Week of December 10th - 14th

Winter Break-December 19th-January 8th. First day back is Tuesday, January 9th. I hope everyone will have a great and relaxing time with their families.

Outdoor School-We have a date!! May 23/24th. We need volunteers. If you would like to come, please contact me.

Testing will happen after the break. Please make sure you child is reading and doing IXL DAILY!!

Our class won best attendance for two months in a row!! Great job! We know that kids that come to school daily will do much better with their academics.

Also, we have a date for Overnight Field Trip. It will be May 23/24. There is a parent information night if you are interested. PLEASE look at the web page.
I wrote a grant for the field trip and the 5th grade classes were rewarded $850.00.
We will have a Holiday Store at Shaver and all money collected will go towards the 5th grade field trip.
Our last day of school is December 18th.
http://www.mesd.k12.or.us/os/OregonTrail/Welcome.html

November 26 - 30th

Report cards have been sent out so look for them in the mail.

Outdoor Field Trip fund raiser will be at Shaver on December 13/14th.
If you are interested in helping, call me.
The trip is $25.00 a student. If you would like to pay $5.00 a month,
please turn in your money to the office or to me.

We are starting decimals in Math and going to continue division and
problem solving.
We are working on important information and summarizing in reading.

We finished up learning about the Stamp Act/Boston Tea Party and are
starting our Revolutionary War this week.

Hope everyone had a great break! Please make sure your child is
reading and working on IXL during their vacation days.

http://www.mesd.k12.or.us/os/OregonTrail/Welcome.html

Here is more information about the overnight for parents to see.

Week of November 12 - 16th

Report cards will be going out next week.

Math: Please make sure your child is doing IXL a few times a week.

Social Studies; We will work on Boston Tea Party/Stamp Act this week.

Reading: We are doing a Flocabulary weekly. This will help with their fluency.
Here is the weekly Rap to practice. Click Here:

Week of October 29 - November 2nd

No school: Wednesday, October 31-Teacher Planning Day
Thursday, November 1st-Conferences
Friday, November 2nd-Conferences.
Please have your child come with you.


I.X.L.-Please have your child work on a 5th grade strand on I.X.L.
OVERNIGHT FIELD TRIP-We will be working hard to fund raise money for this GREAT trip. Each person is $95.00 but your child will only have to pay $25.00. You can start paying $5.00 a month or all at one time. If you have any ideas on fund raising, please contact one of the 5th grade teachers.

Week of October 22nd - 26th

Shaver Pumpkin Party-6:00-8:00 Wednesday.

Pizza/Salad $1.00

Haunted House/Games in classrooms around Halloween and math.

Next week-November 1st/November 2nd. Most have confirmed conference times. Please let me know ahead of time if you can't make it and we can reschedule.

Please look at the planners every night. It will tell you their homework.

Week of October 15 - 19th

Oregon History Museum-Had a great field trip last week!

Thanks to the parents who attended.

Overnight Field Trip-We will be taking an overnight field trip in the late spring. Please pay $25.00 or $5.00 a month for this trip. The entire trip is $95.00 per student but we will fund raise and write grants to cover the rest. Please call/email if you have any questions.

Conferences-Thursday, November 1 12:00-8:00

Friday, November 2. If you would like to have a conference on Wednesday, October 31st, please let me know. I will be sending notices of times by the end of the week.

Math-We are working on division/place value/rounding. Please have your child use IXL nightly for 10-15 minutes. This will help your child learn the skills they need for 5th grade.

Week of October 8th - 12th

Field Trip: WE have a field trip on Thursday to the Oregon History Museum. If there are parents that want to come, please call me.

Reading Groups: We are working on academic reading during reading groups with a variety of different resources.

After School Program: After school starts on Monday, October 8th!

Music: We also have an opportunity through Ethos to have your child learn how to play an instrument this year. All applications were needing to be turned in on Friday, October 5th.

Math-We are working on division/place value to millions. PLEASE work on multiplication facts with your child.

Social Studies-WE are working on our Colonial Unit. This week we learned about life when people arrived to the New World. Next week we will work on New England colonies.

