Happy Holidays!

I wanted to take a moment to wish all of my families a very happy, healthy and restful winter break. I learned about so many traditions your families will be / have been participating in and they all sound wonderful. Enjoy the time together and I look forward to seeing you all in the New Year.

Community Assembly

The Behavior Team is planning our next upcoming assembly in January.  Our theme of this assembly is “You Make a Difference”.  As part of our community building at Shatekon and reminding all that we are all H.E.R.E. (helping everyone reach excellence) together, we are putting together a short video.  We are looking for pictures of our students helping others in the community.  This can be here in our Shatekon community or out and about in neighborhoods, food drives, scouting events etc. 

Please send all pictures to me if you have any asap. Happy Holidays!!!!

Concert Preview

We were lucky enough to get a preview of the winter concert. Check it out!!

Concert Update

The new day for the concert is Monday, 12/15/14, at 7:00 pm, in the Shatekon Gym. Chorus students should arrive around 6:30 to make sure their families get a seat, and Mrs. Grebe will take responsibility for the singers at 6:45 pm, at which time she will invite them to come up to the risers to warm up and get ready for our concert.

Solo Week

Monday, December 8th - Friday, December 12th will be Ms. Boone's solo week in our classroom. I will be in the building and pulling students to work one on one. Just wanted to give you a heads up. :)

RAZ Kids

I'm writing with a sad heart to update parents on RAZ Kids - online reading program. It has come to my attention that someone is logging onto other student's accounts and using their points to play games. This is upsetting for a few reasons. First, it is stealing. Taking something that doesn't belong to you is never okay. Second, there are students who have worked very hard earning points who now cannot be rewarded for their effort. I have changed all the passwords and updated the security so hopefully this won't be an issue again.

Assembly Tomorrow

Check out the link to the great assembly we are having tomorrow courtesy of the PTA!!

http://www.themagictrunk.com/new/about.html  

Jeff Kinney Winners!!!

Four of our students have been picked from the school lottery to go see Jeff Kinney, author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series next week!!!

If you would like to see Jeff Kinney you can go to our Shatekon Library blog and parents can find information on the Northshire Bookstore event. This is an event where everyone can go!

Please see the link to our Shatekon Library Blog:

http://shatekonlibrary.blogspot.com/

War of the Worlds

Today we read our anchor text Invasion From Mars which is an expert from Orson Well's War of the Worlds radio play broad cast. We listened up to 18 minutes. Many students were eager to listen to the conclusion. Here is the link so they can tune in. 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6YNHq1qc44

TFK: Live with Lemony Snicket

Many students were interesting in watching an interview with author Lemony Snicket. Here is a link to enjoy! 

http://www.timeforkids.com/news/tfk-live-lemony-snicket/177751

And the winner is.......

Isha!!! Today we had the privilege of watching Isha, and the other 4th grade poster winners, ride to school on a fire truck! The sirens were wailing and the horns were honking. What a great way to start an otherwise dreary day!!!

Book Order Reminder

Just a friendly reminder that tomorrow is the last day to enter Scholastic Book Orders. I usually submit the order after school (around 2:15). Please remember you can order on-line or send in the form & a check made out to Scholastic to school. Happy reading!

Compliment Jar Party

Our class did such an amazing job today during our evacuation drill they earned enough compliments to have a class party! We took a vote and decided Bring Your Own Electronic Day is the celebration. I have a permission form that gives more information going home on Monday. Please sign and return a.s.a.p.  I am so proud of their hard work!!

Shenendehowa Elementary Schools Present Today’s Education…

October 22^nd, 2014 (Wednesday 6:30 – 7:30) Skano Cafeteria

New Elementary Literacy Series - Journeys

Kathleen Strangis, Academic Administrator for ELA grades K-5

Renée Young, Literacy Coach grades K-5

Mrs. Strangis and Mrs. Young will present on our new elementary literacy series.  Come see how parents can access this new series with their Think Central accounts on line. Through hands-on activities, learn about the different components that help parents provide support to their children at home and experience how the components of this series are being implemented in classrooms to support and develop strong readers and writers.

