Weekly Newsletters

 Mrs. Charette's Weekly News
May 17, 2013
Dates to Remember:
5/27 - Holiday
6/5 - Bethel Rescue Presentations K-5 in the Gym
6/11- Grade 4 field trip to Bumpus Mine
6/12 - Step Up Day
6/14 - Field Day
6/21- Last Day for students! (½ Day)

      Congratulations to all of the students in our class on their terrific NWEA scores! They all worked super hard to show what they learned this year, and everyone made some really good progress. I am proud of them!
We are currently studying Earth Science. The topics we are covering include energy and matter, as well as rocks and minerals. We have scheduled a field trip to the Bumpus Mine for early June, and we are working on setting something up for a trip to the Spruce Mountain Wind project in Woodstock as well. This is a very interesting unit, and the kids are all really excited to learn more about these topics.
      In Social Studies we are studying the different regions of the United States. The kids will soon begin projects on National Parks, to share information about the geography and natural resources as part of this unit.  We will also work on these projects at school. Look for more information to follow.
      Next Tuesday we will have one last visit from our preschool buddies from Montessori. Many of them will be entering kindergarten next fall, so we will get to act as their guides on Tuesday, showing them around the school and playgrounds. It should be a fun way to end our time together.
Today the kids learned a really great math game, which I referred to as “Multiplication War.” It's a fun way for them to practice their basic facts, and all you need is a deck of cards! Be sure to ask your child to play this game with you sometime soon.  Have a great weekend!



November 2, 2012
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Dates to Remember:
11/7 - Flu Shots
11/12 - Holiday: No School
11/16 - Report Cards sent home to parents
11/28 & 11/29 - Parent Teacher Conferences
11/28 - 11/30 - Tooth Fairies
12/12 - Grade 4&5 Holiday Concert @ 6PM (Snow Date 12/13)

Thank you so much to everyone who donated candy and treats for Halloween night at CPS, and for all of the goodies for our classroom party. Everything was delicious and everyone had a great time!
The kitchen has asked me to remind you that lunch is $2.10 (or 40 cents reduced), milk is 40 cents, and breakfast is $1.00. If we use older envelopes for the purposes of recycling, the prices might not be updated, so please make the adjustment yourself. Thank you for your help.
Grades closed for the first quarter today, and report cards will be sent home on November 16. Today I have sent home the parent/teacher conferences sign-up sheets. I am looking forward to seeing you all soon to discuss your child's progress so far.
Scholastic is offering students the opportunity to enter two interesting contests, if they are interested. I have put the info into your child's mailbox. CPS' address is 19 Crescent Lane, and the phone number is 207-824-2839, if you need it to enter.
We watched a great live webcast with Taylor Swift last week called “Read Every Day.” She talked about being inspired by books and teachers, discussed how she gets ideas, and shared the process of writing poems, songs, and novels. Taylor also talked about being yourself and dealing with bullies. Hopefully the kids found it inspirational and educational, even if they aren't a fan of her music.
Today we had a guest speaker talk to us about tobacco use through the “Tar Wars” program, part of our health curriculum. They students will also be participating in a poster contest, so please look for that information.
-->October 19, 2012
Dates to Remember:
10/23 - Mahoosuc Arts Performance @ 9:30AM
10/25 - Student Photo Retake Day!
10/31 - Halloween Parade @ 1:15pm
11/7 - Flu Shots
11/12 - Holiday: No School
11/16 - Report Cards sent home to parents
11/28 & 11/29 - Parent Teacher Conferences
11/28 - 11/30 - Tooth Fairies
12/12 - Grade 4&5 Holiday Concert @ 6PM (Snow Date 12/13)

If anyone missed school photo day or needs a photo retake, please return your other package and be ready to have the new photo taken on Wednesday. Class pictures will be created and sent home after everyone has their photos done.
Please remember to sign and return the midterm progress reports that I sent home last week. This shows me that you received the information.
CPS is still looking for donations of candy and other items to give out to trick-or-treaters on Halloween. Thank you!
Next week I will send home a sign-up sheet to find out who would like to donate snacks and drinks for our classroom Halloween party, as well as to see if anyone would like to join us for the parade or the party. Please send the form back to me if you are interested.
Please help your child to remember their band instrument on Tuesdays and Fridays. It's hard to learn the notes without it here!
As you know, we do have a confirmed case of Chicken Pox here at CPS. If your child has any symptoms, please contact their doctor, since we all want to do our best to prevent other children from getting it as well.
Today I sent home an info sheet about the Scholastic program called “Paws for Reading.” Kids can log-in the minutes that they read each month (which you should be keeping track of on your Book It sheet), and for every twenty minutes they they log, Scholastic will donate a book to charity! I thought it looked like a really cool way to give back to others, and since we are already keeping track of our minutes, it shouldn't be too hard to do, if you are interested.
This week we finished up Chapter 1 in math (all about place value and logical reasoning), and took our chapter test. We have also finished Unit 1 in Sitton Spelling, and will be taking our test on Monday. Most students are close to finishing their first chapter book with their reading groups, so we will soon be assigned a fun book response to do as a follow-up activity. We also learned a lot more about government this week, and wrote essays giving our opinions about the upcoming election. Now that the testing is finally over, we are really moving along!
Have a great weekend!
:-) Renee Charette

New Common Core Standards covered this week:

Math: Recognizes that in a multi-digit number, a digit in one place represents ten time what it represents in the place to its right.

