February 11, 2022

Hello Students and Parents:

Happy Valentines Day!  I hope you all feel love on this special day.  Valentines Day is always exciting in fourth grade.  I love seeing the heartfelt sentiments and various treats that the students bring in to share with the class.  The children are always so eager to show their appreciation to their classmates and friends.

Covid restrictions will limit our parties this year, but we are very thankful to at least be able to celebrate in school.  Mrs. Lyons is preparing party bags for each of the students that include a special treat and a craft activity.  We will do the craft during the party, but all food must be eaten at home.  It’s hard for me to envision a “party” without food and sugar, but we will save that fun part for you at home so we can keep everyone Covid free at school!  Thank you to Mrs. Lyons for making this school year fun, despite our many Covid challenges.

As I mentioned in last week’s blog, this week is looking like a very productive one.  I’m thankful for the uninterrupted time for instruction.   We finished up our unit on division in math and will be starting on the order of operations on Monday.  This will be a short unit so that we can begin fractions by the week of February 21st.

I’m expecting that some of your children came home talking about aliens and UFOs after reading the article, “Are Those Aliens” in our Storyworks magazine.  Be sure to ask them if they believe there is life outside of our planet, but more importantly, can they back up their opinion with facts from the article.  We also listened to part of Orson Welles, The War of the Worlds radio broadcast from 1938.  It was hard for the students to comprehend the days before television when families sat around the radio for some entertainment.  Orson Welles was quite convincing reporting the “attack” on New Jersey by alien beings!

Our grammar test on Wednesday will be focused on past, present, and future tense verbs, so it is just on the material presented in the first half of unit 3 in the text.  Religion chapter 11 test will be given on Thursday.  Please remember that the New Jersey current event is due on Friday, 2/18.

In honor of Black History Month, students will be completing a project that focuses on honoring famous African American individuals that have been successful and influential in the world of politics, music, arts, and sports.  We went over the project in class and students were given a project guideline packet outlining all requirements.  The packet includes a choice board, a list of prominent African American individuals from which students can choose their subject, and specific directions on what information needs to be included in their report.  This project will be completed at home, so please be sure that your child manages their time efficiently on this project that is due on February 28th.  Students will present their projects to the class starting on March 1st.

We are also competing a reading comprehension packet on famous African American people, which includes Booker T. Washington, Sojournor Truth, Jackie Robinson, Ruby Bridges, Martin Luther King, Jr., Harriet Tubman, Thurgood Marshall, Mary Jane McLeod Bethune, George Washington Carver, and Sarah E. Goode.  Please ask your children what they are learning about these very important people and their contributions to our country.

We completed our unit on the northeast region of the United States in social studies on Friday, and we are now headed into the southeast region.  Students will learn about the climate, physical features, resources, and some very interesting facts about this area of the United States.  I look forward to sharing personal experiences with those that have been to this region, as well as seeing their reactions when they learn of the delicious foods and awesome music native to this area.

As we begin our unit on sound energy in science, your children should be exploring the sources and process of sound around them.  The anatomy of the human ear is fascinating, and when you think of the speed of sound, it’s hard to imagine that our bodies can go through the process of hearing and then interpret the sound in a millisecond!  This is always a fun unit!

Donations for the Basket Bonanza basket are still coming in.  Thank you to those that have donated.  There is still lots of room in the basket for any camping themed donations you want to send into school.

Just a reminder that school is closed on Monday, February 21st in honor of Presidents Day.  Let’s hope for sunny skies and cool temperatures over our long weekend.  You all deserve a break!

I hope you have a wonderful week ahead.  Stay safe and well!

Debbie Shumaker