your letter(s)/note(s) in a sealed envelope by Monday, April 22th. This will stay sealed and stored until it is your child's day.
********Thank you for keeping this a secret!********
I am so appreciative of all your help and support. You have helped make this year a great one, and I am truly appreciative I get to work with families like YOURS! Reach out with any questions and have a great weekend!
A Great Week!
In ELA, we started off learning about the city of Pompeii and the famous eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. The students really enjoyed reading the Storyworks article and it was a nice segue into our next unit- Research. Students learned about earthquakes, volcanoes, tornadoes, hurricanes, and tsunamis and chose one natural disaster to focus on. Each student will spend the next couple weeks learning more about a specific natural disaster and will begin writing their own informative essays about natural disasters next week. Students seemed super excited about this topic and are eager to learn more.
It has hard to believe that our MATH state test is quickly approaching. Students will be taking the 4th grade Math state test on Wednesday 4/24 and Thursday 4/25. Testing will take place in the morning on both days. Students are ready and have been preparing all year.
One tool that we have rolled out to support students in reviewing for testing is a review packet. Packets were distributed on Tuesday (4/9) and students have been assigned a few pages each night to complete. At this point, students should be done through page 10. I am posting the answers on Google Classroom the day after the pages are assigned for students to review their work. If you have any questions let me know!
Another way we review for our math state testing is with GLOW DAY! Thanks to the generosity of the Nordonia Foundation and the Northfield PTA we are thrilled to be bringing 4th grade students a day to remember. What is Glow Day? Glow Day is just what it sounds like -- a day that fully glows! We are asking all students to come to school on Thursday, April 18th, decked out in all white or neon. Please do not feel pressured to go out and buy anything. A white t-shirt will work perfect. Students will engage in a wide-range of engaging math review activities glow-in-the-dark style. From black lights to glow sticks -- they will be amazed! It certainly will be a day to remember. Glow on!
A few state testing reminders:
- Avoid scheduling any appointments on those mornings in order to avoid your child needing to make-up the test on another day.
- Make sure your child gets plenty of rest each night.
- Charge those Chromebooks overnight since the 4th grade test is online.
- Make sure your child eats a good breakfast. Feel free to pack a healthy snack for later.
- Please keep Apple Watches and Fitbits at home. These are not permitted during the test.
- If you'd like to send your child some encourage"mints" on test day, you can send them with a small bag of mints or peppermints. Please avoid sending candy.
SCIENCE
It was exciting to transition to SCIENCE as we kicked off the fourth quarter. Students learned all about the lightbulb this week. They were given batteries, wires, and bulbs and needed to figure out how to make them light. It was a 'shocking' experience!đź’ˇ
Upcoming Dates
4/18: GLOW DAY! [more info. below]
4/24: Math OST
4/25: Math OST
4/26-4/28: All District Art Show @ NHS
5/15: 4th Grade Bowling Field Trip
5/16: PTA Fun-N-Stuff
5/17: Tour of Lee Eaton
5/23: 4th Grade "Color War"
5/30: 4th Grade Awards @ 1:30PM
5/31: Field Day [all NF students]
6/4: 4th Grade "Clapout" + last day
ART SHOW
We will be doing a district art show at the high school this year. Every school will be showcased at once. Artwork will be displayed on the weekend of April 26-28th. Here is the schedule for the weekend:
Friday, April 26th: 4:00-8:00 p.m. (Ms. Miller present)
Saturday, April 27th: 10:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 28th: 10:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m. (Ms. Miller present)
ProgressBook
Can you believe we wrapped up the 3rd Quarter this week? It's hard to believe that we only have one quarter left of 4th grade! Report cards are going home the week we come back from Spring Break. Please take a few minutes to look at your child's progress over the weekend. Please remember to review Progress Book with your child regularly to stay up-to-date on academic performance and mastery. A helpful link regarding family access can be found here.
A few things...
Word Wisdom: No word wisdom next week
Squire Store: For those of you who do not know, this year we opened our school store, The Squire Store, for grades 2-4. Students have the opportunity to earn “squire bucks” for meeting and exceeding classroom expectations. Once a month they are then able to use this money to buy items from the store! Any donations would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance for your support and generosity.