Writing & Language Usage: Writes with clear, focused ideas.
Uses details that support ideas.
Writes with voice appropriate for the purpose.

Spelling: Uses visual strategies to find the correct spelling of words.
Uses tools to locate correct spellings.

Social Studies: Understands how historic events connect to the modern day world.


Mrs. Charette's Weekly News
September 14, 2012

Dates to Remember:
9/17 - NWEA Testing Begins
9/17 - Grade 4/5 Soccer (Rumford @ CPS) (CANCELLED)
9/17 - Band Parent Night @ CPS 6:30PM
9/18 - Open House 6pm-7pm
9/20 - Grade 4/5 Soccer Practice
9/24 - Grade 4/5 Soccer (CPS @ WES)
9/27 - Grade 4/5 Soccer (AES @ CPS)
10/1 - Grade 4/5 Soccer (WES @ CPS)
10/4 - Grade 4/5 Soccer (CPS @ AES)
10/5 - Workshop Day-No School for Students
10/8 – Columbus Day-No School
10/11 - Grade 4/5 Soccer Scrimmage CPS vs. CPS
10/12 - Grandparents Day 9AM-10:30AM
11/7- Flu vaccine day for CPS students

We have had another great week in our class! I am impressed with how well the students have made the transition from third grade to fourth grade. They all sincerely love reading and learning, and I feel very confident that we will be able to accomplish so much together this year.
In math, we have continued our place value unit. Hopefully your student has talked to you about expressing numbers in standard form, expanded form, and word form, and how they can now do this into the hundred millions place. Next week we will start comparing numbers based on their place values. We also did a timed test in subtraction, which alerted me to the fact that everyone needs to practice their facts a bit more. Both of these skills are covered on the IXL website, if you are looking for a way for them to practice. The old fashioned flash card method still works well, as does playing games together or even just shouting out math facts while driving in the car or brushing your teeth. We will practice here at school as well.
The students all read the Grade Four Sitton Spelling Word List to me this week. I will send you home a copy to see which words they need to practice being able to read. If they got all 165 correct the first time (WOW!), I will still send a list home, since these are also the words that make up our spelling program for the year.
This week we did several whole group literacy activities, to introduce some of the comprehension strategies we use as good readers. When you come to Open House, you will see some beautiful paintings our class created using imagery (mental pictures a reader creates based on literature). Next week we will take our NWEA reading test, and after I have those scores, we will also begin to break into smaller groups for reading instruction.
We also started reviewing the Six Traits of Writing, through a rotation with the other fourth grade teachers. Over the next two weeks we will learn more about Ideas, Voice, Sentence Fluency, Word Choice, Organization, and Conventions, and how to better our writing by using these traits. These rotations that we do on Fridays also gives the teachers the opportunity to get to know all of the students in our grade.
I want to take a moment to recognize CPS parent Travis Smith, who is the manager of the Gorham Walmart. Yesterday he presented each CPS classroom teacher with a $50 Teacher Rewards card. We were all really touched by the recognition and generosity. The money will go to good use, since I will be buying an emergency snack supply and some new books for my students.
If your child wants to join the CPS band, but the cost of an instrument is a constraint for your family, please let me know privately. There are several instruments here at CPS that Mr. Brown says can be borrowed, so hopefully we could make it happen for your music lover, if they don't mind trying out whatever we have available!
Have a wonderful weekend. If anyone is interested in volunteering on a regular basis in my classroom, please send me a message and we can set up a time. Thank you!
Renee Charette

Common Core Standards introduced this week in our class:

Math: Fact Recall: Subtraction: Recalls 100 facts with 100% accuracy in 5 minutes or less with differences up to 9

Reading Comprehension and Fluency: Decodes new words with letter sounds

Reading Comprehension and Fluency: Makes appropriate inferences from text

Writing & Language Usage: Writes with voice appropriate for the purpose

Social Studies: Identifies the functions of government at school, locally, and at the state level



