I love that your children have grown up so much in the last 8 months.  It also makes me happy to see their growth, and know how much they’ve learned. At the same time, it makes me sad because that also means they are now more 4th graders than they are 3rd  graders.  I’v joked with several of them that they will need to stay in Third Grade next year, only because I will miss them daily when they move down the hall for fourth grade.

NEWS FLASH!!!!!! There will not be any more sorts.  We will be doing word work, most frequently miss spelled words and review for the next few weeks and reviewing the patterns they struggled with the most.  

PLAY UPDATE
Please fill out the Google Form below concerning your child’s availability for the evening performance.  If too many children will not be available that night, we will need to cancel.



FIELDTRIP!

We are going on a field trip on May 22nd.  I can’t give you all of the details until after school today, but your child will be bringing information home today and the permission

HOMEWORK

MATH
As a school, we are piloting  a couple of internet sites to determine which site will provide the best supplemental math practice for our students.  Our class is using Frontrowed.com and will report what we like and what we do not like about it.  With that in mind, this week we will be using it for our homework and I need each child to use it at least three times this week.  I will tell your child which area they are currently scoring the lowest and have them work on that area.  At the end of the week, I will post a survey about your thoughts on Front Row Ed.  (This is one of the things I love about Quest, we get to help decide which programs are the best for our students)

READING
Please continue to read 20 minutes a day.  This week, we will be taking our last Dibels test for the year.  Reading out loud for practice is strongly encouraged.

Many of the students have asked for the Code.org link to be posted again, so here it is:  http://studio.code.org/sections/TEUWPN

If you haven’t heard, the books are done and mailed into the publisher!  We should get them back the week before school gets out.  I can’t wait for each student to share their amazing work with each of their families.  The books won’t be back until mid May.  I know  that the question, “When will our books be here?” will start soon and the reply is always the same, “Whenever the mailman brings them.”

Last week we also hosted our second mystery  with Mrs. Dean’s  fifth grade class from Scottsdale Arizona.  Our class did amazing, and even though we didn’t figure out their location first, we did figure out their location.

This week we have a Live Webinar with Jane Goodall.  This should be very fun and educational.  She will be answering questions various classrooms around the nation have asked.  It should be interesting, educational and fun!

End of Level Testing will be starting for us next week.  We begin our adventure with Dibels testing on Monday April 27th, and our Fluency ill be on May 4th, first thing in the morning, please try not to be late as we are first.  

We start SAGE testing on May 5th and 7th at 8:40.  A good nights sleep, followed by a good breakfast would be most beneficial.  Our second set of testing will be May 12th and May 14th at 2:00.  Please try not to schedule appointments on these days if possible.

Homework
GOOGLE E-Mail:  I need each child to sign up for a Google account.  we are going to run a pilot program of Google Docs in the classroom, but in order for the children to collaborate they each need their own account.  Please make a very easy password for them to remember as I will not be able to help them with their passwords at school.

Reading:  Remember to read 20 minutes each night. 
You can also use Mobymax.com or razkids.com for your reading time.  These sites have comprehension components also. 

Math:  Xtramath.org, tenmarks.com, frontrowed.com, wootmath.com or mobymax.com  These sites really are the best way for your child to practice what they need in math.   
Mobymax.com login: firstname lastname   password: Rams
Wootmath.com login: firstname lastinitial password: Rams
Tenmarks.com: This site has individual log ins and passwords.  Your child may bring them home if you would like to use this option.

WORD SORTS (These are the same as last week, due to the fact we did not have adequate time to work with them in class)
Badgers: Sort 51
Wildcats: Sort 12
Bulldogs: Sort 25
Jayhawks: Sort 42

IMPORTANT INFORMATION!

We will sending our books to the publisher this week, but there is one important thing that must happen at home before we can send them in.  Please read this carefully so you know how to fill out your envelope:

1.  We will be sending home an envelope and a paper that tells about the books.  It has an order blank that you fill out if you would like an additional book. 

2.  If you only want the first book (Which this point is free)  please mark NO on the order form and send it back with your child’s name on it.  Please do not write that you only want the free one on the order blank.  If you mark no, you will receive the free one.

3.  If you would like books in addition to your free book, please mark the appropriate boxes, and enter the information asked for, include your check or credit card information and send it back.

4.  Any child that does not bring back the note will not have their book published.  PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE have your slips back to school by Wednesday!

5.  There may be a SMALL publishing fee of $2 to $3, but I’m not sure about this yet, please watch for more information on this in a week or two.


