Merry Christmas !

Happy Monday! Please note that this post will serve as our last blog post for 2017. we will resume our weekly posts upon our return from Christmas break. 

We wish all of your families a very Merry Christmas! May your holiday be filled with love, joy, and laughter. Those of you are traveling, be safe. We will see you all in 2018! 

Looking Ahead....

• Wednesday, December 13th - School Performance of the Christmas Concert at 10 AM
• Wednesday, December 13th - Reconciliation for ALL 4th graders at 1:00 PM
• Thursday, December 14th - Viewing (teaser) of the 8th Grade Play at 10 AM
• Wednesday, December 20th - All School Gift Mass @ 10:30 AM in the Church
• Thursday, December 21st - Christmas Party Pancake Breakfast Bar - 8:30 am  

English Language Arts

There will not be any spelling homework or a spelling test this week. 

Reading - We will continue to look at lesson 11 and focus on the skill of text and graphic features. There will be a reading assessment on Friday, December 15th. 

Writing - The students are in the home stretch of finishing up their Persuasive paragraphs. We will print them this week and a copy will go home with them to share with you. We will also work on a mini persuasive project titled, Elf for Hire.

Social Studies 

This week and next we will spend some time learning about Christmas traditions in other countries.

Math 

The students are continuing to multiply using arrays and the area model.

Science

We are working in Chapter 5: Lesson 3. We will be discussing erosion and weathering.

Religion

We are in the Second Week of Advent. We are preparing for Christmas by discussing ways we can slow down and remember the true meaning of Christmas.

First Week of Advent

Good Morning All! 

As we enter into the season of Advent, let us remember to take time daily to pause and reflect for prayer. The students will be praying the Examine daily. 

Looking ahead...

• Friday, December 8th - All School Mass at 10:30 in the Church. This is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. 
• Wednesday, December 13 - Reconciliation at 1:00 pm for all 4th graders
• Friday, December 15th - High School Musical - viewing of the 8th Grade Play 
• Thursday, December 21st - 4th Grade Christmas Party at 8:30 AM 

English Language Arts




Our Grammar test from last week has been moved to this week on Wednesday, December 6th. The skill is Pronouns. 

There will be a spelling test on Thursday, December 7th. 

Reading - We are going to spend the next 2 weeks on this lesson as it is full of great opportunities for learning. The reading test will be sometime next week (December 11-December 15th). The students will be given plenty of notice as to when the actual test will take place.

Writing - We are continuing to work on our Persuasive Christmas Gift Writing.

Social Studies

All of the students did a fantastic job on their 3D Relief Maps of Arizona! Check our our Instagram page to see the finished products.

We will wrap up our lessons on the land of Arizona and move into discussing a little bit about Holidays Around the World as we get closer to Christmas break.

Math

The students will solve multi-step word problems using the formulas for area and perimeter. We will also multiply by 10, 100, and 1,000.

Science

We are working on Chapter 5 - Lesson 2: The Moving Crust. The students will explore how Earth's crust can change. (volcanoes and earthquakes)

Religion

We will be discussing the season of Advent and the Immaculate Conception.

4 Weeks Until Christmas !

Good Morning Families,

Thank you again for all of your help and support with the St. Vincent de Paul Service Project. It was very successful and the students felt proud of themselves. We hope you all enjoyed the extra long weekend and Thanksgiving holiday! These next few weeks will be very busy for us in the classrooms and around our school community. Please be sure to stay connected by reading our weekly blog and weekly eblast. 

Looking ahead...

• Tuesday, November 28th - Students will view the play, A Christmas Carol
• Wednesday, November 29th - 3-5 Mass at Brophy and 4th grade is leading
• Wednesday, November 29th - Salt Dough Map Project
• Saturday, December 2nd - Breakfast with Santa 

English Language Arts

There will NOT be a spelling or reading test this week. Our reading focus this week will be from our Arizona textbooks.

Grammar - This week, we will focus on Pronouns. There will be a short quiz on Friday, December 1st. Students will have homework to use as a study guide. 

Writing - We are continuing our planning and rough draft writing of our persuasive paper. Every student is at a different stage, so we will be using a good portion of our class time to have writing conferences, writing groups, and work time. 

