News from Mrs. Pepin’s 4th Grade
August 30, 2019
Dear Parents,
I had a great first couple of days of school with our wonderful class! The students and I have enjoyed getting to know one another and our classroom. We have stressed respect for each other and making the
classroom a safe and comfortable environment for all. We have discussed how to be “bucket fillers,” and next week we will work together to create Hopes and Dreams and rules for our classroom. We will continue to look for and talk about these things throughout the year. Through modeling and discussions, the students are learning what is expected of them in 4th grade to make it a fun, productive year for all.
This is the first (and by far, the longest!!) of the monthly newsletters that you will be receiving from me. I will post my newsletter on my website and then email you to let you know it is ready to go. (If you would prefer a hard copy, sent home with your student, please let me know)
In each newsletter you will find a F.Y.I. (For Your Information) section that includes important upcoming dates (field trips, date book ordersThe newsletter will also include information about what we did
that week in each subject area (math, reading, writing, etc.). I may also include a few examples of student writing (poems, short stories,
etc.) or a picture on my website.
I want to make sure that each parent receives information from
school.....both my newsletter and the blue parent folders that are sent
home on most Wednesday’s.
Also, if you have any concerns and/or questions, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me at [email protected]. E-mail seems to be the best form of communication as I check it daily, from both home and school. You can also write a note and send it in with your child or
call me at school. If I’m not available, you can leave me a voicemail and I’ll get back to you as quickly as I can.
For the safety of our students, I also need to remind parents that we have a no nut policy at CRES. Please keep this in mind when packing your child’s lunch and snack. Although not yet updated........our classroom webpage can be accessed through the Coastal Ridge website. By clicking on “staff,” then “Mrs. Pepin,” you will soon be able to see photos of our class and special activities, view important upcoming dates, check out the homework page, and find useful links for you and/or your child.
To make it easier for me when I am filling out a bus pass for a student that is going somewhere different than their usual place after school, please include the name and address of where your child is going, as well as the bus number, if you know it. Please remember, if
your child is doing anything different after school than you filled out on their dismissal plan sheet, you need to send in a note OR CALL BY 11 AM!(unless it is an emergency) Please DO NOT EMAIL ME CHANGE OF DISMISSAL PLANS FOR YOUR STUDENT--I may not get the email or there could be a guest teacher in my class and would not have access to an email.
In 4th grade, most of the work the students do stays here at school. Throughout the year, your child will be choosing pieces of their work to put in their portfolio, which will be shared and used at Student-led Conferences. Once we’ve spent some time choosing work to put in the portfolio, the students will clean out their folders and bring home work to keep at home. As a way for you to see your child’s math tests throughout the year, students will bring home their test for viewing, but it will need to be returned to school to go into your child’s portfolio. (I ask that you sign a slip to verify that your child has reviewed the test with you)
I love having parent volunteers in the classroom. I will be sending home a volunteer sign-up the third week of September(or you can sign up at Open House) and will begin scheduling volunteers for October.
On Tuesday, each student set up his or her homework binder with an assignment book and a red homework folder. This should travel from home to school, and vice versa, each day. Please take a minute or two
each night to check and sign your child’s assignment book. There are often reminders written in there and it keeps you informed of what homework your child is given each night.
I am collecting magazines/catalogs for the students to cut from for their Writer’s notebook collages. If you have some old magazines and/or catalogs that we could have for this, please send them into school. Next week I will be asking the students to bring in a few photos to include on their Writer’s Notebook, if they choose to do so.
This is optional.....notebooks can be covered completely with magazine cut-outs.
Our specials time this year is from 9:20 to 10:15 am. We will have snack right after specials each day, at 10:15 am. It will be important for the students to have a healthy snack, as we eat lunch at 12:30pm.
F.Y.I.
• A schedule of our specials will be going home on Tuesday. Please help remind your child to wear/bring sneakers every Thursday for P.E. Another important special to help remind your child about the
night before is library, which we have on Mondays.