LAST WEEK! 
Wow! What a week!
We had a fast paced, full of adventure week.   We finished typing our poems in and started the printing them.  A few students are still not quite done with the typing, but we are so close! We have created our covers and will completing our illustrations this week.

Tuesday we had an Author Skype with the creator of Howard B Wigglebottom and CEO of the We Do Listen Foundaton.  It was very fun and we learned about having courage.  He introduced us to his webpage wedolisten.com which has 15 animated online books on character education.  There are also many fun and educational activities that children 3 to 10 would love participating in.  Check it out, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Friday we had our first Mystery Skype with Mrs. Hamilton’s third grade class from Norfolk Nebraska.  They guessed Utah before we guessed Nebraska, but it was their 13th mystery Skye and our first.  The added fun was that Nebraska was where my daughter had just returned home from 2 days earlier (I promise it wasn’t planned that way).  

Friday we also had Dot and Dash (Two programable robots) join our class.  It will be fun to see what we can learn to program them to do.  

THIS WEEK:
Each child will be receiving their part in the musical.  I will need parents to help their child come up with a costume, and if you need help, please contact me and I will see if I can help.  I need to check copyright, but I may be linking the songs to the blog so your child can be practicing at home.

We will be working to finish illustrating their books and sending them off to be published. 

We have another Mystery Skype on Friday with 5th graders this time.  

Dates to Remember:
Tuesday April 14th  Library
Friday    April 17th   Mystery Skype

Save the Dates:
Thursday  May 21st     1:30   Musical Matinee Preformance
                                         5:00  Musical Evening Performance
Friday       May 22nd   Tentative Field Trip (Destination to be Announced)
 
Homework
Reading:  Remember to read 20 minutes each night. 
You can also use Mobymax.com or razkids.com for your reading time.  These sites have comprehension components also. 

Math:  Xtramath.org, tenmarks.com, frontrowed.com, wootmath.com or mobymax.com  These sites really are the best way for your child to practice what they need in math.   
Mobymax.com login: firstname lastname   password: Rams
Wootmath.com login: firstname lastinitial password: Rams
Tenmarks.com: This site has individual log ins and passwords.  Your child may bring them home if you would like to use this option.

WORD SORTS (These are the same as last week, due to the fact we did not have adequate time to work with them in class)
Badgers: Sort 50
Wildcats: Sort 10
Bulldogs: Sort 24
Jayhawks: Sort 41

Dates to remember:

Tuesday     March 24th  Library
Thursday   March 26th  Happy Birthday Andrew F.
                                            SEP Conferences  3:30 to 4:30
Friday         March 27th  Short Day Schedule
                                            Dollar Dress Down Day
                                            Last Day Before Spring Break (No school next week)

     Our classroom is buzzing with activity and there are so many exciting things happening.  So let’s start with math.  We are working on Data and Measurement  and bar graphs are our focus this week.  We have already created pictographs of our minion graphing and on Friday we made those pictographs into bar graphs.   We will be creating and solving problems using various bar graphs. 

     Our poem books are coming along nicely and we will be focusing a lot of energy on them so they are ready to go to the publisher on time.  Please watch for the book forms to come home right after spring break.  I will include a lot of details about the books in the post the Monday after Spring Break.  There may be a small donation of two or three dollars to have the books published.

     We were just invited to participate in what is called a mystery Skype.  In April a classroom of 5th Graders will be Skyping our classroom and we will play a game much like 20 questions, in the hope of figuring out where the other class is located.  In preparation for this activity, we will be practicing by using an online atlas, google, state sites, and various other references to find out information about other states.  This should be very fun and your family can help by picking a state and challenging your student to figure out what state you have chosen.  We will also be doing a practice Skype to see if we can pin down where we are receiving calls from.
 
     Thursday is SEP night.  This particular night will be open house style.  You may come in and discuss your child and their progress thus far in the year.  I will be sending home their SEP form before Thursday and the 3rd quarter report cards will be available after Monday.  Please note, at this point in time, we are beginning to collect data and information concerning placement in the advanced class for next year.  I can not tell you if your child will or will not be recommended for the advanced class, as data is being collected from all 5 classes and then the children will be ranked and placed. Please do not ask me for this information at this time.  As soon as all data is collected, the administration will be contacting the parents of the students on the list.   


HOMEWORK
Reading: Remember to read 20 minutes each night.  If you would like to do your reading online, please use Moby Max, and/or razkids.com for your reading time.  These sites have comprehension components also.