Week of October 1st - 5th

Field Trip: Look out for information about Overnight Oregon Trail Field trip!

Our new AVID words for clarification:
"Could you repeat that?"
"Could you say more about that?"
"In other words, you think that...?"
"Could you give me an example of that?"
"I have a question about that?"

Science-This week in Mr. K's class they have started learning about the sun.

Week of Sept 24th - 28th

This week we will have ELD

We will be finishing the Outsiders whole group for reading and practicing AVID strategy of highlighting important information

Reading Stations -  Friday will be first day of s. Some will read James and the Giant Peach and another group will be reading Watson's Go to Birmingham.

Math Stations-We are learning exponents/place value to millions and mean/mode/median

Here are the proposed grants on donorschoose.org:
1. http://www.donorschoose.org/project/project-learning-through-technology/836584/?utm_source=dc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=sendfriend
2.http://www.donorschoose.org/project/new-knowledge-with-non-fiction/836520/?utm_source=dc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=sendfriend

Week of September 17 - 21st

Here is an AVID strategy. Please use the language below when expressing an opinion. This is the academic language we are using in the classroom. More to come!
When expressing an opinion:
"I think...."
"I believe ..."
"In my opinion.."
"It seems to me that..."
"Not everybody will agree with me, but.."

This week-Learning how to sequence events while reading a story.
Social Studies-Created our colonial ship/Created our Colonial Freeze setting.
Students will go to Mr. K's class next week for Science.

Please pay for school supplies by end of September.

REWARD-If students turn in their homework for the entire week, their name will go into a drawing. At the end of the month, I will draw 2 names to go to lunch with me.

Week of Sept 10 - 14th

This year we have had a GREAT first week.
We have 28 students this year with 16 girls and 11 boys.
We have 4 new students, two students who have moved and the rest returning from last year.
A new addition we have at Shaver is 20 new I-Pads that the class used last week. We will continue to use these for our IXL/Google email accounts/letter exchange as well as research and other fun projects.

If you haven't paid for your supply money, please turn your money into the office or to me. Let me know when you will be paying for your supplies.

Planners: They SHOULD be coming this week and we will be using these DAILY along with homework folder and AVID folders.

Communication: I will check phone messages daily and return calls. If you would like to email me, I check that frequently throughout the day and can respond.

Back to School Night: Please come this WEDNESDAY at 6:00-7:30. FREE dinner, see the classroom and learn about 5th grade AVID!

IXL-One math program that we will use a few times a week is IXL. Your child will have a username/password. If you have internet at your house, this is a GREAT program to have your child do 15 minutes a day. It will send me a progress and their level, help them with 5th grade math and prepare them for their tests all in a fun way. Ask your child about it!

We will start reading stations at the end of the month. This month we are reading a book project whole group and working on reading skills. I will use this time to test your child on their reading level so I can place them in the right group.

Math groups: We will start math groups next week.

Please welcome Lindsey Marcus who is a practicum student at Concordia. She will be with us every Wednesday and Friday until November where she will be with us full time until Winter Break.

Week of May 29th  - June 1st

Next week we will finish our research project. During the week of June 4th-8th students will be giving their speeches and powerpoint presentation on someone who has made a difference in our world.

Field Trip-June 1st to Columbia Slough

PARTY-- June 11th we will go to Round Table Pizza and to the Parkrose Pool to celebrate ALL of our hard work that we have accomplished this year.

I'm so proud of the work that we've done and I'm happy they will be in my class next year.

If you are wanting to do summer school, please contact me or Helen for a form. If your child didn't receive a form and you want them to attend, they will be on lottery system.

Branches of Government

Hi Everyone,

It's Mr. D here giving you an update on the Branches of Government.  The class did a great job exploring the branches of government.  I feel confident the students understand why it is import to be civic minded.  They understood this through participation in the voting process.  Here, students developed questions for a classroom debate.  The candidates were asked these questions and given time to plead their point of view.  From there, the class voted for a president, vice-president, senator, and representative. There is a picture below of Ms. Tucker's 4th Grade Classroom Administration.

