CLASSROOM NEWS

For Your Information:

Enjoy Your Winter Break!
I hope all of you enjoy some time with family and friends. I wish you a safe Winter Break and a happy new year. See you in 2008!

Wheels, Levers, and Pulleys Program - Help Wanted!
I still need several volunteers to help during this exciting program brought to our school by the DuPage Children's Museum. Please contact me if you are available on Wednesday, January 16th from 9:30 - 11:00 a.m.


Subject Update:

• Spelling - Lesson 16: Words spelled with -ough or -ould
• English/Writing - I will be reviewing the students' expository writing rough drafts over Winter Break. When we return, the students will look over my suggestions, make revisions, and write a final copy. Then we will learn about verbs.
• Reading - We will read one more realistic fiction story, "Chasing After Annie." We will continue to think about character feelings as we make some connections to the text.
• Science - The students will learn about friction, work, and energy.
• Social Studies - We will read about the landforms and the climate of the Southeast.
• Accelerated Math - The students will begin Chapter 6 about dividing with 2-digit divisors.
  

Mark Your Calendar:

12/22 - 1/6: Winter Break

1/16: "Wheels, Levers, and Pulleys" DuPage Children's Museum Program (at PV)

CLASSROOM NEWS

For Your Information:

Good-bye and Good Luck to Miss Luszcak!
Friday, December 14th was Miss Luscak's last day with our class as a student teacher. We celebrated with cupcakes and juice, and presented her with many gifts to help her supply her own classroom one day. We also gave Miss Lusczak a memory book that included our personal letters and some candid photos from her Prairieview experience.



Subject Update:

• Spelling - Lesson 15: Words spelled with ou and ow
• English/Writing - The students will be writing another expository essay.
• Reading - We will be making connections to the various realistic fiction stories we have read so far.
• Science - The students are learning about inclined planes. Next week, we will learn about force and how to measure it using a spring scale.
• Social Studies - We will work on the last page of our Northeast scrapbook section using pictures and other items from our "travels." Then we will be moving on to the Southeast region of the United States.
• Accelerated Math - The students will be reviewing Chapter 5 in order to prepare for a Chapter 5 Test on Wednesday, December 19th!

Mark Your Calendar:

12/17: Band/Choir Concert (1:30 p.m.)

12/18: 4th Grade Bowling (a.m.)

12/21: Prairieview School at Tivoli for "The Polar Express"

12/22 - 1/6: Winter Break

CLASSROOM NEWS

For Your Information:

Service Project Thank You
Thank you for your generous support of the Holiday Service Project!! I was overwhelmed by the number of gifts bought for our two families of cancer patients and the donations for Lutherbook! I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your demonstration of caring for others - as we always say, "Character Counts at Prairieview School."

New Plan for Winter Holiday Party
We have a change of plans for our last day before Winter Break. All Prairieview students will be going to the Tivoli for a special showing of "The Polar Express". Please refer to the permission slip that was sent home for more details about the day. I think this will prove to be an exciting and welcome change for everyone!


Subject Update:

• Spelling - Lesson 14: Words spelled with -au
• English/Writing - We will continue to work on expository writing. The students are finishing a writing sample about their favorite holiday.
• Reading - We are still reading realistic fiction stories. The students will be reading a touching story, "Making Room for Uncle Joe."
• Science - The students will be learning about inclined planes, one of the six simple machines. An inclined plane, or ramp, is a board that is raised at one end.
• Social Studies - We will finish the chapter by reading how the cities and industries of the Northeast have grown and changed over time. The Chapter 5 Test is scheduled for Wednesday, December 12!
• Accelerated Math - The students will complete an open book/notes checkpoint on Monday, December 10. Then we will review the steps of long division, practice dividing by 1-digit numbers, interpret remainders when solving word problems, and learn about short division.

Mark Your Calendar:

12/14: Miss Luszcak's Last Day

12/17: Band/Choir Concert (1:30 p.m.)

12/18: 4th Grade Bowling (a.m.)

12/21: Prairieview School at Tivoli for "The Polar Express"

12/22 - 1/6: Winter Break

CLASSROOM NEWS

For Your Information:

Holiday Service Project
We still need gifts for all family members of our cancer patient families, as well as donations for Lutherbrook. Please discuss as a family a way you could contribute to these worthy causes!

