Update for Week of December 13

As we wind down the last week of school before our winter break, here is an update to what we did last week in Room 17:

* We watched the video "Island of the Blue Dolphins" in order to compare and contrast it to the novel we just read. Students enjoyed the movie very much, but now they understand why many scenes from a book must be "cut" for a movie!

* We completed our algebra unit with the Ch. 8 and 9 tests - if your child had any difficulty on either test, please review the chapter with them. We have now started Unit 5 - Multiplication and Division with Longer Numbers. It is essential that your child know their basic multiplication facts in order to keep pace with this unit.

* We have finished up our study of magnetism - students are fascinated by the concept and are eager to learn more about how magnetism and electricity are related. We are conducting many "hands-on" experiments and will visit Intel Museum for a field trip on January 24 - field trip permission slips will be send home after our break.

* Students are learning more about the role that Spanish missions played in helping to establish many modern day cities in California. They are currently designing their own "missions" and drawing a blueprint and sketch of the different areas within the mission.

* We are having our holiday party on Friday (12/17) from 1:00 to 2:25 - I have placed sign-up sheets in the windows of the classroom - they are duplicate sign-up sheets, so check the other window before signing up for a treat. Parent volunteers are also needed to help set up and serve the students.

* Finally, with the waning daylight hours, many students are arriving late to school each day. Please ensure your child gets at least 9-10 hours of sleep each night, and is ready for school in plenty of time to reach our classroom no later than 8:25! Thank you!

Update for Week Starting Dec. 6

Just a quick update:

* I will post signs on BOTH windows of the classroom for healthy treat donations for our holiday party on Friday, Dec. 17. Remember - these are DUPLICATE signs, so check first at the other window to make sure another parent isn't already donating that item. Also, feel free to bring any ethnic specialties that you enjoy making or eating at this time of year! We also still need a few parent volunteers in our classroom for the party - let me know by e-mail if you can volunteer!

* If you child "loses" their lunch bag frequently, please check it to ensure that their full name AND Room # (Rm 17) are on the bag - missing lunches are a very frequent occurrence in this school, and adding that information would make it easier to find your child's bag.

* I have noticed that students are arriving "late" to school more frequently as our daylight hours diminish until the holidays. Please make sure your child wakes up early enough to eat breakfast, get dressed, and make sure everything is in their backpack! Try to drop them off at school NO LATER than 8:25 - as you know, traffic in both driveways gets really backed up starting at 8:20!

Have a good week!

Update for Week Ending Dec. 3!

It has been a crazy, but fun week in Room 17! Students are getting into the holiday spirit, but still working hard in class as well! Just a few important reminders:

* Report Cards are coming home today (Dec. 3). Please take time to review the report card with your child, discuss the goals we set at conference time, and ask them what they can to to continue to work toward their goals! You may keep the report card, but please sign the manila envelope and send it back in your child's Friday folder on Monday.

* The Scholastic Holiday Book Faire is almost here! Your child will bring home a flyer with just a few of the selections available at the book faire - it will be open tomorrow (Sat.) and all next week (including Thursday evening with a holiday sing-a-long!) Also consider buying a book and donating it to Mrs. Erikson's annual "Gift of Reading" program!

* Our holiday party will be held on Friday, Dec. 17 from 1:00 to 2:30 - we are looking for donations of healthy food, drinks, and paper goods - as well as a few "jolly" parent volunteers who can help out at the party! I will post duplicate lists in front of each classroom door, so check the opposite door before you sign up to donate something!

* Holiday gifts - in the past, Dilworth parents have been EXTREMELY generous to me at the holidays, and I've been very appreciative of your good will! This year, in light of our continuing recession, I would ask you to instead consider donating something to a worthwhile charity (in my name, if you like). Some of my favorite charities include:

UnicefUsa.org
DoctorsWithoutBorders.org
San Jose Family Shelter - http://www.sjfamilyshelter.org/
Cupertino Education Foundation - www.ceef.org

There are so many children and families in need of just basic goods and services that we take for granted in our more affluent area. Making a donation to a charity is also tax-deductible, and teaches your child that holidays are more about giving than receiving! Have a great weekend!

Our Upcoming Week of Nov. 29!

I hope your families had a wonderful extended Thanksgiving break! I enjoyed a few days down in Carmel with my family - chilly but beautiful! As we move into the last three weeks before our winter break, here are some upcoming highlights:

* We will have a Scholastic Book Faire starting next Saturday, Dec. 4 in the GLC - the book faire will continue through Friday, Dec. 10, with an evening session followed by a holiday sing-a-long on Thursday, Dec. 9!

