This Week w/ Ms. Werth
February 15th - February 19th
...Ice Days Aren't Quite As Fun As Snow Days...
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Math and Science
This week in math we will review some content from last week, especially considering the two days off for ice and the fact that your children have slept since last Friday (ha!). Following our review, we will spend some time ordering, adding, and subtracting decimals before we begin our new math centers, which focus on both fractions and decimals.
Additionally, now that all students have completed our second nine-weeks, county mandated math benchmark I would like to point something out. As a whole, our weakness was multi-step word problems. So again, I strongly encourage you to allow your child to work through their nightly Problem of the Day independently and to write me a note if they simply cannot figure it out (that way there will be no consequence). We go over these daily and students are the ones working them out on the board (which is sometimes the only explanation they need). I also use these periodically as math grades, so encourage your child to attempt the homework, listen to the explanation the next day in class, and make corrections as necessary. Ideally this will lead to better problem solving abilities and more success on word problems in general (the notebook itself also makes for a nice EOG review at the end of the school year).
Here are some links to practice as well if you are interested:
https://www.ixl.com/math/grade-4/multi-step-word-problems
http://www.softschools.com/quizzes/math/multistep_word_problems/quiz1054.html
**If you write me a note or respond via email that your child worked on one of the above, I will put an extra one hundred in the grade book for their time and effort.
This week in science we will review what a property is and the senses available to us as scientists when documenting observable properties for our nine new, unknown rocks. Once students have had an opportunity to scrutinize and sort the nine new rocks, we will begin looking into similarities and differences as well as what those may mean in reference to the Rock Cycle and the three types of rocks (igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic).
The Leader in Me
Additionally, now that all of our staff members have had an opportunity to check out other local schools and the neat things they are implementing concerning The Leader in Me, be on the lookout for changes throughout our school as well (how exciting!).
Important Dates
- Friday, Feb. 19th - Battle of the Books Team to Banoak (3:00-5:00pm)
- Tuesday, Feb. 23rd - Progress Reports
- Thursday, Feb. 25th - School-wide Lego Night Rescheduled
- Wednesday, March 2nd - Read Across America Day
- Monday, March 7th - Friday, March 11th - Book Fair
- Tuesday, March 8th - PDQ Spirit Night (5:00-9:00pm)
- Wednesday, March 9th - Battle of the Books Competition at Hickory Metro
- Friday, March 18th - TA March Madness School Dance
- Tuesday, March 22nd - Upcoming Kinder Parent Orientation (6:00pm)
- Friday, March 25th - Workday - No School
- Monday, March 28th - Friday, April 1st - Spring Break - No School
- Tuesday, April 12th - Grandfather Mountain Field Trip*
*This is a little further out, but some parents have asked about our Grandfather Mountain field trip (which will require 4-5 parent chaperones per class with current background checks - please contact the office to check on whether or not we have a background check on file for you or if you need the paperwork to complete one prior to our trip -- please understand these background checks can take up to a week to turn around).
Connect with Ms. Werth
Email: jessica_werth@catawbaschools.net
Website: http://catawbaschools.schoolwires.net/Domain/791
Location: Blackburn Elementary School, Newton, NC, United States
Phone: 828.466.7065