Midterms Coming Home Today
Medterms aren't an official report card, just a quick overview of where we stand at this point. Please take a moment to look them over, notice the good and the not-as-good-as-it-could-be, and discuss your child's progress with him/her. Also, please return the bottom portion of the form with your signature and any comments or questions.
Midterms are coming home in sealed envelopes. They should still be sealed when they reach you. One of my great annoyances in the classroom is comparing grades. "What did you get?" and "I got an A." and "How many A's did you get?" The class and I have discussed this before, and reviewed it again today, that grades are for the student, his/her parents, and the teacher. That's it. We are not in the comparison business. Teachers don't judge students compared to other students. More importantly, God doesn't compare us either.
Thanks for your understanding and cooperation.
Choir Note from Mr. Altis
The third/fourth grade choir will be singing at the 8:00 church service on October 19. More information is on a yellow note coming home today from Mr. Altis.
Scrip from Early Registration
Katy, Kyra, Mariah, Kyle, and Zack are bringing home Scrip from early registration. Parents, please look for those in your child's homework folder. If you were expecting this, it could be going home with another sibling, but those 4 are all I received. If you have questions, please contact the Scrip office.
Just Another Reminder About Picture Day
One week from today, Tuesday, October 7.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Newsletter Correction
Yesterday there was a mistake in the fourth grade newsletter. My apologies.
Next week is a five-day school week. It's the week AFTER that is a four-day week. I talked with Mr. Betts about possibly changing the school calendar to match my newsletter, but apparently that's too much of a hassle.
So here it is:
YES - School on Friday, October 3
NO - School on Friday, October 10
That would make the Q1W5 memory slips due on 10/3 rather than 10/2 as well.
And now, back to the weekend.
Next week is a five-day school week. It's the week AFTER that is a four-day week. I talked with Mr. Betts about possibly changing the school calendar to match my newsletter, but apparently that's too much of a hassle.
So here it is:
YES - School on Friday, October 3
NO - School on Friday, October 10
That would make the Q1W5 memory slips due on 10/3 rather than 10/2 as well.
And now, back to the weekend.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Friday Newsletter Updates
Picture Day is Coming
School picture day is Tuesday, October 7. Order forms are coming home today. These need to be here on picture day. If you'd like to send them in early, I can hold on to them until then, but they don't need to be returned until the day of pictures.
Memory Work
Kids are doing a pretty good job on their memory work. I've heard, "I forgot," a couple times concerning the memory slips, but there's no epidemic of late work. I would caution students, however, not to wait until the last minute. This week nobody said memory on Monday, and by Thursday the class as a whole was only halfway finished. That made for a hectic morning today listening to memory work. Don't put memory off until the end of the week.
Next Week - Four Day Week
Next week is a short week. Friday is a professional day for teachers. No school for students. (There's another reason not to put memory off until Friday...students won't be here.)
Midterm Reports
Yes, already! Next week on Tuesday, midterm grade reports will come home. Please remember these are not final grades, nor are they even recorded. They are just an update as to where students are at the midpoint of the quarter. Take the time to notice where improvement is needed as well as where achievement has been high.
The Upcoming Week
Memory - At Home: Q1W5 At School: Historical books of the Old Testament (Genesis-Esther) and Poetic/Prophetic books of the OT (Job-Malachi). These are two separate assignments and may be said at separate times.
Religion - Abraham, Lot, Isaac.
Reading - One the Banks of Plum Creek, cause and effect, point of view, keep reading and keep writing.
English - Complete and simple subjects
Math - Adding columns of numbers, reading scales, reading time from a clock, rounding.
Science - Energy
Social Studies - Climate, current events.
Spelling - UNIT 5: hoop, wounded, shoot, booth, broom, boost, mood, fooling, afternoon, spoon, smooth, tooth Extra words: raccoon, bloomed, useful, route Bonus Words: souvenir, routine
One Final (Un)Important Note
And just a final note from your sports-nut teacher. If you watch the Brewers, please cheer extra hard. They really need to make the playoffs. Really. This draught is getting hard to handle. They haven't been to the postseason since 1982. My daughter is now older than I was then. Haven't Wisconsin baseball fans suffered enough? I think I was in fourth grade then, and now my daughter is in fourth grade. Once a generation? Ugh. Go Brewers.
