IT'S FINALLY HERE!

DURING THE HOLIDAYS, I HOPE THAT EVERYONE WILL HAVE SAFE TRAVELS AND WILL MAKE SPECIAL MEMORIES WITH  FRIENDS AND FAMILY! IT'S A MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!

WE HAVE HAD A WEEK PACKED WITH TESTS IN MANY AREAS AND LOTS OF FUN! WHAT A COMBINATION! 

STUDENTS THOROUGHLY ENJOYED THE HOLIDAY PARTY AND APPRECIATED MRS. BROWN'S PLANNING TO MAKE IT SO MUCH FUN . . . . . MARSHMALLOWS AND ALL!!! THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR DONATIONS TO MAKE THE PARTY A SUCCESS. 

THIS MORNING,  WE JOINED ALL OTHER ADDISON STUDENTS FOR A HOLIDAY SING-ALONG!

REMEMBER THE WINTER BREAK READING CHALLENGE AND BE SURE TO RETURN YOUR FORM FOR A BAG TAG!

HERE ARE A COUPLE OF LINKS TO SOME FUN INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES!

INTERACTIVE HOLIDAY FUN! HAS A VARIETY OF GAMES TO PLAY.  I CAN NOT RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO CREATE SNOWFLAKES!   HAVE FUN!

SCHOOL WILL BE CLOSED FOR WINTER BREAK UNTIL NEXT YEAR! STUDENTS WILL RETURN TO CLASSES ON JANUARY 6, 2015!

DASHING FASTER!

During the next five days, we will be headed for the finish line of the first semester of fourth grade! 

There will be learning, testing, and some fun activities, too!

ADDISON'S HOLIDAY SHOP IS SATURDAY FROM 8:00 UNTIL NOON. COME HAVE BREAKFAST AND  FIND SOME                      SPECIAL GIFTS.

ON WEDNESDAY, OUR CLASS WILL MEET WITH OUR KINDERGARTEN BOOK BUDDIES, MS. WALSTON'S CLASS, FOR A FUN ACTIVITY AND A HOLIDAY TREAT!

OUR HOLIDAY PARTY WILL BE ON THURSDAY AT 1:00.
THANK YOU FOR SENDING YOUR DONATIONS.
MRS. BROWN IS PLANNING A GREAT PARTY!

ON FRIDAY, WE WILL ENJOY A WHOLE SCHOOL                  HOLIDAY SING-ALONG!

 

NEXT WEEK, WE WILL BE TESTING WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED IN MATH (DIVISION), SOCIAL STUDIES (EXPLORERS), SCIENCE (SIMPLE MACHINES, FORCE AND MOTION),

SORT 18 WORDS ARE AT SPELLERZ (CODE PVH565)

AND AT 

SPELLING CITY.

THANK YOU ALL FOR SUPPORTING YOUR CHILDREN AND OUR CLASSROOM!

A SPECIAL THANK YOU GOES TO MRS. BROWN, OUR ROOM MOM, FOR COORDINATING OUR HOLIDAY PARTY, AND TO OUR FAITHFUL SCIENCE LAB VOLUNTEERS, MRS. HERNANDEZ AND MRS. BROWN. TODAY, THEY HELPED US  UNDERSTAND NEWTON'S LAWS OF MOTION!

DASHING THROUGH DECEMBER!

It is hard to believe that December is here already! During the next two weeks, we will be very busy wrapping things up and tying loose ends in various areas of learning!

ADDISON'S HOLIDAY SHOPPE 

Saturday, December 13 from 8:00 until 12:00

Shopping, Activities, and Silent Auction!
Thank you for your generous contributions to fourth grade's Basket of Chocolates for the auction.

Our Holiday Party will be on Thursday, December 18, at 1:00. Please watch for notices from our Room Mom for party details.

Enjoy the Winter Break! December 20 through January 5, 2015.

Students will return to class on Tuesday, January 6, 2015.

