Final Days of School

Here are some sweet pictures of our last days of school.  We made pizza and cookies.

Thank you for a wonderful year!

Summer Reading Books

If you have not purchased the summer reading books for you child, here are the titles for the English books: 

Ribsy
Cool Zone with the Pain the Great One
Diary of a Wimpy Kid

The English books can be purchased at Metro Media.  Remember to read 2 English books and one Spanish book. The Spanish book can be purchased at the school bookstore.

May 24-28

Dear Parents and Students,

We made it!  It is our last week together in 4th grade.  What a great year it's been.  Thank you to our room mothers, Jackie Genie and Beatriz Stefan, who helped provide our class with so many wonderful class parties and celebrations.  Also, a thank you to each family who helped our class in some, way, shape or form throughout the year.  It has been a memorable year and I am thankful and blessed for the opportunity to know your daughter or son.

• Field Day is this Tuesday from 10:30 to 12:30.  Blue t-shirts will be provided for each child to wear with their P.E. shorts.
• Last day of school is Friday.  The year end assembly will be on this day and it is a free colors day.  The students will be released at 11:15.  Report cards will go home on this day.
• Be sure that all library books are returned as soon as possible.
• I will not be collecting the Weekly Reading Log this Tuesday.

 During one of the afternoon rain storm last week, we had a waterfall 

outside our classroom coming off the window awnings!
It was raining so hard,  we could hardly hear each other talking!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Lofchie

May 17-21

Dear Parents and Students,

Here are some dates to keep in mind:

• The ITBS test will begin this Tuesday.  Please be sure you child arrives to school on time and has a nutritious breakfast.  The students will be tested in the areas of language arts, math, social studies and science.  The test will continue until Thursday.
• There will be a Solar System quiz on Tuesday, May 18.  Your child should use the Science Notebook to review for the quiz.
• Reading logs are due on Tuesday.  This excludes any students who were in the musical as performers or ushers.
• All library books are now due.  Please return any overdue book to ensure you can receive your child's report card.
• There will be a math test on Chapter 10 on Friday, May 21 
• This Friday is a colors day for 5 Lps.
• Field Day will be May 25.  Your child can wear a blue t-shirt on that day.

Literacy - Because of the ITBS, out literacy time will be interrupted this week.  We will, however, start a read aloud on Monday titled The Story of Ruby Bridges.  It is a story about a young African-American girl who is selected to attend a mostly white school in New Orleans in the 1960's.  


Math - This week we will complete chapter 10.  We will be talking about customary unites of measurement like weight (ounce, pound and ton), and capacity (cup, pint, quart and gallon).  To help your child study for the chapter 10 teat, you can review pages 442, 454, and 466 from the text book.


Sincerely,
Mrs. Lofchie

Science Homework Assignment Due This Friday, May 14

Hello Students,

Here is link to an article about the seasonal changes on Earth.  Read the article, then answer the questions about it.  You may cut and paste the questions onto a word document, but you MAY NOT cut and paste the answers.  The answers need to be in your own words.  Good luck and have fun!!

For the majority of students, this assignment is due this Friday, May 14.  If you are in the musical or an usher for the musical, you have until Monday, May 17 to turn in the assignment.

click on this link to find the article:

www.christiananswers.net/kids/edn-seasons.html

What Causes the Seasons?

1.  How does the tilt of the earth affect the seasons?

2.  Does the length of the day influence the seasons?

3.  How does the atmosphere affect the seasons?

4.  Name 2 facts that you learned from reading this article.

May 10-14

Happy Mother's Day!  Thank you to the mothers who helped create a

beautiful Mother's Day celebration in our classroom.  

Dates to remember:

• DRA assessments will begin on Monday and we will continue through Friday.  There will not be pledge at the covered court all week.  Students, please go directly to class when the 7:30 bell rings.
• The standardized test "ITBS" will be given next week from Tuesday - Thursday, May 18-20.  Please be sure your child arrives to school on time.  We will not have pledge these days either.
• Congratulations to all the students who participated in the Science Fair:  Cecilia, Sofia, Ana Lucia, Annette, Nicolas, Ricardo, Carlos Andres, Sergio, Arianne, Raquel, and Ana Socorro.  We had three students from 4C place in the top three for all of 4th grade.  Congratulations to Ana Socorro, Nicolas and Ricardo!
• "Best of Broadway" Musical is this Thursday and Friday night at 7:00.  Tickets can be purchased at the bookstore for L 100 each.  Please come to see the performance one of these nights.  Many students, parents and teachers have worked to create a wonderful performance and acting/dancing/singing experience for our elementary students!
• I will collect the Reading Logs this Tuesday.  For the students involved in the musical, they will not need to read for their weekly reading log for this upcoming week (the reading log due on May 18).  This also includes the 3 students from our class who will be serving as ushers.   
• The lunch and afterschool clubs run by our own staff (Game Club, Etiquette Club, Math Club, Science Club and Spanish Club) are now over.  The rest will run until May 14, except French (cancelled May 10-14, resumes May 17-21).