School picture day is Tuesday, October 7. Order forms are coming home today. These need to be here on picture day. If you'd like to send them in early, I can hold on to them until then, but they don't need to be returned until the day of pictures.
Memory Work
Kids are doing a pretty good job on their memory work. I've heard, "I forgot," a couple times concerning the memory slips, but there's no epidemic of late work. I would caution students, however, not to wait until the last minute. This week nobody said memory on Monday, and by Thursday the class as a whole was only halfway finished. That made for a hectic morning today listening to memory work. Don't put memory off until the end of the week.
Next Week - Four Day Week
Next week is a short week. Friday is a professional day for teachers. No school for students. (There's another reason not to put memory off until Friday...students won't be here.)
Midterm Reports
Yes, already! Next week on Tuesday, midterm grade reports will come home. Please remember these are not final grades, nor are they even recorded. They are just an update as to where students are at the midpoint of the quarter. Take the time to notice where improvement is needed as well as where achievement has been high.
The Upcoming Week
Memory - At Home: Q1W5 At School: Historical books of the Old Testament (Genesis-Esther) and Poetic/Prophetic books of the OT (Job-Malachi). These are two separate assignments and may be said at separate times.
Religion - Abraham, Lot, Isaac.
Reading - One the Banks of Plum Creek, cause and effect, point of view, keep reading and keep writing.
English - Complete and simple subjects
Math - Adding columns of numbers, reading scales, reading time from a clock, rounding.
Science - Energy
Social Studies - Climate, current events.
Spelling - UNIT 5: hoop, wounded, shoot, booth, broom, boost, mood, fooling, afternoon, spoon, smooth, tooth Extra words: raccoon, bloomed, useful, route Bonus Words: souvenir, routine
One Final (Un)Important Note
And just a final note from your sports-nut teacher. If you watch the Brewers, please cheer extra hard. They really need to make the playoffs. Really. This draught is getting hard to handle. They haven't been to the postseason since 1982. My daughter is now older than I was then. Haven't Wisconsin baseball fans suffered enough? I think I was in fourth grade then, and now my daughter is in fourth grade. Once a generation? Ugh. Go Brewers.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Lou Gehrig and a Reminder
In reading class we just read a story about Lou Gehrig, the famous New York Yankees baseball player who died in the 1940s at age 37 from ALS, now called Lou Gehrig's disease. We watched a short part of a documentary about it in class today, featuring his "luckiest man on the face of the earth" comments, and I thought I'd try to post the video on the website for you to see. It's only 2 minutes long, and worth the click. You should be able to go to the site from this email. The video on on the right. Click the image of the video and a larger screen will appear.
Tonight is a Work Night here at school. Volunteers take care of general maintanence around school. It's a good opportunity to volunteer, and a big help to all of us - teachers, staff, and students alike. It starts tonight at 6:00.
Tonight is a Work Night here at school. Volunteers take care of general maintanence around school. It's a good opportunity to volunteer, and a big help to all of us - teachers, staff, and students alike. It starts tonight at 6:00.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Friday, 9/19
Culver's Night
An Immanuel tradition continues! Next Tuesday, September 23 is Culver's night. Ten percent of all proceeds from Immanuel sales is donated back to school. Use Scrip and school benefits even more. Half the restaurant is always full of Immanuel people, so drop by, visit for a while, and have dinner or a snack or just coffee, thanks.
Socks for Gym Class
The fourth graders have done a good job of having their gym shoes in their lockers for gym class with Mr. Voelker. Please send in a clean pair of socks (or two) to be kept with those shoes just in case your fourth grader has sandals or crocs on their feet on gym day. Blisters aren't nice.
Science Assignments Coming Home Today
Today there are some science assignments coming home. In too many cases the grades are not where they should be or where we'd like them to be. Don't panic. These were not full assignments - at least as far as my gradebook is concerned. Yes, hopefully we learned about mass and volume and density, but we also spent a lot of time practicing using the textbook to find answers. That's why you'll see page numbers next to some answers. Yesterday we worked in small groups finding answers to problems we had wrong.
