Welcome!

Dear Parents,


It was good to meet so many of you at "Meet the Teacher" night. I felt a lot of enthusiasm from students and parents alike, and I am looking forward to an exciting year.

I feel I have a lot to tell you about the classes I teach and the structure of the fourth grade classrooms. I want you all to be well-informed about your children's academics. At the same time, I do not want to overload you with all the information at once. Therefore, I will confine myself to explaining a few things each week until I have covered everything.

This week, I would like to discuss the Reasoning Mind ( or RM) math curriculum in more detail. As many of you know from my presentations last year and from my letter on Friday, the Reasoning Mind curriculum blends traditional classroom instruction with online learning. Every day, students will have two math classes. For the first two weeks of school, both of those classes will be traditional classes. However, starting in the third week of school, the first math class each morning will take place in the computer lab.

In the first two weeks, before the introduction of the computer, we will go over a number of easy topics deeply but rapidly. These topics include place, value, digits, expanded form, comparing numbers, writing numbers in words, rounding, and simple addition. Students should have seen most of these topics before, perhaps many times. However, because they are older they can now examine these fundamentals with more depth. This exploration will help them develop a common experience of math that they will use in class discussions throughout the year.

If students do find these first weeks easy, rest assured that math will not be so easy for long! By the end of first quarter we will be doing column multiplication by two and three digit numbers. By the end of second quarter we will be dividing four digit numbers by two digit numbers using long division.

After the first two weeks, the morning math class will be presented through the online program. Students will log into online accounts and work on a math lesson in the lab. Every student will start on the same lesson, but the computer will use the students' responses to individualize instruction for each student according to what they need most. Students who have shown understanding of a particular concept will be given harder problems. Students who find a concept challenging will be given extra instruction in that area and also extra problems.

As the students work, Mr. Conklin and I will be in the math lab, assisting students as necessary. The program gives teachers real-time information about how well students are performing, which students most likely need help, and what their misunderstandings are. This allows us to help them in the most efficient way possible with their individual needs. At the same time, if the data tells us a student is exceling, we have the ability to pull that student off the computer for further enrichment on the topic they are studying.

The second math class of the day will continue to be a traditional, homeroom math class. During this class, we will learn topics that are not covered by the online system or explore more deeply topics that are presented in the online system. We will use physical manipulatives to help explain math concepts and work together on problems that are too difficult for any one student to solve on their own.

The other main topic I would like to explain this week is the infraction system of discipline used in fourth and fifthe grade. This is a system we use to be objective and fair when giving consequences for minor issues. It is also a way for us to communicate with parents about students' habits, so there are no surprises if a consequence becomes necessary.

Here's how it works: If a student breaks a rule in a minor way, like talking in class without raising their hand or arriving in class without the necessary books and supplies, a teacher will write an infraction code in the student's homework agenda. This is a series of letters that is short for a particular offense. The four infractions we will use are as follows:

TLK: Talking out of turn
UPL: Unprepared to learn (missing books or supplies, incomplete homework)
DIS: Disrespect
FOL: Breaking any other clearly stated school rule

The infraction written in the student's agenda is intended to be a gentle reminder that they have made a mistake and they can do better. Most students do get a few infractions each month because everyone makes mistakes from time to time. In general, infractions written in the student's agenda are intended to be opportunities for students and parents to have a conversation about how students can strive to do better, but they are usually not indicative of a serious problem. Of course, you can always ask the teachers any questions you may have about an infraction, and we will be happy to respond.

Since communication with parents is one of the main goals of the infraction system, students are required to get these infractions signed by their parents before school the next day. If not, they will recive an FOL in fraction with a large box saying, "Sign here!" If they continue to come to school with unsigned infractions, they may have to call their parents during recess about the infractions. This is to ensure that parents are seeing the agenda and infractions.

If a student receives four of the same kind of infraction in one week, he or she will receive an after-school detention. This will give us an opportunity to sit down with the student and discuss why they are having trouble following a particular rule. Then we can come up with a plan to help students do better. If a student has four fractions in a week, but they are of different kinds, no consequence will result. Teachers will simply remind the student to follow the rules and do better next week.

