HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Yes, it is the end of October already!  Congratulations to all Ivy Hill 4th graders on a job well done in last week's music performances.  I was not aware there was so much talent at Ivy Hill.  You should all be very proud of yourselves.  Thank you to all family members that attended open house on October 25th.  I hope you enjoyed a tour of your 4th grader's classroom as you discovered what has been keeping us so busy.  We have so much more exploring to do.  Here is what we have planned for the upcoming week.

*Kyle is our Star Student and we look forward to learning more about him.

* Halloween parade and party is this Wednesday.  Please remember, no violent or inappropriate costumes and no fake weapons.  The room representatives have planned a wonderful afternoon of activities.  A list of foods that will be served was sent home last Friday.  No other foods will be served and no homemade items please.  Remember the new procedures for lunch pickup on Halloween.  Student last names A-M front of school and last names N-Z pickup at back of school.  All students meet outside on the blacktop at 1:15 for the start of the afternoon.  Parade will begin around 1:30.

*NO SCHOOL ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6TH.  School improvement day and election day.

*In Science we are creating solid and liquid mixtures and discovering ways to separate the mixtures.  We should be concluding our explorations of Matter by the end of next week and then we move on to our study of Native Americans.

* Mrs. Polito has been giving us helpful hints to remember when using the internet and Google searches.  These new skills will come in handy when we study Native Americans.

* In Math we continue our Mad Minute practicing of our multiplication facts.  Please remember to practice the facts at home.  We are learning strategies for solving addition and subtraction number stories and creating true mathematical sentences.  We are near the end of Unit 3 and will have a test next week.

* The students have been busy in reading creating their own non-fiction pages.  Each student chose their own topic, searched through the internet and library books to find interesting facts, and then created a non -fiction page using several of the features they learned in reading this year.  Partners will share their pages with one another and discuss what they learned from each other's non-fiction page.

* We continue improving our writing skills through the use of the WEX program.  We will conclude our work in this unit by using our new skills of focus and showing to write a personal narrative.

* The Words Their Way spelling program has been successful in providing the students with the tools necessary to learn the spelling patterns of their words and apply those skills to other words with similar patterns.  Rather than just memorize a few words for a test, the program helps them understand a skill or spelling pattern that aids in the spelling of many more words.

As you can see, there is so much fun ahead.  If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me.      Have a great week!                            

                                                                  Marybeth Buck 10/29/12