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About Mrs. Thornton I received my BS Degree in Elementary Education at Western Kentucky University. I also have a Masters Degree with a Reading endorsement from Western Kentucky University. I taught 5th grade at St. Pius X School in Northern KY for 2 years. Then I moved to Bowling Green and taught 2nd and 6th grades at North Warren Elementary in Smiths Grove for 4 years. I then stayed at home for 15 years to raise my 2 daughters. I taught Title 1 Reading and Math at St. Joseph School before I became a fourth grade teacher here at St. Joe 2 years ago. I am looking forward to a great and exciting 2010-2011 school year! 2010-2011 Classroom Syllabus Dear Parents and Students, Greetings and welcome to fourth grade! I am very happy to be working with you and your child! It is such a blessing to spend time with all of your children! I look forward to getting to know all of you. There is so much to learn in fourth grade. There are many new skills that will be introduced this year. Together we will work hard and have some fun along the way. The following information in this newsletter will be important to you and your child as we begin the new school year. To contact me you may: 1. Write or attach a note to your child’s homework notebook. 2. Email me at tthornton@stjosephschoolbg.org . I check it daily .3. Call the school number at 842-1235. Leave a message for me in the office and I will return your call in a timely manner. 4. Do not hesitate to call me at home at 842-9675 for a concern. Rules are an integral part of the classroom. Without rules and procedures, learning cannot take place. We discuss these rules and consider their significance to maintain a healthy and successful learning environment. Ø Be respectful of others in your speech and actions. Ø Be prepared with materials, class work and homework. Ø Follow directions the first time you hear them. Ø You may not talk when the teacher is talking. Ø You may not disturb your neighbor and keep them from learning. Ø Always try your best. Rewards Praise (daily) Stickers Positive Notes or Calls Fun Fridays Treats Good Behavior Coupons and tickets to Treasure Box The Joy of Learning (every day) ConsequencesI In fourth grade we use the Checkmark System. Each typical infraction results in a checkmark. A student will lose 5 minutes of recess for each checkmark. If a student receives 3 or more checkmarks in 1 day, he/she will have lunch detention. The parents of students who repeatedly earn checkmarks or cause a serious disturbance will be notified by note or phone call. Depending on the severity of the incident and/ or its frequency other actions may be taken at the discretion of the teacher. Other consequences that may be administered are seat changes, reflection writing assignments, loss of privileges, lunch detention and / or an office visit. Character Education Character Traits: Integrity (doing the right thing even when student thinks no one is looking), Responsibility, Citizenship, Honesty, Perseverance (stick-to-it), Self-Discipline and Respect.Fun Friday Homework Homework is an important and necessary component in building a relationship between the school and home environment. It allows parents the opportunity of maintaining a day-to-day connection with their child’s education. It provides students with the opportunity to develop a sense of responsibility that will help them grow into motivated, independent, successful adults. In grade 4, homework will be assigned on a daily basis. Homework will be given Monday through Thursday. Your child should spend approximately forty-five minutes per night on assignments. Please keep in mind that some days your child may only need 30 minutes while on other days an hour may be needed. Tests will be given on Tuesday through Friday. Notice will be given to your child allowing for plenty of study time. Occasionally projects will be assigned and students may choose to do them on the weekend rather than weekdays.In 4th grade, we emphasize responsibility and organization. Therefore, it is imperative that your child accurately completes his/her assignment notebook each day. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure that homework, upcoming tests and other important information is copied correctly from the homework board, and he/she shows you the assignment notebook to make sure that all of the assignments are completed each night. If I find that your child is not completing his/her homework, then I will ask you to sign his/her assignment notebook nightly. If homework is not completed or it is forgotten the student will need to make up the assignment during recess. Students will not be permitted to call home if they forget to bring in their assignment. Fun Fridays can be earned if homework is consistently completed on time. Typically, homework Monday through Thursday is the following: 15 minutes of reading a book of the student’s choice,(I recommend A.R. reading) 10 minutes of