I LOVE Reading and want to give my student readers access to lots of books. Several times during the year I will be sending home Scholastic Book Flyers. . Only ONE check is needed, written out to Scholastic
Book Clubs. You can order from multiple flyers and write only one check. You can also order online....and this allows you to order from Scholastic’s full selection of books....not only what is
included in the flyers. I will send home a note with
directions for online ordering. Each order gives bonus points that I use to buy books for the classroom.
• The 4th grade will hold our annual globe-making event on Friday, Sept. 13th. A volunteer note will be going home next week. If you are able to help with this event, that would be great. Just return the form so we know how many parents/guardians are able
to assist us.
•Thursday, Sept. 12th, is picture day. Order forms went home in the first blue parent folder. All students will get their picture taken regardless of if you order pictures.
• Over the next few weeks, students will be taking the computer based STAR assessments.....one math section and one reading section. These assessments, taking no more than an hour for each section, are aligned with the common core curriculum and will allow us to monitor student progress, as students will take them again
mid-year and towards the end of the year.
• The CRES open house for 3rd and 4th grades will be held on Thursday, September 19th, from 6:00 to 7:00pm. The format of the open house will be different from years past. Students are encouraged to attend, as open house will provide them with the opportunity to show you our classroom and some of the things they
have done or are working on at that time. Students can also show you the other places in the school (art room, music room, etc.) where they spend time during the day.
• There is no school on Monday, October 14th, which is Columbus Day.
Math:
• The students will be taking the beginning of the year math assessment next week.
• Mrs. Bradburn, our math coach, will also be doing a “Number Talks” activity with the class.
Reading:
• I assign reading each night, but I will not assign the amount of time a student needs to read each night. Students will set their own reading goal(at least 120 minutes per week.) I understand that students are involved in after-school activities and/or sports and
may not have time to complete both homework and the reading.Although it would be ideal for students to read every day, a student can make up a missed night of reading by reading more over the weekend or on another night. Your child will have a reading log in their homework binder each week to record their at
home reading. Both the assignment book and the reading log should be initialed by a parent/guardian each night. Thank you for doing this!!
We will begin our first read-aloud chapter book,
Wonder, next week. Books read this week during our read-aloud
time include The Recess Queen, by Alexis O’Neill and Laura
Huliska-Beith,
Writing/Word Work:
• Our school uses the Lucy Calkins workshop models for teaching reading and writing. Each unit (there are 4 reading and 4 writing units) contains a pre-assessment and a post-assessment....to show student growth. As it’s recommended to do all of the writing pre-assessments at the beginning of the school year, the students will be completing one this next week....a narrative piece.
• They also will be taking a spelling pre-assessment this week.
Other:
• We went over the morning routine, morning meeting procedure,
class jobs, classroom materials, bathroom rules, lunch count, fire drill procedure, etc......lots to share, show, introduce, and talk about the first few days of school!!
• To discover where things are located in the classroom, the students completed a “Pencil Box Scavenger Hunt”.
• The students learned a variety of morning meeting greetings and activities.
• The students learned about a classmate through an activity where they found someone who…..
where they walked around the classroom together,finding questions to ask and record about one another.
• We walked through our fire drill procedure.
• Working in small groups, the students completed a few challenges
that required teamwork.....a stacking cups challenge and Next week the students will go on a school-wide
scavenger hunt where they will work as a team to gather information and objects.
• The 4th grade had a bunch of fun “Hula Hoop Showdown”.....rock/paper/scissors style, Thursday afternoon. Be sure to ask your child about this!!! It was a lot of fun!!
• We will have our first assembly of the year on Wednesday, September 4th.
Have a fantastic weekend! I look forward to meeting all of you (if I have not done so already) and am excited to be working with your child this year. Please be sure to keep in touch with any questions and/or concerns.
