Wednesday, March 30, 2011

4th Grade ROCKS! Rocks! rocks!

Dear Students and Parents,

Thank you for participating this week in helping the people of Japan spiritually through Mass attendance and physically through your donations. Fourth Grade is full of Ambassadors of Hope and Active Catholics!
PTG costumes are due to school April 18,2011. I hope the note sent home earlier this week helped clarify the expectations for what is required. Thank you for all of your help.
Students are enjoying the 4th grade website. We have discussed that they should have parent permission and supervision whenever having access to the internet. Thanks so much for helping your student adapt to the changes in technology while having a fun time learning. Next week we will be able to gain information and use some interactive links to complete future homework assignment options. It is very exciting! Check us out at www.fabulous4th.weebly.com.
Lastly, students should continue to AR read daily. Just use the Accelerated Reader link at www.olabruins.com to check the book to be sure it is in fact in their AR level. The goal for March is for each student to read 4 books in their AR level before March 31 and score 80% or above on the comprehension test. We also have started taking vocabulary tests on each book read since an increased vocabulary often leads to improvement in comprehension skills.
Have a great week and please feel free to contact me by sending a note with your child or through my diocesan email: yschmenauer@sbdiocese.org.
Day One (Friday)
Spell (Spell-A-Thon Words 37-75)
Spell One Assign
Math Pg.119- Points & Lines
Handwriting Day One
AR Read Time determined by parent
Day Two (MONDAY)
Spell One Assign
Math Pg.120-Rays & Angles
AR Read Time determined by parent
Handwriting Day Two
Day Three (TUESDAY)
Spell One Assign
Math Pg.121-Types of Lines
AR Read Time determined by parent
Handwriting Day Three
Day Four (WEDNESDAY)
Spell One Assign
Math Pg.122 Circles
AR Read Time determined by parent
Handwriting Day Four
**Please note that there are no vocabulary assignments since students are using words 37-75 from the Spell- A-Thon list to prepare for the April 8th Spell-A-Thon. We will work on vocabulary in class
** Four books for AR should be completed by March 31,2011!
Students should have at least two finished at this point in the month to pace themselves. (If not, spend some extra time reading over the weekend.)

Monday, March 21, 2011

PTG COSTUME INFORMATION 3/22/11

CHARACTER MATTERS PTG COSTUMES
DUE: MONDAY, APRIL 18, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Dear Parents,
Thank you so much for helping your child learn the songs for the upcoming PTG that will be performed on May 5, 2011. Below is a list of costumes and requirements for your student to bring to school for a costume check. Please note that if your child is part of a group we are requesting that the costumes and accessories match so that it will be easy to identify their group onstage.
We have heard from many parents willing to volunteer to help and we appreciate your support so much. Please review the list and get the necessary supplies needed. Some parents prefer to make their costumes while others might find purchasing them more convenient. Please try to follow our requests so that the students can look uniformed as a group. A few popular websites for ordering costumes online are:
http://www.buycostumes.com/
http://www.justkidscostumes.com/
http://www.costumes4less.com/
Or please feel free to use any other sites or stores that you know are reputable and feel comfortable with placing an order or purchasing in a timely manner so that every student has a costume on the costume due: April 18, 2011.
Here is a list of characters:

Rapunzel – Individual Costume

Prince- Individual costume & Gold Crown

Witch- Individual costume and Black Hat & Broom

Little Red Riding Hood & Friends- Ms. Kisselovich In Charge for Capes

Red Riding Hood- Dress, white tights, dress shoes, basket

White Cape Friends- Dress, white tights, dress shoes basket

Red's Grandmother- Individual, Nightgown, Nightcap with curlers in hair, Slippers,

Wolf- Individual Furry Wolf Costume

Wolf Pack (Cubs 1,2,3)- Volunteer parent needed to make or buy matching ears and tails

Grey sweatshirt, Grey sweatpants, black sunglasses, wolf ears and tails

Princesses- 2nd grade parents in charge

Princess dresses, tiaras,tights, and dress shoes

The Three Bears- Volunteer Parent Needed (Mrs. Hodgson needs a helper)

Mama & Papa Brown Sweatshirts, and Sweatpants, Papa- Tie & Hat

Mama- Flower Hat and Apron,

Baby Bear- Bright Colored Shirt with Jean Overalls

Brown Face make-up.