Social Studies

At the beginning of the week, we will prepare for our Salt Dough Map project. We will continue to read about the different regions in Arizona. Students will complete an in-class activity to show their understanding of the regions. 

Math 

We are starting the third module and the focus is multi-digit multiplication and division. We are using the formula for area and perimeter to solidify the notion of arrays. 

Science

We are starting a new chapter in Science; Shaping Earth - Chapter 5. This will go nicely with our Social Studies chapter and our upcoming field trip to Kartchner Caverns. 

Religion 

The first Sunday of Advent is Sunday, December 3rd. We are going to focus on Reconciliation and making an Examination of Conscience. We will be reviewing and memorizing the Act of Contrition. 

With Gratitude

Happy Monday Families!

**Please note this blog post will serve as the post for the next two weeks.**

Happy 'almost' Thanksgiving! We all have so much to be grateful this time of year. Remember to take a moment to pause in the craziness this time of year brings and reflect on all that is good in your life. We are beyond grateful for your children and you all for the many blessings that are given and shown to us daily. 

Important Dates to Remember

• Tuesday, November 14th -  Both 4th Grade classes will visit the Book Fair. (The Book Fair will be open all week and available for Grandparents and Grandperson's to shop on Friday.)
• Friday, November 17th - Grandparents and Grandperson's Day begins with 9:00 AM Mass followed by refreshments, classroom visits, and the Junior High Concert. Dismissal is at 11:30 AM. 
• Monday, November 20th - Pumpkin Pie Baking Day 
• Tuesday, November 21st - St. Vincent de Paul service project in the morning. We will return to school by 11:00 and have lunch like regular. 

English Language Arts

There will be a spelling test on Thursday, November 16th. There will NOT  be a grammar or reading test this week. 

Homework for this week: Spelling is due Thursday (regular nightly task) and Writing: students will be given a prompt each day that will be answered into a Google Doc. By the end of the week, students will have a mini journal of Thanksgiving. Students will turn it in via Google Classroom. 

We will work with the story from Lesson 10 this week.  We will work on the skill of Author's Purpose, text features, and supporting details in class as a partner activity. Follow us on Instagram @ezellsfx to see what the finished product will look like! 

Social Studies

We will finish learning about the 5 Cs and move into learning about different types of maps and what they tell us. Look for an email later this week to come out regarding an upcoming in-class project, which will require some parent volunteers. 

Math 

We are working with the metric system. We are exploring meters, liters, and grams. The students are solving problems using tape diagrams. They are also practicing metric unit conversions.

We will also measure out the dry ingredients for the pies. 

Religion 

The students are finishing their Joyful Mysteries, their messages of encouragement, and paper chain in preparation for St. Vincent de Paul service project. 

Hello November

As we enter into November, let us show gratitude for all things and people in our world. Life is so crazy and especially during the holidays, so please take time to pause and reflect and give thanks.

Looking ahead...

• November 13th to November 17th - Book Fair is open!
• Friday, November 17th - Grandparents and Grandperson's Day with mass at 9:00 AM and dismissal at 11:30
• Monday, November 20th - Pie Baking Day for 4th grade
• Tuesday, November 21st - St. Vincent de Paul Service Project
• Wednesday, November 22nd to Friday, November 24th - NO SCHOOL: THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY 

English Language Arts

There will be a spelling test on Thursday, November 9th. There will be a grammar assessment and comprehension assessment on Friday, November 10th. 

Reading - We are working on the skill of drawing conclusions and making generalizations with the clues given to us in a story. 

Grammar - We will be working on understanding when and how to use complex and compound sentences. 

Writing - Last week, we began learning about persuasive writing. We will continue to work on this type of writing. You might hear your students begin talking about something they want for Christmas and even try to persuade you into getting it for them. Their project from now until Christmas is doing research on something they really want for Christmas and trying to convince me that it is a good idea for them to have it. I did tell the students that even if they do a fantastic job at convincing me, I cannot promise anything for Christmas :) I encourage you to have conversation with your children about what they do want and why and see if they can back up their reasoning with evidence. 

Social Studies 

We will finish learning about the 5 Cs this week by completing our virtual tour and filling in our Arizona 5 C's book. 

Math 

We are beginning module 2: The Metric Unit. Students will solve addition and subtraction word problems involving metric length.

