This Semester and 2009 Coming to Rapid Close

The weeks before Christmas always seem to fly by; and the month goes faster, the older you get, right? Well, Christmas will be here before we know it. We, as a fourth grade team, want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas! We have praised the new schedule change this year, because it has given us a better focus on our students individually.

Also, we want to ENCOURAGE YOU TO CHECK YOUR CHILD'S GRADES, which are now available on-line. If you child is missing an assignment, it is best to take care of it before the Christmas break.  When we get back in January (on the 4th) we will only have a few days before the semester finishes. Each family rep was given a paper with the information for the new system. If you did not receive that paper and you need to know your child's username and password, please check with the office.

Thanks!

4th Graders Finding About Family Roots

Students have been assigned to complete a Pilgrim Doll Project. Your child should have brought home a paper explaining this. We hope you got it?!

In class we read the book, Molly's Pilgrim.  In this book, a girl discovers that her mother is considered a Pilgrim because she came to America looking for a new life, even though she came from Russia.

We are asking each student to research an ancestor who has a similar story.  Then, each student is to make a doll representing that family member.  Dolls can be made from a variety of materials, but should not be any larger than  6-7- inches.  We are also requiring that students have a typed or neatly written paragraph about their ancestor to present to the class. Send in the doll and paragraph as soon as possible. We plan to be finished with this project when we leave for Thanksgiving Break.  Thanks for your support and help!

Setting Things Straight

It was brought to our attention recently, that some parents are confused about the Quia requirements for the week (especially where we have more than one activity from which to choose).

Basically every week, top priority should be the spelling unit practice and the x-test activity (depending of course, on what test or level your child needs).  The other activities are there because we are aware that some students have mastered their multiplication facts or/and that spelling comes naturally. So, we have tried to challenge those students with other activities.  We ask for a total of 30 minutes per week on what they need first and secondly, what they might find interesting.  There are many enrichment activities available, such as: singular and plural nouns, finding the main idea, counting change, computer and internet terminology, etc. Each teacher tries to add new activities each week. We hope that your child will be "hooked" to the Quia homework and continue to find their learning rewarding and FUN!

Needed: Dusty CD Players and Volunteer's Ears

Now that the IPod is in and the CD player is out...we are asking that you please send your dusty CD players our way.  We are using CD players for a reading intervention program. 

ALSO, if you have signed up as a VOLUNTEER in any of the 4th grade classrooms, we invite you to an informative (and brief) meeting on Monday, October 26th, at 3:30 in Mrs. Pettit's room (126).  We plan to go over the different intervention programs that you will be doing to assist students this year.  If you are unable to make it, please let us know so that we might find another time to meet with you.

Report Cards Tell It All on October 28th!

This Friday, October 23,  is the end of the first quarter.  Report cards will be sent home on Wednesday, October 28th.  We are aware of your interest in knowing exactly where your student is -  concerning his/her grades.  Well, coming October 26th, the new Skyward grading program (replacing PowerSchool) will be live.  Just as before with PowerSchool, you will be able to see (on command) how your child is doing.

Secondly, we need to know by October 28th if you plan to have lunch with your child on Friday, October 30th.  In the past, parents have wanted to join their child on that day due to the Halloween celebrations.  Just as a reminder, the 4th grade will not be participating in the parade this year.  However, the 4th graders are welcome to wear costumes, excluding masks, weapons, and face paint.

Quia, Quia, Who's on the Quia?

Thanks parents, for the feedback about the homework on Quia!  We heard positive comments such as:

"My daughter begs to get on the computer to do her homework..." and "My son lost most of his homework papers last year and so it is a huge help to have homework on the computer...I love it.".

If your child has mastered the multiplication facts and the spelling patterns, look for other activities that he/she may enjoy on the Quia.  We are asking that students continue to spend 30 minutes on the Quia each week. 

Data or DAta? How ever you like to say it-it means the Same!

Fourth Graders are studying the different types of graphing including: bar graphs, line plots, stem and leaf plots, pie charts, and frequency graphs.  How does each fit with information collected through surveys or resources? Ask your child to tell you the difference between the graphs and share information about his/her favorite graph.  This unit will continue through the end of the quarter. Be ready to be surveyed!

Picture Day on Wednesday!

Don't forget that Bell Picture Day is on Wednesday!  Every student will have a picture taken for the class composite picture; however, if you want to buy pictures, you may.  Please send in the picture packet on Wednesday and not any earlier. Thanks!