Special Note About Conferences
Thank you to all parents for attending conferences. I appreciated the chance to discuss each student's achievements and goals for the future. Although the Parent/Teacher Conference is an opportunity to formally meet about your child, please remember that I welcome emails and phone calls if/when questions or concerns arise throughout the trimester.


Subject Update:

• Spelling - Lesson 13: Words spelled with -aw
• English/Writing - We are currently working on expository writing. The students will work on writing attention grabbing introductory paragraphs next week.
• Reading - The students are reading realistic fiction stories. Our next story is about a boy and his grandfather and an award-winning biscuit recipe.
• Science - We will be moving on to our first hands-on science kit about simple machines. The students will be given a "Machines and Motion" booklet that contains information and activities to be completed in class. The booklet is the "textbook" for the unit!
• Social Studies - The students will continue to learn about the U.S. as a land of new beginnings. They will also learn about people in history who have "taken a stand" against slavery or for the rights of women.
• Accelerated Math - We will be learning about division in Chapter 5. The students will learn about the order of operations, how to use patterns to divide using mental math, and how to find compatible numbers when estimating a quotient.
  
  

Mark Your Calendar:

11/30: No School (Conference Week)

12/5: Donations Due for Prairieview Service Project!

12/7: Character Counts Spirit Day - Wear Red for Caring!

12/14: Miss Luszcak's Last Day

12/18: 4th Grade Bowling

CLASSROOM NEWS

For Your Information:

Holiday Service Project
On Monday, I will introduce the Prairieview Holiday Service Project to the class. Our school collections will benefit two different groups: Lutherbrook (a home for abused children) and families of cancer patients (who also struggle financially). Please look for more details going home next week!

Congratulations to Mrs. Strong's Classroom
Mrs. Strong's classroom was the 4th grade winner for the most "Box Tops for Education." We have won a pizza party on Tuesday, November 27th. Way to go!

Order Your Yearbook Now
Yearbook order forms went home Thursday. If you want a yearbook at the end of the school year, you must order it now! Many students are disappointed at the end of the school year when some students receive yearbooks and they do not - if you want a yearbook, make sure you return the order form no later than December 3rd!

Subject Update:

• Spelling - Week of November 26 - Lesson 12: Consonant + y words with endings -ed and -ing
• English/Writing - Students will review about nouns. The Unit 2 Nouns Test is scheduled for Tuesday, November 20th. Then the students will be writing some expository pieces.
• Reading - We will continue to read realistic fiction stories. The students can make good connections to these kinds of stories because the characters, events, and settings of them could happen in real life.
• Science - The students will learn more about animals and their survival. A Chapter 4 Test is scheduled for Wednesday, November 28th!
• Social Studies - We will learn how America was a "land of new beginnings" for the early colonists and later immigrants to our country.
• Accelerated Math - The students will learn and practice multiplication by larger numbers. There is a Chapter 4 Test scheduled on Thursday, November 29th!

Mark Your Calendar:

11/20: End of 1st Trimester

11/21-11/23: No School (Thanksgiving Break)

11/26 - 11/29: Parent/Teacher Conference Week

11/27: Classroom Pizza Party - "Box Tops for Education" Winners!

11/27: Report Cards

11/28: John Lynn Presentation - The Appalachian Trail

11/29: Junior Achievement (Session 6)

11/30: No School

CLASSROOM NEWS

For Your Information:

1st Trimester Conferences
I have either sent a conference form or email to parents regarding a conference date and time. Please respond quickly so that I am able to make changes for parents who need to be rescheduled. Thank you to those who have already confirmed appointments!

Email Reminders to Parents
If you gave me an email address at the beginning of the school year, I have you as part of a "group" to email each week with a direct link to my blog page. I am hoping that this makes it easier for parents to access the important information about our classroom. On Friday, November 9th I will send a reminder email for the first time - please let me know if you do not receive an email reminder this week!!!


