Helpful and Interesting ABC’s of 4th Grade!
Agendas - Students will be responsible for completing an agenda each day. In this agenda, students will highlight or write down any work they need to finish. Your child is responsible for sharing the agenda with you and asking you to sign it every day. MTB stands for ‘Make the Bed’ and they should respond to this query with ‘yes’ or ‘no’. You may suggest other tasks that your child may perform to transfer the idea of being a responsible citizen at school and at home. Students should also read at least 15 minutes per week night. You may make suggestions to alter this requirement; however, the idea is that this requirement will help them reach their AR trimester goal. The first trimester goal at the fourth grade is 9 AR points and for the test to count toward their total, they must pass with at least of minimum of 80% accuracy. A test that is completed with less than an 80%, will not count toward their accumulated total.
Blog - I have information and links on my blog (http://mrkrupafourthgrade.blogspot.com) or link to it from the district website. Be sure to check it, especially when the agenda says, ‘Blog Alert’. I try to put something on it everyday. If you don’t have internet access, let me know so we can send a copy home.
Conferences - We will be meeting two times this year for Parent-Teacher Conferences. Our first meeting is in October which gives you the opportunity to learn about how your child’s year has gotten started. I look forward to working closely with you to assure that we are doing our best to meet the interests and needs of your unique learner. Please check the conference schedule near my desk to verify your scheduled time slot.
Details that Make a Difference - If for any reason your child has a change in their routine at the end of the day, we are required to have a note from you or we will have to send them to their regular place/bus. If it’s a sudden change, please call the office or call me and talk directly to your child and myself. Our discipline policy allows for a ‘cooling off’ period and I provide the student with the opportunity to complete a ‘Write the Rule’ activity or complete a ‘Student Observation’ form which gives me a chance to discuss the situation with the student. Sometimes consequences need to be enforced immediately and warrant a parent phone call. I utilize a ‘ticket’ system which rewards and encourages good behavior. These tickets may occasionally be used as ‘fines’ for repeated inappropriate behavior. If late work becomes an issue, the fourth grade staff may provide “Choice Time’ activities that are additional learning opportunities for those that complete their work on time. Students that have late work will not be able to attend, as their time will be spent completing their work or contemplating their poor judgment. This year we will be utilizing a detention program to deter late work and inappropriate behavior. There will be a handout explaining this activity.
Exciting Extras - Field trips provide a wonderful opportunity for learning outside the walls of the classroom. You will hear more about these field trips as they approach. Students will also have the chance to participate in various lyceums and mini field trips around the school grounds throughout the year. Two of our scheduled field trip are to the Sartell Bowling Alley in December and the Minneapolis Children Theater in February.
Focus Fridays - All of our 2 hour late starts will be on Fridays this year. Each of these days will be a ‘Focus Friday’, where the entire school will have activities focused on a certain topic. The first 2 hour late start will be Friday, September 25th.
General Mills Box Tops - Remember to bring in all of those box tops, milk lids, soup labels, etc. you’ve been saving. Once again we’ll participate in these programs that donate to our school. The money from this program has helped fund many special events at Pleasantview. The Growing Healthy video will be shown in May. Parents will be given a opportunity to view this material before the students. It stresses the importance of good personal hygiene.
Handwriting - We will spend the first few months of school reviewing the individual letters and connections in cursive. After we have reviewed all letters, the use of cursive handwriting will be encouraged, with most assignments being required to be written in cursive during the months of February thru March.
Individuality - Each learner is special and unique in his/her own way. During the day we will strive to offer a variety of activities which will challenge and stretch each learner to his/her potential. Motivation to accept and respond to a challenge is something which must be supplied by the learner. We will be identifying our preferred Multiple Intelligences throughout the year.
Join Us for Lunch - Join us for lunch sometime when you are available. Our lunch time is 12:10- 12:30 each day. Late work is discuss in the detention policy handout
Keeping Track of Progress - There are several ways I’ll keep track of progress throughout the year. Progress reports will be sent home 3 times during the year, but watch for corrected assignments to come home too! You may want to have your child bring home their accordion folder, three-ring binder, or notebook on occasion to check their progress and view what we having been studying. Keep an eye on our blog, as many assignments and activities are featured in its pages.
Language Arts - Our language program coordinates reading, word study, and writing skills. Throughout the year students will learn about the 6 Trait approach to writing. A variety of reading materials will be used to further develop vocabulary and comprehension skills. There will be time each day for silent reading, this helps develop independent reading skills and allows the students to read something of interest to them and at their level. There will not be regular Friday spelling tests; however, misspelled words will be written in the student’s agendas for you to practice with them at home. We will also utilize audio books to develop the ability to mentally visualize a book, to experience fluency techniques, to improve comprehension, and to enjoy well written literature.