Sincerely,
Tracy
August 30, 2019
Dear Parents,
I had a great first couple of days of school with our wonderful class! The students and I have enjoyed getting to know one another and our classroom. We have stressed respect for each other and making the
classroom a safe and comfortable environment for all. We have discussed how to be “bucket fillers,” and next week we will work together to create Hopes and Dreams and rules for our classroom. We will continue to look for and talk about these things throughout the year. Through modeling and discussions, the students are learning what is expected of them in 4th grade to make it a fun, productive year for all.
This is the first (and by far, the longest!!) of the monthly newsletters that you will be receiving from me. I will post my newsletter on my website and then email you to let you know it is ready to go. (If you would prefer a hard copy, sent home with your student, please let me know)
In each newsletter you will find a F.Y.I. (For Your Information) section that includes important upcoming dates (field trips, date book ordersThe newsletter will also include information about what we did
that week in each subject area (math, reading, writing, etc.). I may also include a few examples of student writing (poems, short stories,
etc.) or a picture on my website.
I want to make sure that each parent receives information from
school.....both my newsletter and the blue parent folders that are sent
home on most Wednesday’s.
Also, if you have any concerns and/or questions, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me at [email protected]. E-mail seems to be the best form of communication as I check it daily, from both home and school. You can also write a note and send it in with your child or
call me at school. If I’m not available, you can leave me a voicemail and I’ll get back to you as quickly as I can.
For the safety of our students, I also need to remind parents that we have a no nut policy at CRES. Please keep this in mind when packing your child’s lunch and snack. Although not yet updated........our classroom webpage can be accessed through the Coastal Ridge website. By clicking on “staff,” then “Mrs. Pepin,” you will soon be able to see photos of our class and special activities, view important upcoming dates, check out the homework page, and find useful links for you and/or your child.
To make it easier for me when I am filling out a bus pass for a student that is going somewhere different than their usual place after school, please include the name and address of where your child is going, as well as the bus number, if you know it. Please remember, if
your child is doing anything different after school than you filled out on their dismissal plan sheet, you need to send in a note OR CALL BY 11 AM!(unless it is an emergency) Please DO NOT EMAIL ME CHANGE OF DISMISSAL PLANS FOR YOUR STUDENT--I may not get the email or there could be a guest teacher in my class and would not have access to an email.
In 4th grade, most of the work the students do stays here at school. Throughout the year, your child will be choosing pieces of their work to put in their portfolio, which will be shared and used at Student-led Conferences. Once we’ve spent some time choosing work to put in the portfolio, the students will clean out their folders and bring home work to keep at home. As a way for you to see your child’s math tests throughout the year, students will bring home their test for viewing, but it will need to be returned to school to go into your child’s portfolio. (I ask that you sign a slip to verify that your child has reviewed the test with you)
I love having parent volunteers in the classroom. I will be sending home a volunteer sign-up the third week of September(or you can sign up at Open House) and will begin scheduling volunteers for October.
On Tuesday, each student set up his or her homework binder with an assignment book and a red homework folder. This should travel from home to school, and vice versa, each day. Please take a minute or two
each night to check and sign your child’s assignment book. There are often reminders written in there and it keeps you informed of what homework your child is given each night.
I am collecting magazines/catalogs for the students to cut from for their Writer’s notebook collages. If you have some old magazines and/or catalogs that we could have for this, please send them into school. Next week I will be asking the students to bring in a few photos to include on their Writer’s Notebook, if they choose to do so.
This is optional.....notebooks can be covered completely with magazine cut-outs.
Our specials time this year is from 9:20 to 10:15 am. We will have snack right after specials each day, at 10:15 am. It will be important for the students to have a healthy snack, as we eat lunch at 12:30pm.
F.Y.I.
• A schedule of our specials will be going home on Tuesday. Please help remind your child to wear/bring sneakers every Thursday for P.E. Another important special to help remind your child about the
night before is library, which we have on Mondays.
