First Week of Advent

 

Dear Families,

As we begin the season of Advent, each day the students will pray the Examine. We have also included a prayer for your family in the Religion section below.

Looking Ahead...

• Thursday, December 3rd - All School Mass @ 9:30 AM
• Sunday, December 6th - Breakfast with Santa
• Tuesday, December 8th - All School Mass - 9:30 AM (4th grade is leading) 
• Wednesday, December 16th - All School Gift Mass - 9:30 AM
• Friday, December 18th - Christmas Party 

English Language Arts

The students WILL have a spelling test this FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4th. Homework will go home today, Monday. 

Grammar - We will review Pronouns, and we will study frequently confused words such as its and it's. 

Reading - We will be reading an informational piece of hurricanes. We will focus on text and graphic features. Our assessment will be in the form of creating an informational poster. 

Writing - We are going to talk about what it means to write a good paragraph in preparation for our December Reading/Science Book Project. 

Social Studies

We will finish up everything for our Spanish Explorers and Missionaries unit. We will begin to talk about Holidays Around the World. 

Math

We are working on multi-step word problems and using large numbers to add, subtract, and multiply. 

Xtra-Math is now graded and the expectation is to complete one session a day.  The students have time to finish one session every morning before pledge and prayer. Many students choose not to use this time wisely. 

Dreambox is still a weekly expectation. 

Science

We are working on the Mystery Science, The Birth of Rocks.  Please start reading the biography book for the December book project. 

Religion 

The students received their Absolutely Advent booklet. This has a daily activity for them to complete. Sometimes we do them in class, and sometimes they are homework. This is a graded booklet, so please do not lose it. 

As we begin Advent, we light one candle in the midst of all the darkness in our lives and in the world.  It symbolizes our longing, our desire, our hope.  Three “advents” or “comings” shape our desire.  We want to be renewed in a sense that Jesus came to save us from our sin and death.  We want to experience his coming to us now, in our everyday lives, to help us live our lives with meaning and purpose.  And we want to prepare for his coming to meet us at the end of our lives on this earth.

So, we begin with our longing, our desire and our hope.

When we wake up, each day this week, we could light that candle, just by taking a few moments to focus.  We could pause for a minute at the side of our bed, or while putting on our slippers or our robe, and light an inner candle.  Who among us doesn't have time to pause for a moment?  We could each find our own way to pray something like this:

“Lord, the light I choose to let into my life today is based on my trust in you.  It is a weak flame, but I so much desire that it dispel a bit more darkness today.  Today, I just want to taste the longing I have for you as I go to the meeting this morning, carry out the responsibilities of my work, face the frustration of some difficult relationships.  Let this candle be my reminder today of my hope in your coming.”

Each morning this week, that momentary prayer might get more specific, as it prepares us for the day we will face.  And as we head to work, walk to a meeting, rush through lunch, take care of errands, meet with people, pick up the phone to return some calls, answer e-mail, return home to prepare a meal, listen to the ups and downs of our loved ones' day, we can take brief moments to relate our desire for the three comings of the Lord to our life.

If our family has an Advent wreath, or even if it doesn't, we could pray together before our evening meal.  As we light the first candle on the wreath, or as we simply pause to pray together our normal grace.  Then, as we begin to eat, we can invite each other, including the children, to say something about what it means today to light this first candle. 

Perhaps we could ask a different question each night, or ask about examples from the day.  How am I getting in touch with the longing within me?  How did I prepare today?  What does it mean to prepare to celebrate his coming 2,000 years ago?  How can we prepare to experience his coming into our lives this year?  What does it mean for us now, with our world involved in so much conflict? How are we being invited to trust more deeply?  How much more do we long for his coming to us, in the midst of the darkness in our world?  In what ways can we renew our lives so we might be prepared to greet him when he comes again?  Our evening meal could be transformed this week, if we could shape some kind of conversation together that lights a candle of anticipation in our lives.  Don't worry if everyone isn't “good at” this kind of conversation at first.  We can model it, based on our momentary pauses throughout each day, in which we are discovering deeper and deeper desires, in the midst of our everyday lives.

And every night this week, we can pause briefly, perhaps as we sit for a minute at the edge of the bed.  We can be aware of how that one, small candle's worth of desire brought light into this day.  And we can give thanks.  Going to bed each night this week with some gratitude is part of the preparation for growing anticipation and desire.

Come, Lord Jesus!  Come and visit your people. 
We await your coming.  Come, O Lord.

Gobble, Gobble!

 

!

Happy Monday! 

We will be using this week's blog as our communication for this week and next since next week is only a 2-day school week. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all! We hope you find time to rest and enjoy your family. We are so grateful to each of you for all of your understanding, flexibility, and open to growth attitudes this school year. 

Looking Ahead..

