First Week of PSSAs (04/11-04/15)

Hello parents and guardians! I know it has been awhile since Ms. Duke and myself have written to you, but it has been a crazy couple of weeks. As many of you know, the next three weeks the students will be taking the PSSAs. Here is the schedule for our testing:

English Language Arts PSSA: April 12th-15th

Math PSSA: April 19th-21st

Science PSSA:  April 26th-27th

During the weeks of testing, please make sure that your child is getting an adequate amount of sleep and eating a good breakfast every morning, whether that is at school or at home. This year, we will not be providing snacks for the students in the morning, but they will still be given one mint and one piece of gum to have while they are taking the test. Also, please remind your child to stay calm while taking the test. This year, we have not been making the test a big deal to ensure we are not stressing the students out. Encourage them to try and do their best.

If for any reason your child becomes ill and has to miss school, there will be days that they can take any part of the PSSAs that they have missed.

Report cards will also be distributed this Thursday. Please make sure that you sign the report card envelope and send it back to us immediately.

UPCOMING DATES:

Earth Day: April 22nd

Arbor Day: April 29th

Track and Field Day: May 2nd

No School: May 20th

Scotties Trees Rock Celebration: June 1st

Last Day of School: June 3rd

Thank you for all your help and understanding! If you have any other questions, please reach out to Ms. Duke or I at anytime.

Miss Harlacker and Ms. Duke

Final Week of February (02/22-02/26)

Hello parents! We hope that you are all doing well. We can not believe that it is the end of February already. Time is sure flying by and we have hit the mid marking period point of the 3rd marking period. Please be checking your child's folder for their mid marking period report, which will show their grades and the any work that they may be missing. We ask that you sign these and return them to us at your earliest convenience. Check out what else is happening this week:

Math: Unit 5 is coming to an end this week, which means that the students will have a unit test this Friday. A study guide will be sent home Thursday night, so please make sure that your child completes it to ensure they do better on their unit test and receive two extra credit points. We will begin Unit 6 next Monday. Continue to practice their fact fluency!

Science: We continue to work through our unit on ecosystems and environments. This will be our final science unit of the year as PSSAs approach us. The students will be completing a group-based project this week in class, which has them creating a habitat for a certain animal. I will make sure to take pictures and upload them to our classroom photo album or this blog!

Reading- How does figurative language enhance text? We will take a close look at similes, metaphors, alliteration, personification, and onomatopoeia.

Writing- The students will start brainstorming and drafting their historical informational pieces

Social Studies- How did the wars impact Pennsylvania?  We will learn about the causes and effects of The French and Indian War, American Revolution, and The Civil War.

Word Work- Tic Tac Toe Spelling is due Tuesday!

UPCOMING DATES:

Friday, February 26th - Spring Picture Day!

February 29th - March 4th - Read Across America Week

 - Please look out for a spirit week flyer that will be sent home this week!

March 3rd - 6th: High School Musical

March 19th - Elementary Art Show

March 21st - 24th: Book Fair Week 

March 24th - Grandparent Visitation Day

March 25th - No School!

March 31st - End of the 3rd Marking Period

Thanks again for all you do,

Miss Harlacker and Ms. Duke

Broncos for the Win! (02/08-02/11)

Hello parents! We hope that you enjoyed spending time with your family and friends watching the Super Bowl last night. I know that I was pretty excited to see the Broncos win! I understand there is a  chance that we will be getting a lot of snow tonight, but here is what will be happening this week! I will keep you updated on Remind if there are any changes.

Math - We continue to work our way through Unit 5 which concentrates on Fractions. Your child will be required to add and subtract fractions this unit. If they are struggling with their homework, please note this at the top of their worksheet so I am able to work with them on it the following school day. Please work on practicing fact fluency at home with your child as well. This helps make mathematical concepts much easier.

Science - Our adaptations and patterns unit is coming to an end. A study guide is being sent home tonight for the students to study from. I will also try and post the answer key to this blog so you may access it at home. Please study with your child tonight to ensure they do well on their test tomorrow. If there is a snow day tomorrow, the test will be whatever school day that they would return. We will be starting our unit on Environment and Ecology next.

