I am very excited about starting the 2011-2012 school year at Granite Quarry Elementary. I am looking forward to working with both you and your child. I will do everything that I can to help your child succeed this year. By working together I know that we can make your child's fourth  grade year a success.  Your participation is extremely important to your child's academic success.  Please set aside at least 30 minutes each day to read with your child, to practice spelling words, and high frequency words.  I am confidant that if you spend some time each evening with your child. you will not only be making a major contribution to your child's academic success, but you will discover that you will begin looking forward to this special time each night.

This website has been created for my new fourth grade students and their families to provide another way to communicate between school and home. I hope that you will find the information on this website both meaningful and informative.  If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.  You may send me an email by clicking on the link at the top of this page. I check my email daily and can respond easily.  You may also send a note to school with your child with your questions or concerns.

Thank you for you continued support!

Mrs. Heather Pressley

Some Helpful Information 

Our Schedule

You child must be at school, unpacked and ready to begin learning at 7:45.  Please be sure your child is present!

7:50-8:20 Enhancements
8:20-9:20 Block 1
9:20-10:20 Block 2
10:20-11:05 Remediation/Enrichment
11:05-11:35 Lunch
11:35-12:05 Recess
12:05-1:10 Block 3
1:10-2:15 Writing

Reading

A note on reading at home: A reading log will soon be going home with each child.  Please encourage your child to read EVERY night for at least 30 minutes. If your child is a good reader they will benefit from increasing the time spent reading each night. Please remember- it does not always have to be your child reading silently.  Have your child read aloud to you.  You read aloud to your child.  Once they finish reading for the night, be sure to ask them what they read.  Have them summarize the story for you.  Ask them about the main characters, what problems did they face, how did they overcome these problems.  

My focus in reading this year to teach the students how to become metacognitive readers. Our goal as a classroom is to constantly be thinking about what we read.  We need to interact with our stories, and have them interact with us to fully comprehend what is being read. Each night your child will have to write a reading response for homework, that shows me how they interacted with their story. 5 responses will be due each Friday.

The following is a list of things that your child should be doing before, during and after reading.  

Have your children orally tell you stories at home, or while in the car.  This in turn will help them when they get the chance to write their story down. It's amazing to hear some of the adventures these kids have been on!  When practicing writing with your children at home, focus on writing in complete sentences. This year in fourth grade the students are working on content specific writing.  This is writing that focuses on informing the reader about a topic.

Each Thursday (except for short weeks and holidays, workdays, etc.) your child will bring home  a white folder with a parent signature sheet  on the inside.  In the folder you will find your child's graded work from the previous week.  This will help you know how well your student is doing with fourth grade skills. Please praise your child for his/her hard work.  Go over the papers and correct the mistakes to better reinforce the skills taught.  This is an excellent way to help your child at home.  If there are questions or confusion about the assignment please let me know so I may discuss it further with you or your child.