* First trimester report cards will be sent home this Friday, Dec. 3 - please review the report card carefully with your child, noting areas of strength and those that need improvement. Please return the signed report card envelope ONLY in the Friday folder. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns about your child's performance thus far in the school year.

* We will begin our next science unit, "Magnetism and Electricity" tomorrow with a pre-test and KWL charts. This is one of our most popular science units, with many hands-on experiments!

* We will begin "response to literature" instruction over the next few weeks - your child's response log will be an important part of that instruction process. More information will follow later!

Room 17 Wins WalkAround Trophy!

Great News! Our class received the upper grade trophy today at the WalkAround assembly for most laps walked during the WalkAround last month! In addition, several students received trophies for most laps walked in fourth grade, including Katie Patton, Aayush Shah, Shaunak Bhandarkar, and Derek Xiang! We have some energetic walkers in this class! Other students received prizes for Tuesday treats every Tuesday, and some received voucher awards for a free WalkAround sweatshirt, and free admittance to Dilworth Math and Science Fairs. We also are thankful for all the encouragement provided by parents and your generosity in donations. It was announced today that WalkAround raised over $91,000 for our school! We are all grateful for your continuing support of our school through both cash donations and the many extras that you provide for our classrooms!

Latest Update from Room 17!

We are moving along very quickly in order to accomplish many of our goals before the Thanksgiving break next week! In language arts, we will complete our class novel, "Island of the Blue Dolphins" this week. Students will be allowed to use the summary folders they've been working on since we started the book for their final comprehension test on Friday.

In math, students took a pre-test for Unit 4 (Ch. 8 and 9) which covers algebraic variables and function tables. We will finish this unit before the Winter Break.

You may have noticed some information coming home about our "Drug Education" unit which will end this week. Please talk to your child about drugs (both legal and illegal) so that they are knowledgeable about the dangers of these substances. After Thanksgiving break, we will start our second science unit - "Magnetism and Electricity" - this is a very "hands-on" science unit which they usually love! Students will bring home their science folders and tests from our first unit, "The Solid Earth" with their report cards on Dec. 3.

In Social Studies, we are working on our California Native American projects in groups of 3- we had finished the research, and will type up information paragraphs and decorate our posters for presentation. We have also begun learning about explorers who came to California in the 17th and 18th centuries.

We will begin practicing for the Geography Bee after Thanksgiving break - students will have the option to participate in the classroom "Bee" - the top 2 finalists from each class will continue to the Championship Bee later in January.

Just a reminder - please make sure your child uses the "Spelling City" website at least 30 minutes per week - since I do not monitor their computer time, please ensure that they are practicing the games and using the practice tests before our weekly quizzes on Fridays.

Thank you!

Accepting Responsibility

As your child continues to mature physically, we also want to assist them in developing emotional maturity. One of the main components of maturity that we want to foster in fourth graders is learning to take responsibility for their actions. In primary grades, their emotional "intelligence" is still growing slowly. By fourth grade, students need to accept, and be held accountable for responsibility in their actions.

How can you nurture this quality in your child? Begin by talking to them about how we all experience different emotions and ideas, like anger, joy, and jealousy. But, as we get older, we must learn that other people don't CAUSE these emotions or behaviors - we create them ourselves. For example, often I will see a student doing something unacceptable such as bumping against another student without apologizing. When I talk to the student, their first response is usually, "Well, he did "such and such" to me first". Accepting responsibility means acknowledging your own behaviors in a conflict and taking the first steps to resolve that conflict by talking it out with the other person. I encourage students to use "I-words", such as "I felt angry when you pushed me out of the game". This reduces the hostility and "defuses" the situation. Just as you encourage your child's academic abilities, help them develop the emotional and social skills needed to work out differences with their peers. They'll thank you for it later!

Update for Last Week!

Everyone had a great time at our Halloween parade and party last Friday, 10/20 - a huge "thank you" to all the parents who contributed items and/or helped out at our class party!!

Students turned in their "story quilt" book reports last week - later this week they will "present" their book report to the rest of the class. I am very impressed with the hard work that many students displayed with their reports! Their book report grade will be based on the rubric that was on the last page of their report!

Lots of new books coming out - the new "Diary of A Wimpy Kid" is released next week, and you can purchase it for a lower price by ordering through Scholastic Books! All book orders are due by Friday (11/5) - either online orders or paper orders.

