Weekly Schedule
The Arts and Enrichment Subjects: Monday: Music 10:30-11:15 Science Lab 12:30-1:15 Spanish 1:15-2:00 Tuesday: Drama 10:30-11:15 Imagination Lab 1:30-2:15 Wednesday: P.E 10:45-11:30 Thursday: 10:30-11:15 Friday: Spanish 12:30-1:15 Art 1:15-2:00 Media 2:00-2:45 |
Weekly Schedule
Classroom/Curriculum Schedule: Monday 7:45-8:00 Morning Arrival 8:00-8:30 Morning Meeting 8:30-9:25 Rotation 1 of Math, Reading, Writing 9:30-10:25 Rotation 2 of Math, Reading, Writing 12:15-12:30 Quiet Time 2:00-2:25 Number Corner 2:25-2:45 Read A loud 2:45-3:00 Closing Meeting Tuesday 7:45-8:00 Morning Arrival 8:00-8:30 Morning Meeting 8:30-9:25 Rotation 1 of Math, Reading, Writing 9:30-10:25 Rotation 2 of Math, Reading, Writing 12:15-12:30 Quiet Time 12:30-1:25 Rotation 3 of Math, Reading, Writing 2:15-2:45 Number Corner 2:45-3:00 Closing Meeting Wednesday 7:45-8:00 Morning Arrival 8:00-8:30 Morning Meeting 8:30-9:25 Rotation 3 of Math, Reading, Writing 9:30-10:25 Rotation 1 of Math, Reading, Writing 10:30-10:45 Read A loud 12:15-12:30 Quiet Time 12:30-1:25 Rotation 2 of Math, Reading, Writing 1:30-1:45 Number Corner 1:45-2:15 Social Studies 2:15-2:45 Team Building 2:45-3:00 Closing Meeting Thursday 7:45-8:00 Morning Arrival 8:00-8:30 Morning Meeting 8:30-9:25 Rotation 2 of Math, Reading, Writing 9:30-10:25 Rotation 3 of Math, Reading, Writing 12:30-1:25 Rotation 1 of Math, Reading and Writing 1:30-145 Number Corner 1:45-2:15 Social Studies 2:15-2:45 STEM activities Friday 7:45-8:00 Morning Arrival 8:00-8:30 Morning Meeting 8:30-9:30 Chapel 9:30-9:45 Number Corner 9:45-10:15 Science 10:15-10:25 Rotation 3 of Math, Reading, Writing 2:45-3:00 Closing Meeting |
Our time is filled with fun and engaging learning activities,
and this page is a way to keep up with what is going on in the classroom and up to date with important school events.
April 9-13th
These spring weeks are probably some of my favorite of the year. The spirits are bright and filled with joy, the weather feels refreshing and it is always filled with so many fun events at school. This week did not disappoint. In the classroom, students finished up their social studies projects and we will take some time next week to present them in our groups! We had another visit from Father Doug on Wednesday in which I was serenaded by the class through both song and snapping; it was fantastic. Furthermore, the students' biography work culminated with our Biography Night on Wednesday. I was blown away by the costumes, the strong presentation skills of each student, and the bravery they all showed by memorizing their paragraphs and really being in character. Having this be my first year in 4th grade, it was such a treat to see, and I commend each and every student! Well done!
We continue to work on our Open House songs, perfecting our dance moves and pitch, and it is coming along nicely! I hope that everyone has a fantastic weekend spending time outside and enjoying one another!
Ms. Lee
March 4th
This week was neat for me as a teacher. We had a woman named Joy come and talk to us as a grade and explain the program Backpack Buddies. She asked the students to participate in an activity that demonstrated to them the number of students that are hungry, and that deal with hunger throughout the school day, in Wake County. It really hit home with many of the students! We then had the chance to pack bags for these students and experience what it was like first hand to make a difference.
Mrs. Savage also came to our class this week to talk with us about perseverance during our guidance time, and we are also the 4th grade class responsible for presenting an activity to the whole lower school this Friday at Chapel about perseverance! We were the acolytes for service again on Friday, and they all did a fantastic job. We will have a visit from Father Doug next week for Faith Hope and Love, and I know the kids have been looking forward to this as well! He has been a great addition to our St. Timothy's family.