Subject Update:

• Spelling - Lesson 11: Consonant + y words with endings -er and -est
• English/Writing - The students will learn about singular and plural possessive nouns.
• Reading - The students will find out which detective club cracked the most cases correctly next week. Then we will move on to another genre - realistic fiction. Realistic fiction stories are not true, but they could happen in real life.
• Science - The students will complete some activities to help them better understand structural and behavioral adaptations. A structural adaptation is part of the animal's body that helps it survive in its environment. A behavioral adaptation is something it does (a way it acts) that helps it survive.
• Social Studies - Chapter 5 will tell us about the people and history of the Northeast. We will begin by learning about the Narragansett - one of the many Native American groups who live in the region.
• Accelerated Math - The students will review estimating products and multiplying by one-digit numbers before moving on to multiplication by larger numbers.

Mark Your Calendar:

11/12: Yearbook Pictures (Band and Choir)

11/15: Character Counts Assembly

11/16: Favorite Sports Team Spirit Day!

11/20: End of 1st Trimester

11/21 - 11/23: No School (Thanksgiving Break)

CLASSROOM NEWS

For Your Information:

Thanks to Halloween Helpers!
We would like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Northrop and Mrs. Calabria for planning such a wonderful party for us! Also, thank you to Mrs. Foernssler and Mrs. Mateja for joining us for games and activities in the classroom. Thank you also to Mrs. Lippi and Mrs. Garza for providing delicious treats and drinks. We all had a "spook"tacular time!

There's a Chill in the Air!
Some students are going out to recess without jackets. As the weather continues to become colder, please make sure your child has a jacket/coat, gloves, hat, etc. with them for outside recess!


Subject Update:

• Spelling - Lesson 10: Plurals of words ending in -y (We skipped Lesson 9!)
• English/Writing: Students are learning about nouns in Unit 2. Nouns are words that name people, places, or things.
• Reading - We are still solving mysteries in our detective clubs. There will be a Mystery Theme Test on Thursday, November 8th. (The students cannot "study" for this type of test. The activities completed in class are meant to prepare them.)
• Science - The students will learn about behavioral adaptations. Hibernation is an example of a behavior that helps some animals survive winter. Can you think of any other behaviors animals have for survival?
• Social Studies - We have been discussing the many resources that come from the land and water areas of the Northeast. The Chapter 4 Test is scheduled for Wednesday, November 7th!
• Accelerated Math - The Chapter 3 Test is scheduled for Tuesday, November 6! Then the students will learn about properties and strategies of multiplication as we begin Chapter 4.

Mark Your Calendar:

11/9: Prairieview Spirit Day

11/9: Junior Achievement (Session 4)

11/12: Junior Achievement (Session 5)

CLASSROOM NEWS

For Your Information:

Picture Retakes Reminder
Picture retakes are Tuesday, October 30th. A student must have the original picture packet in hand to have a retake. If your child was absent on the first picture day, he/she will need the original order envelope at the time of retakes.

Halloween Costume Parade
The Prairieview Halloween Costume Parade will start about 1:15 p.m. on October 31st. Please remember that costumes should be appropriate for school - no weapons or look-alike weapons are allowed. Students should not wear costumes to school. Time will be given for students to change into costumes prior to the parade and parties.


Subject Update:

• Spelling - There will be no spelling lesson the week of October 29th! Due to no school on Monday and activities scheduled the rest of the week (Junior Achievement and the Halloween Party), we needed to make some changes to our regular routine.
• English/Writing - Students will put the finishing touches on their ABC books. The students will share them at the end of the week.
• Reading - We will continue to solve mysteries using the clues, or important details, from the stories. Next week, ask your child how many Sherlocks his/her detective club has earned.
• Science - As we begin Chapter 4, the first lesson will discuss structures (or body parts) that help plants and animals survive in their environments.
• Social Studies - We will read about more resources found in the Northeast. Ask your child about the scrapbook pages we have started for our travels in this region.
• Accelerated Math - The students will solve problems using logic, learn about stem-and-leaf plots, and find the mean, median, range, and mode for a set of data.

Mark Your Calendar:

10/29: No School (Teacher Institute Day)

10/30: Picture Retakes

10/31: Halloween Parties

11/1: Junior Achievement (Session 3)

CLASSROOM NEWS

For Your Information:

Picture Retakes
Picture retakes are scheduled for Tuesday, October 30th . Students must have original picture packets in hand to have a retake. If your child was absent on the first picture day, they need to have their original order envelope with them at the time of retakes.

