It's Cloudy with a Chance Of....

     We are currently working on our first official science unit, Weather.  During this unit our students will take on the role of a scientist to learn about all about weather.  We have already learned about the water cycle and employed our LIFESKILL of creativity to create a large water cycle on our immersion wall.  We will also learn about various types of severe weather, collect data using real weather instruments, and research the different types of clouds, just to name a few.  This unit will be very interactive and provides lots of exciting, hands-on experiences for your children.  We are looking to forward to a visit from meteorologist Von Gaskin, from WIS, on next Tuesday.  Ask your child to share with you the four parts of the water cycle and ask him or her what type(s) of clouds are out next time you all are outside.     

Decimals are in the Air...

   On Monday, we started unit 4, Decimal and Their Uses.  We have jumped right and are making our way.  This unit will present brand new concepts and will likely be more challenging than previous units.  Please make sure that your child is completing his or her homework nightly as that is key for students to get a good grasp on material presented in class.  I will continue to remind students to bring home their SRBs (Student Reference Books), so that they can refer to them as needed, while doing their homework. 
    This week, students do not have a timed multiplication test, but we will resume with them next Wednesday.  Please make sure your child is studying the facts he or she will be tested on for a short time nightly and are completing the packet for additional practice.  Multiplication is the foundation for many of the more difficult skills and concepts we will be learning this year, consequently, mastery of the facts are imperative.  Below is a link to great place value game that will provide your child with additional practice.  I also posted the link on Edmodo, so they can access the game from there as well.

Healthy Snack Policy Reminder

Dear Bookman Family,

                  With Halloween fast approaching, we wanted to take this opportunity to review our policies and procedures regarding this day.  We will not be celebrating this holiday in school; this includes any "party" type of celebrations, costume attire, or treat bags.  Classroom snack choices, for those teachers who allow them, will continue to follow our healthy snack guidelines which are found in your child's agenda book and on our website.  Teachers are asked to ensure adherence to these guidelines during the day. We appreciate your understanding, acceptance and support of these policies.

                                                                                                 Sincerely,

                                                                                   Your Bookman Road Health Advisory Committee

Blinky's Buddy!

Hunter

This week's Blinky's Buddy is Hunter.  Hunter celebrated his birthday on October 15th by playing Laser Tag with family and friends.  In his free time, he enjoys playing baseball; he currently plays for the Recreation League on the Lightning.  Hunter's favorite food is Crab legs and he'd like to be a professional baseball player when he grows up, playing for the Atlanta Braves.  

The 4th Grade Wax Museum

And the process begins....  If you have been at Bookman Road for any number of years, you have likely seen or at least heard of the Wax Museum that the 4th Grade class puts on every year.  If you are new to Bookman Road, then you are in for a treat!  The 4th Grade class will bring many of the historical figures we learn about throughout the school year to life in this breathe taking presentation.  Yesterday, I sent home paperwork regarding the Wax Museum that is very important.  Please time some time over the weekend, if you haven't already, to review this paperwork with your child.  The actual event doesn't take place until January, but there is a lots of work do before it all comes to fruition.  Help your child to select his/her top three choices of a person from history that they'd like to represent in the Wax Museum and return the form to me no later than next Thursday, October 18th.  I will then send a letter of notification home on Thursday, October 25th informing you and your child what choice he/she received.  There are a lot of options to choose from, so finding a person that he/she is interested in shouldn't be a problem at all.  We will try our best to honor your child's first choice, however, we often have some groups that are very popular (which we have to limit), so we may to have go with your child's  second, or in some instances, third choice.  The sooner your child turns in his/her form, the higher priority he/she receives.  Please send me an e-mail if you have any questions about the Wax Museum or this process and please keep the golden information sheet in a safe place!

Below are a few pictures of previous Wax Museums.

Reader's Are Thinkers!

Over the past couple weeks, we have learned various reading strategies that will help us to better understand and comprehend reading texts and ensure that we are not just "word calling."  We've discussed that reading is thinking and requires intentional skills to be employed in order to comprehend what we are reading.  Our focus this week is on non-fiction text features.  Below you will see our class reading and working with non-fiction texts and determining what visual and text features are present and their purpose. 

Making it Happen Monday!

    It's wet and rainy outside, but our week is off to a great start!  We are well on our way with Unit 3, Multiplication and Division; Number Sentences and Algebra, in math.  Please make sure that your child is practicing his/her multiplication facts nightly.  The best way to quiz them is with flashcards (which can be homemade) and they can also use the link I posted on Edmodo for additional practice.  Starting next week, the timed multiplication tests, or Mountain Math, will be given every Wednesday.  The key to achieving 100% accuracy on each test is nightly practice.  Also, make sure that your child is completing a math Study Link nightly for homework. 
   We will take the Explorers unit test on Friday and start our first major Science unit next week, which is (Weather) Cloudy with a Chance of....  Explorers study guides will be sent home on Wednesday.  
  Please make sure that your child is reading at least 20 minutes every week night and completing his/her reading log with their personal best effort.  Each student should have a book that is "just-right" for them, which was checked out from our Media Center.  Also, encourage your child to read across genres.  We are currently learning various strategies that good readers use to better understand and comprehend what they are reading.  Ask your child to share one of the strategies they've learned with you. 
  On Thursday, I will send home graded papers and progress reports.  Please review these with your child and discuss/device a plan for making improvements or maintaining their current grades.  You can also see individual grades on Parent Portal.  After reviewing the progress report and graded papers, please sign and return them all to me. 

Blinky's Buddy

Mariah

This week's Blinky's Buddy is Mariah.  Mariah celebrated her birthday over the summer break, July 16th.  In her free time, she enjoys playing soccer with her dad and she currently plays for the Lady Stars.  Mariah's favorite food is spaghetti.  When she grows up, she'd like to be a pilot.    

Blinky's Buddy

Hannah 

This week's Blinky's Buddy is Hannah.  Hannah celebrated her birthday on September 7th.  In her free time, she enjoys playing with her puppy and playing softball.  She's been playing softball since she was 4 years old.  Hannah's favorite foods are turkey and dressing.  When she grows up she'd like to be a veterinarian.