• Friday, November 20th - Virtual Grandparent's Day with Mass AND dismissal at noon. Students were also asked to decorate a paper bag and bring it back in with canned food for our annual school food drive. Please see the eblast for further directions. We look forward to welcoming all the Grandparents and Grandfriends on Friday! 
• Monday, November 23rd - Day of Service in the classroom 
• Wednesday, November 25th to Friday, November 27th - No School - Thanksgiving Holiday 

English Language Arts

Spelling - This week, students have a list of 10 commonly misspelled words. They will be tested on these words on Thursday, November 19th. 

Grammar - We will be talking about Pronouns this week. 

Reading -We are going to be reading a story from Reading A to Z called, Two Kettles. 

Writing - We will finish up our Thankful Text writing project. 

Social Studies

We will finish up Ch. 5 this week. Students will work on creating a timeline to represent the various Spanish Explorers and Missionaries that explored present day Arizona.

Math 

We are working on multi-digit by single-digit multiplication using the standard algorithm and area model. Continue working on the basic multiplication facts for speed at home. Study the Xtra Math report to find out which facts your child has not mastered. 

Science

We are beginning a new program called, Mystery Science. The first unit is The Birth of Rocks. The first unit is a great follow up to our textbook unit shaping the Earth. 

Religion 

We are in preparation for our Day of Service. We are assembling our Joyful Mysteries decorations. We will also pray and memorize the Act of Love: pg. 36. 

Trimester 2

 

Good Morning Families, 

As we enter into trimester two, please help us, help your children with the following skills:

• time management of tasks
• putting their name on their papers even if it is typed 
• neatness (take pride in their work)
• positive, kind attitudes in the classrooms 

Looking Ahead....

• Wednesday, November 11th - Mass and Veteran's Day We will "attend" Mass from our classroom. 
• Friday, November 20th - Grandparent's Day - Mass is at 9 AM and a class Zoom call at 11:00 AM with dismissal at 12:00 PM

English Language Arts

There will be a spelling test on Thursday, November 12th. 

Grammar - We will continue to look at simple, compound, and complex sentences. We will have a quiz on this skill on Friday, November 13th. 

Reading -  We will be talking about Author's Purpose this week using the acronym, PIE. We will have a reading quiz on Friday, November 13th based on the story, Jose' born to Dance. 

Writing - We will continue to work on our grateful journal writing. 

Social Studies

We are going to begin to learn about the Spanish Explorers and Missionaries. This is Ch. 5 in our Discovering AZ textbook. 

Math

In Xtramath, I moved all the students to multiplication.  Please practice with them at home so they have mastery of the basic facts.  

The students this week will be using place value disks to represent two-digit by one-digit multiplication. The students will use the strategy called partial product. Ask them to show you what that means. We will then use the disks to represent three and four-digit by one digit multiplication. Then finally we will use the standard algorithm to solve the problems.  Of course, we will also solve word problems, too.

Science

We will be finishing Chapter 5 Lesson 4 this week.  Changes Caused By the Weather.

Religion 

This week in Religion we will review the Fruits of the Holy Spirit.  We will be writing a prayer for strength to live in true freedom by making good choices.  We are also going to talk about Veteran's Day and invite the children to bring a photo of a relative or friend that is or was a veteran to place on our altar at school.

Happy November!

 

Hello Families,

November is here! We are at the end of the first trimester and moving at a good pace in class. 

Looking Ahead...

• Wednesday, November 4th - All School mass at 9:30 - 4th grade will be attending in person. 

English Language Arts

Spelling - There will be a spelling test this Thursday, November 5th. Our homework changed a bit this week and students are working on 2 tasks: ABC order of all the words and using each word in a sentence. 

Grammar - We will look at compound and complex sentences. We are also going to be reviewing what synonyms and antonyms are in relation to our vocabulary words. 

Reading - We are going to look at the skill of drawing conclusions and making generalizations. 

Writing - We will begin our "Thankful Texts" gratitude journaling project this week. 

Social Studies

We are taking this week off from Social Studies and will focus our attention on language arts. 

Math 

We are going to Review Lessons 1-3 in Module 3 and take a second Exit Ticket for each lesson. The topics covered were AREA and PERIMETER. We are also going to work in earnest  on the XTRAMATH program at school to work on mastery of basic facts.  This is separate from the weekly Dreambox goal.  As we get ready to start the second trimester we are going to ramp up the rigor.

Science

We are continuing with Chapter 5, Shaping Earth.  This week we will cover Lesson 3: Weathering and Erosion.  The students need to know, "What is the difference between Weathering and Erosion?"

Religion 

Last week, we prepared our Joyful Mysteries posters to use during our service project week this month.  We will make sure those are finished.  We will also be discussing the concept of Free Will in class and we will pray and memorize The Act of Hope.

Happy Halloween

 

Hello Families,

The end of October is here! The cooler weather is finally here! The end of the first trimester is just two weeks away! Please check-in with your child to ensure that they have turned in all missing work. 

