Hi Everyone! 

We will go to Old Salem next Friday, December 7th. Please fill out and return the permission slip your child brought home today. If you plan to chaperone, make sure you have let me know and you have completed the OCS background check this school year.  All students will need a bag lunch and parents must meet us at Old Salem. We plan to arrive there around 9:45.

For recess during the winter months we plan to go outside as long as it isn't raining or the windchill isn't below freezing. Please make sure you child has a sweatshirt, jacket, or other appropriate clothing for the weather each day. 

Students should be keeping their computer chargers at home, please help your child remember to charge their computer each night. Many students are saying they plug their computers in at home, but they are dead the next day at school. Please help them find a good place to charge and make sure they are correctly plugging everything in. 

In math:
We are finishing up our unit on multi digit multiplication and division. Each Friday I send home that weeks math classwork. Today students are bringing home work from this week and the short week last week. Many students are still struggling with these concepts solely because they have not yet memorized multiplication facts (through 10's). Please check with your child to see which fact families they need to work on, if any. For those that do, we have been working to identify which families they have not yet memorized and practice those. Some ideas for practice:

games on either: 
www.sheppardsoftware.com or 
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button

flash cards
songs
quick practice in the car to/from school

In reading and writing we will wrap up our study of nonfiction with a mini unit focused on winter holidays around the world. Be on the look out for a letter coming home Monday with more about that unit and celebration at the end :)

In science students are completing writing and Google slide presentations about an animal they have researched, focusing on the adaptations that help that animal survive. By the end of next week we will begin sharing student presentations.

Important Dates:

Dec 7       Field trip to Old Salem (see info above)
Dec  14    Last day for students, report cards go home
Jan   7      First day of the 3rd 9 weeks 

Hello Everyone & Happy Fall! 

Here is a peek into our classroom. Right now is one of my favorite times of the year because we're doing lots of integration between academic areas!

In reading we are continuing our study of nonfiction, specifically looking at how readers handle new vocabulary and organize new information. Our science and writing units follow perfectly along with the nonfiction work we've already done this quarter- we will be studying animals and adaptations that help them survive and researching to write and create a slide show about one specific animal.

In math we will begin a unit that has many new objectives. We will start with 2 digit by 2 digit multiplication and end this quarter with division. The 4th grade curriculum requires that students will learn several different methods for multiplication and division. I know this can sometimes feel frustrating because this is not the way you and I were taught multiplication and division. As we look at different methods in class I will share examples of them here in case you need them to help your child complete classwork at home. Our main goal is to make sure all students learn a method that works for them, that they can understand and use consistently and independently. 

Next week HES will have our Fall Book Fair. Our class will visit the bookfair first thing Tuesday  (11/6) morning. 

Next week we will take NC Check Ins for both reading and math. These are standardized tests that are much like the EOG's. 

Important Dates:
Nov    6    Book fair
Nov   12   Veteran's Day, no school
Nov  21-23  Thanksgiving Break 

Dec  7  Old Salem Field trip
 info letter going home Friday 11/2
Dec  14   Last day of the 2nd 9 weeks

Welcome Back!

In reading this quarter we will focus most of our time on nonfiction. So far we have compared and contrasted fiction and nonfiction (characters vs. actual people, illustrations vs. photos, graphs, maps, etc) I am asking that students read nonfiction books for their independent reading time for the next several weeks. We have created interest list/brainstormed topics of interest such as animals, planets, places to visit, famous people, historical events, etc.)

In math we have reviewed place value and looked at 2 different addition methods, both methods were a review. Next we will review the method student learned in 3rd grade for multidigit subtraction and the move on to the standard algorithm (traditional method, borrowing). This will be new for most 4th graders. 

In social studies we have studies the Lost Colony, the different theories of what happened, and new info that proves the Lost Colony wasn't actually lost! Next we will study Native American groups in NC and groups that settled across the 3 regions of NC.


