Room 204 Update January 27, 2013 Spring Street School Mrs.

Liportos class

General Information Its hard to believe, but we are only three weeks away from our February vacation! If your student is going to be out either before or after the vacation, please let me know. I appreciate the heads up for planning purposes. Our Valentines Day party will be on Thursday, February 14th at 1:45. I will be sending home a note in the Monday folder either this week or next with a list of all the students names for those that want to bring in Valentines Day cards. If students plan on bringing in cards, they need to bring in one for everyone in the class. Also, please remind students to bring in a special snack to have during the party. Thanks, in advance, to everyone who is involved with the planning of the party! Help is needed! For our MCAS testing (both mock and regular) I let the kids chew sugar free gum. I also buy small packs of tissues to keep at their desks for those students that need them. If you can help out with pocket packs of tissues or packs of gum, that would be very helpful. I bought some the other day but they are already almost gone. (Students- the mystery number this week is 250!) Thanks!

I will be sending home the February Scholastic Book Orders on Monday. Some of the students have been saying that they have nothing good to read so this could be a good chance to pick up some new books. Also, attached to the book orders will be a coupon for a few book of $5 or less when you spend at least $5! Dont forget to use your coupons for free books from previous online orders. Each time you place an order online you should have received a coupon for a free book. Orders should be placed with checks by Friday, 2/1 or online by Sunday, 2/3. IMPORTANT DATES *Media Dates- 1/30, 2/12, 2/27, 3/13, 3/27, 4/10, 4/24, 5/8, 5/22 *Lowell Mills Field Trip- Monday, February 4th (rescheduled date) *Invention Convention- Thursday, February 28 *MCAS Long Composition Tuesday, Mar. 19 *MCAS English Language Arts Wednesday, Mar. 27 -Thursday, Mar. 28 *MCAS Math Tuesday, May 14Wednesday, May 15 *Fourth Grade Celebration- Friday, June 7th, 9:45-11:00am (raindate, 6/10)

Homework On Thursday Mrs. McDonald sent home a health assignment for the kids to make a poster about hygiene. This poster is due on Thursday, 1/31. If you have any questions, please email either Mrs. McDonald (amcdonald@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us) or myself. Also, please dont forget that all final copies of the Tradition story are due by Monday, 1/28. Writing We will be looking at open response writing this week from a different point of view. Instead of the students reading a piece of text and answering a question with one specific answer, well look at a piece of text and the kids will answer a question that they will have to use their opinion to answer. We will be revisiting the text Strongest of All and looking at two different opinions as to how the character behaved in the story. Language Arts The reading strategy that we will be working on for the next few weeks is synthesizing. This can be a more difficult skill for students to understand. A student once said, Synthesizing is like inferring, but super sized! Similar to inferencing, synthesizing is taking what youve read and your own knowledge to put together new ideas. Synthesizing often takes place when students take multiples pieces of information from the text to create new ideas/understanding. Well be working on this skill through our whole class and guided reading.

Math I cant believe we are already at the half way mark for the year! In math this week we will be checking in with the students to see what they have learned so far this year. On Tuesday and Wednesday the kids will take their mid-year math assessment. This will be a good tool to tell us what skills they have truly mastered and what skills they still need to work on mastering. Later in the week we will begin unit 7 on fractions. Math Club this Wednesday will be a little bit of review of a variety of different topics. I will let the kids tell me what they feel they need to work on and go from there. All are welcome at 8am. EVERYDAY MATH FAMILY LETTERS on-line address:
http://everydaymath.uchicago.edu/parents/4 th-grade/view-family-letters/

If you cannot access them, please let me know. If your student forgets to bring home the Study Link for homework, they can be printed from the following site: http://www.mrnale.com/StudyLinks_Grade _4.htm They can also print the Study Links from the Everyday Math Online site.: www.everydaymathonline.com Social Studies- from Mrs. Luby We have felt the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico...what a great place to visit! This week, we will look more at the natural resources, continue

practicing states, Postal Codes, and capitals, and begin state projects in class. Science This week in science we will begin to get into our invention unit. This will be a chance for students to put on their creative hats and put to use some of the information they have learned about simple machines. Well begin by looking at some common objects and coming up with new and unusual uses for them. Later in the week will start inventing! Our first project will be a Thingamajig, where students have to use various materials to invent something new. UPCOMING INVENTION CONVENTION ASSIGNMENT DATES: Whats My Intent? To Invent! 2/1 Invention Convention 2/28 @ 9:15am Happy Birthday!!! January Birthdays:

As always, your questions/comments are welcome. Please send me an email or a note to school. Kristen Liporto

There are no student birthdays in January.

*Specials*
ART: Monday, 10:45-11:25 AM MUSIC: Tuesday 10:00-10:40 AM PHYSICAL EDUCATION: Wednesday 10:4511:20 AM Health: Thursday 9:15-9:55 AM CHORUS: Friday 10:00-10:40 AM MEDIA: Every Other Wednesday, 2:45-3:00 PM