November News

What is Common Core?
Progress report cards will be going home the 16th.  This is not the final grade for the quarter.  If you have questions please call or set up a time for us to meet and discuss your concerns.  It is very important for your student to set high expectations for themselves.  With the new more difficult expectations of Common Core in our future it is very important that you review the expectations with your child.  Below is a link provided by the National PTA for parents.  Please share this information with other parents.

http://www.pta.org/files/4th%20Grade_B-W.pdf     (English version)

http://www.pta.org/files/4th%20Grade%20spanish_BW.pdf    (Spanish version)

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving Weekend.

Fall Break

Enjoy your fall break and come back ready to go for second quarter. 

PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES ARE THE FIRST WEEK BACK FROM BREAK, October 15-18.  All confirmations were sent home on the 5th and I look forward to meeting with you after break.  It is very important that both you and your child attend the conference.  Your child will be presenting their work to you and we will discussing their work habits and goals for the next quarter. Parents please remember to bring an interpreter with you, if needed.

Harvest Fest candy donations are being accepted.  If possible send in a bag of candy with your student and remember to buy the event bracelets. Also, pennies sent in to the Kiss the Pig fundraiser will be used for the Harvest Fest activities.  Thank you for supporting our school.

Basket Raffle Info

Raffle tickets sales begin on September 17th in  the front office.

Please see Monica or Montse if you are interested in purchasing tickets.

Ticket prices are $2.00 for 1 ticket or $5.00 for 3 tickets.

Once you purchase your tickets, please write your information

on one side of the ticket and then drop it in the ticket box on the office

counter.  Thank you for supporting our class basket and GOOD LUCK!

September News

We have completed the first few weeks of school, beginning of the year assessments, and review of third grade skills.  Therefore, we are ready to move forward to the challenging work this year.  It is very important to keep up with the homework and for parents to check their child's accountability sheet. 

Reading logs are very important to your child's future success.  Why???  Simple.... school and life require that students be fluent readers and have a large vocabulary.  Parents please take all opportunities to expand your child's vocabulary in English and Spanish too.  Have your child read the sentences they write telling about what they have just read.  The skills needed to correctly write sentences, capitalizing proper nouns, using exact verbs, and reading comprehension are all being practiced. 

School menus have been sent home along with some fundraising questionaires.  If you have any suggestions or would like to volunteer at the school please contact the office.

A BIG THANK YOU!!!! to the parents who have sent in paper towels, wipes for cleaning desks, and tissues.  We use them often and appreciate your help in having them available for the students to use.

Meet the Teacher Night and Great Deals

Meet the Teacher Night is MONDAY from 5 to 7 pm.  You will begin by going into the cafeteria, collecting information about this year's new and exciting changes and then come to your classroom.

School supplies can be expensive BUT NOT if you are a smart shopper.  This week at OfficeMax there are some great deals so buy your WIDE RULE paper for 25 cents a package (limit 3 per person) along with some other great deals.  Don't wait for the Staples penny sales because I've heard they are not doing them this year.  Walmart is still the best place to purchase your whiteboard markers ($2.50/4 pk), folders, and spiral (WIDE RULE) 70 page notebooks (17 cents/ea.)  If you are planning on using mechanical pencils - buy lead and be prepared for class so you are not asking around for lead during learning/instructional time.

Looking for a tasty treat?  Burger King from 2-5 has all their smoothies discounted to $1. Yummy hot weather treat! :)

Any donations of tissues, hand sanitizer, or disinfecting wipes for cleaning our desk are always appreciated.

Hope to meet all of you on Monday Night.

Mrs. Halpern

Welcome to 4th Grade - Room 14

Welcome new students!  If you are on the school site and found our site - Excellent!!! 

I have been working this summer preparing for the upcoming year.  We have a lot of learning to do, are you rested and ready?

