Weekly Update

 Hello Parents!

Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a smooth and productive week. We were busy working through our many units. The students really enjoy the Tiger Rising read aloud and learning all about Virginia. 

This week I let your student know about the Free National Park Pass for 4th graders. If they requested one, that should have come home this week. I hope your family can take advantage of this opportunity and visit as many national parks as you can this year. I know we will cover many of them in our study of Virginia this year. So many played an important role in our state and nation's history. I believe they can also get a passport at the park and can receive a unique stamp in it at every park they visit! I plan to tour some of these places with my 4th grader myself! 

 Virginia Growth Assessment:

We have taken the first Virginia Growth Assessment. We will take the Reading VGA on Tuesday, September 26th. Please make sure those ChromeBooks are charged and come to school with your child!

Room Mom/ Parents Needed

Looking ahead, I would love to get a jump start on our Fall party which will be scheduled for the end of October. Please reach out to me if you are interested in being our room parent. Duties would include, heading up the parties, creating the class directory and helping organize any class events. Thanks in advance for your consideration! 

Lunch with your Child:

Now that we are in the swing of things, you are welcome to join your child for lunch! If you want to come for lunch, the office asks that you just notify the teacher ahead of time, so we can make them aware. We eat lunch at 11:55am. Please let me know if/ when you decide to join us!!

No School:

There is no school on Monday, September 25th due to the holiday. 

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will continue Reader's Workshop and read the book The Tiger Rising. We will read up to chapter 20 this week then take a quiz on those chapters the following week. 

 

• Math:  We will review Place Value and  rounding numbers through the millions place. The Place Value test will be given Wednesday, September 27th. 

 

• Virginia Studies:  We will continue talking about the five regions in Virginia. The test on Chapter 1- VA Geography will be on Thursday, September 28th. 

Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns. Try and stay dry tomorrow! Enjoy the long weekend!

Weekly Update

 Hello Parents!

Here is your weekly update and look ahead! We had a wonderful week. Hard to believe that this was our first full 5 day week of school! The kids did well and are really settling into the 4th grade! Stations, Reader's Workshop and Guided Math are in full swing! It's nice to be back to a routine. Please see below for some important information and a look ahead to next week.

Place Value Study Guide:

A study guide on Place Value will go home tomorrow in your child’s Take Home Folder. Please help them review and prepare for our test which will be on Wednesday, September 27th.

 

Virginia Growth Assessment:

Next week we will take the Virginia Growth Assessment. This is the state Fall SOL. You do not need to study for this, nor is it a grade of any kind. Please just have your child come prepared by having their Chromebook fully charged. The Math VGA will be on Tuesday, September 19th and the Reading VGA will be on Tuesday, September 26th. 

VA Studies Study Guide:

On Wednesday, Sept. 27th we will review for the VA Studies test. We will complete a test review that I will count for a grade. This is an open note assignment. With that said, the students are allowed to use their flipbook they made, their study guide and any notes they have taken. Please have them bring their flip book and study guide to school to use. I am unable to make another class set of all these documents. Using their own notes and study guides will also teach them to be responsible for their own notes and materials. These documents should be housed in their Homework Folder under the ‘Study Guide’ tab. The test will be Thursday, September 28th! Please note, I moved it back one day due to the VGA. I wanted to make sure the students have ample time to prepare!

 

Recess Equipment:

We are running low on recess equipment. If you find yourself cleaning out your garage, please consider donating any extra balls, jump ropes, or outdoor toys/ games to our class. All we have at the moment is a basketball and a soccer ball.

Lunch with your Child:

Now that we are in the swing of things, you are welcome to join your child for lunch! If you want to come for lunch, the office asks that you just notify the teacher ahead of time, so we can make them aware. We eat lunch at 11:55am. Please let me know if/ when you decide to join us!!

Sub Friday:

I will be out on Friday, September 22nd. I will let the students know this week. I never want them to be surprised. I’m not sure who the sub will be right now, but Mrs. Santi will be there. 

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will continue Reader's Workshop and read the book The Tiger Rising. The quiz on the first 10 chapters will be on Tuesday September 19th. 

 

• Math:  We will review Place Value and  rounding numbers through the millions place. A test on Place Value will be given Wednesday, September 27th. 

 

• Virginia Studies:  We will continue talking about the five regions in Virginia. We will take the test on Chapter 1- VA Geography on Thursday, September 28th. 

Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns. Enjoy the weekend!

Weekly Update

 Hello Parents!

The week ahead is sure to be busy since it will be our first full week of school since the year started! I have just a couple updates and reminders below for the coming week. 

Charging ChromeBooks:

Please make sure your child is coming to school each day with their ChromeBook charged. Unfortunately due to space issues we cannot let everyone charge them at school. If they come to school with it not charged they are being asked to drop their computer off in the Innovation Lab and leave it to charge. This makes it difficult to use it on and off as needed.  We have begun our math and literacy stations and a few of the stations use the computers. I have reminded the students each day to charge their computers at home, but if you could assist me with the reminders, I would appreciate it.

Homework:

Each afternoon we take a few minutes to write down our homework in our agendas. Please check your child’s agenda each night to see what they have for homework. I informed the students that their homework is not only there to teach them the math or reading skill, but so much more. The lesson extends to responsibility, accountability and taking ownership of their work. If you could please help them remember to complete and return their homework each day I would appreciate it. Hopefully it will quickly become  a habit. Homework completion is a category on the report card under ‘Characteristics that Affect Learning’. 

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will begin our first Reader's Workshop Unit on Characters. We will read the book Tiger Rising. If you want to check a copy out at a library or purchase it on Amazon for your child to follow along with, that would be great! This is not a requirement, however it helps keep the students engaged when they follow along. 

• Math:  We will continue to work on place value and knowing the values of numbers through the millions. The study guide for the Math unit will come home this week. 

• Virginia Studies:  We will work on our first chapter in VA Studies-  The 5 regions of Virginia. The study guide went home last week. I will send out the test date soon. 

 

Thank you for reading the updates. Reach out anytime with questions, comments and concerns. Have a great week!

Weekly Update

 Hi Parents!

Short weeks sometimes feel like long weeks, but last week flew by.  I think the kids are settling into the year.  On the whole, I am quite pleased with how quickly they're picking up on classroom routines and procedures.  Staying focused during the afternoon has been a bit difficult, but I am hopeful that as the kids build stamina for a full school day, they will have an easier time staying on task.

Please Sign Up for My Remind!

If you haven't yet signed up for my Remind text messaging service, please do so by downloading the Remind app and joining my class.  After you download the Remind app, click "join a class" and enter my class code:  @hfesrivera.  I send many messages and pictures via Remind.  Please don't miss out and please let me know if you have any questions. This is optional but a nice way to connect with me quickly!

Study Guides:

You will see below that we are hitting the ground running this week where content and our units are concerned. I will be sending home two study guides this week. I will have the students keep them in their homework folder on the side that we have labeled 'Study Guides'. This is a great place to house them so they have them both at home and at school. Please make sure that you are reviewing them each night, as you will see that we are going to cover a lot of information. The test dates will always be written on them.

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will walk through the different Literacy Stations that we will participate in and learn the procedures and expectations. 

• Math:  We will begin our first math unit Place Value. A study guide will come home this week. 

• Virginia Studies:  We will begin  learning about the five regions of Virginia- Chapter 1 in our VA Studies Textbook. A study guide for this first chapter will come home this week. 

Thank you again for your support and help as we continue to adjust to 4th grade. I hope you were able to find time to relax and unwind with your family! As always, I welcome any questions and concerns.