11/23/09
Parents,
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! I hope you had a great weekend, and I hope you have wonderful Thanksgiving holiday planned. Please let me know (or the office) if your child will not be attending school this Wednesday.
This week being as short as it is, there will be no spelling test. This week the kids will see an example of the Book Project which is due on December 3rd! Let me know if you would like another copy of the worksheet.
Once again, have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and travel safely.
Mr.C
PS-It has been fantastic meeting with all of you at conferences!
MATH VOCABULARY
Look up the following words and use them in a sentence. The vocabulary is due on Wednesday the 25th.
Equation
Solve
Expression
Variable
Parentheses
Pattern
Rule
Function
Algebra
Symbol
Extra Credit! To earn two extra credit points, create a crossword puzzle using grid paper.
11-20
Happy Friday! Just wanted to wish everyone a great weekend. I also wanted to let you know that since we have such a short week next week, there will be no spelling test. It has been a joy meeting with the parents, I cannot wait to sit down with the rest of you. Take care.
Mr. C
11-18
Conferences have begun! It is great sitting down and talking with parents. With the conferences comes a change in schedule, one of which is kids are dismissed at 12:30. Another change this week is VOCABULARY IS EXTRA CREDIT! Students who complete the definitions and sentences for all of our spelling words this week receive 5 extra credit points towards their 2nd trimester spelling grade. I look forward to meeting with you (and it was great meeting with the four parents I saw this morning). Have a sensational Wednesday!
Mr. C
PS-Make sure your child studies their spelling words!
11/16
THINGS TO KNOW FOR THE WEEK OF 11/16-11/20
· Conferences begin Wednesday. Dismissal times from Wednesday the 18th to Wednesday the 25th will be 12:30 pm. I want to remind you that Thursday the 19th still starts at 10:10. Our schedule returns to normal on Monday, November 30th.
· Our Chapter 4 math test will be Wednesday the 16th not the 25th (I accidentally put the wrong date down on Friday). A study guide went home today, which is due on Wednesday. On Tuesday the 17th I will be having a study session from 3:15-3:45. Please let me know if you would like your child to attend! Your child will need to walk home or be picked up at 3:45.
· The test over “Tanya’s Reunion” is tomorrow! Please have your child read the story tonight (remember to count the minutes for the reading calendar!)
· The final progress report for the first trimester went home. Please return the bottom portion with any comments and/or questions tomorrow.
11/13/09
Parents,
Happy FRIDAY THE 13TH!!! I hope you all have an enjoyable weekend planned, although it kind of felt like a Tuesday today. There a few notes I wanted to pass on before the weekend.
· Conferences begin next Wednesday. Dismissal times from Wednesday the 18th to Wednesday the 25th will be 12:30 pm. For those of you with a 12:35 conference, please feel free to come in at dismissal, just be patient as I set up J. I want to remind you that Thursday the 19th still starts at 10:10. Our schedule returns to normal on Monday, November 30th.
· Our Chapter 4 math test will be Wednesday the 25th (this test will count toward the second trimester grading period). A study guide will be going home on Monday, which is due on Wednesday. On Tuesday the 17th I will be having a study session from 3:15-3:45. Please let me know if you would like your child to attend! Your child will need to walk home or be picked up at 3:45.
· The final progress report for the first trimester will go home on Monday. Please return the bottom portion with any comments and/or questions on Tuesday. Hopefully the progress report will prevent any unwelcome “surprises” come receipt of the report card!
That is about it, I hope you all have a great weekend. I truly cannot believe how quickly this trimester has whistled on by us! I would like to thank all of you for donating materials for our “aliens” it was fun. I would like to send a special thanks to Mrs. Rogers, Mrs. DeReu, and Mrs. Harwood for helping us out! Without them, there would be no creatures. Take care everyone, and see you soon.
-Mr. C
PS-Picture retakes are on Monday, November 16th, as is the Cookie Dough Pick-up (3-7 pm). Book Orders are due by Friday, November 20th.
Spelling Words
a lot
other
another
anyone
every
someone
myself
family
friend
people
again
anything
anyway
everyone
first
beautiful
clothes
cousin
everybody
weird
11-10-09
Parents,
Please remember there is no school tomorrow in honor of Veteran's Day. The kids have their Vocabulary to do and some math that is due on Thursday. Also, the book projects can be started once your 4th grader has completed their book. Have a great Veteran's Day, and be sure to thank a Veteran when you get the chance!
