Weekly Newsletter

I hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend! Even though we had a short week, we had a very busy week! The students brought their big Colorado maps home today. They did a great job on them!

This coming week we have Fun Run Prize Day, but the rest of our schedule is looking pretty normal.

September 18 - Fun Run Prize Day

September 21 - Professional Development Day/ No School

September 25 - Multicultural Night

September 28 - October 02 - Book Fair

10/22: In-house Nature Educators Field Trip!

Reading: We are still reading about natural disasters, which ties in nicely to some of the science concepts we will cover this year. While reading, we continued learning how to read and understand expository texts. The primary skills we worked on this week were how to use text features, using the text evidence and text features to make deductions, and comparing and contrasting.

Writing: We continued working on learning about the writing process.

Grammar/Spelling: We worked on simple subjects/predicates, complete subjects/predicates, and compound subjects/predicates.

All classes have finished up Topic 1: Their tests came home in Thursday Folders this week for all classes.

Topic 2: Students are learning how to use mental math strategies to think about addition, estimate sums and differences, fluently add and subtract multi-digit whole numbers using the standard algorithm, and strategies for approaching word problems.

This week we explored how to use a map with a grid system. The students finished creating their big Colorado maps which came home today. They also worked on their Colorado regions posters, which they will finish and present next week before we move into science.

Next week will be in Spanish and Music.

Reading: Your child will receive their next reading packet on Monday. I forgot to give it to them at the end of the day because we were dealing with their big maps. It is due next Friday, but if your child needs to turn it in the following Monday since they don't have it this weekend that is ok. They may turn in their reading packet before the due date, if it is complete. 4th graders always use complete sentences with proper capitalization and punctuation, unless the directions say otherwise!

Math: Ms Crawley's class and my class will continue to receive nightly math homework next week.

Social Studies: none planned

Homework Policy: Ms Crawley and I both accept late work, but encourage students to complete work on time! Homework is practice and practice is important for learning!

The students are doing a great job of filling out their planners. You can check to see that your child filled in their homework correctly using the homework page on my website. Please review their planner/homework with them every evening and initial their planner each day. They will receive a PRIDE ticket if they have your initials. I encourage you to only initial the current day, so that you and your child are checking in on a regular basis while they are building the important student skills of time management and responsibility.

Now that the year is getting into full swing, the students will start receiving more graded work back in Thursday/Friday Folders. The other graded work they have completed so far this year has been staying in our classroom, or has been completed through a digital curriculum platform. Students should be reviewing their graded work that comes home in Thursday Folders, so that they can learn from their mistakes. Mistakes in thinking patterns are continuously worked on in class, but mistakes in thinking/work are the biggest learning opportunities. If students have questions about my feedback, they should be bringing it back to school and talk to me about it.

I use Google Classroom a lot in 4th grade. Google Classroom is something that students will continue to use next year and in middle school, so learning how to use it effectively is important. Students use Google Classroom to complete some of their work and as a tool to help them build self-efficacy.

I also use Google Classroom as a way to communicate with parents and students on a regular basis. Students do not always do a lot of assignments in Google Classroom because we use other curriculum learning platforms and in-class activities. However, I do post grades in Google Classroom. I do this so that students can see what work they have missing and how they are doing. This helps them take ownership of their learning and be more responsible about getting work turned in. I also do this so parents can see what work their child has missing and how they are doing. Not every assignment we do will be posted in Google Classroom, but many assignments are. I am working on catching up on grading and getting things input into Google Classroom. Hopefully by the end of the weekend all of the students' grades, turned in work, and missing work will be accurately entered into Google Classroom.

Google Classroom can be accessed through their website, or through their app. I always encourage parents to get the app on their phone and have their student login with their student sign-on. Their sign-in information is in the front of their planners. You will use the login information at the top, not the one for IXL. Once you're signed into their account, you will stay signed in on the app. You can check grades and missing work by clicking on the 3 lines in the upper left corner of the app or website and then clicking "To Do". If the assignment shows as missing, it is truly missing unless they have turned it in late and I haven't graded it yet.

Your child brought home:

• graded work
• Topic 1 math tests
• school flyers

• Our school wide goal is to raise $60,000 with this Fun Run and we have raised $43,200 so far! We need your help! Please help your child reach out to friends/family for support for our school! Every donation, big or small, adds up! Prizes will be awarded for individuals, classrooms, grade levels, and the whole school. Please see the awesome lineup of prizes on the Fun Run page! Fundraising continues through September 14 at 11:59pm. Thank you for your support in this very important fundraiser!

• Fun Run and Prize Day are really fun days to be at NRE! Please consider filling a volunteer slot if you are able.

We can’t wait to celebrate the many cultures and traditions that make our NRE community so special! Join us Friday, September 25th from 5:00–7:00 PM for an evening filled with family, fun, and learning.

NRE families will host booths highlighting the diverse cultures represented in our school.

Want to help make the evening a success? We’d love a few volunteers to help throughout the event. Click here to sign up!

Would you like to host a booth and showcase your culture? Reach out to PTOmulticulturalnightNRE@gmail.com to reserve your booth or ask questions!

Booth Ideas:

• Cultural Booths: Traditional clothing, art, or historical artifacts

•Interactive Activities: Host a craft project, game, or storytelling sessions

•Global Cuisine: Small samples of cultural foods - candy, food item or drink

•​Additionally - the evening will be filled with performances by kids from NRE!

If your child would like to share a performance with our community, please email PTOmulticulturalnightNRE@gmail.com for more information.

On Thursday, October 22nd from 12:00--2:05 Nature Educators will be coming to do a one hour program for our fourth grade students. The Nature Educators is a wildlife education program in Colorado. This program will be about animal adaptations and habitats. Nature Educators will bring a few different animals such as: birds, reptiles, amphibians, or invertebrates to discuss the various diets, habitats, and adaptations for each. Students will be viewing the program in the library. The funds have been generously covered by a PTA grant. Parent permission is still required on MySchoolBucks. Thank you for supporting your child in this engaging educational experience.

Different volunteer opportunities are listed below. Please sign up for anything that you are interested in. Involved families make our school better! If you are interested in volunteering, you must sign a Parent Volunteer Form.

If you have a special talent that you think would enhance the learning in our classroom, please feel free to email me.