Fourth Grade News
Week of February 25th - March 1st 2024
Dismissal Procedures
When notifying the school about a change in dismissal or early dismissal, please send an email to each fourth grade teacher as well as both of our office staff Barb Balestrini bbalestrini@bcps.org and Katherine Taylor ktaylor3@bcps.org on the morning of the change or early dismissal.
Important Dates
February
Read Across America Week
26 (M) Wear Animal Print
27 (T) Wear Camo
28 (W) Wear crazy socks
29 (Th) Wear a shirt with words on it
1 (F) Wear PJ's
March
12 (T) PTA Meeting - 6-7 PM
22 (F) Spring Break Begins at the End of the School Day
April
2 (T) Schools Reopen
5 (F) Third Marking Period Ends -All Schools Close 3 Hours Early for Students – Grade Reporting and Data Analysis** –Teachers on Duty
9 (T) PTA Meeting - 6-7 PM
10 (W) Systemwide Professional Development Day – Schools Closed for Students – Teachers on Duty – Eid al-Fitr*
16 (T) Report Cards Distributed
26 (F) Schools and Offices Close 3 Hours Early
29 (M) Pre-K and Kindergarten Conference Day – No Preschool3, Pre-K or Kindergarten Sessions – Teachers on Duty
30 (T) Pre-K Conference Day – No Preschool-3 or Pre-K Sessions– Teachers on Duty
May
14 (T) Election Day – Schools and Offices Closed
17 (F) Schools and Offices Close 3 Hours Early
21 (T) PTA Meeting - 6-7 PM
The 4th grade chorus and 5th grade instrumental Spring Concert is scheduled for Tuesday, May 21st at 6:30pm. All 4th grade students are a part of the chorus.
5th grade instrumental students who take lessons with Mrs. Kiper will also be performing. More information will be sent home at a later date, but please mark your calendars!
27 (M) Memorial Day Observed – Schools and Offices Closed
Virtual Snow Day
The next snow day for BCPS will be virtual. The students will sign into a Google Meet with Mrs. Ferrari and Mrs. Lippenholz for reading and math. We will provide Google Meet codes and the schedule at a later date.
Supply Check/ Donations
It is the time of year when student's supplies are running low. Please check your child's binder and pencil case to make sure they have pencils, erasers, and glue sticks.
We are running low on tissues; we would appreciate any donations of tissue boxes.
The 4th grade teachers are starting prize boxes in their classrooms to recognize outstanding student behavior in class. We have purchased water bottle stickers, key chains, fidgets and little items. If there are small items, you know your child likes or feel 4th grade students would enjoy we would appreciate any donations sent in. Thank you for all of your support so far this year and the wonderful kiddos that you send us. We want to show the students that their hard work and kindness in class is noticed and appreciated!
Lost and Found
Don't forget to label your children's clothing, water bottles, lunchboxes, and other personal items.
Nurses Corner
From the Nurse’s Office:
With the cold weather, we are beginning to see an increase of illnesses. Examples include gastroenteritis (stomach bug), influenza, the “common” cold, COVID, and Strep throat, to name a few.
The absolute best way to prevent the spread of any virus or bacteria is HANDWASHING. Handwashing should take at least 20 seconds (sing Happy Birthday song in your head) using soap and running water. Hands should be washed when dirty, before eating or drinking, after bathroom use, after playing outside or playing with pets/animals, and after sneezing or coughing into her hand. The use of waterless hand sanitizers is appropriate when hands are not visibly soiled and when there is limited or no access to running water.
Our school building is cleaned on a routine basis. If there appears to be an increase in illnesses, the custodial staff will also do a “High Touch Surface Cleaning” as well.
Food Policy for Classroom Celebrations:
Seventh District Elementary has developed a snack list for all classroom celebrations. This list includes fruits, vegetables, sweet and salty snacks. Many of the items specify specific brands to ensure that all items are nut, egg, and dairy free. Please adhere to the specific brands of food to maintain safety for all of our students.
All classroom teachers have a copy of this list. I hope this will make class celebrations easier to manage with student allergies and allow us the ability to continue having food in classrooms.
Head Lice:
This is a gentle reminder that Head Lice is always a concern. Please continue to check your child’s hair routinely. If you find that your child has head lice, please contact me so that I am able to monitor the numbers at school and check other friends as needed in the class. As always, I encourage students with longer hair to wear their hair in ponytails, pigtails, or buns. Also, please talk with your child and discourage head to head contact in sports, on playdates, on the bus, and at school. Please remind them to not share hats, brushes, or hair accessories. All preventative measures are helpful!
