Mrs. Williamson Media Elementary School Room 326 610-627-6843

Mrs. Williamson Media Elementary School Room 326 610-627-6843

Fourth Grade

Welcome!

Welcome back to school and to Fourth Grade! We are have completed the first five days of school and are off to a terrific start so far this year.

I was glad to meet many of you at your homes in August and to see many of you at the Open House and Back to School Night last week. If you were unable to attend Back to School Night, I sent home the information that I shared that night you’re your child last Wednesday. Please let me know if you have questions.

This is my first monthly newsletter for the year; you can expect one on or about the first of each month, through June. I will usually focus on curriculum and special events for the month. I will also post this newsletter on my website.

Communications

In an effort to maintain open and frequent communications regarding your child, please feel free to call or email me at any time. It is helpful to let me know when I can return your call if you call when I am teaching. Please leave me a number where you can be reached both during the day and in the early evening if I am unable to reach you during school hours. I check my voice mail when I arrive around 8:00 AM and again at the end of the day. I can occasionally check it during the day, but can’t promise that… If you have an emergency and need to leave a message, please call the office to speak with Mrs. Boyer or Mrs. Emmons at 610-627-6802.

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS

Homework is an important aspect of school. The homework assignments are chosen to reinforce skills and learning. All assignments will be written in the same place, on the front board each day. Students are responsible for writing down the day’s assignments in their Homework Notebook, which has been given to them. I will initial their books after they have written down their assignments each day. If you do not see my initials, then I haven’t seen your child’s book. Math homework is checked and gone over in class daily. Reading Logs and KidBiz are checked on Mondays.

Daily homework includes a math page Monday to Thursday nights; independent reading for 30 or minutes EVERY night (may include KidBiz), and occasional assignments for social studies or science, such as a study guide or preparing for a test, which will be announced in advance. Students should keep their homework notebooks in their plastic take-home folders each day.

It would be very helpful if you could

spot-check your child’s folder daily for homework assignments, important information, and papers to be read and returned. Please look over, sign, and return all tests and graded materials, which will be sent home as soon as I grade them. Your child will be responsible for filing the returned, signed tests in the classroom after you have reviewed them with him or her.

Class Mascot

We will have a Minion as a class mascot this year. Each child will have an opportunity to be the Student-of-the-Week and take the Minion and the mascot’s journal home with them for a week or so. Our first Student of the Week will be randomly selected this Friday, September 15.

Text Books

Textbooks will be used in social studies and math. Math homework pages will be torn out so students do not have to take their math book home.

BOOK CLUBS

Scholastic Book Clubs are an excellent and inexpensive way to add to your child’s library and promote good reading habits. Book club order forms will be sent home from time to time with a due date at the bottom. You may also order online through the link on my website for Scholastic Books. This month’s orders should be sent in to me by Friday, Sep. 15. Please include a check made payable to Scholastic Books, or you can order on line, through the link on my website.

Books usually arrive within two weeks of the due date. If you would like to order books as a surprise, please let me know and I will hold the books at until you can pick them up. They make great gifts and you can’t beat the prices anywhere!

Our class also benefits from the purchase of books through classroom bonuses and teaching aides and materials. I can hold book orders if you’d like to give books as gifts. Just let me know.

September Curriculum

Language Arts

Our curriculum includes word study, grammar, reading workshop, and writer’s workshop. We will work in flexible groups to best meet individual needs. We will begin using Writer’s Notebooks this week. All Writers’ Notebooks need to be decorated (covered) by September18. I will cover them in clear contact paper to preserve their decorations.

Some students’ reading levels are being assessed this month. Once that information is collected, reading partnerships will be formed. Students are reading independently for part of the day, and will be reading with a partner beginning next week.

Reading homework is to read for at least 30 minutes a night, which can include reading two or more KidBiz articles and comprehension questions on the computer (scoring 75% or higher).

per week. I expect all students to write meaningful Post-it notes while they read and will collect those each week. A pink page is given to students to write one good post-it a night for homework and turn in on Fridays.

Math

We will begin the year with place value in our Math Envisions program. Topic 2 is adding and subtracting and Topic 3 takes us into multiplication. Homework will begin this week, and will usually be a practice page to reinforce that day’s lesson. We will also be focusing on problem solving in math and using writing in math as a communication tool and to explain how we got answers to specific problems.

Homework is often differentiated and rarely includes all problems on the page. Students circle selected problems for homework. A separate page about regular 4th grade math was included with Back to School night information.

Social Studies

We are starting the year with a social studies unit that includes the social sciences and geography. When we complete this unit we will switch to a science unit. Throughout the year we will alternate between science and social studies units. More detailed information for these subjects is on my website.