Basic information

1. Start looking to buy your supplies at the Back to School Sales.  Some of the supplies you need will be sent out by the school, but you can visit my wiki, http://nhclassnotes4.wikispaces.com/ for the list also.
2. When school starts you will have a planner for your assignments.  I will also post a short summary of the assignments on Twitter for parents that want to follow up on the assignments.  You don't have to have an account just go to: http://twitter.com/NHalpern4
3. The class wiki will have your notes, information, and websites for you to use.  Our class Blog which you are reading now, will be used for our Class News, School Updates, and to post Student Work. 

Enjoy your last few weeks of break then start warming up on your math and reading skills for our first week back to school August 8th.

See you then,
Mrs. Halpern

Summer Reading

Here is a link to summer reading 21 passages, recorded text (scroll down) and answers to the comprehension questions.  Get ready for 4, 5, 6th grade with these practice passages.
http://www.textproject.org/products/summerreads/

Have a wonderful summer!

Summer 2012

Summertime is here!  Hurray!!  I will at the lake or up in the mountains reading some great books this summer, going to a technology workshop, and getting ready for next year.  I can be contacted through the school email and would love to know how your summer is going. 

To incoming 4th graders- Please read books this summer.  Reading helps you to learn new words which will make you a stronger reader and writer.  It might be a good idea to keep reviewing your math facts so that you are prepared for this August.  Remember to buy your school supplies during the sales in July and August.  Everything is so much cheaper then and buy enough to last you all year. 

Have a wonderful summer everyone and remember to stay safe, make good choices, and READ!

Last Week of School

My congratulations to all the students in this year's class.  My how the year went fast and we had soooo much to learn.  So many of the students really stepped up and I am very confident that their teacher next year will be excited about how much they know.  (Please don't forget everything over the summer!!!!! : ) and remember to READ all summer!)

Parents please remember that next week will be the usual half day on Wednesday and the last day of school is also a half day on Thursday.  We are planning our class party for Wednesday and hope you can send in some juice or some other treats to go with our pizza. 

We had a wonderful trip to Arizona Falls on 56th St/Indian School and to the Nina Pullman's Audubon Center where we worked on completing tasks related to bird adaptations, water quality, and bird identification.

Just a Few More Weeks to Go!

Important Information for May

May 2- Reward field trip to Chimpanzes for student with good attendance and homework and classwork completed.  We will be enjoying a wonderful movie together.

May 14th- Fieldtrip to the Audubon Society riparian and desert areas and a picnic lunch.  We will be learning about the different birds that live in Arizona, learn about their adaptations to live in this area, learning about microorganisms which live in the rivers, and so much more.  The cost is only your lunch and a little spending money if you want.

Parents- we will need volunteers.  Please consider coming with us.  Check with the office to make sure you have your volunteer requirements taken care of so you too can come along.

Caine's Arcade

In our current event reading today we read about, Caine, a boy who was stuck at his dad's business. He made the decision to create his own arcade out of the boxes laying around the shop.  His passion led him to build game after game.  Although he had no customers, he continued to sit and wait believing customers would come.  One customer did.  That customer made a video.  The video went viral on the Internet.  Check and see how much money has been donated to his scholarship fund. Today it was around $179,000.  If he reaches $250,000 a company will match the amount.  Wow!

In our class discussion we identified determination, creativity, dedication to a dream, passion, and imagination are valuable assets.  Caine has done alot with just some cardboard boxes, used toys, and a little tape and string.  Watch for yourself  at Caine's Arcade .

April Info

 A new fun website is http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/math.htm for math practice.  If you are doing decimals, equations, or fractions email me your scores for extra credit in math.

AIMS is just around the corner.  Take home your Buckle Down books and review a lesson so that you will improve your test scores. 

NO SCHOOL ON 4/6

YES, YES THERE IS SCHOOL ON MONDAY, 4/9

The Balloon Pop Fraction site

Here it is http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/mathgames/fractions/Balloons_fractions1.htm

Grammar Challenges

Some of these are tough!  Print out or have your parent send a note and get extra credit.