Next weeek's Spelling Sort 17 is ready at
SPELLERZ code ASK357
and
SPELLING CITY
We will be conducting some classroom Spelling Bees to determine who will represent us in the Addison Spelling Bee. Practice, practice, practice!

MATH
We will continue to work with whole numbers using all operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, Students are showing that they know HOW to use the strategies they have learned for computation and for solving word problems, but too often careless mistakes and forgetting basic facts of each operation are causing poor grades on quizzes and tests. Please remind your students to practice the basic facts often and that checking one's work pays off!

SCIENCE
Next week, we will be learning about Force and Motion. Our visit to the Science Lab on Friday will provide some fun activities and hands-on experiences that will prove some of Newton's Laws of Motion.

SOCIAL STUDIES
Over the next two weeks, we will conclude our study of explorers and will begin to understand the beginnings of our great nation.

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO TO SUPPORT YOUR CHILDREN AND OUR SCHOOL!

WELCOME BACK!

I hope everyone enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday week as much as I did! Now we need to get back to working hard for the next three weeks before our next break. Please keep in mind that this time will be important for pulling up any grades we wish to improve before the next report card.

WANTED: ALL FORMS OF CHOCOLATE!

The PTA's annual Holiday Shoppe is around the corner. This year each grade is providing a themed gift basket for the auction.

The 4th grade is going to provide a "Chocolate Lovers” basket. We are asking you to bring in items for our basket.

Suggested donations include:

• Chocolate candy bars
• Chocolate candy in bags or small boxes
• Chocolate drink mixes
• Chocolate covered items
• Various types of chocolate –white, dark, milk
• Packaged chocolate brownies/muffins - Please note another grade is making a Baker’s basket so we need to stay away from baking mixes.

Unit 16 has been posted for this week at

SPELLERZ  (CODE GXV326)

and

SPELLING CITY

Students will present their explorer posters on Wednesday. They are also working on a project about their explorers in the Computer Lab with Mrs. Elmore. They should be ready to share it next week.

We will review simple machines this week and will test on Friday. Your student is certainly allowed to take home their Science textbooks for study and review.

We have leaned various strategies for multiplying and dividing whole numbers. This week, we will review and will test our skills.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!

Wishing each of you the happiest and most special Thanksgiving holiday ever! For those of you who will be traveling, be safe. If you'll be staying home, relax. Whatever you do, enjoy the time with your loved ones.

Snuggle up with a few good books during the Thanksgiving Holidays and complete Addison's Reading Challenge! Forms are due by Wednesday, December 3. Readers are Leaders!



Practice all the basic facts: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division!


Explorers posters are due Tuesday, December 2. Practice your presentation!


Practice spelling words from our spelling sorts as well as the official study list I gave students. We will begin our classroom spelling bees when we return. We will determine our classroom winner who will represent us in the Addison Spelling Bee before December 18.

Come back and be ready to learn!

DIVISION IN A RECTANGLE!

Can you see it? Today, we learned another strategy for division. It is a little more like the way you and I learned, so I hope you parents will enjoy Math homework tonight! This video should help you understand the rectangular method. Many students found division of multi-digit numbers to be easier this way. Follow the link:

RECTANGULAR DIVISION

IT'S ALMOST TURKEY TIME!

We will all be running next week to wrap up many areas of learning! It is important to be at school all day every day. The temperature is quickly dropping, so please be sure that your child is dressed appropriately. 

 On Thursday, your child should have given you a bright green "Emergency Dismissal Plan" for you to complete and return ASAP. With winter approaching, we need to know how your child will be going home in the event of inclement weather.

You are invited to join your child for Thanksgiving lunch at school on Wednesday at 11:40. On Tuesday and Thursday, we will be picking up sack lunches to eat in our classroom.

This week your student was introduced to a strategy for dividing multi-digit numbers by a single digit. An explanation and example of the strategy was sent home with their homework. Students need to understand how partial quotients help us divide large numbers. I know some of you may be frustrated with "Chunking & Chipping" but please try to be supportive and refrain from showing your child your way of dividing. We will get to traditional "long division" later. We will be learning some other division strategies in the classroom, also. Students will apply their learning to solving word problems and explaining their solutions in multiple ways which include area models and drawings. Please continue to remind your child to practice basic multiplication facts and division facts. From this blog, your child knows how to gain access to some fun practice games.