Looking Ahead...

• Friday, October 30th - Halloween Party 
• Friday, November 6th - 1st Trimester Ends 

English Language Arts

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

Grammar - We will continue to talk about Verbs and Verb Tenses. 

The students will have a summative assessments this Wednesday, October 28th on the following concepts we have covered over the last month and a half. 

• Quotation Marks
• Sentence Structure  (fragments, run-on, complete sentences)
• Common and Proper Nouns
• Verbs

Reading - We will be looking at the skills of the Understanding Characters and Point of View. 

Writing - We will do a fun Halloween writing activity of writing a spooky story. 

Social Studies

We will finish our group project this week and begin presentations. 

Math 

We are starting Module 3. The topic is Multi-Digit Multiplication and Division. 

This week, we will be working on Area and Perimeter and be solving  word problems using those formulas. 

Science

We are still in Ch. 5 Shaping Earth and this week we are reading Lesson 2: The Moving Crust. 

Religion 

We will begin to work on The Joyful Mysteries group project. 

Fall Weather

 

Happy Monday ! 

We are really in a good rhythm now. Please remember to send with your child extra masks in their backpack and a reusable water bottle to refill daily. 

English Language Arts

Spelling - We will have a spelling test this Thursday, October 22nd. 

Grammar - We will be begin to review the skill of Verbs. 

Next Wednesday, October 28th, we will have a summative grammar test on the skills covered in lessons 4 to 7. The skills covered were: quotation marks, common and proper nouns, sentence structure, and verbs. 

Reading - This week, we will be reading an Informational Text piece and talking about Fact vs. Opinion. We will have a reading assessment on Friday, October 23rd. 

Social Studies 

We will continue to work on our group project of the Early People of Arizona. 

Math

In Math we will be finishing Module 2 this week.  It is all about unit conversions and problem solving with metric measurement.

I want to also point out another important resource for your children (and you).  The videos associated with the lessons are available to the students in their virtual classrooms for math.  Scroll down to the bottom and find Resources.  There you will see Mrs. Grucky's Virtual Classroom.  Click on the green words Eureka Math and the students will see all 5 videos for Module 2.  You can watch the 15 minute video with them and solve and discuss problems together.  This is what we do in class, too. I may ask the students to watch the video for the next day as homework and come prepared to ask questions.

Science

We are continuing Chapter 5 Shaping Earth.  Lesson 2 is titled The Moving Crust and found on pages 212-221 in the large green Science textbook.

Religion 

This week the focus is the Theological Virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity or Love.  The students will memorize the prayer The Act of Faith found on page 12 in the Finding God religion textbook.

Short Week

 

Happy Wednesday! 

We have a short week ahead of us and cooler weather on the horizon! 

Thank you all so much for your partnership and support as we wrapped parent-teacher conferences last week. We know this is a unique year, but we are all doing such an amazing job!

Looking Ahead....

• Wednesday, October 14th - 3rd - 5th Grade Mass Unfortunately, there will not be a link to live stream it for our students at home. 

English Language Arts

Spelling - We will NOT have any spelling words this week. We will resume our regular routine next week. 

Grammar - We will continue to work with Common and Proper Nouns. We will have a check-in quiz on Friday, October 16th. 

Reading - We will continue to look at the skill of Story Structure and use Lesson 7's story, Invasion from Mars. 

Writing and Reading - We will officially wrap up The One and Only Ivan by doing a mini research project on the actual Ivan. 

Social Studies 

We will begin to work on a group project, digitally. Students will learn how to collaborate on one Google Slide Presentation at the same time. Each group will be assigned a different Native American tribe to research and become the experts on. This project will take us three weeks, and then the students will present their final project in class. 

Math 

In Math, we are starting Module 2. In this module, students cover Metric Measurement. They will convert meters to centimeters and kilometers to meters. They will use mixed units and solve word problems : again using the bar modeling (or tape diagram) strategy. 

Science

In Science, we are starting Ch. 5: Shaping the Earth. This week, Lesson 1 covers the layers of the Earth and landforms found on Earth. 

Religion 

We are talking about the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. 

Hello October

 

Good Morning Families, 

October is here! We have a shorter week ahead of us, so please keep in mind the two early release days on Wednesday and Thursday of this week to accommodate for Parent-Teacher Conferences. 

Then we have a four-day weekend, so enjoy the break! 

Several families have asked about the STAR reports and the reports will be going home in two weeks. 

Looking Ahead.....

• Wednesday, October 7th - Rosary in the Church @ 9:30
• Wednesday, October 7th - Half Day 
• Thursday, October 8th - Half Day 
• Friday, October 9th and Monday, October 12th - No School

English Language Arts

There will be a spelling test this Thursday, October 8th. 

NO spelling homework will go home with the students at the end of the week since we will not be in school on Friday or Monday. We will be skipping the next lesson of spelling words. 

