Thank you

I cannot fully express my appreciation for all the generosity you have all shown me for Christmas and throughout the year. Thank you so much. Not just for the wonderful gifts but for your graciousness, your help, your beautiful children and last but certainly not least, your patience. I love my job. The events last week in Connecticut reminded me of how precious my task is and I want you all to know, I appreciate the responsibility and the trust you have shown in me by allowing me to teach and mentor your children.I don't take the job lightly and it brings me great joy. Thank you all again and Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Week of Dec. 10

Happy Holidays everyone! I hope everyone enjoys the season and stays as stress-free as possible. My family and I decorated our tree this weekend and listening and sang along to some Christmas songs. It was a wonderful evening. Now, if I can just avoid the mall, all will be good! I also enjoyed the Booster Bazaar on Saturday at NCS, saw some old friends, talked to some terrific people, sold some mustache t-shirts for Costa Rica. All in all, a great weekend.

This week, students in 4B will make up their spelling test on Monday, as 4th grade was scheduled to attend the Booster Bazaar during 4B's Language Arts time on Friday. Make sure your student is prepared. I will offer makeup tests for students who have missed school recently throughout the week. There have been a lot of absences due to illness lately. 

All classes will focus on completing, and typing in the tech lab, their Florence story this week. This writing assignment has been a blast and I expect the stories to be well done and structured wonderfully! Students really seem to be working their hardest and doing a great job. I will work with them this week on editing and adding pizzazz.

We will also work on finishing up the books we have been working on for Lit Circles. I may have students carry the books home to read and write a summary on them, so we can move along more quickly. The reading would count as their homework. These books should be finished up by the end of the week.

On Friday, we have our holiday party! Students will enjoy crafts in the morning and a party last period (from 1:50-3:10). We will rotate students through the classes and offer some fun activities. I would love to have a dreidel station. If anyone has some extra dreidels for the students to learn the festive Hanukkah game, please e-mail me or send them in with students. On Monday, students will enjoy a movie. They may bring pillows and blankets and wear their pajamas to enjoy it! Tuesday is a half day, with dismissal at 11:45.

No vocab this week!!!!!

Week of December 3

December already! This year is flying by and I am nowhere near ready for the holidays. I hope you all better prepared than I am.I try and be mindful of the true meaning of the season, it keeps me a little less stressed out. (a little:)

Last Friday, we had a visitor come to 4th grade, perhaps your student told you about Florence the Elf on a shelf? If not, be sure and ask about her, we will be writing a narrative this week and next about her adventures. I will ask children with computer access to type the story at home for homework next week one day. It will probably be one of the last big stories we write for a few months. Common Core curriculum is heavily focused on informational writing, so we will turn our attention more towards research, biography, editorial and letter writing in the coming months. This writing will go in the MAPP binder, so if you would like a copy, (I still get a kick out of reading my children's narrative stories from when they were younger), be sure to either print one out at home or ask me to print you one at school. I will post the rubric later this week, so be on the lookout for it. This week we also continue Lit Circles and centers. Students will have a vocabulary test on Friday.

This Friday, Neuse Charter and the Booster Club will once again host a Holiday Bazaar. Crafters will offer their wares for sale in the gym on Friday for students and Saturday for the public. On Friday, the prices are capped at $10 so students may purchase gifts for family and friends. Travelers to Costa Rica will have a table and all proceeds will go to offsetting the cost of travel to help the sea turtles. I will be on hand selling turtle t-shirts, mustache t-shirts (and taking orders), rock necklaces, card sets, and magnets, among other things. Shop and support NCS, what a winning combination!

Date correction: Don't cook dinner on Friday the 14th! Also on Dec. 14th the Costa Rica Sea Turtle Conservation Travel Club will sponsor a Spaghetti Dinner at Elizabeth United Methodist Church on Cleveland Rd from 4:30-7:00. Dine in or Takeout! For $7.00 you get spaghetti with meat sauce, bread, salad and dessert. If you dine in free sweet tea and Santa will be making an appearance! Tickets are available through Mrs. Sheppard in the office or me. bring the whole family! Let's have dinner together!

Our Holiday Party will take place on Dec. 14. There is a volunteer and donation website set up by Mrs. Harris (Delaney's mom) that is absolutely wonderful.(Thanks!) Please go here to see if you can help:http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090849A8A92FA13-ncs4th

4th grade will enjoy crafting in the morning of the 14th, with stations set up in each of the classrooms and a holiday party the last period of the day in the cafeteria. If you have some time, please come by and assist with stations in the morning and decorating and partying in the afternoon! Or both!