For the first week, though, infractions will not result in a detention no matter how many of the same infraction a student receives. We want to give the students a fair chance to get used to the rules and the system before attaching consequences to their actions.

I hope this is helpful and useful information as we start the new school year. Next weekend I shall post again on other topics. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please feel free to send me a message through your Jupiter Ed account, and I will respond within 24 hours.


Sincerely,

Miss Wycklendt

Last Days of School and Study Guide Update

Dear Parents,


Thank you all for the gifts, cards and mementos you sent with your students for teacher appreciation week. They were very sweet, especially the peanut butter cups! :-) I have to say, I have really enjoyed this year of teaching; if I could afford it, I would do it for free. It is a privilege to be allowed to gift my students with knowledge to help them make their way in the word.

Once again, please remember that all students do need to be in attendance on Monday and Tuesday of this coming week in order to take their final tests. I said previously that math and history tests are Monday, but I was misinformed. MATH and LITERATURE tests are on MONDAY, and history and science are on Tuesday.

Wednesday is going to be more of a fun day. We don't have any more classes or tests, but we will spend some time signing yearbooks, packing up, and saying goodbyes. We also have an all school assembly in which various students will be recognized for the virtues they've shown throughout the year. Attendance for Wednesday will not affect students' grades, but we would love to have them all so we can give them a proper send off for the summer.

PLEASE make sure your students bring BACKPACKS ON WEDNESDAY! They will need them to pack up their lockers and desks.

As you go through the Friday folders today, please be sure to look for any “Try Again” assignments and have your students complete them promptly. They will (obviously) need to be return by Wednesday for students to receive credit for their redo. Also, last night’s math assignment was composed of problems similar to those that will be on the test (It was a six problem worksheet on simplifying fractions, finding any fraction equivalent to a given fraction, and finding a fraction equivalent to a given fraction when the denominator of the answer is given. Please go over it with your students to find what they need to focus on when studying for the math test. If it’s not there it means they haven’t turned it in to me yet.

I did title this post "Study Guide Update" and I have updated the copy of the science study guide that I emailed you on Wednesday. changed some things in numbers 5 and 6 and I have added a completely paragraph, number 12. Please use this updated copying when helping your student study for science.


These are all the notes I have for you this week. As always, please feel free to email me if you need anything.

Sincerely,


Miss Wycklendt

UPDATED Water Cycle Study Guide

1.       The atmosphere is made out of a mixture of gasses. We call this mixture of gasses “air.” There is NO DIFFERENCE between the words “air” and “the mixture of gasses that makes up the atmosphere.” They are two ways of saying the same thing.

2.       Pressure literally means “pressing.” It is a kind of force.

3.       Atmospheric pressure refers to the atoms of air/gas that make up the atmosphere pressing down towards earth.

4.       The higher you are, the less atmospheric pressure there is. The lower you are the more atmospheric pressure there is. This is because an object that is high in the air has some atoms of air/gas above it pressing down on it, but it also has some atoms of air/gas beneath it. An object that is on earth has all the atoms of air/gas in the atmosphere pressing down on it because all the atoms are above it and none of them are beneath it. Therefore, the object on the earth experiences more atmospheric pressure than one in the air because there are more atoms pressing down on it. (Students should be able to use this information to correctly identify which of two objects experiences more atmospheric pressure and why. For instance, if a bird is flying in the air and a dog is walking on the ground, which one experiences more atmospheric pressure and why?)

5.       The water cycle refers to the way water is renewed on earth.

6.       There are four main steps to the water cycle: evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection.

7.       Evaporation: When the sun heats liquid water on earth, the water becomes an invisible gas called water vapor and rises into the air.

8.       Condensation: As water vapor rises it gets colder because the air around it gets colder. When the water vapor gets too cold to be a gas it changes back into drops of liquid. These liquid water droplets make clouds.

9.       Precipitation: When clouds get too heavy and full of condensed water droplets, they release rain, snow, or hail.

10.   Collection: The water comes back to earth in the form of rain, snow, or hail and gathers in puddles, snow drifts, or hail drifts.

