Sept. 30-Oct. 4

Coming Up:
Wed 10/2 - Early dismissal at 11:00am
Mon 10/14 - No school (Columbus Day)
Tues 10/29 & Wed 10/30 - Parent/Teacher Conferences


SEL Update: Lesson 3: "Being Assertive"
Concepts Objectives—
Being assertive means asking for what you want or need in a calm, firm, respectful voice.
Being assertive helps you be successful in a variety of social and academic situations.
Students will be able to:
Identify passive, aggressive, and assertive responses.
Demonstrate assertive responses with their partners.

Assertiveness Skills -
• Face the person you’re talking to.
• Keep your head up and shoulders back.
• Use a calm, firm voice.
• Use respectful words.


Spelling -  Unit 5 - "Greek Roots"
This week's spelling/vocabulary list will include words with the Greek roots "graph", "auto", "photo", "tele", and "rupt".  We will study the meanings of these roots and how to use them correctly. The final TEST is scheduled for Friday, 10/4.

English - What is a Sentence?
We got a little behind with English, so this week we will continue Unit 1, Lessons 4-5 on subjects and predicates. The Tale of Mr. Morton is a Schoolhouse Rock song  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdUXxdmhIsw)  that helps students to understand the concept of subject and predicate.


Reading - "Casey at the Bat"
Our study of this poem has moved more slowly than I expected, but I hope that we will wrap it up this week by completing the text to text comparison and the PARCC based TDQ activity.

Social Studies  - The Beautiful Northeast
Our focus this week will be the resources of the Northeast and how the Atlantic Ocean contributes to the economy of the region. Students will learn about crab pots, and how the problems of overfishing and pollution impact the area.

We will finish our study of the Northeast this week. Look for the Chapter 4 TEST to be scheduled for the week of 10/7!

Science - Energy Conversions
Building a simple electrical system and examining its parts will be the focus of Science this week.


Mrs. Spakausky's Math Class-Unit 1:  Expressions, Equations and Volume
In Unit 1 we will focus on :

Module 1-Models for Multiplication and Division-The students will  learn how to interpret products of whole numbers using number lines, ratio tables, and rectangular rays.
Module 2-Primes and Composites
Module 3-Multiplicative Comparisons and Equations
Module 4-Measurement Experiences (linear measurement, mass/weight, volume and capacity)

UNIT 1 TEST will be on FRIDAY, OCT. 4th!!!  The Unit test is only on Module 1-3.

Study the Home Connections and Student Book pages for review.  There will also be a review packet coming home later this week!

PDF copies of the Bridges workbooks are always available via Google Classroom. Pages from the workbooks may be printed using a Chromebook, a desktop or laptop computer.

Sept. 23-27

Coming Up:
Fri 9/27 - PV Movie Night 6:30-8:45pm
Wed 10/2 - Early dismissal at 11:00am
Mon 10/14 - No school (Columbus Day)
Tues 10/29 & Wed 10/30 - Parent/Teacher Conferences

This week in spelling, we participated in fun and engaging activity with our week 3 spelling words!

Here a some pictures from this sorting activity!

Mrs. Csorba had her chromebook "boot camp" this week, in library class.  Here are the expectations when using their SCHOOL issued CHROMEBOOK!

SEL Update:
We started our Second Step lessons this week. Lesson 1 was about "Empathy and Respect."  Their will be  "Home Link" sent home each week.  Discuss these with your child.  There is a place to sign and return each week, also.  This week our topic is "Listening with Attention."  How well do you listen with attention? 
We will practice these skills when being a good listener:
*Focus on the person’s words
*Don’t interrupt
*Ask questions to find out more
*Repeat what you heard to show you understand


Spelling -  Unit 4 - "Frequently Confused Words"
This week's spelling/vocabulary list will include homophones such as to, too and two & their, there and they're. We will study the meanings of these words and how to use them correctly. The final TEST is scheduled for Friday, 9/27.

English - What is a Sentence?
We got a little behind with English, so this week we will continue Unit 1, Lessons 1, 2, and 3. Types of sentences and subjects and predicates will be our focus this week. The Tale of Mr. Morton is a Schoolhouse Rock song  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdUXxdmhIsw)  that helps students to understand the concept of subject and predicate.

Students will also independently complete a graded review of lessons 1-3 on 9/20. They will be asked to identify types of sentences and to correctly add the end marks that match each sentence type.  To prepare for the review, students should look over their practice pages and textbook pages 36-39. 


Reading - "Casey at the Bat"
Our study of this famous poem will conclude with a comprehension assessment.  I will model techniques for answering text-dependent questions, and students will practice digging into the text to find proof to support their responses. Future reading assessments will follow the same format as this one.


