Mrs. Hickson's Class

I would like to wish all of you a very happy and safe Thanksgiving.  I hope you all have a wonderful long weekend with your children and have time to do something fun!

**Students should continue to read 20 – 30 minutes each day…even during the long weekend.  Remember to pick a mix of fiction and non-fiction reading material.

**Multiplication facts can be practiced in the car as you travel over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house…or even if you are driving down 96 to the mall.

**Don’t forget about the family note that is due on Dec. 1st.  This is a great weekend to have students talk with family members and find out your family’s history.  They may not be able to talk to family members who immigrated to the U.S. but hopefully will get to hear the stories from your family’s past.

**It was wonderful to have all the parents and family members come in for conferences.  The children were very proud to discuss their goals and achievements with you.

*A big THANK YOU all the parents who contributed to the lovely teacher dinner on the night of the 20th.  It was a great break in a long day!!

*Students should be up to date on their social studies packets.  We finished the lesson 2 packet today.  Don’t forget to study nightly.  Don’t wait until the last minute.  Ask your child to tell you about our read aloud books, articles and plays they have read, songs we have sung, and discussions we have had in class.  This will help them recall what we have done in class.  These social studies units involve so much more than the just the sheets in the packets and it is important for them to try to remember what we have done at school.  The test is Dec. 17th.  The study guide should have come home on Nov. 14th.

*Students are bringing home a home letter that goes with  lesson 3 in social studies.  Students will need to talk to family members and fill out the chart on the letter.  It is due on December 1st.

*****Homework is NOT always a worksheet!!!!!

Don’t forget that students are expected to read 20 – 30 minutes at home seven days a week.  Have them read aloud to you and talk about the book.  Choose books that are both fiction and nonfiction.  Students are also expected to spend 10 – 15 minutes practicing multiplication facts at home each day.  Knowing these facts is extremely important for all math units the rest of the year!!

The guideline for having outdoor recess, lining up outside in the morning, and having safeties on outside posts has been changed.  If the windchill is 20 degrees F or above students will wait outside in the morning, will be having outside recess, and corner safeties will be on post.  If the windchill or air temperature is 19 degrees F or below students will line up inside in the morning, will have indoor recess and no corner safeties will be on post.  There are many students who are being dropped off as early as 7:45 am.  Please be aware that while students are welcome to play outside, there is no school staff supervision of these students.  Also, when it is too cold to line up outside the student lines in the hallway will be supervised  by teachers starting at 8:25 am.  Please do not drop off students early on these “inside” days unless they are going to breakfast.  Breakfast is served in the cafeteria starting at 8:15 am.  The cost is $1.25.  Parents who need to drop students off early can contact Kids’ Club to enroll their children.

Don’t forget about our math test Thursday November 20th!!!!!  You still have two nights to study!!!!!

We have library checkout tomorrow.  Each student will be checking out two new books, one fiction and one non-fiction.  These will be coming home and they should be reading for at least 20 minutes everyday.  This includes Saturday and Sunday.  Also, I am hoping that time will be set aside for student reading during our five day Thanksgiving Break.

Pattern- words with silent letters

thumb

knight

answer

foreign

assign

Content words- math vocab

prime

composite

factor

multiple

product

Happy Friday!!

In response to the fact that several children are apparently NOT taking home study guides and spelling words. I will be posting on here that the study guide for a test has been handed out so you can ask your student to see it.  I will also be giving each child two study guides.  One to stay in school and on to stay at home.  It is very helpful if studying for the test takes place throughout the unit and not just a night or two before.  I have been encouraging the children to study each night the vocabulary etc. that we covered each day in the content areas.  Please ask you child to share with you topics that we have been involved with each day.

All of the spelling words will be posted on the blog each Monday.

“I don’t have any homework!!!”

Students should be:

*Studying spelling words

*Practicing multiplication facts

*Studying content area vocabulary

*Doing practice math problems you make up

*Reading 30 minutes each night

*Writing in a journal or diary to practice writing skills and increase writing stamina

*Working on Study Island

*Working on the Everyday Math site

*******TEST ALERT*********

****We will be having a math test on Unit 3 Thursday Nov. 20th.  The study guide will be handed out today.

****I will be handing out the social studies unit 3 study guide today.  The test is scheduled to take place on Dec. 17th.