11.   The fifth step of the water cycle: The cycle starts all over again with evaporation!

12.   Myth: Jars and glasses of ice water “sweat” in the summer when it gets hot out. Fact: Water vapor (that is water gas) in the air around the jar touches the cold outside of the jar and the cold causes the water vapor to condense back into liquid water on the outside of the jar. 

Week 37

Dear Parents,

This upcoming week is the last full week of school. After that, we have three half days and then summer break. Of course, the students are starting to get anxious for summer, but please encourage them to persevere in their efforts to learn until the final day.

On that note, please be aware that the half days next week are still intended to be serious study time for students. Fourth grade students will have finals in math and history on Monday of next week and finals in science and literature/writing on Tuesday of next week. Please keep your students in attendance to take these exams. Unexcused absences will result in a 0 grade for your student’s final exams.

We will end our study of science this year by continuing to learn about the water cycle. We will end our study of math this year by studying decimals in both math lab and math class.

Regarding our science test from last week: I had announced in third quarter that I would start sending every other test home.  This is the test that I keep, so if you would like to know how your student did, please email me.

These are all the notes I have for you this week. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to contact me at rwycklendt@archwaytriviumeast.org. Have a great week!

Sincerely,

Miss Wycklendt

Week 36

Dear Parents,

Last week was long and busy but lots of fun! Congratulations to our drama club students who successfully performed their first play, “The Firebird!” It was a real treat to see the results of all their hard work, and to laugh along at their comedic efforts. Mr. Ohbayashi and Mr. Elefson did a wonderful job directing.

Congratulations to Ms. Sassaman on a successful week of concerts! I did not get to see the 1^st-3^rd concert, but the 4^th and 5^th graders sounded lovely. I was especially impressed by the fourth grade students harmonizing in “Going to Ghana” and the fifth grade students giving such a beautiful rendition of “The Road Not Taken.”

As always, thank you to all of you parents who support your students as they prepare for and perform in these school events. We know this takes a lot of time and effort on your part, but rest assured, your work does not go unnoticed!

Of course, this post would not be complete without mention of our art walk! While the rain threatened to spoil our fun, I think you can all agree we had a great time. Thank you to all of you who hung black paper and pictures, made donations to baskets, collected donations for baskets, and of course attended and supported this fundraiser. A big shout out especially goes to Ms. Stephanie Dean, our receptionist who took on organizing the whole event! Also, Mrs. Walters and Ms. Lipmann took the lead in collecting donations for 4A’s baskets and putting them togather.

We have a few more standardized assessments to complete before the end of the year. These are not state tests but rather tools we use at Trivium East to help teachers understand in what areas their students need to grow. On Monday we will have our multiple choice Galileo math test, and on Tuesday we will have our multiple choice Galileo language arts test. Next week we will also have an Algebra Readiness assessment for fourth grade students; further details will be included in next week’s blog post.

In math this week we will be simplifying fractions. In science, we will learn about clouds and the water cycle. On Wednesday we have a science test on what we have learned about meteorology so far. Here is the study guide:

1.       Meteorology is the science of earth’s atmosphere and weather.

2.       The atmosphere is a blanket (or bubble) of gasses that surround the earth. The gasses are held around the earth by earth’s gravity.

3.       Components of the atmosphere: The gasses that make up the atmosphere include nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and others.

4.       What the atmosphere does for us: The atmosphere allows us to breathe and protects us from outer space.

5.       The gasses in the atmosphere are, of course, composed of atoms and molecules. These atoms and molecules press down on us from above. This is called “atmospheric pressure.” (Pressure literally means “pressing.”)

6.       Just as the inside of the earth has layers, so does the atmosphere. The main layers of the atmosphere are the troposphere, the stratosphere, the mesosphere, the thermosphere, and the exosphere.

7.       The troposphere is the layer of the atmosphere that starts just above the earth’s surface and extends 11 miles above the earth. The air around you right now is part of the troposphere. Most clouds and storms are in the troposphere.

8.       The stratosphere is the layer above the troposphere. It has a few clouds and (as a result) a few storms. It also contains ozone.

