Mrs. Whitworth's Class - Team 33

Mrs. Whitworth's Class - Team 33
What a good looking group!

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Wednesday News

TEAM 33 Rocked yesterday at the Tug-Of-War during Field Day and today in Kick Ball. We were the only 4th grade class to defeat Webb. Unfortunately, Webb got to take home the Golden Kick Ball trophy despite our victory.

Tomorrow is Awards Day. We will begin at 10:00 in the gym. All are invited to attend the program.  You are welcome to take your child home after awards, but they will miss the walk through at the end of the day. At the end of the day, we'll walk through all the classroooms and the finale is the kids walking out the building under the canopy with parents and students lining both sides and wishing them good luck at CBIS.


Sunday, May 20, 2018

Today's News from TEAM 33

Good Afternoon

Hope everyone is staying cool today. It is a hot one out there.

Hope all your children enjoyed the Indiana State Museum on Friday. There was certainly a lot to see. The IMAX movie "Under the Sea" had many of us jumping out of our seats at times. It was showing the importance of taking care of our planet and slowing down global warming to help keep our marine animals safe. Almost all the students took home their Wander Indiana projects on Friday, it looks really bare in the hallway now and kind of sad. It looks like the year is almost over.

Please remind your child that we will still be hard at work this week. We all need to remember to be Respectful, Responsible, and Ready to Learn every day when we come into school. We will be having one more math test on Thursday and our spelling test on Wednesday.

Here are some reminders for the last 8 days of school:

Friday, May 25th is Wacky Tacky Dress Day
Monday, May 28th - No School, but Happy Birthday Ian
Tuesday, May 29th - Field Day
Wednesday, May 30th - Field Day Rain Date
Wednesday, May 30th - 4th Grade Promotion at 6:00pm
Thursday, May 31st - Last Day of School Awards at 10:00am. Parade at 1:50pm

Have a great evening!!
Mrs. Whitworth



Friday, April 27, 2018

Fantastic Friday

Here's what is happening with TEAM 33

We are back to a normal schedule finally. You're children worked so hard on ISTEP and I am so proud of them. We are certainly glad that it is over, that is for sure. We will be taking our Spring NWEA tests on May 15th and 16th, then no more mandated testing. Yeah!!

Monday the kids will get their new spelling words and the test will be the following Monday. We will also be having our Unit 7 math test later in the week. I will send home a practice test on Wednesday to help them study.

Today your child brought home a permission paper for our field trip to the Indiana State Museum on May 18th. The number of chaperones will be limited to four adults from each class. If you want to come along, let me know quickly.

Also today was the due date for the Wander Indiana Visual part of the project. Please check with your child to see if they have turned it in to me. Completion of this project is mandatory if your child wants to go on the field trip to the museum. I can't wait to see their completed projects. 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

As always, if you have any concerns, please let me know as soon as possible.

Mrs. W.

Friday, April 13, 2018

Fantastic Friday

Ask your child about math this morning. We had a fun time with fractions and reducing them down to measuring cup size. The result of our work was pretty tasty if I do say so myself. We will continue with our regular math lessons next week. 

On Tuesday we begin the second part of ISTEP. So please make sure your child is well rested and at school on time. We will be testing from 10 - 12 Tuesday through Friday. The testing will continue into next week. We will only do one test a day. In the afternoon, we are planning on doing some fun educational activities so the kids can relax. If you could, please provide your child with a healthy snack for testing. 

I was so happy to see the Travel Brochures come in today for the Wander Indiana project. If your child didn't bring it today, please remind them that I will need it on Monday. Each part of the project earns them points towards their grade. We have had some responses to our letters, a few of the students have received additional information from their site. 

If you are going grocery shopping this weekend, we could use a few snacks to put in the snack cabinet.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and stay dry.

If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to contact me.

Thanks for all your support,

Mrs. Whitworth

Sunday, April 8, 2018

Super Sunday

Good Afternoon,

Here's the latest from TEAM 33. 

Tomorrow morning we are going to take a trip through space in the One-Room Schoolhouse. Mr. Purlee will be our guest teacher as we explore the stars and planets in the Digitarium.

