Mrs. Scott's Class

CST testing is complete! Yippee!! That is a huge relief for both the students and myself. We will now return to somewhat of a normal schedule for our LAST FOUR WEEKS of fourth grade. This year has flown by with all the fun we have had while learning.

Our California Era Poster Boards will be turned in on Monday. Students have worked many long hours in class and at home on this project. These project will be on display on Tuesday at Open House. Please plan on joining us for Open House on Tuesday! This is an event you do not want to miss. Your child will be your tour guide as they lead you through our classroom showcasing the outstanding work they have accomplished this year. I am proud of our class, and hope you come to share in our pride. Open House will be from 6:30-8:00

We will have a few culminating activities with the Great Horn Spoon this week as we have finished the novel. The class really enjoyed this books at they dove into the adventures of Jack and Praiseworthy's Gold Rush adventure. We will begin another literature study of Esperanza Rising towards the end of the week, as we are awaiting the arrival of our books. In Math we will dig into to probability, which is a fun topic. In Social Studies we continue our Gold Rush Interact Unit, completing background outlines and mining rounds. This has been a fun unit of study. Science Lab continues to work with circuits, which has students highly engaged. Being a GATEr in is an awesome experience!

Have a terrific week and a relaxing 3 day weekend next weekend!

Here is the Monday Note for the week.

After about 30 hours of class time working on our final project, they are due on Monday! All students should have the components they need to mount on their boards home with them. A few students fell behind in their work and were encouraged to take construction paper home for mounting, since I was not able to mount the work that was not finished.

Let your creativity shine on your poster board! Students were encouraged to decorate the background of the board to reflect the era they worked on.

Our boards will be on display at Open House on Tuesday night! Can't wait to see you there!

Here is the scoring guide for the project.

Great minds are hard at work in Room 24!

CST Testing concludes this week with Math on Tuesday and Wednesday. Last week we finished English Language Arts and I witnessed some serious test taking strategies. I was very proud of the focus and determination the students showed. Keep encouraging your child to do their best and show what they know!

There will not be any homework on Monday or Tuesday this week due to testing. Students are encouraged to work on their California Era Projects as needed. They should not stay up late doing so, as we will spend much of our class time this week working on projects. Students will bring their mounted components home by Friday for assembling their boards. Some students are ahead and can bring them home as soon as all of their components are completed. Hard work pays off!

Students should be saving all of their project work on a flash drive and bring it to school with them daily. We are making changes to our drafts as we revise and edit our work, having it on the flash drive makes this simple. I have loaned all of my flash drives out and students are generous sharing with others who do not have them. I encourage every student to get a flash drive if they do not have one. They are relatively inexpensive and will be a great tool to have in the years to come.

A huge thanks to Mr. Jost, our Technology Lab teacher, who has been flexible in allowing students to come in and work on computers since our classroom does not have computers. Some fourth graders have their own laptops, and they are allowed with them bringing them to school this week to work on their projects if they wish to.

We are in need of a baby picture of your child for a poetry project we are working on. Please send pictures to school by Wednesday and make sure your child’s name is written on the back. This picture will be returned at the end of the year.

As it begin to get really warm in the afternoons, I would like students to bring a water bottle to school each day. We do not have water in the classroom and leaving frequently to get a drink is not convenient.

Open House is next Tuesday, May 22nd from 6:30-8:00. Your child will lead you through our classroom showing you the awesome work they have completed this year. The Book Fair will be in the library during this time.

Science Night is scheduled for June 1st from 5:30-8:30. I hear this is an amazing event at Manchester, and I am looking forward to the experience. We will have a science activity led by students (sign-ups and activity information will be sent home soon), a helicopter landing, the Bungee Jumping Cows Concert, and a guest appearance from Kopi!

On June 14th all fourth grade classes will be celebrating the end of our school year at Oso de Oro Park from 10:00-2:30. We will need parent drivers for this event. If you are available to drive and celebrate with us, I would greatly appreciate your help. Let me know and I will send the required form home for you to sign.

The end of the year is approaching very quickly! It can get really busy and I wanted to give you a list of dates as you begin to fill in your calendar:
May 15: Choir Concert at 7:00 p.m.
May 15 and 16: CST Math Testing
May 16: Baby Picture Due
May 21: Project Boards due
May 22: Open House 6:30-8:00 p.m.
May 28: No School for Memorial Day Holiday
May 29: Orchestra Concert 7:00 p.m.
June 1: Science Night 5:30-8:30 p.m.
June 5: Band Concert 6:30 p.m.
June 12: 4th Grade Awards Assembly 9:30 a.m
June 13: Primary Play Day at Manchester 9:00-12:00
June 14: Ose de Oro 4th Grade End of Year Celebration 10:00-2:30
June 15: Last Day of School 12:00 dismissal

Please feel free to text, email, or call at any time. I have had many parents email or text me messages for their children during the day. This decreases the number of phone calls the office has to send through each day. If I receive a message and pass it along to your child, I will send a quick text or email back to you. If you do not receive a response from me, please call the office and have them deliver the message or ask to send you through.

Have a terrific week!

Here is the Monday Note for the week.

We have spent countless hours on research and our outlines. I have modeled and given instruction on each piece of the outline for several days, and today we completed the concluding sentences for each main idea. A concluding sentence should restate the main idea of the paragraph and lead into the next main idea. We also finished planning the introduction (introduces the era and main ideas the essay will include) and conclusion (restates the main idea and important points) on our outlines.