Class Website

My Web Site for notices, projects, homework, and general information is as follows: www.rtmsd.org/swilliamson

I update the Announcements page frequently. If you would like to be notified every time a page has been updated, you may sign up for E-Alerts through the Media School page, then choose your child’s teachers for teacher specific pages. If you have suggestions for additions or other features you think may be of interest or beneficial to others on the site, please let me know.

New this Year….

Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS)

This is a district wide initiative being rolled out in all elementary schools through carefully crafted and explicitly taught and modeled lessons on expected behavior in the classroom, hallways, assemblies, cafeteria, bathrooms and at arrival and dismissal. Expectations for behavior in each of the areas above have been identified and shared with students. Expected behaviors are taught and practiced.

Students have a matrix that they color in as lessons are completed. When all lessons have been taught, the matrix will come home so you can reinforce the expectation for school at home. See the Media School webpage for more info.

Morning Meeting

Our school district uses Responsive Classroom in every elementary class. Responsive Classroom is a research and evidence-based approach to elementary education that leads to greater teacher effectiveness, higher student achievement, and improved school climate. Morning Meeting is one component of RC. As students enter the classroom, they read and respond to a message on the board. At 9:00 AM, our day officially starts with a Morning Meeting. All students are seated in a circle on the rug. The meeting starts with a greeting. This week, we are shaking hands, making eye contact, and saying “Good morning ___”. The greeting is passed from one student to another until all students have been greeted. As the weeks progress, additional greetings will be added. This really helps us learn everyone’s name and shows respect to all.

The next part of Morning Meeting is a shared reading of the morning message. A leader points to each word as we all read along. Students usually respond to the message in writing before 9 AM and a class discussion follows.

Sharing is next. Each child will be assigned one day a week to share. After sharing, we have a short energizer when time permits and wrap up with The Pledge of Allegiance.

Morning Meeting Sharing Schedule:

Monday: Sam, Noah, Andrew, Maddie, Elliot, Lennon

Tuesday: Taylor, Ranvir, Tony, Kaleigh, Amaya, Orion

Wednesday: Jacklyn, Grace, Aditya, Davina, Christopher, Julia

Thursday: Olivia, Caleb, Sydney, Chase, Louis, Kenny

Snacks

Snack is completely optional. If you choose to send a healthy snack in for your child, we have snack in our classroom around 10 AM daily. As noted in your welcome packets and at Back to School night, we are NUT FREE classroom. Please plan your child’s healthy snack s accordingly.

Guest Readers

Parents are invited and encouraged to be a Guest Reader on Friday afternoons from 3:15 to 3:30 PM. Bring your own book, or read one of ours. Call or email me to fill an open slot.

Schedule for Guest Readers September and October:

9-15 Labiba Russo

9-22 OPEN

9-29 Heather Bickley

10-6 Tobin Bickley

10-13 Tonya Palandjian

10-20 Jamie Siever

10-27 OPEN

I will also put the schedule for the year on my website, under the Announcements and Reminder Page.

Date Savers:

Sep. 13 Math MAP test 9:15 AM

Sep. 15 Picture Day

Welcome Back Potluck Supper 6-8 PM

Sep. 21 School Holiday

Sep. 25 PAB Meeting 3:30 PM

Sep. 29 PTG Meeting 7:00 PM

Oct. 20 Harvest Fair

Oct. 26 Grandparent’s Day 9:30-10:45

Volunteering Opportunities:

·  Tools for Success: A few parents signed up at back to School night to help with Tools for Success. Volunteers need to have clearances on file. If you can help with this math fact program any day between 9:15 and 10:05, we would love to have you. Please let me know if you are interested. Free training is available. J

·  Typing up student writing: from time to time assistance may be needed to type up good copies of revised work at home. Please let me know if you can help with this.

·  Homeroom Parent Team: We have a few parents signed up, but you are welcome to join the team and take a role that you are comfortable with.

·  Photographer: We are asked to provide photographs of daily and special events for the Year Book. If you have a flexible schedule and a digital camera (not phone) you could be our paparazzi!

·  Field Trip Chaperones: We ask for chaperones when we send permission slips home for field trips. If the response is great, chaperones are selected by lottery. And trust me, your chances of winning are much better than the Powerball…

·  Halloween Costume Dressers: We will be in need of a few sets of extra hands to help students get into their Halloween costume on October 31. Around 1:45 PM…

If you have questions about anything at any time, please, please ask! I am here to help you and your child in any way that I can.

E-mail: WEBSITE: www.rtmsd.org/swilliamson