We have just started Chapter 7 in Math which covers "order of operations" and other algebra functions. This chapter might be a little more challenging for your child - please be sure that they can simplify expressions and understand how "order of operations" works inside expressions and equations.

Students are working in groups of 3 on their "Native American" projects - each group chose one California Native American group and will complete research on that group in the library and the Tech Lab. Later, they will collaborate on a poster, and make a group presentation to our class!

We are almost finished with our science kit "The Solid Earth" - students will take the final test and turn in their science notebooks on Thursday for grading. Remember - no school on Thursday, Nov. 11 or Friday, Nov. 12!

Seymour Simon Was Here!

The author Seymour Simon was here today - talking to our students about science! Mr. Simon has written over 250 children's non-fiction books - all about science! He has a web site which I have enclosed - check it out!

Update for Oct. 26

Halloween is almost here! We will have a sign-up sheet outside of Room 17 (across from GLC) posted on our window - please sign up to donate healthy treats to our class party on Friday, Oct. 29! We also need several parent volunteers to join us at the party (parade will conclude at about 1:30 PM), to help set-up goodies and serve students. If you could come at lunch time (12:00 - 12:40) to help set up, that would also be great! Remember - if your child is bringing a costume for the parade, please have them bring it in a bag and then change into the costume after lunch.

Update for Oct. 22

It's been a busy week in Room 17! Here are some of the highlights:

* We are continuing to read "Island of the Blue Dolphins" as a class novel - students are writing summaries of the chapters and we are talking about the customs and rituals of the Native Americans who lived on the island!

* We have started practicing in three groups for "Readers' Theatre" - students will practice their lines for two weeks, and then give their "presentations" (with scripts) to third grade classrooms.

* We are concluding our science unit on "The Solid Earth" - this week we focused on erosion and weathering, and next week we will finish up with some great experiments!

* Halloween is coming! As usual, Dilworth will have a Halloween parade at 1 PM next Friday, Oct. 29 (weather permitting) - parents are invited in attend and take pictures. After the parade, we will have a party in Room 17 - I will place a "sign-up" list outside my classroom doors so that you can donate something for the party. We are placing a greater emphasis this year on "healthy treats" rather than candy - just a reminder that we ask that only "nut-free" items be donated.

* Students have been working hard in math, but we have been discussing some important ideas/concepts about "pre-tests". Most students see it as a "status sign" that they pass a pre-test and are able to work on an individual contract. Please remember that a pre-test is NOT graded, and it's only purpose is for me to see what students have not yet learned or mastered in the upcoming unit. I have seen a number of students become extremely "stressed out" about getting 90% correct on a pre-test. If I see this trend continuing, I will discontinue giving pre-tests and have every student participate in every lesson.

* And speaking of math.....I am embarrassed to tell you that the Unit 2 test (from our math curriculum) had a number of questions that were very vague (even for me!)and very inappropriate for 4th grade level students. Although the students were very disappointed, I did not give them back these tests because I felt that the test was not a good "indicator" of what they learned in this unit. I will instead give them some quizzes from each of the chapters covered which will be sent home in the next 2 weeks. Also, please make sure your child has mastered all multiplication/division facts through the "10's" - we are moving along rather quickly, and more complex multiplication problems are covered in Unit 3.

Have a good weekend - and remember that there is no school on Monday, Oct. 25!

"A Race to Nowhere"

Last night, I joined a number of other educators and parents from the Cupertino community at Lynbrook High School to watch "A Race to Nowhere", an award winning documentary currently playing in theatres (locally, it is playing at Blue Light Theatres in Cupertino). I was stunned and humbled by the information that I learned in this documentary about the level of stress that many children experience during their academic school years, and the effect of that stress. As a teacher, I strongly encourage you to see this film if possible (appropriate for adults and middle/high school students).

Like me, I hope you will take away some information in this movie that might help you "re-think" the route to academic (and personal) success. The link to the movie trailer and web site is to the right. (By the way, this movie was filmed in the Bay Area).

Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences!

It was great to meet with parents and students over the past ten days for our annual conferences. I enjoyed getting to know all of you better, and learn more about the goals that you and your child have for this school year. There seemed to be some underlying themes that many parents were concerned about:

* How can I get my child to read more (or more challenging) books, and also read a greater variety of literature genres?

* My child does not enjoy (or has difficulty) with writing - how can we help?