**This week we will have PE on both WEDNESDAY and THURSDAY since we have missed the last 2 Thursdays because of storms.Please make sure you child wears sneakers BOTH 
days**

Enrollment for 2019-2020

HES will host another school tour for prospective families on Wednesday, October 17th at 8:30 am. Additional tour dates and times are listed on our website.  If you know of a family that will have a kindergarten student next year, are new to the community, or just want to be part of our HES family, please encourage them to visit us to get to know about the learning opportunities we have to offer.  Applications are encouraged for new K-5 students and will open in November. Returning families will also re-apply given first priority in November.

OCS Math Nights

• The district will be hosting 4 math nights this school year to provide parents with an overview of content, including strategies and  games/activities to do with students to support the curriculum.
• The 2nd of 4 math nights will be November 1st - Efland Cheeks hosting  

Important Dates:

October    29      Teacher Workday
November  5-9   Fall Bookfair at HES
November 12       No School- Veteran's Day
November 21-23   Thanksgiving Break

Hi Everyone!

We have just finished our 5th week of school, here are a

few updates and reminders and a peek into 4th grade!

We are continuing our character study during reading time.

We have finished Tiger Rising and are now reading

Because of Winn Dixie. So far we identified common

themes such as characters struggling with loss and

friendship helping characters that have lost something

important. Next week we will compare and contrast the

main characters of the 2 books and identify similarities

and differences in their struggles. Please continue to have

your child read for at least 20 minutes each night.

In math we have moved from area and perimeter to

multiplicative comparisons (for example- recognizing/understanding

that 12 is twice as much as 6, 15 is 5 times as much as 3, etc)

Next week we will extend that work into word problems.

We have finished our intro to NC unit and started out first

science unit, magnetism and electricity.  So far we have tested

a variety of materials and identified commonalities between

magnetic and non magnetic objects. Next week we will build

circuits to operate light bulbs or motors.

Next week we have a HUGE treat! Thanks to the PTA, local poet

Phillip Shabazz will be with each 4th grade class for an hour a day

of poetry workshop. He has been  coming to HES for many years

and is AMAZING at getting children to write some pretty amazing poetry.

Today your child is bringing home their interim report and some

of what we’ve been working on in math for the last 2 weeks.

Please sign and return the interim report.

IMPORTANT DATES:

August 22 early release at 11:35

August 23 picture day

September 3 no school- Labor Day

September 14 last day of the 1st 9 weeks

Hello Everyone!

….and just like that we are in our 4th week of school!

In reading we are continuing our work with describing and analyzing characters
through our read aloud book, Tiger Rising by Katie DiCamillo. We are following the
characters Rob and Sistine as they both struggle through tough times and big life
changes. Students are also working to build stamina during independent reading time.

In math we are moving on from our getting to know you/graphing unit on to our work
with area & perimeter and multiplicative comparisons. As I mentioned at Parent Info night,
having their multiplication facts memorized makes almost every part of 4th grade math
much easier. Please continue to practice those at home. 4th graders are expected to master
facts through the 10’s.

We will finish the last of our SS unit this week (and begin science next week). We are
studying all the different state symbols of NC and students will create their own state
using and justifying the symbols that they think best represent our state. A part of our
SS work has been to practice spelling important words like Hillsborough Elementary,
North Carolina, Orange County, etc correctly.

In writing we are continuing to build a “writing life” by gathering ideas and writing about
important people, places, objects, and memories in our writer's notebooks. Soon we will
choose one of these ideas to “grow” into a full story.

IMPORTANT INFO ABOUT COMPUTERS:

This year the district expectation is that students charge their computers at home at night. We will no longer have the charging cart in our classroom. Please help your child remember to charge their computer each night.

Heads up!

In the next couple of days I will send home info about signing up for parent conferences at the end of this quarter. I will make sure it is on bright paper and hope to send it home either Tuesday or Wednesday.