 
Back Row (left to right): Brenda Cruz (Supreme Court Justice), Bethel Sishu (Supreme Court Justice), Makayla Evans (Representative), Front Row (left to right): Karen Heredia-Leal (Vice-President), Sergio Contreras (President), Yahir Marcial-Lopez (Supreme Court Justice), not pictured Russell Rain (Senator)

Congratulations!!!

Week of May 21st - 25th


Writing: This week we have been working on our Spring Writing test.

Field Trips: The play on Tuesday was fabulous!
Our next field trip is June 1st. We will go to the Columbia Slough.

Research Project: The kids are starting their last research/presentation project. They will do it on a person who has made a difference. Please help your child work on their reports the next couple of weeks.

Summer School: We will have summer school this year. It will start on July 16th and go for 4 weeks. More information to come!

Monday May 7th - 11th


The Japanese Garden was a great field trip. Thanks to Carson and Liana's mom for coming. It was a VERY WET day but the kids worked hard on the Haiku's.
 Next Monday, May 14th-Joan from the Japanese Garden will be a special guest in our classroom during writing time. We will have a book created by the end of the year.

El Zorrito-May 15th. Play at Children's Theatre.

Testing: This week and next we will have 3rd round of Oaks Testing. This is the last opportunity for students to take the reading and math test. If your child has already passed, they will not be taking it again unless you or your child want them to.

Warm weather-Please have a water bottle for your child. The classroom is warm and the drinking fountain doesn't work properly.

Summer-Shaver is being remodeled this summer! Check out the design plan on the district website.

Week of May 1-4


Wednesday-Book Fair at Shaver 5:30-7:30-Dinner/Free book if you attend the 4th grade curriculum.

Thursday-Japanese Garden Field Trip

May 15th Play El Zorrito

Spring Final Writing-We will have a writing assessment at the end of May.

Please remind your child about the 4 B's.
Be Responsible
Be Respectful
Be Safe
Be A Learner

Week of April 23rd  - 27th


Social Studies-Kids are learning about branches of Government. They will have debates and a vote for classroom president.
Geography-PLEASE study for geography test. This week will be North Carolina/Virginia.
Field Trip-We will have a field trip on April 27th. We need 2 more parent volunteers.
If you would like to go, please call me.
We will be eating lunch at OMSI. If you need the school to provide you lunch, please let me know.
If there will not be school due to unseen circumstances, we will reschedule.

For the Week of April 9th - 13th


Geography Test: Alabama and Georgia this week. Please study!

Testing:Second round of state tests have started this week. Please make sure your child is well rested and discuss the importance of taking your time and staying focused!

Social Studies:We are working on learning about the Government and the 3 branches of Government.

IXL:If you have internet access-GET ON IXL FOR 15 minutes

IMPORTANT DATES-
April 27th-OMSI-We need one more parent to volunteer. If you would like to volunteer, let me know.
May 3rd-Japanese Garden. If you would like to volunteer, please let me know. We are the only school that has been chosen for this grant. We will take pictures and write poetry after the garden visit.
El Zorrito- First bilingual play. Spanish/English.

Week of April 2nd - April 6th

I hope everyone enjoyed their Spring Break!

Homework: We will have homework a little differently. 2 days a week we will have a reading comprehension sheet and 2 days a week we will have a math sheet.

We will also continue to do a reading summary and free write a couple times a week.

Geography-We will continue to take our weekly tests. This will require studying at least 5-10 minutes daily.

Social Studies-Our new unit we will start this week is Government. Your child will learn the 3 branches of government and we will have our own student leadership class voting.

Important Dates-

April 27th-OMSI field trip. If you would like to volunteer, please call the classroom.

Social Studies

This week we finished our Early Explorers unit.  The students learned about the important accomplishments of Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama, Amerigo Vespucci, and Ferdinand Magellan.  The students also practiced their world geography skills and learned some interesting facts about how North America, South America, and the Pacific Ocean were named.  The students did a great job of participating in the classroom activities and learning the key information.

