Friday, April 22

Dear Parents,

This update is going to be filled with a complete cry for help!  Here are the things I could really use your help with:

1. ISTEP SNACKS:

Please consider donating treats for ISTEP next week. I'm looking for donations of the following (we have 21 students) to keep our brains and bellies full:

• Lucky Charms
• Chex Mix
• Cookies
• Fruit Roll Up
• Bottled Water
• Tootsie Rolls 
• Peppermints (red & white star mints)

If you could send them in before Monday, that would be amazing!

2. Mini Grant

While perusing Facebook last night I came across a post from the Johnson County Community Foundation.  They are offing a $250 grant to 8 classrooms.  Our class discussed it and would really love to have 2 Sphero Balls to play with as we do our unit in Coding. All they have to do to have a chance to win is:

•  LIKE the Johnson County Community Foundation Facebook Page. 

• Then make a comment on the page with their teacher's name, school, and one sentence saying why their teacher is great.  

I promise, I am not into self promotion, but I am very into getting my students whatever they need to further their education.  The $250 would make us just $10 + tax shy of getting 2 Shpero balls for our room.  I will happily pay the $10 + tax if we are awarded the grant.  If you are willing to help our classroom in this endeavor, please follow this link for more information.
https://m.facebook.com/jccfindiana/photos/a.10150241420924268.336951.330914674267/10154101234769268/?type=3&fs=0

3. Chaperones 

Our field trip to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a week from today.  I am allowed to take 4 chaperones.  At this point I only have 3 volunteers.  The first person to respond to this email indicating they would like to go is in!

Thank you in advance for everything you do!!  

Sincerely, 
Mrs. McCain

PS  The BOOMER presentation today was AWESOME!! Check out some great pics and videos on in our Photo Album.

Monday, April 18

We are ready for another great week at Needham.  This week we will be reviewing some key concepts for ISTEP Math and learning about Simple Machines.  Our schedule will be a little crazy this week with third graders doing ISTEP and even a little crazier next week as we tackle our last portion of ISTEP.  Please, during these two weeks be sure to rest up, take breaks, eat healthy, and be at school!   Fresh air can also do you good, and there is lots of it today; so take some time to play outside tonight.

Friday, April 15

What a beautiful day - inside and out!  

MATH: Students came to school eager and ready to conquer the Unit 9 Assessment.  We began by reviewing the Study Guide.  The students had lots of great questions.  I love it when they add in the tips and tricks they learn from home!  Thank you for taking the time be be involved in your child's education.  Studies show it makes a much bigger impact than I could ever dream of making! We did begin our test, but are still working hard, so we will continue on Monday.

HOMEROOM:  Big thanks to Nick and his mom for arranging Dr. Pound as a guest speaker today.  We learned a lot about our livers! If you want to engage your child in a conversation about their school day, ask them what they know about a liver!  I bet they may even show you some of the cool treats from the goody bags Dr. Pound provided.

Friday, April 8

Our 1st bus trip to CBIS

Today flew by!  Matter of fact, the same could be said about the week!   I am sincerely sitting here wondering where it went! I guess the idiom is true, "Time flies when you are having fun!"


We did have a lot of fun today at CBIS!  It was very exciting to learn their expectations and tour the building!  The students are ready for the responsibility!


Thankfully we do have a few more weeks of 4th grade between then and now, and there is still a lot of educational fun to be had.  To make sure you are aware of all the upcoming events, please keep checking our Classroom Calendar, and enjoy the April Needham Newsletter.

Wednesday, April 6

HOMEROOM:  We had a perfect walk to Webb today!  The rain held out for us and the performances were exquisite!  Many students are talking about joining the High School Drum Line and Color Guard when they are able!  I can't wait for them to come back and perform as high-schoolers.

Tomorrow morning is 3rd and 4th grade Donuts with Dads from 6:30-7:30am.  Friday we will be going to CBIS to learn all about next year.  We will leave immediately following lunch and return for dismissal.  Whew, the fun never ends at Needham!

