4 Grade th

Back-to-School Night Information

September 7, 2017

Dear Parents and Students,

Welcome to 4 grade. We have so many exciting things planned for the year,
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and this packet will, hopefully, answer some of the most commonly asked
questions.

Parent volunteers are encouraged to help both within and outside of the
classroom. Please read the attached volunteer form, decide where you would
like to help, and return it to school, or fill out the form on my website,
http://4rimmer.weebly.com.

Communication between home and school is very important. Your child needs
to feel the mutual support school and home have for each other and that we
are united in our goal to provide them with the best learning situation
possible. I welcome your feedback. Please e-mail me at
[email protected].

I am looking forward to a wonderful year.

Sincerely,

Ms. Cindy Rimmer

 START THE DAY OFF RIGHT

Students go to the gym until the bell rings at 7:25, at which time they
are released to their classrooms. Attendance begins at 7:30. After this
time, please deliver items you feel your child may need during the day to the
office. Whenever you visit the school, even as a volunteer, you must check
into the office first to pick up a volunteer badge. This is for your childs
safety, and to provide an uninterrupted learning environment.

SNACK/BIRTHDAYS/PARTIES

The students are allowed to have snacks throughout the day. A

nutritious snack should be brought every day. These snacks should consist
of one item and be consumable within about 5 minutes. This means they are
quick and easy a piece of fruit or vegetables, a muffin, or a granola bar, are
just a few suggestions. Morning snack is not a substitute for
breakfast! Major brainpower is needed for the learning that occurs first
thing in the morning.
Student birthdays are recognized during morning announcements, a
birthday song is sung in class, and the students receive a birthday book from
the school. These books are purchased with proceeds from the Scholastic
Book Fair. In order to avoid hurt feelings, invitations to birthday parties
need to be mailed or passed out to friends before or after school.
The students will plan our three class parties this year. Students will
serve on one of three committees for each party, rotating through the
committees so that they have a chance to help with all three by the end of
the year. The decorations, activity, and refreshment committees may ask
for contributions (snacks, supplies, etc.) as they plan. Each party will go
from 2:40-3:30 and we would love to see you for these festive occasions.

Fall Festival - Tuesday, October 31

Winter Fun - Thursday, December 21
Valentine's Day - Wednesday, February 14
 HOMEWORK

Your child will always have 30 minutes of reading a night. When there
is additional assigned homework it will compliment and reinforce ongoing
daily lessons. We will write the assignments in the planners prior to our
departure at the end of the day. It is imperative that the students return
their homework when it is due. You can help by providing your child with a
regular space and time to study each evening. A desk, which is well lit and a
bit removed from the hub of activity, is best.

PLANNERS

In fourth grade, we use the planners on a daily basis. Not only do the
students record their homework, there are also many references in the
planners that we use through the day.
Please check over the homework to make sure that each assignment is
completed. Then, to continue to build the student-parent-teacher
relationship, please initial the planner indicating that you have discussed the
homework with your child. If your child does not complete the homework
assignment, please initial the planner and acknowledge that you realize the
homework was not finished. Please feel free to write a quick note about the
homework, your evening, etc. The planner needs to be returned every
morning, along with their folder.

ABSENCES

It is vital that your child be involved in daily classroom instruction and

discussions. If, however, your child will be absent, please notify the office
by phone or on the FVE app by 8:00 a.m. The absent work should be
completed and returned within two days of the child's return to school. If
an extended absence is unavoidable, please notify me in plenty of time so
that we can agree on an alternative educational plan for completing the
material missed. Please know that while I wish to assist your childs learning
situation as much as possible during their absence, many of the activities and
discussions that we conduct in class cannot be duplicated. Therefore, the
work your child will be assigned will pertain to the concepts we are covering,
but may not be identical to the work he/she is missing in the classroom.
 You may call the office at any time for us to notify your child of a
change in dismissal plans.