November 4^th, 2014 (Tuesday 6:30 – 7:30) Skano Cafeteria

Intermediate Report Card and Gradebook

Greg Pace, Tesago Elementary Principal

This presentation is designed for parents who have children entering third grade and new parents in the district who have children at the intermediate level.  Mr. Pace will present to parents the intermediate elementary report card (grades 3, 4 & 5) and will detail the changes in the elementary grading system. Mr. Pace will also show how parents can access their child’s grades electronically throughout the marking period. The transition to a percentage grade from the more general 1-2-3-4 grading can be surprising for parents. With parent teacher conferences around the corner, this will be a presentation you will not want to miss.

December 3^rd, 2014 (Wednesday 6:30 – 7:30) Skano Cafeteria

What is “special” about Special Education?

Michelle Mylod, Director of Special Education

In this installment of the Speaker Series, attendees will learn about the evaluation, identification and goal of special education. The role of parents in Committee on Special Education meetings will be discussed in depth to empower parents to support the academic and social success of their student.

Bullying Prevention Program

Bullying Prevention Program:

All Shenendehowa Elementary Schools will be facilitating a bullying prevention program the week of October 6^th-10^th 2014.  During the course of the week we will be doing a number of activities to raise awareness and prevent bullying from happening in our schools.  As part of this week we are encouraging students to wear specific colors to show support for a kinder, friendlier and safer school.  The colors/themes are as follows:

Golden Rule Monday: Wear YELLOW for “treat others are you would like to be treated”

Loyal Blue Tuesday: Wear BLUE to promote loyalty, kindness, and being a “true blue” friend

Red Wednesday Madness: Wear RED to show your awareness that it’s okay to be angry but….words are not for hurting and hands are not for hitting

Peaceable White Thursday: Wear WHITE for peaceful friendships and problem solving

School Spirit Friday: Wear GREEN to show pride in making our school, community, and country a safer place

If you are interested in finding out more about bully prevention here are a few websites that can be helpful:

http://www.violencepreventionworks.org/public/index.page

http://www.pacerkidsagainstbullying.org/

http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/bullies.html

http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/friends/bullies/

We are very excited about the opportunity to work with all students in each of the elementary buildings on such a worthwhile topic.  We appreciate your support!

October Newsletter

ELA

Reading:

Ø  Comprehension Skills & Strategies- theme, elements of drama, inferring/predicting, point of view

Writing:

Ø  Fictional Narrative’s

Ø  Students are expected to work on writing daily. Some weeks finished products are expected, others just planning is expected.

Grammar:

Ø  Fragments and Run-on sentences

Ø  Proper Nouns

Spelling Patterns:

Ø  All tests are Thursdays!!!

Ø  There will be nightly homework with your students spelling list.

Please remember each week there will be a test covering all skills taught during the ELA block.

Math

Concepts:

Chapter 3 Multiply 2-Digit numbers

o   Multiply by 10’s

o   Estimate Products

o   Area Models and Partial Products

o   Multiply with Regrouping

o   Word problems

Chapter 4 Divide by 1-Digit numbers

o   Estimate Quotients

o   Investigate & Interpret Remainders

o   Divide 10’s, 100’s and 1,000’s

o   Distributive Property

o   Divide Using Repeat Subtraction

o   Partial Quotients

o   Place the First Digit

o   Divide by 1-Digit Numbers

**These are two of our MOST DIFFICULT chapters in 4^th grade math. Use ThinkCentral, notes and examples from the book to help your student. These concepts take A LOT of practice!

Social Studies

Concepts:

We will be learning about NYS early people.  This study will lead into an in-depth look into NY Native Americans. 

Our field trip to Brookside Museum will be October 14^th.  Please make sure to send your student on time with a packed lunch and snack. This trip is a great kick off to our study and students will remember the hands on experience for years to come.

There will be homework, quizzes and tests along with this unit so make sure to check your student’s agenda each day.

Reminders

Oct. 2^nd – Class Pictures (10:00)

Oct. 10^th – Early Release

Oct. 13^th – No school – Columbus Day

Oct. 14^th – Brookside Museum

Oct. 17^th- in school Evacuation Drill – more information to follow

Oct. 24^th –Monster Mash

Oct. 31^st – Halloween Party

This month is Fire Prevention month!

DO you have a family escape plan?

First Full Week

We have completed our first full week!!!! What a great way to kick off the year. Our class has proven again, and again that they know how to be respectful and responsible Shatekon Sharks.

I have updated my blog by adding a Homework and Bill of Rights page. The homework page gives you an idea of what to expect each night, while the Bill of Rights is a student generated behavior guide.