Enjoy the week!
Ms. Lee
February 26th:
Looking ahead and going into the next stretch before Easter, I see that we have so much going on that is exciting and fun! Students have begun work on their social studies group projects in which they are discovering information about early North Carolina settlements. This will take us through the rest of the 3rd quarter with a culminating presentation in both HR classes and in Imagination Lab with Mr. B. We also have our Backpack Buddies project that students have been working on since the beginning of February . I am proud of the earning students have done so far and the ways they have exhibited helpful behaviors towards others. We continue to sing away on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons with Mr. Farmer in preparation for our Open House in April and slowly but surely they are coming together.
I hope everyone has been reveling in this beautiful weather, and that your break was relaxing and fun.
Ms. Lee
February 5th-9th
It was a fun week for us. We enjoyed playing with our beach ball quite often during morning meeting and learned a new eye contact game that has us asking for it most mornings! Mrs. Savage came to us on Wednesday discussing the topic of integrity and how we can demonstrate that character trait at school. Students got a chance to show some Valentine's Day love to their Littles on Wednesday, and we also received an oversized, homeroom card that will be on display probably for the rest of the year!
Students continue to plug away at Biography projects, and the air is filled with discussions of their particular person, as well as books being read detailing his/her life. I cannot wait to see them on Biography Night; I hear it is a very special event. Students will continue work with their social studies project this week. They will begin group work reading about their particular North Carolina native tribe, and tie this to work they will do with Mr. Bogumil in Imagination Lab.
I look forward to another great week before break, and a fun Valentine's Day party, complete with balloon and conversation hearts!
Love to all,
Ms. Lee
January 22-26th
What a fun week it was! The spirit was definitely high, and I found it very fitting that our first day of Spirit Week was Pajama Day (everyone was feeling quite lethargic coming off our snow-cation). I only remembered to snap a picture of us as a HR on Tuesday in our best dressed and I will post that soon! I loved everyone's creativity.
This week in social studies, we began talking about the early people who lived in the NC region before Europeans settled it. We then discussed how the Europeans used the natural resources of the land to build their new colonies. We will continue to dive deeper into this next week and gear up for a fun social studies project that will span most of the quarter. In science, students continue to learn about rocks and minerals, their properties, and how they are formed! We did a really neat activity today involving QR codes and iPads! It was great to finally get to see Mrs. Shank both times in our week.
Balloon cards came home today so please be on the look out for those and return them by next Friday, the 2nd! Have a fantastic weekend!
Ms. Lee
January 8-12th
This was our first full week back since break and it was busy and full of good things. The 3rd and 4th graders have begun their chorus practice for the performance they will have at our Open House in April. Up until the Open House, Mr. Farmer will teach them all some new songs that are always a fantastic addition to that special day for old and new families. In addition, the students had the chance to share our classroom with their Little's on Thursday. Our Little's came over, we read to them, and played a very fun game of 4 corners. Everyone had a blast. In social studies we are wrapping up talking about the products, resources and industries present in NC and we will be moving into Native American settlements next week. The students will be doing a fun research project on Native American dwelling with Mr. Bogumil in Imagination Lab; I look forward to that! In science, students are beginning their study of rocks and minerals, which I have always enjoyed learning about, so that should be a new fun unit!
Spirit Week is coming up next week and each day is always a blast with an opportunity to express ourselves through silly clothing each day of the week. Please refer to the Spirit Week link for information on appropriate clothing.
Joyfully,
Ms. Lee
January 2-5:
It was a short week back, but great by any set of standards! A snow day thrown in.. a 3-day week- I'll take transitions like that all the time :) It was a fun week filled with holiday stories, experiencing new and exciting snow hats and scarves, and making cards for our partner students in Haiti. Students continue to adjust back to the routine and procedures of school, but the ball should start rolling a little easier soon. In social studies we will be wrapping up our discussions on resources, industries and regions of North Carolina. We will then be moving onto the early settlements of North Carolina and eventually in WW II history. In science, students took a quiz today focused on weathering and erosion. Unfortunately pageant and now the snow day have severely lessened both our science lab and science in the classroom times, and I am looking forward to getting that back.