BOOK CLUB ORDERS &

SAFEWAY BUCKS/CITY MARKET CARDS

We will occasionally send home book club orders for you and your child
to consider. You are by no means obligated to purchase anything from these
clubs. However, they are an inexpensive way to build your childs personal
library. The class earns points based on the number of books purchased, and
these points are used to supplement our classroom library. Please send the
order form as well as a check, made out to Scholastic, in a sealed
envelope. You can also order on the Scholastic website.

A percentage of the money that you spend on Safeway Bucks, or using your
City Market card, goes directly back to our school. The money is given to
PAC to use for enrichment activities. Your support of these programs
benefits our school directly.

To register your City Market card please visit

www.citymarketcommunityrewards.com

To purchase reloadable Safeway Bucks, please visit the customer service

counter at Safeway before you shop, or speak to a FVE PAC representative.

CURRICULUM

The 4th grade curriculum is based on the revised and adopted Colorado
Academic Standards, which include the Common Core Standards. Please
check the following websites to find the specific standards for each grade
and content area:

Common Core Standards;

http://www.corestandards.org/

Colorado Academic Standards:

http://www.cde.state.co.us/standardsandinstruction/coloradostandards-
academicstandards
Student mastery of these standards will be assessed through state testing
in the spring. The PARCC assessment will test literacy and math skills in
April.

TECHNOLOGY

All state testing, PARCC and CMAS, is taken electronically. Students

will be expected to not only be able to navigate the test form, but also
compose answers in a timely manner. For this reason, typing and electronic
composing will be a focus. Writing practice will be done in composition books
as well as on the computer. We will use Google docs for student
compositions. Each student has a school district email in order to turn in
documents using Google drive, as well as receive comments back from their
teacher. We will also have opportunities to work in collaborative groups
using Google docs. We are excited about this change, and hope you will
support your student by encouraging typing practice at home, using two
hands on the home keys, rather than "text-like" typing.

MATH

Our goal is not just for your child to learn how to DO math but also to
learn how to THINK mathematically. This is our second year of
implementation of the Bridges in Mathematics curriculum grades K-
5. Bridges in Mathematics is a comprehensive curriculum that equips
teachers to fully implement the Common Core State Standards for
Mathematics in a manner that is rigorous, coherent, engaging, and accessible
to all learners. The curriculum focuses on developing students deep
understandings of mathematical concept, proficiency with key skills, and
ability to solve complex and novel problems. Bridges blends direct
instruction, structured investigation, and open exploration. Get information
and ideas about how to help your child with math at home by visiting this
website for families: www.mathlearningcenter.org/families.

SCIENCE, SOCIAL STUDIES and HEALTH

Science and Social Studies are arranged by units of study, and

incorporate literature and research methods when appropriate. These units
encourage critical thinking, reach all learning styles, and involve students
actively in their own learning. For you, these units of study encourage your
involvement, provide a focus for home/school communication, and allow you
to become resources for our classrooms. For us, units help to focus planning
in line with Colorado State Standards, organize materials and resources, and
tie in projects that will reach all students styles of learning.

Topics for the school year include the following:

-Scientific Investigation
-Relative Position and Motion
-Space, Earth, Moon and Sun
-Nutrition/ Health
-Colorado History (Mountain Men, Explorers, Mining, Pioneers
Homesteading, Railroads, etc.)
-Grand County History
-Government and Civics

Through these units of study, students learn to do research, write

reports, complete related art projects, give presentations, evaluate their
own work, incorporate technology, and produce products of high quality.

READING

Our reading curriculum, called Reading Street, is from the Pearson

Company. It emphasizes all five reading components: phonics, phonemic
awareness, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. The program also has
vocabulary and grammar components based on weekly reading themes.
Part of daily homework is to read for 30 minutes. To reinforce your
childs comprehension, please discuss what he/she is reading. You may even
want to take turns reading together. Also remember that a child is never
too old to enjoy listening to a good story.

