Room 204 Update January 6, 2013 Spring Street School Mrs.

Liportos class

General Information The kids are still working on their next reward for turning in homework. They are trying to earn a pajama day. They are getting closer to getting a bingo on our homework board, but before vacation there were many missing or late assignments that slowed down the progress. I hope that everyone is fully rested after their time off and ready to get focused in the new year! Please note the change in one of the ELA MCAS testing dates. Due to Good Friday being on March 29th, our second day of 4th grade ELA MCAS is going to be changed to Thursday, March 28th, not Friday the 29th. Pedometers and logs will be going home on Monday with the students. Please help me remind them to return BOTH the pedometer and the log on Friday morning. We are looking for another chaperone for our February 4th Lowell Mills Field Trip. If you are interested, please let me know. Thanks! A Note from the 4th Grade Celebration Committee In preparation for the 4th Grade celebration the PTO is putting together a slideshow of memories and we need your help! We are asking each parent to submit

one baby photo (no older than age 2), one current photo, and one candid photo to: amienemesdesign@gmail.com. To assure we get your child's photo's we ask that you send them with the following name tags: Teacher's name-child's first & last name and then baby, current, or candid at the end. (ie: liporto janesmith baby photo) (ie: liporto janesmith current photo) (ie: liporto janesmith candid photo) * Please include all three photos in one email with your last name in the email tag. We hope to collect most of the photos ASAP so we can make a really great memory for your 4th grader. We appreciate all of your help and look forward to receiving your child's photos. Please feel free to email me with any questions. Thank you! Amie Nemes amienemesdesign@gmail.com IMPORTANT DATES *Media Dates- 1/16, 1/30, 2/12, 2/27, 3/13, 3/27, 4/10, 4/24, 5/8, 5/22 *Lowell Mills Field Trip- Monday, February 4th (rescheduled date) *MCAS Long Composition Tuesday, Mar. 19 *MCAS English Language Arts Wednesday, Mar. 27 -Thursday, Mar. 28 *MCAS Math Tuesday, May 14Wednesday, May 15

Homework Reading logs will be due again this Friday. The newest reading logs (January/February) went home last Monday. If your student needs a new copy, we have plenty available. Please remind them to record on them each night. Writing This week we will focus on revising and editing our writing. One of the things students will learn is the difference between these two skills (both words also happen to be part of their vocabulary as well). Revising is changing the substance of your writing, adding parts, deleting details, clarifying, etc. Editing is looking for mistakes in mechanics and grammar! Language Arts This week we will return to our regular language arts routine, including Daily 3, Word Work and Guided Reading. Our emphasis will continue to be on Determining Importance. Last week we did a number of activities in class to practice with this skill. This week the students will get a chance to more independently to show what they have learned as well as continue to practice through whole class lessons. Math This week we will continue to look at the traditional method of long division. The fourth grade teaching team has decided that we will focus solely on their method this year because it is the most efficient. The part that some of the students have been struggling with is not how to work through the steps of long division, but the division itself. I highly encourage the students to continue to

practice their math facts at home. There is a fun site that kids have really enjoyed in the past to practice their facts. If they have time at home, they can try it out: http://members.learningplanet.com/act/ma yhem/free.asp We will also learn how to measure angles using both a full circle protractor and half circle protractor this week. Math Club on Wednesday morning will be reviewing long division. Please be sure that your student is at school by 8:00AM if they would like to join us. All are welcome! EVERYDAY MATH FAMILY LETTERS on-line address:
http://everydaymath.uchicago.edu/parents/4 th-grade/view-family-letters/

If you cannot access them, please let me know. If your student forgets to bring home the Study Link for homework, they can be printed from the following site: http://www.mrnale.com/StudyLinks_Grade _4.htm They can also print the Study Links from the Everyday Math Online site.: www.everydaymathonline.com Social Studies- from Mrs. Luby We will complete our Rights and Responsibilities discussion with a quiz on Tuesday, Jan. 15. A study guide will be going home on Wed. 1/ 9. After that, we head into the warm South Region climate! Science

Science this week has us jumping into the world of pulleys! This is often one of the favorite experiments of students

in the fourth grade. We will learn how pulleys change the direction of the force to make work easier and also how adding multiples pulleys can significantly reduce the amount of force needed to move an object.
Happy Birthday!!! January Birthdays:

There are no student birthdays in January.

*Specials*
ART: Monday, 10:45-11:25 AM MUSIC: Tuesday 10:00-10:40 AM PHYSICAL EDUCATION: Wednesday 10:4511:20 AM Health: Thursday 9:15-9:55 AM CHORUS: Friday 10:00-10:40 AM MEDIA: Every Other Wednesday, 2:45-3:00 PM

As always, your questions/comments are welcome. Please send me an e-mail or a note to school. Kristen Liporto