Goldilocks- Individual Beautiful Costume

Cinderella- Individual Costume (it looks great already- good job!)

Cinderella's Mice- Volunteer Needed to make/ or buy the same ears and tails that match!

Black sweatshirt with a hood, black sweatpants, mouse ears and tails.

Cinderella Step Mom & Step Sisters- Taken care of- thank you Ms. Kisselovich-We love you!

Humpty Dumpty- Individual Egg Costume (look online???) We will supply crutches.

Jack- Individual Costume with a Goose (By the way... we love that GOOSE!)

Giant- Individual Giant Costume Online or in store with green face make-up.

Snow White's Evil Queen- Individual costume with CROWN and hand-held mirror

Magic Mirrors- Parent Volunteer needed for Mirror Cardboard Construction

Black t-shirt with black leggings.

Frog Prince- Costume taken care of- but Frog Hat and Gold Crown needed from parents.

The “Four” Little Pigs- Ms. Grande is in charge-
So cute in their “dirty pink sweats”. Thanks Ms. JOANNE!
She will contact piggy parents soon!! :)
We look forward to a great PTG performance and know that these children are stars! Please feel free to send in a note or email with any questions or suggestions or contact the parent in charge of your group at your earliest convenience. Thank you so much for supporting your student. We can't wait to see the great costumes on April 18th!
Sincerely,
Ms. Forbush (rforbush@sbdiocese.org )
Mrs. Schemenauer (yschemenauer@sbdiocese.org)

Homework Continues...

Thurs. March 17 – Thurs. March 24, 2011


4th Grade Homework Sheet

Dear Students and Parents,
There is no school on Friday, March 18th due to a diocesan closure for a teacher retreat. Also,there is no school on Monday due to a technology training for teachers in order to use our new smart boards. Students' homework folders are due one week from today, March 24, 2011.
Please note the unique assignments this week as they are a bit different than usually scheduled homework. Students are working on a Trumpet of the Swan Math Project that I have explained to them in class. They will need to work on this a bit each day in order to have it complete for the March 24th deadline. I am hoping that all students can have their parents review the homework before turning it in each week.
The fabulous 4th grade will attend Mass on Wednesday, March 23rd to pray for the people of Japan. Also, Friday, March 25th will be a Dollar Dress Day. Students may wear free dress for $1.00 and all the proceeds will be donated through the diocesan charity to help the victims of the tsunami, and earthquake. Parents wanting to donate additional money can send in checks made out to OLA School with “Japan” in the memo line in order to designate the donated money for tax purposes. Thank you for your support.
Students are enjoying the 4th grade website. We have discussed that they should have parent permission and supervision whenever having access to the internet. Thanks so much for helping your student adapt to the changes in technology while having a fun time learning. Next week we will be able to gain information and use some interactive links to complete future homework assignment options. It is very exciting! Check us out at www.fabulous4th.weebly.com.
Lastly, students should continue to AR read daily. Just use the Accelerated Reader link at www.olabruins.com to check the book to be sure it is in fact in their AR level. The goal for March is for each student to read 4 books in their AR level before March 31 and score 80% or above on the comprehension test. We also have started taking vocabulary tests on each book read since an increased vocabulary often leads to improvement in comprehension skills.
Have a great week and please feel free to contact me by sending a note with your child or through my diocesan email: yschmenauer@sbdiocese.org.
Day One (Thursday)

Spell (Spell-A-Thon Words 1-36)

Spell One Assign

Math Trumpet of Swans

Music Practice PTG 15 min.

