Banner
Wyoming Education Gateway
Now Part of Education World
WelcomeEducatorsStudentsParentsMy SchoolNotes Personal Edition
User's Guide | View Notes | Edit Notes Teachers Register Here | Account Management | About Us | Help





Your Weather Newsletter Center



Content / User Guidelines



To request information by email, send inquiry to info@edgate.com
spacer

Jay Whitman and Eileen Johnson
Fourth Grade
INDIAN PAINTBRUSH
LARAMIE,   WY   82072
SchoolNotes last updated: Fri Oct 23 14:06:35 PDT 2009    Number of Visits: 2915
Click here to send an e-mail to Jay Whitman and Eileen Johnson
Notify me when this page is updated. (Remove me)
SchoolNotes.com - Linking Educators to the Community

October 23, 2009

Hello,
    Monday there is no school for students.  It is a teacher in-service training day, and staff will be meeting here at IPES and at different training activities all over the district on a variety of items.
    Most of our Native American winter count stories are being completed.  The stories are also being written in English so that others know what the pictures represent.  They will be posted in the hallway for all to see!
    Our new math unit is again concentrating on multiplication and how to see more difficult multiplication problems as a combination of easier problems.  The fact practices have been the basic multiplication facts, which we will continue to practice.  I recommend that all the students practice these facts at home so that they come easily to them from memory.  By knowing the basic facts, they will be able to accomplish any multiplication or division problem.
    We are coming close to finishing our study of rocks and minerals.  This week we determined what minerals were in granite. We will review all we have done in this unit and then have a test over it next week.
    Thank you for returning the forms regarding preferred times for Parent-Teacher conferences.  Yesterday teachers worked to plan conferences so that families can come to school at one time to attend all their children’s conferences.  At the beginning of next week we will be sending home notes stating the times we have scheduled you for these conferences.  Please keep the top of the note as your reminder of the scheduled time, and return the bottom of the note confirming or requesting a reschedule of the time.  Both Mrs. Johnson and Mr. Whitman will be meeting with all parents, and we both look forward to talking with you and discussing your student’s progress.
    This week both classes planned our class Halloween Parties, which will take place Friday, October 30th, between 1: 30 and 3:00.  The students decided what activities and food they would like.  If a student volunteered to bring an item, he or she should inform you about it and check to see if it is all right.  (It should also be written in his or her planner as a reminder.)  If parents cannot provide something for whatever reason, we will be able to make other arrangements.  The student should inform us if it is necessary to make other arrangements.  Students should bring their costumes to school (if they want to wear one) and will change into it at 1:30.  Then there will be a common recess on the playground at about 1:45, then back to the classroom for the party.  Parents are welcome to join us for these parties.  Please ensure that all costumes are school appropriate.  Mr. Slyman has already sent home a note with every student about the school guidelines.
    It is fun to see what the kids plan to eat and do at these parties.  We feel that giving them the responsibility for the party makes them appreciate it more, makes them more responsible for their behavior, and ensures less mess in the end.  They also have a lot of fun doing what they planned.  It could not be done without the support and assistance from home. We will call on different students to provide treats at the Christmas and Valentines parties. Please remember that all treats must be tree nut and peanut free.  This includes any small candy items that students may bring to share with their classmates.



October 16, 2009

Dear Parents,

Thank you for returning your preferences for Parent-Teacher conferences.  We look forward to meeting with you, sharing your child’s progress, and answering questions you might have.  The staff will meet next week to coordinate sibling conferences for your convenience.

The highpoint in language arts this week was the completion of the students’ fairy tales in writing.  As young authors, they learned about the elements of a fairy tale and created their own.  The enthusiasm for writing has been impressive as they brainstormed ideas, created plans, wrote rough drafts, revised and edited those draft with peers and teachers, wrote their final copies in cursive, and presented their stories to the class.  The greatest lesson learned, perhaps, was that writing takes time and effort, which was certainly witnessed throughout the fourth grade. This writing project will be scored for organization, specifically a beginning, middle, and end with a sequence of events that are in order.  Future writing projects will address other six traits of writing more intensively.  Students also received a score for their efforts in listening and speaking as stories were read aloud.  Next week will find fourth graders throughout the building gathering information, conducting interviews, and writing articles for a fourth grade newspaper.