MATH: The students are doing some cool things with percents!  I am so proud of them.  Tonight's homework is SL 9.4.  They will need a calculator for part of it and were encouraged to bring their Math Notebook home to help them with the steps for converting fractions.  Just in case they forgot, here are the steps:

Fraction to Decimal:
Divide the numerator by the denominator.
(1/2  = 1 divided by 2 = 0.5)

Fraction to Percent: 

1. Convert the fraction to a decimal. 
2. Move the decimal 2 places to the right. (x100)
3. Add the % sign. 

Monday, April 4

What a great day to be at Needham!  It was wonderful coming back to stories of Spring Break adventures! My favorite was being greeted with all the heartfelt smiles and warm hugs!  I truly love my job!

MATH:  We jumped right into percents today and the kids were 100% ready!  I think they will have fun showing you how well they understand percents as they complete their homework tonight.  Be sure to look over their shoulder and "ohh" and "ahh!"
Unit 8 tests were supposed to go home today, but I forgot to record the scores before I left for break.  I am doing that tonight and the tests will be on their way to you tomorrow.  Feel free to wait until tomorrow to feel out the reflection page if you would like.

Please Note: As we move on into percentages, students will be allowed and encouraged to use a calculator on homework.  I do not have enough calculators to send home with each child, so please ensure a calculator is available to your child.  Any standard calculator will do, or they may use an online calculator such as this one: http://www.online-calculator.com/full-screen-calculator/

HOMEROOM:  Wednesday we will be taking a walk to Webb Elementary to enjoy a performance by the Franklin High School Winter Guard. (I am especially excited about this performance because my daughter is on the Winter Guard dance line.)  We will head to Webb after lunch and be back in plenty of time for the buses.

Wednesday, March 23

Today flew by!  We began the morning by greeting many new chicks to our school!  We are now up to 45 hatched chicks! 

Next we were able to watch the Spelling Bee.  Congrats to Macy for being our finalist and Lahari for being our runner up! That is quite an accomplishment!  

Later we reviewed math concepts in Block 2 and began working on any test corrections that needed done.  Block 1 will review and make corrections tomorrow.  

Tomorrow is the last day before Spring Break.  Please note that there are no after school programs such as Study Buddies or Youth Connections. 

If you want to do some more chick watching tonight, here is the updated link: http://youtu.be/rCxFvOP3YlM

Tuesday, March 22

THEY'RE ALIVE!!

We had 5 eggs hatch in our room today. (One was right after school so the kids might think it is 4.) They are adorable!!  I do want to appologize for the trouble with the live feed links, but I finally got it figured out.  You will see a live Youtube feed of the eggs if you follow this link:

http://youtu.be/SWpwH1aamGc

There is one live chick in the incubator.  The rest have been moved to an up-sized home for more moving room.  There are several that are very close to hatching, so I would expect anyone watching tonight will be in for a treat! 

In other news, we are very excited about tomorrow, and not just because of more chicks hatching!  Tomorrow is our Needham Spelling Bee. It will begin at 8:30 in the gym.  We are all super proud of our TEAM33 representatives: Brooke, Tristen, Jada, and our alternate,  Emily. Family and friends are more than welcome to join us for the spelling bee. 

Monday, March 21

Spring has arrived!  

Now we are just waiting on the arrival of our chicks!  We believe one is very close to hatching!  If you want to check up on our chicks, check out our live stream which should be up until about midnight tonight.  I will start a new stream in the morning.  We are hoping to catch the hatch! Our Hangout on Air stream is available at the following link: https://plus.google.com/events/ct6ikc2sg09fg07ei1fvptkub68

We will begin our Unit 8 Math assessment tomorrow.  Tonight's homework is to review the study guide. 

Thursday, March 17th

Happy St. Patrick's Day!! Today I felt very lucky to be with my classes!  The students are amazing!!

Tomorrow is going to be another exciting day!  It is Character Day so we all get to dress up as our favorite book character.  The only rule it that the costume can not impede learning.