Many students started drafting their essays today. Most are finding that putting the essay together is simple if they completed each part of the outline as I modeled each day. Some students have fallen behind and need to catch up.
In my Monday Note, I said we would not have homework on Wednesday, but we are not testing tomorrow and it is crucial to get our drafts completed. There is just not enough time in our days. Tonight’s goal is to finish the draft of their essay. Students can type their draft after it is written if they wish. Make sure to save your work, so you can go back and make changes to your draft during the revising and editing process. Please do not use any font larger than 14 and keep your font style simple.

Many students are searching for their nonfiction text features at home due to the limited time we have in the Computer Lab. They can save their items on a flash drive and bring to school for me to print. If printed at home, bring them to school. On Friday, there will be some time in the morning for me to send a few students to the Computer Lab if they do not have a computer at home. I have told students to put the nonfiction text features on hold, and really focus on their essay. They need to use their outline to write their essay.

The goal is to have the final draft of essays completed by Monday morning. This will allow students some typing time over the weekend.

Next week we will focus on the nonfiction text features. We will mount all of our work on construction paper in class, and bring home our finished components to assemble our boards on Friday, May 18th. Finished boards will be due on Monday, May 21. As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

So we were so engaged at the end of the day playing Jeopardy that I forgot to give students their treats and notes! I will send them home tomorrow, but I wanted to list how smarties prepare for tests.

1.Get a good night's sleep.
2. Eat a healthy breakfast.
3. Dress comfortably.
4. Start your day peacefully.
5. Arrive on time.
6. Think positive thoughts.
7. Do your best!

Happy testing week!

This week we will begin CST testing. English Language Arts is broke into two sections and will be administered on Tuesday and Wednesday. We will begin testing at 9:15. Please make sure your child gets a good night's sleep each night and starts the day with a healthy breakfast. I will provide snacks for students each day of testing. Next week we will complete the Math portion of the CST. We will also test on Tuesday and Wednesday.

We are busy working on our final project for different eras in California's history. It is important that students use the time given in class wisely and do not fall behind. I have been modeling specific skills and strategies each day in class and then students have time to work their projects. On Monday, we will finish the introduction and conclusion section of our outlines. On Tuesday and Wednesday we will draft our essays with the goal of students beginning to type their work on Thursday. Our main focus in class will be our projects and CST testing. We are at a very important time in our year, and students need to take school seriously. Final presentation boards will be due on Monday, May 21. Students will bring all of their completed component home by Friday, May 18 to assemble their board.

Agendas are completed in class at the end of each day, it is part of our daily schedule. Students should be writing the learning topics for the day, their behavior card color, and any homework for the night. There will not be any homework on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday of this week or next week due to testing. Student will still be completing agendas in class and reviewing them with parents each evening. Please initial agendas daily. This helps me know that you are aware of what is going on in our class daily. It is an exercise of responsibility for the students and some are struggling with this daily responsibility. Practice makes perfect!

Have a terrific week. Happy Mother's Day to all the moms on Sunday. You have the most important job on the planet, and we have an awesome group of moms in room 24!

Here is the Monday Note for the week.

It is hard to believe that there is only 7 weeks of school left. We have had an amazing time on our California Adventure, and you know they saying...time flies when you are having fun!

As CST testing approaches next week, we will spend some time reviewing key standards in Math and Language Arts. Students will have a limited amount of homework this week, as we review. I want students to focus on paying attention in class and limiting the amount of talking they do during this important time of year. Our work is about quality and not quantity. There will be no homework during CST Testing.

Students have picked in era in California's history to complete their California Adventure Project Board. Students brought their boards home last week, and should be working on the background of the board. This project will be completed in class for the most part. Students will bring their completed elements home on May 14th for assembly. Finished boards will be due on Friday, May 18th. They will be on display at Open House on Tuesday, May 22nd.

Have a great week! Here is the Monday Note for the week!

I apologize for my lack of an update last week. It was my twin daughters' fifth birthday and we took a trip to Monterey for an extended weekend. During our trip, I caught a cold and was under the weather most of last week. There were many things that needed my attention, and I did not get the chance to update.

Here is the Monday Note that was sent home last week. It was only about the culminating project.

Room 24 is an exciting place to be! On Monday, we will have our Pig Out Pizza Party! This is our handsome reward for being the TOP SELLING CLASS during Manchester's Magazine Sales. Once again, thank you to all the families who were able to sell magazines.

Due to our study trip on Tuesday, there will be a make-up band class on Monday at 10:15. Students please remember to bring your instruments for this make-up session.

Tuesday is our study trip to Monterey. We will visit the Pacific House, Customs House, Colton Hall, then we will head to Mission San Juan Bautista. We will meet at 6:10 a.m in the classroom. Our bus will depart promptly at 6:30, please do not be late. Remember to dress in layers, bring a sack lunch, pack your backpack with a water bottle and snack. Label all personal devices, and remember you are responsible for everything you bring. We will return to Manchester at approximately 6:30 p.m. If there is a delay in our arrival or we are considerably ahead of schedule, I will have your child call you.

It will be a busy week in room 14 as we are engaged in learning and extra activities. Science Olympians will compete on Saturday, please see Mr. Painter's Monday Pack for more details. The girls' track team will have a qualifying meet on Thursday at Sunnyside High School, and the boys will meet on Friday. Please see the back side of the pink and blue permission slips for more information.

Learning Topics for the Week:
Skills: Word Masters Vocabulary
Writing: Primary Sources and Journal Writing
Reading: Response Questions for Riding Freedom, begin By the Great Horn Spoon
Social Studies: Gold Rush
Science: Rocks and Minerals

Have a terrific week and feel free to contact me at any time!

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a terrific week off school and is ready to plunge into learning for the next ten weeks of fourth grade.

Here is the weekly note of full of details about our week.