After reading a story about a grandfather and his grandson on a ranch and webbing ranch vocabulary concepts on a web, students read a story called “Coyote School News,” a story about students in one-room schoolhouse in 1938 who write a school newspaper and their achievements.  The question of the week was, “How can we work together to achieve a goal?”  Vocabulary is introduced each week with Concept Mapping software for the Smartboard.  These slides are teacher made and interactive for students.  They enjoy the challenge of predicting the meaning of a word, then opening a hidden slide and reading the definition for clarification.  It’s fun to watch the class cheer for each other’s efforts!  Spelling lists this week offered practice with irregular plurals while grammar assignments worked with regular plurals.  While the “rules” of writing may be challenging to learn, students quickly find that writing comes more easily and creatively with the use of tools that are consistent.

In language arts, students have been collecting stones in a jar for positive work habits and behavior as they journey the fourth grade road together.  The morning class enjoyed root beer floats today for their hard work.  The afternoon class is “hot on their heels” with only a few stones to fill their jar.  Congratulations, fourth graders!

A big welcome to our new student and his family to Laramie and IPES!  Enjoy the autumn weather this weekend with your family!




October 9, 2009

Hello Parents,
    In Wyoming History we continue to study Native Americans.  We switched from one history book to the one that we will use through out the remainder of the year.  For the next several weeks, much of what we do throughout the day will involve Native Americans.  We will read books about them, write about them, complete special projects, and even Art will involve Native Americans!
    Hardness of minerals and how to test for hardness was the science focus this week.  We have scratched test materials and real minerals to put them in order of hardness.  We have looked at the hardness scale and test for hardness to identify the minerals that we had.  Next we will move on to find other ways to learn about and identify rocks and minerals.  Students are invited to bring in a favorite rock or small rock collection next week to share with the class.
    Over the last several weeks in math we have been conducted surveys, collected data, and put that data on various graphs.  We have been evaluating other data and using it to draw conclusions.  Next we will be using data to determine probabilities, and find out how knowing a probability can help us make good decisions.  Accelerated Math has been mostly addition, and the students are doing well getting it done and scanned.  Thanks for your help ensuring it gets done.  I hope you have noticed that the TOPS reports that are printed out after each student scans shows the percentage on each practice and a running percentage for the grading period.
    Please take a minute to look at the picture and article on the school district web site (www.acsd1.org) about our trip to the Chimney Rock Ranch.  Mrs. Johnson also has poems and pictures about the trip posted in the hallway outside our classrooms.  Today the School Board came to visit IPES, having lunch in the cafeteria and then observing the fourth graders during reading groups.  We are proud of our fantastic readers and what they are accomplishing!  On Monday, October 26th there is no school for students because of staff development.  Also PTA and Student Council have begun selling popcorn on Fridays for 25c.  Your student may be asking to bring a quarter to school on Fridays.
    Elementary schools are on trimesters, and the first one comes to an official end on November 13th.  Parent Teacher conferences will take place on the evening of Wednesday, Nov. 4th, and during the day and evening of Thursday, Nov. 5th.  Having evening hours available sometimes makes it more convenient for parents.  Rather than just randomly assigning parents a time for a conference, we would like parents to indicate on the attached slip what times would be best for your schedule.  Please send the slips back to us next week so we can develop a schedule.  We will then confirm the times with you or contact you if other times are necessary.  We will work with the teachers of siblings to attempt to schedule all conferences for consecutive times.  If a slip is not returned, we will just assign you a time when we have one available.  Both Mr. Whitman and Mrs. Johnson plan to meet with parents of all Fourth grade students to discuss progress in each subject area.  We look forward to seeing you!



Name____________________________________________

I would prefer the following times for Parent Teacher Conferences:
Wednesday, Nov. 4_______________________________
(Choose any time between 3:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.)
Thursday, Nov.5______________________________
(Choose any time between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.)