Tomorrow is also the last day of Book Fair.  Students will be able to purchase during lunch.

Tomorrow we will also have some visitors.  Each 4th grade class will be getting 12 fertilized eggs in an incubator.  We are hoping that we will have 12 baby chicks by Spring Break.

After all that is the Spring Carnival! What a day!!  I can't wait!

Wednesday, March 16

Did you know that Parallelograms are just rectangles in disguise?  Today Mr. Daily showed us how to turn the parallelograms back into rectangles.  We even brought some home to show you.  Thanks to him can even show you how to find the area of a parallelogram!

This is just a friendly reminder that you might want to set out your clothes tonight so you are ready for tomorrow.  Make sure you include some GREEN! Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day!

Tuesday, March 15

Just a couple of quick reminders for today:

• Report cards are coming home tonight. 
• Book Fair purchasing begins tomorrow.
• Spring Carnival is this Friday.

See everyone tomorrow!

Monday, March 14

LIFE ON THE FARM IS FANTASTIC!

Today we were able to learn from several Johnson County Farmers.  They brought visuals, demonstrations, snacks, and even live animals!  We learned a lot about by products, production, soil and water conservation, and the care and life cycle of many different farm animals.  If you would like to have an engaging conversation with your child about their school day, ask them what they learned at the Agriculture Day field trip.  Just make sure you have enough time to really listen, because they are going to have lots to tell you!

Report Cards go home tomorrow!

Wednesday, March 9

Big THANK YOU goes to Mr. Daily for today's exciting lessons on static electricity.  All the activities were educational and engaging, but then what he did with our atom models was just plain cool!  He is going to make some lucky classroom very happy one day!

HOMEROOM: Please note, there was a schedule change.  The Character Day has been moved to March 18th.  So Next Friday, students will have the opportunity to dress up as their favorite book character.  It could be someone from The Tale of Desperaux, or any other character from a favorite book of theirs.

Next week we will also be browsing the book fair on Monday, and Wednesday is our day to purchase.

Tuesday, March 8

    What a great week we are having!  We are moving right along in our study of electricity! Today we made a model of an atom! If you would like to engage your student in a conversation about their day, ask them what an atom has to do with electricity.   I bet they can easily tell you, but if they have any trouble, let them refer to their science notebooks.  They are bringing them home tonight to complete their homework: 1. Finish Vocab page 2. Review Electricity notes.  Please just make sure that when their homework is done, and they have thoroughly impressed you with their depth of knowledge, their Science Notebook needs to go right back in their backpack! We will need it tomorrow for Mr. Daily's lesson on Static Electricity!


UPDATES: There is a lot going on this Month!  Make sure you stay informed with the Needham Newsletter and the TEAM33 Calendar.

• Tomorrow is the end of the grading period.  Report cards will go home on Monday. (Please note: There will be no Science grade for the 3rd 9 weeks.) 
• Thurday will be the Needham DI Fundraiser.  Be sure to grab a friend or family member and register today for this fun even. You can register online at http://www.theartofkira.com/  Just click on classes for adults or kids to see our link. 
• Friday is Character Day to celebrate our school reading of The Tale of Desperaux.  Students are allowed to be creative with their costume as long as it does not hinder their education. 
• We have a Farm Day Field trip on Monday.  Permission slips were sent home today.  Please return them as soon as possible! 

Friday, March 4

We rocked the ISTEP!! All the students worked so hard this week.  Their effort is VERY APPRECIATED!  Today our motto was "Work Hard - Play Hard," and that is what we did!  We played all different kinds of board games together.  It was a blast, but don't assume we weren't learning!  We learned how to create strategies, read directions, solve disputes, and be a good sport.  It was great! Bubba even joined us for the celebration of our hard work.

Just a few updates:

- Next week we will continue our study of Electricity.

 -Thursday 3/10 will be the Neehdam DI Fundraiser.  Register today because you won't want to miss it! Click here for the flyer!

