Thanks to everyone who helped make our Halloween party so much fun!  The students loved the pumpkin-shaped pizzas and all the games and music!  We have a little over three weeks to replace the jack-o-lanterns with turkeys and pilgrims, so that will be our new ongoing project for this month.

By now everyone should have gotten a report card and conference time in the mail.  I will be looking forward to meeting with each of you next week to review your child's progress during first quarter.

The Fourth Grade will get a chance to go through the Fire Department's traveling house to practice how to escape from a smoke-filled room.  A talk concerning fire safety tips will round out the presentation.

This Wednesday is early dismissal for the students at 1:30, so don't forget the change!

Tomorrow a paper will be sent home with information about the Fourth Grade  field trip to Cathedral to listen to award-winning author Jeff Kinney.  There is no cost, but I do need to have the permission slip as well as the medical form returned on Tuesday.  We just got the invitation on Friday, so it was short notice.  However, we are thrilled to be able to attend!

Have a super week, and don't forget to check your child's schoolbag for the field trip papers!

 

This is our last week of the first quarter, so we're trying to wrap up a lot of loose ends.  The Southwest Social Studies project is due Tuesday, with bonus row points going to anyone who gets it in early.  There will be a map test of the four Southwest states and capitals and the information in the first chapter on Thursday.  Also on the test list is English, with a final test on using quotation marks.  That one will be either Tuesday or Wednesday.

Grade 4 has the Wednesday Mass this week.  You are invited to come if you have the chance.

Two presentations are happening this week.  Tuesday is "Call for Help" and includes discussion about what to do if someone invades your personal space.  Thursday is a talk on bicycle and pedestrian safety.

We have some spooky Halloween art projects up, as well as super pumpkin book report projects that are in the hall outside of our room! 

Have a great week!

 

We will be taking the Iowa Tests all of this week.  Please make sure your child gets to bed early and has time to eat breakfast in the morning.  Also, send in a snack for our morning break for an extra energy boost.  It can't hurt! 

Wednesday is early dismissal so don't forget to pick up your child at 1:30.

Wednesday is the Fourth Grade day to have the Mass again.  We would love to have you attend if you can work it into your schedule!

Friday is the Diocesan Convention for the teachers, so there's no school on that day as well as next Monday, Columbus Day.  With all the time off, your child has plenty of time to be working on our Southwest poster project!  We will be starting out state foods this week.

This is Fire Prevention Week and we have talked about safety and exit plans for a fire drill.  Stay safe at home too!

 

This Monday morning Deacon Gerry is showing the Fourth Grade how to serve Mass.  This may or may not be the only instruction, depending on how well they do.

Tomorrow is picture day.  The students need to "dress up" and no jeans are allowed.  Be sure to send in the picture envelope, money, and mark your background choice!

Band practice seems to be working out well with only half of them going at one time.  It gives me a chance to work with the other half on Math, and the kids like the extra board time too.

With the weather getting chillier, sweatshirts might be needed to wear in the classroom.  If your child has an SMSA sweatshirt or just a navy blue one, send it in to keep in the locker in our classroom.  No hoodies can be worn in the classroom!

Thanks to all of you for getting the Fundraiser Bag Form into school.  Our class sold $700 worth of trash bags! 

Have a great week!

 

We have had a busy week working on the Beatitudes.  Deacon Gerry does plan on having a special training of servers for fourth grade later this month.  We are trying to set up a time for this during the school day so everyone can be present.

This Tuesday will be our first major Social Studies test.  After that we will be starting the Southwest Region.  The students will each get to pick a state.  We do a project for each region, as well as a state food.  The project is part of the grade for this region but the food is optional.  Information will be sent home about each before Friday.

Be looking for the Midquarter Reports this week!  We will be changing desks on Monday for the second half of first quarter.  Happy Fall!

 

Grade 4 had the St. Peter Claver mass last Wednesday, and all of our readers and participants did an outstanding job!  Our next mass will be on October 7 if you are able to attend.  I hope some of our students were able to attend the server training Sunday afternoon.  I'm not sure if there will be one just for new servers as we've had in the past, but I'll check with Deacon Gerry next time he's at school.

Band is now underway and all seems to be going well.  Students need to have their instruments at school on Wednesdays and Thursdays, along with the book used for that class.  Mornings are busy and rushed for everyone, so put all the band gear by the front door or in the car the night before so it will be ready to bring to school.