My second choice is:
Wednesday, Nov. 4_______________________________
(Choose any time between 3:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.)
Thursday, Nov.5______________________________
(Choose any time between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.)





October 2, 2009

Dear Parents,

Thank you for your participation and help with the IPES fundraiser.  The community effort to help send our 4th grade students to Yellowstone each year is so appreciated!  We saw the benefits of outdoor education last Friday as students read, wrote poetry, observed habitats, petroglypghs, and geological formations.  Studies in these areas will continue in the classroom and students will have first hand experiences to assist them in relating to their studies.  We couldn’t have asked for a better day with weather or student enthusiasm!  Please feel free to stop by in a few days and see the bulletin board in the hallway outside the 4th grade classrooms with photos and poetry (from the students who chose to be “published”) from the trip.

Yosemite was the topic in reading this week, reading letters written from experiences in this national landmark.  The television special by Ken Burns was a little more historical and adult centered, but filled with good information.  The adventures of John Muir were especially intriguing and set an example for our students as they head to the Teton Science Camp in February.  Mrs. Baumann is helping us plan an Internet lesson designed to introduce research and the use of kid friendly/appropriate search engines.

Connections between reading and writing happened all week as students identified the series of events in The Horned Toad Prince and wrote postcards sequencing a personal trip.  It has been very exciting to see students increase the variety of sentences in their writing especially with the recent introduction of compound sentences in grammar.  The action often comes to a screeching halt in the classroom when an interesting sentence is discovered!  The grammar skill and homework this week will introduce clauses and complex sentences.  Students already use these sentences in their writing from their conversational language and will learn how to write and punctuate them correctly. Students should have new spelling words to study on Wednesday evening.  The number each week varies with their performance on the pretest.  A specific skill and pattern is introduced each week for practice.  This week’s words will concentrate on the various ways to spell the long U sound in words.

Please encourage your child to turn in their reading log on Thursday and receive their new one for October.  4th graders will participate in the “Book It” program and students will receive a Pizza Hut coupon for a free personal pizza after turning in a completed reading log.


Classrooms at IPES will hold Halloween parties on Friday, October 30th from 2-3 PM.  In fourth grade, students plan their own parties and will bring notes home with items or games they have volunteered to bring.  Students will put on costumes between 1:30 and 1:45.  

Have a great weekend!


September 25, 2009

    Monday the students do not have school because of a
teacher in-service day.  We hope they enjoy the three-day weekend!
    We are continuing to study rocks and minerals.  We have determined some of the ingredients that were in the mock rocks and discussed how they are similar to real rocks. (Mock Rocks are made of ingredients just like real rocks are made of minerals.)  We have separated out the blue and black fish rocks and the shells that we could see.  We have begun to determine what else is in them by adding water to what is left to see how it settles. We will then let the water evaporate to see what was dissolved in it.  Later we will learn about the hardness of minerals and how to test for hardness.  We will test for calcite in rocks by using vinegar.
    The new reading unit is about the geography of the west and Yosemite National Park.  This ties in well with our study of Wyoming and the West.  On Sunday evening, Sept. 27 at 7:00 pm on PBS Channel 12 or at 8:00 pm on PBS Channel 6, the premiere of “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” by Ken Burns begins.  We recommend that you and your student watch at least the first episode of this six-episode series because it will contain much information about Yosemite.  The series will continue on Monday through Friday.  More information is available at www.pbs.org/nationalparks.
    We did get started using to the Accelerated Math program this week.  Students enjoyed scanning it into the computer.  Everyone should be bringing it home for homework.  If it is done every night, it is very reasonable for students to be able to do. It is important for parents to be able to see what their students are doing in math, and for students to be able to show you what they know.  You are welcome to provide any help that they may need, answer their questions, or even check over what they have done.  You can even check their bubbling to ensure that is done correctly.  I will always ask the students to use the TOPS report to check over what they have missed so that they don’t continue to do the same thing.
    Wyoming History is now centering on Native Americans, which we will study for most of October.  We are charting specific information about the Great Basin and Great Plains way of life both before and after the arrival of the horse.  We will be reading many books about Native Americans, writing about Native Americans, and doing many activities dealing with Native Americans.
    Next Tuesday the PTA fundraiser sheets are due back here at school.  This fundraiser is conducted to support their programs and our upcoming trip to the Teton Science School.  It is optional for families to participate, but your contribution to the fundraiser is appreciated, especially since it enables the fourth grades to take such a fantastic trip!  Fourth graders will be helping out with this fundraiser here at school.
    Many of you have signed up to get notice of this newsletter through the www.schoolnotes.com site.  This should make it easy for you to get this letter without your student delivering it to you.  We try to post the letter on the site Friday morning but occasionally it is later Friday evening.  Thanks for using this service!