--> Mrs. Charette's Weekly News
September 7, 2012
Dates to Remember:
9/10 - 4/5 Band Assembly @ 9AM
9/13 - School Photo Day
9/17 - NWEA Testing Begins
9/17 - Band Parent Night @ CPS 6:30PM
9/18 - Open House 6pm-7pm
10/5 - Workshop Day-No School for Students
10/8 – Columbus Day-No School
10/12 - Grandparents Day 9AM-10:30AM
What an amazing first week we have had together in fourth grade! I am so happy to report that the students in our class have been eager to jump right back into learning, and we have already accomplished a great deal in just four days. I have quite a lot to share with you this week, so I apologize for the lengthiness of this first newsletter.
Most students have already taken their DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment), one of the tools that we use to determine their independent reading levels. Once their DRAs are scored, I will use the information to determine which areas of reading they may need help with (such as oral reading fluency and comprehension). We will also use this score to determine who would benefit from Title 1 reading support or the Gifted and Talented program this year. CPS students will also be taking the NWEA test later this month, so once we have those scores, we will use all of the current information to make our final determinations of where each student is starting fourth grade and how we can best support their learning.
Today you will see a letter from Mr. Brown in your child's yellow folder. This memo will explain the changes that have been made this year in the district's report cards and grading system. We will no longer be using letter grades. Instead, students will be evaluated using a 1-4 rubric, separating out the state standards that we cover in each subject for every grade. This will allow all of us to really understand what is specifically being taught in each subject, and how well your child understands that particular standard or skill. All of these standards are part of our curriculum, which is alligned with the Common Core. If you are interested in seeing the grade level expectations in the Common Core document, you can access this information on the Maine Department of Education's website. This will be a learning process for all of us, and I will be happy to address any of your questions or concerns.
The most important thing I can emphasize at this time, is that a “3” means they are meeting the grade level expectations and doing exactly what we want on that standard. A “2” would mean a little more help might be needed to meet the expectations, and a “1” would meet some intervention is needed to help your child in this area. Because a “4” means that they are exceeding the standards (and probably working on some of the fifth or sixth grade standards, either in Gifted and Talented or the regular classroom), I would not expect to see many 4's. That does not mean that your child is doing poorly or not getting what we would consider a “good grade.” A 3 is what I would be really happy with, since it means they have met the state standard in that area. Please let me know if I can explain this any further to you. Thank you in advance for your patience as we all make this transition together!
You may be interested to know some of the standards I have already started working on in our class this week. I will try to familiarize you with them by listing several weekly at the end of our newsletter. I hope you will find this to be helpful.
And now for a few items of business you should be aware of: Fourth and fifth graders go out to the back playground for an afternoon recess each day during bus dismissal. If you are coming to pick your child up after 2:20 or so, save yourself a trip down the hallway and check on the playground for them before coming to our classroom. September book orders are due on Monday, if you would like to order. If you haven't yet returned the paperwork from the office or myself, please do so as soon as possible, in order for us to have the most up to date information about your child. I will be starting homework on Monday, and I still need to know if some of you would prefer paper homework or online. Soccer starts on Monday, and theater starts on next Friday, so please send back permission slips, if interested. Band will also start soon, so look for that information in the yellow folders next week.
If you haven't yet bookmarked my blog (mrscharettesclass.blogspot.com), please do so. Most students will need to access the Homework tab on a regular basis, and I will also post our newsletter and other information there for you to access.
We met our kindergarten reading buddies yesterday during a visit to Ms. Cote's classroom. Everyone was really kind and patient with their new little friends. We will see them every Thursday, so be sure to ask your child about what they read together.
Has your child told you that every student in our class made a goal to try to read 40 novels this year? We are following in the footsteps of other teachers who have implemented the ideas of “The Book Whisperer,” a.k.a. Donalyn Miller, with great success. We will see how we do! The idea is to not only get kids reading, but to get them to LOVE reading! I can't wait to see how well we do!
Finally, I would like to bid a fond farewell to our friend Keona, whose last day at CPS was today. We wish her luck at her new school! She will be missed!
Have a great weekend!
:-) Renee Charette
Common Core Standards introduced this week in our class:
Math: Fact Recall: Addition: Recalls 100 facts with 100% accuracy in 5 minutes or less with sums to 18

Math: Numbers and Operations in Base Ten: Reads and writes multi-digit whole numbers using base-ten numerals, number names, and expended form
Reading Comprehension and Fluency: Reads with appropriate pace and rhythm
Reading Comprehension and Fluency: Reads with appropriate voice intonation
Reading Comprehension and Fluency: Comprehends literal meanings in text
Reading Comprehension and Fluency: Makes appropriate inferences from text
Reading Comprehension and Fluency: Connects text with other books and life experiences
Writing & Language Usage: Conventions in writing show control in punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and grammar appropriate for grade level
Writing & Language Usage: Self-edits to improve writing


Mrs. Charette's Weekly News
May 25, 2012
Dates to Remember:
5/28- No School: Memorial Day
5/30 - CPS Fifth Grade Night
6/1 - Grade 4 Field Trip to Bumpus Mines
6/4 - Grade 4 & 5 Band Tour
6/6 - Step Up Day
6/8 - Tooth Fairies
6/11 - Field Day!
6/14 - Last Day of School! (½ Day for Students)
On Saturday, May 26 from 10AM-4PM, the Faye Taylor Memorial Art Show will be featured at the Mollyockett Room at the Robinson House (10 Broad St.). The students from SAD#44 will have their artwork displayed, and they also have a chance to win a prize for their grade level. This year's theme is “The Woods and Lakes Around Us.” Our class did some beautiful work, and I definitely think some of them could be in the running for an award.
On May 14, Diane Brown came to speak to our class about puberty. The kids were really engaged in the discussion, and were all very mature in their behavior. She mostly covered some normal changes that you go through in body and mind when puberty starts, as well as good hygiene. Diane recommended the following websites for you, if anyone wants any additional information: kidshealth.org and teenhealth.org.
I still need permission slips for the Bumpus Mine field trip from many students. Please remember to send them back as soon as possible. It's a great culmination for our exciting science unit on Rocks and Minerals.
Congratulations to the Izzy, Emily, Ella, and Brooke for a job well done in Excaliber. What a fantastic production, for only a few days of rehearsals! They all made us so proud!
The kids are all getting really excited to know who their fifth grade teacher will be. Usually that information goes home the night before Step Up Day, so they will be in suspense just a bit longer. Mrs. Bullen, Mrs. Conrad, and Mrs. Keane are all wonderful, so no matter where they end up, I am confident they will all have a great year in fifth grade.
Have a great long weekend! 
 