Social Studies  - The Beautiful Northeast
Our focus this week will be the resources of the Northeast and how the Atlantic Ocean contributes to the economy of the region. Students will learn about crab pots, and how the problems of overfishing and pollution impact the area.

Just wanted to remind you about a study tool for the regional map quizzes. Last year, a parent recommended an APP called "U.S. Map Quiz". I have not tried it myself but I know that several students from last year's class found this to be a helpful way to study.

Science - Energy Conversions
Building a simple electrical system and examining its parts will be the focus of Science this week.

Mrs. Spakausky's Math Class-Unit 1:  Expressions, Equations and Volume
In Unit 1 we will focus on :

Module 1-Models for Multiplication and Division-The students will  learn how to interpret products of whole numbers using number lines, ratio tables, and rectangular rays.
Module 2-Primes and Composites
Module 3-Multiplicative Comparisons and Equations
Module 4-Measurement Experiences (linear measurement, mass/weight, volume and capacity)

PDF copies of the Bridges workbooks are always available via Google Classroom. Pages from the workbooks may be printed using a Chromebook, a desktop or laptop computer.

Sept. 16-20

Coming Up:
Mon 9/16 & Tues 9/17 - PV Beginning Band Sign Up Conferences 4:00-8:00pm
Fri 9/27 - PV Movie Night 6:30-8:45pm
Wed 10/2 - Early dismissal at 11:00am
Mon 10/14 - No school (Columbus Day)
Tues 10/29 & Wed 10/30 - Parent/Teacher Conferences

FYI...
On Monday, 9/16, Fountas & Pinnell (F&P) testing will take place for all fourth-grade students. The test measures students' reading fluency and comprehension. Your child will work one on one with me reading aloud and answering text related question. It is a wonderful opportunity for us to get to know your child as a reader and also provides us with another tool for measuring his/her reading skill.

During the week of 9/16, all fourth students will take two reading common assessments and one math common assessment. The purpose of these tests is to provide data for the teachers that will help to drive instruction. The results will not be entered into the grade book. Students are encouraged to do their best and do NOT stress!


Pics from Friday...A Visit from our new social work, Ms. Karen! Ms. Karen introduced herself, read a great story and did an activity with the students.

A great way to end our Friday...a band concert!!!  8th graders from Lakeview came to perform for our Panthers!

Our morning meeting--=
Captured some pictures of our class participating in a morning "Knock, knock" greeting!

Spelling -  Unit 3 
This week's spelling/vocabulary list will include words with the sounds "ou", "aw", "au" and "ow". We will study the word pattern and review antonyms as they are related to the vocabulary words.  The final TEST is scheduled for Friday, 9/20.

English - What is a Sentence?
Mr. Morton has come to town! Types of sentences and subjects and predicates will be our focus this week. The Tale of Mr. Morton is a Schoolhouse Rock song that helps students to understand the concept of subject and predicate. Looks like it's time to warm up our opera voices!

Students will also independently complete a graded review of lessons 1-3 on 9/20. They will be asked to identify types of sentences and to correctly add the end marks that match each sentence type.  To prepare for the review, students should look over their practice pages and textbook pages 36-39.


Reading - "Casey at the Bat"
Our close read of Casey at the Bat continues with a look at using context clues to determine the meaning of unknown words, author's perspective and text to text comparison.


Social Studies  - The Beautiful Northeast
In chapter 4, lesson 1, we learned about Niagara Falls, the mountain ranges of the northeast and the coastline of the northeast.

This week we will continue our study of the Northeast, with lesson 2.  The students will read and learn about the different resources.  Grapes and cranberries are two important products grown in the Northeast. We will also learn that Vermont is a leading producer of maple syrup.

Science - Energy Conversions
Our first exposure to science this year will be an activity in which students use their observation skills while examining a common item, in this case, their hands.

Then midweek, we will kick off our science unit, on Energy Conversions, with students sharing what they know about energy conversions on a pre-assessment. By Friday, we will lay the foundation for the unit by taking a look at a simple system.


Mrs. Spakausky's Math Class-Unit 1:  Expressions, Equations and Volume
In Unit 1 we will focus on :

Module 1-Models for Multiplication and Division-The students will  learn how to interpret products of whole numbers using number lines, ratio tables, and rectangular rays.
Module 2-Primes and Composites
Module 3-Multiplicative Comparisons and Equations
Module 4-Measurement Experiences (linear measurement, mass/weight, volume and capacity)

PDF copies of the Bridges workbooks are always available via Google Classroom. Pages from the workbooks may be printed using a Chromebook, a desktop or laptop computer.