September 18, 2009

   This has been a milestone week with students settling into school routines and student council elections.  Our classes showed support for everyone who ran for Student Council Representative (only one position this year) and were very gracious to the ones elected.  Any of the candidates would have represented us well.  Congratulations to all for their speeches and courage!

Reading brought a touching story this week in "Grandfather's Journey", the story of a young Japanese man who visits the United States prior to WWII and his return to Japan.  Perhaps your child would like to tell you the story and who the author is!  Throughout the week, we discussed sequencing as a literary skill both in reading and writing.  Sequencing of events and ideas allows readers to understand the story.  Sequencing in writing helps students to communicate an event(s) to their reader in a way that allows the reader to understand.  Classes practiced these skills by creating timelines and relating events from a personal trip in a postcard, which they will present next week.  These budding, young writers were encouraged to show their "voice" in their postcards in order to make the reader interested want to read on.  Grammar homework was not sent home this week due to the challenge it posed.  After introducing the skill of working with subjects and predicates, we decided to spend more time at school working as a group.  I was impressed as students began to have those "aha" moments and recognize the use of knowing the parts of a sentence.  Similes were introduced as a literary element that makes writing more interesting.  In a simile, one thing is compared to another using the words "like" or "as": Kim looked "like" a dream and was pretty "as" a picture.

As always, Mrs. Baumann expands our language arts block with wonderful programs in the library.  Recently, some students began a reading lunch, listening to Mrs. Baumann read Ark Angel.  Watch for news of future programs such as Early Bird readers.  Each time a student participates in reading or writing activities, their ability to access and enjoy stories and information increases.

Mr. Whitman reports from math: " We did not start Accelerated Math this week due to district technology issues.  We hope to get it going next week."

Each night students should have their planners and homework folders with homework or work that might be unfinished from the school day. We would appreciate your help in checking these with your child.  Thanks so much!

Friday, September 25th from 8:30-2:00, we will travel to Chimney Rock Ranch.  Students are reminded to bring a snack, water bottle, and lunch.  We will walk across rustic ground so walking shoes are essential.  Please check the weather that day.  Jackets can always be stored in backpacks.  We are excited for this hands-on learning experience as students have the chance to use their academic skills and knowledge in their outdoor world- the best part of living in Wyoming!



