Happy Holidays!  Happy New Year!

Thank you so much for all of your support, positive comments, and kindness.  I wish all of you peace and happiness.  Take time to relax and spend time with your family.

I'll see you back in school on Monday, January 7, 2013.

Fondly,

Kathy Smith

Happy December!

Hooray!  Students did an awesome job with the ghost writer/bottle project.  Their creativity was absolutely amazing.  The decorated bottles will be on display in the Manzanita library for all to see.  You should take a few minutes to enjoy the bottles.

It is a busy time of the year.  Students need to continue to work on the 40 Book Challenge and to read 20 minutes each night. Weekly spelling tests will resume in January.

Our fourth graders will be performing at the Round-Up on Wednesday, December 19.  It begins around 8:15 AM.

I am so thankful for all of the support, kind words, and positive attitude from my classroom parents.  You help to make this an amazing year.  I appreciate you and your children.  Thank you.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

Fondly,

Kathy Smith

Welcome Back from Thanksgiving Break!

There will not be a spelling test this week  Students are asked to work on the Ghost Writer writing and bottle project.  Directions are on my web page, and students also have a hard copy.  Please have fun and enjoy being creative.  The finished paper and bottle due date is Wednesday, December 5th.

Colonial Day was a huge success due to all of your help.  I am so thankful for all you do to make experiences like Colonial Day happen for our students.  We learned a lot and had fun.

The Holiday Project information is available for you.  The fourth grade is adopting 4 families.  Manzanita families are so generous, and anything you can donate will be appreciated.

Today students learned about string instruments from the Tucson Symphony.  It was such a treat!

I hope all of you had a restful, peaceful, and enjoyable Thanksgiving.  If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.  kasmith@cfsd16.org

Fondly,

Kathy Smith

Biography Bottle Project

Dear 4^th Graders and Families,

Over the past few weeks, our 4^th graders have been researching famous people. The students used the research to ghostwrite a biography about their person. The report contains information about their person’s early life, their education, their family, their accomplishments, and their impact on society.

Now that we have learned all about their famous people, we would like our students to bring his/her famous people to life by creating a bottle biography at home. The inspiration from this project came from Ms. Choate's Classroom that I found on Pinterest. 

A bottle biography is a clean water bottle that is decorated to look like the person they researched. The bottle can be decorated using an actual person or by using creative material to make the face. For example, a small Styrofoam ball with a straw inserted in the bottom makes a good head. You can add yarn for hair, eyebrows, or mustaches. The details your child adds to the bottle should depict the character and his/her profession or personality. You can use any type of art medium to create their clothing or details. The bottom of the bottles can just be plain or you can add shoes or feet. The possibilities are endless. 

Creating a quality project will take time. You may need to let the head dry between paintings or adding details, so you will need to create a plan for getting your project done. This is not the kind of project that you can wait to do the weekend before it is due. Your completed bottle biography is due in class on December 5^th, 2012. We will share our writing and biographies on that day between both classes and students will try to identify who each person is.

Here are some links to other classes that have done the project. Their pictures will give you some good ideas about all the different ways you can bring your person to life.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/smcl/4390976720/in/photostream/

http://www.myteacherpages.com/webpages/AChoate1/our.cfm?subpage=1417626

Have fun with the project. Email us if you have any questions.

Mrs. Moricz and Ms. Smith

Turkey Time Is Approaching!

Spelling Words for Test on Friday, November 16
Focus:  prefix un
unafraid, unbeaten, unbutton, uncertain, uncomfortable, uninteresting, unknown, unspoken, unused, unwelcome, an, can, we, when
Challenge Words:  uncle, unconscious, unite, unreasonable

Vocabulary root test on Tuesday, November 13 (arch, cracy/crat, theo,the/dia, di)

Colonial Day is Tuesday, November 20. It is almost here.  In order to get into the Colonial spirit, we are asking children to dress up.  Please do not feel the need to purchase any clothing.  We ask that all students wear closed-toed shoes.  Here are some things your child can wear:
Girls:  *shawl or cardigan, long dress, button down blouse & long skirt
Boys:  *black or dark colored pants (or jeans), button down shirt
Please don't forget to bring your supplies.  You are the best!

Today we had an important lesson on "Internet Safety" from Mrs. Fletcher, the counselor.  Your child is bringing home a letter today with information that was presented.  Please discuss this with your child, as all of us want children to be safe.

Thanks for all you do to help this be a wonderful school year.
Kathy Smith

A Great Big Thank You

All of the parent support is absolutely amazing.  Thank you so much.

Northeast Region States and Capitals Test is Thursday, November 8 (Smith) and Friday, November 9 (Moricz)  Packets for both classes are due Friday, November 9.

meter, bio, log/logue, and mono root test on Tuesday, November 6th.

Book Fair is the week of November 12.