The short version is this - don't worry about low grades and yes, we're done with those assignments.
The Upcoming Week
Memory - At Home: Q1W4 Slips At School: Returning Thanks parts 1 & 2
Religion - Noah and Abraham.
Reading - Lou Gehrig, genres, self-questioning as we read.
English - Sentences, subjects and predicates.
Math - Adding three-digit numbers, subtracting two- and three-digit numbers, missing two digit addends, subtracting with regrouping, expanded form.
Science - Inertia, force, gravity, friction, kinetic and potential energy.
Social Studies - Geography. We are waiting for our Wisconsin newspapers and current events magazine to arrive, but unfortunately they haven't. Humph. We'll keep being patient. We've also spent a good deal of time using the textbook, looking at ways to use the textbook and pull out the information the authors want us to know.
Spelling - Lesson 4 Spelling List: those, coach, solid, include, crew, plus, operate, broke, upset, tune, June, floating Extra Words: plume, renew, husband Bonus Words: honor, populated (Today's bonus words were Igiby and Anklejelly. They were just for fun...and no, I'm not telling what they are. You'll have to ask your fourth grader.)
Have a great weekend!
An Immanuel tradition continues! Next Tuesday, September 23 is Culver's night. Ten percent of all proceeds from Immanuel sales is donated back to school. Use Scrip and school benefits even more. Half the restaurant is always full of Immanuel people, so drop by, visit for a while, and have dinner or a snack or just coffee, thanks.
Socks for Gym Class
The fourth graders have done a good job of having their gym shoes in their lockers for gym class with Mr. Voelker. Please send in a clean pair of socks (or two) to be kept with those shoes just in case your fourth grader has sandals or crocs on their feet on gym day. Blisters aren't nice.
Science Assignments Coming Home Today
Today there are some science assignments coming home. In too many cases the grades are not where they should be or where we'd like them to be. Don't panic. These were not full assignments - at least as far as my gradebook is concerned. Yes, hopefully we learned about mass and volume and density, but we also spent a lot of time practicing using the textbook to find answers. That's why you'll see page numbers next to some answers. Yesterday we worked in small groups finding answers to problems we had wrong.
The short version is this - don't worry about low grades and yes, we're done with those assignments.
The Upcoming Week
Memory - At Home: Q1W4 Slips At School: Returning Thanks parts 1 & 2
Religion - Noah and Abraham.
Reading - Lou Gehrig, genres, self-questioning as we read.
English - Sentences, subjects and predicates.
Math - Adding three-digit numbers, subtracting two- and three-digit numbers, missing two digit addends, subtracting with regrouping, expanded form.
Science - Inertia, force, gravity, friction, kinetic and potential energy.
Social Studies - Geography. We are waiting for our Wisconsin newspapers and current events magazine to arrive, but unfortunately they haven't. Humph. We'll keep being patient. We've also spent a good deal of time using the textbook, looking at ways to use the textbook and pull out the information the authors want us to know.
Spelling - Lesson 4 Spelling List: those, coach, solid, include, crew, plus, operate, broke, upset, tune, June, floating Extra Words: plume, renew, husband Bonus Words: honor, populated (Today's bonus words were Igiby and Anklejelly. They were just for fun...and no, I'm not telling what they are. You'll have to ask your fourth grader.)
Have a great weekend!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Thursday, 9/18 News
Books For Sale
If you've been hearing about $3.00 books for sale, you've heard correctly. I have two boxes full of books from past years that I've been saving "just in case." Apparently, "just in case" means just in case I fill a box, then I'll fill another. They've been gathering dust, so I wanted to make them available to readers. (What an idea!) So I've got a bunch of books, and all are $3.00. All money will go directly into buying more books for the classroom.
School Magazine Sales Results
Not bad for a bunch of nine-year-olds! Our class took second in the school! Nice work. As a school we met our goal of $15,000 in sales. Thank you to all that participated in this year's sale. All your hard work goes directly to benefit our school.
