Update March 8, 2015

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Dear Parents,

Spring is just around the corner, or so they say as we just moved our clocks forward.  The mornings are dark for the time being, but the nights will have a bit more light, which is always a nice feeling after a long day of school.  I do hope that each of you and your student is adjusting to the time change. 

I want to update you on our curriculum activities in Room Echo.  We continue to work on Long Division with and without Remainders.  I strongly encourage that you work with your student on their multiplication facts as they are still struggling with them and having difficulties with division.  Students will be tested the end of this week or early next week on Multiplication and Long Division as we will begin our next math unit which is Geometry.

The students continue to work in their Literature Circles and are learning how to analyze the book they are reading and starting to have meaningful conversations about what they have read. They continue to work on their reading, writing and grammar skills. 

Working in small groups the students are designing and then will build a solar house that can reduce or maintain the internal temperature of the house.  They are focusing on the placement of doors, windows and other design features to achieve their overall goal.

As we move into the study of California’s history and the Missions the students are learning about longitude, latitude and cardinal direction.  They are designing their own Compass Rose and will be making a needle compass.  We have been having a lot of fun using the playground to become familiar with direction.

Upcoming Dates, Events and Announcements:

·      Monday, March 9^th – Traveling Lantern Theatre Company presenting a Greek Mythology for Kids assembly

·      Thursday, March 12^th – Fire Pals

·      March 16^th, 17^th and 18^th – Early dismissal at 2:00 for As Needed Conferences.  Not all students will be having a conference.  A sign up sheet will be coming home this week only for those students and parents that I will need to meet with.  Please understand that this time has been set aside for these specific conferences only.  If you do not receive a sign up sheet we will not be scheduled for a conference.

·      March 19^th and 20^th – No School. Staff Development Conference.

·      March 30^th through April 6^th – Spring Break.  Students return to school on Tuesday, April 7^th.

·      We are in need for Kleenex for our classroom.  Donations would be greatly appreciated.

·      Classroom Garden.  Work is starting on the dirt patch outside our classroom door.  The students will be turning this into their garden with some pretty exciting features.  We are in the need of potting soil now.  Additional information and needs will follow as the project develops.

·      Hand Outs Application.  In taking every advantage in the use of our iPads; working to reduce the use of paper; and providing parents with an easy method to stay aware of what their student is doing in class we are piloting a new Application titled Hand Outs.  I have been working with the developers who have asked STREAM to pilot their application.  This program is still in the development stages and our feedback is helping to improve their project.  What use to require photo-copying 30 pieces of paper for an assignment now just requires a simple scan and it is routed to the student’s iPad.  They do their work on the iPad then return it to me electronically for grading, editing and comments.  This project is in its infancy stages, but we are excited to be a part of this project, which is definitely the way of the future.

This is what is happening in Room Echo.  Please continue to check out the blog for additional updates and pictures!

Mr. Williams

Honor Role

Classroom Garden

(Before)

Playground Swings

February Student of the Month

Progress Reports

Progress reports are going home today. Please ask you students for them. I ask that you sign and return the bottom portion and keep the top.

Thanks

February 9th Update

Hello Parents!

Only four days until our Mid-Year Break and with that said we have a busy 4 days ahead of us. We have completed our math unit on Algebra and Balanced Equations and this week we will review Long Division and review Fact Families again. Many students are not practicing their Multiplication Facts and are struggling with them in class. We continue to work on them in class as knowing these Facts help with Division.

Your students are enjoying our Literature Circles and are doing a pretty good job. I have been seeing some quality work and improvement in their writing. Literature Circles help with Informational Writing, which is a difficult writing strategy.

The students have finished their first assignment in our California History Unit, which was learning about the compass and direction. I am in the process of grading these projects and should have them returned to your student shortly. 

Finally, I am very proud to announce that our 4th Grade Class School Community Project was a huge success. As a class we elected to initiate a school wide Coin Drive to raise money for benches for the playground.  Our goal was to collect $500. The students created a presentation and slide show and went to each of the grades to present information and how each grade could help with the drive.  They also informed them that the class collecting the most money would receive a pizza party. The students were responsible for collecting, counting and rolling all the money. When all was said and done we collected a staggering $1,210.00 as a school. Obviously, we can do a little more then just benches! Now on to the important thing. Not only did the students learn how to plan, market, and successfully raise money for our School Community Project but the 4th grade class brought in the most money and are the winners of the pizza party.  I am so proud of these kids and their commitment to making their school a better place. Whether they are bringing in coins or box tops or fundraising on Shoparoo, they are excited to help and make STREAM a great school. I am so proud and honored.

Please check below for some very important dates and reminders.

I hope that you all have a fun and safe Mid-Year Break and enjoy your time together!

Mr. Williams

Upcoming Events and Reminders

Thursday, February 12 – Room Echo Valentine’s Day Celebration.

·      I will include a list of students. I ask that if your child wants to participate they include everyone in the class. This is an optional activity.

Friday, February 13 – No School (President’s Day)

Week of February 16 thru 20 – No School (Mid Year Break)

Tuesday, February 24 – Progress Reports Sent Home

Thursday and Friday, March 19 & 20 – No School (Teacher Training Days)

Valentine’s Day Card List

Hunter               Sylas                Faith                Jazmine

Grace               Tristan              Will                 Ashley

Mayci               Rylan                Raegan              Daphne

Philip               Destiny              Quade               Alivia

Russell              Zane                Kruthi               Madison

Shawn              Katie                Scott                Kylee

Drake               Moriah              Ayleen              Nathan

Conner              Aysia

Order of Operations (PEMDAS) Video

Here is a video to watch before doing your homework.

January 14 - Update

Dear Parents,

We have had a successful start to the year 2015. The students have returned excited, enthusiastic, engaged and ready to learn.

Students are reviewing and familiarizing themselves with multiplication and division facts.  They are working on multiplying large numbers (100s and 1,000s) looking for patterns in their problem solving.  They are also learning to use different strategies to solve word problems ie: working backwards to find the solution.

We will be starting Literature Circles within the next week.  Students will be grouped and focused on analyzing the different text features of the book they are reading.

Your student is also learning that Legos are not just for play but to learn.  We are focused on science and engineering as they learn about the different types of gears and how they “mesh” together to make an object move.  They are also are learning how weight controls velocity.  During Tech Time your student has been building a “puff mobile” in which they must construct a vehicle that will go the furthest distance by just a puff of air.  Here again they are learning about weight distribution and aerodynamics.  Their creativity is definitely helping them to think about the possible designs to develop the automobiles of the future.

Within the next month we will begin the study of the California Regions and Missions.  Students will begin to research their projects looking at it from the eye of an architect and developer.  They will create drawings, a 3D model and provide information to persuade other students why they should visit their selected mission.  They will create a power point presentation and/or a visual display to convince others why they should visit their historical mission with an emphasis on the specific California Region in which their mission was built.  Parents will be invited to view the presentations.

Upcoming happenings and events:

January 12^th – February 6^th   Playground Coin Drive

January 19^th                           No School – Martin Luther King Jr. Day

January 20^th                           Blueberry Twist Lunch and Benefit Dinner

January 27^th                           Windsync Contemporary Musical Group Performance Field Trip

February 13^th                         No School – Lincoln’s Birthday

February 16^th –  20^th             No School – Mid Year Break