Colonial Day is Tuesday, November 20.

Thanks so much for all you do to make this a fantastic year for our children.

Kathy Smith

November Is Here!

Thank you so much for organizing a great Halloween party for our class.  The activities, food, and decorations were spectacular.  Having so many parents help was amazing.

There is no spelling test this week.  However, there is a science test on Friday.

Remember Colonial Day is Tuesday, November 20.  I appreciate all of the items you have volunteered to donate.  I will contact you giving you more specific details.  Thank you.

You are the best.

Kathy Smith

Hooray! Halloween is Here!

Spelling words for Friday, October 26:
 Focus: homonyms
cent, pore, pour, scent, sent, their, there, they're, ant, aunt, apple, but, flower, other
Challenge:  cereal, patience, patients, serial

The Halloween Party is Wednesday, October 31, from 12:00-1:30.  Fourth grade students are not dressing up in a Halloween costume for the party or the school day.  They may come to school dressed up from their shoulders up.  That means students can wear a funny hat, headband, or wig.  Masks are not allowed.  Light face painting (decorative) is allowed.  Thanks for all of your help with the party.

There will be no homework on Halloween. :)

Plans for Colonial Day are progressing.  Please remember to return your volunteer form by this Friday, October 26.  You will have a lot of fun participating. You have  been amazing signing up for the Tea Party items.  Thank you.  More information will be sent to you.

Students have been reading many books and taking responsibility for the 40 Book Challenge.  Please encourage them to continue to read for 20 minutes Monday through Thursday.

Thank you for sharing your children with me.  Please contact me with any concerns or questions.

You are the best!

Important Information

Desert Dash is this Saturday.  I hope to see all of you there.

Colonial Day is Tuesday, November 20.  A bright green paper will be sent home today.  Please sign up to volunteer and spend the morning with us.  Also, our class is responsible for supplying items for the Tea Party Center.  Information is on the green sheet.  Does anyone want to help keep track of items for our center and making sure we have everything.  Help!

Thanks for all you do to make this an awesome school year.

Kathy Smith

Welcome Back from Fall Break
Spelling Focus for Friday's Test on October 19 Multiple-meaning words
Words:  batter, cobbler, diamond, present, pupil, scour, shower, stable, swallow, temple, has, her, into, more
Challenge:  atmosphere, buffet, column, neutral

Social Studies Southeast States and Capitals Test will be on Thursday, October 24 (Smith) and Friday, October 25 (Moricz).  The packet is due on Friday, October 25 for both classes.

Happy Fall Break...

Thank you for your wonderful response to conferences and our Fourth Grade Open House.  Our students were amazing, and I was so proud of them.  It was great watching them show and explain some of their fourth grade accomplishments. I am so fortunate to teach such a lively and intelligent group of children.

Spelling words will be posted next Monday after the pretest.

 Have a great fall break.  Take time to relax and spend quality family time.  You are the best.

Kathleen Smith

Welcome October!!

Spelling Words for the test on Friday, October 5, 2012

Focus:  Synonyms and Antonyms

Words: answer, delicious, ideal, noisy, perfect, puny, quiet, response, tasty, weak, him, like, see, two

Challenge Words:  examine, familiar, inspect, strange

Tomorrow, October 2, our class may wear pajamas to school.  They filled the marble jar for making outstanding behavior choices.  Thank you in advance to Mrs.Shaffer and Mr. Young for providing Eegees to help students celebrate.  I have an amazing group of students and parents.

The test on Midwest Region states and capitals is this Thursday (Smith) and Friday (Moricz).  The packets are due this Friday.  A great website to help students learn the states and capitals is quizlet.com

Remember that fourth grade is having an Open House on Monday, October 8, from 1-3 P.M.  Please stop by with your child to share some of his/her accomplishments.  You will be impressed.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me.  (kasmith@cfsd16.org)

Again thank you for sharing your wonderful children with me.

Fondly,

Kathy Smith

News from Smith's Beach

Spelling Words for test on Friday, September 28
Focus:  Using Reference Materials
Words:  against, alphabet, energy, glossary, Internet, neighbor, puzzle, reference, research, system, could, make, no, time
Challenge Words:  dictionary, mystery, thesaurus, vocabulary

Remember Picture Day is Tuesday, September 25.

Pajama Day is Tuesday, October 2.  The class earned this treat by filling the marble jar.  Hooray!  They are making wonderful choices and working very hard to walk quietly in the hall.

Open House is on Monday, October 8 from 1-3 P.M. for you and your child.  Students look forward to sharing their hard work with you.  They are absolutely amazing.  On October 8, 9, and 10 students will be dismissed at 11:30 A.M.  On October 11 and 12 there is no school.  We are all looking forward to some relaxing days.