Mathematics - Our math will follow the Everyday Mathematics math curriculum. It allows for ‘different’ ways of solving problems. We expect all 4th graders to have mastered the basic facts by the end of the year! Refer to the Math Fact Requirement expectations in our child’s PIN folder and strive to improve your child’s accuracy and speed.
Night Of the Twisters - We began the year reading a very exciting and interesting novel. Your child will be taking their first Accelerated Reading test sometime next week. Please discuss the story with your child. I believe that communication between school and home is important for the success of this school year. Always encourage your child to be reading AR books to themselves or outloud and taking AR tests to improve their comprehension and fluency.
Other Teachers - During each school week, your child will work with specialists in the areas of Physical Education, Music, Art, Computer, and Media. We also do some activities and curriculum with the other classrooms teachers (Mrs. Arndt, Mrs. Burski, Mrs. Hopper, and Mrs. Kurowski).
Peanut Allergy - We do have students with peanut allergies in our school, so please be careful about which snacks you send to school. You can get a list of peanut safe snacks from the school website, or let us know if you need one.
Questions and Answers - Should you at any time have any questions about your child’s progress or any concerns you wish to discuss you may contact me by writing a note in the agenda or other paper, or telephoning Pleasantview Elementary School at 253-0506. I can also be reached by e-mail at david.krupa@isd47.org . If I don’t reply to an e-mail in 48 hours, please give me a call as we have some trouble with out of district e-mails. When e-mailing me, please put ‘SRR Student’ in the subject line to be sure it gets past our filter.
Reading - It is very important that students spend some time reading at home. Research has shown that this is one of the biggest contributors to success in reading. I expect them to set and met a reading contract goal each month.! They will be expected to turn in the record of their reading which will begin on September 15th and end on September 30th. This reading contract should be signed by you and be returned no later than Friday, September 18th. Their AR goal for this trimester is 9 AR points and most student easily meet or exceed this goal. However, there are those few exceptions. One expectation that a few students seem to forget is that for an AR test score to qualify as passed, a student must achieve a minimum of 80% accuracy. Any AR that does not meet the 80% accuracy rule, does not count toward the student accumulation of points. Often, a student that earns 70% on a test will think that the few points that are offered for taking this test will be added to their AR total. This is not true! Students must earn at least 80% on each AR test. I would love to have all my students meet this AR goal. The list of AR books can be accessed through the Pleasantview media link at www.isd47.org There is also a copy of the AR book list in the Media Center and in our classroom. We are very pleased to have a long list of AR books!
Snacks - We will have some time set aside for a snack each day between 9:40 and 10:10 AM. Students who wish to bring a snack for themselves should bring a small, nutritious snack.
Time to Complete Assignments - Homework assignments will usually be the result of work not completed during class time or a special project to be completed at home. I do assign monthly reading contracts, fluency practice activities, a weekly art project, an occasional Study Link, etc. Also, it seems that we are always writing a new story. If at any time there is a problem completing the assignment or a question arises, please feel free to contact me to discuss the matter. Late slips may be given for work that is not turned in on time or not completed. The personalized poster, ALL About Me, is due on Friday, September 18th. Keep an ‘eye’ on the agenda and our blog.
Unique - Each year of your child’s life is a time of exploration and experimentation. Please remember that your child’s year should be a journey and not a race. Your child will set his/her own pace. He or she may stumble and may even fall a time or two. It is through our combined encouragement, guidance, boundaries, and support that your child will achieve his/her greatest success. Please encourage your child to do their best and to accept consequences with the intent of making improvements. I do not take pleasure in reprimanding my students, but I do understand that lessons learned early in life through the use of consequences can help an individual avoid experiencing larger, more expensive, consequences in the future
Voice Mail - If I’m teaching or not in my classroom, the office will connect you to my voice mail. I will return the call as soon as I can call you back.
Weekly Book Check-Out - Our scheduled day for checking out books from the media center is
Day 4. I really encourage students to check out books to have for our silent reading time and for at home. Please remind your child that there is a monetary fine for not returning a book at the end of the year. Hopefully each child will continue to discover or expand their interest in reading this year!
eXtra Credit - Many opportunities will be given for the students to stretch above and beyond the required effort. I have incentives available for going that extra mile!!
You and Your Special Child - You are a very important teacher for your child. I look to you for any information you may share that will help me identify your child’s individual interests and learning needs. I look forward to working with both you and your child throughout our year together.
Zeroing in on Successes - During the year we will be celebrating the many good things about being part of 4th grade at Pleasantview Elementary!