Grammar - Our grammar skills do not quite align at the moment to the lesson we are on for Reading, but we will catch up. This week, we will be talking Common and Proper Nouns. 

Reading - We will be looking at the skill of story structure. 

We will also be watching the movie, The One and Only Ivan since we just finished the book in class. We will be doing a compare and contrast of the two. 

Social Studies

We will be reading the last lesson in Chapter 3: lesson 5 on the Sinagua people. 

Math 

We are finishing Module 1 and the end of module test is Wednesday. 

Science

We are finishing the Human Body Book. The focus is on Health and Wellness. 

Religion 

We will be praying the Rosary on Wednesday. We will also discuss how to pray it. 

Settling Into Routine

 

Hello Families,

We are halfway through the first trimester....YAY! Let's celebrate all of the new, hard, and amazing things you and your children have accomplished these past six weeks! 

As we settle into a good routine, whether at home or online, you will see that we have a very typical routine in the fourth grade. It is imperative that each week, students are completing the following: 

1. Dreambox (40 minutes and 5 lessons)
2. Bible Verse
3. Spelling homework 

Tasks that are being completed IN-CLASS and not for homework are: Read Aloud Question and Daily Flocabulary (10 to 15 minutes). 

Additionally, as we begin conferences this week, our big focus will be; is your child using their agenda daily. We spend time at the end of every school day to write in it subject by subject. Please check in with your child. Our students at home, we know you are not with us to do this task, but it is a great idea to make a game plan at the beginning of the week on how you will use your time wisely to complete your tasks. Also, if an assignment is due on Wednesday, it is due by the end of the school day, 3:00 PM. We are finding it challenging to keep up with the grading of late work. 

English Language Arts

There will be a spelling test this Thursday, October 1st. This week we are covering words that are homophones. It is very important that the students listen to how the word is being used in a sentence before spelling it out. 

Grammar - We will be talking about fragments, run-on sentences, and complete sentences. 

Reading - We will be talking  about Tall Tales by watching the movie Paul Bunyan and reading Stormalong. Students will be assessed on this story on Friday, October 2nd. 

Writing - We will continue to practice the five parts of a friendly letter. 

Social Studies

We are moving along nicely in Ch. 3, Lesson 3 and this week we will read about the Mountain Dwellers: The Mogollon People. 

Math

We will focus on subtraction of very large numbers including a great deal of regrouping. The students will also solve two-step word problems using the bar modeling strategy. 

Science

The next topic we will cover is Lesson 7, Fighting Disease. 

There will be a Nearpod activity and vocabulary quiz. 

Religion

We will be shifting our focus to the Rosary as we enter into the month of October. Every year we enter the Rosary Sunday Contest. The students will draw an image of Mary that goes along with the theme of the year. We will also learn about the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. 

STAR Testing

 

Hello Families, 

This week, we will be STAR testing the fourth graders in both Reading and Math. We will be STAR testing our students in the classroom and our students at home at the same time. More directions will be shared with our distance learners on how this will exactly happen. 

English Language Arts

Spelling - Due to the retreat last Friday, we were not able to take the spelling pretest, which means all students will take the spelling test this Thursday, September 24th. The spelling homework will be modified since they are getting it a day late. 

Grammar - We will continue to work on Quotation Marks. The students will receive directions this week for a quotation marks project, and it will be due on Friday, October 2nd. 

Reading - We will be talking about Theme this week. 

Writing - We will look at five parts of a friendly letter. 

Social Studies 

This week, we will cover lesson 2 in Ch. 3, which is on the Anasazi people. 

Math

We will be working on multi-digit addition with very large numbers and a big focus on Bar Modeling. 

Science

We will review the parts of the Nervous System. The students will be completing  a Nearpod. There will also be a  vocabulary quiz. 

Religion 

The students will memorize the Suscipe. We will be talking about God, our creator and our responsibility to the Earth. 

First Communion and Confirmation

 

Happy Monday to All!

Looking Ahead...

• Wednesday, September 16th - All School Mass: virtual for all students at 9:30
• Friday, September 18th - Sacraments Retreat in the Parish Hall 4A 8:00 to 9:30 and 4B 10:00 to 11:30
• Saturday, September 19th - First Communion and Confirmation mass for those making Sacraments now at 10:00 AM in the Church 

A few reminders: 

Please send in your 2 yards of fleece for our St. Vincent de Paul service project. This item was on our school supply list. Although we do not quiet know how our service project will look like this year, we will still be making our blankets and making sure they get over to St. Vincent de Paul. 

• Students who are listed in eblast as receiving this weekend will NOT be in school. 
• Students who are Distance Learners, but not receiving Sacraments will be doing an activity with us virtually. 
• On campus students not receiving this Saturday will be in class. 

English Language Arts

Spelling - There will be a spelling test on Thursday, September 17th. ALL spelling homework is due Thursday. 