Important Dates:

August 10 Read-a-thon kick off

August 13-17 Read-a-thon week

August 22 early release @ 11:35

August 23 fall picture day

September 14 last day of the first 9 weeks

October 8 first day of the second 9 weeks

Happy Friday! Can you believe we've already finished 2 weeks of school?!?

Just a few quick reminders for this week:

If you have  not already, please return the emergency card, permission form for extra food in the cafeteria, and early release info sheet (orange) ASAP. If you need an extra copy of anything let me know. You may also receive a form with you child's current Powerschool info. Please check this form and make any changes. The back must be signed. Some of you completed this at Parent Info Night, if not it will be sent home.

I'm making a minor change with our classroom strikes. If your child gets a strike (the consequence for breaking a class rule after a warning) I need it to be initialed or signed by a parent and returned to school the following day. I think this will make sure that strikes are making it home to parents :) Below is an example of what a strike looks like. They will always be on yellow paper. Once we use up all the ones I have I will add a line for parent signature.

Name______________ date____________

Today I received ___ strike(s) because I:

_____________________________________________________________

As always, let me know if you have any questions.

Have a great weekend!

Important dates:

July 31       T shirt orders due

Aug 22       Early release @ 11:35am

Sept 3        No School- Labor Day

Sep 14       Last day of the first 9 weeks

Oct 8          First day of the 2nd 9 weeks

Hi Everyone!

We've had a great first week of school and are off to a wonderful start to the year! I will use this class blog to share info, reminders, and pictures of things we are doing in the classroom. 

Thank you so very much for all of the supplies you have sent in. My cabinets and cubbies are well stocked and I hope to not have to ask for donations for a while! 

A few reminders to start the year:

-Please return forms ASAP (emergency card, early release form, parent questionnaire, permission to buy "extras" in the cafeteria)

-school starts at 7:55am , students are expected to be unpacked and in their seats at that time

-all doors to all buildings are locked once the school day begins, to get in the main building push the button and someone in the office will let you in

For now, the only 2 things I'm assigning for homework are to read independent books for 20 minutes and practicing multiplication facts for automaticity.  Students should be reading the same book at home and at school. Students can use flash cards, computer games, verbal quizzes, or anything else that works for your family to make sure they  have MEMORIZED their multiplication facts through 10's.  

Occasionally students will be assigned homework if they didn't complete an assignment in class. If I feel they worked hard and used time wisely in class I will not send unfinished work home. If they didn't finish an assignment because they weren't focused, wasted class time, etc, they will bring home the assignment with a yellow slip on the front explaining any 
instructions.

You should have received an email from me with our class rules and consequences. Here is another copy for your reference. 

1. BE KIND.
2. BE SAFE.
3. BE RESPECTFUL & POLITE.
4.  LISTEN  & FOLLOW DIRECTIONS.
5. FOCUS ON YOURSELF & DO YOUR BEST.

If a student breaks a rule they will get 1 reminder/warning. If the rule is broken again they will get a strike. This will be a yellow slip of paper explaining their actions and which rule they broke.

1 strike= 10 minutes of silent lunch

2 strikes= 20 minutes of silent lunch

3 strikes= silent lunch and phone call home/possible office referral

Important dates:

July 26       Parent Info Night 5:00-5:30 OR 5:45-6:15

July 31       T shirt orders due

Aug 22       Early release @ 11:35am

Sept 3        No School- Labor Day

Sep 14       Last day of the first 9 weeks

Oct 8          First day of the 2nd 9 weeks

Lastly, at anytime this year if you have questions or concerns regarding your child please let me know. Email is probably the quickest and easiest way to get in touch with me. The only time I wouldn't use email is if your child's transportation plans change during the school day. I may or may not get an email about a change in time for dismissal.  IF YOUR CHILD'S TRANSPORTATION PLANS CHANGE DURING THE DAY, PLEASE CALL THE MAIN OFFICE, 919-732-6137. 

**Quick Update**

Our class will visit the book fair next WEDNESDAY, April 18th.

Welcome Back and Happy Spring (finally!)