If you've been hearing about $3.00 books for sale, you've heard correctly. I have two boxes full of books from past years that I've been saving "just in case." Apparently, "just in case" means just in case I fill a box, then I'll fill another. They've been gathering dust, so I wanted to make them available to readers. (What an idea!) So I've got a bunch of books, and all are $3.00. All money will go directly into buying more books for the classroom.
School Magazine Sales Results
Not bad for a bunch of nine-year-olds! Our class took second in the school! Nice work. As a school we met our goal of $15,000 in sales. Thank you to all that participated in this year's sale. All your hard work goes directly to benefit our school.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Friday 9/12 News
Our Newest Read Aloud - On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness
We started out latest read aloud on Monday, and, WOW!, has it grabbed the attention of these fourth graders. It is titled On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, and it is by Andrew Peterson. It is "high fantasy," very similar to the Chronicles of Narnia or The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings. A whole new world has been created with its own countries, geography, history...everything. The story follows the Igiby family - Janner, Tink and Leeli and their mother Nia and grandfather Podo - as they deal with the evil rule of Gnag the Nameless. I'm sorry, but I left off with poor Janner, Tink and Leeli in jail for simply protecting one another. The students weren't happy.
The author, Andrew Peterson is a Christian musician, and I've long been a fan of his music. When I heard he was writing a book I was surprised, but excited, hoping I would like it as much as his music. I was not disappointed. For more information on the book, click here. For more information about Andrew Peterson, click right here.
The Upcoming Week
Memory - At Home: Quarter 1 Week 3 Slips At School: 1. Asking a Blessing, first part 2. Asking a Blessing, second part. These are two separate assignments, but may be said on the same day.
Religion - Apology and Forgiveness, the fall into sin, the family of Adam, the family of God.
Reading - My Name is Maria Isabel, characters' feelings and actions, predicting, different genres.
English - Imperative and exclamatory sentences, subjects and predicates, personal narratives.
Math - Odd and even numbers, number lines, addition stories with missing addends, missing numbers in subtraction.
Science - Physical and chemical changes, test late in the week.
Social Studies - Continue looking at the geography of the United States.
Spelling - Lesson 3 - mine, tie, wild, type, smile, drive, size, blind, visit, thick, die, prize Extra words: fifty, picnic, decide, tiny
We started out latest read aloud on Monday, and, WOW!, has it grabbed the attention of these fourth graders. It is titled On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, and it is by Andrew Peterson. It is "high fantasy," very similar to the Chronicles of Narnia or The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings. A whole new world has been created with its own countries, geography, history...everything. The story follows the Igiby family - Janner, Tink and Leeli and their mother Nia and grandfather Podo - as they deal with the evil rule of Gnag the Nameless. I'm sorry, but I left off with poor Janner, Tink and Leeli in jail for simply protecting one another. The students weren't happy.
The author, Andrew Peterson is a Christian musician, and I've long been a fan of his music. When I heard he was writing a book I was surprised, but excited, hoping I would like it as much as his music. I was not disappointed. For more information on the book, click here. For more information about Andrew Peterson, click right here.
The Upcoming Week
Memory - At Home: Quarter 1 Week 3 Slips At School: 1. Asking a Blessing, first part 2. Asking a Blessing, second part. These are two separate assignments, but may be said on the same day.
Religion - Apology and Forgiveness, the fall into sin, the family of Adam, the family of God.
Reading - My Name is Maria Isabel, characters' feelings and actions, predicting, different genres.
English - Imperative and exclamatory sentences, subjects and predicates, personal narratives.
Math - Odd and even numbers, number lines, addition stories with missing addends, missing numbers in subtraction.
Science - Physical and chemical changes, test late in the week.
Social Studies - Continue looking at the geography of the United States.
Spelling - Lesson 3 - mine, tie, wild, type, smile, drive, size, blind, visit, thick, die, prize Extra words: fifty, picnic, decide, tiny
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Thursday is a Big Day!