Please make sure that you are knowledgeable about all things science fair for next week. Please refer to the STS Weekly email if you have questions or reach out to Mrs. Shank! I cannot wait to see what students create; they are always so exciting and engaging.
As we enter more cold-weather times, please remember to have many layers for your student as well as hats and gloves. We try and go outside for recess unless weather is not permitting. We got to bundle up on those days!
Have a fantastic weekend,
Ms. Lee
Monday/Tuesday November 20th/21st:
Our Wonder movie outing was a fantastic way to end our week and enter into Thanksgiving Break. The students started pageant rehearsals this week and they will continue for the next 2 1/2 weeks until the performance. On Tuesday, students also had a blast decorating cookies in the shape of North Carolina, and they all turned out as terrific pieces of edible art! The next 3 weeks are packed with a lot of fun and activities, so please make sure to reach out to me if you have any questions on pageant details or anything else. I hope that everyone had a relaxing and blessed Thanksgiving.
Ms. Lee
Week of November 13th:
ERB are over for the year and the students did a fantastic job. They worked very hard every day to focus and maintain their stamina throughout the course of each test. I was so proud of the way that they handled themselves this week. Outside of ERBs we finished learned about the different regions of North Carolina and the unique features for each. Furthermore, in science, we continued talking about volcanoes and did a fun review activity in which students made a vocabulary foldable to use when studying for their quiz next week. We also watched a really interesting video about a volcano in Hawaii that is shooting out lava from the side of rock face into the ocean. Large amounts of steam and dangerous flying rocks are a result from the hot lava coming into contact with the cooler ocean water. It was a truly fascinating video.
We are thrilled to have 2 days this week before break not only because Thanksgiving is here, but because we are doing a cookie-decorating activity on Tuesday to focus on the regions and features of North Carolina AND we get to go see the movie Wonder on Tuesday. It is going to be a fun-filled, short week.
I look forward to it all!
With love,
Ms. Lee
Week of October 30th:
It was a fun Halloween week and beginning of November. Our first class party was a blast and there were many creative mummy wrappings that took place. Thank you for sending in supplies and supporting the class with your time. As said in my email, we also spent more of our SEL time this week talking about the food needs of those in Guatemala and how the boys in this documentary were adjusting to the food constraints as well as increased workload and responsibilities, leaving them hungry and tired. Students were and still are very interested and curious with questions about themselves and those around them as to how we can help and what life is like for those in poverty locally and around the world. We will continue to watch more videos and discuss these topics in upcoming weeks.
Father James also visited our classroom this past Thursday and talked to us more about the 10 Commandments as well as what our individual gifts and blessings were. The students really enjoy having him in the classroom, and we will get to visit him in the Chapel next week for acolyte training.
In social studies we began our study of North Carolina. We began by orienting ourselves with our state's location in relationship to the world around us. We labeled 2 maps: one which showed those states that border NC, and the other which outlined the 3 different regions that comprise our state. We will continue next week by talking more in depth about each region, their specifics and what resources are available to use there. This is a great unit for students to learn more about what is right in their backyard.
Pageant tryouts start next week and then rehearsals will begin shortly after. This is a busy time of year for students and pageant practice, so please reach out to me with any questions on how things are run in 4th grade, and I will do my best to keep you up to date with pertinent information.
Students are buzzing with science fair ideas! I look forward to seeing everyone's project- they always work so hard. Please see the home page of my website for more information and a link to Mrs. Shank's webpage.
Have a great weekend,
Katherine
Week of October 23rd:
It was a short week, but filled with excitement as we prepared for the Fall Festival. Students had a chance to watch the PreK-2nd grade students perform at the Pumpkin Parade. They have been singing those songs days leading up to the parade, and I am sure I will hear them a few more times as October draws to a close. During our Wednesday SEL, we began a discussion with the students about poverty and global awareness. We spent time talking about wants vs needs and how there are others in our country and around the world that are less fortunate than us . We then watched a video about 3 college students who went to a rural village in Guatemala and lived on a $1 a day to learn more about our global economy and to experience what life is like for so many others. We will continue to spend time during our Wednesday SEL times discussing this documentary with the students and engaging in productive discussions.