It is quite common for children at the beginning of fourth grade to have difficulty making the "jump" to reading more (and more complex) chapter books. They are more likely to read what their friends are reading, and want to be involved in choosing their own books. Of course, the prevalence of the Internet, WII games, and other competing activities seem to have reduced the amount that children read. PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU ENCOURAGE YOUR CHILD'S READING HABITS and motivate them to become more interested in different genres of literature by taking them regularly to a nearby library. Starting next Monday, 10/18, they will bring home a nightly reading response log (Mon. - Thurs) and then turn it in on Friday. We have talked alot of reading response in this class, and I will continue to give them instructions for connecting to what they are reading and then writing down those ideas. I expect students to write at least ONE paragraph per night! This will be in addition to their regular homework.

If your child does not enjoy writing or has difficulty in coming up with ideas, it might be helpful for him/her to carry a "writing notebook" around to jot down ideas as they think of them. Depending on teacher-generated ideas does not always spark "inspiration" for them. When I teach writing, I just encourage them to "write it all down" before they try to revise and edit what they've written. Too many children are worried that a word is spelled wrong or the punctuation is incorrect. They should just WRITE and let their ideas flow! Many authors must revise their work up to fifty times before it is published!!

Just a reminder - first trimester report cards will be sent home Friday, Dec. 3, so they have lots of time to work on their goals over the next month and a half!

Update for Oct. 11

It has been great to meet and talk to parents and students during our conferences about their goals for fourth grade! As conferences continue through the end of this week (Oct. 15), remember that all students are dismissed each day at 1:00. There are no math club, band, or chess club activities until the Week of Oct. 18! Our regular schedule will resume on Oct. 18.

Some further updates:

Homework Club will begin on Monday, Oct. 18 and will be held from 3:05 to 4:00 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays after school. I sent home referrals in last week's Friday folder to students I thought might benefit from this program. If your child was referred, please complete the form and return it to school this week.

Sponsor Cards and collected money (including company matches) for WalkAround are due by Monday, 10/18. Our WalkAround awards assembly will be held later in November/early December.

Reminder: Please check the Dilworth Dispatch online (there is a link on my website)each week. There should be an orange card in your child's Friday folder to remind you. There is much important information contained in the Dispatch each week, so be sure to check it online each week if you don't receive a paper copy!

Please check the links on the right side of this web site, including upcoming assessments/events to help your child plan accordingly. There are also some good web links for math, science, and geography.

October 5 Update

Many thanks to all the Dilworth students and parents who came to WalkAround on Saturday and walked (or ran)all those laps! I personally walked 44 laps, and it was tough! Since a lap was equivalent to 1/6 a mile, that was over 7 miles! Of course, my laps and the laps "walked" by our class tree (57) also will count toward our class total!

Just a reminder: if you have NOT returned your parent feedback form for conferences, please do so by tomorrow! Conferences start this Thursday, Oct. 7!

Oct. 1 Update

The week has sped by quickly as our students anxiously await "WalkAround" tomorrow from 1 PM to 6 PM! Be sure to bring the following items with you:

* The bottom portion of the sponsor card signed by a parent!
* Lots of sunscreen and a hat!
* A water bottle (although we will also have free water available)
* Money for food, drinks, and other items!

See you there!

Remember that next Thursday is the beginning of parent/teacher conferences - I would like to remind you to return your parent feedback form by Oct. 4 if you have NOT already done so! Also, this year, PLEASE BRING YOUR CHILD WITH YOU TO THE CONFERENCE! They are now old enough to participate in their own goal-setting. School is dismissed at
1 PM EVERY DAY from Thurs., Oct. 7 through Friday, Oct. 15. Lunch time is shortened to 30 minutes. Questions?? Feel free to e-mail me!

We have finished our 6 week keyboarding practice in the Tech Lab - I will let you know at your child's conference how they did in keyboarding and if they need extra practice.

We just started reading our class novel "Island of the Blue Dolphins" - each student received their own book with their class number on the bottom. They may bring this book home occasionally - help them remember to return it each evening to their backpacks - lost books will result in a request to pay for cost of the book.

Wednesday, Sept. 29

Just a few updates that I wanted everyone to be aware of:

* ALL parent conference forms and parent feedback forms are due back to me NO LATER than Monday, Oct. 4.

* Please be sure to read your child's planner each evening and review their homework - some students are having trouble remembering to bring homework home and/or bring the work back the next day. Reinforce good homework and organization habits for your child!

