Force & Motion, 4th Grade State Fair

Force & Motion
Part of our force and motion unit in science was to co-create ramps that we could adjust for speed. They did a great job.

4th Grade State Fair

On Thursday, we visited the "4th Grade State Fair" in the gym. We toured the 50 states by listening to the 4th graders present about the state they researched. We have a few siblings in 4th grade, so it was extra exciting!

Dress-down day and 4th grade reading buddies

Dress-down day
Although I missed taking pictures of us on 80s Day, I did manage to snap a few of us dressed in our best on Friday. If anyone has 80s day pictures to share, please pass them on.

4th Grade reading buddies

We met with our 4th grade reading buddies on Friday. The 4th graders helped us with our math, read with us, and then collaborated on a non-fiction reading assignment using National Geographic for Kids. It was a lot of fun learning with them.

NWEA & Snowman

NWEA
Thank you for supporting your child last week during the NWEA testing. All students who began testing on Tuesday were able to finish last week. If they finished on Wednesday, they came home with their updated NWEA goal worksheet along with a note from me. I will be working with them to create an action plan soon to set them up to reach their spring goal. Let me know if you have questions or concerns.

SNOWMAN
Many members of our class spent their recess time creating a snowman. It was fun to see them work together to do something fun in the snow.

Please remember to send winter gear each and every day. This is the type of fun we have in the field!

Small Groups and Students of the Week

Small Groups
We have been spending a lot of time in small groups. Currently, we have four different groupings going throughout the day. We have: (1) our Reading Street Small Group in which we rotate through certain tasks and reading opportunities; (2) our literature circle group where are taking turns leading the group through a chapter book. (3) our math workshop group in which we explore, build, create, and/or investigate math situations; and (4) our social studies inquiry group where we research famous women in history.

Small group situations are incredibly fun, but they are also challenging. Students take turns leading and taking on different roles. This week we watched groups in a 'fish bowl' type setting to help us problem solve independently. (We call it a fish bowl because we observed the group from the outside of their circle. See photo.) We are getting so much better at managing our small groups without help from the teacher.

Student of the Week
The last two students of the week were Sydnie and James. Sydnie was selected for self control. She consistently shows self control in all situations. Whether she's waiting in lines, listening to others, at recess, or at specials, she uses manners and waits her turn. Way to go, Sydnie!

James was selected for self control as well. James loves to learn and have fun; however, he knows that there is a time and place for jokes. He understands that you can be a good friend and follow expectations in school. Well done, James!

Wonderful things at SPS, winter concert, Mrs. Minchin, Superhero, Ms. Stout

Wonderful Things I see Every Day at SPS
There is no doubt that your children are learning academically. I can see it in their scores and in their work as I observe them every day. I hear it in their conversations with one another during small group and book club and I see in on their math boards and morning work. However, your child is also growing so much socially. The way in which they interact and share is changing. I see hands automatically fly in the air when I ask a student if they need to 'phone a friend for help.' I hear students ask, "Do you need help?" when someone is reading through a new or difficult word. It happens all the time, each and every day. I know it's in large part because of your work at home, so I thought I would share just a glimpse of an event that happened at dismissal. A friend helping a friend...wonderful

Winter Concert

Wow! Can we sing, or what?! We did awesome on Tuesday night. Photo below (some of us got cut off due to cropping; sorry).

Mrs. Minchin

Mrs. Minchin, our para-educator, helps out in small groups in the afternoon. The students love working with her on Greek and Latin Roots and on math facts. We shared some love with her on Friday. She also distributed gifts to the students.

Superhero

Our superhero this week is Amogh. He was selected by Mr. Sheldon for always going above and beyond in taking care of his classmates, the classroom, and the school.

Ms. Stout
Ms. Stout is simply amazing. Not only did she prepare hundreds of students for concerts this week, she also prepared her choir class to sing to us on Friday. So fun and amazing.