Week of May 19th

Here it is, my last weekly blog post for this year. I am so sad to see this year end, I have truly enjoyed having your student in my class. Thank you for entrusting them to me, it is a privilege to have been a part of their life for this year. These kids are amazing and have worked so hard this year, it is encouraging to know that they are the future of our world.

Work Due:

There will be no new assignments due this week. Students who have missing work are encouraged to get that done. The last day to turn in work is Friday, May 23rd at 1:00. This will allow me to finalize my grade book and ensure you get your student's report card on time. 

ISAT Testing:

Your student brought home a letter from me on Thursday (if I had both of their scores) to show off their growth. I highlighted their level score according to the same color coding the state uses so that you can clearly see the growth. I also included a 3-year trajectory growth goal. This is especially helpful if your student was below grade level in 3rd grade to be able to track their progress as it can be hard to move even one level sometimes, even with a growth of 100+ points. Their growth from 3rd to 4th is either highlighted in red or green depending on if they met the trajectory growth goal, this is different from the goal we made for the roller skating field trip.  Your student will bring home the state report on their testing today. 

For math overall my class was 78% proficient(31%) or advanced(47%). The state average for math right now is 49%. When I gave the 4th grade interim ISAT in the fall, only 6% of my class was proficient with 0% advanced. That is incredible growth!

Right now for ELA, overall my class is at 78% proficient(22%) or advanced(56%). The state average for ELA right now is 50%.When I gave the 4th grade interim ISAT in the fall, only 19%  of my class were proficient(16%) and advanced(3%). Again, this is truly phenomenal growth!

Roller Skating Celebration:

3rd and 4th grade will be headed to RollerDrome on Wednesday to celebrate all of their hard work that showed on ISATs this year! We are so proud of them and their hard work!! Please make sure your student get's their permission slip turned in by tomorrow, Tuesday, May 20th so that they can go! If your student lost their permission slip, you can print a new one by clicking HERE.

Mrs. Martindale's ISAT Party:

Your student received their invitation to my ISAT party today! It looks like the picture below! They are welcome to bring treats to share if they want to, otherwise we will be having a great time celebrating together!

Parent Survey:

Today is the last day to submit your response for "Mrs. Martindale's 4th Grade Parent Survey". If you have not had a chance to do so and would like to submit your constructive feedback, you may click HERE to do so. I really appreciate the responses I have gotten so far and am using them to help plan for next year! 

Last Day of School:

The last day of school is FRIDAY, May 23rd. We will release at 1:30 on that day. Please make sure your student brings a backpack all week as we will be going through their desks and bringing things home all throughout the week. That way they don't have a super heavy backpack to lug around. 

Week of May 12th

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend celebrating the lovely moms in your lives! We had a very busy weekend of orchestra concerts and dance recitals, I jokingly told my class this morning that I had to come back to school to rest up! :)

The blog will look a little different these last two weeks as we are wrapping up everything that we have learned this year. We won't have our typical days and this will probably mean less homework, I know you are all sad to hear that. ;)

Wagons Ho:

We will be participating in Wagons Ho this Wednesday, May 14th. This is an all day event that will be outside on the school lawn. Right now the weather is looking to be a high of 67* and partly cloudy. Please help your student prepare for the weather and dress in layers so they are warm for the morning.

Students will need:

• Dress for Success! Students are invited to wear western wear if they want, but closed toed shoes (not Crocs) are a must.
• water bottle
• a bundle of wood (I have extra if you can't send any in)
• a large 2 or 4 hole button (I have extras if needed)
• bring artifacts or family branding irons or pictures of items (optional)
• If your student is bringing a cold lunch, please make sure it isn't something that needs to be heated and it's best if all items can be thrown away after.
• Sunscreen and a hat may be a good idea as well!

We still need volunteers! If you can't be there, maybe a grandparent or aunt or uncle would like to come! As long as they have an ID that they can show at the front office and pass the check, they should be good to go! Adults need to pack a lunch and water bottle as well. Volunteers need to be here at 7:45 to check in at the front office because Mr. and Mrs. C. would like all adult volunteers to be outside at 7:50 to help set up. They also like to talk to parents about expectations and how the day is going to go before hand. 

Parent Survey:

Thank you so much to those of you who have already completed the parent survey that I sent out last week! I really appreciate the feedback. If you have not had a chance yet to fill that out, please click HERE to give your constructive feedback on how this year was for your student. :)

Roaring Readers:

If your student participated in the Roaring Reader program this year, they are bringing home their passes today. Please keep these in a safe location. Because it is a barcode that gets scanned on them, if they get lost there is a chance they will be used and your student won't be able to use it. 

