A long overdue update! I apologize for the lapse in posts! There is a lot going on in the Spring semester! Here are a few upcoming events:
Stanford Testing:
- Stanford testing began today and will continue through Tuesday, Jan. 26th. Students who miss any part of the test will make up tests in the afternoon on testing days, or on Jan. 27-29th. During Stanford testing there will be no formal homework. There will be no math, reading log, LDC, or spelling words. It is imperative that students arrive on time in the morning because we are trying to start testing promptly at 8:15. From 8:00-8:15 we are sharpening pencils, choosing books, using the restroom, etc. We have a very tight schedule and all of the 4th grade classes start and finish at basically the same time.
Tutorials:
- Tutorials started last week and will continue until the end of April. I am tutoring on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:15-4:15. I will be available for conferences on Fridays and some Mondays after school, and every day except Thursdays during ancillary.
Inventor's Showcase:
- Please bear with me as this is a completely new program for the entire school. I received the information packet the same day the students did. I altered the first deadline (for the invention proposal) to today because I did not have time to discuss the project with the students until Friday. I am extending the proposal due date to this Friday, the 22nd. After Friday all other due dates in the packet will be accurate. I will keep in mind when grading final projects that this is the first time the students have had experience with this type of project.
- This project is mandatory, but can be done in groups of 2-3 if students wish to work together.
- Extra copies of the Inventor's Showcase packet can be purchased in the school store for $1.00, I was not given any extra copies.
- The students need to get some type of notebook ASAP to use as a log book for their project. We have discussed that the log book is like a diary of what they are working on daily. I have also explained that when their projects are being judged they may not be there. This log book is an insight into their thoughts and ideas for those that view their project.
- I will be checking log books and Step 2 (Plan and Research) on January 26th. I do not want to extend any more of the deadlines because I cannot extend the final project completion deadline. Every step is explained in detail in the packet, but please feel free to e-mail me or stop by with any questions.
LDC
- We are in LDC this week and next week. Due to testing we met with Mrs. Gee on Tuesday, but the remainder of the lessons will be taught by me in the classroom. Homework is being done in class, so we are spending a great deal of time after Stanford on LDC. Mrs. Gee and I are hoping that if there are not too many makeups we will return to her classroom on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of next week to wrap up the lessons. We are studying articles about the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression. This ties in perfectly with our soil planner and is great practice reading non-fiction text.
Huckleberry Bash:
- There is a donation bag in my room for any donations for the 4th Grad Sports themed Basket. All donations can be dropped off in my room and I will make sure they get to the appropriate PTO member.
- I will be discussing ideas for the Classroom Creation with my students this week. Once we settle on an idea, any help with the actual "creating" would be greatly appreciated!
Upcoming Events:
Thursday, Jan. 21st: Stanford - Math Procedures and Listening - Math Tutorials
Friday, Jan. 22nd: Stanford - Reading Comprehension
Monday, Jan. 25th: Stanford - Reading Vocabulary and Language - Rainbow Challenge Practice
Tuesday, Jan. 26th: Stanford - Social Science, Science, and Spelling - Step 2 of Inventor's Showcase Due - Reading Tutorials
Friday, Jan. 29th: Free Dress Day and Mark Twain Spelling Bee
Saturday, Jan. 30th: Rainbow Challenge, Mark Twain International Festival (Students will be collecting money for the Red Cross during the festival!)
March 3rd: TAKS Writing Test
April 27th: TAKS Math Test
April 28th: TAKS Reading Test
Thank you for your continued support! Thank you again for all of the sweet holiday gifts! I was definitely spoiled rotten! We have had a wonderful start to the new year!
Sincerely,
Rebecca Zirczy
