Week of August 28th

 I am so excited for this week because it will be our first week of having our normal routine of a four-day week (that isn't the first week of school). :) The first week of school is always a little extra crazy and not much routine. This week we will really be working on cementing those expectations of how our class works. 

ELA:

This week in ELA (English Language Arts) we are going to be working on our novel study on Stone Fox. We will also be practicing different grammar rules and starting our Interactive Reading Journal. 

We will have a Morning Warm Up quiz and spelling test (List B) on Thursday. These happen on the last day of every week. 

Math:

This week in math we will be starting off with Lesson 1-3. I had originally planned to get to that on Friday of last week, but my students needed extra time on other things so I adjusted that. :) I try really hard to plan a week in advance, but I also am flexible when students are working hard but need extra time on a skill or lesson. 

We will have our Math 4 Today quiz on Thursday of this week. These also happen on the last day of every week. 

Test Retakes:

It is part of our policy at Vision Charter to allow students to study and retake any test that they score below a 70% on. I allow my class to retake any quizzes that they score below a 70% on as well. If your student scores below a 70% I will put a stamp at the top that says "You may student and retake this! Let me know when you are ready. :)" It is your student's responsibility to let me know that they have studied and want to retake a test or quiz. Students have one week to do that. So any test or quiz that was failed last week, can be taken any time this week. But after Thursday of this week, they don't have that option anymore. Because of this, I try REALLY hard to grade those and send them home on Thursday so that they have the weekend to study what they did wrong to be able to retake it. 

Please note that as per the policy, the highest score that a student can get on a retake is 85%. So even if they get higher than that, it will only go in the grade book as an 85%. 

I also want to reassure you that it is really common for students to not do well the first several weeks on these quizzes. Most often that is because they are making simple errors or aren't paying attention to all of the directions. For the first couple of months, I read them to my class as a whole group to really point out certain things to pay attention to. After those first few weeks, students can raise their hand if they need help reading a question, but I usually let them try on their own first. 

IXL Math Homework:

I told my class last week and I am pretty sure I mentioned to parents as well that homework for last week will be given full credit if I see that students have attempted to do it since we were still learning how to get to the correct place. I may do that for this week as well, I will watch and see how students are doing. :)

Students are required to do 80 minutes a week. That goes in my grade book as a possible 8 points. So if a student does 76 minutes, it will go in my grade book as 7.6. I base that time on what is marked as active minutes on IXL which I discussed in the video I sent out last week. I am going to link that video to my virtual class and blog so that you can refer back to it if you need to. :)

Week of August 21st

 Welcome to the second week of 4th grade! This week is our only five-day week this year so we DO have school on Friday. 

A note from the principal about dress code:

DRESS CODE--

Our dress code must be strictly enforced for students in all grades. Here are the most important pieces of the dress code that are applicable to elementary students:

•  All pants, shorts, skirts, etc. must be worn at the waist to cover one’s undergarments
• Shorts and skirts must be worn at the waist and reach to at least the mid-thigh. 
• Jeans may be worn as long as they are worn at the waist and do not display holes that are above the mid-thigh. *Mid-thigh is the minimum length allowed and is MIDWAY between the hip and the top of the knee.   Leggings must be covered to the mid-thigh by a long shirt, shorts, or skirt.
• Sleeveless shirts will be allowed as long as they have a minimum of four finger width of fabric covering from neck to shoulder.   

Please review this and help your kiddos choose clothing for school mornings that meets these criteria. We don't like having to talk to the littles about dress code, they get easily embarrassed and we don't want to make them feel bad! However, we do have to follow policy so we appreciate your support with this!!!!

ELA:

This week in ELA we are beginning our first novel, Stone Fox. We will be working on vocabulary and comprehension with this novel. Please have your student practice their spelling words at home this week. We will have our first spelling test on Thursday. 

Math:

This week in math we are going to be working on number forms, rounding, and place value. I did not have a chance to show the kids how to do their homework today, so we will spend some time on that tomorrow. 

Picture Day:

Picture day is this Wednesday. I sent home picture packets last week. You can send those in with a check or cash or you can order online. 

End of 1st Week Updates!

 Wow! What a great first week! Give your kiddo an extra high five and hug for doing such a great job this week. I am really proud of them! We worked this week on getting all of our procedures and transitions down so that our year will be smooth and efficient. We also started working on getting all of our beginning-of-the-year assessments done. They aren't fun, I know that, but they help guide my instruction and it's really fun to see how much they have grown when we do them again at the end of the year!