Religion 

We are working our projects for our service project to St. Vincent de Paul:

• Messages of Encouragement
• Paper Chains
• Joyful Mysteries 

Happy Halloween and Happy All Saint's Day!

It is hard to believe that November is upon us already! We hope you have a fun and safe Halloween night. Please remember to send in any extra candy as we will be using it to put together small bags of candy for the homeless when we visit St. Vincent de Paul. 




Looking ahead...

• Tuesday, October 31st - Halloween Party and Meet Up with Preschool Buddies (12:30 to 2:45)
• Wednesday, November 1st - All School Mass - All Saint's Day 

English Language Arts



There is NO spelling this week. We will work on Lesson 9 for the next two weeks. 

Grammar - We will work on understanding, identifying, and writing compound and complex sentences over the two weeks.

Reading - We will work on the skill of drawing conclusions based on context clues.

Writing - Students will finish up their creative spooky story. We will then move into the skill of persuasive writing and begin work towards a fun project. This next writing project will take us until the end of Christmas break.

Social Studies

The students have been preparing, studying, and singing that famous Tour the States song, and they are now ready to be tested on the 50 states. The quiz is tomorrow, October 31st. 

Now that we have completed our geography unit, it is time to begin our lessons on Arizona. We will begin by looking at Arizona's 5 C's.

Math

We will finish up Module 1: place value, rounding, and algorithms for addition and subtraction. We will begin our module on measurement. (metric)

Science

We are finishing up the cotton unit with activities in class.

Religion

In preparation for St. Vincent de Paul, we will be making our Joyful Mysteries posters.

End of October

Good Morning Families,

As we enter into the last full week of October, please know this also means that the end of the first trimester is just two weeks away. Time is flying by and we are continuing at full speed!

Looking ahead...

• Wednesday, October 25th - 3-5 Mass @ Brophy Chapel
• Tuesday, October 31st - Halloween Party 
• Wednesday, November 1st - All Saints Day Mass at the Church
• Friday, November 3rd - End of Trimester 1

English Language Arts



There will be a cumulative grammar test on Tuesday, October 24th. The skills on the test include: complete sentences, run-on sentences, fragments, common and proper nouns, basic punctuation, and verbs.

There will be a spelling test on Thursday, October 26th.

There will NOT be a reading test this week. All work on the skill of understanding characters will be done in class.

Social Studies



The 50 states quiz will be on Tuesday, October 31st. Students will need to accurately locate and correctly spell each state. 

This week, students will be presenting their State in a Bag projects.


Math

The students will solve multi-step word problems modeled with tape diagrams. They will use rounding to check to see if their answer seems reasonable.

Science

We will begin work on a Cotton Unit.

Religion

Students will be learning and praying the Act of Love. They will be assessed on this prayer on Friday, October 27th.

We will begin to prepare for our service project by showing love through our willingness to serve others, especially those who are in need.

A Shorter Week

Good Morning and Happy Tuesday Everyone!

We hope you enjoyed your extra long weekend! We have a shorter week this with only 4 school days!

English Language Arts and Social Studies 

We will continue working with Lesson 7 this week. It is a story that focuses on Fact V. Opinion (Information Text). Students will complete tasks in class that will serve as their assessment grade.

Remember that there is NO spelling test this week and NO reading log. Students are working on finishing up their State in a Bag Project and studying for the Northeast Region Test.

The State in a Bag Projects are due Friday and presentations will begin next week. Students will be assessed on the Northeast Region on Friday, October 20th. 

This week, students will be reviewing verb tenses. We will also review key concepts covered earlier in the school year. Students will take a Summative Grammar Assessment on Lessons 4 through 7 next Tuesday, October 24th. ***Summative means it is an assessment that comes at the end of a unit. We are at the end of unit that reviewed a number of skills that are all connected. 

Math 

The students will be subtracting larger numbers. THey will be expected to accurately regroup (decompose) two or three times. They will also solve word problems using a tape diagram. 

Science

Chapter 1 - Lesson 4: Students are learning how seed plants reproduce. 

Religion 

We are reviewing the concept of Free will. The students will read about real life situations and discuss different ways a person could react. 

