Wednesday, September 30

MATH: We had a change in homework plans for tonight.  Tonight students should make sure their Math Journal notes are complete and practice the Multiplication Fact Triangles.

HOMEROOM:  This week Lauren spent 50 tickets to bring her dog Holly in for a visit; and Brody spent tickets to bring his cats Max and Moe in for a visit! The students had a great time getting to know the pets and the pets seemed to think our TEAM was pretty cool too.  A big thank you to Brody and Lauren for sharing and to all the students for earning those purple tickets by being RESPECTFUL, RESPONSIBLE, and READY to LEARN.

TEAM 33 with Lauren's lovable dog, Holly.

Brody with his adorable kittens, Max and Moe

Tuesday, September 29

Ok...Today looks like an Autumn day!  First of many to come, so please help your child be prepared.  If it is not precipitating...we go outside. It is always a good idea to bring a jacket and have a pair of closed toe shoes ready for recess.

Autumn brings a lot of cool activities here at Needham.  The first one is PICTURE DAY tomorrow. Be sure to wear your smile to school.  We will be taking pictures early, so - if your kids are anything like mine - feel free to send a change of clothes.

To keep up on other events coming your way this Autumn, be sure to check out the Needham October Newsletter and our Classroom Calendar.

Monday, September 28

HOMEROOM: What a great start to the week! To begin with Emily and Brooke brought in some amazing dioramas. It was not an assignment. We were learning about the word diorama in the book The Year of Billy Miller, so they were kind enough to make us some examples.  And what GREAT examples they are!

MATH: Today we also added our Unit 2 Math assessment data to our Feedback and data binder.  While you are reviewing the data, be sure to discuss the colors. Blue indicates what your child was able to do independently, green is what they were able to do when I collaborated with them by showing them what needed to be fixed.  Orange is what they needed teacher guidance to achieve.  If you need a more detailed description of the data, please ASK YOUR CHILD.  They should be able to tell you all about it.  If you still have questions - no worries - we will be going over data binders during the parent teacher conference next week and I will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.

Don't forget to check the HOMEWORK page.  It has been updated with this week's work.

Thursday, September 24

MATH/SCIENCE: Today we learned the importance of conserving our natural resources.  Thanks to discovery education, we had a lot of fun doing it! If you would like to engage your child in a conversation about their school day, ask them to tell you 3 ways to CONSERVE our natural resources.  They should be able to tell you REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE. Then ask them what we use dinosaur guts for :).  They should be able to tell you that Fossil Fuels were formed from prehistoric plants and animals that lived hundreds of millions of years ago. We use these fossil fuels to produce plastic, oil, and even makeup.

HOMEROOM: A big thanks for getting all the parent teacher forms back in!  I am only waiting on a couple more.  It looks like so far everyone has gotten their first pick of schedule times!  I can't wait to see everyone at conferences!  I have some great things to share!

Tuesday, September 22

MATH: Today was a good day.  We ended Unit 2 in Math with a test, which students are doing fabulous on; and started our Natural Resources unit in Science, which students are excited about!

Tomorrow we will make any test corrections that are necessary, and then dive into Natural Resources.  If students want to get a head start tonight they can check out the Natural Resources Board assigned to them in there Discovery Education Techbook Account.  Most know how to get there, but you may need to remind them that the user name is fcs with their four letters and four numbers  (ex: fcsmcca1234). The password is just their our letters and four numbers.


HOMEROOM: Today ALL students brought home a Parent Teacher Conference form.  If your child has siblings at Needham they brought home a small yellow slip to confirm the conference time that has already been scheduled for you.  If your child does not have siblings they brought home a small half sheet that allows you to sign up for a time.  It gives directions on how to sign up online or on the paper.  All slots will be first come first serve, so I recommend SIGNING UP ONLINE WITH GOOGLE CALENDAR or sending in your paper request first thing tomorrow.  You may even email me your request if you do not have Google Calendar and I will do what I can to schedule you in the appointment slot you request.

This week is College Go Week!  Please talk to your child about college.  Did you go? Why or why not? Where did or would you go? What kind of things would you like them to go to college for? Also, remind them to wear their college shirts, hats, pins, etc. to sport their favorite colleges!

