Happy 2011! Welcome to your son/daughter’s final two quarters in 4th grade. It has gone by quickly and I am certain that the last two quarters will go just as quickly. The students came back ready to learn and tell me all about their winter break. Unfortunately, I was there on Wednesday and then my son was ill for Thursday, so I didn’t get into the routine yet this week with them. I am sure the 4 full days we have next week we will all get into routine and be even more ready to learn!
There are a few changes being made as we start the new year. The 4th graders will NOT have a book project this month. Rather, the students will have a reading log where they will track the minutes read, pages read, and also the book that they are reading. These logs will be collected every Friday and a new one will be put into their assignment notebooks. I am doing reading logs this month because Mrs. Sand, Mr. Halweg, and I typically take the 4th and 5th graders to Cresco Fitness Center in February for swimming. The details have yet to be worked out, but more news will come by the end of next week. So, the expectations for students are this:
1. Read at least 60 minutes per week.
2. Bring back reading log weekly with parent initials somewhere on the sheet.
3. Students should be ready to tell about their book at the end of the month.
As teachers we always look forward to taking the students over to Cresco for a fun and active morning for their reading accomplishments.
Another change is in math. Students were sent home with a packet containing games to practice their multiplication facts. We have now started working on gaining our Taco in a Bag ingredients this week. Students are given 60 problems of one particular multiple. Then they must get all of them right. I am not expecting a certain time, however, I am having the students make goals for themselves on a time. We take one initial test on a multiple to see how they do, and then they make a time goal from there. When they reach their goal and get all 60 problems correct they earn that ingredient. The students were very excited about it and some even passed the multiple of 2 on the first day! Ask your student weekly if they gained new ingredients. Also, continue to work on those facts, it will just help your son/daughter with their math skills. If you have questions about this please contact me.
Finally, the last change is in the computer lab. Students got e-mail this past quarter and it has been going okay. Mr. Dovenberg and myself have spoken with the students about appropriateness of content. However, some things came up over winter break and I have spoken with the students that one person can ruin it for all. I want them to be aware that this is a communication tool. I will be monitoring closely the amount of e-mail time they have here at school, but if you try to monitor them at home that would be appreciated. However, I also noticed the typing skills. Most 4th grade students don’t know how to type, so I am going to become their typing instructor. We will do typing twice a week here at school but I have found an online program that the students will be completing. They can work on it at home. If they pass a lesson please write me a note to let me know. The website is www.freetypinggame.net . Students can go here to work on lessons, take quizzes, and also play games. The more typing we can get them doing the greater the skills they will gain.
We will continue on with all of our units and the end of quarter is next week. Keep your students on top of their homework. If you have further questions or concerns please feel free to contact me via e-mail or school phone.
Thanks for the gifts for Christmas for both the classroom and myself. They are greatly appreciated!
Have a great 2011!
Mrs. Wicklund
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