We will also discuss the words in the prayer Hail Holy Queen because our bulletin board has images of Mary with the caption: "O Clement, O Loving, O Sweet Virgin Mary"  

Fall Break is here!

Good Morning Families,

This is a very short week for us as we have 2 half days and no school on Friday and no school the following Monday. Enjoy your Fall Break! 

Please remember that both Wednesday and Thursday this week are half days with dismissal at 1:15 to accommodate Parent-Teacher Conferences. Please send a good, hearty snack both days. 

Thank you all so much for taking time out of your day to meet with us. We are grateful for your partnership in your child's educational and spiritual development. 



English Language Arts

There will NOT be a spelling or reading test this week.  We will work with Lesson 7 for the next two weeks. 




Grammar: We will be reviewing verbs and verb tenses. 

Reading: We will work on the skill of Fact vs. Opinion. We will be discussing the importance of going back into the text to look for evidence. (Information Text)

Writing: Last week, students finished their states reports. They will take what they learned from their fact recording sheet and final draft to write our 6 facts, which will be included in their State in a Bag Report. 

Social Studies

Last week, students were given directions for the State in a Bag Project. This week, students will have 2 days to work on the project in class. I have many supplies for students to create their bag. However, I am asking for each student to bring a paper bag or gift bag that can be decorated. Any questions please feel free to email me. The project is due Friday, October 20th and oral presentations will begin Monday, October 23rd. 



On Thursday, October 12th students will be assessed on BOTH the states and capitals in the Southeast Region. 


Math 
L
The students will practice addition and subtraction with larger numbers. They will also create tape diagrams to model the answer. We will also our rounding skills to see if the answers seem reasonable.

Science

The students will learn how seed plants reproduce. (Chapter 1:Lesson 4)

Religion 

We are focusing on the Act of Faith, and the quiz will be Wednesday. 

Happy October!!

Good Morning Families,

October is here! Please continue to read through our weekly blog posts to stay current on what is happening in the Fourth Grade. We encourage you to also please read the weekly e-blast sent out on Saturdays. It is filled with a great deal of information about our school community.

Looking Ahead...

• Wednesday, October 4th - Rosary at 10:30 in the Church 
• Saturday, October 7th - Run for the Roses School Auction 
• Wednesday, October 11th and Thursday, October 12th - Half Days for Parent-Teacher Conferences
• Friday, October 13th and Monday, October 16th - NO SCHOOL 

English Language Arts

There will be a spelling test on Thursday, October 5th. 

Grammar - we will focus on proper nouns. We will also touch on verbs.

Reading - We are going to review the skill of story structure and discuss making inferences "predictions". There will be a reading assessment on Friday, October 6th. 

Writing - We will finish up our State Reports this week. Students will have time in the computer lab to finish it. If something does not get done, students will need to complete it at home for homework, and it will be due Friday, October 6th. 

Social Studies

Students will be assessed on BOTH the capitals and states in the Midwest Region on Friday, October 6th. 

Math 

The students are moving on to multi-digit whole number addition. (There will be a lot of regrouping.) They will also solve word problems using tape diagrams. 

Science

The students will learn how Scientists classify plants, how plants make food, and how they reproduce. (Chapter 1: Lesson 3)

Religion 

The students will practice an Examination of Conscience. We will discuss making good choices especially within the world of Technology. Our Lady of Fatima posters are due Tuesday, October 3rd. 

Fall is here!

Good Morning 4th grade families, 

Fall is upon us! Can you feel the cooler weather creeping in? YAY! As September comes to a close, we look ahead to our annual school auction on October 7th, Parent-Teacher conferences beginning the week of October 2nd, and a four-day weekend, October 13th to 16th. ! 

Looking ahead...

• Wednesday, September 27th - All School Mass at the Church led by us, the fourth graders
• Monday, October 2nd - 4th grade parent-teacher conferences begin 
• Saturday, October 7th - Run for the roses - school auction 
• Wednesday, October 11th - Half Day (parent-teacher conferences)
• Thursday, October 12th - Half Day 
• Friday, October 13th and Monday, October 16th - NO SCHOOL 

English Language Arts

Spelling Test on Homophones- Thursday, September 27th 

Grammar - Fragments, run-on sentences, and proper nouns 

Reading - This week's story is a Tall Tale, and students will come to learn and understand what makes a story a tall tale by creating a Tall Tale wheel and watching the video, Paul Bunyan.  The Reading test will be Friday, September 28th 

Writing - Students will make revisions to their state reports, add a picture of their state flag, and print it. We will also work on getting our postcards out to the schools in other states.