AR Read Time determined by parent

Day Two (MONDAY)

Spell One Assign

Math Trumpet of Swans

AR Read Time determined by parent

Music Practice PTG 15 min.

Day Three (TUESDAY)

Spell One Assign

Math Trumpet of Swans

AR Read Time determined by parent

Music Practice PTG 15 min.

Day Four (WEDNESDAY)

Spell One Assign

Math Trumpet of Swans

AR Read Time determined by parent

Music Practice PTG 15 min.



**Please note there are no handwriting assignments since students are working on their Trumpet of Swans Math Assignment.

**Please note that there are no vocabulary assignments since students are using words 1-36 from the Spell- A-Thon list to prepare for the April 8th Spell-A-Thon. We will work on vocabulary in class.

** Four books for AR should be completed by March 31,2011!

Students should have at least two finished at this point in the month to pace themselves. (If not, spend some extra time reading over this four day weekend.)

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

St. PATRICK"S DAY PIZZA PARTY? (What? Well the teacher is Italian)

The fabulous 4th Grade will have a class pizza party on Thursday, March 17,2011! This is to reward the students for their great behavior and hard work. Mrs. Schemenauer will provide the pizza and Team Louis will provide additonal goodies since they came in 2nd place to Team Serena by just one tiny point!
FOURTH GRADE IS FABULOUS AND THEY DESERVE SOME FUN!
FYI- Just a reminder there is no school Friday, March 18,2011! Keep up the great work 4th grade!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

March 11. 2011

Dear Students and Parents,
There is no school next Friday, March 18th due to a diocesan closure for a teacher retreat. Students' homework folders will be due on Thursday, March 17th and be sent home the same day for the following week's work. I am hoping that all students can have their parents review the homework before turning it in each week. This will help students stay accountable and also gain clarification before the homework is graded for points. Since we are in the 3rd trimester some of the math homework is becoming very advanced. The students have been taught the lessons prior to the homework practice but could benefit from parents reviewing their work. Thanks so much for your help!
Also, I am excited to announce that fabulous fourth grade will have our own website up and running next week. This website is a result of the technology seminar Mrs. Schemenauer attended last week. Students will be able to gain information and use some interactive links to complete future homework assignment options. It is very exciting! (More information will follow next week.) Check us out at  http://www.fabulous4th.weebly.com/.
Next,just a continued reminder to please save the date: May 5, 2011! AT 1:00 and 6:00 pm the fabulous fourth grade will perform “Character Matters” at the PTG Shows here with Super Smart Second Grade at OLA. Students have been assigned parts. Enclosed in this homework packet is a CD with the songs for students to practice daily so the words can be memorized. I am still waiting for parent volunteers that are willing to help sew costumes or work on set production. Please send in a note with your child or email me letting me know if you can help out with either costumes or set design. Thank you to those parents that have already contacted me to help. More information will follow in the weeks to come, but just know it will be a FABULOUS performance and you really won’t want to miss it!
Lastly, students should continue to AR read daily. Just use the Accelerated Reader link at www.olabruins.com to check the book to be sure it is in fact in their AR level. The goal for March is for each student to read 4 books in their AR level before March 31 and score 80% or above on the comprehension test. We also have started taking vocabulary tests on each book read since an increased vocabulary often leads to improvement in comprehension skills.
Have a great week and please feel free to contact me by sending a note with your child or through my diocesan email: yschmenauer@sbdiocese.org.
Day One (FRIDAY)

Handwriting Day One

Spell/Vocab One Assign Each

Math Add Fractions

Music Practice 15 mins

AR Read Time determined by parent

Day Two (MONDAY)

Handwriting Day Two

Spell/Vocab One Assign Each

Math Subtract Fractions

AR Read Time determined by parent

Music Practice 15 mins

Day Three (TUESDAY)

Handwriting Day Three

Spell/Vocab One Assign Each

Math Probability

AR Read Time determined by parent

Music Practice 15 mins

Day Four (WEDNESDAY)

Handwriting Day Four

Spell/Vocab One Assign Each

Math Parts of a Number

AR Read Time determined by parent

Music Practice 15 mins

Monday, March 7, 2011

"Marching" on with 3rd Trimester Homework...