 -We are still selling bracelets to support Athena Strong!  Bracelets are $2.00. Money can be sent in with your child.
Check out more great pictures of our PLAY HARD day in today's Picture Gallery

Tuesday, March 2

Today was an electrifying day!

We began today with a study of electricity and learned that there are 2 types of electricity: Static Electricity and Current Electricity.  

This week we are focusing on Current Electricity.  Student worked together to create 4 different circuits.  For each circuit, they had to show it working and not working.  They also explained why each circuit worked and why it didn't work. It was interesting that sometimes it was harder to make the circuit not work.  Either way, we learned a lot about electricity during our investigations.  If you would like to have a conversation with your student about their school day, first congratulate them on another successful day of ISTEPing, then ask them what they learned from their circuit investigation. 

Monday, February 29

Happy Leap Day! Today was an all around happy day!  Students came in ready to learn and are going home with some great proof of their educational growth.  Please check out the Unit 7 Test.  It can be found in the Feedback and Data Binder that is coming home tonight. Scores are also now posted online if you want to do a Grade Check!

Tomorrow starts ISTEP! We are so ready for this!  Don't forget to encourage your child.  They can do this! All they need to do is their best, and I promise, their best is good enough!

Tonight's homework is a good prep for the test tomorrow.  It is the 2014 Math portion of the ISTEP. We will go over the homework tomorrow before taking the test.  The questions on the test will not be the same, but it will be a good way to familiarize your student with the format.  

Get a good night's rest!  I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow! 

NOW, LET'S ROCK THE ISTEP!!

Sunday, February 28

I want to start this update with an apology.  I apologize for the lack of communication this last week. Not to make excuses, but the reality is I had an obligation every day after school and did not fall into bed until about midnight each evening.  Between MATH Bowl, Destination Imagination, the hunt for a principal, the ISTEP video, my son swimming at State and my daughter preparing for dance competitions....last week was a blur!

Throughout the week the students did an amazing job of staying focused. They not only rocked the Unit 7 Fractions test, but during the ISTEP practice test, their focus showed they are definitely going to ROCK the ISTEP!

Next week is ISTEP Week! Please make sure your child is at school and on time each day- it will provide a less stressful environment for them! Also, we'd like to ask that all devices (ipads, ipods, phones) be kept at home next week. Here are a few other ways to ensure success for your child:

1. Get plenty of rest each night.
2. Get up a little earlier - being late is stressful!
3. Eat a good breakfast - high on protein, low on sugar.
4. We will be testing Tuesday - Friday. Please be sure NOT to schedule appts. during the testing window.
5. Encourage your child with "Do Your BEST! You've got this! Rock the ISTEP!"

If you would like to send a special note for your child to be opened at school and posted on our Shout-Out wall, it would be so appreciated. Notes are such a treat. We have worked hard and are ready to perform. We are ready to ROCK this test! Feel free to address some to the whole class. We are a team and family that supports each other! Notes can either be sent to school in an envelope or can be emailed directly to me and I will print them off for your child place on our shout out wall. 

We will also be providing a special snack each day of testing.  If you are able to send any of the following items in tomorrow, it would be greatly appreciated!

• 3 bags of Star Mints - The red and white hard candies.  We call these magic mints, and research shows they really do add some magic by stimulating the senses. 
• 3 cases of water - water is the best brain food!
• Lucky Charms: 2 boxes
• Chex Mix: 2-3 big bags or 20 individual packages
• Rice Krispies Treats (20)
• Mini cookies (chocolate chip, oreo...) 25 individual packages
• Pretzel sticks: 2 bags or 20 individual packages

To end this email, I would like to share this years ISTEP video.  If you haven't seen it yet, you should watch it with your child!  They really know how to ROCK the ISTEP!

Wednesday, February 17

MATH: I am pretty excited about today.  The students are really starting to get the hang of these fractions!  We are even starting to convert them to decimals! Whew!  ISTEP HERE WE COME!

