Welcome to 4 th Grade!

Welcome to 4th Grade! Kelly Jones Please enjoy the publication made by your child 4 Days in 4th We worked hard on these each day!

A little bit about me……. • Teaching for 7 years in the elementary level. • This is my third career. • Live right up the street…with my family  • Love reading, walking, cooking, and being with my family. • Masters in Ed. Tech and earning my Ed.S. this year. • Gifted Certified teacher. • I train teachers for Cobb County. • Lab Site Classroom for ELA and for Math. • Went to NYC this summer for a writing conference at the Teacher’s College!!!!!!

Favorite Quote “I think, at a child's birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift should be curiosity.”Eleanor Roosevelt

Supplies…..THANK YOU! • Thank you for sending in the supplies with your child that are needed for our classroom. • We are in need of Clorox wipes and highlighter markers. • Wish list is on my website for any additional items and some teacher wishes 

Communication • Please emailme with questions or concerns Kelly.Jones@cobbk12.org • Checking Planner Daily • Weekly Folder • Class website – please look it over, especially the online text section. • Mid nine week progress reports (if needed) • Nine week report card

Conferences • Conference week will be October 22 - 26 • Please send me a note or an email to request a conference if needed. • Conferences may be held in person or by phone. • Conference appointment times and/or dates will be discussed upon request. • Please do not come into the classroom without notice to have a “conference” with me.

Weekly Folders • They include student work, Tiger Times, a behavior sheet, field trip forms, book orders, and any other items that need to be sent home. • On the next day, the folder is returned empty except for the SIGNED behavior sheet. • Your signature lets me know that you have seen all of the information sent home, including all graded work. • Please be aware of the missed homework assignments.

Student Planners • Planners are taken home, initialed by parents, and returned to school daily. It is the student’s responsibility to see that this is done. • Students record their weekly spelling words and daily homework in their planners. • The planner is another communication tool to keep parents up-to-date on what’s going on in class. • I will be checking planners for the first week or so, after that the students should be doing this independently.

Homework • Homework will be given Monday-Thursday. • It is valuable practice of skills learned daily in class. It also teaches responsibility and self-discipline. • Homework is due the next day unless noted. • Nightly homework includes 20 minutes of reading. • Homework should not take more than one hour to complete. • Homework is posted on our class website but the PLANNER is best for “up to date” information. • Homework is often differentiated –some students will have different homework

SNACKS • Please send your child to school with a snack and pre-filled reusable water bottle each day. We eat lunch at 11:18 and some will need a little more fuel for the mind before that. • The snack should be: • Healthy and nutritious • Non-messy • Finger food • Please – no chips, cookies, or foods with high quantities of food coloring

Birthday Treats and Celebrations for 30 students • You may send or bring in a birthday treat if you wish. The treat will be served during recess or lunch by the birthday child. • Please make it simple and easy to serve. (Pre-cut or have individual servings for the entire class.) • Please send in serving utensils, plates, forks, napkins…if needed. • Birthday party invitations and thank you notes must be distributed outside of school unless the entire class is being invited or thanked.

Cafeteria – 11:18 lunch time • Come enjoy lunch with your child! • First, sign in at the front office and get a visitor’s pass. • Then, meet us inside the café for lunch. • Lastly, say good-bye as the children are dismissed from the tables. • There is a guest table available for you and your child. • Our class will be split for lunch because the table only has 24 seats. 6 students will sit at the “overflow” table.

Absences and Appointments • Early release days, teacher workdays, fall and winter break are wonderful opportunities to schedule doctor appointments. • When your child is absent, please send in an absence excuse upon his/her return. • You may call the office the morning of the third day of your child’s absence, and we can get homework ready to be picked up in the office after 2:30. • Make-up work is required only for excused absences. We will give students the work they missed upon their return if the absence is unexcused.

Tardy Students • Please have your child to school by 7:50. It would be even better if they could arrive earlier. • It is very beneficial for your child to arrive on time. Students have morning procedures and activities to complete by 7:50 each day. This includes signing in, unpacking, and preparing for the day. • If your child does arrive after 7:50, please park, walk your child into the school, and sign your child in at the front desk. Your child will bring a tardy slip to our classroom.

Transportation Changes • All transportation changes should be sent in writing to me daily. • Bus changes (going home with a friend, etc.) MUST be done on the transportation change form. This is a Cobb County policy. • You should have received a blank form to have on hand. The form can be downloaded form the East Side webpage.

Scholastic Book Orders • Book orders are a wonderful way to motivate your child to read as well as contribute to the class. • Borders is no longer an option…Scholastic is! • IMPORTANT: • Books can be ordered online and paid for with a credit card. I can also make an order with checks made payable to Scholastic Books. • The book order link can be accessed through the class webpage. • Book order forms are sent home in weekly folders.

Proposed Field Trips • Wahsega 4-H Camp (approx. $70 in the spring) • Cobb Youth Museum • Cobb County Safety Village • High Touch High Tech (in house) • Performing Arts – for social studies

Grades • Pinnacle for online grades …coming soon! • This year numerical percentages will be used to calculate your student’s letter grades. • A = 100%-90% • B = 89%-80% • C = 79%-74% • D = 73%-70% • F = 69%-65%

Social Studies Content • Economics • Map/Globe Skills • Native Cultures • Early Explorers • Colonization • American Revolution • The New Nation • 3 Branches • Constitution • Bill of Rights • Westward Expansion • Reform Movements

Science • Water • Weather • Force and Motion • Light • Sound • Stars and Star Patterns • Earth, Moon, Solar System • Ecosystems • Protective Adaptations

Science Journals

Vocabulary Strategies Foldables

Math • Place Value from hundredths to millions • Algebra • Data • Multiplication and Division • Measuring Angles • Analyzing 2-D Figures • Fractions • Decimals • measurement • Data • Geometry • Multiplication and Division of Fractions and Decimals

Reading Workshop Will be taught in a workshop format. • Mini Lesson • Independent Reading Time • Journaling • Teacher Conferences • Small Strategy Groups • Small Skills Groups • Book Clubs • Presentations • Reading – books of choice • Meaningful literary experiences for students. In order for students to become successful readers, they must read often and for extended periods of time. Independent reading time is the most critical time of our workshop. • Students are given decision making power over what they will read. Our class library has multi-level books.

Writing, Grammar, and Spelling • Narrative Writing • Informational Writing • Essay Writing • Opinion Writing Writer’s Workshop – • Teaches a focus skill that is practiced by students. • Writer’s Notebook - Journaling Grammar and Spelling • Grammar – Usage and Mechanics • Spelling – Words Their Way focuses on spelling patterns • Grammar and Spelling are often taught through students’ writing. Memorizing words is not enough to become a great speller!

Thank you! • Thanks for all of your present and future support. I would not be successful without you! • Please sign-up for News Flashes on the class website if you have not already done so.

Welcome to 4 th Grade!