Mrs Charette's Weekly News

May 11, 2012
Dates to Remember:
5/14 - 5/18 - Children's Stage Adventure Week
5/14 - Grade 4/5 Softball Game WES @ CPS
5/14 - 5/18 - Book Fair...Buy one get one free sale! *Parents can shop 11:30AM-1PM daily*
5/14, 5/15, 5/16 - Grade 4&5 Puberty Presentations 8AM-11AM
5/17 Bus Safety Presentation  4th and 5th graders 8:15-9
5/17 - Ambulance Presentations
5/21 - Grade 4/5 Softball Game CPS @ WES
6/1 - Grade 4 Field Trip to Bumpus Mines
6/6 - Step Up Day
6/8 - Tooth Fairies
6/11 - Field Day!
6/14 - Last Day of School!

    Another job well done to the students in our class for their dedication and effort on the NWEA tests this week.  They have successfully completed Math and Language Usage this week, which only leaves us with the Science test on Monday afternoon.
    Since next week is “Children's Stage Adventure Week,” and many of our classmates will be participating in the play, we will not be having any homework assignment for the week of 5/14-5/18.
    This week I sent home the mid-term progress reports for the fourth quarter.  Please remember to sign and return the bottom portion to me next week.  I was so pleased to see the decreased number of “missing assignments.”  From the beginning of the year to now, everyone has worked hard to improve their organizational skills, which is a key component to being a successful student.  Now that they have the hang of keeping track of their work and are making a more concerted effort to pass things in on time, they are certainly on their way to being prepared for fifth grade and beyond!
    Mrs. Raymond has asked us to inform you that at the Buy One, Get One Free Book Fair next week, each classroom teacher will have a “wish list” of titles they would love to get for their class.  If anyone is interested in purchasing a book from a wish list, you can just let them know at the Book Fair.  Thank you!
    I do not have any additional information about the Bumpus Mine field trip at this time.  As soon as I know more about the time frame on June 1, and as soon as a permission slip is ready, I will send the updated information home to you.
    Thank you for the wishes and special treats for “Teacher Appreciation Week.”  It always makes teachers so happy to know that you notice all that we try to do during the year!  :-) 
    Happy Mother's Day to all of you lovely mothers!  It looks like we will have a beautiful weekend!  Enjoy the time with your wonderful children!


May 4, 2012
Dates to Remember:
5/4 - Fourth Grade Library Sleepover
5/7 - Grade 4/5 Softball Practice
5/9 - Grade 4/5 Softball Practice
5/14 - 5/18 - Childrens Stage Adventure Week
5/14 - Grade 4/5 Softball Game WES @ CPS
5/14 - 5/18 - Book Fair...Buy one get one free sale!
5/14, 5/15, 5/16 - Grade 4&5 Puberty Presentations 8AM-11AM
5/17 - Ambulance Presentations
5/21 - Grade 4/5 Softball Game CPS @ WES
6/1 - Grade 4 Field Trip to Bumpus Mines
6/6 - Step Up Day
6/8 - Tooth Fairies
6/11 - Field Day!
6/14 - Last Day of School!

    Congratulations are in order to all of the students in our class.  They took their first NWEA test yesterday in Reading, and they all did very well.  I was very impressed by their focus and dedication to trying their best on the test.  They were eager to ask questions that they had after the test, and excited to report they had many questions on poetry, which we were studying throughout April, which is National Poetry Month.  We will soon be taking our Spring DRA tests, which will give us another measurement of their growth.  All scores will be sent home with their final report cards.
    Next Monday we have our NWEA math test from 10:30-11:30, so please have your child at school, ready and well-rested, for the test.  Next Friday we will take our Language Usage test from 10:30-11:30, and our final Science NWEA will be Monday, May 14 from 12:45-1:45.
    Great job by the six students in our class who earned their ticket to the Fourth Grade Library Sleepover.  This is always a favorite memory from fourth grade, and it takes a lot of hard work to get there!  Nice work, friends!
    I really enjoyed seeing all of the beautiful book response projects that come in today.  There were three options: a pop-up setting project, a character suitcase, or a plot comic strip poster.  Everyone put in a strong effort to show their understanding of their book, and we all enjoyed learning about the books from each other.  Job well done!  The projects are on display in the hallway if you would like to take a look.
    We have started on a new science unit about Rocks and Minerals, and we have also been doing some lessons on geometry and measurement to prepare for our NWEA tests.  So much to do, so little time before June 14! 
    If you would like to make a request for a fifth grade teacher, please be sure to write me and Mr. Brown a letter/email before May 15.  Oral requests made at conferences would hold more weight with a written backup.  Thank you!  Have a great weekend!

