Welcome to Fourth Grade!

1. Please find your child’s seat. Feel free to respond to the letter and look through their books. If you are interested in classroom volunteering, please fill out the volunteer form and return to me at your convenience. Welcome to Fourth Grade!

2. On Your Child’s Desk: • Enjoy the letter to YOU! • Be sure to write back in the journal • Volunteer Sign-Up (purple) • Directions for building eco-column (yellow) • Question Form (blue) • Feel free to look in your child’s desk • Conference sign ups will be on Family Access- I will send out directions soon • Art Docent and Room Parent email permission form will be passed around

3. About Me • 4th year at Cougar Ridge, 11 year teaching • Love teaching 4th grade • Masters In Education from UW • Philosophy: • Every child can learn. • Learning occurs best when students feel safe and a sense of belonging – learning is social emotional as well as academic. • Teaching should promote curiosity and the love of learning. I’d rather be a guide on the side than a sage on the stage!

4. To reach me: • Phone: 837-7270 • Email: boyntons@issaquah.wednet.edu • This is the best way to reach me! • Staying Informed • Monthly News Letter emailed (additional emails for reminders and important updates) • Friday Letters Home from students (every other Friday) • Classroom website • Let’s take a quick tour!

5. Schedules • Daily Schedule: AM: Specialists, Math, Reading PM: Science/Social Studies, Writing • Specialist Schedule • Every WeekMonday: PETuesday: MusicThursday: PE Friday: Music • Every Other WeekFriday: Library

6. Be Safe, Be Kind, Do Your Job • Matrix that identified expected behavior for common areas such as lunchroom, playground, hallway, restroom • Explicitly taught expectations for each area, visual cues all around school • Students rewarded with Bobcat Coin when “caught” following the Bobcat Code • First school wide goal = 1000 coins… School wide reward The Bobcat Code

7. Classroom Routines • Classroom Jobs – Economy System • Every child has a job. • Students deposit paychecks and either save money in the bank or get cash. • Money will be used to buy coupons, spent at an end of year auction, and used at market day where students create, buy, and sell goods. Benefits of classroom jobs: • Positive reinforcement / promotes ownership and sense of belonging • Instills responsibility and provides “real world” skills and applies mathematical concepts.

8. WritingLucy Caulkins Units of Study • Incorporated across multiple subjects. Giving students an opportunity to write for “real” whenever possible • Reading Writing Connections - teaching students how to Read Like a Writer. • Writer’s Workshop: longer pieces, focus on writing process from prewriting to publishing – mini lessons with conferring • Additional writing activities: Friday Letters Home, Caught’ya, One-day prompts, word wall

9. Writing Focus – Units of Study • The Arc of the Story (narrative): -students write realistic fiction stories • Boxes and Bullets (opinion): -students write persuasive essays • Writing Through the Lens of History (informational): -students write research based essays • The Literary Essay (opinion): -students write about fiction

10. Reading • Balanced Literacy Program • Making Meaning • Individual conference and goal setting • Focused comprehension strategy mini-lessons using independent, guided, and shared Reading • Novels – Read Alouds from different genres • Strategies for fluency, accuracy, and expanding vocabulary • Genre Wheel – Independent Book Projects • Let’s look at my sample binder

11. Genre Wheel Goals • To experience a wide variety of genres. • To practice project management. • To practice public speaking and communication skills. • To practice responding to literature in writing – summarizing and supporting ideas with evidence from the text are two huge 4th grade reading goals

12. Literacy Goals to Keep In Mind • Reading Writing Connection • Various Genres • Practice writing process, but that looks different for each writer • Rereading • Richness of vocabulary What do readers and writers need? Time Choice Response Environment where kids can take risks “Our children need real readers, not just correctors” –Lucy Caulkins

13. Eureka Math – A Story of Units • A comprehensive curriculum written by a team of teachers and mathematicians who took great care to present mathematics in a logical progression, preparing students to understand advanced math • Developed specifically to meet the math standards adopted by our state • Connects math to the real world in ways that take the fear out of math and build student confidence • Teaches math as a “story” to build students’ mathematical knowledge logically and help them achieve deep understanding • This approach can be unfamiliar to those of us who grew up memorizing mathematical facts and formulas

14. Math Lesson Overview • Approximately 60 minutes • Begin with Morning Application problem (single problem/task related to the day’s lesson and/or builds off previous lessons) • Fluency Practice (sprints, skip counting, etc…) • Concept Development (main lesson) • Problem Sets and XtraMath • Help at Home? Practice multiplication and division facts!