September 11, 2009


Hello Parents,
    It was good to see so many of you at Open House last night.  Having involved parents makes our job and that of the whole school so much easier and successful!  Please feel free to stop by the classrooms at any time and view what we are doing.  The students are always glad to show off what we have been doing.  
    The clay relief maps of Wyoming that the classes are making are nearing completion and will be on display here in the classrooms. The groups have worked well together to make sure they had all that was required.  Everyone is proud of how they are turning out and we will show them off!  Next week we will learn about the arrival of man in the Americas.  We will learn about the work archeologists have done to find evidence of when and how man arrived.  Then we will begin studying Native Americans.
    Monday we will start our first science unit on rocks and minerals.  We will start by looking at “Mock Rocks”.  Everyone will examined their rock carefully and take its measurements. Then we will take the rocks apart in an effort to find out what they are made of.  We will then run several tests on them next week in an attempt to prove what is in them. We will learn that Mock Rocks are made of ingredients just like real rocks are made of minerals. We will then proceed with learning about minerals.
    Next week we hope to begin adding the Accelerated Math program to the Investigations Math that we have been doing here in the classroom.  It is hoped that all students find it an enjoyable way to practice math.  Students do the practice that the computer prints out, circling the answers on the sheet (this is usually done as homework unless they have found time at school).  They then transfer the answers to the scan sheet and scan them at school each morning.  The computer grades them, and prints out the results and a new practice.  Depending on how well a student does, it prints out more of the same type of problems or allows students to move on to the next thing.  Mr. Whitman decides what area each student should be working on and when they will be allowed to move to the next subject area.   After the students successfully complete about 5 objectives, he then prints a test for them to complete on those items.  Tests are done at school.  To begin with, most of the items will be review from last year.  Accelerated Math will match whatever we are learning in the Investigations Math.
    Individual pictures will be taken on Thursday, September 17th.  Envelopes for ordering went home earlier this week.  If yours did not get home, more can be picked up in the office.  I am sending home with this letter a note about Powerschool access.  It contains the passwords and an explanation of what the system can do.
    Many of you have signed up to get notice of this newsletter through the www.schoolnotes.com site.  This should make it easy for you to get this letter without your student delivering it to you.  We try to post the letter on the site Friday morning but occasionally it is later Friday evening or over the weekend.  Thanks for using this service!  
    It is a joy to be working with your children!  They are all wonderful individuals and have joined together to make a GREAT Fourth Grade Class.


September 4, 2009

Dear Parents,

    What an exciting week this has been! Our classroom communities have begun growing and working
together in kind and supportive ways, working towards supporting one another in
learning.
    Students read an excerpt from the story Because of Winn-Dixie, the
story of a young girl new to town and the friendship she builds with the local
librarian through their love of books and their mutual loneliness. The last two days, we have read books
associated with Reading Street through methods of choral reading, silent
reading, partner reading, and whisper reading. This allows students to spend more time reading. We have been busy assessing students so
that they may participate in reading groups that address their needs and
abilities. Several staff members
will teach DI (direct instruction) groups from 1-1:30 PM each day.
    In grammar, students concentrated on building and writing
declarative (statements) and interrogative (questions) sentences. We have encouraged students to always
write in complete sentences in their writing to help them grow as writers. Their first writing project is with the
support of a group and will be on display at Open House. Roles of writer, illustrator, and tracer
have been chosen as students work together on the writing process in an
expository essay, “Our Favorite Things About School”. It has been exciting to listen to their enthusiasm as they
work through the writing process- brainstorming ideas, organizing topics,
writing leads, and learning to build paragraphs using topic sentences, key
ideas, details, and explanations. These will be color-coded on their writing charts.
    Thank you for your support as students complete homework
assignments in grammar, unfinished work, reading each night and recording their
time on their reading log, and studying for spelling tests. The number of words they study is based
on their weekly pretests. If
students would like to challenge themselves with more words each week than the
spelling pretest indicates, they are always welcome to do so.
    On the evening of Thursday,
September 10th
, Indian Paintbrush will be hosting an Open House from 6:00 to 7:00. Please put it on your calendar. We invite all to come and visit the classrooms and school as
we begin the year.
    Next week, Mr. Whitman will share details about math, Wyoming
history, and science. It has been
fun to listen as the students share about their projects!




