We've had another phenomenal week. I received a great report from the sub when I was at my meetings on Monday. Kudos to all the students for continuing to follow rules and routines when I was out. VERY much appreciated. :)

Tomorrow RED-Y To Live A Drug-Free Life. Students should wear RED.  Award will be given to the class in each grade level covered with the most red.

Also, tomorrow is our spelling test day- feel free to help the students prepare tonight at home. Their spelling journal should be in their binder at all times with their bag of words, as well as a sort answer key pasted into a journal page.

In writing we are working on short narratives. If you have time to allow your child to tell their story idea aloud, it would be very much appreciated! Here are some important parts to listen for:

• Who is the main character and what does that character want (his/her goal)? (beginning)
• What obstacle will this character encounter as he/she works toward the goal? (middle)
• What actions will the character take to overcome the obstacle? (middle)
• How will it be resolved? (ending)
• What dialogue will they add to their story? Which characters are speaking and what are they saying to each other?

Monday will be quite a day! We'll have the GEO Bee, Fun Run, Opinion Essay Writing Celebration, Halloween Parade AND Party. Classroom parents are planning and organizing the party. We're excited for a big day!

Thanks for supporting your students in developing their wonderful Native American Projects. They are quite amazing. We'll be displaying them in the Media Center for a few weeks for all Bradley Hills students to view.

The end of the quarter is fast approaching. Friday the 4th is the last day of Q1.

Social Studies projects will be due TUESDAY. I'm am pushing it back a day. Please hold onto them until Tuesday. There is a lot of excitment in the room about what students are creating at home. I can't wait to see what they have come up with. Please email me if you have any questions.

Be sure to check out the 4th grade homepage. There is a new web address which links to a great list of resources. Students can use the listed websites to practice skills at home.

This week we started the Mindfulness program. We are off to a great start. Our instuctor is Ms. Zambri. She comes in 2 times a week for 20 minutes sessions.  I'll leave you with her notes.

Have a great evening.

Week 1 Mindfulness:

 This week we learned what mindfulness is, which is defined as paying attention to what is happening now, on purpose.

 After we started with some light yoga, we learned how to sit in our mindful bodies.

 We then use our sense of hearing to focus our mind on the present moment. We noticed noises in and out of the room. We also listened to the chime to see how long we could here it vibrate once rung.

 We talked about how our thoughts wander and how an anchor (such as listening intently) can help bring us back to the present moment. We will continue our exploration of other anchors next week.

 Finally, if you would like to see what kids think of mindfulness, please check out this short film.

http://www.mindfulschools.org/inspiration/just-breathe-julie-bayer-salzman/

Today your child has Writing homework tonight. Please be sure they take time to complete, as we will use it in tomorrow’s writing lesson.

Background Information: Your student has developed a thesis, and three supporting reasons. Tonight they are asked to choose one reason and write a mini-story that supports their thesis. They can find their thesis and reasons in their writing journal.

They will write the mini story on loose-leaf paper, only on the front page, use a second piece if more space in needed.

You will also notice we have put an “X” on every other line. This is to remind them to skip lines.

Each mini-story should:

• Be directly related to their reason, and support their thesis statement.
• Have a beginning middle and end.
• Conclude with a sentence that draws the reader back to the thesis.

Please email if you have questions. The students did a great job today in class writing a mini story, so they are familiar with the process. This should take between 15 – 30 minutes.

TONIGHT- is the PTA meeting. Your students are ROCKING this new writing program. Learn more about what we're doing. Our own 4th grade teacher, Ms. Dyer will be presenting so it's a great time all the 411 on The Units of Study Writing Program.

FRIDAY -is a half-day AND Dads Take Your Child to School Day. This is the first of an annual event that is organized to celebrate the special relationship that fathers and significant male role models have on the lives of their children. The event will be from 9:00-10:00.  

Fathers or significant male role models will bring their kids to school and let them go by themselves to their class so they can unpack, get settled, and get ready for the day. All visitors can come to the cafeteria during this time for some coffee and pastries provided by the PTA. 

After the announcements, visitors can go to their child’s classroom. Fathers with students in second through fifth grade will have the opportunity to talk to the students about their career. This should be no more than ten minutes in length.

This is the first time we are holding this event, so thank you all in advance for your flexibility and patience. 

We have 1 father who has asked to present, we'd love to have more! Please email me if you can make it in to share about your profession.

SCHOLASTIC BOOKS- Last call for September orders. Please get your order in if you are interested in purchasing.

HEADS UP! Monday October 3rd there will be no school. Friday October 7th we will have Individual Pictures.

Your children are super excited to build the ecosystems today. We received our live fish, snails, crickets and more yesterday and will observe them over the next few weeks in the aquarium and terrarium the students build today!

2 Liter Bottle Request- 4th grade is still taking bottles. We may need to modify our structures so having extra bottles on hand will be helpful. We can't have too many! Any extras will be or used in future projects or saved for next year's study.

The class has worked hard this week to develop their thesis statements for their opinion writing. You can ask them about their “box and bullets,” which is the thesis and 3 supporting reasons. I have been impressed with their dedication to developing a thesis they can support and speak to because it is important to them.

Another great week in the books here in 4^th grade. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.