Try  PROOF IT for 10 extra credit points.

http://www.theproblemsite.com/word_games.asp

Reading Elements, Measurement, and Spelling Sites

The first site narrates the story of Cinderella and then asks questions about the setting and plot.  It has information about characters that will explain the difference between a protagonist and antagonist. Do you know the difference?

The second site will challenge your spelling and reading vocabulary use.  It's great practice and fun!

The third site will help you will measurement and abbreviations for the Metric and US Customary forms of measurement.    Enjoy!

http://www.learner.org/interactives/story/index.html

http://www.learner.org/interactives/spelling/

http://www.learner.org/interactives/metric/index.html

March News

The beautiful spring weather is here! 

• Remember students will need water bottles as the days heat up. 
• Work steadily in class  = less homework!!!

Learning goals for March include reviewing Quarters 1,2, and 3 to prepare for AIMS testing.

Math- Fractions, Measurement, Decimals
Reading- practice our comprehension and reading strategies.  Reading Logs DAILY and reading for at least 20 minutes a day. Book reports due MARCH 29.
Science- review and learn about Weather.
Social Studies- current events
Writing- proofreading work and practicing correct grammar
Spelling- Lists 26-27-28 from the master list given out

Dates to Remember

Spring Break- 3/19-23  Have a wonder week and relax.  Come back ready to work.
Picture Day - Thursday, 3/15  Casual dress
AIMS testing - April 16-20  (let's have 100% attendance this week for testing)

Check Twitter for Homework Daily Assignments

You don't have to have an account just go to:   twitter.com/NHalpern4

Reading Everyday does make a difference!

Everyday we work on becoming better readers and improving our reading skills.  Reading is a part of Math, Science, Social Studies, and Writing.  Reading also helps us become better spellers because we become familiar with how words should look and are used.  We can travel to far off places or become more knowledgeable, which could result in attaining dreams bigger than we thought possible.  Just 20 minutes a day can make the difference.   Please take the time to read the following link.
http://www.k12reader.com/why-read-20-minutes-a-day/

Look on our 4th grade wiki for reading skill online games.

http://nhclassnotes4.wikispaces.com/Websites+to+Visit

For math fact mahjong

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/mathgames/mahjong/mahjongMath_addition_easy.htm

Please remind your students the importance of completing their homework, turning it in on time, and doing their personal best.  Report cards are coming out this week.  I am so proud of the effort and pride some students have take in their work.  Congratulations to those who have seen improvement!  Take time to celebrate your hard work.  If you are not pleased with your grades, take time to think about the changes YOU can make to get the results you are looking for.  Frequently low grades are a result of missing assignments or work which was handed in but only half  completed.



HAVE FRIEND AND FAMILY COLLECT
FOR OUR CLASS TOO!

 REMEMBER T SEND IN BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION.  EACH BOX TOP IS WORTH .10 TO OUR CLASS.

ALSO  Our class is in need of tissues- we are on our last box!  Yikes! 

I have needed to give students pencils, erasers, pencil sharpeners, white board markers, paper, etc. so that they can do their work.   I try to buy extra so I have some to give them, but lately because four or five students a day do not have the items they need to work, this is becoming too expensive for me. Please talk with your child to see if what supplies they need.  Thank you for your help in this matter.

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2012!  Let's get back to work and dive into the 3rd Quarter work.

There will be some changes in homework so please read carefully.
Reading logs will not be done this quarter, INSTEAD students will be taking notes on their independent chapter book they are reading and then writing a book report.  We have written and reviewed book reviews on two different books that we have read together.  NOW show me what you have learned by using your graphic organizers and skills to do a book report on your own.  It will be due the last Monday of January... so get a great book and read...read...read....

In math, we will be working on patterns and algebra.

AZ history- we are focusing on ancient peoples (Hohokam, Mogollon, Anasazi) and moving foward to explorers.

In science, we are looking over the impact people have on the environment. 

Spelling- list 19