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Birthdays We Celebrated This Month!

Upcoming Dates

Kamryn - 1st

Jakoby - 2nd

Hadley G - 6th

Olivia - 27th

-4A’s November Newsletter-

Ms. Davidshofer

Dec 18-22: Spirit Week

  • 12/18: Flannel Day
  • 12/19: Grinch Day
  • 12/20: Candy Cane Day (red & white)
  • 12/21: Deck yourself out with holiday gear (Christmas party day)
  • 12/22: Polar Express Day (wear pajamas)

Dec 20: Quarter 2 AR BINGO due!

Dec 21: Winter parties at school at 2PM

Dec 22: Trojans Code Celebration (AR Party)

Dec 23-Jan 7: No school – Winter Break!

Jan 10: Author Visit – Troy Cummings

Thank you to all who attended Parent Teacher Conferences (whether it was in-person or virtual). It was great to get to meet with everyone! As always, never hesitate to reach out when/if you have questions or concerns about your child.

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ELA Taught in November

-4A’s November Newsletter-

Ms. Davidshofer

Wonders

We wrapped up Unit 2 of Wonders just before Thanksgiving break. �There was a summary of unit 2 in the October Newsletter, because we did the bulk of it last month. However, this month, we finished up by:

  • Expository Texts about Animal Adaptations
    • Students learned about all sorts of animals (aye-aye, javelina, surinam toad, blobfish, caribou, phasmid, spiders, sloths, horned lizard, and more) and their adaptations.
    • Students finished creating their own expository text where they compare and contrast two animals! They incorporated text features into their text.
      • Thanks to a grant from Western Governors University that I received in May 2023, the students had 19 different books and animals that they could pick and choose from for this writing! So exciting and fun to have choices! Thanks WGU for the money for these books this year!
  • Dramas → Students watched the fourth grade teachers perform “Ranita”, which was a drama in Unit 2 of Wonders. Students had opportunities to perform smaller dramas within the classroom. Students also had the opportunity to watch some of the Speech Team students come in and perform their dramas.
  • Spookley → on Halloween, the students listened to Spookley and then watched the movie “Spookley”. Afterwards, students compared & contrasted the book/movie in their Spookley craft.
  • Suffixes → after seeing the students’ excitement for the spider craft and Spookley craft, we made another craft before Thanksgiving break. Students made prefix/suffix turkeys.
  • Nouns – common/proper, singular/plural, & singular/plural possessive

Reminder: Wonders is our English Language Arts curriculum. It focuses on �reading, writing, grammar, but it incorporates science & social studies.

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Reveal Math

On November 8th, the students took their assessment on Unit 5 of Reveal. Unit 5 covered the following topics:

  • Factors & Multiples
  • Number and Shape Patterns → patterns that follow a rule, determining the rule of patterns, and interpreting the patterns

In the middle of November, we started Unit 6 of Reveal, which is focusing heavily on multiplication with the area model as well as the distributive property. Unfortunately, we were not able to finish Unit 6 before Thanksgiving break, so we will finish up this unit when we return from Thanksgiving break. Unit 6 of Reveal covers the following topics:

  • Multiplying by 10, 100, and 1,000
  • Estimating Products
  • Using the Distributive Property when Multiplying
  • Multiplying 2-Digit by 1-Digit
  • Multiplying 2-Digit by 2-Digit
  • Multi-Step Problems involving Multiplication

Math Taught in November

-4A’s November Newsletter-

Ms. Davidshofer

99Math:

99Math is a free, fact fluency program that we are using to master multiplication facts. A few times a week, the students play 99 Math as a whole class. As a class, they attempt to beat each level. To beat the level, they must know their facts with 96% accuracy as a whole class. Then they receive a piece of candy and get to move onto the next fact family.

In November, we passed the following fact families: x2,3,4,5 and x6,7

In order to help build our speed & accuracy, your child might have 99Math homework throughout the year when they do not know their facts.

Click HERE to view a video on how to use Reveal at home.

Click HERE to view a video on how to multiply.

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-4A’s November Newsletter-

Ms. Davidshofer

Second Step & Trojans Code

Weekly, Central Primary School students have a social emotional learning (SEL) lesson or a Trojans Code lesson. The SEL curriculum that we have is called Second Step. Both of these types of lessons work on building up the social emotional skills that the students need to be successful. Another way we continue to enforce these social emotional skill is by continuing to learn about how to be the best Central Trojan by following the Trojans Code.

