I enjoyed meeting with all of you at Parent/Teacher conferences last week!! Thank you all for taking the time out of your busy schedules to meet with me. I appreciated all of your kind words and encouragement and I hope you know what a blessing your children are to me! I am encouraged to see the growth of your children spiritually, academically and socially throughout this school year!
FALL FESTIVAL
Our fall festival this year will take place on October 19th from 12:00 PM-3:00 on the North Field. Bring your blanket or chairs and come enjoy the food and fun! This is a great time for family and friend’s fun!
END OF THE FIRST QUARTER
The first quarter concludes Friday, Oct. 11th. Grades will be finalized and posted the following week on Tuesday, October 15th for your printing purposes.
Please check your child’s grades on Powerschool this week, as they might have changed since we spoke at parent conferences. I have some students who are missing assignments and also a few who have tests that should be made up. Please check your child’s communication folder this week for any assignments that need to be turned in. If your child has a test to re-take or has any assignments they want to re-correct please have them to me by Tuesday, October 8th. I will not be accepting re-correct assignments after October 8th. Thanks for your help!!
BIBLE
Last week we celebrated “See You at the Pole” with grades K-6 and it was nice to hear the students pour out their hearts to God as one student body. We are so blessed to be able to pray on a daily basis. We continue to enjoy our morning time with prayer and worship as a class. We are learning to be grateful for this time because we know that only at a Christian school can we take time out of our morning to worship and give thanks to Him. I have even had students ask if we could worship at the end of the day and we have enjoyed this on occasion as well.
In Bible we just finished our study of Hebrew writing and the divisions of the Old Testament. This month we will be looking at the books of Genesis, Exodus and Numbers.
MATH
We will be having a TEST this WEDNESDAY over Chapter 2 on Addition and Subtraction Properties. The Pre-test will come home today and be due back on Wednesday to help us prepare for our test. Please review it with your child and help them to fix any mistakes.
Next week we will begin Chapter 3 on Relating Multiplication and Division. If your child has yet to master their multiplication facts please work with them at home! We are doing flash cards in class but your extra help at home really helps! This is crucial in helping them prepare for multiplication with whole numbers and long division in the chapters to come. Chapter 3 Test will be towards the end of this month.
READING
In the next two weeks we will be finishing up our literature study, On the Banks of Plum Creek and then begin reading our next novel titled, Blue Willow. This story ties into our Social Studies unit and the setting takes place in the Central Valley! Students must respond in complete sentences and must re-state the question as we have been doing in class. They must also use proper grammar and structure, and best handwriting to receive full credit. They are reminded of this daily. 🙂
BOOK PROJECTS
Just a reminder that your child’s first book project is due THIS Thursday, October 3rd! Projects not turned in on time will be docked one full letter grade.
Our next genre of literature will be to read a biography about a famous person. A biography consists of factual stories about real people from the past or present. These will be coming home NEXT week and will be due on Wednesday, November 20th. Some students have already chosen their book from the library.
The assignment will be to complete a “scrapbook page” using a 28 X 22 poster board. Please see the rubric for detailed instructions and grading information. They will be shown sample projects from previous years in class and you are welcome to check them out as well.
READING COUNTS
Just a reminder that students were expected to take and pass 5 quizzes this quarter for the Reading Counts program to receive full credit as part of their reading grade. Their goal is to reach at least 25 points per quarter! Many have surpassed this and some are close to or have already reached 100 points! Way to go! They will have the same goal 2nd quarter, which is to read 5 books and gain another 25 points for Reading Counts! Their top 5 quizzes will be recorded as part of their reading grade as well.
SOCIAL STUDIES
Our focus of study in Chapter 2 was on the Native people and tribal groups who lived in California. We completed our study last week and will take our first TEST this FRIDAY, October 7th. Students have workbook pages coming home today and a study guide that they will complete in class this week that they can use to help them study for the test. Please review it with them.
In Chapter 3 we’ll look at the explorers and those who eventually settled in this state. The mission system will also be included in this chapter.
CALIFORNIA DOUGH MAPS
This THURSDAY afternoon we will be making our California Dough Maps from approximately 1:15-2:45. Please make sure your child brings in a heavy piece of cardboard measuring 12 X 18 as soon as possible so we can glue the maps down before Thursday. Have them write their name on the back. Thank you to those who signed up to bring supplies. Please send them in by Tuesday or Wednesday so we can prepare the dough. If you signed up to help with the maps please arrive by 1:15. THANKS!!
WRITING
We have worked very hard this quarter in writing and will be taking our first writing benchmark assessment this month. Your child will be tested on Expository Writing: Summary of a Story. They have read familiar folktales and stories and have learned to use a Summary Map to help them in writing their summary.
Beginning 2nd quarter we will be focusing on writing a personal narrative on an event or an experience in their lives. They will be taught to write a beginning paragraph which will include the characters and setting, a middle paragraph with the events, supporting facts or details to help the reader imagine the event or experience and an ending that ties it all together. We will continue to review correct grammar, punctuation, and capitalization. Students will also learn how to use the rubric to see the expectations and to grade their own writing. Benchmark writing assessments will be in December.
