Week 34 Notes

Dear Parents,

 

Hurray! Fourth grade has finally finished AZ Merit! We will not have any more full class testing sessions in fourth grade. Students who have missed one or more of the state tests will be taking them this Monday and Tuesday.

Unfortunately, other grades are still working on their state tests, so we will have some slight differences in our schedule. Mainly, we will not be getting little or no math lab time until Thursday because the other grades will still be working on their state tests in math lab. This makes it all the more important that students complete their RM homework in order to avoid falling behind their classmates.

On a happier note we have another field trip planned for fourth grade. On Thursday May 4, we will be going to the state capitol! This will fit in nicely with the study of Arizona state history that occurs at the end of the fourth grade history course. In order to go students must have their permission slips and bus fare in by Friday, April 28 (this Friday). We handed out permission slips in class today. Bus fare is the usual $10, and they do not need to pay admission to get into the capitol. Students should bring their bus fare in a sealed envelope attached to the permission slip with a staple. Otherwise, they risk losing it or having it mistaken for another student’s fare. They should turn in permission slips and bus fare to their teachers. Students who do not have permission slips and bus fare in by this Friday will become honorary third graders while the rest of the class in on the field trip.

We will also need chaperones for the field trip. We need three chaperones for 4A and three chaperones for 4B. 4B parents can contact Dr. Karen Beckwith, our classroom coordinator to volunteer. They can also contact me. 4A parents can contact Mr. Ohbayashi or the 4A classroom coordinator. The restrictions on capitol field trips require that we have only 4 chaperones, so we cannot guarantee all interested parents a spot, but we appreciate all of you who offer your support.

In math this week, students will be working on multiplying and dividing with decimals. In science we are beginning a new unit on heart and blood. Due to AZ Merit, little progress was made in math lab next week, but students who are not yet working on “Subtracting Decimals” in RM are far behind their class and should be doing extra RM in order to catch up.

These are all the notes I have for you this week. If you have any questions, please contact me through your Jupiter Ed account.

Sincerely,

Miss Wycklendt

Week 33 State Tests and Science Test

Dear Parents,

I hope you all had a happy Easter and enjoyed spending time with friends and family. This week at school we will have some schedule changes due to testing. For this reason my blog post this week will focus mainly on the schedule.

Monday and Tuesday are normal days; that is, students have no state tests on those days and will have their normal classes on those days. On Wednesday students have their first in-class science test of the quarter. This is not a state test, just a normal test that will count toward their fourth quarter science grade. I know I have sent some emails about this test, but as a reminder, the topics on this test will be weathering, erosion, deposition, resources, pollution, and the greenhouse effect. This sounds like a lot of topics, but each of those individual topics were relatively short, and we have been studying and reviewing this material for weeks.

Students should use their notebooks to study the topics mentioned above. I gave extra copies of the notes to students who were absent on note-taking days, so all the students should be well-equipped to study for this test. Additionally we worked on a practice test in class, and I am sending students home with copies of the practice test tonight. If they did not finish in class, they can finish as part of their test study time.

On Thursday and Friday we will have the last of our state tests. We will take the first halves of the AZ Merit Math and ELA tests on Thursday. We will take the second halves of the AZ Merit Math and ELA tests on Friday.

Please make sure that your students get plenty of sleep and eat a good breakfast before their state tests. Arizona’s standardized tests are unusually long and stressful compared to the tests most adults remember taking when they were children. Sleeping and eating properly, therefore, are even more crucial to students’ well-being on state tests days than on other days. Please take the time to make sure your students are prepared for these stressful days by having them go to bed early on Wednesday and Thursday and by having them eat a nutritious breakfast on Thursday and Friday. We will NOT be assigning homework on Wednesday and Thursday evenings in order to support students in getting plenty of relaxation and sleep before their state tests on Thursday and Friday.

On a different note please remember that students need to finish the RM curriculum in order to pass into fifth grade. We have missed some math lab time because of state tests, but we budgeted for this missed time at the beginning of the year, so the class as a whole is not behind. However, a few individuals are behind. Right now all students should be working on the lesson “Subtracting Decimals.” If they are not in this lesson, then they are behind. If your student is behind please have them spend a little extra time on the RM program in order to help them catch up. Even 10-15 extra minutes a night will be useful.

These are all the notes I have for you this week. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please send me a message through your Jupiter Ed account.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Wycklendt

Week 32 State Tests and Science Test

Dear Parents,

Thank you to all of you who got together and made our field day such a success! Unlike last year’s event, which was rained out in the afternoon, we enjoyed a sunny, warm afternoon with lots of planned water activities to cool us off. The favorite activities seemed to be the bouncy house obstacle course and the tug of war over the baby pool. We certainly had fun.

This week will begin our state standardized testing. We have not been discussing the dates of testing because we want our students’ focus to be on what they are learning not on how well they do on a test. We have worked hard to make sure they have the tools to be successful on state tests, even though we have not been making it a focus in our students’ minds. On the evenings right before testing days we will have minimal homework so that students can be sure to rest for the next day.

The first test fourth grade will be taking will be the writing portion of AZ Merit. They will take this on Tuesday. Given the intense focus on writing and typing they have had with Mr. Ohbayashi recently, they should be confident in their abilities for this exam.

This Wednesday fourth grade students will be taking their state science test. The topics we have studied in third quarter and in the early part of fourth quarter— such as the water cycle, resources, pollution, and global warming—are the topics most likely to come up on state tests. I planned this deliberately so that the important material would be fresh in students’ minds.

Next Tuesday we will also be having our first science test in class for the quarter. I intended to have it this Friday because many of the topics on this unit test will also be on the state science test. However, we have this Friday off, so we will have the test next Tuesday instead. It will be a comprehensive test, so I will be putting out a study guide this week, especially since I don’t expect them to study on Easter weekend.

These are all the notes I have for you this week. As always, please send me a message with any questions, comments, or concerns you may have.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Wycklendt

Week 31--Field Day

Dear Parents,

This week on Friday we have our schools annual field day! Students will spend a large part of their day participating in and celebrating physical activity. They will also have a chance to learn about nutrition form Coach Brinson. All students will have schedule changes for the day in order to accommodate field day activities. However, during the times when students are not on the field we will stick to our normal schedule as closely as possible.

A number of our fourth grade students have a brother or sister in fifth grade. Fifth graders will be having their field day at Trivium West. Fifth the grade students should be dropped off at Trivium West in the morning and picked up from Trivium East in the afternoon. Please keep this in mind when thinking about travel arrangements to school on Friday morning.

Of course, we don’t expect students to come in their ordinary uniforms for a day of physical activity. They can, of course, but they can also come in more casual athletic clothing. Please consult the family handbook for guidelines on how students may dress for field day. If students are not dressed according to the guidelines they may be sent back to change before they can participate in any activities. Also, please keep in mind that the usual ban on clothing with large brand names, large brand logos, and words or sayings of any kind still remains in effect. Students should bring hats, water bottles, and sunscreen as they will be out in the heat of the day for two or more hours at a time. Thank you.

In math students will continue their study of decimals. In RM they should be on “Adding Decimals” by this Monday evening. If they are not there, they are behind the rest of their class and they may be assigned extra homework to help them catch up. Please remember that students must finish the RM curriculum in order to pass into fifth grade. If they are behind, it is important that they spend a little extra time on RM in order to catch up.

In science we will continue our study of resources, pollution and global warming. We will continue to prepare for the state science exam. It is scheduled for two Wednesdays from now, on April 12.

These are all the notes I have for you this week. As always please contact me through your Jupiter Ed account with any questions, comments, or concerns you may have.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Wycklendt