On Friday, we began taking the practice tests for the next part of ISTEP. We took the math portion and worked with all the tools that the students will have access to during the test. This week we will take the ELA and Science practice tests so that we are all ready for next week when the ISTEP will begin. We will begin testing on Tuesday, April 17th. I will send home a reminder about how to prepare your students and what days we will be testing later this week.

Friday, the 4th graders watched a video and had a discussion on Body Safety with Mrs. May. Many students had questions, unfortunately we ran out of time to answer all the questions. Please ask your child about the video and give them a chance to talk or ask questions they may have about the situations they watched.

The weekly spelling test is tomorrow for all the students. Also, each night your child will be bringing home their Home Links in math. I am taking a grade on almost all of the papers as you have noticed in Power School. So ask your child each night what they are working on in math. We are working on fractions and the different ways of solving the problems.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns for me, please ask. I appreciate all you do!

Mrs. Whitworth

Monday, April 2, 2018

Happy Monday

Good Afternoon Everyone,

First off, yes we are going to the Speedway tomorrow. We've talked with the kids about wearing rain gear including rain boots it they have them. The kids were also asked to bring a sack lunch with something to drink in it. (water or juice) Please send their lunch in a paper bag that can be thrown away. If your child needs a sack lunch from school, please let me know as soon as possible so I can let the cafeteria know.

Chaperones for tomorrow are:
Mrs. Farmer, Mrs. Bunker, Mrs. Hall, Mrs. Sappenfield, and Ms Gill

We began Unit 7 today in math. Each night the kids will be bringing home their Home Links page to work on for extra practice. I will be taking grades on most of these pages. 

Thursday, we will be taking our Unit 8 Reading Test covering Tall Tales. 

We have a new spelling list and the test will be next Monday. They should have their words written down in their assignment books so they can practice at home.

Our Wander Indiana letters are going out in the mail Wednesday morning. If you have an extra stamp at home, please send it in with your child.

Thanks for all your support.

Mrs. Whitworth

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Happy Spring?

Good Morning all. It's definitely a weird first day of spring. 

Yesterday we drew sticks of the parents who sent in that they wanted to volunteer for the IMS field trip. Well here's the results: Amy Hall, Liz Sappenfield, Angie Gill, Sophia Bunker, and Viola Farmer (Hannah's Grandmother) were chosen. The kids were so impressed by the number of parents who wanted to go along. (A little bragging) Our class had the most volunteers who wanted to go!!! Thanks so much for the support you give to your kids and our class.

We just finished the spelling bee for Needham. Luke Holcroft won and Clay Holman was second. Our three girls did a great job and we are all very proud of their hard work.

We will have our weekly spelling test on Wednesday. Your child will not be given a new list until after we return from Spring Break. 

If your staying around Indiana, it might be a great time to begin gathering information on your Wander Indiana project.

I hope everyone has a great Spring Break whether you're staying here or traveling off somewhere. Be safe and I'll talk with you all when we return on April 2nd. 

Mrs. Whitworth

Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Quick Notes

Happy Tuesday

FYI
We are having the last part of the Unit 5 math test tomorrow. All of the kids should be bringing their math journals home tonight to look over pages 178 to 189 for review. Also tomorrow, we will have our weekly spelling test. The words are written in your child's assignment book. There are several students who are not bringing their assignment books to school. Please help remind your child to keep it either in their desk or backpack so they can keep track of what is coming up in class.

Friday is the first deadline for the Wander Indiana Project. Several of the kids have returned the green sheet signed by you, if you haven't returned it, please do so by Friday. More information will be sent home soon about the project.

Next week is the Spring Book Fair and the Spring Carnival. The book fair will be open every day during the week and also during the Carnival on Friday. PTO is always looking for volunteers to help with this fun event. I'll be helping out somewhere during the evening.

One last thing, the third nine weeks is over this Friday. Report cards will be sent home before Spring Break.

Thanks and have a great rest of the week.

Mrs. Whitworth

Thursday, February 22, 2018

Thursday News

TEAM 33 is going to ROCK the ISTEP test next week. Yes, next week! Your child has been working hard to prepare for this test. We have been in the computer lab and used online tools to help us practice both math and English Language Arts. We will begin testing on Tuesday at 10:00 in the computer lab. We will take one test each day next week and should finish by Friday. Please make sure your child is well rested and has a good breakfast, we will also have our snack before we go to test. Also, try not to schedule any appointments that might interfer with our testing times.