                                              

Mrs Charette's Weekly News
April 13, 2012
Dates to Remember:
4/14 Happy Birthday, Jared!
4/16-4/20 - Vacation Week!
4/30 - NWEA's Begin
5/5 - Fourth Grade Library Sleepover
5/14 - 5/18 - Children's Stage Adventure Week
5/14, 5/15, 5/16 - Grade 4&5 Puberty Presentations 8AM-11AM
5/17 - Ambulance Presentations

    Well, we have officially made it to the  home stretch of the school year!  The fourth quarter will fly by, and it will be summertime before we know it!  In order to try to start fresh after vacation, the students in our class have brought home the chapter books that they have been reading, with the goal of trying to finish them before we return to school on April 23.  While I don't want anyone to ruin their vacation with the dreaded “homework”, I know that all of us enjoy reading daily, so this should be something pleasurable to do for a few minutes each day, not torture!  :-)  If they don't finish their books, that's fine, too, but we will be working on response projects on these books the week after vacation, and having to read and do a project at the same time might be overwhelming for some of them.  The projects will be assigned on Monday, April 23.  That will be the only homework for the entire week, and they will be due on Monday, April 30.  So try to chip away at the remaining chapters of their book, and their load will be lighter after vacation.  Thanks for your help with this!
     CPS was a lot of fun during Spring Fling week, between all of the crazy dress-up days, the concerts, the door-decorating contest, and the treat of watching Rio with the entire school on Friday afternoon!      Our class was thrilled to hear the announcement that we won the door-decorating contest for grades 4/5!  Their theme was “Spring Haiku”, and they all wrote haiku poems on spring topics, and used them to make a spring scene including birds, spiders, bunnies, and more!  I will also be entering the haiku into a contest that Scholastic is sponsoring.  Fingers crossed that one of our poems is the winning entry in that contest as well!
    The Spring Concerts this week were just wonderful!  The fourth and fifth graders sounded beautiful, and the band was amazing!!!  I was truly impressed with every song.  The Art Show was equally impressive!  We have quite artistic students here at CPS!
    The “Dates to Remember” above includes the grades 4 and 5 puberty presentations.  More information about this will be sent home prior to the dates. In fourth grade, it's really just an introduction to some normal changes that some will soon start noticing in their bodies, and how to have proper hygiene, since adolescents begin to sweat more when these changes start. If you have any questions about this, please feel free to contact me. 
    Spring NWEA testing will be starting soon as well.  I will send you our exact schedule of testing in the next newsletter, to help you ensure that your child is here for all testing sessions. 
    Please don't forget to return all report cards and envelopes the week after vacation.  Thank you!  Happy Spring Break!!!
                                           
                                            



April 6, 2012
Dates to Remember:
4/6 - MKA Presents: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory @ 1PM & 6:30PM
4/10 - K-3 Concert/Art Show 5:30-7:30
4/11 - Mahoosuc Performance @ 1:00
4/11 - P/T Conferences 3:30 -7:00
4/12 - 4&5 Concert/Art Show 5:30-7:30
4/16-4/20 - Vacation Week!
4/23 - NWEA's Begin
5/5 - Fourth Grade Library Sleepover
5/14 - 5/18 - Childrens Stage Adventure Week

    Congratulations to our friend Izzy and the rest of the cast and crew in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!  Amazing work!  We were all so proud to have one of our own as the star of the show!  If you have the opportunity to see the show this evening at 6:30PM, I highly recommend it!
    Thank you to all of you who came to see me for our conference this week.  I will see the rest of you next Wednesday afternoon, and third quarter report cards will be distributed at that time.  Please let me know if you cannot make your scheduled appointment.
    Next week our friend Aidan will return to his other school in Massachusetts.  We have really enjoyed having him in our class throughout the winter, and we will miss seeing his smiling face at CPS!  Best of luck, and we'll see you again next winter!
    We did a fun Easter activity with our kindergarten buddies on Thursday.  The students had to use their sense of hearing and touch to determine what I had hidden inside seven “mystery eggs.”  Some of them were pretty tricky, and they really enjoyed working with their buddies to figure out the answers.
    Our class was also lucky enough to be invited to Mrs. Lee's class today to see the monument projects that her second graders had made.  Everyone was very impressed with their amazing reports.  Job well done!
    There are so many activities at CPS next week, we will just be trying to wrap a few things up, around watching two concerts, a Mahoosuc Arts performance, and an all-school movie!  With two evenings of art and music on the schedule, as well as conferences, I have decided to give everyone a break and have no homework assignment for the week!  Enjoy the break!
    Don't forget to consult the schedule for Spring Fling next week to see what you should wear each day to show your school spirit!  Order forms for the ice cream fund raiser are due by Tuesday.  Donations are also being accepted for playground toys, so if you have any old jump-ropes, balls, chalk, etc., the students of CPS would love to take them off your hands.  Of course, new items and monetary contributions would also be happily accepted.  Thank you for your help with this!  Have a great weekend!  See you at the Music and Art Show!

