Weekly Newsletter

We had a fun week with lots of energy! This week we did some more plant experiments, dissected owl pellets, and had a blast at our Halloween party thanks to "Mason's Mom" and everyone else that was able to help/join us for our party! I will include some pictures from October in next week's newsletter! If you are participating in the wrapping paper sales fundraiser, the sales end tomorrow!

This coming week we are celebrating One Book One District. Students will put Spirit Day information in their planners. Friday is a Professional Development Day for teachers, so no school for students.

October 31st: Last day to sell wrapping paper

November 5th: Stuffy Staycation Drop-Off (see the linked PTO newsletter for more info)

November 10th: Registration deadline for a booth at the Holiday Shop (see linked PTO newsletter for more info)

November 11th: Veterans Day Breakfast (see the linked PTO newsletter for more info)

November 13th: Popcorn Friday

November 23rd - 27th: Thanksgiving Break

December 4th: Holiday Shop

We are introducing a Buddy Bench on the playground to encourage friendships, inclusion, and kindness at recess. The bench gives students a simple, shared way to communicate that they are looking for someone to play with.

We encourage students to look around and ask to join a game first. If they cannot find someone to play with, they can sit on the Buddy Bench to let others know they would welcome a playmate. We also encourage students to notice when someone is sitting on the bench and consider inviting them to play.

The goal is to help students advocate for their own friendship needs while encouraging everyone to be thoughtful, welcoming, and inclusive.

If your child has difficulty finding someone to play with at recess, please consider talking with them about the Buddy Bench and how they can use it. A little practice and encouragement at home can help them feel more comfortable taking that first step toward connection.

Reading:

This week we have continued exploring expository texts while we read about animal adaptations. Our reading supports our current science unit, which is so wonderful. The main skills we are working on in this unit are:

• using text features to help us understand expository texts
• identifying main idea and supporting our thinking with key details from the texts
• understanding how prefixes affect the meanings of words to increase our understanding of vocabulary
• and towards the end of the unit, we work on character development

Writing:

I am continuing to meet with students to do writer's workshop on their Colorado booklet prior to publishing. This takes some time, but everyone will meet with me before they finalize their booklet. We have also been working on writing summaries of non-fiction texts.

Topic 4:

Most of the 4th grade students are continuing to work through Topic 4, which covers multiplying 2-digit by 2-digit numbers. Most students will be testing on this topic next week.

Mrs Lewis' Math Class:

Please use my math website to know what your child is learning, what their homework is, and when they will have final tests.

Science:

This week we continued learning about plant structures and adaptations that different types of plants have that help them survive. We did an experiment where each student got to dissect a flower. The students also learned about owls, and different adaptations they have that help them survive. We concluded our week in science by dissecting owl pellets today! Your child may have come home with a bag of bones just in time for Halloween! Your welcome 🫣

Next week we will wrap up learning about plant adaptations. We will continue learning about animal adaptations. The students will also be choosing the Colorado animal they want to research and do a report on.

This coming week we will be in Art and PE.

Reading: With the excitement of Halloween and dissecting owl pellets, I forgot to give the students their new reading packet for the week. Since next week is a short week for students, we will skip their reading packet next week. Students should do independent reading for at least 20 minutes every day.

Math: Ms Crawley's class and my class will have nightly homework Monday - Wednesday. Ms Golenski's class has a packet that is due on Thursday. Many math students are taking the Topic 4 Test next week.

Social Studies/Science: No homework

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.

Thank you to everyone that attended our parade and party! It was so much fun to see you and have your support! An especially big shout out to "Mason's Mom", Korie, who planned and executed a fabulous party!

If you haven't had a chance to read about graded work and Google Classroom, please see my notes in previous newsletters.

Your child brought home:

• Graded work
• School flyers
• Class pictures (for those that purchased them)

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.