December 1, 2013

I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving Break!  I had a nice time with family and relaxing after our hectic week!  The last week we were in school we were being monitored by the accreditation committee, and that was indeed a stressful time for us all!  For those of you who don’t know, accreditation is crucial to high schools.  It means the difference between our students graduating with a high school diploma and graduating to take the high school equivalency exam.  Xavier decided to go through the process for K-12 and not just the high school, so our building was full of visitors making sure we are providing a quality education.  The initial reports are good and we are all relieved to just be teaching without so much additional pressure.

4^th grade is moving right along and I have some valuable information for you! 

Save the date!!!!!

December 19^th – Middle Ages Tournament

More information will follow very soon, but I wanted you to get this on your calendar now!

Math – we will be studying division and multiplication of single digits and 4 digit numbers and then moving into double digit multiplication before the break.

History – we are well on our way through the middle ages!  The students are enjoying this unit as they always do. 

Literature – We have finished Pollyanna and will begin Robin Hood this week

Grammar – we are continuing our work on verbs and verb phrases.  Next week we will be talking about verb tenses and irregular verbs.  By the end of December we will be studying nouns and pronouns.

Excellence in Writing – Our first ever research paper is progressing slowly!  This is the first time we have tried this with 4^th graders and it has been a learning experience for all of us.  Your students are rising to the challenge and doing remarkably well, which is no surprise to me.

We have a very busy three weeks ahead of us!  I can’t believe we are almost halfway through 4^th grade!  Don’t forget to take a few moments to just enjoy special times during your busy holiday season.