This is a required District Common Assessment.  It is given on the computer.  Please note…as I am handing out the study guide for this test before we have covered the entire unit, the students will not yet be familiar with all the material on the study guide. They should be bringing home their vocab. books to study on a regular basis and you will see the new vocabulary added to the book as we move through the unit.

It is required by the district that all students take this test by Dec. 19th.  If you have a trip planned and will be out of town on the 17th, please let me know so I can schedule your child to take the test on another date.

Our class is in charge of popcorn today and apparently we do not have enough volunteers….

But don’t worry…..It’s not too late!!

If you are available to help with popcorn day please feel free to come to school and help out!!!

**There is a science test tomorrow.  We spent quite a while reviewing.  Your child should have their science materials at home to study.

**Students are expected to be solid in their multiplication facts from 0 – 9.  If your child has not been practicing them at home, please remind them that they should be practicing for at least 15 minutes each night.

**Students are given their 10 spelling words each Monday.  The words are written in their planners each Monday.  Students should be studying their words  for at least 15 minutes each night.

We will have a Halloween celebration on Oct. 31st from 2:00 pm until the end of the day.  Please sign up for below.

**Please remember we are a tree nut and peanut free room!!!!

We have 26 students.  

Water bottles for 26 students   Fawaz    _______________

Juice boxes for 26 students     Miller              Diab

Cupcakes- Capote

Veggies and dip -Thorpe   _________________

Cut up fruit- DeKoning     __________________

Cookies –  Irick    Bair    Phillips    Andrews    Hadous     Quick

Cookies ________________________

Cheese and crackers  -Andrews     __________________

Jello (cups or jigglers) -Sleath

Plates-Yaghmour

Napkins –  Bair      Ahmed

Other  ________________________

Other ________________________

Students are allowed to wear a Halloween hat on Friday afternoon.  Please don’t send masks or other vital costume parts.  If you wish to send candy to the party it is not necessary to sign up.

I will be showing a Halloween DVD.  Send in your favorites!!!

(Movies must be rated G)

I will be bringing in a small pumpkin for each child to decorate.  If you could donate stickers or decorations. it would be greatly appreciated by the students.

If you have any questions please feel free to email or call me.

If you feel uncomfortable having your child participate in this activity please let me know as soon as possible.

**We will be having a District Common Assessment on social studies on Wednesday Oct. 29th.  The test covers the material on geography that we have covered so far this year.  Social studies packets and the vocabulary booklet should be used to study.  Students were made aware of this test last week and hopefully have been studying every night.

**A science test on the scientific method and matter will be given on Thursday Oct. 30th.  Students may use their textbooks, class notes, and classwork to help them study.  there are also several videos that the students can watch to help them.

**We will begin taking timed multiplication tests this week.  Students need to be working on their multiplication facts each night if they do not know them.  While quite a bit of time was spent in third grade on the facts, in fourth grade we move quickly into multi-digit multiplication.   It has been discussed with students that knowing multiplication facts is very important for success in math not only for the rest of this year, but for math success in the years to come.  Multiplication facts are vital for success with multi-digit multiplication, division, decimals, fractions, rates, etc.  Practice can be in the form of quizzing with dollar store flash cards, practicing in the car on the way to dance, soccer etc, or playing games on a free website. Thank you for supporting your children as they continue to work on their fact memorization.

**Halloween celebration information will be posted today.  I will be allowing students to wear a Halloween hat of some type the afternoon of Oct. 31.  Full costumes are not allowed at Lindbergh.  🙁

** Anyone that feels uncomfortable having their child at our Halloween celebration, please let me know in advance.  I would like a Halloween DVD of some type to show on Friday.  If you have any great Halloween DVDs please send them in and we can vote as a class as to which one we will watch.  The movie MUST be G rated only.  I know this leaves quite a few movies out but this is a district rule.

**If you have any questions or comments please feel free to email me.