Time has flown by and here we are starting the 4th quarter! Please bear with me, this post is long and has lots of important dates and info for the 4th 9 weeks. :)

In reading we will begin a long anticipated study of the book Wonder by RJ Palaccio.  In this book study we will focus on how to treat people who are different, describing characters and their actions, and making inferences. This has been a 4th grade tradition for many years and the kids have been asking when we will read it since the first day of school! I know that many of you have probably seen the movie that came out a few months ago, as a class we will talk about differences between the two and agree not to give ANY spoilers!

Last quarter we briefly began looking at the 4th grade nutrition objectives. We will continue with those by learning to read food labels, analyzing food choices, and learning about the organs involved in digestion. 

In math we will start the 9 weeks with metric measurement, then move on to customary and finding area and perimeter. Then we will cover our geometry unit and spend the rest of our math time reviewing for the EOG's. 

And speaking of EOG's...we will have them on Wednesday and Thursday May 30-31. Over the next few weeks we will start reviewing and practicing to get ready for the EOG's. As a general rule I try to down play the tests, while making sure students understand that it's important to do their personal best. While we will focus on review reading and math concepts, much of our preparation will be test taking strategies. This year both tests will be taken on the computer. Much of our test prep will be on how to "show your work" and not just "guess and click". Many students experience worry and anxiety as we start to prepare for the EOG's, if you notice that your child  is showing a lot of fear associated with testing please let me know. I absolutely  DO NOT want the end of the year to be dominated by test anxiety.

You should have received an email today about our upcoming trip to the Greensboro Science Center. The date for the trip is April 19th. We are finalizing the student cost based on the generous help of our PTA :) and hope to have that amount and permissions slips sent home in the next day or so. Reminder- all parents must drive and meet us there, all students must ride the bus to the museum but may be checked out and ride home with their 
parents.

As you have probably heard the HES Spring Carnival is Saturday, April 21st. Each class is creating a themed basket. The theme for our basket is "Dog Lovers", if you would to donate an item please do so.



Important Dates:

April    12       Picture Day (11:30)
            16-20  Book Fair (we will visit as a class on Thursday)
             21       HES Spring Carnival

May      2     early release, 11:35 (HES only)
             28    no school- Memorial Day

June     7    LaSt DaY oF sChOoL

Happy Friday Everyone!

Here are few good pictures from our Science Made Fun in school field trip today:

Petting a ball python after learning about animals and their adaptations

Building an earthquake proof structure: 

 

trying to figure out who has the most acidic breath

Reading:

During reading time students are working in book clubs across the grade level. All of the books are set during the Civil Rights Era. All book clubs are focusing on learning about describing characters and following them through the story looking at how they change and what causes the change. Much of our work is focused on teaching students to support their thoughts about their reading and answers to questions with evidence from the text.

Writing:

In writing students are working independently or in groups on research projects they created based on our study of the Civil Rights Era. Students have chosen significant people or events that we touched on during a timeline activity and are creating a display for our upcoming Civil Rights Museum- keep an eye out for an invitation to this!

Math:

In math we are continuing to work on fraction concepts and operations with fractions. We have just started to look at fractions that are greater than 1 (for example 5/4 = 1 ¼ ). Students have access to a google doc titled ‘Student Math Links’ that has many links to instructional videos and games that we have used during class.

Social Studies:

This week we completed a mini unit our objectives related to branches of government. Students researched the purpose and function of the judicial, legislative, and executive branches. The have identified important roles in each branch, such as governor, senator, etc.

Other important info/reminders:

Our final field trip to the Greensboro Science Center has been approved! We are planning to visit on Thursday April 19th. We will send out detailed info about the trip when we return from Spring Break.

If your child brings their computer home, please help them remember to charge it each night so they will be able to use it the following day at school.

Important Dates:

February 23 PTA Yoga and Movie Night

              28 Box Tops due

March     7 early release, 11:35 (HES only)

              16 last day of the 3rd 9 weeks

April        9 first day of the 4th quarter