Responsibility in Action

This year, for the first time since I have been at St. Matthias, students are eating their lunches in Friendship Hall.  Today was the second day of the new procedure.  The students in fourth grade made me proud to be their teacher because of how they modeled responsibility for themselves and for our larger school community.  Not only did they show responsibility by cleaning up after themselves and by putting away their chairs quickly and safely, they also took initiative and worked as a team as they helped each other get the chairs stacked for the younger students.  It was truly an all hands on deck event and they handled it beautifully- a proud moment indeed.  

Parent Orientation Handout

Grateful for the turnout and conversations at last night's Parent Orientation.  Looking forward to the coming school year. 

Below is the information provided in the handout passed out last night.

 

 

     Welcome Fourth Grade Families! 

Hopes and Goals 

Within the first days of school, students, parents, and myself will express their hopes and goals for the coming school year.  The hopes and goals will give rise to the classroom rules that the children help create.  The students' hopes and goals will be posted in the classroom and serve as a daily reminder of how they want their classroom to be.  Throughout the school year, the class will revisit and reflect on the hopes and goals.   

My hopes include 

• To build a safe, caring, and joyful learning community. 
• To encourage each child to become a lifelong learner and develop their gifts and talents. 
• To maintain quality communication with parents as we work together in partnership. 

Highlights of 4th Grade: 

Math 

•  Name and write mixed numbers, improper fractions, and decimals 
• Add and subtract simple fractions with like denominators 
• Add and subtract decimals to the hundredths place 
• Develop understanding of solving an equation  
• Identify, describe and draw rays, right angles, acute angle, obtuse angles, and straight angles  
• Know and use formulas for finding area and perimeter of rectangles and squares 
• Represent and interpret data on a number line and in tables, including frequency tables  
• Analyze and apply strategies in problem solving 

Language Arts 

• Use common roots, word parts, and context clues to determine and analyze the meaning of complex words 
• Distinguish between cause and effect and between fact and opinion in informational text 
• Read and analyze a variety of genres.  Analysis includes identifying the main events of the plot, determining causes for a character's actions, identifying the narrator, and determining the theme 
• Write informational reports, responses to literature, and Letters from School 
• Read independently and participate in the 40 book reading challenge 
• Participate in the Global Read Aloud, and March Book Madness  
• Present book talks 
• Maintain a log, including writing summaries, for the classroom bookaday challenge  

Social Studies  

• Describe the rights and responsibility of voting 
• Trace the historical periods, places, people, events and movements that have led to the development of Maryland as a state and the District of Columbia as the nation's capital 
• Distinguish fact from fiction in documents and other information resources  

Science 

• Conduct investigations, record data in journals, and communicate results  
• Explain how some products and materials are easier to recycle than others 
• Recognize and explain that any invention may lead to other inventions 
• Describe the effects of oceans on climate 
• Describe and classify materials such as rocks and minerals  

 Religion  

• Show understanding that God expects us to love and forgive each other 
• Understand how to create and participates in the writing of prayers of intercession for Mass 
• Memorize and recite the Ten Commandments 
• Name the Beatitudes and their origin  
• Identify the Nicene Creed as the statement of beliefs we pray at Mass 
• Research a Saint to participate in a Living Museum 

Fourth Grade Schedule   

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Homeroom   8:00-8:20	Morning Meeting	Morning   Meeting	Morning    Meeting	Morning   Meeting	Morning Meeting
1st Period    8:20-9:20	Math	Math	Math	Math	Math
2nd Period   9:20-10:05	Religion	Religion *	9:10-10:00   Library	Religion	Religion
3rd Period   10:05-10:50	Social Studies	Social Studies	Social Studies	Social Studies	Social Studies
4th Period   10:50-11:40	Science	Science	Science	Science	Science
5th Period   11:40-12:30	Computer	Music	PE	Art	PE
12:30-1:20	Recess/Lunch	Recess/Lunch	Recess/Lunch	Recess/Lunch	Recess/Lunch
6th Period   1:20-2:10	Language Arts	Language Arts	Language Arts	Language Arts	Language Arts
7th Period   2:10-2:55	Language Arts	Language Arts	Religion	Language Arts	Language Arts
2:55-3:05	Closing Circle Dismissal	Closing Circle Dismissal	Closing Circle Dismissal	Closing Circle Dismissal	Closing Circle    Dismissal

*Every other Tuesday we will attend school Mass at 9:15.  

Snack break is the transition time between Religion and Social Studies. 

Mrs. Baumann is teaching Science.   

 

 

Classroom Needs/Volunteer Opportunities 

• Recess/lunch volunteers- Contact Mrs. Schratz 
• Field trip volunteers 
• Cooking  
• STEM  
• Classroom Bookaday  

 

Communication Connections 

• Email:  jkelly@stmatthias.org  Each Monday morning I will send an email with information for the upcoming week.  
• Letters from School- On Fridays, student writes a weekly letter home in a special journal (LFS).  The recipient writes a response back.  Journals return to school on Monday.  
• Thursday folder – Correspondence from school office, including the weekly Bridges.  Folder to be returned on Friday 
• Information portal - Plusportals.com/stmatthias Mrs. Blackburn is sending home information regarding sign-in 
• Follow us on Twitter @ASMartlibrary 
• Read the Fourth Grade Family blog at ASMartlibrary.blogspot.com 
• Buster's Diary-  Students take home the class mascot, Buster, and writes about his adventures.  Each student has a visit with Buster once every three months.  

 

 

Ideas for Helping Your Child Be Successful This Year 

• Nightly homework consists of students reading at least 20 minutes a night.  Have a dedicated reading time, where everyone in the house is reading.  Talk about your reading experiences and share favorites from your childhood.   
• Play board games to practice the social skills of cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, and self control.  
• Use flashcards to promote fluency of math facts including multiplication and division facts.  

 

I am excited to get to know your child and to form a partnership with you to help him/her develop his/her gifts and talents.  

Respectfully, 

Julie Kelly