Grammar - We will begin to look at the rules on how to properly use Quotation Marks. 

Reading - We will be looking at the skill of Cause and Effect. 

Social Studies

We will begin to learn about the early people of Arizona by reading Chapter 3 in our AZ textbook. 

Math

Students  will be working on rounding to any place, model drawing, and adding and subtracting larger numbers using the standard algorithm. 

Science

Students will be completing a Nearpod activity. (Digestive System) Students will read Lesson 5 about the Nervous System. 

Religion 

We will be preparing to receive our Sacraments. We will also be talking about our service projects. 

Hybrid Week September 8th to September 11th

 

Hello Families, 

This is our Fourth Grade blog. Each week, usually Mondays, we will update the blog with information similar to what you have been receiving in the weekly agenda. We will divide the blog post up by subject area and list out what is going to be covered as well any assessments that are coming up. We will also put any important information going on in the school community.  We will send the link out each Monday. This is a super handy "week at a glance." 

We are excited to see our students back in person, but we are also committed and excited to learn and grow with our students online. This is going to be a whole new process for all of us, so please be patient with us as we get used to the new way of teaching and learning. 

Looking Ahead....

• Wednesday, September 9th - Mass -We will be attending Mass in the Church at 9:30 AM. The link will be shared via Google Classroom for our students at home always.

• Friday, September 18th - Retreat for those receiving Sacraments in September - More information to come soon. 
• Saturday, September 19th - First Communion and Confirmation Mass at 10 AM in the Church 

English Language Arts

Spelling - We will begin with Lesson 3 words on Thursday and Friday of this week. Each week, students will have the opportunity to take a spelling pretest, and if they get a 100% on the pretest, they do not need to take the test at the end of the week. They will still be responsible for the homework though. 

Our typical spelling procedure is as follows: spelling pretest and homework given on Fridays and homework and spelling test is the following Thursday. 

Reading - We will begin to look at Lesson 3 toward the end of this week. 

Social Studies 

We are going to begin work in Chapter 3: Early People of AZ. We will be learning about the first people who settled here.

Math 

We will continue with Rounding to any place value. 

The weekly goal for Dreambox will remain the same all year; 40 minutes AND 5 lessons.  You can log your student's progress on the Parent Dashboard. Directions to get there went home at the beginning of the year. Email Mrs. Ezell with any question as she just set up her daughters. 

Science

We will continue learning about The Human Body. Students will complete a Nearpod Student Paced Activity on the Respiratory System. 

Religion 

Students will be completing their altar cloth squares in class and at home in preparation for Sacraments. 

4-Day School Week

Happy Monday!

We look forward to a long weekend this coming weekend! We only have a four day school week this week and next week. Enjoy the time off!

March Madness Fun 

The students will be gearing up for the craziness of March Madness by making predictions and filling out brackets for this week's Pac-12 basketball tournament. We will have the larger bracket displayed on the board in class.

Looking Ahead...

• Wednesday, March 11th - Grades 3 - 5 Mass at Brophy at 9:30 AM 
• Friday, March 13th and Monday, March 16th - No School 
• Friday, March 27th - The Living Stations of the Cross - begins promptly at 9:30 AM 

English Language Arts



The students will have a spelling test this Thursday, March 12th.The students did not and will not have regular spelling homework this week. We are looking at words that are prefixes, so, we will be making flashcards in class to help us identify where the prefix is and where the base or root word starts.

Reading - We will spend the next two weeks on this story and skill. We will be reading a myth: Hercules. We will be talking about the skill of story structure and theme. There will be a reading test on this story next Friday, March 20th.

Grammar - We will finish up adjectives and have a quiz this Thursday on this skill. We will also begin to talk about adverbs.

Social Studies

We are moving along in our discussions of the early people who once lived in Arizona.

Math 

In Fractions, we are still working with equivalent fractions, but now we will use division to find simplest form. We are also going to be able to plot a fraction on a number line.

Science  

Now that we finished the Geometry module, we are back to the STEM lab.

We are studying Forms of Energy. The topic of investigation one is Potential Energy and Kinetic Energy.

Religion 

We are practicing for The Stations of the Cross and working in our Totally Lent workbook.

March is here!

Happy, Happy Monday!

March is here! WOW, where is the time going! Please join us this weekend for the annual Fun Fest! It's going to be a 'bright' day!

Looking Ahead...

• Saturday, March 7th - Fun Fest from 9 am to 3 pm at SFX 
• Friday, March 13th and Monday, March 16th - No School 
• Friday, March 27th - The Living Stations of the Cross at 9:30 AM in the Church 

English Language Arts



The students will have a spelling test on Thursday, March 5th . 

Reading - We will be looking at the skill of sequence of events along with summarizing again. The students will have a reading test on Friday, March 6th. 

Grammar - We will continue to look at Adjectives. We will also be introducing Adverbs. The students will have a quiz on ADJECTIVES on Friday, March 6th. 