Mr. C
PS-Get those paper mache supplies in for Thursday!
Pa11/9/09
11/9/09
Parents,
I hope you all had a great weekend. This is a very special week, as it is the week we honor our Veterans. Today is our Veteran’s Day Assembly, and it is very important that we take time to discuss with these great students what this day represents and is all about. I encourage you to take a few minutes and discuss with your child what Veteran’s Day means to you, and what they learned from today’s assembly.
Today you received your Conference Scheduling Sheet. Please return the bottom portion as soon as possible. If the date and/or time for your conference will not work please let me know, and be sure to include multiple dates and times as an alternative. I look forward to meeting with you.
We are making our “Aliens” this Thursday! Please send in any PAPER TOWEL REEMS, TOILET PAPER REEMS, 2-LITER BOTTLES, SHOE BOXES PAPER CUPS, TIN FOIL, PIPE CLEANERS, “GOOGLIE EYES”, BALOONS, PLASTIC BOTTLES OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT COULD BE ON AN ALIEN that may be lying around the house. We could desperately use the materials for our aliens.
That is all for now, have a great week!
-Mr. C
PLEASE REMEMBER TO WEAR RED WHITE AND BLUE ON MONDAY! THANKS AND HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!
11-6-09
PAPER TOWEL REEMS, TOILET PAPER REEMS, 2-LITER BOTTLES, SHOE BOXES PAPER CUPS, BALOONS, AND PLASTIC BOTTLES!
The students of Room 19 are creating paper mache aliens next week to go along with our “Alien” stories. The above listed materials (as well as any other that may make a good alien “body part”) will be gladly accepted to assist our students in creating their masterpieces. Send them in Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday (remember no school Wednesday) if you can, our projects will be created on Thursday. Thanks so much!
-Mr. C
PS-Students have a test over "Tomas and the Library Lady" on Monday! I encourage them to read the story over the weekend (count the min. for your reading calendar).
Spelling Words week of 11/9
wood
brook
tool
wool
push
full
roof
group
prove
stood
stool
hook
smooth
shoot
bush
fool
pull
soup
move
CHALLENGE WORDS
soot
marooned
pudding
cocoon
superb
factor
multiple
divisor
multiplication
division
11/5
SOCIAL STUDIES TEST TOMORROW! Your child's homework is to read Ch. 1 tonight (be sure to count the minutes toward this month's reading calendar) and study their study guide. Some "terms to know" for the test are below. Have a great night!
Mr. C
Chapter 1 Test Terms “TO KNOW”
· Ancient
· Climate
· Equator
· Erode
· Erupt
· Glacier
· Irrigation
· Latitude
· Longitude
· Pollute
· Prime Meridian
11/2/09
Parents,
I hope that everyone had a lot of Halloween fun! I would I am sure the kids had a great time, I sure did. According to Mrs. Collyer, we have set a new family record for trick or treaters at a whopping 112. My wife’s family (which I guess would be considered mine as well) enjoys keeping track and competing against each other. I would like to thank all of our hard working parent volunteers who came to help at our Halloween Party last Friday. I would also like to send a special thanks to Jackie Vasquez for organizing the amazing event! Hard to believe, but Thanksgiving is just around the corner (my favorite holiday).
This week is going to be a busy week. A look at our week is below:
MATH: We begin Chapter 4 in math. Chapter 4 deals with the relationship between multiplication and division. It is important that students master their facts 0-12. If your child is struggling, please practice the facts with them. Flash cards are easy to make, and if you would like a list of facts to create flash cards, let me know. Also the “Fact Dash” math game at www.macmillanmh.com is a super place to practice multiplication and division facts. If you have not signed and returned the Chapter 3 math test, please do and have your child return it tomorrow.
WRITING: We are continuing with our “Alien Story” and I cannot wait to share them with you during conferences. Students are working on revising and editing their drafts. I am also encouraging the kids to be very descriptive in their writing. The spelling words for this week went home last week. The kids will also be doing vocabulary for their words again this week. Vocabulary is due on Thursday.
READING: The class is reading the great story “Tomas and the Library Lady”. We will have a test over this story next Monday. The October Reading Logs are due, and the November Reading Log went home today. Please review the goal and set one with your child if you want to change the suggested goal.
SOCIAL STUDIES: The students will have their first Social Studies test this Friday! The test will be over the first chapter of our Washington Adventure text book. A study guide will be created and gone over in class on Wednesday. The study guide will be due on Friday.