HOMEROOM:  I am ever so proud of these children!!  As you all know, our team has been hit with a lot of heartache this year, but they are always ready to meet it head on, doing whatever they can to comfort those around them.  Recently we learned that  Athena V., a  former member of TEAM33 and a cousin to current team member, Franco, has been diagnosed with leukemia.  Upon receiving this news the students immediately jumped into action! Today they began selling "Athena Strong" bracelets.  If you or anyone you know is interested in purchasing a bracelet to help this heartfelt endeavor, please send $2.00 to school with your child.

Tuesday, February 16

Welcome back!  I know from today's conversations that many people had a relaxing and fun long weekend!  Mine was pretty amazing too.  My big accomplishments were mopping my kitchen floor, weaning three calves off the bottle, and taking my kids sledding.  Of course, time with my kids was my favorite.

HOMEROOM: If you have not yet seen the post, I want to update you on the make-up day.  We will be making up the extra day in winter break on Tuesday, May 24.  This will be 4th grade promotion day, so you might want to mark your calendar and ask for the day off if you are able.  It is quite the celebration.

MATH: Tonight's homework is HARD!  And, I am not sure I did the best job teaching it today.  Please give it a shot, and we will work more on it tomorrow.  "Just keep swimming! Just keep swimming!" It will all make sense soon.

Friday, February 12

HAPPY FRIENDSHIP DAY!!
As you can see by the photo, I feel very loved!  Thank you for all the wonderful gifts.  As always, my favorite is definitely the hugs!  A big thank you also goes to all the parents that donated supplies for the party.  Another big thank you goes to Mrs. Gamez and Mrs. Fuqua for organizing  and hosting the party.  It was a blast!

NO SCHOOL ON MONDAY!  Have a blast celebrating President's Day and I will see you on Tuesday!

Thursday, February 11

If a classroom was filled with two groups of students, all focused on learning; and each group had 28 students, what would the probability of a great day be? 

Answer: 56/56 or certain!

That is definitely the kind of day we had at in TEAM33!  

MATH: Our study of fractions is going well.  The students are focused and doing a great job of showing their educational growth! Today we learned what a 50/50 chance means in probability and how it is not the same thing as the fraction 50/50.  Actually it is exactly half the fraction. If you want to have an engaging conversation with your child about their math block, ask them to expalin the meaning of 50/50.  They should tell you that if you have a 50/50 chance, half the possible outcomes are in your favor.

HOMEROOM:  Tomorrow is our Friendship Party!  We are pumped! Big thank you to all the parents who have pitched in to make tomorrow a special day. The party starts at 1:30! If you are available, we would love for you to join us!

Monday, February 8

Many important things are coming home tonight.

1. Feedback and Data Binder: This includes the Unit 6 Test results.  This was a very difficult unit for many of the students.  Please review the test with your child and guide them in making any corrections.  We did review the test in class today, so they may already know what their errors are, but they should still go over with you again. 
2. Math Journal Volume 1: Now that we have begun Unit 7, we are working in Math Journal Volume 2. Students have time in class to collaborate on the work in their journal, but their just isn't enough time to complete it all. Reviewing the skills that have already been taught is a great way to prepare for ISTEP.  So, students have been asked to complete Math Journal Volume 1 at home by the end of February.  When they bring in their completed journal, I will spot check it for accuracy.  I will also reward them for their hard work with 50 Purple tickets.
3. Unit 7 Parent Letter: The Unit 7 parent letter should be in the Feedback and Data Binder.  This has a lot of great information to assist you at home.  Please take it out and put it on the fridge so you may reference it throughout the Unit.  

As always, if you have any questions about these items or any other, please do not hesitate to contact me! 

Friday, February 15

What a great way to end a great week!  The team went outside for a few minutes to enjoy the warm weather and a game of Dodge Ball.  Our Dodge Ball rules were a little different though. Rule 1: No one can get out (unless they just wanted to play something else). Rule 2: The person who has the most fun wins! I would say we had quite a few winners! I know I definitely won!