Lot's of stuff happening tomorrow at school. Here's what's going on:
- Anyone interested in band must turn in their band notes tomorrow. Payments do not need to be turned in yet, but sign-up notes should be returned tomorrow.
- Magazine sales turn in day #2 is tomorrow. Remember to bring all orders in and put them in the big yellow envelope.
- The September book order is due tomorrow. There's a ton of great ones in there, and if you want a reminder of some I recommended, click here.
- Tomorrow is Patriot Day in honor of September 11. I didn't know this, but a few years ago, President Bush signed legislation declaring September 11 to be Patriot Day. It's purpose is to remember those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks. Everyone is encouraged to remember the day by wearing red, white, and blue. At chapel today, Mr. Betts encouraged us to do so, and now I'm repeating his encouragement. Let's all wear red, white, and blue tomorrow.
- It's another day of school. And that's a BIG part of our day too, right?
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Friday Newsletter Updates
Band and Choir Notes
On Wednesday you should have received an informational note about band. This is an optional program offered at Immanuel. On Thursday, students were allowed to try instruments just to see what would happen, and note came home saying what they tried. Please know that, while band is a unique opportunity for Immanuel students, it is optional.
General Book Order Information
1. You may send cash or a check, but if possible, I'd appreciate a check made out to the book order company. That makes the order easiest for me.
2. I try to include a list of books I know and can recommend with each order.
3. Keep an eye on the book order's due date, and watch the assignment book as well.
And Now, The September Book Order
Here are the books I know and can recommend. I told the class about some of these today:
Swindle by Gordon Korman
Planet Earth: Animals and Their Prey
Frindle by Andrew Clements
Schooled by Gordon Korman
Dive Trilogy by Gordon Korman
Knights of the Lunch Table by Frank Cammuso - Actually, I read another by this author and it was great!
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
Baseball Card Adventures Set by Dan Gutman - Another set that I have't read, but his other books have been great with fourth graders.
Falling Up by Shel Silverstein
The Chronicles of Narnia Box Set by C.S. Lewis - My favorite series of all time.
Some Math Assignment Information
Some of the daily "practice" assignments have been very small - only six questions. This will be changing today when I assign "exercise" assignments. Once we complete "test" assignments, review questions from previously mastered objectives will begin to be added to "practice" assignments.
The Change in Our Class List
We learned this week that, after beginning the year with us, Matthew wasn't going to return to Immanuel. Now that Matthew and Tyler are living in Nekoosa, their mom decided that it would be best for them to attend school in Nekoosa. There have been issues with bussing from Nekoosa, and their family's schedule made getting the boys to and from school very difficult. We prayed with Matthew and asked God to bless him at his new school, and we wish him and his brother all the best.
Yellow Notes
Also known as "late slips," some of these are coming home today. Anytime an assignment is not turned in when it is supposed to be, students receive a bright yellow note. This note lists the assignment and whether it has been turned in. These notes will always come home, even if the work has been turned in before day's end, to keep parents informed. Please sign the note and be sure it is returned with the missing work (if necessary) the next day.
The Upcoming Week
Memory - At School: Evening Prayer At Home: Quarter 1 Week 2 Slips
Religion - Creation
Reading - Donovan's Word Jar, Characters' feelings and actions, interesting vocabulary.
English - Declarative and interrogative sentences, describing.
Math - Subtraction, fact families, numbers through 999, adding money, regrouping.
Science - Matter.
Social Studies - Regions.
Spelling - UNIT 2 asleep, empty, queen, deal, needed, spelling, east, feelings, tea, keeping, beneath, agree Extra words: easy, method Bonus Words: elevator, suggested
On Wednesday you should have received an informational note about band. This is an optional program offered at Immanuel. On Thursday, students were allowed to try instruments just to see what would happen, and note came home saying what they tried. Please know that, while band is a unique opportunity for Immanuel students, it is optional.
General Book Order Information
1. You may send cash or a check, but if possible, I'd appreciate a check made out to the book order company. That makes the order easiest for me.
2. I try to include a list of books I know and can recommend with each order.
3. Keep an eye on the book order's due date, and watch the assignment book as well.
And Now, The September Book Order
Here are the books I know and can recommend. I told the class about some of these today:
Swindle by Gordon Korman
Planet Earth: Animals and Their Prey
Frindle by Andrew Clements
Schooled by Gordon Korman
Dive Trilogy by Gordon Korman
Knights of the Lunch Table by Frank Cammuso - Actually, I read another by this author and it was great!
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
Baseball Card Adventures Set by Dan Gutman - Another set that I have't read, but his other books have been great with fourth graders.
Falling Up by Shel Silverstein
The Chronicles of Narnia Box Set by C.S. Lewis - My favorite series of all time.
Some Math Assignment Information
Some of the daily "practice" assignments have been very small - only six questions. This will be changing today when I assign "exercise" assignments. Once we complete "test" assignments, review questions from previously mastered objectives will begin to be added to "practice" assignments.
The Change in Our Class List
We learned this week that, after beginning the year with us, Matthew wasn't going to return to Immanuel. Now that Matthew and Tyler are living in Nekoosa, their mom decided that it would be best for them to attend school in Nekoosa. There have been issues with bussing from Nekoosa, and their family's schedule made getting the boys to and from school very difficult. We prayed with Matthew and asked God to bless him at his new school, and we wish him and his brother all the best.
Yellow Notes
Also known as "late slips," some of these are coming home today. Anytime an assignment is not turned in when it is supposed to be, students receive a bright yellow note. This note lists the assignment and whether it has been turned in. These notes will always come home, even if the work has been turned in before day's end, to keep parents informed. Please sign the note and be sure it is returned with the missing work (if necessary) the next day.
The Upcoming Week
Memory - At School: Evening Prayer At Home: Quarter 1 Week 2 Slips
Religion - Creation
Reading - Donovan's Word Jar, Characters' feelings and actions, interesting vocabulary.
English - Declarative and interrogative sentences, describing.
Math - Subtraction, fact families, numbers through 999, adding money, regrouping.
Science - Matter.
Social Studies - Regions.
Spelling - UNIT 2 asleep, empty, queen, deal, needed, spelling, east, feelings, tea, keeping, beneath, agree Extra words: easy, method Bonus Words: elevator, suggested
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Reminders For This Week
Wednesday Evening - Ice Cream and Book Covers
Tomorrow night from 6:00-7:30 the Immanuel PTC is sponsoring an ice cream social / book covering night here at school. Families can come, kids can bring their textbooks, and all the materials needed will be there for textbook covering. Oh, and there will be ice cream as well. All textbooks need to be covered by Friday anyway, so this is a great opportunity to get it done.
Did I mention there will be ice cream?
Magazine Turn In Day #1
The first turn in day is on Thursday. Is everything making sense? Are there any questions? We'll talk about it today in class. Remember, all orders count double on the first turn-in day.
Questions on Memory?
At-Home: These are the Bible verses (#1-24) handed out on Friday. Memory slips come home on Friday and are due by the next Friday. They may be turned in when they are complete. The numbers on the Memory slips match the numbered verses.
At-School: These may be said any morning the student is ready. This week, students may say the first half once, then say all of it when they know it. We practiced this in class together this morning and will continue to do so most weeks.
Tomorrow night from 6:00-7:30 the Immanuel PTC is sponsoring an ice cream social / book covering night here at school. Families can come, kids can bring their textbooks, and all the materials needed will be there for textbook covering. Oh, and there will be ice cream as well. All textbooks need to be covered by Friday anyway, so this is a great opportunity to get it done.
Did I mention there will be ice cream?
Magazine Turn In Day #1
The first turn in day is on Thursday. Is everything making sense? Are there any questions? We'll talk about it today in class. Remember, all orders count double on the first turn-in day.
Questions on Memory?
At-Home: These are the Bible verses (#1-24) handed out on Friday. Memory slips come home on Friday and are due by the next Friday. They may be turned in when they are complete. The numbers on the Memory slips match the numbered verses.
At-School: These may be said any morning the student is ready. This week, students may say the first half once, then say all of it when they know it. We practiced this in class together this morning and will continue to do so most weeks.
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