Native American Projects

I am so proud of the students and how well they did on their Native American projects.  They went beyond my expectations!  Thank you for providing the supplies the students needed to complete their projects. Your child's grade was sent home in Friday Folders.  Check out their amazing work below!

Multiplication Time!

Learning multiplication facts is a very important part of math! Multiplication facts are important because they form the building blocks for higher-level math concepts.  When students master his/her facts, these concepts will be significantly easier and the student will be better equipped to solve higher level math concepts faster.  If students spend a lot of time doing the basic facts, he/she is more likely to be confused with the processes and get lost in their calculations.

For that reason, we will begin working on fluently learning our multiplication facts.  We will spend a lot of time practicing these facts in class, online, and through various classroom activities.  I am asking that you please purchase a set of multiplication flash cards for your child to bring to class each day.  If at all possible, I would like for students to have their cards no later than Wednesday, September 28th.  They will use these cards in class and at home.  

Beginning in October students will have a timed multiplication test every Thursday.  Their first timed test will be Thursday, October 6th.  This test will include facts 0-3.  

Below are a few websites your child may use at home.  I will continue to add to this list. 

Aplusmath

Fact Monster

Flash Card Math

Multiplication Flash Cards

Multiplication Learning Games for Kids

Parent Teacher Conferences

I really enjoyed our time together during parent teacher conferences.  This was the perfect opportunity for me to share with you how well your child is doing and to set goals for the rest of the school year.  If you were not able to come in for a conference and would like to do so, please let me know!  Parent/Teacher communication is always key to a successful school year!

Interim Reports

All interim grade reports at Lake Carolina Upper Campus will be accessible from Parent Portal this school year. If you have an active Parent Portal account, please check for your child's first quarter interim grade for each subject area. When you log in to your account, the grades will automatically appear on the screen. There is not a report tab to click on in Parent Portal.

It is important to monitor your child's progress through Parent Portal before report cards are issued. The first grading period ends on October 20 and the first report card will be issued on October 28.

If you have any questions, please call the school at 691-3360.

Parent Teacher Conferences

A sign up schedule for parent teacher conferences was sent out last week.  If you have not signed up for a conference, please click the button below to do so.  If you are unable to attend during any of the allotted times and will need a phone conference, please let me know.  I look forward to meeting with each of you!

Second Native Americans Test Reminder

Parent Teacher Conferences

It's time for Parent/Teacher Conferences!  Please take a few minutes to sign up for a time to come in for a conference.  I have set my schedule to begin conferencing this Friday, (September 16th) morning.  Conferences will only last 15 minutes, so I ask that you please arrive on time so that we can get the most out of our time together.  If there is not a time available that you would like to come in and will need a phone conference, please let me know!

I will be using SignUp.com (the leading online SignUp and reminder tool) to organize our upcoming SignUps.  

Here's how it works in 3 easy steps:

1) Click the button below to see our SignUp on SignUp.com: 

2) Review the options listed and choose the spot you like.

3) Sign Up! It's Easy - you will NOT need to register an account or keep a password on SignUp.com.

I look forward to meeting with you!

Green Folders

Just a reminder that our green communication folder goes home every Friday.  Inside your child's green folder you will find his/her graded papers and any other important fliers from the school.  It is very important that you check your child's green folder each weekend.  I am finding some green folders coming back with unsigned graded papers and school fliers still in the "leave at home" pocket. This tells me that students aren't giving you their green folder.  Please ask your child for this folder or make it a point to take it out of his/her book bag when they arrive home from school each Friday. Most importantly, don't forget to sign the graded papers and return them to school on Monday. This let's me know that you have seen your child's papers, and it keeps you informed of how well your child is doing in class!

Native American In Class Project

Students will begin working on an in class Native American project.  They will create a museum exhibit of Native Americans.  Students will work in groups and this will count as a project grade.  I will send the grading rubric home after I share it with the students. Below is a more detailed description of the project for you.

Weather Guest Speaker - Tim Miller

We have lots of neat things going on with our weather unit of study.  Next week we will have meteorologist, Tim Miller, from WIS-TV come speak to the students about weather.  We are looking forward to him spending time with our 4th grade gators and sharing as much as he can about weather with them.  He will be with us Tuesday, September 14th from 1:00-2:00!
Click here to learn more about meteorologist, Tim Miller.  