Father James visited us as well Wednesday afternoon and talked with the students about the Ten Commandments. They surely had a great deal of questions about them, and I enjoyed listening to their insights and thoughts. Father James will also visit us again this week.
We finished up our North Carolina government unit and are moving into talking about the regions of North Carolina. We will work to have a better understanding of the types of land our state emcompasses and also have a better grasp, on how Raleigh is connected to North Carolina and the larger state economy. In science, students have started a unit on geology. They had the chance to make slime on Thursday in science lab which is always a big hit!
I hope everyone had a great weekend and enjoyed the weather.
Katherine
Week of October 16th:
The weather is finally starting to feel like fall. Please make sure to remember to have students bring those jackets, especially for playground time. This week flew by and we accomplished a lot. The students took their 2nd science quiz and we spent a few mornings studying and making sure to prepare. Our next unit will be on geology and we will start that next week. In social studies, we discussed what our state government system looked like and how that was both similar and different from our federal systems. There were a lot of great questions.
In math we are working with larger multiplication problems and will soon be moving into division. Others are also spending time reviewing place value, and now taking it one step further to looking at decimals and the place values to the right of the decimal. (minds blown) Quarter 1 has ended and we are ready to enter into another great 9 weeks! I am beginning to hear the quiet humming and singing of any and all pageant songs. Students will be trying out soon in music class.
Next week is the fall festival, our 2nd class of Faith, Hope and Love with Fr. James and lots of Halloween fun! Have a fantastic fall weekend.
Ms. Lee
Week of October 2nd:
We had the pleasure of being visited by Mrs. Savage again this week for our October guidance. I enjoy getting to sit in on those lessons and listen to the students discuss with one another how we can be a better community that serves and loves each other. What a neat experience. We are gearing up for our field trip this upcoming week and students spent time learning more about our individual branches of government and how their roles and functions impact us. In science, students are finishing up their matter and meteorology unit in the classroom and with Mrs. Shank. Upon returning from fall break, they will have a quiz, and we will then move into learning about rocks and geology. I love that subject. (flashbacks to 6th grade science rock project)
We had some really neat discussions this week surrounding our reading of "Wonder." There are countless lessons in the book about acceptance, engaging with people who are different than use, and how we can be good friends to one another. It has been a great book to start off our year with.
I hope that these fall weekends are bringing fun fall activities with lots of pumpkins, football and family activities. I look forward to wrapping up conferences with everyone and moving into our next quarter soon.
Thankful to be at STS!
Katherine
Week of September 25th
Where has this month gone! It was short, but hot. I thought it was supposed to be cooling down. Things are coming together for us as homerooms, a whole 4th grade and individuals. We are remembering our supplies and committing to memory our schedules. We will continue to work on these organizational skills and deepen our understanding of responsibility and the natural consequences of things.
As a homeroom, we had Mrs. Savage visit us this Wednesday and talk to us about the power of our words and discuss the difference between harmful statements and statements that are made as a joke... but how those intended as jokes can still also be hurtful. We also, as a whole 4th grade, discussed what negative and positive attention was, and how we could use these ideas to gain positive attention from our peers and teachers! We will continue to work with them on these behaviors by way of modeling and discussions.
The first Friends tshirt day was a hit, we are gearing up for fall festival in a few weeks, and before then, fall break!
Have a fantastic weekend.
Ms. Lee
Week of September 5th
It was a short 4-day week, but we packed a lot in! Outside of math, students learned how to read a map for longitude and latitude. We worked on writing the actual coordinates for various locations, while also being able to find a certain city when given longitude and latitude. I learned a lot during these exercises, and I deeply enjoy those activities where I learn alongside of them. In science we continued to learn about and discuss the water cycle. Students are able to pinpoint the phase changes during the cycle, and we even made our own water cycles out of paper plates!
In math, students continue their review work of multiplication and division. Our first unit dives into the models of multiplication that students were introduced to last year. We continue to practice our facts, learn the math daily routines and try and fill the room with math talk! I am enjoying to get to teach every student math, and I am excited for what we are going to accomplish!