Tomorrow is Jump Rope for Heart Sock Hop day. Mrs. Spaulding announced that the school has raised over $8,000 for the American Heart Association. That's amazing!!

All the 4th graders will be in the gym together during our specials time block for the sock hop. We will have gym again on Monday to make up for not having it tomorrow at our scheduled time. 

PTO is collecting Little Debbie cakes for the Spring Carnival. There is a collection box in the office for any donations. Presale tickets forms were sent home last week and can be returned at any time. The carnival is always a fun time for everyone. Mrs. Perry will also be holding the Spring Book Fair that week and the book fair will be open that night for anyone wanting to purchase books. 

Please continue to encourage your child to read each night. We have about 8 students who are over half-way to meeting the End of the Year 40-Book Reading Challenge. 

If you happen to be going shopping for groceries soon, we could use more snack items and/or napkins for the snack cabinet. 

At the bottom you will find a letter from Dr. Clendening concerning the safety of all our Franklin students.

Have a terrific Friday.

Mrs. Whitworth


Dear Parents, Guardians, and Community,

Over the course of the past week, once again schools across the nation have been impacted by violence and threats of violence. Franklin Community Schools and the City of Franklin Police Department want all to know that we take any type of threat seriously and will investigate and respond accordingly.  

Please review the following with your children:

  • If you see something, say something.  If your child witnesses a threat first hand, he/she should immediately contact a school administrator or contact law enforcement after school hours.  
  • Once the threat has been reported to the proper authorities, please do not share those messages with others.  This creates panic and an increase in rumors and speculation.  
  • Please review with your child(ren) the appropriate uses of technology and, especially, social media.  While they may interpret pictures, memes, etc. as ‘just a joke’, they are being taken very seriously by school officials and law enforcement.  We do not want your child to make a mistake that may result in severe consequences because he/she chose to post something inappropriate.    

Franklin Community Schools works diligently to create a safe and secure learning environment for our students and staff. Thank you for helping keep our schools safe.  We appreciate your help, support, and partnership in dealing with this serious matter. If you have any questions or thoughts please contact Dr. Clendening at clendeningd@franklinschools.org.  

Sincerely,
Dr. David Clendening
Franklin Community Schools

Chief Tim O’Sullivan

Franklin Police Department


Friday, February 16, 2018

Friday News

Good afternoon,

Jump Rope for Heart envelopes are due on Tuesday to Mrs. Spaulding. Friday is the sock hop for JRFH in the gym. The theme is the '80's. Please make sure you child wears clothing they can jump rope in.

We have been preparing for ISTEP this week. Thursday we went to the computer lab to practice typing the response to a question. The kids did a really good job. Today we went through some of their responses and talked about what they can do to make their writing better. I think they like typing more than writing. If you have any time in the next couple of weeks have the kids get on those ISTEP websites that were sent to you a few weeks ago and have them practice using all the tools. We will be doing the practice ISTEP this week, most likely on Thursday morning. Nothing to stress about, just practice. The kids will have the opportunity to see what it really is going to be like.

In math this week, we have been working on division. The students have been introduced to a couple different ways of solving these problems. It's still a work in progress, but we are making some headway. Please help your child study and learn their multiplication facts. Next week we will go back to Unit 5 to finish that unit which will then lead us into the remainder of Unit 6. (Geometry and Angles)

In Language Arts we are continuing to work on Fairy Tales and what features make up a fairy tail. Several of the kids are picking up their reading for our Reading Challenge. I think their might be a competition going on among some of the kids. Keep encouraging them to read at home and ask them questions about what they are reading.

We will have our spelling test on Tuesday, the words should be written in their assignment book.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and I'll see all the kids on Tuesday.

Mrs. Whitworth


Thursday, February 8, 2018

Thankful Thursday

Good Morning,

Today your child will be bringing home their Unit 5 math assessment along with some other papers. Jump Rope for Heart materials are also included.