A couple of tasks this weekend:
1. It was a very busy week, and we are not quite in the habit yet, so many of us did not get our positives filled out for the week.  As you are reviewing this week's behavior report, please help your child write down one positive for each day.

2. Next week is our Friendship Party. Students are challenged with making their own Valentine's holders. The directions below were sent home along with a class list and a signature practice sheet.  Students are encouraged to sign their valentines in cursive. The directions below are just a suggestion.  I have encouraged the kids to be creative and think "outside the box."  Many have already thought of very creative containers they could use to form a valentines Box!

Valentines Box Project
February 14th is Valentines Day.
We will be focusing on the friendships we have made at school. Our class will have a friendship celebration, including the passing out of Valentines.

You will be creating your Valentine's box at home. Together with an adult, gather the supplies needed to create a box to hold your valentines. A shoebox or tissue box is the perfect size. Be creative!

Supply Ideas:
♥ 1 box (you can use a Kleenex or shoe box or ???)
♥ Paper (construction paper, wrapping paper, tissue paper, scrapbook paper or fabric)
♥ Stickers, foam shapes, ribbons or other embellishments
1. Make a large slit on top of the box to fit the cards through.
2. Cover and decorate the box.
3. Be sure to put your name on the box, making it easy for your classmates to read.
4. Bring your decorated box to school on 2/12- the day of our party!


MATH: Math blocks did a marvelous job of finishing up the Unit 6 Test and thinking through any needed corrections. Test results will be coming home in the Feedback and Data Binder on Monday, along with the EDM parent letter for Unit 7. Fractions, here we come!

Thursday, February 4

MATH: The math test is going well.  We will use tomorrow to finish up and make any needed corrections.  Please talk to your student about how they are doing on the test so far and if their are any needed reviews they can do before continuing tomorrow.

HOMEROOM:  We are now several chapters into our new book, "The tale of Desperaux."  It is really good and filled with a variety of character traits.  If you would like to have a conversation with your child about their school day, ask them to describe some of the characters in the book.

Wednesday, February 3

ATTENTION SCIENCE BOWL STUDENTS: Please wear your Science Bowl Shirt tomorrow!

MATH: Tomorrow is our Unit 6 Test.  Homework is the Unit 6 Study Guide, which we collaborated on in class today.  Please come ready to ask any questions and do your best!

Monday, February 1

Welcome to February! Be sure to check out the NEEDHAM NEWSLETTER for February to keep up on what's happening!

HOMEROOM: Many of you have asked if we will be making up the day of early dismissal before Winter Break.  At this point I don't have the answer.  I know the corporation has requested a waiver for the day.  We are still waiting for the response.  To be on the safe side, I would recommend planning on attending school for Presidents's Day.  Then if we have it off, it will be an unexpected break.

On another note, a big thank you goes to Mrs. Gamez for volunteering to coordinate our Friendship Party.  If you signed up to assist, she will be contacting you soon.  If you did not, and you wish to assist, let me know and I will share your contact information with her.  Our party is on February 12th form 1:30-2:00.  As always, parents and family members are welcome to attend.


MATH: This week will be filled with hard work!  We are continuing our lessons on Partial Quotient Division.  This week we will expand it to include 3 digit numbers divided by 2 digit numbers.  Here is a VIDEO to help you help your child. The Homework page of our website has been updated and includes the Unit 6 Study Guide for Thursday's Test.

Friday, January 29

Congratulations Needham Science Bowl!  Needham ranked 6th in the state!!  How impressive!!  And, how exciting that many of those team members will now be joining our MATH Bowl team.  We are glad to have you!

MATH: This week was a lot of HARD WORK!  We were working hard to learn Partial Quotient Division, then added in rotations and angles.  We learned all about the pieces of a circle and how to measure them with a half-circle protractor and a full-circle protractor.  Thank goodness we took lots of notes in our Math Notebook. We will begin next week by reviewing what we learned and adding on coordinate pairs.  Tuesday ans Wednesday we will continue to review and practice.  Thursday will be our Unit 6 Test. It will be hard, but I am sure the kids will do well; because, they are good at hard work!