9.       Ozone is a special kind of oxygen atom found mostly in the stratosphere. It protects the earth from the harmful ultra-violet light rays of the sun.

10.   The mesosphere is the layer after the stratosphere. Meteors falling from outer space usually burn up in the mesosphere.

11.   The thermosphere is the layer above the stratosphere. It’s temperature is about 3,600 degrees Fahrenheit! The thermosphere absorbs most of the heat from the rays of the sun that come towards earth, protecting us from getting too hot.

12.   The exosphere is the highest layer of the atmosphere. The atoms and molecules of gas are extremely far apart from each other in the exosphere. Some scientists consider the exosphere part of outer space.

13.   Air takes up space! You can feel that air takes up space when you wave your hand quickly and feel the air moving past your hand. We also proved that air takes up space in our experiment with the jar under water. When we put the jar straight down underwater, no water got into the jar. Then we tipped the jar to the side and saw air bubbles come out of the jar as water moved into the jar. This proved that air had been in the jar, and it was taking up space in the jar because it had to move out before the water could move in.

14.   Air has weight! We proved this when we blew up two balloons to the same size, attached them to the ends of a ruler, and then balanced the ruler at its center. The fact that the rule balanced proved that both of the balloons were the same weight. Then we popped one of the balloons. The ruler no longer balanced but rather tipped toward the full balloon, proving that the balloon full of air was heavier than the empty balloon. The air has weight which is weighing the full balloon down.

As of this week we have only two full weeks until the end of the school year and three half days the week after. Fourth graders will devote their half days to studying for and taking their finals. As with the finals before Christmas, these will NOT be cumulative tests; they will only be on material taught in class since the last test. However, the fourth graders will have 4-5 tests over the course of those half days in order to practice the skill of studying for several tests at once. More details will be given as we get closer to the last week.

These are all the notes I have for you this week. If you have any further questions, comments, or concerns, do not hesitate to email me at rwycklendt@archwaytriviumeast.org.

Sincerely,

Miss Wycklendt

A Busy Week!

Dear Parents,

As I'm sure you heard, we had a lot of fun at our 4A ice cream party. This long overdue bash was to congratulate 4A students on being the second class to fully fund their classroom art and also served as an end of year party. Thank you to everyone who helped with this event. First, a huge thank you to Mrs. Walters and Mr. Conklin, who coordinated to event. Mrs. Walters brought ice cream, set up the party, monitored, and cleaned up! Next, thank you to Ms. Lipmann, who helped set up, serve ice cream, run games, and clean up! Thank you to Mrs. Colberg, who helped supervise and run games. Last but not least, thank you to all the families who donated ice cream toppings. They were scrumptious!

After a low-key week, we now have a busy week full of school events. We have music concerts, the drama club play, and our first annual art walk fundraiser!

On Wednesday of this week, our drama club students will present their first play, “The Firebird.” Based on a Russian folktale, it is being directed by Mr. Ohbayashi and Mr. Elefson, and many of the actors are fourth grade students. The show starts at 5:00pm in the MPR, and everyone is welcome to attend. There is no charge for admission, and attendance is not required of any of the students. However, As many of the actors are fourth graders, it will be a lot of fun for the students to see their friends in the play, and we certainly encourage them to attend.

Thursday is our 4th-5th grade spring music concert. Performing in this concert is mandatory for fourth grade students, and it is part of their final music grade. The concert is at King of Kings Church in Goodyear. There is a dress rehearsal beforehand. Please have your students at the church in concert attire by 5:00pm so they can start rehearsing. At the same time, please plan on waiting in the gathering space outside the actual church so the students can have privacy for their rehearsal. Letters regarding dress code were sent home in students homework folders last week. Any questions about concert dress or other details can be directed toward our music teacher, Miss Sassaman. You can email her at msassaman@archwaytriviumeast.org.

Friday is our first annual art walk! We are raising money for beautiful art to decorate the hallways outside our classrooms. There will be food vendors, a bouncy house, and a dunk tank with teachers inside! There will be supervised arts and crafts projects for kids to work on while parents bid on our silent auction of themed baskets and view the art gallery of art that will be purchase with the funds raised by the auction. There will also be displays of the best student artwork in the hallways. All in all, it should be a great time, and we hope to see all of you there!