Thanks for the Books
I would like to thank the DeBow, Schmidt, and Ivanova families for purchasing gift certificates at the Prairieview Book Fair and Social. I used the certificates to get some great new titles for our classroom library. I know the students will enjoy reading them!


Subject Update:

• Spelling - Lesson 8: Review of lessons 1-7
• English/Writing - The students will continue to work on their ABC books. They will peer edit, make revisions, and start "publishing" their books.
• Reading - We will read a mystery story entitled, "Meg Mackintosh and the Missing Babe Ruth Baseball." The students will search for clues along with the main character in order to find the missing baseball.
• Science - The students are learning about food chains and food webs. The Chapter 3 Science Test is scheduled for Wednesday, October 24th!
• Social Studies - We will read about some of the resources found in the Northeast. What natural resources might the Atlantic Ocean provide the people who live in the region? Also, the students will have a Northeast Map Test on Friday, October 26th! Spelling will count - so practice locations and spellings of water and states in the region.
• Accelerated Math - The students will learn how to read and create line graphs. Line graphs are good for showing how something changes over time.

Mark Your Calendar:

10/25: Junior Achievement (Session 2)

10/26: Slipper Day!

10/26: Character Counts Assembly

10/29: No School (Teacher Institute Day)

10/31: Halloween Parties

11/1: Junior Achievement (Session 3)

CLASSROOM NEWS

For Your Information:

Reminder about Grades
As mentioned in last week's news, you should be checking your student's current grades for 1st Trimester via ParentConnect. If you are having any trouble accessing your child's grades, please contact me for help or a paper progress report.

Upcoming Book Fair and Social Event
Please notice that the Book Fair and Social is Thursday, October 18th. I plan to attend this fun event to visit with students and parents - and perhaps find some great books for our classroom library. I hope to see you there!


Subject Update:

• Spelling - Lesson 7: Words spelled with ie or ei
• English/Writing - The students have reviewed about writing complete sentences and using correct capitalization and punctuation. Now the students will create an ABC book in order to put these skills to use in their own writing. The students will receive a hand-out with information about expectations and grading on Monday when the project is introduced.
• Reading - We are solving Puzzlers, or mini-mysteries, by making predictions, gathering important details (clues) from the text, and then changing our predictions based on new clues. Ask your student about "Zingles" and "Dangerous Stuff!"
• Science - The students will learn that plants get energy from the sun to help make their own food. They are producers because they produce, or make, their food. Animals get energy by eating plants and other animals. They are called consumers because they consume, or eat, to get energy.
• Social Studies - We are now touring the Northeast region of the United States. Chapter 4 will explore the land and water areas of the region. One beautiful water area is Niagara Falls. What do you think people can do with the power of rushing water? We will find out next week!
• Accelerated Math - The students will be learning about data and statistics in Chapter 3. The students will take gathered data and display it using a variety of tables and graphs.

Mark Your Calendar:

10/17: Early Dismissal (11:00 a.m.)

10/18: Prairieview Book Fair and Social (6:45 - 8:30 p.m.)

10/19: Crazy Hat Day!

10/19: Junior Achievement (Session 2)

CLASSROOM NEWS

For Your Information:

Time to Check Grades!
Tuesday, October 9th marks the mid-point of the 1st Trimester. Parents should use ParentConnect to check the progress of students. If a student is receiving one or more grades below passing, a paper progress report will be sent home by mail. If you are having difficulty using ParentConnect, or if you do not have access to the internet to check a child's progress, please send a note or call me so that a paper copy can be sent home.


Subject Update:

• Spelling - Lesson 6: Contractions
• English/Writing - The students will learn how to write titles correctly. Then we will review capitalization, abbreviations, commas, quotation marks, and titles to prepare for the unit test. The Unit 5 Capitalization and Punctuation Test is scheduled for Friday, October 12th!
• Reading - Next, we will be reading mysteries. As we read different mystery stories, we will focus on the predicting strategy (predict8read/investigate8prove/disprove the prediction).
• Science - The students will learn about ecosystems. Ecosystems are the living and non-living things in an environment and how they interact.
• Social Studies - We will not test over Chapter 2 - it provided a nice overview of the United States and some history of how the United States developed. We will not cover Chapter 3 in the textbook - our Junior Achievement sessions will provide the information students should know about resources and how they are used by people of a region to create businesses. Next week, we will start our travels around the United States. Our first stop will be the beautiful Northeast.
• Accelerated Math - The students will learn how to add and subtract decimals. The Chapter 2 Test is scheduled for Thursday, October 11th!
  
