Week 22--LONG DIVISION TEST!

Dear Parents,

Welcome to week 22! This is already the fourth week of our semester, and we are working on many exciting topics. In science class we will be finishing up our study of line graphs and bar graphs, so the students can use these tools to record data from science experiments and activities. In math class, we will be working on word problems, especially word problems that ask how many times more or less one item is as compared to another. We will be using bar models to help visualize what the problems are asking. You may not be familiar with bar models, but they are powerful visual tools that help students to solve complex word problems.

You may have noticed that I have not assigned flashcards this week. Instead, I have sent students home with multiplication fact worksheets to complete each night. For the time being, these worksheets are replacing flashcards as our daily math fact review. However, please do not let your students throw out their flashcards, as we may need them again before the end of the year. The multiplication worksheets do count toward students’ grades, so please make sure your students are completing them.

Also, in math class, we will be having our long division test on Friday. This is one of the most complicated topics presented in fourth grade, so please review with your students. To give you a little more guidance on what to review, here is a website that explains the basic process of long division for kids:  https://www.bforball.com/long-division.php . Also, here are some sample problems that you can use to help your students review:  52 ÷ 4         574 ÷ 7                 618 ÷ 3                  462 ÷ 21        406 ÷ 2

As we enter our second semester as an academy, we are working hard to ensure your students receive all the benefits our education model can provide. One of those benefits is the dress code, which ensures that students are dressed in a respectful and appropriate manner that conveys the importance of their education. The first semester has been a grace period of sorts, in which we have allowed students and families time to adjust to dress code requirements.   Now, in second semester, we will be enforcing our dress code more strictly. All families have a copy of the dress code in their family handbook. However, in order to help your students remain in compliance with the dress code, here are some reminders:

1.       Shoes must be completely black or completely white; they may not have logos, decorations, laces, or soles in contrasting colors.  They must have flat soles (no wedges or heels allowed). Boots may not be worn.

2.       Socks must be blue or white. Black socks are not allowed. Socks should cover the ankle bone or higher; “no-show” socks are not allowed.

3.       Tights for girls are allowed in blue or white only. No black tights are allowed. Leggings (i.e., footless tights) are not allowed.

4.       Belts must be worn with pants and shorts, and they must be a solid, dark color.

5.       Students have several options for warm, dress code, appropriate clothes. They can wear long-sleeved uniform tops in blue or white. They can wear sweaters, jackets or fleeces in navy with the Trivium East logo. They can also wear undershirts underneath their uniform tops, as long as the undershirts do not stick out of the uniform shirts. (Long sleeved undershirts may not be worn with short-sleeved uniform tops, for example.) Undershirts should be white.

These are just some examples of ways in which your students may need to adjust their dress. As I mentioned before, the family handbook contains the complete dress code. Of course, you can always contact me with any questions.

These are all the notes I have for you this week. If you need anything, you can reach me at rwycklendt@arcwaytriviumeast.org . Have a great week!

Sincerely,

Miss Wycklendt 

Week 21

Dear Parents,

Project night was a huge success! It was great to see so many of you there. We know that families commit a lot of time and effort to supporting their students during project week. At the same time, I saw projects that clearly looked as if students had taken the lead role in creating their project and parents had provided help only when it was necessary. This allowed for a dynamic project night with many students excited to share what they learned by making their project.

Also, thank you to all of you who gave to our tax credit drive. It is encouraging to see so much support from our families in our inaugural year. These funds will go directly to purchase much-needed equipment for our students to use, so your contributions will benefit your students every day they come to school.

In the classroom this week, we spent much time reviewing the math topics from last semester. Your students gave quick, precise answers, kindly pointed out each other’s mistakes, and showed themselves ready for the challenges of math in the coming semester.

One of those upcoming challenges will be our math test. We will have a math test on long division two weeks from now. (I have moved the date forward one week in order to give students more time to prepare.) Long division is one of the most difficult topics in grade school math, and even students who understand may make mistakes. Please review some long division problems with your students in order to ensure they are ready.

For the coming week, math class will focus on developing students’ number sense. They will work on finding answers to problems by looking for ways to make round numbers out of the numbers given. This will give students a stronger sense of the relationships between numbers. In science class, we will be learning ways that scientists communicate their findings. Specifically, we will be exploring line graphs and bar graphs. After that, we will transition into geology.

These are all the notes I have for you this week. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact me at rwycklendt@archwaytriviumeast.org.

Sincerely,

Miss Wycklendt

Project Night and More!

Dear Parents,

Thank you for all the hard work you have done to support your students as they created their projects! A few students showed me their projects early, and they look great! I can’t wait to see all the finished ones on project night.

Some of your students may not have started their projects yet. That’s okay; they do have the weekend to work on them. However, Monday will be a night of ordinary math and science homework, so it will be best for students to complete their projects before Monday in order to avoid a time crunch. The same is true of project papers.

Projects are due on Tuesday morning. Students should bring their projects to school with them on Tuesday morning and leave them at school. Teachers will set the projects up in the MPR after school, and the project displays will be waiting for students when they return to school for project night.