One of the things we talked about a lot is our class motto. Our class motto is "It's ok to make mistakes!" We are all human and we all make mistakes, including Mrs. Martindale. Mistakes are proof that we are trying and that is how we learn. I want them to try hard things and be ok with it if they make mistakes along the way!

Infinite Campus Grades: 

If you do not have your Parent Portal for Infinite Campus set up yet, please email Mrs. Bowers at amybowers@visioncsd.org to get that set up. There is a free app that you can download on your phone. I have this set up for my own kids and I love that I get notifications as teachers are inputting grades into their grade book. It's a great tool so that you know if your student is struggling or falling behind. 

I also teach my students how to check their grades and missing assignments on their Chromebooks. As long as they are logged into their school email, they can do this at home as well!

Missing Assignments:

I mark any assignment that is not turned in on the due date as "missing" in my grade book. That way students can look in their Student Portal to see what they need to work on. The school policy is that they are supposed to be docked 25% of their grade for each day that an assignment is late. Because 4th grade is really the first time they have the opportunity to track it themselves, I use this year as a teaching year on the importance of getting their work done. I also don't assign anything that isn't important for their learning. I want them to do the assignments so that they learn the content and don't fall behind.

That being said, students in my class have until the end of the quarter to get their missing assignments turned in. I will occasionally send home missing assignment reports but I don't do that often since students know how to look them up and parents can track it on their phones. Please don't wait for me to tell you that your student has missing assignments, no news does not necessarily mean good news in this situation. :)

Snacks and Headphones:

Every day we do a Snack and Track that allows kids to go run a lap, eat a snack, and play. Please send your student with a HEALTHY snack option that is going to help their brains and bodies throughout the day. Candy is not a snack and I won't let kids eat it at Snack and Track time. :)

We use our Chromebooks a lot in 4th grade. Students often find that having headphones makes this a lot easier since they have to mute them if they don't have headphones. I have some that kids can use, but they are old and aren't the most comfortable. Your student is welcome and encouraged to bring some from home. They don't have to be anything fancy, just something that fits in their desks.

Picture Day:

We have picture day next week on Wednesday the 23rd. I sent home picture packets yesterday. If you want to send in your money and order form before Wednesday, I don't mind holding on to it and giving it to your student on Wednesday. Or you can order them online and not worry about that at all. :) 

Welcome to Mrs. Martindale's 4th Grade Class!

 I am so excited to have your student in my class this year! 4th Grade is full of new learning and lots of growth. Thank you for entrusting me with your precious child. As a mom, I know that it takes a lot to trust someone else with the care of your child. It is not a privilege that I take lightly. Please know that I am here for the success of your child. 

Communication:

I try very hard to communicate with you the parents/guardians as much as possible. I will post here on the blog weekly to update you on what we will be learning in class or other important information. I will send an email out each week that says "Please click HERE." and you can click on the "HERE" to be taken to the new blog post. Please read those each week so that you stay informed on what is going on here with your student.

If you need to contact me, email is best. I will do my best to respond within one school day. I do not check my email in the evenings or on the weekends because I am a mom too and try really hard to be present with my family when I am not at school. :)

Transportation Changes:

If your child needs to go home a different way than usual, please email amybowers@visioncsd.org to let her know. Mrs. Bowers will send a note to class to let your student know. It's ok if you include me in the email, but make sure Mrs. Bowers gets it. There have been times when I am home with a sick kiddo and didn't get the email and the office didn't know. 

Please know that I will NEVER take your child's word for a transportation change. It is not because I don't trust your student, it is policy and ensures your child's safety which is our top priority.

If you or the person picking up your child from school is new, please have your ID ready to show the office or the personnel out front. We take safety very seriously and will not let your child go unless proper ID is shown. :)

Home Folders:

Your student will get a folder from me that is meant to go back and forth each day from home to school and school to home. There is a sheet protector in it that will be for their monthly reading calendars and their weekly spelling lists. Please keep those things in there so that your student has access to them at school as well.

Must Do/May Do:

Part of our day each day will be what we call Must Do/May Do time. Students must do the Must Dos in the order they are listed. When those are complete and they have checked them off with me, they may choose an activity from the May Do list. These things are still academic, but more fun. The first three Must Dos are unfinished/late work, IXL math homework, and reading 20 minutes. Those things are homework if they are not finished in class. Please encourage your student to take advantage of the opportunity to get homework done in class so that they don't have to worry about it at home.