Science Fair:

Our Science Fair is this Thursday, May 15th in the Aux. Gym from 5:30-7:00. Your student does not need to be here the whole time, but it is fun to get to check out all the hard work! If your student is here towards the end of the evening, they are welcome to take their project home. If not, they will bring it home next Monday.

We will be working on presenting these all throughout the week. Your student should have brought their board and rubric in today and be ready to present when it is their turn. I always love watching their presentations and learning about what they have done! 

Field Day:

Next Monday the 19th is Field Day. 4th grade students will be participating in the morning, so again, dressing a little warmer may be a good idea! Sunscreen and hats are also helpful. Please make sure they wear tennis shoes that day!

May Reading Calendar:

Reading Calendars for this month are due next Monday the 19th. Students need to read a total of 250 minutes for full credit this month. 

Multiplication Fact Homework:

If your student is still working on their multiplication facts, the last week of homework is due next Monday the 19th. 

Week of May 5th

 Hello! I hope you all enjoyed the lovely weather over the weekend. I really enjoyed spending my days outside getting my backyard organized and ready for the summer months. :)

ISATs:

This is our final week of ISAT testing. We will be taking the Math CAT on Tuesday and the Math PT on Wednesday. Please help your child get to bed early this week and eat a good breakfast filled with protein and complex carbs the mornings of the tests. 

IXL has an ISAT test prep with skills that I am encouraging my students to work on to help them remember the things we have learned this year and also to work on things that they may be struggling with. I will offer 10 points of math extra credit for students practicing those skills at home for an hour this week. 

ELA:

This week we will get back to our Native American research project. Your student should have completed their informative essay individually and submitted that a couple of weeks ago. The next part of the project will all be completed in class as they will be working with their group to put together a presentation that they will be sharing with the class to teach everyone about their assigned tribe. 

April Reading Calendars were due today. I am sending home their May Reading Calendars today as well. These will be due on Monday, May 19th. They only need to read 250 minutes for full credit this month. 

Math:

Because of Math ISATs this week, there will not be any assigned math work. We will be working in class to review everything we have learned this year. We are also looking at the practice ISAT test to help review what they will be asking. 

Please continue working with your student if they have not mastered their multiplication facts yet. This is still a homework grade each week for those that have not mastered it. They will bring home a certificate when they do so that you know as well. 

Wagons Ho!:

Wagons Ho! is next week on Wednesday, May 14th. They are asking for 12-15 parents per class to help out. I currently have 7 parents signed up to help. Please plan to be at the school around 7:45 with your ID. You will need to check in at the front office with your ID and they will give you a sticker name badge that you will need to wear on your chest for the duration of the day. Staff will stop you if you don't have it on. :) 

Parents will also need to plan on bringing a lunch. It's best if you have a lunch that doesn't require heating up as there are limited microwaves available to us. We will be eating at the students' normal lunchtime, 11:20. You will also need to bring a water bottle. 

One of our Essential 44 is "Dress for success!" We have been talking in class about how that looks different depending on what we are doing. Students (and parent volunteers) need to wear closed toed shoes like tennis shoes or boots. Please do not send your student in sandals or Crocs. They also need to wear long pants and dress in layers. I will try to remember to email parents the night before about the weather. Last year the temperature in the morning was near freezing, please pay attention to that and make sure your student has a coat, sweatshirt, and tshirt. It's easier to take off layers when they warm up, than to be freezing and have nothing to put on. Hats and sunscreen are also a great idea!

Students are asked to bring a bundle of firewood and a large button that has 2 or 4 holes. I have extra of these if your student does not have access to them. 

Library Books:

All of my library books are due this Thursday, May 8th. This allows me time to make sure I have all of them back in. Students who have lost or damaged books from my library will need to either replace them, pay to replace them, or do community service to replace that book. :)

Science Fair:

Our science projects should be wrapping up within the next week. Your student's presentation board is due next Monday, May 12th. Your student will be presenting their project to the class starting Monday. Please do NOT send their boards in before that as I have very limited space in the classroom and I don't want any of their hard work to be damaged or ruined. Please help your student "grade" themselves using the rubric that I sent home by circling in pencil what they think they scored in each category. They will turn this in and then I will use that rubric as I grade them. 

They should have added another category for "Presentation" down at the bottom. I am including a picture of what they should have written on the rubric with me in class in case they were gone, or didn't get it written down.