CLASSROOM NEWS

For Your Information:

Reminder to Check Student Progress
Be sure to check on your student's 2nd trimester progress. If you have any problems reviewing your child's grades through "ParentConnect," please contact me for a paper progress report.

Classroom Spelling Bee Winners
Congratulations to the winner Conner and Anthony as the runner-up in our Classroom Spelling Bee!! These two students will represent our classroom in the 4th Grade Spelling Bee on Friday, February 1.

Winter Party Reminder
Don't forget to bring skates, sleds, and anything else to make a day of outdoor fun on Saturday! I know we will all have a wonderful time - see you there!


Subject Update:

• Spelling - Lesson 20: 1+1+1 words and endings that begin with consonants
• English/Writing - The students will review all about verbs. The Unit 3 Verbs Test is scheduled for Wednesday, January 30! Then we will work on our public speaking skills as we "perform" some poetry.
• Reading - We will continue reading poetry to find poems that tell stories, send messages, share feelings, and start us wondering.
• Science - The students are learning about levers, inclined planes, screws, and wedges. Machines Quiz #2 (over activities #8A-10B) is scheduled for Friday, February 1! Students can prepare by reviewing the highlighted information or ideas in their blue Machines and Motion booklet.
• Social Studies - We will continue our "travels" of the Southeast as we learn about the people and history of the region in Chapter 7.
• Accelerated Math - The students will complete a homework review worksheet in class on Monday. Then we will learn about finding prime factors, equivalent fractions, and lowest terms (or simplest form).
  

Mark Your Calendar:

1/26: Mrs. Strong's Winter Party (1:00-3:00 p.m.)

2/1: Favorite Pro-Football Team Spirit Day!

2/1: 4th Grade Spelling Bee (9:15 a.m.)

2/5: No School (Teacher Institute Day)

2/6: Character Counts Assembly

2/7: Early Dismissal (11:00 a.m.)

2/8: District Spelling Bee (1:15 p.m.)

CLASSROOM NEWS

For Your Information:

Thank You, Parent Volunteers!!
Thanks to Mrs. Calabria, Mrs. Mateja, Mrs. Murphy, and Mrs. Wozniak for helping during our Wheels, Levers, and Pulleys program. Thank you also to Mrs. Thiel, Mrs. Ivanova, and Mrs. Brackett for providing popcorn and drinks for our classroom reward party.

Time to Check Student Grades
It is now half-way through the 2nd trimester and time to check on the progress of your student. Remember, if you are unable to access this information through the district website's "ParentConnect," please contact me.

Spelling Bee Timeline
Our classroom will hold two spelling bees - a practice and an official bee. The practice classroom spelling bee will be held on Wednesday, January 23rd. The official classroom bee will be held on Friday, January 25th. The top 2 spellers in our official classroom spelling bee will go on to represent our class in the 4th Grade Spelling Bee on Friday, February 1st. Good luck, spellers!

Winter Party Invitation!
Please notice the invitation to a Winter Party at Mrs. Strong's home scheduled for Saturday, January 26th! You need to RSVP by Thursday, January 24th - I hope everyone is able to come and enjoy the day with me.


Subject Update:

• Spelling - Lesson 19: 1+1+1 words and endings -ed and -ing (We will skip Lesson 18.)
• English/Writing - The students are learning about irregular verb forms. Next week, we will learn about using being verbs in the present and past tense, form contractions with verbs, and recognize when we need to keep verbs in the same tense in our writing.
• Reading - We will have a Vocabulary Quiz over the 20 words from our realistic fiction unit on Wednesday, January 23rd! We will also start a poetry unit. We will begin by reading many different poems to discover, "What do poems do?"
• Science - The students will experiment with inclined planes and screws to find out how these simple machines can be used to make work easier or faster.
• Social Studies - We will review about the Southeast environment. The Chapter 6 Test is scheduled for Thursday, January 24th!
• Accelerated Math - The students have started Chapter 9 about fractions.

Mark Your Calendar:

1/21: No School (M. L. King, Jr. Day)

1/22: Midpoint 2nd Trimester - Check student grades!

1/23: Practice Classroom Spelling Bee

1/23: "Life on the Plains" Program

1/25: Official Classroom Spelling Bee

1/26: Mrs. Strong's Winter Party

CLASSROOM NEWS

For Your Information:

Happy New Year!
I hope everyone had a healthy, restful Winter Break. We should be ready to work hard in 2008 as we continue to prepare for 5th grade in the fall!!!

Classroom Reward Party
The students have earned a reward party for showing good character. They will enjoy a short video and popcorn Thursday, January 17. Are there any parents willing to send in a few large bags of popcorn and/or juice pouches for us? Please email or send a note by Tuesday.


Subject Update:

• Spelling - Lesson 17: Review of lessons 10-16
• English/Writing - The students are busy learning about verbs. We have learned that verbs can be in the past, present, or future tense. Next week, we will be reviewing some of our spelling rules in order to use verbs in the present and past tenses.
• Reading - We will be finishing our unit with realistic fiction stories. The students will take the Realistic Fiction Theme Test on Tuesday. Please remember that the activities we have completed in class should have prepared students - they do not study for this type of test.
• Science - The students have learned about forces, work, and energy. There is a Machines and Motion Quiz scheduled for Tuesday, January 15th! The students should review the highlighted material in their blue "Machines and Motion" booklets to prepare for the quiz.
• Social Studies - We will be reading about the resources found in the Southeast region of the United States. The Southeast Map Test is scheduled for Thursday, January 17th! The students have been taking practice tests in the classroom, but they should practice at home as well. Please remember that spelling and capitalization count!
• Accelerated Math - The students have been working on division of greater numbers by 2-digit divisors. There are many students who have found this to be difficult, so extra practice at home may be a good idea. The Chapter 6 Test is scheduled for Tuesday, January 15th!

Mark Your Calendar:

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

1/18: Prairieview School Spirit Wear Day!

1/21: No School (M. L. King, Jr. Day)