HOMEROOM:  Next week begins February, the month of honoring friendships.  It is tradition to have a Friendship Party in TEAM33. Our friendship party will be February 12th at 1:30.  If you would be willing to coordinate the party, please let me know as soon as possible and I will send you the list of volunteers that signed up at the beginning of the year.

It is also tradition in TEAM 33 that we use Valentine's day as an opportunity to practice our signature.  I will be sending home signature practice sheets early next week. Students will be asked sign each valentine in cursive. (They are not required to write their friends names in cursive.)  We have 21 friends in our classroom, and I will also send home a class name list.

Monday, January 25

Today was a normal, everyday, nothing too big, kind of day - and I LOVED IT! We reviewed our lesson from last week on the PARTIAL QUOTIENT ALGORITHM and started talking about the different uses of remainders.  If you have not watched the PARTIAL QUOTIENT ALGORITHM video yet, I highly recommend it.  The kids are doing great with it, but if you have never seen it before it can through you for a bit of a loop.  Today we also took some time to work in our Fact Fluency program.  If you want to have a conversation with your child about their school day, ask them how they are doing on their Fact Fluency Quizzes.  This HANDOUT will let you know the meaning of each level.  All students should be working in Green or above.

Tuesday, January 19

The Petro Family is in our Thoughts and Prayers! 

It felt so good to be back with my team today!  The end of last week was just a little too crazy for my tastes.  My daughter sprained her ankle while dancing late Wednesday evening and wasn't allowed to put weight on it all day Thursday, so of course I took off work on Thursday.  She did pretty well Thursday, but was in severe pain Thursday night due to a problem with the splint, so I took Friday off and took her back to the doctor.  He got everything fixed up and now she is doing much better.  Just needs crutches for about a week and several weeks of taking it easy at dance.  

Today it felt like forever since I had seen my TEAM33 friends and my heart was immediately warmed with all their smiles and hugs. (I still say there isn't a better job out there!)  As happy as I was to see the team, it was still a sad day for TEAM33.  Early this morning, with Brody's permission, we shared the sad news about his mom and our friend, Mrs. Petro.  Mrs. Deeter shared an insightful book and then we allowed the students to just talk about how they felt.  The kids did a great job of recognizing sadness and the symptoms of sadness as nervous, angry, sleepy, lonely, and yes even hungry. We gave each other permission to be sad.  Through the conversations there were many tears and lots of laughter. To be in the room was an honor as they wrapped Brody and each other in love. As the instructional day continued various students would approach me with questions and stories of their own connections to death.  I am sure that many more questions and thoughts will arise as students have time to process through the evening.  I encourage you to please have a conversation with your child about their thoughts and feelings of the day. If you or your child are in need of any additional resources, please do not hesitate to contact myself or Mrs. Deeter.

For anyone interested, the details of the visitation are listed below, along with a link to the obituary sent to me by Mr. Petro.  As a team I would like to send flowers, and get Brody a memory blanket from the class. In the obituary it also mentions two organizations that are accepting donations in her name. If you are interested in contributing to a class gift, feel free to send money in tomorrow.  Whatever money is collected will go towards flowers, a blanket, and hopefully a sizable donation to the Johnson County Humane Society.  It is also fine if you are unable to contribute or wish to contribute individually. 

Service Arrangements:

Wednesday from 4-8 at Swartz funeral home in Franklin will be her viewing.

Thursday starting at 10:30 will be her burial.

Virginia R Petro - Obituary

Sad News - Please read immediately.