Literacy -  We will continue reading Follow the Drinking Gourd.  The students have been analyzing the words and hidden meaning of the lyrics and we have also created a quilt with common hidden codes by drawing "quilt squares" and creating a paper quilt.  The students will continue to translate the meaning of the song this week.  We will also practice using correct subject/verb agreement.  For example, it is correct to say "He walks", not "He walk", or "They walk", not "They walks".

Math -  We will be adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators.

Science - The students will be learning about the stars in our galaxy and beyond.  I will be posting a homework assignment in the next day or two.  This assignment will be due this Friday.  The students involved in the musical will have until Monday to turn in the assignment.

Warmly,

Mrs. Lofchie

May 3-7

Dear Parents and Students.


Important dates and reminders:

• Chapter 9 math test will be given on Tuesday, May 4th.  To help your child review, you can look over the problems on pages 396, 412, and 422.
• The social studies test on the Southeast United States will be on Wednesday, May 5th.  The students started a study guide last Friday.  Topics on the test will include the geography of this region, slavery, and Harriet Tubman. 
• All mothers are invited to our class on Friday, May 7th to celebrate Mother's Day.  Please join us from 9:00 to 9:50.  I hope each mother can make it!!
• On Friday, May 7th the books for the summer reading will be on sale at school (both English and Spanish). Students must choose 1 Spanish and 2 English books.
• All clubs (lunch and after school) will continue until Friday, May 7th.  This only includes clubs run by our own staff (Game Club, Etiquette Club, Math Club, Science Club and Spanish Club.) The rest will run until May 14, except French (cancelled May 10-14, resumes May 17-21).
• An online blog assignment about the Solar System will be due on Thursday, May 6th.  Please see instructions for this assignment in the "Science" section of this blog.
• Family Literacy Workshop is this Tuesday at 1:15 in the MPR.  See blog post from April 28th to see the flyer.  If you plan on attending, please rsvp to this event by sending a note to school with your child.
• This week during computer class the students will be taking the final PLATO Test.  Please encourage your child to take their time and read the questions carefully.  It is a language-heavy test and their patience is necessary to carefully read the questions.  
• Science projects are to be turned in Monday, May 3rd.  They will be on display in the elementary on Friday, May 7th.
• Weekly Reading Log is due Tuesday, May 4th.  Please add up you minutes to be sure they total 120 minutes!  Don't forget to have your parent sign your reading log.
• Each Friday, from now until the end of school, the students can wear the Seleccion jersey with their uniform pants or shorts (if it is a P.E. day).  

Literacy - We are reading An Apple for Harriet,  a story that tells about the childhood of Harriet Tubman.  The students have really enjoyed learning about this African-American heroine who risked her own life to usher hundreds of slaves to freedom during the time of slavery in the U.S.  We will be reviewing irregular past tense verbs.  Our interactive editing and interactive writing will also focus on irregular verbs.

Math - After taking the chapter 9 test on Tuesday, we will begin the next chapter where we will be using the skills from ch. 9 to add and subtract like and unlike fractions.

Social Studies - Test on Wednesday.

Science - We will start studying the Solar System.  This assignment will be due on Thursday, but you can turn it in at any time.  For many years, we thought there were 9 planets, but since 2006, the farthest planet, Pluto, is no longer considered a planet. However, many people still refer to Pluto as a planet.

Go to this website: http://kids.nineplanets.org/intro.htm

You can print out these questions and answer the questions.  However, answer these questions in your own words (do not "cut" and "paste" the answers):

1.  What do the planets of our solar system travel around? (1 point)

2.  What separates the inner planets from the outer planets? (2 points)

Now scroll down where you see a pink rocket.  Click on the rocket to continue.

3.  The planets can be grouped in different ways.  The most common ways for the planets to be classified is by ___________________________ and ___________________________. (2 points)

4.  Name the 5 rocky planets. (5 points)

5.  Why are the rocky planets called this? (3 points)

6.  Name the 4 gas planets.  (4 points)

7.  Why are they called this? (3 points)

Sincerely,

Mrs. Lofchie