Social Studies 

Our focus is on the early people of Arizona: the food they hunted or grew, the things they made, the buildings they lived in, and their possible disappearance theories. The students will be put into groups this week and begin to look at the expectations for the Google Slides presentation project.

Math

Students are working on equivalent fractions They will make models and use math to create equivalent fractions.

Geometry

The focus this week is Quadrilaterals including: parallelograms, trapezoids, rectangles, squares, rhombus. They will identify and construct them.

Religion 

We will work daily in our Totally Lent workbook. The students will use a Bible and find the readings for the day.

The Season of Lent

Happy Monday Families!

It is hard to believe that we are in the final stretch of the school! Let's continue to encourage our students to do their best in their daily work and attitudes. We are going to kick up the rigor just a notch as we begin to prepare them for 5th grade!

This week, we also enter into the season of Lent. We have Mass on Wednesday for Ash Wednesday, Please note the time change to 8:30 AM. 

During the season of Lent, a beautiful tradition here at SFX is that the fourth graders lead the school community in the prayer of The Living Stations of the Cross. This prayer will be prayed on Friday, March 27th at 9:30 AM in the Church. Every fourth grader will have a role. It is a beautiful prayer and the students truly rise to the occasion. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend. No body will be let inside the Church once we begin, so please be prompt and sit in the  space indicated for parents. 

Looking Ahead....

• Wednesday, February 26th - Ash Wednesday Mass at 8:30 AM in the Church 
• Friday, February 28th - Arupe Marketplace and Food Truck Friday - Please send small bills for students to shop and support the 7th graders. 

English Language Arts 



We will have a spelling test on Thursday, February 27th.

Reading - This week we will be talking about Historical Fiction and the skill of comparing and contrasting.

Grammar - We are going to "unpack" our Adjectives this week!

Vocabulary - The students will look at the words in the story this week more closely. We will start this assignment in class by drawing pictures that help us to understand the meaning, write the definition, and then use the word in a sentence.

Social Studies 

We will begin using our Discovering Arizona textbook and look at Chapter 3, which is all about the Early People of Arizona.

We will be learning about the customs, traditions, and ways of the various tribes that once lived here. In about two weeks, students will be divided into groups and begin to create a Google slides Presentation on a Native American Tribe.

Math

We are starting the Fraction module. Hot topics: equivalent fractions, number bonds, addition and subtraction of fractions.

There is a timed x12 test this week that will be graded. STUDY!!! 


Geometry

The topics covered this week are symmetry and classification of triangles.

Religion

We are preparing for the start of Lent. The students will be working in their Totally Lent booklet daily, and we are also beginning practice for Stations.

Happy President's Day !

Good evening to all!

We hope you enjoyed the extra long weekend! We have a short week ahead of us, but a busy one!

Looking Ahead..

• Tomorrow, Tuesday, February 18th - Field Trip to the Musical Instrument Museum with Mrs. Nemeth. We will be back on campus in time for lunch and recess. 
• Wednesday, February 19th - Adoration at 9:30 am in the Church 
• Wednesday, February 26th - Ash Wednesday Mass - Lent begins - Mass at  8:30 am in the Church
• Friday, February 28th - Arupe Marketplace shopping at 11:30 and food trucks after school 

English Language Arts

There are NO spelling words this week. We will resume next week.

Grammar - Due to a busy schedule last week, we did not talk about irregular verbs. So, we will squeeze them them in this week to try and wrap it up.

Reading - We will continue with Lesson 15 and the story: Ecology for Kids. We will focus a lot on summarizing this week. The students will have a reading quiz on Friday, February 21st. 

Social Studies and Writing 

We will talk about President's Day and write a basic six line poem to honor a President. Students will use a QR code to access information online about a President's life.

Math

We are finishing Module 3, but will be doing daily addition, subtraction, multiplication and division to keep those skills sharp.

We will have the x12 pre-test this week and the graded post test early next week.  Practice...Practice...Practice

This trimester I want them to solve problems without using the multiplication chart.  They need to use the mastered facts in their brain now.

The next Module we will be starting is Fractions!

Geometry

The students are going to use the addition of adjacent angle measures to solve problems for an unknown angle.

Religion 

We will prepare for Adoration on Wednesday.  Then we will review the sacraments of Service--Matrimony and Holy Orders.  We will be making and playing  a Sacrament Game to solidify what we have learned.

Arizona Turns 108!

Happy Monday to All!

We have a four-day school ahead of us. On Thursday, we will celebrate Arizona's Birthday with a birthday party! Students will be allowed to pass out valentines as well during this time. All parents are welcome. The party will be from 1:45 to 2:45 in both classrooms.

Looking Ahead....