multiplication fact practice or division fact practice, a daily math assignment and study for spelling or vocabulary or other tests. If you have any problems with homework whatsoever, please contact me immediately so we can work together to solve the problem. Thank you for your support! Snacks & Water Bottles The students look forward to their snack each morning! This is an excellent time for the students to enjoy fellowship and recharge their bodies for the rest of the morning’s activities. You may send a healthy, non-sugary snack for your child to eat in the morning such as fruits, veggies, cheese, crackers or pretzels. I encourage you to send a pop-top water bottle with their name that your child can keep at school. This saves us time and is great for the kids. I hope that you will consider sending a snack for your child every morning as this gives him/her something to look forward to each day. Birthdays Students may bring in a birthday treat to share with the class. The treats are shared during lunch time or as a snack. Weekly Folder Every Wednesday a folder will come home with graded papers and tests. The folder needs to be returned signed by the parent the next school day. Any papers stamped Parent Signature require your signature and need to be returned the following day also. Website and SnapGrades St. Joseph School’s website is www.stjosephschoolbg.org . I will be posting useful information on my website and SnapGrades. I will try to keep a monthly calendar with test dates, upcoming events, fieldtrips, etc. I will inform you of what we are doing in each subject. I am going to need lots of materials from home for our science experiments so I plan to post those needed materials on my webpage, also. So be sure to check out my web page and SnapGrades to stay informed of the classroom happenings. The Accelerated Reading Program (AR) This is a school-wide reading program. There is a list of AR books available on the school website in the school library and a copy is in the classroom. I require that students reach a minimum number of points per quarter. This will be part of their reading grade. This counts as a test grade and is an easy and fun way to make an “A”. There are also yearly awards for the student in the 4th grade with the most AR points and the student in the class with the most AR points. This can be a great motivator for some students to read more. I plan to meet individually with each student, and we will decide together how many AR points will be required of him/her each quarter. I have decided to assign AR points on an individual basis because of the different reading abilities and levels of each of my students. Chapter Book Each child is required to keep a chapter book in his/her desk. I have some books in the classroom that children can check out or they may use the library or bring a book from home. Field Trips & Classroom Volunteers We will take some field trips this year and I will need drivers/chaperones. We will have some classroom holiday parties and I will occasionally request volunteers to help with classroom projects. If you are able to help in this way, you must complete all mandatory requirements for volunteers found in the Parent/Student Handbook. Grade Scale In fourth grade we begin using percentage grades on midterms and report cards instead of ‘A’, ‘B’ or ‘C’. We also begin to use 1, 2, 3 or 4 for conduct grades with 1 being excellent conduct. Here is the grade scale:
A+ 99-100 A 95-98 A- 93-94 B+ 91-92 B 87-90 B- 85-86 C+ 83-84 C 79-82 C- 77-78 D+ 75-76 D 70-74 F 0-69
Fourth Grade Curriculum Religion: We use the Religion text Blest Are We by Silver Burdett. This course focuses on the Catholic Catechism, Doctrine, Liturgy, Moral Issues and Prayer. Each family unit includes a Family Time section that contains suggestions that you can do at home with your children. The website www.blestarewe.com has practice quizzes that students can use to help prepare for tests. We also use Benziger’s Family Life which focuses on Christian life. We attend mass weekly and go to a monthly prayer service. Reading, Spelling and English: Our Language Arts program is based on the textbook, Treasures by McMillan-McGraw Hill. The reading text and workbook, grammar workbook and spelling workbook all coordinate and build on one another. This is a literature based program which involves phonics, fluency, vocabulary, text comprehension and more. We will do large and small group work. Most Fridays there will be a reading and spelling assessment. This program can be catered to each student’s individual needs. Visit www.macmillanmh.com for more information. I also will use chapter books to enhance the curriculum throughout the year. Students will also be introduced to Vocabulary Workshop. Math: The text is Mathematics by McGraw-Hill. This program uses visualizing concepts, manipulatives, tables, graphs and maps to develop problem solving skills as well as computational methods. A workbook is provided with the