Attention ALERT Parents

Today in class we went over the Native Americans who lived in the Great Basin area of the United States.  The presentation ("Native Americans Culture Presentation") for this can be found in our Social Studies Google Classroom.  Please have your child take down his/her notes over the weekend.  We also completed "Rounding Activity #1" today in math.  Your child will also need to complete this activity over the weekend.  It is not a graded assignment, but it is a great way to help them be prepared for our upcoming rounding quiz.  If you find your child is having a difficult time with rounding, please let me know! 

Native Americas Test

If your child was out one day when we took notes on one of the Native American groups, the presentation will be uploaded to our Social Studies Google Classroom.  Students may also use this presentation to help them study.

Native Americans Test

For the past two weeks we have been studying Native Americans.  The students have been learning about the following Native Americans: Eastern Woodlands, Great Plains, Southwest, Great Basin, and the Pacific Northwest.  They have to know information on where each group lived, what the environment was like, the types of food they ate, were they hunters/gathers or famers, what types of homes they lived in, clothing and transportation, how they were governed, and cultural practices.  As you can see, this is a lot of information to know about each tribe.  For that reason, instead of testing the students on all five Native American groups at once, I have decided to break this into two tests.  The first test will be on Eastern Woodland and Southwest cultural areas.  The second test will be on the Plains, Great Basin, and Pacific Northwest cultural areas.  I will send home two "Study Buddies" tomorrow with students so they can begin studying.  The first test will be on September 15th.  The second test will be September 20th.  Please note these testing dates may change due to students' readiness.  I hope this will make preparing for this test easier for the students. Please let me know if you have any questions!

MAP Testing Dates

Students will begin MAP testing this week.  There will be no homework assigned to students the night before MAP testing.  Please make sure your child gets a good night's rest, eats a good breakfast, and arrives to school on time each testing day.  Below are the dates we will test:

Reading:  Thursday, September 8th

Math: Tuesday, September 13th

Upcoming Tests/Quizzes

Please note that we will not have any tests/quizzes this week due to the short week and MAP testing. The following week, September 12th - 16th,  the students will have a water cycle and grammar quiz, and a Native Americans test.  I try really hard not to schedule this many tests/quizzes in one week, but there will be some instances when this will happen.  With that in mind, I want to alert you in advance of next week's testing schedule. 

9/12 - Water Cycle Quiz
9/15 - Native Americans Test
9/16 - Grammar Quiz

Please, please encourage your child to begin preparing now for these tests/quizzes.  All notes can be found in your child's journals.  I will send home a "Study Buddy" for your child to use to help prepare for the Native Americans test this week.  

Google Classroom

I am so excited that we have gotten our Chromebooks!  We will be using Google Classroom.  Google Classroom is a blended learning platform for schools that aim to simplify creating, distributing, and grading assignments in a paperless way.  Take a few minutes to watch the video that explains more about Google Classroom.

Students have already completed a grammar assignment and turned it it.  Ask your child to share this assignment with you.  Even though this assignment has a grade attached to it, this grade did not go in my grade book.  I wanted students to see how they are able to see their graded assignments and the feedback that I am able to give through Google Classroom.  This also gave students a chance to practice using Google Classroom.

On Friday, the students completed a math practice assignment on comparing numbers that can be found in their Math Google Classroom.  If your child was in ALERT or absent on this day, he/she is more than welcome to complete the assignment over the break.  It will be great practice!

Here are just a few ways I will use Google Classroom...

- post videos to enhance instruction

- provide websites to practice skills at home

- share rubrics for various assignments

- sharing exit slips

And the list goes on! 

If you have any questions about Google Classroom please don't hesitate to email me!

LCEU Homework Policy

I believe that homework should be given with a purpose. In my opinion, homework is not busy work. Homework is designed to give students an opportunity to practice what they have learned in school at home.  These will be short assignments that should take no longer than 30 minutes to complete all together! With that being said, students will be given homework each night.  There will be times when homework will only consist of reading for 20 minutes and studying class notes.  When written homework is assigned, it is very important that students complete this assignment.  If you find that your child is struggling with a homework assignment, feel to email me or send in a note.  Below is LCEU's homework policy.  Please take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with this policy. 

LCEU Homework Policy

(click here)