• Wednesday, February 12th - All School Mass at 9:30 am in the Church - 4 of our fourth graders will be altar serving for the first time at a school Mass. 
• Thursday, February 13th - Arizona's Birthday Party at 1:45
• Friday, February 14th and Monday, February 17th - No School 

English Language Arts



There will be a spelling test on Thursday, February 13th. There will be NO spelling homework given at the end of this week as we will not have any words next week due to the short week.

Reading - We are moving to Lesson 15 and the skill of main idea and details. We will work with this story and skill for two weeks. We will be working on how to summarize a paragraph by pulling out the most important information and putting it into our own words.

Grammar - We will continue to talk about Irregular Verbs.

Writing - We will partner up this week and write a friendship poem in honor of St. Valentine.

Social Studies 

The students will continue to work on their digital birthday card and create a QR code, so that other students can view it.

We will continue to learn about influential African American people and make our mini posters in our notebooks.

Math

We are finishing up our module. The last skill is multiplying two-digit by two-digit numbers using the standard algorithm.

We have a graded timed x10 and timed x11 on Wednesday, February 12th. PRACTICE!!!!

Geometry

We are measuring and constructing angles.

Religion 

This week we are focusing on the Sacrament of Eucharist and Holy Days of Obligation.

Black History Month

Happy February!

We had such an awesome time last week with all of the Catholic Schools festivities! We are excited to carry that energy into the month of February as we continue strong in our projects and lessons.

Looking Ahead...

• Wednesday, February 5th - 3rd to 5th grade Mass @ Brophy - 4A is reading and 4B is singing 
• Wednesday, February 12th - All School Mass in the Church @ 9:30
• Thursday, February 13th - Happy Birthday Arizona Party / students will be able to pass out valentines to their classmates from 1:45 to 2:45. We encourage the students to only give to their homeroom and no need to write out names individually. 
• Friday, February 14th and Monday, February 17th - No School 

English Language Arts


There will be a spelling test on Thursday, February 6th.

Reading - We are moving right along in our Journey's textbook and now on lesson 14. This week's story is an informational text and focuses on text and graphic features. This is a familiar skill for us. We will have a reading test on Friday, February 7th.

Grammar - We are going to begin to look at irregular verbs.

February Book Project 

Last week, students were given directions and shown examples in class of what the upcoming book project is expected to look like. The project is due Friday, February 28th. Students are suppose to be reading a book on an influential African American. Once they finish the book, they will take a cereal box and use the direction page to create a cereal after their famous person.

For example, if I read a book on Barrack Obama, then my cereal could be called Barrack O's (after Cheerios). Students are designing the front of the box with a picture, putting a simple game on the back, information about the person's life on one side, and then on the other side information about where the person is from, and what did they do in their life that impacted the world.

I have plenty of construction paper or blank white paper in the classroom for students to use. Additionally, if a student needs a cereal box, I can help with that as well. Please ask if you have any questions.

Social Studies

We will be working on 2 things in the month of February. First, we will continue to talk about our beautiful state of Arizona and celebrate its birthday by creating a birthday card. We will use the information we gathered from the webquest to create a digital card during tech time.

Additionally, we will be talking about Black History Month. We will watch short video clips and read about influential African Americans in history. Students will design posters in their Social Studies notebooks on the people we learn about.

Math 

We are moving on to double digit by double digit multiplication. The students will use the area model and partial product this week and by next week we should be using the standard algorithm.

On Wednesday, we will have the timed x9 for a grade. PLEASE PRACTICE!!!

Geometry 

Parallel and Perpendicular Lines are the topic this week. The students will construct them and identify them.

Religion

We are preparing to lead Mass on Wednesday at Brophy.

Because the Gospel is about the Sermon on the Mount, we will be studying the Beatitudes.

National Catholic Schools Week

Happy National Catholic Schools Week! We are so grateful for Catholic Education,and we are so grateful for you in choosing SFX for your child. We have lots of fun ahead this week, so please see below.

Looking Ahead...

• Today, Monday, January 27th - Hawaiian Day 
• Tuesday, January 28th - Mass on the Grass - Please bring a beach towel or blanket to sit on during Mass. We are also collecting money to help the people of Puerto Rico. 
• Wednesday, January 29th - Disco Day and Talent Show - The fourth graders are in the talent show! It is going to be so much fun! 
• Thursday, January 30th - PJ Day 
• Friday, January 31st - Free Dress Day in support of Funfest 

English Language Arts



There will be a spelling test on Thursday, January 31st. 

Reading - We will be look at lesson 13 and the skill of sequence of events.

Grammar - We are going to continue with Homophone.

Social Studies

We will begin to look at Arizona's state symbols by way of a webquest. The information we gather will be used to create a digital birthday card for Arizona's birthday in February.

Math

We are continuing to focus on division, but this week we will have 3 and 4 digit dividends. Hopefully we will begin double digit by double digit multiplication.

The pretest for the x9s is this week. I will test for a grade next week. Please practice at home.