WRITING/SPELLING

Students write many times every day and for many reasons. Emphasis
is not only on the mechanics of spelling, punctuation, handwriting, and
grammar, but also on style, organization, fluency, word choice, and creativity.
We will move throughout the writing process
Only 4% of the words in the English Language are truly irregular. The
majority of English words can be spelled following rules and patterns. 4th
grade spelling will focus on specific rules that can be applied to any word
that follows the rules. Classroom spelling tests will require students to
write dictated sentences that contain words that follow the rule being
tested. You can help your child at home by practicing the rule, and words
that follow the rule. Students will also be accountable for spelling "No
Excuse Words" correctly. These are the words that occur most frequently
in reading and writing. Research shows that learning to spell enhances
children's reading and writing abilities.

BEHAVIOR/EXPECTATIONS

Students are expected to behave in a manner that allows the teacher

to teach and students to learn. All students are expected to conduct
themselves in an appropriate manner both inside and outside the
classroom. Fraser Valley Elementary emphasizes making good choices and
decisions. The first few weeks of school will be spent exploring and
practicing the expected behaviors of fourth graders. We expect fourth
graders to be models of positive behavior. We will continue the use of
SOAR. SOAR is our school-wide Positive Behavior Intervention and Support
program. SOAR stands for Safety, Ownership, Attitude, and
Respect. Students are rewarded in various ways for demonstrating these
behaviors.

COMMUNICATION/CONFERENCES

Our first parent-teacher conference will be held in the fall. This will
be a goal-setting time where you will have the opportunity to share specific
concerns and goals for your child. The second parent-teacher conference
will be close to Spring Break. Additional conferences will be called
throughout the year when necessary.
Newsletters will be made available weekly. They will contain important
information about upcoming events, next week's vocabulary words and
curriculum, as well as a student news article. Please take a minute each
weekend to read through the newsletter and practice the vocabulary words
with your fourth grader.
If you have a question, concern, or idea, please let me know. The best
way to contact me is via email. I will check my email by the end of the day,
and try to respond within 24 hours. The morning time before school is
reserved to prepare for the day. If you have any questions or concerns, feel
free to come by after school. If there is information you would like to share
at the beginning of the day, please jot down a note in your child's planner, as
they will be checked each morning.

DAILY SCHEDULE

7:30-8:00 Attendance and Number Corner

8:00-8:45 Science (M/W), Art (T/TH)
8:45-9:30 Writing
9:30-10:15 PE (M/W), Music (T/TH)
10:15-10:40 Whole Group Reading
10:40-11:40 Small Reading Groups
11:45-12:10 Recess
12:10-12:40 Lunch
12:40-2:00 Math
2:00-2:15 Homework/Planners
2:15-2:30 Recess
2:30-3:15 Social Studies/Health
3:15-3:30 Read Aloud

THANK YOU!
Thank you so much for your support. Im looking forward to our year
together!
 Technology Parent Form
For me, e-mail is the timeliest form of communication. I can be reached at
[email protected]. Please provide your e-mail address below so that I
may share important information. Your address will not be shared with
anyone.
Childs Name_______________________________________________

_________________________________________________________
[Parent E-Mail Address(es)]

Do you/your child have access to the Internet at home? ___ Yes ___No

Does your child have the ability to do schoolwork on a computer using the
Internet at home? ____ Yes ____ No

Does your child have access to the Internet to complete schoolwork at

another location? ____ Yes ____ No

Parent Volunteer Form

If you are interested in volunteering, please consider the following choices.
_____ Reading/Math Buddy

_____ Joining the Parent Advisory Committee (PAC)

_____ Buying Safeway Bucks/Registering your City Market Card

_____ Library Helper

_____ Other _________________________________________

Please check any of the areas in which you would be interested in helping and
return this form to us. Thank you for your support.

Student's Name ____________________________________________

Parents Name _____________________________________________

Best Phone Number to Reach You ________________________________