During November, the students learned about how to change our thinking and become more positive. We learned about how the brain has two centers–emotional center and the logic center–and it is important for the brain to be balanced between these two centers. We learned how your mindset and thinking can help to balance your brain.

We also learned all about ownership through the Trojans Code. At the monthly assembly, the students who demonstrate this trait of ownership were recognized! These students will be recognized at our assembly on Thursday, November 30th. Their picture will be added to the December newsletter!

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in November

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More Updates from Our Classroom

-4A’s November Newsletter-

Ms. Davidshofer

Independent Reading (AR Reading)

Each quarter, your student will receive an AR BINGO Board. (Every student will receive the same bingo card.) For second quarter, 4A’s BINGO boards are on red paper in their take home folder.

Their goal is to complete one four-box bingo throughout the quarter with their independent AR reading. (For second quarter, their BINGOs are due on Friday, December 20th prior to them leaving at the end of the school day. This means, they have less than 1 month to finish their BINGOs for the quarter.) Students who meet their AR goal and have enough tickets on their Trojan Ticket tracker will be able to attend the quarterly reward party, which the grade will host prior to the start of winter break.

You can see your child’s progress on their AR Goal as well as their Trojan Tickets in their green take home folder. This quarter, these two tracking systems are on a red and�green paper.

In recent years due to the pandemic and Covid-19 quarantines,

AR quizzes have had a little more flexibility. However, with the

pandemic mostly behind us, it is 4th grade policy that ALL

AR quizzes must be taken at school. Therefore, all future

quizzes must be taken at school. Students have

opportunities to take AR quizzes during morning work,

Wonders centers, Ketchup & Pickles (aka study hall),

so there are multiple opportunities throughout

the day for them to take quizzes here at school.

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More Updates from Our Classroom

-4A’s November Newsletter-

Ms. Davidshofer

Congratulations on the Trojan Gala Grants!

In October, Ms. Davidshofer wrote a Trojan Gala Grant on behalf of the 4th grade team, and it was announced on November 15th that the district is funding the grant. This grant was written to ask for digital microscopes that will hook up to our SmartBoard as well as pre-made slides that can be used with the school’s stereoscopes. Later in the spring, the students will have an opportunity to explore their world up-close as we read more about these ideas in our Wonders textbook and leveled readers. This will be a fun, hands-on science experience for the students.

Ms. Davidshofer also wrote a second Trojan Gala Grant focusing on collaborative centers in 4A. It was also announced on November 15th that the district is funding this grant as well. This grant was written to ask for games and activities that would foster collaboration, teamwork, and skill building in both ELA and mathematics. Later this month (hopefully), 4A will receive many different resources for these centers times. You can see the activities pictured below.

A huge thank you to the Trojan Gala for selecting this grant to be funded! Teachers and students are excited for these new materials to arrive!

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-4A’s November Newsletter-

Ms. Davidshofer

Star of the Week

Thanks to all of the students who have been featured so far this school year!

Every student will get their own week throughout the year. In the weeks before your child’s assigned week, they’ll be given a piece of paper with more information about what to bring and information to have ready.

Upcoming Weeks are:

  • December 4 → Ella
  • December 11 → Kami
  • December 18 → Hadley M.

Reminder:

Are you unable to read your child’s planner? Was your child absent?

You are able to view a digital version of your child’s planner with the most up-to-date homework assignments on Bloomz as well as my classroom website. Click HERE to view it.

Spookley

On Halloween, the students listened to the book, Spookley, and watched the movie. Students then compared and contrasted the book and movie in this fun Spookley craft! What a fun way to connect what we are doing in Wonders to the holiday!

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Central Primary’s Grade Scale

-4A’s November Newsletter-

Ms. Davidshofer

Central Primary School grades assignments and assessments by looking at the standards or skills that are being assessed, which means your child would receive a 3, 2, or 1.

What does a 3, 2, 1 mean?

  • 3 → meets standard/skill expectations
  • 2 → approaching standard/skill expectations
  • 1 → does not meets standard/skill expectations

In order to help bridge the gap between CPS and CIS (where they are on a 7 point grade scale with A, B, C, D, F), 4th grade has put together a grade scale visual to help you understand standard/skill based grading in comparison to the 7 point scale your students will have at CIS next year.

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-4A’s November Newsletter-

Ms. Davidshofer

Everyone’s Halloween Costumes

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-4A’s November Newsletter-

Ms. Davidshofer

Mummies and putt-putt golfing at the Halloween party!

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-4A’s November Newsletter-

Ms. Davidshofer

More party fun for Halloween

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-4A’s November Newsletter-

Ms. Davidshofer

3D Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Creations