* We are working on Ch. 4 (Subtraction) in math - students who scored 90% or more on the Unit 2 pre-test are allowed to work on independent contracts with more challenging work. A number of students are experiencing difficulties in re-grouping - I am teaching them two different ways to re-group...both from the left to the right, and right to left. Regardless of the method used, I expect ALL students to show their regrouping with their problems.

* A book report was assigned today - it must be an historical fiction book at least 100 pages long. Some children are confused about this genre, so we discussed it in class today. The book must be approved by me by next Monday.

* We will start reading "Island of the Blue Dolphins" as a class novel this week. Your child is allowed to bring this book home to complete various activities, but will be responsible for the replacement cost if they lose it, so please help them keep track of the book.

Update for September 24

It's been a hectic week in Room 17! Here are some updates/reminders for the coming weeks:

* Fourth Grade Math Club starts next Friday, Oct. 1 - if your child is still interested, but hasn't returned the permission form, please do so by next week. Math Club is taught during lunch from 12:00 - 12:40, so please try to have your child's lunch brought to school by 12:00, which is when they eat at Math Club.

* Your child brought home information and appointment times assigned to you for parent/teacher conferences. Please return the attached "feedback form" and the signed bottom section which shows that you are aware of the conference time. If the time assigned is NOT convenient for you, please send back the form with some alternative times you might be available. Although conferences are usually in the afternoon, I also can possibly squeeze in a few before school on conference days. This year, I am asking you to BRING YOUR CHILD TO THIS CONFERENCE. They are now old enough to participate in setting their own goals and are a vital part of the conference.

* Book reports will be assigned next week and your child must find a book in the genre of "historical fiction" of at least 100 pages or more. (no picture books). They can find these books in our class library, the GLC library, or in your community library. I must approve the book by next Friday.

* Don't forget - WalkAround is next Saturday, Oct. 2 from 1 - 6 PM! Please try to come with your child for at least part of the day, and remember that this year you only have to bring the bottom section of your child's sponsor card in order to get the lap card - you can keep the top part and turn that in by Oct.18 with the money collected from sponsors. We still need volunteers and donations, too! Aloha!

September 19

As we begin a new week, I wanted to remind you about some upcoming events for both parents and students. We had a wonderful week last week getting "revved up" for the WalkAround on Sat., Oct. 2 - just 2 weeks away! Your child brought home their sponsor card on Friday - please help him/her find as many sponsors as possible. Grandparents, neighbors, church members, and friends are all good possible sponsors. We are also in need of more volunteers at WalkAround and donated supplies as well. Our goal is to have each family raise at least $200 for this worthy cause!

My auction prize this year is two hours of free individual tutoring after school in math and/or language arts, plus a free $15 or less book selection from any Scholastic order.

I hope your child is enjoying the "Spelling City" online program - remember that they should spend at least 30 minutes per week doing the exercises, games, and practice tests.

Next Friday, you will receive your appointment notice for parent/teacher conferences which will begin on Thursday, Oct. 7 and last until Friday, Oct. 15. This year I also ask that you bring your student to this conference so that he/she can participate in setting their own goals. Please let me know if the conference time assigned to you will NOT work and I will try to re-schedule you at another time. Just a reminder: school is dismissed at 1:00 PM for all students during conference days. You will also receive a parent feedback form about your child which should be completed and sent back to school no later than Friday, Oct. 1. I look forward to meeting with you then!

Update for Week of Sept. 13

I have made a few changes to my blog to make it more "user friendly" - please provide any feedback to me that would make it more so! We are starting "Spelling City" today, so your child may click on that feature on my website/blog to get started with this week's list. Remember, I encourage them to practice on the website at least 30 minutes per week!

Scholastic Book Orders went home last Friday - I hope that you will utilize their easy "on-line parent ordering" feature which makes book orders easier for both you and me! If that is not possible, please send in catalogue order form with a check payable to "Scholastic". I will accept all online orders through Fri., Sept. 17 - paper forms must be turned in on Thursday of this week.

Just a reminder....Staff Learning Day is this Friday, Sept. 17 - No School (for students) that day!

Welcome to Room 17! It was wonderful to see all the familiar faces, and new faces, at "Back to School " last Wednesday. We have many great activities to look forward to in fourth grade - I hope you will check this page each week for any updates. As I mentioned at "BTS" Night, we will start using "Spelling City" which is on the right of this page.