program. I will also be using Saxon Math which will be used as an extension for learning. This program consists of a textbook and when students complete five lessons they take a test. If the student passes the test they may continue with the next five lessons. Students can move at their own pace. It is a great way to enhance learning math skills. Social Studies: Mrs. Watt teaches both classes Social Studies. The textbook is States and Regions by Harcourt Brace. This curriculum involves the study of all the regions in North America. Each region is focused on separately, looking at each state’s resources and landforms. Maps and globe skills are also studied. We will also be studying Kentucky History. Our class will be doing several Social Studies projects this year. We will be taking a field trip to the state capitol and the Kentucky Museum located in Frankfort. Chaperones will be needed for this trip (Remember, you must complete the Safe Environment training to attend.). We will be taking a bus and more details will come at a later date. Science: I teach Science to both 4th grade classes. The program is called Science by Harcourt Brace. We will use a combination of textbook, hand-on experiments, projects, videos, computer software and internet study for this class. We will cover topics like fossils, electricity, cells, simple machines, matter, ecosystems and more. Here are some great websites that will let you know more about the program: www.scilinks.org/harcourt and http://www.harcourtschool.com/index.html . I hope this gives you a good overview of what we will do in fourth grade. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me anytime. Be sure to check your child’s assignment notebook nightly and check out the class website (www.stjosephschoolbg.org) often to stay informed. Please look over the papers I send home on Wednesdays. This will help you know how your child is doing in all subjects. Keeping yourself informed of your child’s progress is the best tool for parents. I want fourth grade to be a wonderful learning experience for your child! Thank you for all your support!
Supply List 1 Highlighter 6 Spiral Notebooks and 1 Journal 6 Folders-Plain Pocket 1 Ruler (inches/centimeters-NO CLEAR) 1 Pen (Black of Blue) 1 pkg of #2 pencils 2 Boxes of Tissue 1 Roll of Paper Towels Markers or Crayons Scissors 2 Glue Sticks 1 Art Box A-L 1 pkg. gallon ziplock bags, 1 hand sanitizer pump M-Z 1 pkg wide-ruled loose leaf notebook paper, 1 antibacterial wipes Schedule LUNCH: 11:45-12:10 Everyday! Monday: 8:05-8:30 Spanish Monday: 9:05-9:35 Music Monday:9:35-10:05 Computer Tuesday: 10:30-11:00 Library Tuesday:1:20-1:45 PE Wednesday: 9:05-9:35 Music Thursday: 10:00-10:45 Art Thursday: 12:50-1:15 PE Friday: 8:05-8:40 Computer Friday: Reading Buddies with pre-school
Here is what we are studying in 4th grade! Reading: We are reading from our Treasures book this week and learning the skills that go with our story. We will be studying vocabulary for the story, character develpoment, setting, and analogies. We will have a vocabulary test and reading assessment over the skills learned on Friday. The vocabulary words will be sent home on Mon. Please review these with your child. Religion: We are learning about how Jesus is present in the mass. A test is planned for this Thurs. Study highlighted material, Faith Words and chapter review p.25-26. Spelling: Students will write their spelling words in their assignment notebooks. Words for this week are: file; drive; kite; pies; die; wipe; inside; height; pride; spy; sigh; shy; prime; sly; pry; climb; minding; fright; twice; slight; chief; please; sleek; highway; wildlife Challenge words: no challenge words this week. Please know that your child is not required to learn the challenge words. Only those students that are making A's on Speliing tests and want more challenging words are encouraged to learn these words for Spelling Math: We will be reviewing adding 2 or more whole numbers, estimating sums and adding multiples 10, 100, and 1000. pGrammar: We are studying simple subjects in Grammar Workshop. We are learning about complex sentences in our Treasures Grammar Workbook. Science: We are studying plant and animal cells. Social Studies: A test is planned for Sept. 2 Vocabulary Workshop: Accelerated Reading (A.R.) Many of the students are taking A. R. tests to earn their required points. A few have not taken any tests! All students should have taken a test over 4th Grade Rats last Fri. It was worth 2 points!
Announcements Snap Grades are up and running. I have posted several grades. E-mail me with questions. I am doing my best to keep these grades updated, but can't always post grades until the weekend because I rarely grade papers during class. August 30 - last day for magazine sales Please remember to send a snack with your child each day. They enjoy the nourishment and fellowship. Grandparents Day is Sept. 24 Spaghetti Supper is Sept. 24
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