Dear TEAM33 Parents,

I am contacting you with with a very heavy heart and an abundance of sad news today.  Over the weekend, one of our teammates, Brody, lost his mother to cancer.  This is difficult for even the strongest adult, but unthinkable for a 10 year old boy to endure.  Brody's mom, Virginia, was a loving, caring, involved mother.  She has been very involved in our classroom this year, planning parties, organizing classroom materials, working in centers with the students, and even just being a friend to each student.  Because of this connection and their closeness with Brody I am sure this loss will deeply affect each of them. I want you to know Mrs. Moore and I are working closely with the counselor, Mrs. Deeter, to ensure that the students are surrounded with love and support during the school day. We also want you to know that you may contact us if you are in need of any additional support or resources as you help your child work through this difficult time.

We will let you know any additional details about arrangements as we receive them. 

Hug your child tightly!

Love,

Melisa

Melisa McCain

4th Grade Teacher

Needham Elementary

Wednesday, January 13

What a great day to be a Needham Bulldog! Today we went to all of the New 7 Wonders of the world.  When we were done, we still had time to take a quick trip to the moon.  Not many people can say that!
If you want to have an EXCITING conversation with your child about their school day...just mention the Google Expeditions. If you want to learn more, check out this Scholastic Article on Google Expeditions.


MATH: As we finish up our Thermal Energy unit, we are keeping our multiplication skills fresh.  Today we even added on the "Old People Method" for multiplication.  You know...the method we learned when we were in school :)  Thank goodness it has a different name.  It is commonly called the US Traditional Method.  Students may need your help tonight as they work through the problem 65 x 93 =  If you need a refresher, feel free to check out the U.S. TRADITIONAL video.

Monday, January 11

HAVE YOU HEARD THE NEWS???
Google Expeditions are coming to Needham.  This is exciting stuff.
Through the technology that Google Expedition provides all of our students will be able to visit the 7 Wonders of the World.  What an amazing opportunity.  Most adults never get to do that! We can't wait for our adventure! Which one of the 7 Wonders would you like to visit? We just hope that the weather does not interrupt our plans!

Report cards go home today! The students are excited to share them with you!  A lot of hard work went into these grades.  Students should also be bringing home feedback and data binders for review.
MATH: Homework is to make a three digit by by three digit multiplication problem and complete it using their favorite method:

Partial Products Method

Lattice Method

Standard Method (We haven't done this one yet, but it is coming up in the next Unit.)

Wednesday, January 6

Another great day in TEAM33!!

SCIENCE: Today we learned what  thermal energy is and how to make it.  We even learned how it affects other particles!

HOMEROOM:  Today was our UNWANTED GIFT EXCHANGE and it was a HOOT!  My favorite gift was a bag of Hamburger Buns!!  The kids and I laughed and laughed!!  The great thing is many of the kids got some really cool gifts!  To make it even more meaningful, some of the students have decided to their gifts of toys (not hamburger buns) to children at Riley who really will WANT them.  If you have any additional toys and gifts you would like to donate to Riley, please send them in by Friday.

Tuesday, January 5

I LOVE MY JOB!!  Don't get me wrong, I was hugging my pillow just as hard as the kids this morning! But as soon as I got here, I knew there was no other place I wanted to be.  I truly missed the kids!  We started our day with a fun game of "Who did what on Christmas Break?" After that we jumped right into our Feedback and Data Binders.  We added our Unit 5 test information.  Please take a few minutes to review this data with your child and fill out the reflection page.  Knowing that you are interested in their data makes a big difference in how interested they will be in their data!

Later in the day we continued diving into data with our NWEA Goal Packets. Students looked at their data from the winter test we just took, and compared it to their past data.  It was interesting to hear them verbalize what they had done well on and what they needed to focus on to improve.  These kids really do take their education seriously!

This week will be a "Science" week and we will be studying Energy.  The students did a great job today of listing some things they already know about energy and some questions they have about energy.  Then we began our study by watching a video about heat.  What does heat have to do with energy? Well...We will find out tomorrow!!

Just a few reminders for the week:

Tomorrow will be our unwanted Christmas Gift Exchange. The fun will begin at 1:10.
Tomorrow is also Science Bowl and MATH Bowl.  All participants should be picked up at 4:00.