March 21, 2012
Dates to Remember:
3/22 and 3/23- No School: Teacher Workshops
3/30- Quarter 3 grades close:  All assignments must be passed in!
4/5 - P/T Conferences 3:30-7:00
4/6 - MKA Presents: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory @ 1PM
4/9-4/13- Spring Fling Week (replaces Winter Carnival)
4/10 - K-3 Concert/Art Show 5:30-7:30
4/11 - Mahoosuc Performance @ 1:00
4/11 - P/T Conferences 3:30 -7:00
4/12 - 4&5 Concert/Art Show 5:30-7:30
4/16-4/20 - Vacation Week!

    What a week!  Spring Fever has really set in around here!  It's perfect timing for the kids to have the next two days off to play outside and enjoy this beautiful weather.  The snow has mostly melted outside, and lucky for us the puddles have evaporated quickly, so winter gear is no longer needed for recess.  However, the temps are still chilly in the mornings, and it sounds like next week we will be back in the 50's, so please come prepared for each day as needed, with a sweatshirt or jacket at least, and more if necessary!  We all know a spring snowstorm or cold snap isn't out of the ordinary around these parts!
    Next week is the last week of the third quarter.  Anyone who still has incomplete assignments will need to have them turned in by Friday or they will be counted as a zero in their grade for that subject.  Study hall will be available for those students who need to get some things done.  Please contact me asap with any questions or concerns about unfinished work, so we can take care of it by Friday.
    We have been making real progress on our science unit on the scientific method, as well as our studies of matter and physical and chemical changes.  The kids have been really enjoying the experiments we have been doing together.  We will soon be wrapping up this unit and moving on to some topics in earth science.
     The students have also been working in small groups to learn about the regions of the United States.  Each group is responsible for teaching their classmates about the natural resources, landforms, history, culture, and economy of the region.  We will be sharing this information soon by creating a matrix to compare and contrast these areas of our country.
    Thank you to those of you that signed up for a spring parent/teacher conference.  I will be handing out the third quarter report cards at that time.  Your appointment card will be sent home next week.  Every attempt was made to accommodate those of you that asked for specific dates and times, but please let me know if your time does not work for you, so we can reschedule.
    Have a great long weekend!

                                       

Mrs Charette's Weekly News

March 9, 2012
Dates to Remember:
3/22 and 3/23- No School: Teacher Workshops
3/26-3/30 CPS Winter Carnival Week
4/5 - P/T Conferences 3:30-7:00
4/6 - MKA Presents: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory @ 1PM
(Congratulations, Izzy!  She will be playing the role of Charlie!)
4/10 - K-3 Concert/Art Show 5:30-7:30
4/11 - Mahoosuc Performance @ 1:00
4/11 - P/T Conferences 3:30 -7:00
4/12 - 4&5 Concert/Art Show 5:30-7:30
4/16-4/20 - Vacation Week!

    As you can see by the lengthy list above, we have reached the time of year where everything really starts to happen!  I know the kids are all getting busier, but we still do have so much to learn and accomplish together.  This is when those organizational skills we have been developing will really come in handy! 
    I have received back the bottom portion of many progress reports, but for those of you who still have them at home, please return them asap.  I will make the copies of the missing work next week for those of you who cannot locate those assignments.  I am also working on my conference schedules, so if you have not let me know your preference yet, please do that by Tuesday or I will just put you into an open spot.  Quarter three report cards will be handed out at conferences, so we can use them to discuss your child's progress.
    Today Mr. Brown asked me to send home the students' NECAP scores from the fall, so you will find the report in your child's folder.  I was so pleased to see their scores.  Congratulations to those of you that scored Proficient or Proficient with Distinction!  The students that are not yet proficient have been receiving Title 1 services this year, so we hope to see those scores move up next fall.   Please look carefully at the subcategories at the bottom of the report.  I use them to plan my instruction and to target the areas that need improvement.  For example, while Informational Text has been a lower scoring area for most students both last year and this year, since we read, discuss, and follow up weekly using Time for Kids, I would expect their scores in this area to improve next fall.  Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about your child's scores.
    Next Wednesday we will take a walking field trip to Mahoosuc Montessori to visit our preschool reading buddies.  We will be leaving at 1:00PM, and returning for bus dismissal. 
    Congratulations to Meagan for being the winner of Mrs. Raymond's Dr. Seuss Trivia Contest!  I hope you have fun at The Lorax! 
    Have a great weekend!
     