I LOVE Reading and want to give my student readers access to lots of books. Several times during the year I will be sending home Scholastic Book Flyers. . Only ONE check is needed, written out to Scholastic
Book Clubs. You can order from multiple flyers and write only one check. You can also order online....and this allows you to order from Scholastic’s full selection of books....not only what is
included in the flyers. I will send home a note with
directions for online ordering. Each order gives bonus points that I use to buy books for the classroom.
• The 4th grade will hold our annual globe-making event on Friday, Sept. 13th. A volunteer note will be going home next week. If you are able to help with this event, that would be great. Just return the form so we know how many parents/guardians are able
to assist us.
•Thursday, Sept. 12th, is picture day. Order forms went home in the first blue parent folder. All students will get their picture taken regardless of if you order pictures.
• Over the next few weeks, students will be taking the computer based STAR assessments.....one math section and one reading section. These assessments, taking no more than an hour for each section, are aligned with the common core curriculum and will allow us to monitor student progress, as students will take them again
mid-year and towards the end of the year.
• The CRES open house for 3rd and 4th grades will be held on Thursday, September 19th, from 6:00 to 7:00pm. The format of the open house will be different from years past. Students are encouraged to attend, as open house will provide them with the opportunity to show you our classroom and some of the things they
have done or are working on at that time. Students can also show you the other places in the school (art room, music room, etc.) where they spend time during the day.
• There is no school on Monday, October 14th, which is Columbus Day.
Math:
• The students will be taking the beginning of the year math assessment next week.
• Mrs. Bradburn, our math coach, will also be doing a “Number Talks” activity with the class.
Reading:
• I assign reading each night, but I will not assign the amount of time a student needs to read each night. Students will set their own reading goal(at least 120 minutes per week.) I understand that students are involved in after-school activities and/or sports and
may not have time to complete both homework and the reading.Although it would be ideal for students to read every day, a student can make up a missed night of reading by reading more over the weekend or on another night. Your child will have a reading log in their homework binder each week to record their at
home reading. Both the assignment book and the reading log should be initialed by a parent/guardian each night. Thank you for doing this!!
We will begin our first read-aloud chapter book,
Wonder, next week. Books read this week during our read-aloud
time include The Recess Queen, by Alexis O’Neill and Laura
Huliska-Beith,
Writing/Word Work:
• Our school uses the Lucy Calkins workshop models for teaching reading and writing. Each unit (there are 4 reading and 4 writing units) contains a pre-assessment and a post-assessment....to show student growth. As it’s recommended to do all of the writing pre-assessments at the beginning of the school year, the students will be completing one this next week....a narrative piece.
• They also will be taking a spelling pre-assessment this week.
Other:
• We went over the morning routine, morning meeting procedure,
class jobs, classroom materials, bathroom rules, lunch count, fire drill procedure, etc......lots to share, show, introduce, and talk about the first few days of school!!
• To discover where things are located in the classroom, the students completed a “Pencil Box Scavenger Hunt”.
• The students learned a variety of morning meeting greetings and activities.
• The students learned about a classmate through an activity where they found someone who…..
where they walked around the classroom together,finding questions to ask and record about one another.
• We walked through our fire drill procedure.
• Working in small groups, the students completed a few challenges
that required teamwork.....a stacking cups challenge and Next week the students will go on a school-wide
scavenger hunt where they will work as a team to gather information and objects.
• The 4th grade had a bunch of fun “Hula Hoop Showdown”.....rock/paper/scissors style, Thursday afternoon. Be sure to ask your child about this!!! It was a lot of fun!!
• We will have our first assembly of the year on Wednesday, September 4th.
Have a fantastic weekend! I look forward to meeting all of you (if I have not done so already) and am excited to be working with your child this year. Please be sure to keep in touch with any questions and/or concerns.
Sincerely,
Tracy