Guided Reading groups provide some great discussions and a time to ask good questions.  In Social Studies we continue to work on learning the states and capitals.  We completed the West Region, and today we will begin to learn about the states located in the Midwest Region. A tentative date for the state and capital test is Thursday, October 4 (Smith) and Friday, October 5 (Moricz).

Again thanks for all of your support.  You are the best!

Spelling Words for Test on Friday, September 21, 2012
Focus:  Nouns
Regular:
artist, blister, colony, fossil, grocer, hospital, pudding, restaurant, shoulder, sibling, my, now, not, who
Challenge:
cyclone, future, headache, thermometer

News from Smith's Beach

Students are reading a variety of books and working hard with the 40 Book Challenge.  Guided reading groups are taking place.  These groups provide a small group setting for discussion of books and ideas.  Students are completing the author study project, and you can view your child's booklet on October 8. Our focus this week will be on learning how to ask good questions.

In Social Studies we are concentrating on states in the Western Region.  On Thursday (Smith) or Friday (Moricz), students will have an assessment.  They will be expected to correctly locate the states and capitals of this region on a blank map.

We had a great number of parents and students participate in last Thursday's Math Night.  Our Guest Reader Schedule was sent home as well as the Writer's Workshop Schedule.  Please remember that on Monday, October 8, we will have an Open House from 1-3. This event takes place during conference week.  We look forward to having your child share his/her accomplishments with you.

I appreciate all of your support.  Your children are enthusiastic, humorous, and hard-working.  It is an absolute privilege for me to have such an awesome group of students and parents.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me.

Fondly,
Kathy Smith

Parent Night Slides and Questions

Hello Sunshines and Families,

I am inserting our slides from Parent Night for you to have and review. Make sure to check our calendar for upcoming events and dates. Here are some of the topics we were asked questions about and our 4th grade team responses. Please let me know via email if you have any additional questions. 

1. Reading lists for Sci/SS- We have a multitude of curriculum we cover in Science and Social Studies, and it would be a rather long book list if we compiled something. Please refer to our Sci/SS websites for more information about our curriculum. Embedded in some sites are book lists.

2. Common Core Standards-Common core standards are different than the old standards because now every state has the same standards. Common core are more integrated, meaning subjects are taught across the curriculum, like writing. There are some skills in Math that were part of the Arizona State Standards, but are no longer part of the Common Core. Some examples of this are finding the mean for a set of numbers and knowing how to make vertex-edge graphs. We will introduce students to these concepts for AIMs testing, but they will no longer be the primary focus since we are using the new Common Core Standards to guide instruction. For more information about the Common Core, check out the link on our Parent's Page.

3. Lego Robotics- Due to scheduling concerns, not all classes will be participating in Lego Robotics this year. TBA

4. Reflex math- Students need to log in to Reflex Math at least three times a week and play until their progress light goes green each day. Students may use the number keypad at the top or on the side. However having kids use the keypads at the top at home will be consistent with how they use it in the classroom and help them build typing skills.

5. Colonial Day- Colonial Day is set for Tuesday, Nov. 20, the day before Thanksgiving break. If you have vacation plans, please be aware of our scheduled activities.

6. Reading logs- Students are expected to read 20 min. a night. Research shows students grow more when given repetition. For instance, Reflex math is based on having students practice math every day to obtain a stronger foundation. Reading works the same way. If there are extenuating circumstances and your child cannot read on a given night, please contact Ms. Smith or Ms. Panas privately. 

7. Electronic readers-We are looking into this. We need district and school approval to use these. I have let students bring them in the past with parent consent and the understanding that the student is responsible for the care and safety of their device. 

Fondly,

Kathy Smith

Smith's Beach News September 3

Welcome to September!

Students are taking on the 40 Book Challenge.  I am so impressed with their effort and the variety of books they select to read. Book commercials are informative.  Did you know one of the classes had a student dressed as a squirrel presenting a book commercial?  The commercials allow students to speak in front of a group and share their reading.  Students are doing an amazing job.

In Social Studies we are focusing on the names of states, capitals, and geographical regions.

Beginning in October we are fortunate to have parent volunteers as guest readers. This will take place on Thursdays from 9:30-10:00 A.M.  If you have any questions, please contact me.
*October 4     Klaus or Cheryl Axen
*October 18   Page Marks
*October 25   Dev Sethi
*November 8 Chris Cutshaw
*November 15 Klaus or Cheryl Axen
*November 29 Traci Grabb
*December 6   Eileen Lawless
*December 14  Jenny Lessie
*December 20  Page Marks
*January 10     Marisol and Dennis Kenman
*January 17     Bake Shaffer
*January 24     Ashwini Kudrimoti
*January 31    Paige Vladich

Spelling Words Week 3-Test on Friday 8/31

Focus:  Consonant Blends

Regular Words:  water, grip, restrict, stump, long, brisk, one, craft, probably, spinach, clever, dentist, traffic, may

Challenge Words:  plastic, applaud, drainage, splendid

News from Smith's Beach

Thanks so much attending Back to School Night.  It was great to see all of you again.  I know the children were excited for you to see the classroom, their Me Dolls, and the personality tennis shoes.  They really enjoyed reading your notes.