Thank you for all of your hard work!
-Mrs. Bestel

WEEK OF MARCH 5 - 9TH


NO SCHOOL on Thursday/Friday
Conferences are Thursday and Friday.
Please make sure you attend to hear the progress your child is making.
Please make sure that your child attends with you.

RUMMAGE SALE-Thursday/Friday. All profits will benefit Drama that will be at Shaver.

UPCOMING DATES: Spring Break March 26th-30th
OMSI-April 28th

WEEK OF FEBRUARY 27TH - MARCH 2ND

PARENT HELPERS NEEDED: We have a few events coming up!

Saturday-March 3rd We need 1 parent every hour to volunteer at the Middle School Pop/Can Drive. All money will go to 4th grade classes for our overnight field trip next year. You can sign up for the following:

9:00-10:00

10:00-11:00

11:00-12:00

12:00-1:00

Please let me know as soon as possible.

Conferences are 3/8 and 3/9. If you need to change your time, please contact me as soon as possible.

OMSI Field Trip-4/27. We will need 4-5 parent volunteers. It is a free field trip. If you would like to go, please let me know.

Columbia Slough-6/1 We will need 4-5 parent volunteers.

Drama: We are very excited to have drama for two weeks in March. The 4th grade team has worked hard in fund raising so your child can get the best experience in acting/drama performance. This person is a trained professional who works at the Children's Theatre and will be with our classroom 30 minutes everyday!

Writing/Social Studies: WE are also starting our 2nd round of research/presentations. Each child has picked a country of their choice and are researching facts on that country.

Reminders:

Please make sure your child is READING 30 minutes at home EVERY DAY!!

Please make sure your child is practicing their multiplication facts EVERY DAY!!

Week of February 13 - 17th


Testing: This week we started our State Writing test and math test.

History: They finished their Civil Rights Unit and starting Explorers.

We welcome Ms. Bestel as a practicum teacher. She will be in our classroom full time for the next 6 weeks. She will be a great addition to our learning community.

Conferences are coming!

March 2nd-No School/Grading Day
March 8th/9th-No School Conferences.
Spring Break March 26th-30th

Week of February 6 - 10

Testing: We finished our first round of reading tests this week. We will discuss that at conferences and what that might mean for your child.
We will be testing first round of math next week. Please make sure they come to school and have a well rested night sleep.

Fundraising: We are collecting pop cans for a future overnight field trip for next year. If you have any cans/bottles, please bring them in.

Geography: Our states for this week to study are Louisiana/Wisconsin.

History: Next week will be our last week for studying Civil Rights. We will start our new unit of Explorers.

Japanese Gardens: Our classroom was selected as one of four classes in the District to participate with the Japanese Gardens. We will have a great opportunity to explore the gardens again using our senses and cameras that will be borrowed. More to come!

Play: We have scheduled a classroom play for May 15th to see El Zorrito a bilingual play, one of the first for NW Children's Theatre. It should be great!

Week of January 30th - February 3rd
Testing: We will be testing over the next couple of weeks for Oaks State Reading/Math test. Make sure they get good sleep and are at school.

Geography: States to study this week are Missouri and Arkansas.

History: Students have been learning about the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Freedom Riders and Sit-Ins. They have been excited to learn about Civil Rights and hopefully this can continue into further research projects and great conversations.

We will have a student teacher in our classroom full time for the next 7 weeks. She has great experience and will be a great addition into the classroom.

Social Studies:We are still doing Civil Rights and watched a movie on the Bus Boycott. We are learning about the sit-in's, reading books and writing papers on various different topics dealing with the Civil Rights.

Math:Some students are starting division. Make sure they are still studying Multiplication.

Geography:Minnesota/Iowa

Elevate Oregon: High school mentors are coming to our classroom every Thursday to mentor our 4th graders.

Week of January 10 - 13

We will start school next Tuesday the 10th.

Math: ALL students need to know basic facts on multiplication 1-10.

Please use IXL for all strands that we've worked on.

Social Studies: We will work on Civil Rights for the month of January.

Mentors:We will have high school students come in once a week to mentor 4th grade students starting Thursday.

Testing: The first round of testing will happen towards the end of January.

I hope everyone had a great holiday and you are ready to come back to school!