This week's vocab:

Vocab from Shiloh, Because of Winn Dixie, Stuart Little and Ralph S. Mouse

Students must spell all words correctly and use all words in compound sentences (17 words)

4C

intentions          plans to act in a certain way; purposes

slogs                  to walk with a slow heavy gait

snitching           tattling or telling on someone

omission            something that is left out

jubilation           a joyful celebration

peculiar             strange, weird, odd

domestic           of or involving the home or family

permeated         occurring throughout

bungle               an embarrassing mistake

discernible         perceptible by the senses or intellect

presumes            to suppose to be true without proof

diabolical           extremely evil or cruel

saunter               to leisurely walk or stroll

helm                  the wheel or tiller for steering a ship

toxic                  POISONOUS, deadly

dread                 being VERY afraid of something

contraption        a strange or odd device

 

Vocab from Shiloh, Because of Winn Dixie, Stuart Little and Ralph S. Mouse

Students must spell 16 words correctly and use 15 in compound sentences (17 words)

4B

slogs                  to walk with a slow heavy gait

snitching            tattling or telling on someone

omission            something that is left out

jubilation           a joyful celebration

domestic            of or involving the home or family

permeated         occurring throughout

bungle               an embarrassing mistake

discernible        perceptible by the senses or intellect

presumes           to suppose to be true without proof

ferocious            marked by extreme and violent energy

diabolical           extremely evil or cruel

saunter               to leisurely walk or stroll

helm                   the wheel or tiller for steering a ship

hoisted              to raise, lift or pull up

toxic                  POISONOUS, deadly

dread                 being VERY afraid of something

contraption        a strange or odd device

  

Vocab from Shiloh, Because of Winn Dixie, Stuart Little and Ralph S. Mouse

Students must spell 15 words correctly and use 15 in compound sentences (17 words)

4A

quarrel               an angry argument

intentions          plans to act in a certain way; purposes

slogs                  to walk with a slow heavy gait

snitching            tattling or telling on someone

bargained            negotiate the terms of an exchange

omission             something that is left out

racket                 a lot of confusing noise

manufacture      to make something at a factory

sorrow                sad

domestic            of or involving the home or family

bungle               an embarrassing mistake

presumes           to suppose to be true without proof

detain                stop or halt

diabolical          extremely evil or cruel

helm                   the wheel or tiller for steering a ship

toxic                   POISONOUS, deadly

dread                 being VERY afraid of something

Week of Nov. 26

I hope everyone had a wonderful and restful Thanksgiving break. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I think it is very important to take some time out, slow down and count our many blessings, surrounded by family, good food and football :)

We are currentlyworking on our 2nd Common Core unit: Animals: A reminder of the theme and format:

Unit 2: Animals as Characters. There is a voluminous amount of writing for young readers focusing on animals as characters. We will examine how animals are portrayed in writing. Why are wolves big and bad? Why are dogs always in sad stories? What does our portrayal of animals say about us? We will focus on personification, character development, elements of a narrative, and comparing and contrasting. We will work in Literature Circles reading a variety of fiction and non-fiction books. The guiding question for this unit is: “How do we portray animals in writing?” 

Students are working in Lit groups and discussing different books in class with their classmates. Be sure to ask your student what novel they are reading and what they think of it! After our intellectual discussions, we work in centers, completing a variety of Language Arts based activities. Students are enjoying a new level of independence with these activities, as I act mostly as facilitator and observer, offering suggestions and watching as students engage in group discussion and problem solving.  Students are discovering that working in a group has it's own set of issues and obstacles. It's fun to watch!

A note on the assessment I sent home last week:  I gave students another standardized assessment from the book last week, as I am required to do at least quarterly. Many students did not score as high on this as they normally do on classwork. Please do not be alarmed. I will count this assessment only as a classwork grade and it will, ultimately, not really hurt most students' grade. We went over this assessment in class and I gave students tips on handling tricky questions. I expect the next assessment to be a major improvement. 

Progress reports go home soon! Some students are missing work and it is affecting their grades negatively. I will give any student who is missing work an opportunity to make it up this week and will send home a list of anything missing in their agendas on Monday. Please be sure your student has their agenda!!! This is becoming a chronic problem with some children. I am reluctant to have students make a list of missing work on looseleaf because, many times, it goes into the black hole in their backpacks never to be seen again! Also, remember that grades on the progress report are designed to give you a picture of how your student is progressing, it is not a final or permanent grade, for good or bad. Grades will fluctuate depending on what we are working on in class. Everyone does better on some things than others.

And the moment you've all been waiting for...drumroll, please...This week's vocabulary words! I included definitions this week!