Week of August 28th:
This week students began switching classrooms for reading, writing and math. We worked hard to not only gather all of the supplies we would need, but learn how to carry them around without dropping anything! Lots of helping hands in the hallways as we navigated how to best balance binders, water bottles and snacks!
In math class we took a day and a half to talk about having growth mindsets this year, not only in math class, but in 4th grade and beyond. We discussed the importance of always trying our best, recognizing that there are going to be challenges ahead, but that we have the capacity to grow our brains with positive thoughts and hard-working attitudes. Check out this video here on growth mindset! We then took some time to talk through what math discussions will look like this year in the classroom, and how we are going to support each other's math learning. Lastly, we worked through a problem string involving 2x1 multiplication. This is a technique used often in our curriculum to help students discover patterns or concepts through solving multiple, related problems. We also got the chance to use our new SmartBoard and learn about the neat ways it is going to support our learning this year.
I look forward to diving into our curriculum this week.
Weeks of August 14th and August 21st:
During these first days of school, students will spend the majority of their time in their homerooms, getting to know each other and getting to know the routines and expectations of fourth grade. We will do some grade wide community building activities and discussions as well.
and this page is a way to keep up with what is going on in the classroom and up to date with important school events.
April 9-13th
These spring weeks are probably some of my favorite of the year. The spirits are bright and filled with joy, the weather feels refreshing and it is always filled with so many fun events at school. This week did not disappoint. In the classroom, students finished up their social studies projects and we will take some time next week to present them in our groups! We had another visit from Father Doug on Wednesday in which I was serenaded by the class through both song and snapping; it was fantastic. Furthermore, the students' biography work culminated with our Biography Night on Wednesday. I was blown away by the costumes, the strong presentation skills of each student, and the bravery they all showed by memorizing their paragraphs and really being in character. Having this be my first year in 4th grade, it was such a treat to see, and I commend each and every student! Well done!
We continue to work on our Open House songs, perfecting our dance moves and pitch, and it is coming along nicely! I hope that everyone has a fantastic weekend spending time outside and enjoying one another!
Ms. Lee
March 4th
This week was neat for me as a teacher. We had a woman named Joy come and talk to us as a grade and explain the program Backpack Buddies. She asked the students to participate in an activity that demonstrated to them the number of students that are hungry, and that deal with hunger throughout the school day, in Wake County. It really hit home with many of the students! We then had the chance to pack bags for these students and experience what it was like first hand to make a difference.
Mrs. Savage also came to our class this week to talk with us about perseverance during our guidance time, and we are also the 4th grade class responsible for presenting an activity to the whole lower school this Friday at Chapel about perseverance! We were the acolytes for service again on Friday, and they all did a fantastic job. We will have a visit from Father Doug next week for Faith Hope and Love, and I know the kids have been looking forward to this as well! He has been a great addition to our St. Timothy's family.
Enjoy the week!
Ms. Lee
February 26th:
Looking ahead and going into the next stretch before Easter, I see that we have so much going on that is exciting and fun! Students have begun work on their social studies group projects in which they are discovering information about early North Carolina settlements. This will take us through the rest of the 3rd quarter with a culminating presentation in both HR classes and in Imagination Lab with Mr. B. We also have our Backpack Buddies project that students have been working on since the beginning of February . I am proud of the earning students have done so far and the ways they have exhibited helpful behaviors towards others. We continue to sing away on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons with Mr. Farmer in preparation for our Open House in April and slowly but surely they are coming together.
I hope everyone has been reveling in this beautiful weather, and that your break was relaxing and fun.
Ms. Lee
February 5th-9th
It was a fun week for us. We enjoyed playing with our beach ball quite often during morning meeting and learned a new eye contact game that has us asking for it most mornings! Mrs. Savage came to us on Wednesday discussing the topic of integrity and how we can demonstrate that character trait at school. Students got a chance to show some Valentine's Day love to their Littles on Wednesday, and we also received an oversized, homeroom card that will be on display probably for the rest of the year!