CONFERENCES: Scheduling for the conferences will be done this week. I will be sending home the conference times next week. Be sure to let me know if you cannot attend the conference ASAP so we can get it rescheduled. I appreciate all of you getting the available time sheets back to me so quickly.
That is it! Have a great week.
Mr. C
10-30
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! I appreciate all of you volunteers for coming in and helping with the party. The Math Tests went home today, please sign and have your child bring back on Monday. The spelling words are below. Have a FANTASTIC WEEKEND!
Tomas and the Library Lady
pound
howl
jaw
bounce
cause
always
shout
aloud
south
couple
drawn
scout
false
proud
frown
sauce
gown
couch
dawn
mount
gnaw
prowl
pounce
doubt
scrawny
10-28
Parents,
Our study guides for the Chapter 3 Math Test went home today for Friday's Test. Make sure your child brings it to class tomorrow! If there are any questions (from you or your child) let me know. I am having a study group TOMORROW from 3:15-3:45. Please email me or send in a note if you would like your child to attend.
On a fun note (although some of us think math is fun), on Friday students are encouraged to bring in their favorite board games. From 11-11:45 students will be able to play board games to celebrate the fact that they have received their 42nd "Excellent" of the school year. Do not worry, the celebration is after the math test!
Do not forget, tomorrow is our spelling test and vocabulary is due!
10/26/09
Parents,
Happy Halloween Week Everyone! It is very easy to tell that we are approaching the big night, hopefully it will not be too wet for our trick-or-treaters. I certainly hope you had a good weekend, mine was full of raking leaves. It was not so bad, at least it did not rain on me. We have a very busy week this week, a look is below.
MATH: We are continuing on with Chapter 3 and our test will be this Friday. I will have a study group this Thursday, after school from 3:15-3:45. If you would like your child to attend please let me know. You must be able to pick up your child from school. I highly encourage any students who are struggling with any of the concepts from this chapter to attend. Keep on practicing those multiplication facts as well!
READING: We will be having a test on “By the Shores of Silver Lake” tomorrow! Make sure your child reads the story tonight, and be sure to count the minutes for the reading calendar. The handout for our next book project went home today. The due date for the project is December 3.
WRITING: We are beginning a new writing project this week. It is our first narrative, it is an Alien Story (how fitting for Halloween). The kids are very excited for this project, as am I, it is one of my favorites. The spelling words for this went home on Friday and are available on my website.
SOCIAL STUDIES: We are learning about the regions of our state. Some of our spelling terms have come from our social studies curriculum this week. The students learned about Mt. St. Helens last week. If you have any interesting stories about the eruption be sure to share them with your child. They would be eager to hear them.
CONFERENCES: The slips for conference availability went home today. Be sure to fill those out and return them ASAP. We will be scheduling conferences very soon.
Have a great week!
-Mr. C
PS-Our class Halloween party is this Friday! Kids will be able to wear their costumes. Our party is from 12:45-2:00. Thanks very much to Mrs. Vasquez for organizing this fun event!
10/23
Happy Friday Everyone! Sorry it is wet, but at least we have the weekend. Wanted to let everybody know what a great job the kids did on their book projects! The information for our next book project will go home on Monday. The kids need to be reading a Historical Fiction book of at least 75 pages. Over the weekend, the kids can work on our "class chant" (ask them, they'll know) and our spelling words for next week. They went home today and are below (they are words from our math and social studies chapters). Have a great weekend!
Mr. C
PS-"By the Shores of Silver Lake" Test on Tuesday!
Social Studies/Math Spelling Terms for Spelling Test 6
MATH
survey
data
outlier
median
mode
graph
organize
interpret
probability
diagram
line plot
SOCIAL STUDIES
geologist
latitude
longitude
natural resource
human feature
transportation
tides
climate
precipitation
elevation
10/22
Our spelling test is being moved to tomorrow! We simply ran out of time today. Funny thing, the students did not seem to mind (how strange). This gives the students one more night to study, and it looks as though some of the kids really need it (especially knowing the definitions). Also, please sign and return the Science Test tomorrow.
10/21
Parents and students, I just wanted to remind you that:
BOOK PROJECTS ARE DUE TOMORROW!
Make sure you have your bag and your description sheet with you tomorrow.
One last reminder, SPELLING TEST TOMORROW! Be sure you know the definition of the homophones so you spell each word correctly. Have a great night.