Social Studies

Students will be assessed on BOTH the states and capitals from the West region. on Tuesday, September 26th. We will then move to learning about the Midwest region states. 

Math 

The students will use place value understanding to round multi-digit numbers to any place value.  They will use the vertical number line and the standard algorithm. 

The x4 test will be coming up soon, so please practice those facts! 

Science

Students will be working on the open book packet for lesson 2: Classifying Living Things. The purpose of this activity to help students get into the habit of going back into the text to find their answers. 

Religion 

This week we will learn more about Our Lady Fatima. We will draw posters for the Diocesan Rosary Poster Contest. 

Mid-September

Hello Families,

We are now in mid-September and settling into a good routine with our students. With IOWA testing behind us, our weekly schedule will calm down a bit.

Looking ahead in our classrooms and at SFX.....

• Tuesday, September 19th - Grammar projects due (conversations with someone in history)
• Tuesday, September 19th - Southwest states quiz (students must be able to correctly locate and spell each state) 
• Friday, September 22nd - Free Dress day for students who bring in a gift card to support the school auction 
• Friday, September 22nd - 1st Trimester Progress Report 
• Wednesday, September 27th - All School mass at the Church (4th grade is leading Mass)
• Saturday, October 7th - School Auction: Run for the Roses 

Parent-Teacher Conferences 

An email went out last week with a sign-up genius link for parent-teacher conferences. We are starting a week ahead of time, so please make sure you have signed up. We are looking forward to seeing you all!

English Language Arts



Spelling homework will be modified this week due to it not going home last Friday. See student agenda.  There is a spelling test on Thursday, September 21st.

Grammar - We are focusing on fragments and run-on sentences.

Reading - This week we are focusing on what theme in a story is. There will be a comprehension assessment on Friday, September 22nd.

Vocabulary - We will review prefixes and complete dictionary work using the words from our story.  Students will be assessed on the 10 vocabulary words in this story on Friday, September 22nd.

Writing - Students will continue working on their state report rough drafts. We will revise and edit this week. Students will begin the typing process during our computer lab time.

Social Studies 

We will read and learn about the states in the West region. Students will be assessed on BOTH the states an capitals in this region on Tuesday, September 26th.

Math

We are rounding multi-digit whole numbers using a vertical number line.

Science

We will work on lesson 2: Classifying Living Things. The students will work on finishing open book packets, which will be utilized as a study guide.

Religion

We are going to focus on the Theological Virtues of Faith, Hope and Love. Next week we will test on the Act of Faith.

Mini Vinnies Needs Our Help!

The SFX Mini Vinnies needs your help!

Did you know that there are grade-specific volunteer opportunities available so students can volunteer with their classmates? Mini Vinnies, a volunteer collaboration between St. Francis and St. Vincent de Paul, offers a great way for students to show they are Kids for Others while fostering goodwill and a spirit of service within the grade levels. We need your help to spread the word to students and their families about these volunteer opportunities.

Can you please share the following dates with your students and encourage them to sign up? Feel free to sign up to volunteer with your grades on their specific dates, too!
Grade-specific Mini Vinnies Dates:

4^th grade:

September 29 (Fri.)

October 23 (Mon.)

5^th grade:

September 27 (Wed.)

October 27 (Fri.)

6^th grade:

September 13 (Wed.)

October 2 (Mon.)

November 3 (Fri.)

7^th grade:

September 20 (Wed.)

October 6 (Fri.)

Nov. 6 (Mon.)

8^th grade:

September 25 (Mon.)

October 18 (Wed.)

November 17 (Fri.)

General Mini Vinnies Dates:
There are many open volunteer dates (for anyone at SFX, not class-specific) available, too.

Sign up today! Sign up to volunteer with the Mini Vinnies, whether you are able to serve with your classmates or with your family and friends. http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080d48a4ad28a2f94-mini
Questions? Contact Ann-Marie Alameddin at alameddin@cox.net or Julie Wilson at julie@jfwcomm.com.