                                        


Mrs Charette's Weekly News
March 2, 2012
Dates to Remember:
2/27- Happy Birthday, Miranda!
3/2- Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!
3/22 and 3/23- No School: Teacher Workshops
3/26-3/30 CPS Winter Carnival Week

    Happy Read Across America Day!  Our class celebrated by sharing our wonderful cereal box projects and commercials.  We also had a rotation with the other fourth grade classes, so we got to read and do projects on three Dr. Seuss books.  And the whole school celebrated by doing two “Drop Everything and Read” periods, when everyone in the entire school just stopped wherever we were and read for fifteen minutes!  Fun stuff!
    The kids were also very excited to try to answer the Dr. Seuss Trivia Questions on Mrs. Raymond's blog.  She will pick later today from all of the correct answers, and she will announce a winner on Monday.  I think the winner will be happy with their prize...let me give you a hint:  I think the movie the Lorax comes out this weekend!  :-)
    The kids (and I!) were a little rusty coming back from February vacation, so the snow day yesterday was a welcomed break.  On Monday we will really get back into the swing of things, and we will also be back on our regular homework schedule.
    Since we finished our Literature Circle books, I decided to try something that we haven't done yet in our class this year.  The other grade four classes read the same book together from time to time (instead of different groups reading according to their level or interests, as I usually set up my reading groups), so I have assigned everyone in our class “Frindle” by Andrew Clements.  We will still be holding discussion groups, but having everyone reading the same book for once will let us have reading discussions with classmates that aren't always in the same group.  It's always nice to hear someone else's perspective, and the kids seem very excited about this book and the change of pace.  “Frindle” will be a quick read, and we will then move on to something else probably the week after next.
    This past Wednesday, February 29, was the midpoint of the third quarter.  I will be sending home their Progress Reports at the end of next week.  Most students have kept up with passing in their assignments thanks to the new organizational method we are trying, but there are a few here and there that slipped by.  As always, please let me know if you need another copy of any assignment. 
    Congratulations to Jared, the CPS Student of the Week!  Nice work!  Enjoy the fresh snow over the weekend, everyone!  It will be gone before we know it!
     
                                    

February 17, 2012
Dates to Remember:
2/17- Happy Birthday, Devin!
2/27- Happy Birthday, Miranda!
2/20-2/24- February Vacation

    Wow, we have made it to February vacation!  This will be a good break to allow the school to air out a bit, and for everyone to have a little time to get away from all of the yucky germs that have been floating around lately. 
    As a teacher, this is the time of year when things really start flying!  I have seen some amazing growth lately from my students in their writing and their math skills.  I am getting excited to see how much they improve on the NWEA tests that we will take again later this spring.  We still have so much to do, and students will notice that as we get closer to fifth grade, my expectations will continue to rise.  I'm looking for each of them to do their best each and every day!  They are developing into more independent, organized workers, and I am very pleased with what I am seeing lately.
    Here is an exciting opportunity that we have been asked to share with you:  Sunday River invites all SAD 44 students and SAD 44 community members to take advantage of $5 night skiing taking place from Friday, February 17, through Saturday, February 25!   Plus, all February vacation week there will be snow tubing from 5-9 p.m. for just $10!  Visit www.sundayriver.com for more information.
    This week we finished reading an amazing book called “Seedfolks” by Paul Fleischman.   It is comprised of thirteen chapters, each told in the first person point-of-view of a different character. The central theme that unites them is an abandoned lot that gets turned into a neighborhood garden.  This book tied in very well to our Six Traits writing program because of the organization of the story and the amazing voice that could be heard throughout the chapters.  As a follow-up activity, the students in our class all wrote their own chapter, featuring either an original character or developing a character that was only briefly mentioned in the original novel.  I will post some excerpts from their chapters on the blog after vacation for you all to enjoy.
    Some really inspired students have asked if they could also create some sort of model showing what they think the garden in “Seedfolks” looked like once it was finished.  While this is not a required project, I think it would be fantastic if they enjoyed the book enough to want to take it a step further.  Therefore, any student who would like to create any sort of bonus response project based on the book is welcome to do so.  They will get a reward from me, as well as bonus points on their grade if they take the time to do this.   
    Please remember that all students do have a literature response project due on March 2.  It will take the place of regular homework again the week after vacation.   Almost everyone has finished reading their book by now, and should be ready to move onto creating their cereal box and the commercial to share their project.  It's a great coincidence that the day we will share our projects is Dr. Seuss's birthday, now known as “Read Across America Day”. I can't wait to see that they have come up with!
    Have a great vacation!  I will be thinking of you all from the sunny Florida Keys...

February 10, 2012
Dates to Remember:2/14- Valentine's Day party (1:30 PM)
2/15 - Grade 4 Rug Rats Skiing (PM)
2/16- Pizza Party!
2/20-2/24- February Vacation