Today I sent home the study words for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. We will conduct spelling bees in our classroom to determine our representatives in the Addison Spelling Bee for fourth and fifth graders. The school winner will represent Addison at the Cobb County Spelling Bee. From there, the winner will go to the State Spelling Bee. Wouldn't it be great if the national winner came from 306 Listening Lane at Addison Elementary? 

I have posted Sort 15 at SPELLERZ (CODE: UTP772) and at SPELLING CITY.

Our study of some of the European explorers will conclude with the presentation of the students' posters. This week, I sent home the expectations for the poster project. Posters are due on December 2 and will be presented orally. Thank you for helping your child prepare. We are learning about Columbus, Cabot, Balboa, Hudson, Ponce de Leon, and Cartier and the ways the world was changed because of their explorations and discoveries. 

Grammar: We will be focusing on pronouns next week and their correct usage. Proper English, please!

 

Simple Machines are supposed to make work easier for everyone! We will continue our study of simple machines (lever, pulley, wheel and axle, inclined plane, screw, and wedge). 

 

Watch for information about the Thanksgiving Holidays Reading Challenge. Remind your child to check out a good chapter book or two to read during the break. We are fortunate to have both the Mountain View and Gritter's public libraries nearby. Take advantage of what they have to offer. 

NOVEMBER NUGGETS!

My how the days are flying by! It is hard to believe we are looking toward the holidays so soon. It is certainly a busy time of the year for families and for our students here at school. Thank you for making sure your child arrives on time and is wearing a jacket on these chilly mornings. We enjoy recess even when the temperature drops!

THANKSGIVING LUNCH FOR 4TH GRADE IS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19.

Our class will be eating at 11:40 which a little earlier than usual.     If you can, please join us!

THANKSGIVING HOLIDAYS ARE NOVEMBER 24 - 28.

This week I sent home information concerning the end of  year testing. Your child is able to access OAS from the school website to practice and to get an idea of what the test will be like. In addition to the green letter, we also glued their usernames and the password into the front of their agendas on a little green card.

Please share; send your child to school next week with a can or two if  you can!

The girls and boys made beautiful and very thoughtful cards for some of our local veterans who will be honored at Sandy Plains Baptist Church. Many expressed pride that their own relatives have served in the Armed Forces. We want all veterans to know how much their service to our country is appreciated!

BOW-TIE MULTIPLICATION!

This week we learned a new strategy for multiplying two two-digit numbers. The bow-tie strategy serves to remind students to multiply each of the digits of the two factors. The students seem to have multiplication all tied up!! Most mistakes are results of careless addition when adding the partial products or not being fluent with the basic multiplication facts. Please continue to insist that your child practices every day. As we move into division next week, those who know their facts will have a much easier time, You will see a new strategy - please do not show them the way you (and I) learned. They will be ready for our way for "long division" later!

SIMPLE MACHINES IN SCIENCE!

We have been learning about simple machines and today we had the chance to experience using each type of simple machine in the Science Lab. Oh what fun that was! We are thankful for our volunteers, Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Hernandez. We are especially thankful for three other ladies who do not even have students in our class - Mrs. McDonald, Mrs. Brock, and Mrs. Maddox helped us with our simple machines!

Next week your child will be assigned one of six explorers to create a poster project at home. The poster will be due after the Thanksgiving break. They will enjoy learning about the discovery of the New World and all the changes that came about for Europeans and Native Americans in this Social Studies unit.

Spelling Sort 14 words have been posted at SPELLERZ, code EHA748. Next week's spelling words are also waiting for you at SPELLING CITY.

Thank you for encouraging your child to read and to record that reading in their agendas daily. During the Thanksgiving Holidays, students will again be challenged to read, and will have another opportunity to be recognized and celebrated for their reading!