Monday, September 21

Homeroom:There are some great pictures in the week 7 folder.  Be sure to visit our Picture Gallery on our classroom website to view them all. Yes that is right, I said Week 7. We are now in Week 8 of our 4th grade year.  Our first grading period report cards are just right around the corner.  That makes this a great time for us to meet and discuss your child's progress.  Beginning tomorrow you will be able to request a time for parent teacher conferences.  If your child has a sibling that goes to this school, their conference time has already been scheduled according to your other conferences.  These children will bring home a conference slip tomorrow letting you know the date and time of the conference.  Tomorrow I will also post a link that will allow any parents with a Google Calendar account to choose an available time slot.  If you do not have a Google Calendar account, I will be sending a slip of paper home for you to choose your top 3 preferences for time slots, and I promise to do the best I can to get you scheduled for 1 of those slots.  Please be sure to send in your request as soon as possible.

MATH: The Unit 2 Test is tomorrow. Students have a Test Review in their Feedback and Data Binders.  They had some time to work on it with a friend today, but probably have a bit more to do at home.  All students should come prepared to ask questions tomorrow.  We will have a short question answer period and then we will take our test.  Fourth graders - You've Got This!

Wednesday, September 16

MATH: It was a great day for graphing!  Be sure to ask your child how big their head is! We measured them today and made a Line Plot graph.  Of course we also found the numerical landmarks to go with the data.  It was great.  Tonight's homework has 2 sides, but we are only doing the Partial-Sums Addition side.  We are not quite ready for Column-Addition on our own yet. That side will be coming home for tomorrows homework after another day of review.  If you or your student need a review of Partial-Sums addition for tonight's homework, please watch this tutorial video. (Partial Sums Video Link)


HOMEROOM: We will be having Parent/Teacher Conferences on October 7th or 8th! Soon I will be posting a link for you to schedule a conference time with me. If you have students in other grades or classes here at Needham, I am currently working with the other teachers to coordinate schedules.

During the conference I will review both Math and Literacy data. If you would like Mrs. Moore to be present at the conference, please email me right away so we can coordinate schedules.

Tuesday, September 15

A big THANK YOU goes out to our classroom assistants, volunteers, and donors! Tomorrow is National Teacher's Assistant day and I want you to know I could not do it without you!!  Everything from sending in snacks, monetary donation for field trips, volunteering time in the classroom, and those assistants who just come in to cut out my laminating and make copies.  YOU ARE APPRECIATED!

If you would like more information on how you can assists in our classroom, please do not hesitate to contact me.  Trust me, we need all the help we can get!

Monday, September 14

FLAT ROCK WAS FANTASTIC!!  Great weather! Great activities! Great lessons! Great students!  Great Chaperones! And we also have some GREAT PHOTOS! Please take time to browse our Week 6 Picture Gallery. If you were a chaperone and have any good pictures to add to the gallery, please just send them my way and I will add them to the folder.



HOMEROOM: Due to the field trip last week, we do not have enough data to send home the Feedback and Data Binders today. Students do have Math and Literacy homework.  Be sure to check out the Homework page for more information.

MATH: Today we continued our study of landmarks - not geographical landmarks like the Statue of Liberty. We are studying numerical landmarks.  If you would like to engage your child in a conservation about their school day ask them to tell you some of the numerical landmarks we worked on.   They should be able to tell you the following:

• Maximum - the largest number found in a set of data.
• Minimum - the smallest number found in a set of data.
• Mode - the most common number found in a set of data (It is found the MOst.)
• Range - the difference between the maximum and minimum. (Maximum - Minimum = Range)
• Median - the number occurring in the middle of the set of data. 

Wednesday, September 9

TOMORROW IS THE DAY!  FLAT ROCK FIELD TRIP IS FINALLY HERE!!

Your child will need:
Students will need to be a car rider on Thursday morning. Please be here by 7:40, or your child will be counted tardy. Students will also need to be picked up on Friday afternoon around 1:45. Students can be picked up outside the Gym doors. Please do not park in the bus circle.

Chaperones:  
Please be at Needham by 7:40 am. We will need a few parents to help load the box truck. We will also be having a chaperone “meeting” in the 4th grade hallway at 8:00 am. We will be leaving Needham at 8:15 am. We will need you to ride the buses. Be ready for two days of Flat Rock fun with our fourth graders!