    Thank you to those of you who have returned your child's report card.  When the rest of you are finished looking at their grades, please keep all of the papers from the inside, and return the green card and envelope to me.  I would appreciate if you could get it back to school before vacation, so nothing gets lost.
    We can't believe that we have finally come to the last week of Rugrats skiing!  The kids wrote thank you cards to their instructors, and they will deliver them on our last day at the mountain, which is next Wednesday, February 15.
    Thanks in large part to Devin's family, our class got third place in the Boxtops contest!  We won $25, and decided to have a lunch pizza party next Thursday during lunchtime to celebrate.  We are also planning to get some new recess games for our classroom.  Thanks to everyone for your Boxtop contributions!
    On Valentine's Day we are planning to have our ice cream party at 1:30PM.  If you cannot contribute the item that was listed on the memo that went home earlier this week, please let me know on Monday, so I can run to the store.  Your child can bring in their Valentines cards whenever they are ready, so we can deliver them to their classmates' mailboxes.
     We are ready to wrap multi-step multiplication next week, and then we will go back to the basics of division with and without remainders for about a week before starting long division after vacation.  The new Common Core Standards in Math emphasize being able to solve and explain math problems using more than one strategy, which is our reason for revisiting topics that some fourth graders already know.  It is really challenging for some of them to open themselves to re-learning something in a new way, not because I need for them to choose to use the new way all of the time, but because it also exists and needs to be demonstrated.  I have recently spoken to other fourth and fifth grade teachers in the district about this, and what we continue to hear from the middle school teachers is that even the more advanced math students need the math vocabulary that we cover daily in our fourth grade lessons, as well as the continued practice with explaining their answer and knowing more than one way to find the answer.  That said, our review of the basics of division will be quick, and then we will apply our newfound knowledge to taking the next step on this topic.
    I will be sending home the directions to a literature response project next week.  This project will be due the Friday following vacation, and it will take the place of regular homework that week.  It is not something that I expect my students to do over vacation, but for anyone who wants to get a head start, you will have the directions before next Friday.  Please let me know if you have any questions about the project. 
    Have a great weekend!

February 3, 2012
Dates to Remember:
2/8 - Grade 4 Rug Rats Skiing (PM)
2/14- Valentine's Day party (PM)
2/15 - Grade 4 Rug Rats Skiing (PM)
2/20-2/24- February Vacation

    This morning I showed all of the students their grades for the second quarter, as well as my comments about their strengths and weaknesses.  This allowed us have a quick discussion about their progress and what they need to focus on for the rest of the year.  I am very pleased with  how thoughtful they were about my suggestions, and I hope to see them apply them during the rest of the school year.  We are getting closer to fifth grade every day, and it's all about preparing them to be more independent, careful workers.  If you have any questions about your child's report card, please feel free to contact me.  You will notice a new format for grades from special teachers starting this quarter.  When you are finished looking at their grades, please keep all of the papers from the inside, and return the green card and envelope to me.   
    We still have two more weeks of Rugrats skiing left.  The kids are all having a great time, and they are all making amazing progress!  They should be very proud of themselves!
    This week I gave the Chapter 6 pretest in math, and thanks to all of the strategies we have learned during the Muffles' Truffles and Big Dinner units, we can actually move right on to the more advanced concepts in Chapter 7.  We will continue to focus on multi-step multiplication and division for a bit longer, and then we will transition into the two other big math units required for fourth graders under the Common Core Standards:  fractions and geometry.  You can see that we still have a lot more to learn this year!
    We tried something new in our reading groups this week.  Instead of a traditional book discussion group, they participated in Literature Circles.  Everyone in a Literature Circle is given a specific job to prepare for their discussion, based on comprehension strategies such as summarizing, connecting, imagery, etc.  This allows the students to share and discuss many different ideas on the same chapters.  It also gives them more control of the book talk, instead of a teacher led discussion like we have been having earlier in the year.  I think they are ready to take the reigns, and I was impressed with how they did for their first attempt.  I heard many positive comments about enjoying hearing another student's point-of-view or how they hadn't thought about things the same way until someone shared their thoughts.  They have swapped jobs and are reading new chapters and preparing for the next group next week.  I can't wait to see how it goes!
    Don't forget that we have the map quiz on the Southeast region on Monday.  I have returned the study guide that was attached to the homework in order for them to use it over the weekend.

Dates to Remember:
1/20 - Grades Close
1/25 - Grade 4 Rug Rats Skiing (PM)

    Wow, what an exciting and whirlwind week we have had!  Between the holiday on Monday, Rugrats on Wednesday afternoon, the MEEP energy workshop all day on Thursday, and a two hour delay on Friday, it feels like we barely saw each other!  Add the fact that it was the last week of the quarter and many students were rushing to pass assignments in...Whew!  Hopefully next week will be a little less chaotic!
    Hopefully some of you were able to make it to the workshop with Dr. Christopher Kaufman that was offered at Telstar last night.  He has been an excellent resource for the teachers of the district over the last year, helping us to learn more about the way kids' brains work and how we can best help all of our students.  If anyone did not go but is interested in learning more, please let me know.  I would be happy to share the information I received in the three workshops I attended.  The school system also has many copies of the book that he wrote, and I'm sure it could be arranged if anyone would like to borrow a copy.
    Can you believe that today marks the halfway point of the school year?! It goes by so quickly!  I will be averaging their second quarter grades and writing their comment cards over the next two weeks, and the report cards will be sent home on February 3.
    As we get closer to fifth grade, the expectation is that students will begin to be more responsible for keeping track of their assignments and getting them done in a timely manner.  The kids have all thought about what personal goals they should have for the rest of the year, and these goals included ideas such as getting work done on time, keeping track of their papers and belongings, which will in turn lead into being a more careful worker and getting better grades.  Hopefully we will see them keeping these goals in the forefront of their minds we we move through the year.
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