10/20/09
Parents/Guardians,
I hope you all had a great weekend! I was out yesterday for an appointment, but I was relieved to see how well the students did on Monday. This week is a great and busy week. Some of the items to be aware of are below:
- Science Test tomorrow! The students have a study guide, they need to study them tonight.
- Book Projects are due on Thursday. All projects must be turned in on Thursday, with presentations on Thursday and Friday.
- Spelling Vocabulary due on Friday. Each word must be defined (they may be in the student’s own words, but the student must demonstrate they know the word) and used in a sentence
- Spelling Test on Thursday. The words this week are all homophones. The students will need to know the definition of each word in order to spell the word in its correct form. On Thursday’s test, the students will be given five words from our list they must define and use in a sentence. The 5 words will not be known until the test, so be sure your child is studying all of the words.
That is a brief look at our week. Have a fantastic week.
Mr. C
10/16
Happy Friday! I hope you all have a great weekend! The spelling words for next week are below and on Spelling City. Be sure your child knows the definitions of these words, as next week's words are homophones. They will need to define the words, and use them in a sentence correctly. Take care and enjoy your weekend.
Mr. C
By the Shores of Silver Lake
steel
steal
lead
led
wait
weight
wear
ware
creak
creek
beet
beat
meet
meat
peek
peak
deer
dear
ring
wring
pour
pore
vain
vein
vane
10/15
Happy Thursday all! Just wanted to let you know to please return the bottom portion of the progress report signed, and also return the "Finding the Titanic" test back signed. Let me know if you have any comments or questions. Have a great night!
-Mr. C
10/14
Hello everyone! Math Tests went home today, please sign and return tomorrow. Also, our spelling test is tomorrow so make sure your child is ready. Have a great night!
Mr. C
10/12/09
Parents/Guardians,
Happy Columbus Day everybody! I hope that you had a great weekend, I sure did. This week is going to be a busy one. A look at our week is below:
WRITING: We are going to publish our “Special Place” writing pieces this week! The kids have worked very hard on this writing and they are going to be great. This week our spelling list is from our Science curriculum, so be sure your child studies their words this week.
READING: On Wednesday there will be a test over our story “Finding the Titanic”. Your child can read the story at home and count that time for their Reading Calendar. Book projects (Memory Bag) are due next Thursday the 22nd. Be sure your student is working on these!
MATH: Tomorrow is our Chapter Math Test! After school today I will be having a study session to help students prepare for the test. If you would like your child to attend, please send me an email or call the school. The group will meet from 3:15-3:45. Chapter 3 begins Wednesday and the chapter covers data interpretation and graphing.
SCIENCE: We are beginning to wind down our Body Systems unit. This week we will be learning our epidermis! The Unit Test in science will be next week!
SOCIAL STUDIES: This week we begin the introductory unit in our social studies text “The Washington Adventure”. The students will be learning about some of the different geographical aspects of our state.
I also would like to let you know that “Dimes for Diabetes” fundraising began this week. If you have any spare change lying around, we sure could use it! Lastly, tomorrow is picture day. The envelopes went home today. Have a great week!
-Mr. C
PS-The first progress report of the school year will be going home on Thursday!
10/8
Happy Thursday (that feels like a Friday). The spelling words for next week are below, they are a bit tougher because they are Science terms. We have a test in math on Tuesday, so if you would like your child to receive some help after school on Monday, please send me an email and they can join our study session from 3:15-3:45. Have a great weekend.
Mr. C
Spelling Words for 10/12-10/5
1. Skeletal
2. Muscular
3. Respiratory
4. Digestive
5. Circulatory
6. Nervous
7. Respire
8. Oxygen
9. Exhale
10. Inhale
11. Involuntary
12. Cartilage
13. Ligament
14. Muscle
15. Organ
16. Variable
17. Arteries
18. Epidermis
19. Veins
20. Saliva
10/7
Tonight is Papa Murphy's Night! I will be greeting customers from 4-4:30 so stop by if you can and say "HI". Also, tomorrow is our spelling test, so be sure your student studies those words! Have a great night.
Mr. C
10/5/09
Parents/Guardians,
Hello to everyone, and I hope you had a great weekend! It is definitely beginning to feel like fall outside, so be sure your child has a coat each day. This is going to be a busy week, especially since THERE IS NO SCHOOL FRIDAY. A glimpse at our week is below.