Yesterday, all the 4th graders were testing out the computers ability to handle ISTEP. We called it a Stress Test to test the computers. 

We have begun Division in Unit 6. Please help your child learn their multiplication and division facts. Several of them do not know them. We will be making flash cards here at school to help, but I will ask the students not to take them home. 

Also, I am am missing two Data Folders. If you could check at home for the purple folders that would be greatly appreciated.

Attached you will find information to help combat the flu. We had a student leave this morning after getting sick in the clinic.


Thanks and have a great rest of the week.

Mrs. W.

Thursday, February 1, 2018

Wacky Wednesday

Hello All,

Tomorrow is our Unit 5 math test. All of the students brought home (or should have) a study guide. We filled it out in class today. If you have time, please go over the problems with them just one more time. Monday we will begin Division and Unit 6. We will return to finish Unit 5 later. All the fourth grade teachers decided we needed to get in division before ISTEP.

The class has been working hard on a couple of writing pieces for the past two weeks. We will be doing more writing in all areas to help us be more confident for the test at the end of the month. Yesterday, all the students who were in FCS last year got to see what score they received on the writing portion of last year's test. All I'm asking of them is to do their best on this portion of the test.

This week we introduced drawing conclusions in Language Arts. Tomorrow we will be taking a short reading assessment focusing on this skill. Keep encouraging your child to read at least 20 minutes each night and ask them questions about what they are reading if you have the time. We've got a handful of students who have passed the halfway point for the 40-Book Challenge.

We are about half way through the book A Wrinkle in Time. If you have time ask your child to tell you about the book so far and what they think about it. Along with reading the book, we are doing some activities that will help refresh our minds on grammar rules. 

Our Friendship Party is scheduled for February 14th at 1:30. The following parents signed up to help:
Brandi Franco - Drinks
Amy Hall - Napkins/Plates
Sophia Bunker - Refreshments
Kiley Leugers - Refreshments
I would like someone to help me put treat bags together for the party. If you are interested, please let me know within the next week.

Our snack cabinet is getting bare. If you would, the next time you go to the grocery store pick up a healthy snack for the kids, it would be much appreciated.

On a personal note. My father-in-law has been in the hospital for the last two weeks. He is recovering slowly from pneumonia and will soon be moved to a rehab center. Some of the kids noticed that I've been a little upset lately and I wanted you to know why.

Thanks for allowing me the priviledge of teaching your children.

Mrs. W.

Friday, January 19, 2018

Hello Everyone,

Sorry it's been awhile since I've posted on here.

Here's a few items I would like to share with all of you.

1. Tuesday Night is our NWEA Data and ISTEP meeting beginning at 5:00 in the cafeteria. Your child brought home a paper concerning this event. Please send the RSVP in as soon as possible if you plan on attending. This meeting will give all of you an overview of the ISTEP test (the written part is coming up the end of February). We will be serving pizza.

2. Science Bowl is having an extra practice on Monday. Pick-up will be at 4:00. There is a special snack for all who can attend this practice.
The Science Bowl Competition is Wednesday beginning at 3:00. Parents are invited to attend, but please no siblings. The less distractions the better for the kids. The competition should be over around 4:00, but may run a little over.

3. Girls on the Run registration is open. Spots are filling up quickly, so fill out the online registration soon. Mrs. Moore and I are the coaches this year. If anyone would like to help out, please let one of us know.

4. Needham has a new typing program that is accessible wherever there is an internet connection. The log-in and password is the same as they use here at school (4-letters, 4-numbers). Since ISTEP is totally online this year the more practice the kids get in typing, the easier it will be for them and less stressful. We will be working some on it here at school, but we don't have a lot of extra time to devote to this program.

TEAM 33 is working hard already this semester. Keep encouraging your child to do their best each and every day. Also, remind them to read something every day. I would like all of them to read at least 20 minutes every night if possible. We have 3 students who are over half way to reaching their end of the year goal of reading 40 books.

I think that's it for now. If you have any concerns or questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. I'd rather deal with an issue before a situation gets out of control.

Thanks for sharing your child with me. I truely enjoy working with them every day.

Have a great weekend!!

Mrs. Whitworth