Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Hello Fourth Grade Families!

I am thankful for so many things...

• For God, who loves, and guides, and blesses me every day.
• For sweet students who give me hugs and tell me that they love me.
• For sweet students whom I hug and love right back!
• For a job that gives me so much joy, and where I can pray with, and share my faith with my students.
• For wonderful co-workers who are also friends.
• For friends who are always there to listen and love.
• For family who supports and loves me.
• For a roof over my head and enough food to eat.
• For the ability to walk, run, laugh, talk, hear, see, read, write...and so many other things that we take for granted every day (ask your kids about our current read-aloud, Out Of My Mind)
• And YOU, who are my partners in teaching your children, who say things like, "Call me if you need anything." and "He loves 4th grade!" or "She really enjoys reading this year!"  You make my job so much easier because you're such a great support to our classroom and to your kids!

When you think about all of the things that you're grateful for this Thanksgiving, I know your wonderful son or daughter will be high on that list, because they're pretty awesome people, and I love spending my days with them.  Thank you for sharing them with me!

Wishing you a blessed Thanksgiving!

Fourth Grade Update

Good Morning Fourth Grade Families!

The days in our classroom just fly by, and I love spending them with your kids!  It's a joy to see them learn and grow, especially when they grow in character.  When the kids are done with their work, they can read, write, or do an activity from our 'I'm Done, Now What?' board.  Last week one of the activities was to give an award to a classmate.  It's been so wonderful to see how the kids have recognized the 'good' in each other.  Here are some examples:

"...for being a good friend.  She shared her snack with me when I didn't have one."

"...for cleaning up the library, even though no one asked her to."

"...for being kind and helping people."

"...for being an awesome friend.  He is kind and loving to everyone in our class."

"...for helping me."

"...for being nice and having a good attitude."

"...for never being mean.  He always shows the fruit of the spirit."

"...he hugged someone when they were upset."

If you ever wondered how your kids behave at school, now you know :)  They have their "not so great" moments at times, but for the most part, they're pretty awesome kids!

This week in...

Math:  We're working on our 1 digit by 1 digit multiplication unit.  Keep practicing those math facts!

Reading:  We've been talking about Story Elements, and will be using them to analyze short stories.

Writing:  We're publishing new pieces for our Writing Portfolios.

Science:  We're continuing to learn about the Circulatory system and are currently studying the main components of blood:  red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and plasma, and what each one's job is.

There's no school on Friday, so enjoy your long weekend!