We wore red, white, and blue in honor of Patriots Day on Friday.  We also voted for our new classroom representative for this school year.  Five candidates gave presentations and any one of them would have been great for the job.  Lucy received the most votes after three tie-breakers, and we know she'll do a super job !

We started studying the Beatitudes in religion class, and each student chose one in particular to sketch and color from the stained glass windows in church.  Be sure to see our lovely display hanging in the hall outside of our classroom.

This afternoon is our SMSA kickoff for the plastic trash bag fundraiser.  Pizza Day is Thursday, and you can still get an order in until Tuesday.  Midquarter is Friday 18, so reports will be coming out next week.

Thanks to our 2009-2010 room moms and classroom helpers! 

 

Welcome to the new school year!  Our first full week is history already, and it has been a fun and productive one.  Most of it was spent trying to get on a good schedule and establish solid study habits.  All of the fourth graders worked hard and were good listeners.  Hopefully this is a preview of things to come!

Thank you to all of you parents who sent all the different forms back so quickly!  Deacon Gerry has the serving forms, Mrs. Freuler the ones for band, and the book orders are on the way.  There hasn't been one that big in a long time for fourth grade!

We've already celebrated one August birthday.  Everyone loved the luscious fresh fruit kabobs that Sydney's family sent to school!  Thank you very much for this wonderful treat!

The fourth graders had their first art class on Wednesday with Mrs. Busk in the art room.  Thanks to her your child will be learning the fundamentals of art in addition to the integration of art into other classroom subjects.

Our Kindergarten Buddy program has already begun and we have a poster up in our classroom with all the fourth graders and their buddies together on it.  We took them to Mass two times last week and everything went very smoothly.

Just a reminder that this Wednesday is 1:30 dismissal and PTPO at 7:00.  I hope to see you all there!

 

The last week of school is finally here--but there are still a few things left to do!

Fourth Grade will be taking their state floats to the lower grade classrooms on Tuesday.  All of the floats show great effort and creativity!  They will get to explain the main attractions of that particular state as well as a few facts they learned along the way.

Wednesday is our annual Pen Pal Picnic.  The Queen of Peace students will be joining us for lunch and various activities.  For most of the students it wlll be the first time they meet their pen pals and they are very excited about that!

Thursday will be clean up and take-home day! 

Friday we will have our last school Mass of the year, followed by an Awards Ceremony.  Everyone is invited to come. 

Have a fun and safe summer!

 

We're on the final countdown now!  Today is the last band lesson until next year, and Thursday each of them will get a little treat.

The School Picnic at Althoff is Wednesday.  Parents must stay with their children once the Pep Rally is over and the students are dismissed.  It looks like the weather is going to be perfect on that day!

The last pizza day for this year is Thursday.  Money is due tomorrow at the latest.

Friday is the deadline for the Social Studies floats.  We will take them around to show the lower grades either Friday or next Tuesday.  It is also the day of the big 50 states, capitals, and Great Lakes test, so make sure your child is studying a little every night.  Thanks again to everyone who has helped us with the state foods all year!

Friday is also the day Sandy Magnus is going to talk to our students here at SMSA about the Space Station!  It should be a very interesting presentation.

Have a fun and safe Memorial Day!

 

This will be a fast week for us with Field Day on Wednesday and our Field Trip to the Mounted Police Academy and Science Center on Friday!  Fourth Grade also has the Mass on Field Day.  We are celebrating the feast of our Lady of Fatima.  You are always welcome to join us if you can. 

Don't forget to have your child wear the color shirt of his/her team on Field Day and bring a water bottle.  Events will go on, rain or shine!

If you are coming on the Friday trip, don't forget to bring a lunch for yourself.  There is a restaurant at the Science Center but we will be eating in the big room on the bottom level, and it's not very convenient to go back up and wait in line.  Rain is being predicted for Friday, but we will not be outside very much.  However, a rain jacket with a hood would be a good idea just in case.

The West project for our last Social Studies unit is due next Monday, May18.  The float is due Friday, May 22.  We will be having the test on Ch.11 and the West states and capitals on Thursday of this week.  The test on all 50 states and capitals and the Great Lakes will be on Thursday, May 21.  All of the fourth graders have done a fabulous job with these so far!

I hope all of you mothers had a wonderful Mother's Day this past weekend!