August 28, 2009

Hello Parents,
    We have begun our journey through fourth grade!  This first week we have been busy getting to know each other.  We feel that we have established a fairly strong bond within the classes.
    This week the rules and guidelines of the classrooms and school were reviewed.  We discussed being Respectful, Responsible, and Safe.  We have been discussing and defining a set of agreements that the classes will use to guide what we do.  They are: Listening, Mutual Respect, Participation, Appreciations, and No Putdowns.  Ask your student what these agreements are and what they should look like, sound like and feel like.
    We have established our schedule to begin the year.  All of our specials occur in the morning.  We have Music and P.E. on Monday and Friday mornings.  Art is on Tuesday mornings for Mrs. Johnson’s class and on Thursday mornings for Mr. Whitman’s class.  Fourth Grade has recess from 10:30 to 10:45.  We go to lunch at 11:35 and then go out to recess at about 11:50. Lunch recess lasts until 12:25, when all fourth graders return to the classrooms.
    To begin Wyoming History, we have been studying the important landforms in our state.  We have spent time reading and learning about the map of the state.  We will begin making relief maps of Wyoming next week.  We will use salt dough on a cardboard base where we will draw the mountain ranges, rivers, and major cities.
    In Math we are beginning the Investigations program.  There does not seem to be much homework, and much of what there is involves sharing with family what we have done in class.  The homework will be the Accelerated Math that is printed out from the computer.  The students will get a practice sheet that is printed by the computer, complete the sheet and transfer the answers onto a computer scan card, then feed the scan card through the reader on the computer.  The computer prints out the results of their work and a new practice sheet based on those results. We will be scanning our math everyday.
    Thursday began the first official day in Reading Street, our district language arts series. Students participated in a baseline test in reading and writing sample (Ask your child about eating carrots in the outdoor classroom!) that will help our staff determine and meet their needs.  Each week students will read the selection, take the spelling pretest and have words assigned to study.  Students will bring home spelling lists and grammar for homework. Attached is a reading log for students to record the minutes they read each night that could include reading silently, with a sibling, aloud with a parent, in the car… anywhere! Discussing and summarizing what they read is a wonderful way to show understanding and help their skills grow!  Reading logs are a great way to encourage your child to read outside of school for practice and enjoyment.  Students should read a minimum of 20 minutes each evening and, of course, more if they would like.  October through March, these minutes will count as their Book It reward.  Thank you for sharing in this wonderful partnership between home and school, helping your child be successful and enjoy reading!
    At the end of each day we review what was assigned that day and provide an opportunity for the students to write these things in their planner. The school provides a planner to each student for daily use in recording upcoming events and homework.  Mrs. Johnson and Mr. Whitman both expect each student to bring these planners to school each morning and then home every afternoon.  It is a great way for you to see what we are doing each day.  
    Every Friday we will send home a “Fourth Grade News”.  Mr. Whitman and Mrs. Johnson will alternate weeks writing these letters.  When Mrs. Johnson writes them, they will concentrate more on Language Arts, and when Mr. Whitman, they will include more Math, Science, and Wyoming History.  General information will always be included.
    Thanks to those of you who have reviewed the student handbooks and returned the tear out forms, emergency forms, and other forms that were sent home on the first day.  Included with this letter is a parent volunteer form that we ask that you to complete if you are interested.  We will work to schedule volunteers as these are returned.
    On the evening of Thursday, September 10th, Indian Paintbrush will be hosting an Open House from 6:00 to 7:00.  Please put it on your calendar.  We invite all to come and visit the classrooms and school as we begin the year.


August 2009

Dear Students and Parents,

Welcome to fourth grade, a year we anticipate will be filled with adventures in learning and cool field trips based on their areas of study!  We’re looking forward to getting to know each of you!  Please allow us to introduce ourselves… Mr. Whitman, beginning his fourteenth year as a fourth grade teacher and Mrs. Johnson, beginning her fifth year as a fourth grade teacher after teaching special education for twenty-five years. This is an exciting year as we work together to build a learning community in a safe, caring, and challenging environment.  

We are eager to begin our new adventure in 4th grade. This year, we are addressing the curriculum in a way that has been researched and used extensively in education.  Mr. Whitman and Mrs. Johnson will coordinate to teach ALL the 4th graders by dividing the curriculum and concentrating our time and skills.  Mr. Whitman will teach math, science/health, and Wyoming history.  Mrs. Johnson will teach a language arts block that will include reading, grammar, writing, handwriting, research and inquiry, spelling, and speaking and listening. Students will begin their day in their homeroom and participate in that teacher’s subject areas until lunch.  After lunch, students will move to small group instruction in reading with both 4th grade teachers and support staff, then move to the other 4th grade classroom for that content area instruction.  A list of homeroom teachers will be posted on the school doors soon. The benefits for your child include:
• Two teachers who know your child, meet regularly, monitor progress, and consult on how to challenge and meet your child’s needs.  
• Teachers who are able to focus, plan, and are trained in specific content areas.
• Classrooms that are arranged as “labs” where lessons, centers, activities, and displays revolve around specific content areas (Mr. Whitman’s room will be organized as a science and math lab, Mrs. Johnson’s will be organized as a language lab).