Students continue to plug away at Biography projects, and the air is filled with discussions of their particular person, as well as books being read detailing his/her life. I cannot wait to see them on Biography Night; I hear it is a very special event. Students will continue work with their social studies project this week. They will begin group work reading about their particular North Carolina native tribe, and tie this to work they will do with Mr. Bogumil in Imagination Lab.
I look forward to another great week before break, and a fun Valentine's Day party, complete with balloon and conversation hearts!
Love to all,
Ms. Lee
January 22-26th
What a fun week it was! The spirit was definitely high, and I found it very fitting that our first day of Spirit Week was Pajama Day (everyone was feeling quite lethargic coming off our snow-cation). I only remembered to snap a picture of us as a HR on Tuesday in our best dressed and I will post that soon! I loved everyone's creativity.
This week in social studies, we began talking about the early people who lived in the NC region before Europeans settled it. We then discussed how the Europeans used the natural resources of the land to build their new colonies. We will continue to dive deeper into this next week and gear up for a fun social studies project that will span most of the quarter. In science, students continue to learn about rocks and minerals, their properties, and how they are formed! We did a really neat activity today involving QR codes and iPads! It was great to finally get to see Mrs. Shank both times in our week.
Balloon cards came home today so please be on the look out for those and return them by next Friday, the 2nd! Have a fantastic weekend!
Ms. Lee
January 8-12th
This was our first full week back since break and it was busy and full of good things. The 3rd and 4th graders have begun their chorus practice for the performance they will have at our Open House in April. Up until the Open House, Mr. Farmer will teach them all some new songs that are always a fantastic addition to that special day for old and new families. In addition, the students had the chance to share our classroom with their Little's on Thursday. Our Little's came over, we read to them, and played a very fun game of 4 corners. Everyone had a blast. In social studies we are wrapping up talking about the products, resources and industries present in NC and we will be moving into Native American settlements next week. The students will be doing a fun research project on Native American dwelling with Mr. Bogumil in Imagination Lab; I look forward to that! In science, students are beginning their study of rocks and minerals, which I have always enjoyed learning about, so that should be a new fun unit!
Spirit Week is coming up next week and each day is always a blast with an opportunity to express ourselves through silly clothing each day of the week. Please refer to the Spirit Week link for information on appropriate clothing.
Joyfully,
Ms. Lee
January 2-5:
It was a short week back, but great by any set of standards! A snow day thrown in.. a 3-day week- I'll take transitions like that all the time :) It was a fun week filled with holiday stories, experiencing new and exciting snow hats and scarves, and making cards for our partner students in Haiti. Students continue to adjust back to the routine and procedures of school, but the ball should start rolling a little easier soon. In social studies we will be wrapping up our discussions on resources, industries and regions of North Carolina. We will then be moving onto the early settlements of North Carolina and eventually in WW II history. In science, students took a quiz today focused on weathering and erosion. Unfortunately pageant and now the snow day have severely lessened both our science lab and science in the classroom times, and I am looking forward to getting that back.
Please make sure that you are knowledgeable about all things science fair for next week. Please refer to the STS Weekly email if you have questions or reach out to Mrs. Shank! I cannot wait to see what students create; they are always so exciting and engaging.
As we enter more cold-weather times, please remember to have many layers for your student as well as hats and gloves. We try and go outside for recess unless weather is not permitting. We got to bundle up on those days!
Have a fantastic weekend,
Ms. Lee
Monday/Tuesday November 20th/21st:
Our Wonder movie outing was a fantastic way to end our week and enter into Thanksgiving Break. The students started pageant rehearsals this week and they will continue for the next 2 1/2 weeks until the performance. On Tuesday, students also had a blast decorating cookies in the shape of North Carolina, and they all turned out as terrific pieces of edible art! The next 3 weeks are packed with a lot of fun and activities, so please make sure to reach out to me if you have any questions on pageant details or anything else. I hope that everyone had a relaxing and blessed Thanksgiving.