 

Vocabulary for 4C          Week of 11/26/2013 You will responsible to spell all of 20 words correctly and write sentences with 17(Total of 20 words)

Word Words taken From Shiloh , Tale of Despereaux,  Because of Winn Dixie, Ralph S. Mouse and Stuart Little

unsuitable           not suitable; inappropriate

notions              small items

exasperated      frustrated

shrill                   loud, piercing sound

civilized               to have polite and sophisticated behavior

ultimatum           a demand or threat that is final

rigid                     fixed and unmoving

burdened            weighted down by work, duty, or sorrow

skulking              moving in a sneaky way

retraction            withdrawal of a statement

immediately       now or at once

distracted            when someone or something weakens your concentration

devilment           reckless mischief

groveling             lying or creeping with the body flat or face down

cringe                  to shrink in fear

feeble                 showing weakness, not strong

despicable         not-liked deserving to be despised

aspirations          noun a strong desire to achieve something, dreams

defiant                showing a willingness to resist.

empathy              ability to understand and identify with another's feelings and emotions.

Vocabulary for 4B          Week of 11/26/2013 You will responsible to spell 19 words correctly and write sentences with 15 (Total of 20 words)

Words taken From Shiloh, Tale of Despereaux,  Because of Winn Dixie, Ralph S. Mouse and Stuart Little

unsuitable           not suitable; inappropriate

notions                small items

exasperated          frustrated

shrill                     loud, piercing sound

civilized               to have polite and sophisticated behavior

ultimatum           a demand or threat that is final

rigid                      fixed and unmoving

burdened            weighted down by work, duty, or sorrow

skulking                moving in a sneaky way

retraction            withdrawal of a statement

immediately       now or at once

distracted            when someone or something weakens your concentration

devilment           reckless mischief

groveling             lying or creeping with the body flat or face down

cringe                 to shrink in fear

feeble                showing weakness, not strong

despicable         not-liked deserving to be despised

aspirations          noun a strong desire to achieve something, dreams

defiant               showing a willingness to resist.

empathy              ability to understand and identify with another's feelings and emotions.

Vocabulary for 4A          Week of 11/26/2013 You will responsible to spell 16 words correctly and write sentences with 15 words (18 total)

Words taken From Tale of Despereaux,  Because of Winn Dixie, Ralph S. Mouse and Stuart Little

unsuitable           not suitable; inappropriate

notions               small items

exasperated        frustrated

shrill                    loud, piercing sound

civilized               to have polite and sophisticated behavior

rummaged          searched thoroughly

ultimatum           a demand or threat that is final

rigid                      fixed and unmoving

burdened            weighted down by work, duty, or sorrow

skulking                moving in a sneaky way

retraction            withdrawal of a statement

immediately       now or at once

distracted            when someone or something weakens your concentration

specifically          in a particular way, or definite way

despicable          not-liked deserving to be despised or hated

aspirations          noun a strong desire to achieve something, dreams

defiant              showing a willingness to resist.

empathy              ability to understand and identify with another's feelings and emotions.

Week of Nov. 5

Election Day has finally (almost) arrived! I don't know about you all, but I am ready to put this mess behind us and move forward.

On Friday, due to the awards ceremony and students leaving early, we did not take the vocabulary test that was scheduled. Students will take the test on Monday, so make sure they review the words today and are ready to rock tomorrow.

4B was unable to finish Harriet the Spy on Friday, 4a and 4c completed the book last week. I will not be giving a unit test, but they will have a comprehension and details quiz on chapters 10-16. Please make sure your student has read, or been in class to listen to, the final chapters by Tuesday.

After we finish up all these little details, we will begin our new unit on animals. Students will be reading, in Literature Circles, one of the following books: Stuart Little, Ralph S. Mouse, Tale of Despereaux, or Because of Winn Dixie. They will be expected to take notes, have literature based conversations, learn and explore new vocabulary and ask questions about the book they are assigned. I have selected the reading groups. I will rotate through the class and promote discussion. I will select a different group daily read with, after we have established the routine. This will require a discipline that some children struggle with. Please remind your student that staying focused and on-task benefits them in many ways.

 After about 30 minutes of reading and discussion, students will work in centers for 20-30 more minutes. Each center will focus on a different Language Arts skill. There is a contract that students will be expected to fill in and complete for a grade, in a timely manner. Please make sure your child has a Language Arts folder in which to keep the contract. As usual, class will begin with a writing or comprehension prompt. We will not have vocab this week or next, in an effort to establish this new routine. I expect this unit to last about 3 weeks, maybe a month. In case you would like to have the book at home that your child is assigned, I will have them write down in their agenda which book they are reading in class.

I am scheduling parent meetings all this week and next, and beyond. If you would like a meeting, please know I have not forgotten you. The best time for me to meet is during planning, 12:20-1:30. I have meetings set up for Monday, Wednesday and Thursday this week. Tuesday is not good, because I have a study hall instead of planning. If you would like to meet Friday, please e-mail me. I can also meet after school , but that is not ideal because I frequently have other responsibilities to attend to then. I am finding these meetings are taking most of planning, so I can only schedule one a day with the time I have.