MATH
Ten Marks, Xtramath.org, frontrowed.com, wootmath.com or mobymax.com  These 4 sites really are the best way for your child to practice what they need in math.   
Mobymax.com login: firstname lastname   password: Rams
Wootmath.com login: firstname lastinitial password: Rams
 TenMakrs.co:  Your child has their logon and password for this site    

SORTS
With it being the beginning of the fourth quarter, I will be assessing the students and determining what sorts will be most beneficial for them throughout the last quarter.  With this in mind, we will NOT have spelling sorts this week.  Please remember that spelling is a very visual skill and should always be done in print and not cursive.

Dates to Remember:
Tue. March 17  St. Patrick’s Day (Remember to Wear Something Green)
  Evacuation Drill
  Library
Fri.  March 20  Last Day of the Quarter
   No School for Students (Professional Development Day)

Minion Graphing Fun:
http://qacblogs.org/susan.goldsberry/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=462



HOMEWORK

Reading:  Remember to read 20 minutes each night. 
You can also use Mobymax.com or razkids.com for your reading time.  These sites have comprehension components also.

Math:  Xtramath.org, tenmarks.com, frontrowed.com, wootmath.com or mobymax.com  These sites really are the best way for your child to practice what they need in math.   
Mobymax.com login: firstname lastname   password: Rams
Wootmath.com login: firstname lastinitial password: Rams
Tenmarks.com: This site has individual log ins and passwords.  Your child may bring them home if you would like to use this option.

WORD SORTS
Badgers: Sort 49
Wildcats: Sort 9
Bulldogs: Sort 21
Jayhawks: Sort 35

Important Dates to remember:

Tues.  March 10th Library
Thur.  March 12th Happy Birthday Mariah
Sat. March 14th Happy Birthday Takada

A HUGE shout out to the Spanglers for creating our Dr. Seuss  Door!!!!! We won the 3rd Grade Best Door Student vote and 3rd Place Overall Door!  We really appreciate all the time, thought and energy they gave to our door and our class!  We also need to thank POQA for sponsoring such a fantastic week!  We had a Dr. Seuss moment everyday last week and it was great fun!


HOMEWORK

Reading:  Remember to read 20 minutes each night.  If you would like to practice finding evidence in the text, download the following link: The History of Chocolate  Yes, I know there is an answer sheet at the end, it’s to help if the parents get stuck and need some help.
You can also use Mobymax.com or razkids.com for your reading time.  These sites have comprehension components also.

Math:  Xtramath.org, frontrowed.com, wootmath.com or mobymax.com  These 3 sites really are the best way for your child to practice what they need in math.   
Mobymax.com login: firstname lastname   password: Rams
Wootmath.com login: firstname lastinitial password: Rams

WORD SORTS
Packers Sort 20
Colts: Sort 48
Seahawks: Sort 8
Patriots: Sort 33

With Dr. Suess’s Birthday this week, there are a lot of activities, so here’s a list to help you know what’s going

Monday—Happy Birthday Dr Suess. Wear red day and Read your favorite Dr Suess book at school or at home.

Tuesday –Don’t be a grinch day. Do a service for someone else. Kids will get Dr Suess bookmarks.
Wednesday—Horton hears a who Day.  Each student will get a friendship bracelet to wear to remind them to always  treat others kindly no matter   what. Also starts of door voting day.
Thursday—500 hats of Bartholomew Cubbins- Wear a fun hat to school today. Also last day for door voting. 
Friday—Fox in Socks Day—Crazy sock day.  Door contest awards given out.  And guessing jars given away. 




This week is also Book Fair Week!  We will be going to visit on Monday for a PREVIEW of what’s available.  Here’s the schedule for the week:

Mon 3/2 8-330 (Both fairs open all day)
Tues 3/3 8-330 (Jr high open before & after school)
Wed 3/4 8-330 (Jr high before & after school)
Thurs 3/5 8-330 (Jr high before & after school) & 5-630 (Q1 Book fair will be  open during 4th grade wax museum)


Last announcement:
We had the opportunity to see a preview of the Suessical The Musical Jr. Play that will be performed on Friday and Saturday evenings at Ogden High School.  Tickets are available at the school.  It looks darling and would be a fabulous family outing this weekend!  Click on the image below for more information:

 

Homework

Reading:  Remember to read 20 minutes each night.  If you would like to practice finding evidence in the text, download the following link: Luis and the Puppy
You can also use Mobymax.com or razkids.com for your reading time.  These sites have comprehension components also.