  

Mark Your Calendar:

10/8: No School (Columbus Day)

10/9: 1st Trimester Mid-Point

10/11: Junior Achievement (Session 1)

10/12: Prairieview School Spirit Day - Wear clothes that show school spirit!

10/17: Early Dismissal (11:00 a.m.)

CLASSROOM NEWS

For Your Information:

Kids On The Block Assembly
The 4th grade students attended an assembly on Wedneday, September 26th about learning differences. The presentation did a wonderful job expressing how all people have strengths and weaknesses. It also helped students understand what it feels like to have some types of learning challenges. Please ask your child to tell you something they learned during the assembly.

Magazine Sale Ends Next Week
The final magazine sale turn-in day is Tuesday, October 2nd! Students should report directly to the multi-purpose room when they arrive at school if they have orders.


Subject Update:

• Spelling - Lesson 5: Words spelled with -oi
• English/Writing - The students have started Unit 5 on capitalization and punctuation. They are learning about capitalization of important words (first word of sentence and names of people, places, and things), common abbreviations, and uses of commas.
• Reading - The students will take a reading theme test on Tuesday, October 2nd. This is not a test for which students can study. The activities completed and discussions of the different biographies read in class were preparation for this final activity.
• Science - The students brought home their bean plants today. It might be fun to continue observing the life cycle of the plant. Next week, we will learn about animal habitats and behaviors.
• Social Studies - We will be thinking about the rights guaranteed to us by our U.S. Constitution and the responsibilities we have as U. S. citizens.
• Accelerated Math - The students will review addition properties and strategies used when adding or subtracting whole numbers. Then we will explore addition and subtraction of decimals.

Mark Your Calendar:

10/5: Character Counts Spirit Day - Wear green for "Responsibility!"

10/8: No School (Columbus Day)

10/9: 1st Trimester Mid-Point (Review student grades on ParentConnect!)

10/11: Junior Achievement (Session 1)

10/12: Prairieview School Spirit Day - Wear clothes that show school spirit!

10/17: Early Dismissal (11:00 a.m.)

CLASSROOM NEWS

For Your Information

Thanks to Our Morton Arboretum Chaperones
Thank you to Mrs. DeBow and Mrs. Calabria for joining the class at the Morton Arboretum. It was an enjoyable and informative woodland experience.

Reminder...
Magazine sale turn-in days are Tuesday and Thursday. Students with sales to turn in should go directly to the gym on those days when they arrive at school.

Junior Achievement
Junior Achievement is a program which invites volunteers from area businesses into the classroom to do activities related to Social Studies. Our representative, Ms. Zurek, from the McDonald's Corporation will help us understand better how the resources of a region are used by people to make products or provide services. We will begin our Junior Achievement sessions in October.

Subject Update:

• Spelling – Lesson 4: Words spelled with -ea
• English/Writing – The Unit 1 Test about sentences is scheduled for Tuesday, September 25th! Then we will learn about capitalization and punctuation (Unit 5).
• Reading – The students will read a biography about a famous baseball player, Roberto Clemente. We will identify character traits that describe this man, and think about the people and events that influenced his life.
• Science – We will continue to observe our bean plants and read about the life cycle of flowering plants. The Chapter 1 Test is scheduled for Thursday, September 27th!
• Social Studies – Students will learn about the U.S. Government. We will discuss the rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizens.
• Accelerated Math – We will learn how to order and compare decimals. We will also learn how to round decimals. The Chapter 1 Test covering place value of whole numbers and decimals is scheduled for Friday, September 28th!

Mark Your Calendar:

10/8: No School (Columbus Day)

10/11: Junior Achievement (Session 1)

CLASSROOM NEWS

For Your Information

Thanks for Stepping Up!
Thank you Mrs. Foernssler for taking the role of Head Room Parent. Mrs. Foernssler will be doing the "behind the scenes" work for each of our classroom parties. She will contact the people signed up for the different parties closer to the party dates.

Don't Forget...
Please remember to bring a sack lunch on Monday for our field trip! We will be eating at the Morton Arboretum before returning to school. Also, please dress for the weather - this is an outdoor learning experience!