15. Social Studies • Map and Globe skills • Washington State • Geography • History • Government • Economy • Economy • Trade, Commerce, Entrepreneurship (JA Biztown) • Pacific Rim: WA & Pac Rim Countries

16. Science • Fall - Ecosystems • Winter – States of Matter • Spring – Earth’s Changing Surfaces (landforms and erosion) • Scientific Process and How Systems Work

17. Making An Ecocolumn! • Thank you for your help with this great investigation! • Cut bottles are due on September 30th

18. GLAD G.L.A.D. • Guided Language Acquisition Design • Cooperation, active learning, accountability, literacy, academic language • Visible • Desks in groups • Charts on walls • Used throughout the year and across all subjects, but mostly in science and social studies

19. Mark Your Calendar: Oct 27 ELL Family Event What Every Parent Wants to Know About the American School System • At Issaquah Valley Elementary, 6:30-8:30 pm • Parents can choose to attend one of these sessions: • Elementary School • Middle school • High school • Interpreters provided • Childcare provided • Flyers will be sent out soon

20. Homework District K – 5 Homework Guidelines for Parents: • 30 – 45 in grades 3 – 5 • If your child regularly requires a great deal more time than this to complete assignments, you should contact me. • If your child does not have homework or finishes early, it is always a good idea to spend time reading or reviewing math facts. • Reading: • 15-20 minutes silent reading • Reading Log • Math: 20 min max • Homework sheet • XtraMath

21. Bookkeeping • Yellow Slips – Communication link for parent, student and teacher • Sent home on Fridays, please initial and return on Monday. • Front and Back pocket of binder– homework and community information • Friday Letters Home – Letter writing practice. Please respond to your child when possible • Portfolio– Usually after math tests, I’ll sent home student portfolios. Please initial each assessment.

22. Other Important Info… • Water Bottles – help us reduce waste  • Individual and Class pictures on September 22nd • Smarter Balanced Assessment: Online • English Language Arts, Math • Online Report Cards: Dec 2nd, Mar. 17th, Jun. 16th • Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences: Dec 7th & 8th • Field Trips: • Washington State History Museum: Jan 27th • Olympia: Apr 7th(right before Spring Break) • Biz Town: May 30th (after Memorial Day)

23. We appreciate our volunteers! We also appreciate that our volunteers… Sign in the office, grab a badge and place it visibly on their body Stay within the classroom/area in which they are volunteering Use a Level 1 voice when volunteering Step out of the building when using cell phones When using the staff workroom, enter through one of the direct workroom doors (in hallway), and not walk through the office Refrain from entering the staff lounge Keep siblings and all children out of the workroom Parent Volunteers

24. Thank You For Coming Thank you for being here!!! Remember leave your child a note! Leave Blue Question Forms on child’s desk, return volunteer form when complete. Sign the Room Parent and Art Docent contact list.

26. WHAT is the Issaquah Schools Foundation? • 29 year-old, community powered nonprofit. • Helps students build academic foundations, explore opportunities and launchsuccessfully into their future. • Has channeled more than $10 milliondollars into our schools to benefit students. • Raises over $1.5 million annually with the help of 4,000 plus families. • Benefits all students … every school, every grade, every year.

27. How do we fuel success for your student? • Reading and Science Curriculum Adoptions • Writing Instruction Professional Development for teachers • Healthy Youth Initiative supporting  anti-bullying  and basic student needs like food, dental care and school supplies • Elementary Coding Pilots at three schools • VOICE Mentoring • Highly Capable (SAGE and MERLIN) funding • Pre-K Summer School • Science-Tech Magnet Support • Special Services Funding

28. How do we raise money? • All in for Kids Annual Fund CampaignAugust through November 17 • Nourish Every MindLuncheon April 28th, 2016 & Breakfast May 5th, 2016 • Employee Giving Campaigns Microsoft, Boeing, United Way • Grants and Corporate Support

29. The Foundation relies on parents for over 80% of its revenue…

30. But only 1of 5families donate with 26.6% Cougar Ridge families donating last year

31. Every gift matters every year For those who already donate … • Continue to donate (average family donates $373) • Tell your friends about the Foundation . For the 80% who haven’t donated, please join us! We Need Everyone to Go All in for Kids!