Ms. Lee
Week of November 13th:
ERB are over for the year and the students did a fantastic job. They worked very hard every day to focus and maintain their stamina throughout the course of each test. I was so proud of the way that they handled themselves this week. Outside of ERBs we finished learned about the different regions of North Carolina and the unique features for each. Furthermore, in science, we continued talking about volcanoes and did a fun review activity in which students made a vocabulary foldable to use when studying for their quiz next week. We also watched a really interesting video about a volcano in Hawaii that is shooting out lava from the side of rock face into the ocean. Large amounts of steam and dangerous flying rocks are a result from the hot lava coming into contact with the cooler ocean water. It was a truly fascinating video.
We are thrilled to have 2 days this week before break not only because Thanksgiving is here, but because we are doing a cookie-decorating activity on Tuesday to focus on the regions and features of North Carolina AND we get to go see the movie Wonder on Tuesday. It is going to be a fun-filled, short week.
I look forward to it all!
With love,
Ms. Lee
Week of October 30th:
It was a fun Halloween week and beginning of November. Our first class party was a blast and there were many creative mummy wrappings that took place. Thank you for sending in supplies and supporting the class with your time. As said in my email, we also spent more of our SEL time this week talking about the food needs of those in Guatemala and how the boys in this documentary were adjusting to the food constraints as well as increased workload and responsibilities, leaving them hungry and tired. Students were and still are very interested and curious with questions about themselves and those around them as to how we can help and what life is like for those in poverty locally and around the world. We will continue to watch more videos and discuss these topics in upcoming weeks.
Father James also visited our classroom this past Thursday and talked to us more about the 10 Commandments as well as what our individual gifts and blessings were. The students really enjoy having him in the classroom, and we will get to visit him in the Chapel next week for acolyte training.
In social studies we began our study of North Carolina. We began by orienting ourselves with our state's location in relationship to the world around us. We labeled 2 maps: one which showed those states that border NC, and the other which outlined the 3 different regions that comprise our state. We will continue next week by talking more in depth about each region, their specifics and what resources are available to use there. This is a great unit for students to learn more about what is right in their backyard.
Pageant tryouts start next week and then rehearsals will begin shortly after. This is a busy time of year for students and pageant practice, so please reach out to me with any questions on how things are run in 4th grade, and I will do my best to keep you up to date with pertinent information.
Students are buzzing with science fair ideas! I look forward to seeing everyone's project- they always work so hard. Please see the home page of my website for more information and a link to Mrs. Shank's webpage.
Have a great weekend,
Katherine
Week of October 23rd:
It was a short week, but filled with excitement as we prepared for the Fall Festival. Students had a chance to watch the PreK-2nd grade students perform at the Pumpkin Parade. They have been singing those songs days leading up to the parade, and I am sure I will hear them a few more times as October draws to a close. During our Wednesday SEL, we began a discussion with the students about poverty and global awareness. We spent time talking about wants vs needs and how there are others in our country and around the world that are less fortunate than us . We then watched a video about 3 college students who went to a rural village in Guatemala and lived on a $1 a day to learn more about our global economy and to experience what life is like for so many others. We will continue to spend time during our Wednesday SEL times discussing this documentary with the students and engaging in productive discussions.
Father James visited us as well Wednesday afternoon and talked with the students about the Ten Commandments. They surely had a great deal of questions about them, and I enjoyed listening to their insights and thoughts. Father James will also visit us again this week.
We finished up our North Carolina government unit and are moving into talking about the regions of North Carolina. We will work to have a better understanding of the types of land our state emcompasses and also have a better grasp, on how Raleigh is connected to North Carolina and the larger state economy. In science, students have started a unit on geology. They had the chance to make slime on Thursday in science lab which is always a big hit!
I hope everyone had a great weekend and enjoyed the weather.
Katherine
Week of October 16th:
The weather is finally starting to feel like fall. Please make sure to remember to have students bring those jackets, especially for playground time. This week flew by and we accomplished a lot. The students took their 2nd science quiz and we spent a few mornings studying and making sure to prepare. Our next unit will be on geology and we will start that next week. In social studies, we discussed what our state government system looked like and how that was both similar and different from our federal systems. There were a lot of great questions.