Subject Update:

• Spelling - Lesson 3: Silent -e words and endings -ful and -less
• English/Writing - We will be reviewing subjects and predicates and learning how to correct run-on sentences.
• Reading - The students will be reading about Marian Anderson and thinking about the people who influenced her in some way. Does anyone know why Marian Anderson became famous?
• Science - We will be observing our bean plants as they grow while learning about the life cycle of a flowering plant.
• Social Studies - The students will learn about early Americans and explorers.
• Accelerated Math - We have made the official move into the 5th grade level materials. Next week, we will learn about place value of whole and decimal numbers.

Mark Your Calendar:

9/17: Morton Arboretum Field Trip

9/18: Early Dismissal (11:00 a.m.)

9/20: Picture Day!

CLASSROOM NEWS

For Your Information:

Thanks for Coming to Curriculum Night
Thank you to all of the parents who were able to join me in the classroom for Curriculum Night. I know that we went through a lot of information in a short period of time, so please contact me if you have questions or concerns. If you were not able to attend, please review the information sent home via your child. Also, anyone who has not returned the yellow “Information Sheet” or bottom section of the “Fourth Grade Policies,” please do so as soon as possible.

Needed: Head Room Parent
If anyone would like to volunteer to be Head Room Parent, please let me know. It would involve coordinating the Halloween, Winter, and Valentine’s Parties for me (you would not have to attend the parties).


Subject Update:

• Spelling– Lesson 2: Silent e words with ending –ly
• English/Writing– The students will be learning about subjects and predicates. The subject tells who or what. The predicate starts with a verb and tells what is or what happens.
• Reading– We are reading about Walt Disney. Although many know about the successes of Walt Disney, many people do not know the obstacles he had to overcome to achieve his dream.
• Science– The students will learn the parts of a flower. We will also learn the function of each part.
• Social Studies– We are discovering the different factors that affect the climate of a region. Ask your child to tell you the difference between climate and weather.
• Accelerated Math - We will be rounding to estimate products and finding compatible numbers to estimate quotients. A multiplication and division quiz is scheduled for Friday!

Mark Your Calendar:

9/12: Beginner Band Parent Information Meeting 7:30 p.m.

9/17: Magazine Fundraiser Kick-off

9/18: Early Dismissal (11:00 a.m.)

9/20: Picture Day

CLASSROOM NEWS

For Your Information:

Fourth Grade Curriculum Night is Wednesday, September 5th at 7:00 p.m. I look forward to the opportunity to tell you about my hopes and expectations for our school year together. Remember that this event is for parents only.


Subject Update:

• Spelling - Lesson 1: Silent -e words with the ending -ing


• English/Writing - We will be learning about the four types of sentences: statements, questions, commands, and exclamations.


• Reading - We will start reading some biographies. A biography is a true story written about someone's life. We will identify character traits of the people in the biographies.


• Science - The students will learn how scientists classify plants.


• Social Studies - We will be learning about the five regions of the United States: Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, and West. We will also discuss the five themes of geography: location, place, human/environment interaction, movement, and region.


• Accelerated Math - We will be reviewing multiplication of 2-3 digit numbers by 1-2 digit numbers.

Mark Your Calendar:

9/3: Labor Day -No School

9/5: 4th Grade Curriculum Night - 7:00 p.m.

9/12: Beginner Band Parent Information Meeting - 7:30 p.m.

INTRODUCING OUR STUDENT TEACHER

I am happy to introduce Miss Colleen Luszcak, a student teacher from Governors State University, who will be working in our classroom until mid-December.

Prior to student teaching, Miss Luszcak gained some valuable experience working with a wide range of students as site director for a before and after school program. She has also been well-prepared for student teaching through her educational program at Governors State.

Miss Luszcak has been busy getting to know the students, learning classroom routines, and helping me plan upcoming lessons and activities. I know that Miss Luszcak will enjoy her time here at Prairieview School.

WELCOME BACK!

It was exciting to see so many smiling faces at the Prairieview Open House. I always look forward to this opportunity to meet my students for the upcoming school year, as well as visit with former students and their families.

Thank you for all of the positive comments and support already offered for our classroom. I know that we will have a successful year together!