It's Monday. What are you Reading?

We are working with figurative language all week.  We read My School's a Zoo to introduce metaphors.  Our independent reading time today was heavenly.   What are you Reading this week?

Check out our Cell a bration!

Our Cell Video

Newsletter for the week

Check out this week's NEWSLETTER Here!


No spelling words for Next Week

Math Test on Thursday

No Student Attendance on Friday

Don't forget to practice those spelling words...

Here is a link to where we will take our posttest!   LINK

It's Monday...What Are You Reading?

Today was a library day for us.  Even if it weren't a library day, we always have books that we are reading!

 Right now I am reading Snicker of Magic out loud to the class.  I love Felicity Pickle.  I love that she collects words.  Ask your 4th grader about Felicity and her friend Jonah.  See what they can tell you about the story so far.

We've been reading in small groups as part of our modified Daily 5, too.  What are you reading?  Share your current title in the comments!

Five for Friday

I know that I sent home Friday Folders and that they were filled with papers and the newsletter and that students had written family journal notes, too, but today I feel like sharing 5 Fabulous Things about my day!

#1 - It is fabulous to have a talented and energetic teacher share an apple and a smile on a Friday morning. Thank you, Mrs. Strobush.

#2 - It is FUN to have a mentor who is willing to run out at lunch to VERY QUICKLY get ice cream on a Friday (no that is not good for my diet or my stress levels, but the apple that I ate after school balances it out....maybe).  Thank you, Mrs. Stimpson.

#3 - It is FANTASTIC to have all my spelling posttests scored and in the gradebook before 5 o'clock on Friday Night.   Thank you, Spelling City.

#4 - It is fortunate for us to have 2 high school aids.  Our classroom was pretty quiet near the end of the school day today.  This was especially enjoyable since it was a Friday and we aren't this quiet even on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.  While the high school aids are pretty good about going with the flow, I am not sure what happened today.  It might have been some of the Friday Fun but there was definitely something when Nate came in at the end of the day.  The kids were very excited to get to have a picture taken with him.  Nate and Tyler, we hope you win your football game tonight!  We are fortunate to have you in our classroom each day.  Thanks for all you do.

#5 - Family Time and Fun Fall Weekends - I am excited to have this weekend to spend with my own 2 kiddos and husband.  We are heading to a wedding tomorrow and I am loving these cooler temps.  I know that this family time will help me to refresh my spirit so that I am ready for all that the next week brings!

Take time to celebrate what's so fabulous this Friday.   Leave me a comment to let me know something fabulous about your Friday!

Newsletter for the Week

It's amazing to think that 14 school days have been completed.   We sure are Running Through 4th Grade!   Check out this week's newsletter for all the details.

Friday Folders will be coming home today.  Friends of Winskill Order forms are in folders along with XtraMath details.

Wonderful and Whimsical Wednesday Ramblings

I don't have much to share this evening but I wanted to put something out here...  Most of it will be random but you might be interested;-)

We've been reading a story this week about MLK, Jr.  It's not the story we all think of when we hear the name Martin Luther King, Jr.  This story is about Martin's childhood and it's told by his older sister.  Some of the questions I've heard this week make me giggle.  One student asked if I was alive when Martin Luther King, Jr. was alive.  I did tell the class that I WASN'T alive when MLK, Jr. was.  He died in 1968 and I was not born until later in the 70s....  

We began our week with a little information about Nelson Mandela, too.  I think that was good information to start with because I remember when Nelson Mandela died last December.  In some of the information that we looked at about this great leader, we learned that he was born in 1918.  Someone again asked if I was born then....NOPE.

Word Work for today was with BOGGLE.  Do you ever play BOGGLE at home?  Today we were looking for long e and short e vowel patterns.  While I have not gotten to be at this center yet, I am very thankful that our high school helper is there to work with the kids.

 BOGGLE is one of my favorite word games and I hope to get to play with my 4th graders soon.

Math has been getting smoother every day, too.  Today we tried out XtraMath in the computer lab.  Students will have directions in this week's Friday Folder for how they can practice at home, too.

Our Science cells study is moving along nicely, too.  Tomorrow we will be finishing our close read of "The Cells that Make Us."  

While this post if full of random rambling, please know that we are working to make the most of each day.  My crazy expectations of nobody getting up during my lessons and not asking to go to the bathroom 9 times during the day are beginning to be understood.  From the book See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles, I am now sure that Ran's words to Fern hold true to me, too:  "All will be well."