On that note, the 4A class silent auction basket is themed “A Basket Full of Dates!” It will be filled with gift cards and treats for fun nights out for parents. If you would like to donate to the basket, please contact our lovely 4A class parent, Mrs. Walters. You can email her at lwalters15@cox.net.

As for classes, we will continue to work on equivalent fractions and simplifying fractions in math class. In math lab we will continue to work on decimals. In science class we will keep studying the atmosphere and the water cycle.

These are all the notes I have for you this week. Please feel free to email me with any questions, comments, or concerns.

Sincerely,

Miss Wycklendt

Week 34: A Normal Week!

Dear Parents,

We are entering the sixth week out of ten weeks in fourth quarter. This should be a fairly normal week as compared to many of the busy weeks we have had recently. There are no tests planned for math or science this week and no major school events. All students will have extra practice for their choir concerts, so specials schedules will change slightly. Other than that, everything will be normal.

In science class this week we will continue the study of meteorology that we started last week. In math, we will continue to study equivalent fractions and move into simplifying fractions.  In math lab, we will continue working on decimals.

One important occurrence this week is that official deficiencies notices will be sent out this week to families of any students with a current grade of D+ or lower in any class. Normally, these are sent out to you at the end of a week over a weekend, but this week will be different. They will most likely reach you by the middle of this week.

Regarding deficiencies, there are a few things I would like to communicate. Some parents have mentioned a fear that a deficiency in fourth quarter means their child will repeat the grade over. This is not the case. If we thought it was in the best interests of your student to retain them in their current grade level, we would have already had that conversation with you.  So, rest assured, your students will pass into fifth grade.  

Another thing related to deficiencies is reprinting missing homework. A few weeks back, I sent out an email to parents regarding reprinting homework in fourth quarter. However, because it was an email and not a blog post, I think it is possible that some parents may have missed it, so I am repeating it here:

 In previous quarters, I have been supporting students who have missed handing in assignments by giving them new copies of missing assignments. Many students never had homework before coming to Trivium East, and it seemed appropriate to give them time to adjust to the requirements. By fourth quarter, most of the students are handing their assignments in regularly, and they have had plenty of time to adjust to the requirements. Therefore, I will not be reprinting assignments for students who have lost track of the assignments anymore. The only exception is if the student did not receive a copy of the assignment in the first place, which happens very occasionally when a student is absent. If a student still has their copy of a missing assignment, they can complete it and turn it in for half-credit.

I always want to support my students to be their best, and, at this point in the year, that means taking responsibility for assignments. This is especially true as they start preparing for the higher standards of fifth grade and middle school. (The fifth grade teachers rarely reprint assignments, and middle school teachers definitely won’t.) While this may mean that some students may not be able to hand in lost assignments, my hope is that by experiencing the higher standard now, they will be set up for success in meeting fifth grade and middle school standards.

 I am happy to support students with their assignments in other ways, like giving them time to search their desk and locker for assignments, helping them between classes or before school with assignments, and tutoring students as necessary. I will continue to keep parents informed by emailing them about their child’s grade, reasons for it, and ways the student can improve. Of course, you can always email me if you are concerned about your student or their grades.

These are all the notes I have for you this week. Please feel free to email me with any questions, comments, or concerns.

Sincerely,

Miss Wycklendt

Week 33

Dear Parents,

Welcome to week 33! There’s a little less than six weeks until the end of the school year, and we will continue to use that time to gift our students with as much knowledge as possible. Now that standardized tests are over, our focus will be on preparing our students to meet the high expectations of fifth grade.

In math this week, we will continue to explore fractions. We will continue to work on finding fractions equivalent to other fractions and hopefully start working on simplifying fractions. The concept of equivalent fractions poses a particular challenge for students because this is the first time they have experienced quantities that are the same but are expressed with different digits. To further confuse matters, finding equivalent fractions requires multiplying. Granted, you multiply the original fraction by a fraction equal to one, but since you are multiplying, and since the resulting equivalent fraction is expressed in different digits than the original fraction, students often think the quantity has changed as well. We will spend as much time as necessary to make sure students understand equivalent fractions.