MATH: We are continuing with Chapter 2 this week. There will be homework assigned tonight from Chapter 2 Lesson 4. The test for Chapter 2 will be next Wednesday. Be sure to check out macmillanmh.com to get examples, tutorials, and play games. This is a great site for your child to get help with their math. Also, kids need to be practicing their multiplication facts through 12! The site has a great game called “Fact Dash” that assists with this.
READING: The kids have started their new story “Finding the Titanic”. The test for this story will be next Tuesday. The “Memory Bag” book project is due Thursday the 22nd. Be sure your child is preparing for their presentation and finding the necessary materials. Each child received a graphic organizer to help them with this project. If they need another let me know. Make sure your child is keeping track of their minutes for their reading calendar.
SCIENCE: We took our Digestive System quiz today. We have also begun to learn about the Circulatory System! We conducted a very exciting project today to help us learn about how important exercise is to our hearts. The Body Systems unit will conclude next week. The test date for our Systems test will be announced next week.
WRITING: We are working on introductions this week in our writing journals. The students will begin working on a prompt entitled “Special Place”. This week’s spelling words went home on Friday and the test will be on Thursday. There are no extra credit words this week! Make sure your child is practicing their words; also be sure to check out spellingcity.com for great study tools. Kids can play games, take practice tests, and print off lists there. Just be sure to type in my name “collyer” to find our lists.
That is all for now! I hope you all have a great week.
-Mr. C
PS-If you have not joined PTO, it is not too late! I highly recommend you do.
10/2/09
Have a great weekend to all of you out there! I am doing something next week that I do not do often, we have a quiz on Monday (sorry). This is due to the short week (remember there is no school on Friday, Oct. 9th). Our quiz is over the digestive system, and all of the kids brought their study guides home today. Have a super Friday night, and GO COUGS!!
Mr. C
-PS Our spelling words are below.
"Finding the Titanic"
brush
juice
fruit
tube
lunch
crumb
few
true
truth
done
suit
pump
due
dull
tune
blew
trunk
sum
glue
threw
newscast
commute
continue
attitude
slumber
10/1/09
Happy October everyone (can you believe it is October already?). Today was the LAST day for extra credit for our spelling tests. In the future, spelling tests will include the Challenge Words as standard words.
Tomorrow is our test on "Grandfather's Journey". Students brought their books home and I hope they all read the story at least once. Speaking of reading, October Reading Calendars went home today. Please look over your child's goal and sign off that it is approved. Get those September Calendars in if your child forgot theirs today.
Thanks for being so supportive of your child's education and have a great night!
-Mr. C
9/30/09
Tomorrow is our spelling test, so be sure that your child has studied! Also, tomorrow we will be voting for our class student council representatives. The reps will be announced tomorrow. Have a great night!
MATH TESTS WENT HOME TODAY! Please go over the test with your child and return signed tomorrow. Let me know if you have any questions. Have a great night!
9/28/09
Parents/Guardians,
I hope that you all had a great weekend, mine was very nice. This is going to be a great week. A look at our week is below.
MATH: We have a test over Chapter 1 tomorrow! We begin Chapter 2 this week which covers Problem Solving and Properties. Be sure your child is practicing their multiplication facts!
WRITING: The students just finished up their latest piece entitled “Map of Me”. Their next piece is a district writing assessment about an activity they enjoy doing. This essay will be shared with you at our conference in November. The spelling words for Thursday’s test went home on Friday.
READING: We will be reading “Grandfather’s Journey” this week. There will be a quiz on Friday over this story, so be sure your child reads the story more than once! Also, our Reading Calendars are due on October 1st, which is this Thursday.
SCIENCE: We are continuing with our Body Systems Unit, and we are learning about the muscles, digestive system, and the respiratory system. The Bone Test went home on Friday, please sign and return to school.
Have a great week!
-Mr. C
PLEASE SIGN YOUR CHILD'S BONE TEST AND HAVE THEM RETURN ON MONDAY! Have a great weekend.
Happy Friday Everyone!
Today the Chapter 1 Study Guides went home. They are due the day of the test, and they must be signed when collected. Study Guides will be collected on Tuesday, the day of the test. Have a great weekend! Next week's spelling words are below.
"Grandfather's Journey"
snow
grind
still
coast
odd
crime
gold
wrote
flight
build
broke
blind
folk
grown
shock
ripe
coal
inch
sigh
built
CHALLENGE WORDS
remind
approach
rigid
recognize
continent
9-24
Be sure your fantastic fourth grader studies for their Bone Test, which is tomorrow!