In math we are working with larger multiplication problems and will soon be moving into division. Others are also spending time reviewing place value, and now taking it one step further to looking at decimals and the place values to the right of the decimal. (minds blown) Quarter 1 has ended and we are ready to enter into another great 9 weeks! I am beginning to hear the quiet humming and singing of any and all pageant songs. Students will be trying out soon in music class.
Next week is the fall festival, our 2nd class of Faith, Hope and Love with Fr. James and lots of Halloween fun! Have a fantastic fall weekend.
Ms. Lee
Week of October 2nd:
We had the pleasure of being visited by Mrs. Savage again this week for our October guidance. I enjoy getting to sit in on those lessons and listen to the students discuss with one another how we can be a better community that serves and loves each other. What a neat experience. We are gearing up for our field trip this upcoming week and students spent time learning more about our individual branches of government and how their roles and functions impact us. In science, students are finishing up their matter and meteorology unit in the classroom and with Mrs. Shank. Upon returning from fall break, they will have a quiz, and we will then move into learning about rocks and geology. I love that subject. (flashbacks to 6th grade science rock project)
We had some really neat discussions this week surrounding our reading of "Wonder." There are countless lessons in the book about acceptance, engaging with people who are different than use, and how we can be good friends to one another. It has been a great book to start off our year with.
I hope that these fall weekends are bringing fun fall activities with lots of pumpkins, football and family activities. I look forward to wrapping up conferences with everyone and moving into our next quarter soon.
Thankful to be at STS!
Katherine
Week of September 25th
Where has this month gone! It was short, but hot. I thought it was supposed to be cooling down. Things are coming together for us as homerooms, a whole 4th grade and individuals. We are remembering our supplies and committing to memory our schedules. We will continue to work on these organizational skills and deepen our understanding of responsibility and the natural consequences of things.
As a homeroom, we had Mrs. Savage visit us this Wednesday and talk to us about the power of our words and discuss the difference between harmful statements and statements that are made as a joke... but how those intended as jokes can still also be hurtful. We also, as a whole 4th grade, discussed what negative and positive attention was, and how we could use these ideas to gain positive attention from our peers and teachers! We will continue to work with them on these behaviors by way of modeling and discussions.
The first Friends tshirt day was a hit, we are gearing up for fall festival in a few weeks, and before then, fall break!
Have a fantastic weekend.
Ms. Lee
Week of September 5th
It was a short 4-day week, but we packed a lot in! Outside of math, students learned how to read a map for longitude and latitude. We worked on writing the actual coordinates for various locations, while also being able to find a certain city when given longitude and latitude. I learned a lot during these exercises, and I deeply enjoy those activities where I learn alongside of them. In science we continued to learn about and discuss the water cycle. Students are able to pinpoint the phase changes during the cycle, and we even made our own water cycles out of paper plates!
In math, students continue their review work of multiplication and division. Our first unit dives into the models of multiplication that students were introduced to last year. We continue to practice our facts, learn the math daily routines and try and fill the room with math talk! I am enjoying to get to teach every student math, and I am excited for what we are going to accomplish!
Week of August 28th:
This week students began switching classrooms for reading, writing and math. We worked hard to not only gather all of the supplies we would need, but learn how to carry them around without dropping anything! Lots of helping hands in the hallways as we navigated how to best balance binders, water bottles and snacks!
In math class we took a day and a half to talk about having growth mindsets this year, not only in math class, but in 4th grade and beyond. We discussed the importance of always trying our best, recognizing that there are going to be challenges ahead, but that we have the capacity to grow our brains with positive thoughts and hard-working attitudes. Check out this video here on growth mindset! We then took some time to talk through what math discussions will look like this year in the classroom, and how we are going to support each other's math learning. Lastly, we worked through a problem string involving 2x1 multiplication. This is a technique used often in our curriculum to help students discover patterns or concepts through solving multiple, related problems. We also got the chance to use our new SmartBoard and learn about the neat ways it is going to support our learning this year.
I look forward to diving into our curriculum this week.
Weeks of August 14th and August 21st:
During these first days of school, students will spend the majority of their time in their homerooms, getting to know each other and getting to know the routines and expectations of fourth grade. We will do some grade wide community building activities and discussions as well.