Geometry 

We are studying angles: acute, right, and obtuse. We are also learning about parallel and perpendicular lines. The students will identify and construct these lines and angles .

Religion 

We will continue talking about the Sacraments of Healing: Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick.

I Have A Dream....

Yesterday, we were off in remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Today, in class, we will talk about him and the contributions he made to our world.

Looking Ahead...

• Sunday, January 26th to Friday, January 31st - National Catholic Schools Week  - See the eblast for what each day's theme is and how the students can show their spirit.

English Language Arts

There are no spelling words this week. We will resume next week.

Reading - We will continue reading lesson 12 and talking about the skill of sequence of events. The students will have a test on Friday, January 24th. 

Grammar - We will continue to talk about Homophones, but this week, we will talk about its, it's, you're, and your.

Vocabulary - We will continue to talk about synonyms. The students will need to make up an assignment from last week that was not completed correctly. Be on the lookout for it tomorrow.

Social Studies 

We will recap what we saw and learned about our trip on Friday.

Math

We are finding the factors of numbers and determining if they are Prime or Composite. We are still practicing addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division as mastery is expected in fourth grade.

They will have a timed (1 minute) x8 test tomorrow. Please practice!!!

Science/Geometry 

I am beginning the Geometry module during our Science time for a few weeks. The students will cover point, line segment, line, ray, and angles.

Grades taken in Geometry will go under the Science tab in the grade book.

Religion 

We will be talking about The Sacraments of Healing: Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick.

Kartchner Caverns

Good Morning Families,

This week, we prepare for our all day field trip on Friday, January 17th to Kartchner Caverns and San Xavier del Bac Mission. We are so so grateful for the opportunity to go on this trip for the third year and looking forward to an amazing experience!

Looking Ahead....

• Tuesday, January 14th - The Wizard of Oz Auditions after school from 3:00 to 4:30 for grades 3 to 5 in the junior high commons 
• Tuesday, January 14th - STAR Reading test for 4A and STAR Math test for 4B 
• Wednesday, January 15th - STAR Reading test for 4B  and STAR Math test for 4A 
• Friday, January 17th - Field Trip from 6:15 AM to 6:00 PM - Please reference Mrs. Ezell's email from last week for any additional email. 
• Monday, January 20th - No School in honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

English Language Arts



The students will have a spelling test on Thursday, January 16th. 

Grammar - We will continue to talk about words that are commonly confused such as two, too, and to. This week, we will move to their, there, and they're, it's and its, and more! Students will have a formative assessment on Wednesday, January 15th.

Reading - We will work on this story for the next two weeks. There will be a reading test on Friday, January 24th. The skill is sequence of events.

Vocabulary - Since we will be looking at this story for 2 weeks, we will also be  discussing the skill of synonyms with our vocabulary words from the story. Students will need to find a synonym for the word and then use it in a sentence as part of their homework.

Social Studies and Religion 

We are excited to welcome a guest from the Parish who will be visiting us to share information about San Xavier del Bac Mission and Fr. Kino

Math

We are continuing to work on Division using the standard algorithm. The students will be tested regularly on division and multiplication problems for mastery. They will also be working on word problems using multiplication and division.

Please begin to practice the x8 in preparation for the graded test next week.

Science

We are learning Speleothems (names of cave formations). The students are preparing for our field trip by learning the names of some of the formations we will see.

Happy New Year!!

Hello 2020!

Welcome back to school! We hope you all enjoyed your Christmas vacations and New Year's festivities! We wish you many blessings in the new decade!

Looking Ahead...

• Wednesday, January 8th - All School Mass @ 9:30 in the Church
• Friday, January 10th - Cow Pie Bingo Event @ the SFXAA Fields @ 5:30
• Friday, January 17th - Kartchner Caverns field trip 6:15 AM to 6:15 PM - A more detailed email with information will be going home early this week. 

English Language Arts



There will be a spelling test on Thursday, January 9th. The students will have modified spelling homework to accommodate just returning from break and receiving the list today. 

Reading - We will be looking at Lesson 11 in our reading textbook, which focuses on Informational Text and the use of Text and Graphic Features. There will be a reading assessment on Friday, January 10th.

Grammar - We will be talking about frequently confused words such as to, too, two, their, there, they're, and its and it's.

Writing - We will be writing about what we did over winter break in a fun, creative way by creating our very own "Insta Stories."

Social Studies

We will begin to talk about San Xavier del Bac Mission and Kartchner Caverns in preparation for our upcoming field trip.

Math

Our focus this week is Division using the standard algorithm. We will use multiplication to check our answers.

This week, we will take a graded x7 test. The students will take a pretest today.

Science

We are combining matter. The focus will be on Physical Changes vs. Chemical Changes.

There will be a vocabulary quiz on Friday.

Religion 

This week we will close up our Absolutely Advent workbook, and it will be graded.

We will be discussing Epiphany in class.