Thank you for sending such wonderful kids! This week we got to know each other. Every morning in homeroom we greeted each other by name and with a handshake. I hope this makes all feel welcome. We will continue "morning meeting" throughout the year, building on our community cohesiveness. Next week we begin our PAW behavior system. There is a sheet in the Bee Binder that has Paws on it; hopefully your child can explain our system to you. But don't worry; we will go over it during Back to School on Sept. 15. The 4th grade team rewards good behavior with the opportunity to participate in Flex Friday - an extra half hour of recess in the afternoon - and with Brilliant Bobcat Day once a quarter. One of the aspects of this school year that I'm really excited about it the fact that Austin ISD is focusing on Independent Reading this year! This is the first step in the new district Literacy Plan, which will be rolled out over the next few years. I hope to instill a love for reading in all our students. We will "read wildly" this year! We will read a lot of different genres and will respond to our reading in different ways. I would LOVE every student to have a book bag this year. This can be a smallish bag with handles that your child can carry over the shoulder and that can be hung on the back of the chair. I hope that the kids can carry their bags to our class reading buddies (probably a 1st or 2nd grade class), outdoors, to the cafeteria, even out to recess. My goal is for all of our students to feel the enjoyment of really getting into a good book. Independent reading will not be graded or tested. We will do lots of discussing books - characters, themes, setting, author style, etc. If you can provide your child with a book bag as soon as possible, that would be great. I do have a friend who has a sewing business and is happy to take orders. Two bag examples are to the left. Available bag colors are purple, gray, navy, royal blue and red. The outside pockets can vary; just specify a pattern your child would like. They are $16.24 ($15 + tax). You can order them through me. But please know that any bag is great. You may have a smallish bag at home; please bring that one in. Kids have brought all kinds of bags this week! Hope you have a restful weekend and see you Monday!
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The kids are definitely excited to be back! You can hear it in their voices as they converse with one another. We are working on building relationships among each other and reaching out beyond our familiar friends. Everyone needs a friend and we all need to be supported in the classroom. I will be challenging students to maybe go a bit out of their comfort zone to develop friendships with people they don't know. This skill - that of being able to make friends with just about anyone - is a really important one that will stay with kids throughout their schooling and maybe even into their careers. Being able to join with others to accomplish a task - collaborating - is an important skill that employers look for these days. And I know your kids are up for the challenge!
Thanks for sending in book bags. They are awesome! Some of you have ordered book bags and they are on their way! I've explained the reading homework and log system we will use this year to the students. They have a reading list recording page in their Bee Binders. They should record all the books they read at home. They will record the books they read at school, as well. We are going for completing 40 books from many different genres this year! Please encourage your child to read, read, read. Studies show that reading is the number one activity that promotes excellence in school academics and in life. Here is a link that might explain... http://www.best-books-for-kids.com/benefits-of-reading.html We will be working on Texas Landmarks the next few days, responding to our reading, and journal writing. But how could that be? The first day was so fun! Well, for one thing, the SUN was out and we could have outside recess! Secondly, students are already starting to fall into a routine - lining up in the hallway before the morning bell, placing their lunch boxes neatly in a row on the black shelf outside our front door, greeting each other with a firm handshake during morning meeting, turning work into the "Dawson bin", lining up on the green square in the pod....all these little classroom routines help us navigate through the day. Your kids are super animated and willing to put effort into their work.
I'd like to share a couple of things: PLEASE look at your child's agenda daily for a few weeks to make sure he/she is doing homework and to see anything else written in there. Ms. Perkins and I will have students write important information in their agenda. I also want your child to take responsibility for looking in the agenda every afternoon to make sure they are doing their work. You do not need to sign the agenda - we don't do that in fourth grade. Eventually, by the end of the year, your child should really be independently taking care of business, so to speak. The 2nd thing is PLEASE have your child bring in a smallish book bag. We are focusing on independent reading this year and I would like the kids to get used to reading 3, 4 books at a time and be able to take the books anywhere. Our desks get crowded and the white boxes are full with math/science books, so the over-the-shoulder book bag is the way to go. It doesn't have to be fancy, but I would like it to be smaller than a grocery bag. They will hang on the back of your child's chair at school and your child will be transporting books to different areas of the school, so they shouldn't be cumbersome. I have a friend who has a sewing business and she will make your child a custom bag for $16.24 ($15 + tax); email or call me to order. Several kids have ordered them already! Sorry to write such a long blog! Next time I'll include pictures! Welcome back Bobcats! We had a wonderfully successful first day of school. Your kids are so awesome. They were chill while we dealt with our supplies; it takes forever to put labels and names on all the spirals and folders! We did Morning Meeting: a whole class greeting, a sharing, an activity, and a morning message. We will implement MM throughout the school year in an effort to build class community and support one another. Everyone paired up with another student at lunch and interviewed their partner to get to know them! We will continue to share what each student learned about their partner this week. Students have homework tonight; they are to fill out The Big Day and bring it back on Wednesday. This HW assignment will give them an opportunity to share what they've learned about our class with you.
If your child hasn't brought a book bag to class, please do so by Friday. We are looking for bags that have a shoulder strap that can hang on the back of the student's chair. If you have questions about this, please ask me. You can order a book bag through me, if you'd like. I have samples in the classroom; just come on in and look at them when you can. Independent Reading is the focus in Austin ISD this year! I look forward to sharing many books with your kids! |
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