As always, please feel free to call or email me at amy time with questions or concerns.
Angie Prestandrea, School Nurse aprestandrea@bcps.org
443-809-4753
Multiplication Basic Facts
Please continue to encourage your child to review their multiplication basic facts. If they have mastered multiplication, they can begin focusing on division.
There are some opportunities to practice basic facts during math rotations, but if students are struggling with recalling basic facts they will need to practice at home as well.
Students may use flash cards and/or the websites listed in Schoology to practice their basic facts.
Period 1 Math Class
The students have been working on Unit 4, Multiplying and Dividing Whole Numbers and Decimals. In this unit, students return to the study of multiplication and division strategies, including the standard multiplication algorithm. The students have completed the first two modules where the students investigated a number of strategies that capitalize on their estimation and mental math skills and help them continue to develop strong number sense. These include strategies that leverage the relationship between multiplication and division; the fact that 5 is half of 10; the relationships between fractions, decimals, and whole numbers; and the process of doubling and halving.
This week we focus on using the standard algorithm to multiply whole numbers and determine the best strategy when solving various problems.
Module 4 reinforces the connection between multiplication and division, using the area model and ratio tables to help students develop a degree of comfort with long division.
The Homework this week that is due on Friday is pages 77-78 in the Home Connections workbook kept at home.
Period 2 Math Class
The students have been working on Unit 5, Geometry and Measurement. In this unit, students are formally introduced to a host of new geometric concepts, including angles and angle measure, parallel and perpendicular lines, and reflective symmetry. In Module 1, students focus on comparing, analyzing, classifying, and measuring angles. In Module 2, students investigate parallel and perpendicular lines as well as line symmetry and use these terms and concepts to sort and classify a wide variety of polygons. During Module 3, students measure the area and perimeter of rectangles, making generalizations that support the introduction of the formulas for both. Module 4 features a return to angle measure, with an emphasis on the fact that angles involve turns or rotations around a fixed point and are additive in nature.
Focus for this week:
We will classify polygons using the shape's attributes and the students will also explore the concept of area and perimeter of polygons.
The students can use the following link to measure angles using an online protractor.
https://teachablemath.com/apps/protractor-practice-app/
The homework this week that will be due on Friday is pages 101-102 in the Home Connections workbook kept at home.
Students can also use the following link to review geometric terms for this unit.
https://apps.mathlearningcenter.org/math-vocabulary-cards/?39eym9vq
English Language Arts
I hope all students and families enjoyed their weekend! I look forward to hearing what everyone did on our return to school.
This week we are continuing with Module 6: Marvels of Nature. This week we will read Nature's Wonders, a series of poems. We will also read some short informational articles about each wonder discussed in the poems. Next we will read Grand Canyon: A Trail Through Time paired with a short informational text. We will look at author's craft, elements of poetry. We will also practice identifying making inferences and identifying figurative language. Then we will move on to reading Grand Canyon: A Trail Through Time.
For HW this week please look for the weekly Read and Respond Journal and phonics in Schoology. Phonics will also be sent home paper copy.
Have a great week!
Content
Mrs. Ferrari's HR has begun the second Science Unit and Mrs. Lippenholz HR has begun the next Social Studies unit.
Social Studies Unit 2- "The Earliest Americans"
Description of the Unit:
The continent of North American was home to indigenous people for many generations before the Europeans arrived. The earliest groups were totally dependent on their ability to use their skills to utilize the resources of the region. The earliest Native Americans migrated from place to place, eventually forming groups that were isolated by vast geography. Different cultures, speaking over two thousand languages, developed as each group adapted to the local environment and its challenges. Native Americans domesticated plants for food and healing purposes. They developed different styles of tribal organization. As the diverse Indian peoples modified their traditions and ideas to meet the challenges of changing conditions, they carved unique cultural tapestries that live into present times.
Science Unit 2: Soccket Solution
Unit Scenario:
How do you see when it is dark? For many people around the world, the answer is to just turn on the lights. But over 1 billion people around the world cannot simply flip a switch. They live every day with little to no electricity. They use fires and generators to provide light and heat, but these tools can be dangerous and harmful to their health. How can we help more people get access to electricity?