Just a note: I would really like to thank all the wonderful parents and students who make my day so much fun and full of learning. Students surprised me with delightful birthday cards on Friday and they just made my day. I feel very blessed to have so many beautiful and positive people in my life. I really appreciate all of you who are kind and supportive towards me. Thanks again :)

Week of Oct 29.12

Hello! I hope everyone had a terrific weekend and is ready for Sandy! Looks like a terrible system and I know we all pray for our friends up north and along the coast as they weather the storm.  As many of you know, I was supposed to be in New York over the weekend. However, I got that nasty bug that was going around on Thursday, left school early and, with the storm coming and feeling like I’d been run over by a semi, decided to postpone my trip. I was very disappointed, but think it was best. The last thing I wanted was to be stranded in Washington, DC Sunday afternoon, where I was scheduled for a 2 hour layover, sick and in the middle of a major storm system!

Report cards went home on Friday, please make sure you ask your student for theirs and discuss the progress they are making.  If they are doing well, and I consider an “A” and a “B” doing well, praise them. The Common Core curriculum has added a layer of difficulty for students this year. Grades should be tied, at least in part, to EOG test scores. This is Neuse Charter School policy. If your child struggled with end of grade testing last year, they will need extra support this year. I am following closely the new curriculum in an effort to stave off any surprises and make sure students will emerge successful, but this is uncharted water; the curriculum is much more challenging and the tests are new.  So far, I have been very impressed by how hard students in 4^th grade work (for the most partJ) and how much progress has been made.  Bravo! (Awards ceremony Friday at 10:00 a.m.)

Halloween in Wednesday and we have our chip reward celebration in the cafeteria! Students may wear costumes (remember, no gore or masks) Sadly, I pulled the short straw this time and will miss the party! Students who failed to earn the requisite number of chips will come to my room and work and I will supervise them.  Congrats to all who earned the party and for those who didn’t, you’ll earn it next time!

We will finish up Harriet the Spy this week and begin a new unit about animals next week. Unit 2: Animals as Characters. There is a voluminous amount of writing for young readers focusing on animals as characters. We will examine how animals are portrayed in writing. Why are wolves big and bad? Why are dogs always in sad stories? What does our portrayal of animals say about us? We will focus on personification, character development, elements of a narrative, and comparing and contrasting. We will work in Literature Circles reading a variety of fiction and non-fiction books. The guiding question for this unit is: “How do we portray animals in writing?” This unit will last about 4 weeks.  The unit test for Harriet the Spy will be on Thursday.

Vocabulary will take a new turn this week. We will begin Greek and Latin roots and affixes. This week we will focus on the Latin roots: sens or sent: meaning to feel, to think, and grad, gress: meaning steps, to go or to walk. Also this week we will learn about the suffixes: tion and sion meaning: act of, state of or result of.  

 

Vocabulary Week of Oct. 28

4A

 This week we will focus on the Latin roots: sens or sent: meaning to feel, to think, and grad, gress: meaning steps, to go or to walk. Also this week we will learn about the suffixes: tion and sion meaning: act of, state of or result of.  Students must know the Latin or suffix meanings in addition to definitions. Students will write 14 compound sentences that indicate they understand the word’s definition.

sens, sent: meaning to feel, to think

sentiment

consent

sensory

resent

sensible

grad, gress: meaning steps, to go or to walk

gradual

graduate

progress

tion: meaning: act of, state of or result of

limitation

formation

reflection

separation

sion: meaning: act of, state of or result of

suspension

expression

discussion

decision

conclusion

Vocabulary Week of Oct. 28

4B

 This week we will focus on the Latin roots: sens or sent: meaning to feel, to think, and grad, gress: meaning steps, to go or to walk. Also this week we will learn about the suffixes: tion and sion meaning: act of, state of or result of.  Students must know the Latin or suffix meanings in addition to definitions. Students will write 15 compound sentences that indicate they understand the word’s definition.

sens, sent: meaning to feel, to think

sentiment

consent

sensory

resent

sensible

grad, gress: meaning steps, to go or to walk

gradual

graduated

progress

tion: meaning: act of, state of or result of

limitation

formation

reflection

separation

sion: meaning: act of, state of or result of

suspension

expression

discussion

decision

conclusion

Vocabulary Week of Oct. 28

4C

 This week we will focus on the Latin roots: sens or sent: meaning to feel, to think, and grad, gress: meaning steps, to go or to walk. Also this week we will learn about the suffixes: tion and sion meaning: act of, state of or result of.  Students must know the Latin or suffix meanings in addition to definitions. Students will write compound sentences that indicate they understand the word’s definition. All words

sens, sent: meaning to feel, to think

sensational

dissension

consent

sensory

resent

grad, gress: meaning steps, to go or to walk

gradual

graduated

progress

egress

tion: meaning: act of, state of or result of

limitation

formation

reflection

separation

sion: meaning: act of, state of or result of

suspension

expression

discussion

decision