The first days in fourth grade are spent getting to know each other, and learning how to work together.  Our goal is for all students to be comfortable learning, feel safe taking chances and making mistakes, and helping one another grow and learn.  We’ll work together to ensure that everyone is included, has respect for each other’s thoughts, ideas, and differences, and cooperates to make learning motivating, fun, challenging and exciting.  

We welcome your participation in your child’s education through support of their class work and homework, visits to the classroom, and volunteering in the classroom (volunteer forms will be sent home at the start of school).  Children are always proud to have their parents be a part of their education.  We invite you to stop by and talk anytime before or after school.  Please feel free to leave a message with the school secretary and we will return your call as soon as we are available.  You can also contact us at home (Mr. Whitman 742-3918, Mrs. Johnson 742-7370) or by email (jwhitman@acsd1.org and ejohnson@acsd1.org).  A weekly newsletter will be sent home as often as possible, a summary of news and the curriculum covered during the week as well as upcoming events.  This newsletter will help facilitate your communication with your child.  Students will also be responsible for completing their student planner and sharing that information with you.  Please feel free to locate this newsletter and important events at www.schoolnotes.com, type in our ZIP code (82072), and select the 4th grade class.  Mail, newsletters, and graded work will be placed in each student’s mailbox for them to take home. This is an important channel of communication between school and home.

Scott Foresman Reading Street is designed to help teachers build readers through motivating and engaging literature, scientifically research-based instruction, and a wealth of reliable teaching tools.  The program takes the guesswork out of differentiating instruction with a strong emphasis on ongoing progress monitoring and an explicit plan to help with managing small groups of students.  In addition, Reading Street prioritizes skill instruction at each grade level, so teachers can be assured they will focus on the right skill, at the right time, and for every student.  Students will also be encouraged to read independently at home, keeping track of minutes on a reading log.

Math consists of the latest version of the Investigations program.  Investigations is designed to engage students in making sense of mathematical ideas and to learn that they can be mathematical thinkers. Accelerated Math will also be incorporated into this program, which is a computer-based math program that individualizes math practice.

Students will have a snack break each morning during read aloud to provide energy and brain power. Students may bring a healthy, nutritious snack on a daily basis or bring a larger amount to store in the classroom.  Please encourage a snack that will provide a mid-morning refueling and does not contain nuts or is made in a facility that processes nut products.

    We are very excited to work with you, your children, and the staff here at Indian Paintbrush.  We are going to have a wonderful year!

Mrs. Johnson and Mr. Whitman








The ABC's of a GREAT Year!
A--All ideas count.
B--Be polite to others.
C--Cooperate with your peers.
D--Do your best.
E--Enjoy learning.
F--Finish your work.
G--Give a helping hand.
H--Have fun.
I--Invite others to play with you.
J--Just do your best.
K--Keep trying.
L--Listen carefully.
M--Make the most of your time.
N--Name and date all papers.
O--Obey school & classroom rules.
P--Practice makes perfect.
Q--Quiet in the halls.
R--Respect yourself and others.
S--Smile
T--Think before you act.
U--Use your time wisely.
V--Volunteer to help others.
W--Wait your turn.
X--eXpect success.
Y--You can achieve your dreams.
Z--Zero in on your goals.

Some Favorite Links:
 November 2009
To view the full calendar, click the above link.
 Sun  Mon  Tue  Wed  Thur  Fri  Sat
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30          


What's Happening Today
Sunday November 08, 2009
There are no events posted for today


Upcoming Events
There are no future events posted
Education Gateways makes no warranty for SchoolNotes.com.
Information on this site is generated by the users. The views
expressed are not necessarily those of Education Gateways or its members, and
Education Gateways is not responsible for user's conduct on SchoolNotes.com.

© 2006 by Education Gateways All rights reserved.
About us | Privacy Statement | Advertising | Linking Policies | Underwriter Policy