Fri. March 4 – Thurs. March 10, 2011
4th Grade Homework Sheet
Dear Students and Parents,
Report Cards are being sent home today. Please review these with your child and discuss their areas of strengths and areas for growth. The fabulous fourth grade students have done really well and should continue to work hard through this final trimester. The report cards do not need to be returned to school since we have already kept a copy for their records.
Also, please remember that Wednesday, March 9th is Ash Wednesday. Students need to be wearing full Mass uniform and be on time to school. We will attend Mass and need to be walking over to the church right when the bell rings at 7:55am. Tardy students will need to be escorted into the church by parents since all staff members will be attending this Mass. This will begin our Lenten journey and we want to start it off right!
Next, please save the date: May 5, 2011! AT 1:00 and 6:00 pm the fabulous fourth grade will perform “Character Matters” at the PTG Shows here with Super Smart Second Grade at OLA. Students have been assigned parts. Enclosed in this homework packet is a CD with the songs for students to practice daily so the words can be memorized. I am still waiting for parent volunteers that are willing to help sew costumes or work on set production. Please send in a note with your child or email me letting me know if you can help out with either costumes or set design. Thank you to those parents that have already contacted me to help. More information will follow in the weeks to come, but just know it will be a FABULOUS performance and you really won’t want to miss it!
Lastly, students should continue to AR read daily. Just use the Accelerated Reader link at www.olabruins.com to check the book to be sure it is in fact in their AR level. The goal for March is for each student to read 4 books in their AR level before March 31 and score 80% or above on the comprehension test. We also have started taking vocabulary tests on each book read since an increased vocabulary often leads to improvement in comprehension skills. Reading Logs were sent home this week and should be updated daily.
Have a great week and please feel free to contact me by sending a note with your child or through my diocesan email: yschmenauer@sbdiocese.org.

Day One (FRIDAY)

Handwriting Day One

Spell/Vocab One Assign Each

Math Pg.109

Music Practice 15 mins

AR Read Time determined by parent

Day Two (MONDAY)

Handwriting Day Two

Spell/Vocab One Assign Each

Math Pg.110

AR Read Time determined by parent

Music Practice 15 mins

Day Three (TUESDAY)

Handwriting Day Three

Spell/Vocab One Assign Each

Math Pg.111

AR Read Time determined by parent

Music Practice 15 mins

Day Four (WEDNESDAY)

Handwriting Day Four

Spell/Vocab One Assign Each

Math Pg.112

AR Read Time determined by parent

Music Practice 15 mins



*St.Patrick's Day Dinner Dance tickets are still available! Get your tickets today for Saturday, March 12, 2011!! Thank you for your support of OLA School!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

MARCH MADNESS 3/1/11- 3/31/11 (Is Reading Considered a Sport?)

Fabulous Fourth Grade moves on with their March Reading Goals:

Students are bringing home Reading Logs for the month of March. They were given directions in class today specifically explaining what is expected for the logs. (Please allow your 4th grade ambassador to explain this to you the parent educator.)
 Students will read an Accelerated Reader leveled book four days a week for each week in March. Reading Logs should be kept in their Homework Folders and signed regularly as they will count towards their third trimester reading grade. The final log will not be due until April 1, 2011, but the logs will be checked every Thursday for reading points and to help students stay on track. Students then should take FOUR A.R. reading comprehension and vocabulary tests in class as they complete each book. The goal of reading four chapter books per month remains and the students are achieving their goals fabulously. Keep Reading!
**As stated regularly in the weekly homework letters all books should be checked for the ZPD level on the AR book finder link provided at the school web site http://www.olabruins.com/!**