SCIENCE
This week we will complete our study on Polar Habitats by doing an experiment with ice. We have already learned about the Rainforest, Grasslands, and Desert habitats and will begin our last study of habitats covering the Ocean next week. We will learn about a salt-water habitat, tide pools, and giant kelp ocean forests. We will also study about the open ocean and animals that have adapted to live in salt water. We will be doing a salt-water experiment in class. We will study two big groups of fish: those with a skeleton of bones and those with a skeleton of cartilage. We will learn about how mammals in the ocean breathe with lungs. Our study will also include water birds. This unit will prepare us for our field trip next month to Monterey Bay Aquarium. See details below.
MONTEREY FIELD TRIP
This year both 3rd & 4th grade classes will be taking a field trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium as part of our culminating study on ocean habitats! We will be leaving on Thursday, Nov. 7th at 6:00 AM and returning at 5:30 PM by charter bus! If you would like to chaperone this field trip, please e-mail or send me a note. You are also welcome to follow the bus by car. The cost for parent chaperones to enter the aquarium will be $20 if you pay in advance as part of our group rate. You will need to send your money to the Central Office no later than October 31st. Those who choose not to pay in advance as part of our group will have to pay the full price admission of $34.95 at the door. The following parents have told me they would like to attend:
Shauna Beal Jaime DeGroot
Mr. & Mrs. Evans Cheryl Higginbotham
Mr. & Mrs. Igot Amal Johnson
Tonia Loeffler Mr. & Mrs. McCann
Jennifer Singer Daniel Tanaka
Nicole Tucker Angie Zamarripa
STUDENTS SHOULD BRING: Food and drinks for snacks, a sack lunch with something to drink, a jacket or sweatshirt, and a book to read. They may bring $10.00 for spending money. (Optional)
**PLEASE….NO ELECTRONICS…THEY TEND TO GET LOST/BROKEN/CAUSE HURT FEELINGS….THANKS!
OCTOBER CALENDAR
October 3 Book Projects Due
October 7-11 Elementary Cheer Clinic
October 8 Elementary Picture Retakes
October 8 Elementary Chapel 8:00-8:45 AM
October 9 Happy Birthday Sophia!!
October 11 End of 1st Quarter
October 15 Happy Birthday Mason!!
October 16 School dismissed @12:00- Teacher Inservice
October 22 Elementary Chapel 8:00-8:45
**SPIRIT DAY is every Friday…please have your child wear their favorite FCS shirt or wear our school colors.
OCTOBER VERSES
Week of September 30-October 4
Character Trait: Initiative
Reference: Galatians 6:10
Bible Verse: “Therefore, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”
Week of October 7-11
Character Trait: Diligence
Reference: Colossians 3:23
Bible Verse: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
Week of October 14-18
Character Trait: Faith
Reference: Hebrews 11:1
Bible Verse: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
Week of October 21-25
Character Trait: Responsibility
Reference: Matthew 5:16
Bible Verse: “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven.”
SPELLING LISTS
Week 8-Sept. 30-Oct.4
Pattern Words-Short o
1. model
2. copies
3. honest
4. doctor
5. holiday
6. oxygen
7. soccer
8. positive
9. tropical
10. modern
11. promise
12. problem
13. common
14. occupation
High-Frequency Words
15. sure
16. actually
Vocabulary Words
17. compound
18. comprehend
19. concert
20. congregation
Challenge Words
1. strength
2. salvation
3. Psalm
4. prejudice
5. reservation
Week 9-Oct. 7-11
Pattern Words-Long o
1. total
2. coast
3. throw
4. rodeo
5. throat
6. owner
7. throne
8. poetry
9. folklore
10. borrow
11. signpost
12. suppose
13. program
14. tomorrow
High-Frequency Words
15. certainly
16. strength
Vocabulary Words
17. coworker
18. cooperate
19. proceed
20. proactive
Challenge Words
1. Ephesians
2. quench
3. fiery
4. disbelieving
5. environment
Week 10-Oct. 14-18
Pattern Words-Short u
1. judge
2. public
3. surplus
4. humble
5. chuckle
6. function
7. studying
8. struggle
9. husband
10. pumpkin
11. suddenly
12. umbrella
13. suspense
14. trustworthy
High-Frequency Words
15. design
16. experience
Vocabulary Words
17. subzero
18. submarine
19. ultraviolet
20. ultrasound
Challenge Words
1. substance
2. evidence
3. location
4. adjective
5. friction
Week 11-Oct. 21-25
Pattern Words-
Long u
1. Peru
2. truly
3. jewel
4. rudely
5. human
6. avenue
7. Tuesday
8. choosing
9. cartoons
10. confused
11. chewable
12. humorous
13. cucumber
14. waterproof
High-Frequency Words
15. friendship
16. handkerchief
Vocabulary Words
17. supernova
18. supersonic
19. uniform
20. universal
Challenge Words
1. conquistadors
2. peninsula
3. missionaries
4. galleons
5. expedition