About Mini Vinnies
Mini Vinnies offers SFX students the chance to show they are Kids for Others by volunteering together at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul to help feed, clothe, house and heal those in need.

Testing Week

Happy Monday Families!

This week is IOWA and CogAT testing. Please make sure your child is present and on time for school. Please make sure they eat a healthy breakfast, have a healthy snack, and a good nights rest. 

Our school pantry is need of your help! Please consider picking up a few extra items during your weekly grocery shopping trip to donate to the pantry. This pantry supports many of our SFX families. Thank you kindly! 

English Language Arts

We will not be moving onto the next lesson due to testing. Students will need to continue to work on their Grammar Conversation Project. The project is due Tuesday, September 19th.

Writing - Each student will be assigned a state to research and report on. Majority of the research will be done in class.

Social Studies

This week, students will learn about the Southwest Region. There will be a quiz on the location of the states in this region next week on Tuesday, September 19th.



Math

The students will be able to find 1, 10, and 100 thousand more and less than a given number (using a place value chart.  The students will round multi-digit numbers to the thousands place using the vertical number line.

Science

This week we are making a "foldable" to use as a study guide for the 5 Basic Life Functions.  It's a graded piece, too.  Then the students will do an "open book" packet for Chapter 1 Lesson 1.  This is a bit of a learning curve for the students.  They will learn how to go back into the text to find answers.  Once again, this will be graded.

Religion

This week we will be practicing the responses for mass and finishing our posters regarding God's Awesome Creation.

Hello September!

Good Morning and Happy Tuesday!

We hope you all enjoyed the long weekend! September is here and football season is upon us!

We have a 4-day school week ahead of us and then the following week we begin CogAT testing and IOWA testing on Monday, September 11th. Please make sure your child is present and on time for school. Please make sure they get a good nights rest and a healthy breakfast. For those of you who are not familiar with the CogAT, it is a test that students in grades 4th and 7th grade take, and it merely measure how students think in words, pictures, and numbers.

Looking ahead...

• Wednesday, September 6th - Decision Making begins!
• Wednesday, September 6th - 3rd-5th Grade Mass at Brophy 

English Language Arts



There is NO SPELLING this week! We are continuing with the same lesson from last week.

We will continue to review the three forms of quotation marks. There will be a grammar assessment on Friday, September 8th. 

We will continue read about how students in other countries get library books. There will be a reading comprehension assessment on Friday, September 8th. 

Last week, students logged into their Gmail accounts and sent a practice email to me. We will continue our lessons on how to properly send an email. 

In lieu of a reading log this week, 

• students will have a homework assignment that will ask them to email me following the steps discussed in class. 
• Additionally, students became part of our ELA Google Classroom. Students will have a homework assignment through Google Classroom. 

Social Studies

Last week, we began our discussion of the 5 Regions of the US. Students will have a mini, 5 point, quiz on Wednesday on the five regions. Students will be given a map with each region already outlined that they will need to simply label the region with its name. This will transition us into discussing each region and learning the states and capitals within that region. By the end of October, your students will know and be assessed on all 50 states and capitals. Spelling will count! 

Math 

We are comparing large numbers using the greater than, less than, or equal to symbols. We are rounding multi-digit numbers to the thousands place using a vertical number line. We will be taking our x3 test this week. Please practice!

Science

We are starting Chapter 1 in our Science textbooks. The theme is Kingdoms of Life. The focus this week will be the five basic life functions of all organisms. 

Religion

This week, we are discussing the Theological Virtues: Faith, Hope, and Charity. We will pray and memorize the Act of Faith. 

4 Day Week

Hello Families,

This week is a four-day school week for us. There is no school Friday, September 1st and Monday, September 4th in observance of the Labor Day holiday.

Looking Ahead..

• Wednesday, August 30th - Decision Making for both classes
• Wednesday, August 30th - All School Mass @ 10:30

English Language Arts



Spelling - There will be a spelling test on Thursday, August 31st. 

Grammar - We will spend the next two weeks on the skill of quotations: using them correctly.

Reading - We will spend the next two weeks on this story as there is a lot of excellent information within this lesson. There will be a reading comprehension assessment on Friday, September 8th. 