Also, your child will have a math chapter 1 study guide going home for our math test, which is on Tuesday.
Have a great night!
9-21-09
Parents/Guardians,
What a great weekend! I hope you had as fine and fun a weekend as I did. This is going to be a very busy week, but it should be a great one. A look at our week is below.
MATH: We are continuing with chapter one of our text, focusing primarily on place value. There will be a mid chapter quiz on Wednesday, and our test on chapter one is next week (Tuesday is the tentative day). Be sure your student is practicing their times tables!
READING: We received our first book project today! The project is titled “Memory Bag” and is due on October 22nd. The handout for the project went home today. Be sure to look it over and let me know if you have any questions.
SCIENCE: We will be having a quiz over the bones on Friday. Your child has a study guide in their workbook, and they are strongly encouraged to study daily!
WRITING: The students are wrapping up their “Map of Me” essays, and they are looking great! The final copies will be due on Friday. Some students may need to bring their journals home to finish up their rough drafts. We are also writing letters to our Mukogawa pen-pals. Our pen-pals will be visiting us tomorrow. Be sure that your child is studying their spelling words.
Have a great week!
Mr. C
Have a great weekend everyone! Our spelling words are below for next week.
"Journeys"
cannot
can't
don't
haven't
won't
wouldn't
I'd
I'll
let's
we're
I'm
didn't
o'clock
that's
there's
minute
stretch
instead
ninety
divide
*There are no challenge words this week!
CURRICULUM NIGHT TONIGHT!
It begins promptly at 5:30, and we begin right here in Room 19. If you cannot make it, no biggie, just email me if you can. I will you get you the materials and you can let me know if you have any questions. Have a great day!
9/16/09
Be sure your student is ready for our first spelling test tomorrow! The words are below and titled "Akiak". There are also great study tools by clicking on the Spelling word practice link above.
Students are beginning their "What's in the Bag" presentations. Help your student practice at home, and be sure they bring in their materials the day they present.
Hope to see all of you parents tomorrow night at 5:30 at Curriculum Night! Remember, we begin in my room then move to the library. Have a great Wednesday!
9/14/09
Parents/Guardians,
Welcome to the first full week of the school year! I hope you all had a great weekend, I did. How about those Seahawks!? We will not mention the Cougs (that may happen a few times this football season). This is going to be a very busy week. Lots of “firsts” for the kids, and parents, you have a few items this week as well.
Curriculum Night is this week, on Thursday from 5:30-6:15. We are asking that parents begin the evening with a 15 minute presentation by their child’s teacher. These will be held the teacher’s classroom. The remaining half-hour will be whole group in the library, with all of the 4th grade teachers. This is a great chance for you to see what your child will be learning, the materials that will assist in facilitating their learning, and ask any questions you may have. I hope to see you there!
Below is a look at what we will be working for the week:
- READING: We begin the story “Akiak” this week. We read the story in class, but I encourage you to have your child read the story at home as well. We will be having a quiz over the story on Friday. Your child can count their time reading “Akiak” at home for their reading calendar.
- WRITING: We are going to begin a writing task this week entitled “Map of Me”. This project will begin in the computer lab. We also have begun spelling this week. Our words come from our story “Akiak”. Throughout the week we will have some assignments in spelling, but the students need to study the words at home as well! The words are also at spellingcity.com. Our spelling tests will be every Thursday.
- SCIENCE: Our science unit, “Body Systems” was started last week. We will continue with this unit throughout this month and most of October.
- MATH: The first chapter of our “Math Connects” text will begin this week. The chapter focuses on place value. This text comes with great online tools to use at home. They can be found at macmillanmh.com (I am working on getting this site added to my links, I am having an issue with this). This site has tutorials, examples, games, and songs that are all associated with our math curriculum. We will also have our second multiplication timing this week. The first week went home today, so your child is more than welcome to study those facts!
- COMMUNICATION: Our first communication project begins tomorrow. It is entitled “What’s in the Bag?” and this project is a great way for the kids and me to get to know each other a little better. A handout explaining the project went home today, and is available below.
That is a look at our week; I told you it was busy! I hope you have a great week and I look forward to seeing the parents on Thursday.
-Mr. C
WHAT’S IN THE BAG?