Reading- Reading different nonfiction text and analyzing its structure

Writing- We will be starting a unit on Informational writing soon

Social Studies- The students will learn about William Penn's impact and how the colonies became unhappy with England's rule

Word Work- Tic Tac Toe spelling homework is due Wed, Feb. 10th

Sincerely,
Ms. Duke and Miss Harlacker

UPCOMING DATES:

Thursday, February 11th - Distribution of Valentines
**A letter is being sent home today with class lists and our class policy. Email us with any questions that you may have. This is not an obligation!

Friday, February 12th - No school

Monday, February 15th - We do have school now due to the snow days we need to make up!

Tuesday, February 16th - Study Island Benchmark testing
**Please sign the graphs that will be sent home that week and return.

February 18th-20th - Elementary Basketball Tournament

Our Full Week Back (02/01-02/05)

Hello parents! We hope that you have finally dug yourselves out of the snow. We can not believe that it is already February, but are excited for what is coming up in the next couple of months!

Math: We are coming to the end of our Hands-On Equations unit and will be starting unit 5, which focuses on Fraction and Mixed-Number Computation. Please make sure that your child is completing their homework each and every night. If they are struggling, have them try their best, and ask questions when they return to school the following day. Home Links for unit 5 will be sent home this Wednesday.

Science: We continue to work through our Adaptations and Patterns Unit, which will be ending early next week. I will probably be assessing the students some time early next week. Please look out for a study guide that will be sent home and make sure that your child studies prior to the test.

Reading- How do I analyze nonfiction text structure? The students will learn how authors organize nonfiction text.

Writing- We are connecting strong and convincing evidence with our thesis.  Our persuasive essays are due this Friday

Social Studies- We have a Native American quiz on Thursday! The students will be allowed to take their books and study sheets home in order to prepare, but please bring these items back to school since we need to use them in class!

Word Work- Tic Tac Toe Spelling homework is due Tuesday!

Vocabulary- Word of the Day quiz is on Friday!

Upcoming Dates:

Monday, February 1st: Report Cards sent home
Please sign them and return them ASAP

Wednesday, February 3rd: Career Day Spirit Day

Friday, February 12th: No School

A Short Week in January (01/20-01/22)

Hello parents! We hope you had a great four day weekend with your children. Our time was spent at school working through different workshops to help grow as teachers! We learned a lot of new and interesting things! Check out what is happening this week at school!

Math: We continue to work through our Hands-On Equations unit and the students are really excited about it. It is such an awesome experience to watch them grow and learn how to solve algebraic problems. Tomorrow, they will have their first quiz. Unfortunately, I am not able to send a study guide home, but most of the students should be fine! Please continue to have the students complete their homework and practice fact fluency.

Science: We have still been focusing on adaptations and patterns of living organisms. Our next couple of weeks we will be concentrating on adaptations and food chains and webs. Please look out for some science homework that may make its way home.

Reading: We are still practicing summarizing non-fiction texts. Please make sure that your child is reading at least 15 minutes a day at home.

Social Studies: Our focus is on Native American history and the students have a unit test coming up on February 1st. Check homework folders for a study guide that will be sent home.

Tic-Tac-Toe Spelling: The next one will be due on January 28th!

Writing: We are working on persuasive essays!

Upcoming Dates:

January 22nd: Movie Night @ 6:30

Scotties Trees Rock! Voting Start Date: January 11th-February 7th

- A couple of weeks ago, two teachers and a couple of students at Mazie Gable created a video of why trees are important to send into Scotties Tissues. This was a competition and our video was voted as one of the top 10 in the country! It is now a matter of popularity vote. Starting on January 11th you will have the opportunity to vote each and everyday for our commercial to win. Letters will be sent home with each student to tell you how the voting process works. We need your help with voting and spreading the word to as many people as you know. What a proud moment for Mazie Gable!

If you would like to receive text messages daily to remind you to vote, test 81010 with the message @mgoutdoors. The texting will stop on February 7th.

Visit the website http://scottiestreesrock.com/ to vote!

February 3rd: Career Day Spirit Day

February 12th-15th: No school!

February 18th-20th: Elementary Basketball Tournament

February 16th-26th: Study Island Benchmark #2 Due
**Make sure you sign and return their Benchmark graphs during this time.