Writing - We will spend time in the computer this week working on how to send a proper email. We will revisit the 5 parts of a friendly letter. 

Social Studies 

Students will have a quiz on the 7 continents and 5 oceans this Tuesday, August 29th. The fifth ocean is a bonus question. Students will be expected to correctly locate and spell each continent and ocean. A word bank with the words will be provided. 

We will begin to study the Regions of the United States. 

Math 

Beginning this week, students will be given timed multiplication tests until they show mastery of all the facts. This week the focus is just the x 3s. The 3 x 0 through 3 x 12.

The students will read and write multi-digit number using the standard form, expanded form, and word form. They will also be able to compare numbers using greater than, less than, or equal to symbols. 

Science

We will finish our Mystery Powder Unit. The students will form hypothesis, test, and make conclusions. 

Religion 

We are focusing on contemplative prayer and God's amazing creation. 

Solar Eclipse

Good Morning Families,

Today is a very neat day in history as our students will be able to virtually see the solar eclipse. We will be viewing it live via our classroom computer from NASA beginning at 9:00 AM. 

Looking ahead...

• Wednesday, August 23rd - Back to School Night in our classroom at 6:00 PM (We will do both classes in 4A). 

English Language Arts

FOCUS WALL COMING SOON! We are experiencing some technical difficulties with Thinkcentral.com this morning. 

• There will be a spelling test on Thursday, August 24th. 

• Grammar - we will continue to work on identifying the subject and predicate in a sentence. We will also be looking at the four kinds of sentences. There will be a grammar assessment on Friday, August 25th. 

• Writing - We will work on finishing our summer writing. 

Social Studies

Due to our crazy schedule last week, we were not able to start Social Studies. So, this week we will . Students will begin a brief review on geography. 

Math 

We are continuing to work with place value. The students will recognize a digit represents 10 times the value of what it represents in the place to its right. In other words, 10 ten-thousands equals 1 hundred thousand. The students will be working with a place value chart. 

Science

Due to a crazy schedule last week, we did not get to begin Science. We will work on our Mystery Powders Unit this week. 

Religion 

It is fitting that our first unit is titled God Creates the World. We will focus on thanking God for creation and caring for the Earth. 

How do I access Dreambox?

Please follow this link below to open a letter that has the directions and school order in order for your child to access Dreambox.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

Dreambox Directions

Hello 17-18 School Year!

Welcome Fourth Grade Families!

We hope you enjoyed your summer vacations and are ready to get back into a steady routine! This school year is going to be amazing! We are so excited to begin the Fourth Grade journey with your children.

This blog will be updated weekly and sent to you via email every Monday. Please use this blog to keep up with what is going on in our rooms and around school.

Looking ahead...

• Tuesday, August 15th - All School Mass
• Friday, August 18th - All School Mass @ 10 at Brophy Gym 
• Friday, August 18th - DISMISSAL IS AT NOON!!!!!
• Wednesday, August 23rd - 6:00 to 7:00 PM Back to School Night in the classroom (Parents only please)

English Language Arts



Weekly Spelling Routine 

Every Friday, students will receive their spelling words and homework. The homework will be due the following Thursday. The students will be assessed on the spelling words every Thursday. There will be a spelling test this Thursday, August 17th. 

Grammar - Students will review the parts of a sentence. 

Reading - Students will be focusing on the skill of story structure. We will be using the story Because of Winn Dixie, which was our summer reading, as a refresher. Students will work on activities in class this week in lieu of a comprehension assessment. 

Social Studies 

We will start our year off with a review on the 7 continents, longitude, and latitude. Then we will shift our attention on the Regions of the United States. 

Math 

We are jumping right in with Place Value. The students will use place value charts and manipulatives to make sure they have a solid foundation of number sense. 

Dreambox will be a regular part of the students' math homework. If we can get our logins and passwords up and running, there will be Dreambox homework this week. Check your child's agenda. 

Science

We will begin our Mystery Powders unit. We are focusing on the steps of the Scientific Method. 

Religion 

Tuesday is the feast day of the Assumption. It is a holy day of obligation and we will attend Mass as a school. This week, we will discuss the difference between the Assumption, the Ascension, the Immaculate Conception, and the Annunciation. We will also discuss and practice responses at Mass.