Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012

Happy Thursday! Just a reminder that there is no school tomorrow!

This week has been a busy week in Grade 4. We have been doing reading and math assessments. We are also kicking our in class reading program into high gear. There are five steps and we are doing two of them so far. We have been practicing "Read to Self" and "Read to Someone". Both of these different reading strategies will help with reading fluency, comprehension, and speaking orally. The kids are loving it!

We are going through books like crazy and it's really exciting to hear students say "Mrs. Stefan, I loooovvvvvveeee my book". I'm excited too to see how the kids progress throughout the next couple of weeks and months!

Below is a couple of pictures of some of the Grade 4's practicing "Read to Someone". They were so into what they were doing, they didn't even notice I was taking pictures :)

Have a great weekend,

Mrs. Stefan,

Busy with Rocks!

Last week we were busy with our rocks that we collected from outside. We were testing them for limestone and if any magnetic minerals were present. Ask your child what they all did to figure these two things out!

Busy at work - looking for magnetic minerals

                           

 Testing for limestone, watching and listening for a fizz sound.

Open House

Just a reminder that open house is tonight! Come stop by to see some of the things we've been working on in class! It is running from 5:30-7:00. Check out the classroom and then enjoy a burger at the BBQ which is being put on by the School Community Council (SCC). The SCC is also looking for new members to join their team. It's a great way to become involved with the happenings in the school, meet with other parents and work together to make the school an even better place! The first SCC meeting will be held on Monday, September 24th at 7:00 p.m.

Also, just a friendly reminder that we are a peanut/nut free school so please avoid sending any foods that contain the above to school as we do have some students with severe allergies this year.

Thanks!

Mrs. Stefan

Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012

Hello,

Just thought I'd mention to check your child's agenda today. They went home quite thick! Scholastic book orders went home and subscriptions for Highlights and Owl. These magazines aren't a required subscription but I know some of your kids love to read so they might be worth a subscription for your home! With all of theses great opportunities available to us as readers we had a really good discussion today about what "good fit books" are and how to choose a book to read that's right for each of us. Ask your son/daughter about it! Also, please bring back the photo forms for picture day as soon as you can!

Thanks,
Mrs. Stefan

Monday, Sept. 10, 2012

Today we kicked off the week by exploring outdoors for different types of rocks. We noted observations about the rocks we collected and tomorrow we will be classifying these rocks according to different properties as well as some rocks that I have on hand. The kids are very excited about this! If your child finds any rocks or has any rocks from a collection at home they may bring them to class to show and talk about them, just be sure that they are sent in a zip loc or container with your child's name so they don't get misplaced.

There were no agenda notes today.

Enjoy the evening,

Mrs. Stefan

We Made It!

Well, we made it through our first week of school! A lot of it was spent getting organized and familiar with each other and the classroom but I think we're ready for the busy week of learning ahead of us!
We ended the week celebrating our "fourth day in the fourth grade" - ask your child about some of the things that we did in the classroom.

 

 

This week cross country is starting so if your child is participating in this, practice will be at noon on Monday and a bag lunch must be brought. Milk will also be starting up again on Monday too. Those that stay for lunch have told me that they are really liking eating in their own room much better than in the combined lunchroom from last year. So far everything seems to be going great with this too.

 

Thank you to all of you that filled out the parent surveys, after reading them I have come to the conclusion that it is best if we avoid sending class treats to school for birthdays, etc due to several allergies amongst students. If you still really want to bring something, please contact me ahead of time and all treats must be nut, peanut, dairy and gluten free. I will be sending a quick note home about this as well.

 

 

Have a great week!

 

Mrs. Stefan.

Hi All!

Well, we made it through the first day! It was exciting and busy, making the day go by super fast. We spent the day getting organized and familiar with the classroom and some school routines. I am very excited to work with your children, it's going to be a great year!

Just some reminders for the week that I know of so far:
Please fill out the questionnaire attached to the welcome letter, this will help me know a few more things about your child and important contact information. The demographic sheet needs to be looked over to make sure that all of the information is correct. If anything is incorrect please fix it on the paper. Demographic sheets need to be brought back regardless if correct or needed changes. More information will be in the newsletter going home tomorrow about these sheets. I would like a family photo brought to school as we're going to put together a family tree in our classroom. The photo your child brings is up to you - it doesn't matter the size, if it's photocopied, black and white, etc. Just something that you're okay with your child using in our classroom. Please send back the questionnaire, demographic sheet, and family photo in your child's agenda by Friday, September 7. 

Your child's agenda will have information in it on a daily basis regarding events, due dates, tests, etc. Please be sure to check it everyday and initial it so I know it's been checked! Thanks so much!

Stay tuned for more information and exciting classroom learning experiences that we will be having!

Cheers,
Mrs. Stefan