Happy Catholic School's Week!

Hello Everyone and Happy Monday!

This week is going to be filled with tons of fun! We are super excited about Catholic School's Week! Please read below or check the weekly e-blast for what each day will entail.

Monday - Superhero Day
Tuesday - Decade Day - dress in your favorite decade style - Talk to your child about what will be their Random Act of Kindness
Wednesday - Mass on the Grass  with Buddies @ 2:00 PM - Wear regular school uniform and please bring a towel.
Thursday - Crazy Hair and Crazy Sock Day and Talent Show @ 9:30
Friday - Show your SFX Spirit by wearing blue and gold-  Pep Rally

English Language Arts



There will be a spelling test on Thursday, February 1st. 

This week, students will be working on an in-class project involving text and graphic features.

We will review what suffixes are as a part of our vocabulary skill for the week.

January Book Project - Travel Brochure on the setting from a preapproved book is due Wednesday, January 31st. 

Social Studies

We will continue to read and learn about the early Native American tribes who onced lived in Arizona.

Math

The students are going to solve multi-step problems using four operations. They will use the tape diagram strategy.

Please work on the multiplication facts through the 12s' at home.

Science

This week's topic in the Energy Unit is Light.

Religion

This week we will focus on all of the Corporal  and Spiritual Works of Mercy. We will spend some extra time writing a prayer for those who are imprisoned.

Technology - Part 2 of Blog

Hello Families,

We wanted to take a moment to touch on technology at school. Since the holidays, numerous students received new technology. We know it is so exciting and students want to use it, but we do have a school policy that states:

"Students shall not bring devices such as a cellular phone, iPod, tablet, MP3 player, smart watch, fitbit or other electronic communication or entertainment equipment unless directed by a teacher and needed for class.”

 

Back in October, there was an eblast that went out that addressed this issue as well. Please review it below. 

Eblast 10/14/17

Wearable Technology

Wearable technology.  In the 80s, that referred to a Casio calculator watch.  These genius devices put a handy calculator right on your wrist, perfect for finding the tip in a restaurant...or for that algebra quiz.

Wearable technology today is part of the latest trend in accessories.  From Google Glasses to Milestone Pod running trackers, from haptic feedback yoga pants to Owlet smart socks for babies, wearable tech is everywhere.  And, the most common, the smartwatch.  Fitbits, founded just 10 years ago, gave way to an explosion of wearable technology that allows us not just to track daily steps and monitor heart rate, but take calls, send texts, pay your bill, take pictures, and tell you the weather.  

These wearable devices can be useful for adults on the go, fitness enthusiasts, and others wanting to stay close to their phones, but who don’t have a spare hand (basically every parent ever).  However, just like the old Casio that I snuck into math class, these devices have the potential to be used incorrectly.  We know that we should put down our phones and be present for those in front of us, and these tricky devices pull us away.  If you use one, remember to put it aside and give some real “face time” to those you are with.  

For students, any device that has the capability to act as a phone (get texts, call notifications, interact with apps) is treated as a phone, and therefore cannot be worn in class.  If your child has a smartwatch, please remind them to remove it and leave it at home on school days.

If a student needs to bring a phone to school, it must be turned into the teacher to hold onto during the day. No use of the cell phone may occur while on campus. Personal iPads are allowed to come to school as they are locked up until it is needed during Social Studies or Reading. 

Thank you for your support in this matter. 

Mrs. Ezell and Mrs. Grucky 

Staying Organized

Hello Fourth Grade Families,

As we settle into the new year, please continue to partner with us as we foster independence and responsibility for your students. The work load will begin to increase as we prepare them for the next grade. We have high expectations for our students and we know they can rise to the occasion. Let's encourage our children to be prepared for class by using their agenda and accordion file daily to stay organized.

Coming Up.....

• Friday, January 26th - Free Dress Day for students who donate a new sports item or game for the Fun Fest. 
• Sunday, January 28th to Friday, February 2 - Catholic School's Week (More information to come) 
• Sunday, January 28th - Kick Off Mass at 9:00 AM. This Mass is also Fr. George's initiation celebration as our new Pastor. 