Thank you so much for your support this week getting forms signed, money in and homework done. Great job parents!!!

ELA

Reading:

Ø  Shenendehowa has a new reading series called Journey’s . Lots of information will be shared at Open House about the transition. Until then, be on the lookout for nightly homework that includes 30 minutes of reading, some spelling or vocabulary.

Ø  Students will learn about story structure, summarizing, author’s purpose, cause and effect and visualizing texts this month.

Writing:

Ø  Our focus will be narrative writing; specifically using descriptive paragraphs, word choice and dialogue.

Grammar:

Ø  Different types of sentences and quotations.

Spelling Patterns: All tests are Friday!!!

Ø  Sight word list (practice list)

Ø  List 1 – long and short a

Ø  List 2 – long and short e

Ø  List 3 – long and short i

Math

Concepts:

o   Place value, expanded, written and standard form in number writing, comparing, ordering and rounding numbers. Addition and subtraction will also be reviewed.

Vocabulary:

o   Place value, standard form, expanded form, greater than, less than, re-group

Assessments:

o   Each unit of study will have a pre and posttest.  You will see how much your child has grown with each concept! Only the post test will be entered into the grade bookJ

Social Studies

Concepts:

v  Geography of NYS

v  Various maps

o   How to use legends

o   How to use a compass rose

o   What type of map is this?

Vocabulary:

v  Physical map              Political map

v  Labels                         Compass rose

v  Latitude                      Longitude

v  Continent

**We are awaiting live crayfish!  When they come we’ll begin our first animal unit!

Reminders

ü Sept. 8th – bus drill

ü Sept. 24^th – PTA meeting 6:30

ü Sept. 25^th – NO SCHOOL

ü Sept. 28^th – Book orders due

ü Sept. 29^th – Open House 6-8 - We will begin in the gym

ü Sept. 16^th - Orchestra lessons will begin

**Make sure to return:

Emergency contact information cards

$2.50 for headphones which will be used each year

PG movie form

A recorder for music class

**We have monthly birthday parties. Contact myself or our room parent if your student has an upcoming birthday month. J

Summer Math Activities

Today I sent home a summer math packet. There are instructions on the cover that give information on how to use the packet most effectively. This, of course, is an optional assignment. If you choose not to use this packet, please make sure your student is practicing his/her math skills in some fashion over the summer. The time put in this summer will make a HUGE difference in 5th grade. :)

Summer Reading Challenge

During our Flag Day assembly we got a lot of great, exciting information about our summer reading program. Here is the link so you can access the info on-line!

Summer Reading Challenge

I'm also providing links that will help in finding good books and keep reading fun.  Good luck my practically 5th graders!!!!!

The book trailers for kids link is here:

Book Trailers

American Library Assoc. Summer reading list Grades 3-5

Reading Lists 3-5 

Shatekon's Blogspot

The assemblyman has reading suggestions too:

http://assembly.state.ny.us/member_files/112/20140428/index.pdf (page 2)

Spring Field Trips

A note is going home today about our upcoming spring field trips. I wanted to address an error in the information concerning the Albany trip. We will be visiting the Capital building and the NYS museum, but we will not be going to the governor's mansion. We took this piece out in hopes of getting a better experience out of the museum and capital building. When we went to the mansion, the trip was VERY rushed. Sorry for the typo. :)

Important Note in Folder!

Dear Parents,

I’m writing in hopes of getting some feedback from you and your student about how things are going in fourth grade. We have been having a lot of problems in class in terms of being a good friend, a good listener, and being respectful to each other. I’ve noticed an increase in negative behaviors these last few weeks. It is clear that many students are upset and want our classroom climate to improve as much as I do.

I’m asking that you and your student write a letter explaining the strengths and areas that need improvement in our classroom. This should not include names but more behaviors and qualities that are helping and/or hurting our classroom. With this list, I will be working on an action plan to improve our classroom community. 

I would really like to end the year on a positive note. Hopefully, with these exercises and our month-long focus on kindness we can reach that goal.  

Respectfully,

                                                                                                Mrs. Cushman

Erie Canal Field Trip

Shatekon's 4th grade was approved for a free field trip to the Erie Canal locks in Waterford, NY!!!!  Please see the silver folder for all the details. The permission forms must be signed for each student to go! The forms are due April 30th.

Ask the Animal

Just a friendly reminder that our class "Ask the Animal" presentation is tomorrow April 10th at 11:20. