Silly Bandz
Thanks to all of my kind students for helping me join the craze of Silly Bandz! You all have generously shared with me and I love showing off my new bracelets!
Additionally, thanks to all of my students who wear their silly bandz responsibly and don’t allow them to be a distraction in class. Way to use your self control!
Jamestown
We had a great time on our field trip yesterday to Jamestown, America’s first permanent settlement. The students really enjoyed the trip and left Jamestown with a better understanding of our nation’s early beginnings.
Thanks so much to all of the parents who came with us. You all made the trip much easier for Mrs. Phillips, Mrs. Sullivan, and me!
SOL’s are in ONE WEEK!
That’s right! One week from today we will take our first SOL. On Wednesday, May 26 we will take our reading SOL, and on Thursday, May 27 we will take our math SOL.
I am confident in every student! We have worked very hard this whole year, and I know that every child will do their best.
Breakfast will be served at school in the classroom on both SOL days, but your child may eat at home. Please try to make sure your child gets plenty of sleep the night before the test. We want everyone to be well rested and ready to work hard on the day of the test.
Thank you so much all of your help. Your children can only do their very best with your support.
ABC Countdown
I sent home the ABC countdown paper on Wednesday. Here it is again in case you can’t find your paper copy!
A – Thursday May 13th – Animal Day – bring in a stuffed animal friend for the day (Apple jacks, animal crackers)
B -Friday, May 14th – Bubblegum Day – bring in some bubblegum for an afternoon of chewing (bubble gum)
C – Monday, May 17th – Cookie Day – bring in a class set of cookies to share (crackers, Cheez-its, Captain Crunch)
D – Tuesday, May 18th – Dance Day – we’ll take dancing breaks during our day (Doritos, donuts)
E – Wednesday, May 19th – Exercise Day – we’ll take exercise breaks during our day (Eggo Cereal)
F – Thursday, May 20th – Fruit Day – bring in a piece of fruit to enjoy in the afternoon (fruit roll-ups, Fruit Loops)
G – Friday, May 21st – Game Day – bring in your favorite board game (Goldfish, grapes,Golden Grahams)
H – Monday, May 24nd – Hat Day – wear your favorite hat to school today (Honey Combs)
I – Tuesday, May 25th – Ice Pop Day – Your teacher will bring in ice pops today! (ice pops are enough I think) J
J – Wednesday, May 26th – Jump Day – bring in a jump rope so we can go outside & jump rope after SOL’s! (jelly beans)
K – Thursday, May 27th – Keyboard Day – We’ll visit the computer lab for some fun after our SOL’s! (KitKats, Kix cereal)
L – Friday, May 28th– Lollipop Day – bring in a lollipop to eat at the end of the day (Lollipops, Lucky Charms)
M – Tuesday, June 1st – Make Believe Day – make believe that you are a citizen of Jamestown (M&Ms)
N – Wednesday, June 2nd – Noodles Day – Bring in some noodles for your lunch! (Nerds, Nutrigrain bars)
O – Thursday, June 3rd – ON the BIG Screen – we will watch part of a movie today (Oreos, oranges, oatmeal cookies)
P – Friday, June 4th – Play Outside Day – It is FIELD DAY!!! Compete in games all day! (Pop-tarts, Pixie Stix, Popcorn)
Q – Monday, June 7th – Question Day – bring in a trivia question to stump the class (no idea for a snack)
R – Tuesday, June 8th – Read and Relax Day – bring your favorite book to share (rice krispie treats, Rice Chex)
S – Wednesday, June 9th – Silly shoes and Socks Day – (Starbursts, Skittles, Smarties)
T – Thursday, June 10th –Tongue Twister Day – bring one in to share (Twizzlers, Teddy Grahams, Trix Cereal)
U – Friday, June 11th – Uniform Day – Wear your favorite sports jersey or uniform to school! (no idea for a snack!)
V – Monday, June 14th – Vegetable Day – bring in a vegetable to share with the class (vegetables are enough!)
W – Tuesday – June 15 – Water Bottle Day – Bring in your favorite water bottle (watermelon, waffles)
X – Wednesday, June 16th – X-Change Day –exchange your summer information with friends. (no idea for a snack!)
Y – Thursday, June 17th – Yo-Yo Year End Day – bring in a Yo-yo to play and clean out your desk!
Z- Friday, June 18th – Zoom out of School Day – zip out the door after our class party! (we’ll have plenty of treats at our party!
SOL Practice at Home!
There are many websites that you can use at home to help you feel confident for the SOL’s coming up.
- Go to our school’s website at the following address: http://www.linkhornparkes.vbschools.com/
- Click where it says Visit our PortaPortal site at http://guest.portaportal.com/lpes
- Start by visiting SOLMate and choosing 4th grade math – any SOL – 25 questions
- Once you have taken that quiz, spend the rest of your time visiting any of the other SOL practice sites
Math and Science Night
I was so pleased with all of the science fair projects that were turned in this week. Your boards looked wonderful! I am so proud of each of you!
Also, it was wonderful seeing some of you at the event last night. I hope you had fun and learned something new!
Parents….
I sent home a letter on Wednesday about our upcoming Science Fair. The projects will be displayed at our Math Science Night on Tuesday, April 27 (edit to add: this is the correct date, sorry for the confusion earlier!). The paper I sent home has everything you need to know to complete the project at home. In addition to that paper, your child will be coming home today with a plan for their project. They have worked hard on planning their projects in class, but they’re being asked to conduct the experiment at home with a parent’s help.
This website (CLICK HERE) really explains the parts of the project. I know that a lot of children get confused by the variables, but I think this website helps explain it.
If you have any questions about the projects, please email me at rachel.e.ware@vbschools.com I will be checking my email sporadically over the break and will do my best to respond. I am excited to see what the kids do!
Electricity Test TOMORROW!
Don’t forget about your electricity test that is tomorrow, 3/24! You’ve had your study guide at home for a week, so you should all be prepared! In case you’ve lost the study guide, or it’s not at home, here it is!
ELECTRICITY STUDY GUIDE
Static Electricity
- Understand what an electrical charge is
- Be able to give examples of insulators and conductors
- Apply the terms insulators and conductors in describing electrical circuits
- Know what electrons are
- Explain how static electricity is created and occurs in nature (lightning)
- Describe how electrical energy can be transformed into heat, light and mechanical energy
Current Electricity
- Know what open and closed circuits are
- Be able to differentiate between parallel and series circuits
- Know what affects the flow of electricity
- Know the two symbols for a dry cell (+ and -)
Electricity & Magnetism
- Create a diagram of a magnetic field using a magnet
- Be able to describe the difference between a permanent magnet and an electromagnet
Historical Contributions
- Describe the contributions of Ben Franklin, Michael Faraday, and Thomas Edison to the understanding of electricity
Just 3 more weeks!
Spring Break is right around the corner!
We are down to just 3 weeks of school before our week off in April. I know that the children are excited, but I also hope everyone is working hard between now and then!
Parents can be of help by checking agendas and homework each night to ensure that homework is being completed. Parents can also help by checking weekly behavior folders which go home on Thursdays. Reading these folders each week helps me let you know how your child is doing in class. Don’t forget that you can also access your child’s grades online through school net. If you have questions about this, please let me know and I can help you get set up.
Class Update!
Can you believe it? Spring break is already less than a month away. This school year is flying by!
In class, we are busy busy busy busy!
In math we recently finished a unit on fractions, and we’ve just begun a new unit that focuses on area and perimeter. This tends to be a tricky subject for some, as it’s a very “visual” concept. Please help your child with homework and use those SRB’s when you need help!
In reading, my purple and blue reading groups recently began Literature Circles. These groups will be leading their own reading groups now, with only guidance from Mrs. Ware. I am excited to see all of the independent work that the group members have done to bring back to the group.
We’re getting ready to start a new science unit on electricity next week. This unit is a fun one, as it’s very hands on and we really look closely at the way electricity works in the world around us.
With our extra twenty minutes in the school day, we’re working hard to remediate in math and reading. Mrs. Phillips and I are working with the children in small groups to work on specific skills that we see our students need extra help with.
Thanks for stopping by!