Math:  Xtramath.org, frontrowed.com, wootmath.com or mobymax.com  These 3 sites really are the best way for your child to practice what they need in math.   
Mobymax.com login: firstname lastname   password: Rams
Wootmath.com login: firstname lastinitial password: Rams
 
Packers: Sort 19
Colts: Sort 47
Seahawks: Sort 7
Patriots: Sort 31

 

Important Dates:

Tuesday February 24th Library
Thursday February 26th Parent Teacher Conferences

Looking Forward:

March 2-6  Dr. Seuss Week
 Book Fair
March 4th Door Decorating Contest Begins
March 6th and 7th  Suessical the Musical (Tickets are now available!)

Help!
I seem to be saying that a lot lately, but here I am again asking for help!  We need to have a couple of people volunteer to decorate our door for the week of March 2nd, which is Dr. Seuss’s birthday.  The door may be as creative as you please, with appeal to the kids and those around them.  The kids will be the ones voting for their favorite and it will win the Door Decorating Contest!  If you are interested, please let me know! 

Upcoming Classroom Activities
We have started movies in MovieMaker and it will be so fun to see the completed projects.  We are also starting book clubs where the students are in small groups reading novels.  They will have assignments within these groups and will meet with me regularly to discuss what is happening with their novels.  At the end of the unit, the students will be producing a digital book report at school using Keynote ( a presentation software).  This should be a very worthwhile unit as the student learn to work within a group, use a new program and hopefully enjoy some great literature.

Parent Teacher Conferences
Parent Teacher Conferences are this Thursday from 3:30 to 5:30  I would love to meet with as many parents as I can.  If you would like to meet with me, please email me and I will set an appointment with you.  Please note, at this point in time, we are beginning to collect data and information concerning placement in the advanced class for next year.  I can not tell you if your child will or will not be recommended for the advanced class until after all of this data is collected from all 5 classes.  Please do not ask me for this information at this time.  As soon as all data is collected, the administration will be contacting the parents of the students on the list.   

Homework

Reading: Remember to read 20 minutes each night.  If you would like to practice finding evidence in the text, download the following link: Carnivorus Plants
You can also use Mobymax.com or razkids.com for your reading time.  These sites have comprehension components also.

Math:  Xtramath.org, frontrowed.com, wootmath.com or mobymax.com  These 3 sites really are the best way for your child to practice what they need in math.   
Mobymax.com login: firstname lastname   password: Rams
Wootmath.com login: firstname lastinitial password: Rams
 
Packers:  Sort 18
Colts: Sort 46
Seahawks: Sort 6
Patriots: Sort 27

We are so excited to announce that we have a GREAT opportunity to access and use a fun new website called Woot Math!  This web site will reinforce and help us with the understanding of fractions.  Please use this link: www.wootmath.com/site/69D56V  to access our class.  Your username is your first name, last initial and our usual password.   If you use this site at home, please comment and let me know what you think of it!

Important Dates:
Monday,        Feb.   16th  President’s Day (No School)
Tuesday,       Feb.   17th  Library
Thursday,    Feb.  19th Happy Birthday Madelyn
      
Thank you to all the parents who helped us with our field trip and Valentine’s Party.  Without supportive parents, neither of these activities would have taken place.

 If you missed last week’s Rams News, make sure you check out our class, which was featured, as we show how to use PLICKERS.  We enjoy using PLICKERS and the students don’t mind being assessed with this fun tool.  They also give me instant feedback as to which students need more help with a concept and if we should move on, slow down or reteach.

Our research presentation have been fabulous and we’ve almost had everyone present.  Four more students will display their PowerPoints this week and then we’ll be done.  Our next big project will be a group Keynote Presentation on a book that the students will read in small groups.  These will be done completely at school unless the students are looking for graphics to go in their presentation.  Keynote is like PowerPoint, but uses a Mac platform instead of the Window’s platform.

The students are also making an iMovie of the Planetarium Field Trip and are using Movie Maker to show off our Children’s Museum Field Trip.  They will upload these projects to their files so they can share them with you.

Homework

Reading: Remember to read 20 minutes each night.  If you would like to practice finding evidence in the text, download the following link: Night Out Passage
You can also use Mobymax.com or razkids.com for your reading time.  These sites have comprehension components also.

Math:  Xtramath.org, frontrowed.com or mobymax.com  These 3 sites really are the best way for your child to practice what they need in math.   Mobymax.com login: firstname lastname   password: Rams  

Spelling   Sorts:   Please note, the sorts for this week are the same as last week.  Between the presentations, and Valentine’s Day, we did not give our sorts the time we needed in order to become proficient with these features.  Our final tests on these sorts will be on Friday.

Packers:  Sort 17
Colts: Sort 44
Seahawks: Sort 5
Patriots:  Sort 25