Welcome to a fantastic fourth grade year!! I am eager to learn all about you and your interests. Using your imagination and items around the house, you need to find five items that say something about you, and place them in a plastic or paper grocery bag. Be ready to bring those to school this week and share them with the class. We will be signing up for presentation times between Wednesday the 16th and Friday the 18th. Some items you may want to include are:
· A Favorite Book
· An item you collect
· Something to represent your favorite sport
· A picture of your family/friends
· A vacation souvenir
Some items might be too big to fit in your bag! For example, do not bring in your dog (they would not like to be squeezed into a bag) bring in a picture.
Akiak Spelling Words
gain
cream
sweet
safe
past
reach
kept
gray
field
break
east
shape
steep
pray
pain
glass
west
cheap
steak
chief
CHALLENGE WORDS
graceful
descent
athletic
knead
activity
9/10/09
Just a quick heads up, many students have some math homework today. It is a worksheet of story problems. Feel free to work on it with them, and if any students get "stuck" they are more than welcome to leave that question blank and ask for help the next day. Have a great night.
Mr. C
9/9/09
The second day was better than the first. We are beginning to round ourselves into a routine (sort of). Today your child is bringing home a Reading Calendar for September. Since it is already the 9th of the month, there is modification to the requirements. The minimum amount of minutes for the month are 220 instead of 300. Be sure to read over the directions to the calendar, sign off on the goal, and have your child return the calendar tomorrow so I can see that a goal has been established.
Thanks and have a great night!
Mr. C
9/8/09
What a great first day! The kids were great, and our day just flew by (we made it through maybe half of our agenda). The kids (and parents) have a bit of homework tonight.
The kiddos are writing an essay to describe themselves to me. These essays are due back tomorrow!! The directions are located at the top.
Parents, PLEASE FILL OUT THE REQUIRED FORMS AND RETURN THEM ASAP in the manilla envelope your child received. Thanks.
Take a minute to ask your child about their day. Using their assignment calendar is a great way to start the discussion. The calendar has nearly all of the items we did today written down.
I hope your child had as wonderful a day as I did. Take care and have a great Tuesday!
-Mr. C
August 26, 2009
Parents/Guardians/Students,
WELCOME TO THE 2009-10 SUNRISE 4th GRADE SCHOOL YEAR!
Hello and welcome to a year full of learning and fun! First, let me introduce myself. I grew up in Puyallup, WA (40 miles south of Seattle) where I graduated from Puyallup HS in 1996. I graduated from Washington State University in May 2001 (GO COUGS!). I spent 2001-2007 teaching in the Puyallup School District. Following the completion of the 2006-07 school year my wife (who teaches in the Cheney School District) and I decided to come to the Spokane area to be closer to her family and enjoy a new area. Last year was my second year in the Central Valley School District, and I had an absolutely great time teaching fifth grade in 07/08 and 4th grade in 08/09 here at Sunrise. I am very excited to be working in fourth grade this year (I have taught 4th grade previously in the Puyallup School District). I LOVE all sports (especially football, baseball, hockey, basketball and golf) and being outdoors.
I am very pleased to have such a fantastic team of 4th grade teachers to work with. Mrs. Schmaltz, Mrs. Davaz , Mrs. Froehle and Mr. Kennedy have been wonderful to work with. I know we are going to make a super 4th grade team. The entire Sunrise staff is great and I feel blessed to be here.
Parents and students can expect progress reports that will detail student achievement and assignment completion about twice per month. Students will read every night and parents will sign off acknowledging this in a reading log that goes home daily. Homework will be assigned once or twice per week, and assignments not completed in class will be assigned as homework for completion. There will also be a daily assignment planner that allows parents to see what was done at school, and if there is any work to be done at home. I have a web site at schoolnotes.com (some of you are probably reading this there right now). Go to the website now if you would like to get a sneak peak! Registering is very easy, just enter the school zip-code (99037) and look to click on Sunrise, and then my name. You can also enter the following address to view it
http://www.schoolnotes.com/99037/mrcollyer53.html
It is a super source for parents and students to get any news and see any letters I sent home (I know they disappear in backpacks from time to time). I am eager to see everyone at the open house when you can drop off student supplies and say hello.
I am always willing to meet with parents before or after school (please let me know if you would like to meet so I can be sure and have a clear schedule). I am always available via email at jcollyer@cvsd.org or jcollyer53@msn.com (the second email is my home account). It is going to be a great year and cannot wait to meet you all. Enjoy the end of your summer!
Justin Collyer