Week of January 11-15

Hello parents/guardians! We hope you had a lovely weekend and are ready for this week! Check out what is happening in fourth grade this week.

Math: Last Friday, we finished up Unit 4 in Math and we will now be transitioning into Hands-On Equations. This is a completely new concept to the students, and it is the introduction of algebra. In fourth grade, they only completely Lesson 1 and will complete Lesson 2 and 3 in fifth and sixth grade. This is one of my favorite units to teach! Homework will still be sent home each night instead of Fridays so please look out for this! Also coming up this week, the students will be completing their Marking Period 2 fact fluency testing. If you have time tonight, practice these basic facts with your child.

Science: Tomorrow the students will be completing the Part 1 test of the Adaptations and Patterns Unit. A study guide was completed today at school and will be sent home with the students tonight to help them study. I have posted the science notes that we took in class on our blog as well if you need more guidance while studying with your child. We will then be studying how animals survive and adapt.

Reading: We are summarizing nonfiction texts about the Native Americans.

Writing: The students are publishing and sharing their personal essays.

Social Studies: We are learning about the Native Americans' way of life.

Word Work: Tic Tac Toe spelling due January 20th!

Vocabulary: Study Word of the Day words! Quiz is tomorrow, Jan. 12th!

UPCOMING DATES:

January 13th: Boots Day

January 18th-19th: No school for students.

Tree Commercial Voting Start Date: January 11th-February 7th

- A couple of weeks ago, two teachers and a couple of students at Mazie Gable created a video of why trees are important to send into Scotties Tissues. This was a competition and our video was voted as one of the top 10 in the country! It is now a matter of popularity vote. Starting on January 11th you will have the opportunity to vote each and everyday for our commercial to win. Letters will be sent home with each student to tell you how the voting process works. We need your help with voting and spreading the word to as many people as you know. What a proud moment for Mazie Gable!

If you would like to receive text messages daily to remind you to vote, test 81010 with the message @mgoutdoors. The texting will stop on February 7th.

Visit the website http://scottiestreesrock.com/ to vote!

January 20th: End of the Second Marking Period

January 6th-13th: Fact Fluency Testing

February 12th and 15th: No school

Freezing Into January (01/04-01/08)

Hello parents! We hope that all of you had a relaxing, yet exciting holiday break! Here is what is coming up in our first week back:

Reading- We are learning how to identify the main idea in nonfiction text as well as find the supporting details. Next we will be summarizing nonfiction text.

Writing- The students have chosen a person that means a lot to them and are writing a personal essay. They are learning how to include a thesis statement and supporting details in their opinion pieces.

Word Work- Tic Tac Toe homework is due 1/12/16!

Social Studies- We are beginning a unit on the Native Americans and how they affected the land before it was Pennsylvania. Our read aloud, Sign of the Beaver, ties nicely to this lesson.

Science- We will be half way through our Adaptations and Patterns unit at the end of this week and the students will be given a test on everything we have learned so far in this unit. The test will be given next Tuesday. Watch out for the study guide that will be sent home on Monday so the students may study.

Math- We will also be finishing up Unit 4 this week in math. The unit test will be given on Friday, which means I will be sending home a study guide on Thursday. As always, this study guide is optional, but if it is completed it is two extra credit points on their math test. I wanted to make all of you aware that I have been teaching the students various ways to multiply, but have really been pushing them to learn traditional multiplication, they way you and I learned. If you would like to practice this more at home, please reach out to me and I will send home some practice sheets!

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES!

Fact Fluency Testing: January 6th-13th

No School: January 18th-19th

End of the 2nd Marking Period: January 20th

Tree Commercial Voting Start Date: January 11th

- A couple of weeks ago, two teachers and a couple of students at Mazie Gable created a video of why trees are important to send into Scotties Tissues. This was a competition and our video was voted as one of the top 10 in the country! It is now a matter of popularity vote. Starting on January 11th you will have the opportunity to vote each and everyday for our commercial to win. Letters will be sent home will each student to tell you how the voting process works. We need your help with voting and spreading the word to as many people as you know. What a proud moment for Mazie Gable!

Check back to the blog for more important information!

Thanks,

                 Miss Harlacker and Ms. Duke