Monday we will begin to switch classes for reading and math.  Your child's math letter was sent home on Friday and is in the binder.  In reading we are continuing our author study and focusing on story elements.  Students will also compare and contrast four books by Patricia Polacco.  Students are creating a booklet for the author study, and this will be available during Open House on October 8.  In Social Studies we are focusing on states and capitals for the Southwest region.  Depending on your child's schedule, there will be a quiz on Thursday or Friday.  Students will be asked to locate Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma along with capitals on a blank map.

Spelling words will be added to the website on Monday after students take the pretest.  The final test will take place on Friday.

I appreciate you signing up to volunteer in our classroom.  I will contact you with a schedule.  Speaking of volunteering I could use some volunteers to read with individuals or small groups of students. The time would be around 8:30 in the morning.  If you are interested, please email me.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me.  kasmith@cfsd16.org

Fondly,

Kathy Smith

News from Smith's Beach (August 18, 2012)

Back to School Night is Thursday, August 23, from 6 to 7 P.M.  Please start out in our classroom, so we can meet as a homeroom.  After homeroom, you will go to the MPR to hear a presentation from all of the fourth grade teachers.  I look forward to seeing you again.

This week we will complete reading assessments.  Hooray!  In reading we are currently having an author study. Our focus is on the writing and style of Patricia Polacco.  Students are in the process of putting together an author study booklet.  We are looking at the elements of writing as modeled in the author's books.

On Friday students participated in an impromptu book commercial.  This activity gave classmates an opportunity to hear recommendations about some great books.  Bryson recommends The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.  Zak recommends Gregor and the Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins. Isaac recommends Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.  Ellie recommends Esperanza Rising and Becoming Naomi by Pam Munoz Ryan.  Sara recommends Gossamer by Lois Lowrey.  Maddy recommends The Clone Codes by Patricia C. Mckissack.  Kiri recommends Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain.  Laurel recommends Letters to Anyone and Everyone by Toon Tellegen.  Libby recommends Goddess Girls by Joan Halub. Owen recommends Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.  Caroline recommends Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin.  Sukkie recommends Junie B. Jones Is A Beauty Shop Guy by Barbara Park.  Nori recommends The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame.  Dante recommends Closed for the Season by Mary Downing Hala.  Sophia recommends The World According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney.  Bella recommends A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle.

August 13, 2012

Wow!  Our fourth grade class is off to a great start.  Surfer binders are ready.  These binders should be brought home every night and returned to school the next day.  Hopefully, organizational skills will improve.

Please come and visit our classroom for Back to School Night on Thursday, August 23, from 6 to 7 P.M.  You will start out in our beach room (#13).  We will get reacquainted, and you will have time for questions.

Spelling pretests take place on Monday. Children will bring home a spelling list on Monday to study for Friday's test.  All students are expected to read 20 minutes Monday through Thursday.  I realize that occasionally family events happen, and homework does not get done.  Please send me a note or email, and assignments can be made up at a later date.

If you have any concerns or questions, please feel free to email me.  My email is:  kasmith@cfsd16.org

Thank you for sharing your wonderful children with me. I look forward to seeing you at Back to School Night on August 23.

Fondly,

Kathy Smith

Welcome to Smith's Beach

I am delighted that you are in my class this year!  We can look forward to many exciting and rewarding experiences.  In fourth grade, teachers work in content area teams that are broken into Language Arts/Social Studies and Math/Science.  This means you will have two teachers every day!

I will be your homeroom teacher and your teacher for Language Arts and Social Studies.  Our classroom is Room 13, right near the library.  For Math and Science, your teacher will be Ms. Moricz.  Her classroom is right next-door, so you won’t have far to walk.

This year Language Arts and Social Studies will give you the opportunity to become a great explorer.  Prepare to travel from the ancient ruins of the Anasazi to the battlefields of the Revolutionary War. You will also travel through the USA as you learn the location and capital of each state.  Through fascinating literature, you will meet historical figures and learn about events in Arizona’s history and the early history of the United States.

Soon, we will set sail on a new learning adventure together.  We will stretch our thinking, ask questions, and continue to grow in our understanding of the world.

I look forward to seeing you at our “School-Wide Open House” on Wednesday, August 8.  Drop by Room 13 anytime from 1:00-3:00 PM to see your new classroom.  Don’t forget to bring your school supplies.  Until then, enjoy the rest of summer!

Fondly,

Kathleen Smith

 

“The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”-  Dr.Seuss

                      Come set sail with me!