Project night begins at 6:00pm. Students are required to attend as part of their project, and they should be ready to explain their project to teachers and interested visitors. You may bring your students 5-10 minutes early in order to avoid being late, if you wish. Please invite friends and relatives!

In other news, the Trivium East tax credit drive has been extended through Wednesday, January 13. If you submit a tax credit on or before January 13, your students will get an ice cream at our ice cream social on January 15. You can use the link below to tell the government tht you want your tax money to support Trivium East:

https://www.greatheartsonline.com/trans/archwaytriviumeast_tc.html

Regarding tests: For the rest of the semester, we will have three math test and two science tests. Math test will be held in the third, sixth and ninth weeks of the quarter. Science tests will be held in the 4th and 8^th weeks of the quarter. This means the next math test is two weeks from now. It will be on long division. This is one of the most complicated topics in fourth grade math, so please make sure you practice with your students at home!

Several fourth grade students were selected to compete in the next round of our Bard Competition. The second round will take place at Trivium East on Monday, February 1^st, and the winner will go on to the interschool Bard Competition. If your student was selected to compete in the second round, they should choose a poem, get it approved by Mr. Ohbayashi, and starting practicing right away!

Also, the Liberty Wildlife Foundation as numerous educational opportunities for interested families. You can view the options here: http://www.libertywildlife.org/education-services/ . Thank you to 

Mrs. Moody for sharing this with us!

These are all the notes I have for you for the week! If you have any questions, please email me at rwycklendt@archwaytriviumeast.org.

Sincerely,

Miss Wycklendt

Welcome to Project Week!

Dear Parents,

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a relaxing holiday with your families and friends. I know I did, I and I am excited to return to teaching after my break.

First things first, don’t for get to sign your students Friday folders and send the folders back to school! I need them so I can continue to use them. Thank you.

Next up is project week! As some of you may know, the first week of the third quarter will be Trivium East’s first annual project week. Students will dedicate this week of half days to creating a science projecting and writing a few short paragraphs about their project. The theme of this year’s project week is the human body. Students of all grade levels have spent a science unit studying a body system, so each grade level will make projects based on the system of the human body they studied. Fourth grade studied the cardiovascular system, so fourth grade projects will be centered around the heart and blood.

Here’s how it works: Students will spend time in science class learning new details about the heart and blood and solidifying their understanding of old information. In writing class, Mr. Ohbayashi will teach students to write their first paper, which will be a short description of their project. Teachers will provide support and information resources that students can use for their projects, but the actual creation of the projects will occur at home.

Students will have a choice of three different science projects, pending the approval of their parents. They will receive handouts on how to complete their chosen project and handouts of articles that can help them to write the paper that will accompany their project. I have tried to make the projects as simple, cheap, and easy as possible, but if parents feel their child’s project of choice is not appropriate, they may request another one.

All homework time during project week will be spent creating the project and writing the accompanying paper. There will be no RM online, flashcards, etc. The homework for the projects is designed to take about the same amount of time as fourth grade homework normally does, so it will not be a drain on families’ time. Similarly, the materials for projects are house hold items, or items that can be obtained at department stores, drug stores, or grocery stores. The materials should cost less than $20, so they will not be a drain on families’ resources.

Some of the projects ask for clear glass jars. I have several clean glass jars at home that families can use if they don’t have their own. You would have to remove the labels on some of them, but I am happy to give them away on a first-come-first-serve basis.

 A simple guide for timeline of the project for parents is as follows: Obtain materials on Monday night and look over instructions and the resource articles with your student. Create the project and write the paper Tuesday-Thursday. On Friday, put the finishing touches on the project and the paper.

This is intended to be a fun way for students to experience science. The fourth graders already know much of the important information for the projects, but they will learn a few new things this week.

Next week, students will get a chance to show off their projects in an evening time project display. Dates and times TBA. This will be a way for classes to come together as a community and witness each other’s accomplishments. It will also give students a chance to talk about their projects with visiting parents, grandparents, friends, etc.

This project does carry the weight of a test in the student’s science grade, and the paper carries the weight of a test in their writing grade. That’s actually a good thing for several reasons. Students have a whole week to develop and display their project, instead of only a few minutes to write on a test. They can develop their project with the support of adults, instead of staring at a paper alone. Also, students who find a hands-on approach more natural than an ordinary academic approach will have a chance to showcase their unique skills.

Please note that “perfect” looking projects are not necessary and won’t necessarily improve students’ grades. Life is messy and so are science projects. What I want to see is that students have learned from their projects and can explain what the project means when they display their projects next week.

In order to help ensure students’ success, I will be available Thursday morning from 7:00-7:30 am to help students with any last minute questions or details of their projects. Help will be provided on a first-come-first-serve basis. As always, students can also come to me between classes or at recess for help.

That’s all for this week! Please email me with any questions, comments, or concerns, especially this week. I want to support you and your students as much as possible during this project week.

Sincerely,

Miss Wycklendt