Last Packing Tips Reminder: 

• Put sleeping bag/blankets and pillows in a trash bag, marked with your name
• Put clothing and personal care items in a duffle bag or backpack, marked with your name
• Don’t forget a towel!
• Bring a set of clothes for Friday, and 2 extra sets just in case!
• Wear tennis shoes/hiking boots, but NO flip flops (except for shower use); bring an extra pair of shoes and socks just in case!
• Bring plastic bags for wet clothes (Wal-Mart bags work just fine!)
• Bring rain gear... all activities are rain or shine
• If you’re bringing a camera, make sure your name is on it!!
• Don’t forget a coat or heavy sweatshirt for the night hike, it can get quite chilly - put your name on the inside label. Shirts are lost every year and left behind. 

Leave at home: knives, weapons, flammables, personal electronic items

Excited to be going to Flat Rock!

Mrs. McCain :)

Tuesday, September 8

I was so glad to see everyone back, healthy and safe, after the long weekend.  I even heard about some great adventures that were had over the last 3 days.  I had a pretty good adventure myself on the farm.  We cleaned an repaired the chicken coop, weened the 6 week old kittens, cleaned the cattle area, bush hogged the fields and even had time to rearrange some things in the barn.  Needless to say, I was very glad to be back with the kids today.

Tomorrow we will finish our classroom read-a-loud, The Positive Dog, and begin a school-wide read-a-loud.  The Year of Billy Miller.  To begin our kick-off, all students are encouraged to wear their favorite ball cap tomorrow.

Feedback and Data Binders are going home today.  Please look through the binder with your child.  You will find a Science Test to review along with Literacy Data.  Show how important education is to you by filling out the reflection page with your child and making well thought out, achievable goals.

Flat Rock Field trip is just hours away:

•  All money should be turned in tomorrow.  If you are unable to meet this deadline, please contact me right away, so we can work it out.  
• If your child takes medication, you will need to bring it to the school clinic Thursday morning along with a detailed list of times and medications to be dispensed.  All medication should be in it's original prescription container. 
• All chaperones should be at the school as early as possible on Thursday. (Doors open at 7:20)  We can always use your help organizing students, packing, restroom breaks, etc.  You should be no later than 8:00.  The buses will leave at approximately 8:15.
• Luggage is not allowed on the bus.  There just isn't enough room.  Please bring the bags when you bring your child to school Thursday morning.  If you are unable to bring your child in the morning, you may bring the bags during or after school on Wednesday.  If you bring them during school, you may drop them off in the office with your child's name on each bag.  If you bring them after school when the office is closed, you may leave them inside the first set of glass doors. Custodians will be watching for luggage and they will bring the bags inside the locked doors throughout the night. 

Just in case you need to review it, here is the list of packing tips:

Put sleeping bag/blankets and pillows in a trash bag, marked with your name 

Put clothing and personal care items in a duffle bag or backpack, marked with your name 

Don’t forget a towel!

Bring a set of clothes for Friday, and an extra set just in case! 

Wear tennis shoes/hiking boots, but NO flip flops (except for shower use); 

Bring an extra pair of shoes and socks just in case! 

Bring plastic bags for wet clothes (Wal-Mart bags work just fine!) 

Bring rain gear… all activities are rain or shine 

If you’re bringing a camera, make sure your name is on it!! 

Don’t forget a coat/jacket for the night activities. It can get quite chilly 

Leave at home: knives, weapons, flammables, personal electronic items 

Friday, September 4

This was a great week for meeting learning objectives!! If you would like to have a discussion with your child about their school day, ask them what the cars mean and what color they would be for each objective.

NEXT WEEK IS FLAT ROCK!!  How exciting!! All money should be turned in by Tuesday (No School Monday).

I hope everyone has a wonderfully safe weekend.

Wednesday, September 2

It's a great day to be a Bulldog!  Today I introduced the new learning objective in Math and the students were able to show me that they were already able to independently LIST MANY EQUIVALENT NAMES FOR NUMBERS. We are also improving on yesterdays new objective of being able to IDENTIFY VARIOUS WAYS NUMBERS CAN BE USED.  If you would like to have a conversation with your child about their school day, ask them to list as many of the following ways numbers can be used as they can:

1. Counting
2. Measuring
3. Reference System
4. Comparing
5. Identification and Codes

To really challenge them, see if they can give you an example of each.

HOMEROOM: Permission slips should be turned in ASAP.  I will be making a call to anyone with a missing slip tonight.  Please try to have all money turned in by Friday. Next week will fly by!  We will not have school on Monday due to Labor Day.  We will have school as normal on Tuesday and Wednesday, but the Trip is on Thursday!!  Wahoo!  Be sure to check out our classroom website for a count down of the days!