In science class, we do have our test on ecology. It is on many of the same topics students were studying for their quiz last week and for their state science test, so it shouldn’t be too hard. I had scheduled it for Tuesday; however, since I am so late getting the study guide out, I will postpone it until Wednesday. The following are things students should know for the test:

1.       They should know the definition of ecology found in their notebooks, and they should understand and be able to draw the ecological/natural cycle found in their notebooks.

2.       They should know the three main kinds of pollution we have studied (land pollution, water pollution and air pollution) and should be able to give two examples of each.

3.       Global warming: Global warming is the scientific observation that the average temperature of the earth is getting ½ a degree warmer each year. A lot of students have answered the question “What is global warming?” by saying, “It means the earth is getting warmer.’ Such an imprecise answer will not be sufficient for the test.

4.       Global warming does not mean you never feel cold. It does not mean you don’t have winter. It does not mean the seasonal changes from winter to spring and spring to summer. It is very important that students know that global warming is NOT any of these things.

5.        Most fourth grade students have not yet studied averages in math, so the best way I have found to explain global warming to them is to say that most places will be half a degree warmer this year than they were last year most of them time. This is not quite correct, because mathematically, cold places like the poles could be heating up a lot, while average temperature of the rest of the earth remained stable, and this could still cause the overall average temperature of the earth to rise. However this is much closer to the scientific concept of global warming than the above common errors about global warming, and it does not require them to learn averages for their science test.

6.       There are two main theories that scientists have put forward to explain why the earth’s average temperature is rising. Students should be able to explain each. One theory is that it is part of a natural cycle of the earth. The thought is that over hundreds or thousands of years the earth gets cooler, and then warmer, and then cooler again. The more commonly held theory is that humans are causing global warming by polluting the air with greenhouse gasses. When humans burn fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas for power, those burnt fuels give off smoke. The smoke contains greenhouse gasses. The greenhouse gasses trap extra heat from the sun and keep the heat in the earth’s atmosphere, thus making the average temperature of the earth rise.

7.       Students should know some reasons why global warming is potentially harmful. After all, most people like to be warm, so the idea of a warmer earth can be attractive. However, if the earth’s temperature rises ½ a degree each year, than in 100 years it will have risen fifty degrees. That’s a huge change in a short period of time. (Imagine if Phoenix got fifty degrees warmer on average!) That could cause polar ice caps to melt, making the ocean water levels rise and eroding shore lines. It could mean larger, more frequent, and more violent storms of all kinds (hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes). It could mean more wildfires and droughts, fewer cold weather animals, and more mosquitoes and insects that carry diseases.

8.       Resources: Resources are supplies that come from the earth that we use to provide ourselves with the things we need to live.

9.       Renewable resources are resources that we can easily get more of from the earth if we carefully use what we have. Most plants and animals fall into this category, as does water.

10.   Non-renewable resources are resources we can’t get more of from the earth, or at least, not for thousands or millions of years. Fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas fall into that category.

11.   Students should know the difference between a reusable resource and a renewable resource. Reusable/recyclable resources are ones that can be used again for a new purpose after they have been used once. This is NOT the same as being renewable. Renewable means you can grow more of it or get more of it from the earth. Reusable means you can use the same thing many times for many different purposes. Some renewable resources are not reusable, and some reusable resources are not renewable. Water is renewable; you can get more from the natural water cycle. It is also reusable; it can be filtered and used again. Corn is renewable; you can grow more of it. It is not reusable, though; once your farm animals eat it its gone; it can’t be used for anything else. Metals and plastic are non-renewable. Metal is mined form the earth an there’s only so much of it. Plastic is made from oil, and there’s only so much oil. However, many plastics and metals are reusable; they can be melted down at recycling centers and used again to make new things.

Don’t forget that Friday is a half day! Lunch is not served, and pick-up starts at 12:00pm.

These are all the notes I have for you this week. Please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns.

Sincerely,

Miss Wycklendt