Make Your Mark Monday

Have you ever felt overwhelmed? These last couple weeks I have felt some strong feelings of stress. I have 2 1/2 extra hours in the day than I had in previous school years and yet my to-do list is far longer than it has ever been and the list isn't getting any shorter. My goal over the weekend was to get caught up. I'm happy to report that many of the necessary things did get done but I do still have quite the to-do list.

Today was not a day to worry about those to-do lists.  Today was a day to celebrate all of the ways that we are making our mark.  We began our community circle time with the Dot Day Song.

I had encouraged the 4th graders to celebrate their "mark on the world," by wearing polka dots today.  

Our WIN time today was spent focusing on Author's Purpose.  I had the wonderful opportunity to work with Mr. Addison's class on how authors write to persuade.  Our class worked with Miss Enloe on writing to inform.

I definitely didn't get my to-do list completed by the end of the day.  I may have even created a few more things to do...(How does that happen?)  I am doing all I can and I hope I am leaving a wonderful mark as I begin this journey at Winskill Elementary School.

Spelling Posttest on Spelling City

Take your spelling test online HERE!

Newsletter for Tomorrow's Friday Folder

You can read our classroom newsletter by clicking - HERE!

Reflecting on Today

It's Tuesday and I am T I R E D!   Maybe it's the weather.  I HOPE it's the weather.  I will say that we are busy at school ALL day----seriously.  Today I took a can of pineapple to eat for my lunch and I just now realized that I had opened that can of pineapple and set it next to my desk and never eaten it.  We are that busy all day.  Want to know what we were busy with today?  Here are some of the exit slips reflections from our class.

We DID learn about place value and rocket math during math today!!!  I'm glad that electronics day was a good surprise, too.  It makes my heart happy to see that my students are enjoying their classroom friends, too!  Star reading scores will be shared with students tomorrow.  Goals will be written on how we can work on our reading to bring up our star scores before we test again (it will be awhile before we test again for reading).

I LOVE that this student realized that we are studying cells in science.  Today we played a fun Kahoot game about cells to help us introduce the topic.  The TIGWARS Team won with 3 out of the 4 questions answered correctly!

It was pretty neat to have 2 birthdays in our classroom and 3 in 4th grade today! 9/9 is a neat day to celebrate. 

As you can tell from all the answers on today's exit slips, we have been BUSY!  Being tired tonight is okay because I know that I will be refreshed and rested for tomorrow.  We are making progress and that takes work.  The only place where success comes before work is the dictionary!  

Shine On!

It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

Lots of great books were being read in our room today!!!  I finished reading Half A Chance over the weekend and started reading The War With Grandpa.  I'm also reading The Daily Five books.  What are you reading?

Tomorrow we will be celebrating our 5 golden tickets with a 1/2 hour electronics "party" from 2:30 until 3.  Let me know if you have any questions about it.

Please sign and return the social media photo slip, too!   Thanks.

Newsletter

Every Friday your 4th grader will bring home a FRIDAY FOLDER.  In that folder will be a weekly newsletter and any graded papers from the previous week.  Please take some time to look through the folder with your student.  Return the folder and signed newsletter each Monday.  The link below has the 1st newsletter of the year:

Newsletter for Friday, September 5

Feeling is More Powerful

Because we are a basketball family (not me as much as the rest of the fam), forgive me for using a basketball connection here.  Do you know who Coach Krzyzewski is?  Let's just call him Coach K, shall we? I have always been a "follower" of Coach K.  Many years ago I had a group of 5th graders who were Duke Fans.  We would occasionally pull up college basketball games during work time at the end of the day just to see how the Duke team was doing.  We were really watching Coach K.  Coach K is so much more than just a coach.  What you may not know about Coach K is that he attended West Point and after some time away he returned to coach there.  Coach K knew that hearing about West Point wasn't always enough.  He said, "You can't talk about this place, see a movie about this place - you have to feel this place. You go to a place like this, you get it."  I think Winskill and Lancaster Community Schools is like that right now.  People are talking about Lancaster Community Schools and Winskill.  #ArrowPride and #WinskillPride are all over Twitter and Facebook.  It's a great place to be.  You know what's better than reading about what's happening at Winskill?  You know what's better than listening to what's being said?  FEELING the message.  Visit Winskill and you will FEEL the pride and enthusiasm.  Thanks to all who have made me FEEL what Winskill Pride is!  It's going to be a great year.

 
Our First Day Video

'Twas the Night Before...

Can't wait to see you tomorrow.  Is your ME bag ready?

See you in the A M.