English Language Arts

I accidentally forgot to hand out spelling homework last Friday. The students will have a modified assignment going into this week. There will be a spelling test on Thursday, January 25th. 

• The grammar test on possessive nouns is tomorrow, Tuesday, January 23rd. 
• We will begin to learn and apply the skill of Greek of Latin Root Words. 
• We will continue to work on the skill of Sequence of events. 

Students will have a reading test on Friday, January 26th. 

Social Studies

We are reading about the Early People of Arizona. Students will be taking notes on the different Native American tribes' food, building type, things they made, and disappearance theories. 

Math

We are still working on multiplication of multi-digit by single-digit. We will use the area model, partial products, and the standard algorithm.

Science

We are continuing in the Energy unit. This week we will focus on Sound. 

Religion 

We are continuing discussing the 7 Sacraments. 

Honoring Dr. King

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

We hope you had a wonderful three day weekend! We had such an AMAZING time last Friday on the field trip! We received countless compliments on the students' behavior! Thank you to everyone who chaperoned, supported us, and helped us along the way!

Looking Ahead...

• Wednesday, January 24th - LATE START AT 9:00 AM

English Language Arts



There will be a spelling test on Thursday, January 18th. 

There will be a vocabulary and reading test on Friday, January 19th. The grammar quiz has been pushed to Tuesday, January 23rd.The vocabulary skill will cover synonyms. The grammar skill will cover possessive nouns. The reading skill will cover sequence of events.

Social Studies

We will begin to read and learn about the Early People of Arizona.

Science

We are beginning to learn about Energy. The first unit covers Heat.

Math

The students are working on multiplication (three and four-digit numbers by one digit number) using the standard algorithm. Finally, they are multiplying the way you and I learned!  ;) 

Religion

We are covering the 7 Sacraments.

Happy 2018!!!

Happy New Year! We hope you and your families had a restful and peaceful Christmas break! As we enter into the second half of the school year, please check in with your child to see if they are in need of supplies such as new scissors, markers, erasers, etc. Many of our students have lost their belongings and we want them to feel prepared and ready to start the second half of the year. In addition, please log onto GradeLink to see if your child has any missing work that needs to be turned in ASAP. Anything not turned this week will result in a zero in the grade book.

This is a reminder that ALL the Fourth graders will be attending an ALL day field trip this Friday, January 12th. The buses will leave SFX at 6:30 AM and return to SFX around 6:30 PM. Pleas arrive no later than 6:20 AM. Plan to meet in the front of the school by the gate. Your child MUST come with a SACK LUNCH and ONE SNACK. The bags must have their first and last name on it. We will provide two additional snacks and water throughout the day. Permission slips are going home today, Monday, and must be returned by Wednesday in order to prepare for the trip. We feel so blessed to be able to take our kids on such a spectacular field trip. Many of our students do not eat breakfast until snack time, so please ensure that they eat prior to arriving to school that morning. 

Looking Ahead...

• Wednesday, January 10th - All School Mass in the Church @ 10:30
• Friday, January 12th - Field Trip to Kartchner Caverns and San Xavier del Bac Mission 
• Monday, January 15th - No School in honor of MLK
• Wednesday, January 17th - Talent Show auditions in homerooms - this is in preparation for the all school Talent show during Catholic School's Week. 

English Language Arts



We will work with Lesson 12 for the next 2 weeks. There will not be any assessments this week.

Students will receive information for their January book project. Please discuss with them the details. It is due Wednesday, January 31st.

Social Studies

We will begin reading about the Early People of Arizona from our Discovering Arizona textbook.

Math

We will working on multiplication of up to four-digits by a single-digit numbers. They will use the place value disks and the area model.

This week they will be tested on the doubles facts. It will be timed. (from 2x2 to 12x12)

Science

We will be preparing for our field trip on Friday. The students will learn how Kartchner Caverns was discovered. They will learn about the formation of caves and all the spectacular speleothems (How do you like that word? Mrs. Grucky been doing her research over the holidays.)  they will be exposed to in the cave.

Religion

The students will learn about the history of San Xavier del Bac. It is called The Dove in the Desert. Father Kino was the missionary that started it.