SEP Conferences Coming!

What questions do you still have about the 4th grade curriculum?  Are you wondering how your child is doing in his/her class?  Do you have questions or concerns?  This is the week to find out!  SEP (student educational plan) Conferences will be held October 7th and 8th, with the exception of Mrs. Pettit's scheduled for October 6th and 7th (she will be cuddling her new granddaughter on the 8th). We are looking forward to meeting with you and your child in our own classroom this year! Wednesday will be a regularly scheduled day.  Thursday is Common Start Day.  For those who are new to our school, Common Start Day means that ALL students come at 8:00 a.m. and leave at 2:15 p.m. If you are unsure of your conference time, please contact your child's teacher. Thanks for being a partner with us in educating your child!

New Format for SEP Conferences

Not only are we experiencing changes in the weather, but it is also the time for experiencing changes in the way we do conferences at Cedar Ridge!  Look for the yellow paper that your child received from his/her teacher about scheduling conferences online. This year with a click of the mouse you will be able to select the conference time you prefer for your fourth grader as well as coordinate other conference times with other teachers as needed. Please make sure you do this by September 30th.

Secondly, you will be able to meet with the teacher in the classroom!  No more crowded lines in the gym!  Due to the fact that the conferences are only 10-12 minutes in length, we ask that you help us stay on schedule by limiting  the discussion topics.  If you feel that more time is needed to address your concerns, we encourage you to consult your teacher about making a second time slot available. We look forward to seeing you the first part of October!

Constitution Day Celebrated at CR!

Soar your arms out to the sides of your body and that means America! Students celebrated Constitution Day by learning about the Preamble to the Constitution, "We the People of the United States in order to form a more perfect union...".  Students discovered new vocabulary words and some of the fourth graders learned sign language too! Ask your student to tell you something that they learned! May freedom ring!

Where in the World are... the Wah Wah Mountains?

Several of the classes enjoyed making a map of Utah's landforms on Friday! Students who made salt dough maps get the pleasure of painting the maps this week.  Mrs. Young's students had the pleasure of eating their cake map after completion on Friday. They used chocolate chips for the mountain ranges; and it was discussed that perhaps next year, two sizes of chips be used to allow for elevation differences. Now that is debriefing! Thanks parents for your support in this project! Some students will be doing their map this week.  We hope that students will remember this hands-on learning for a very long time.

Storytelling Field Trip Fun!

Our trip to the Storytelling Festival 2009 proved to be a fun-filled event, causing stomach muscles to be thoroughly worked due to the amplified amounts of laughter.  In short, we had a good time! Did you know that part of 4th grade core requirements is having students "speak clearly and audibly with expression in communicating ideas" and to "develop language through presenting"? This year students will have the opportunity to present stories to their classmates.  So, we hope that our students enjoyed the professional storytellers and noticed some tools to good communication.  A huge KUDOS (thanks) to all of our parents who volunteered to chaperone! We couldn't have made this trip without you.

Using Cedar Ridge Planners - A Life Skill

Students are buzzing with excitement having a Cedar Ridge Planner this year!  Fourth Grade is a transition year when students are asked to keep track of their homework assignments in a planner. The planner serves as an organizer as well as a communicator between teachers and parents.  We ask that the students fill out the planner,  Monday through Thursday, complete with dates and assignments.  As the assignment is completed, the students may check the "finished" box.  Then, students need to have a parent or guardian sign that page at the bottom.  When we see the signature, it tells us that the homework was completed.  Please help your student become successful in using his/her planner.  We will be having monthly Planner Parties to celebrate those students who have worked hard to be responsible.  Students must have their planner signed eighty percent of the time in that month to participate.  Planners are to be kept in the binder and brought to school everyday.  Thanks for your support!

YEAR 2009-2010 Off To A Good Start

The Fourth Grade Team would like to welcome you to our new fourth grade website! We are excited to have the ability to clarify, update, explain, plus celebrate all of the FABULOUS FOURTH GRADE HAPPENINGS at Cedar Ridge Elementary. In our world of technology, fast information is at our fingertips. It is our desire to help each of YOU feel informed and give you the necessary tools to help you stay connected to us, your teachers! Together we can make learning #1 at Cedar Ridge.

Here are some of the items to check out on this blog:

• Links for Learning
  
• Homework News
• Calendar of Events
  
• Homework Links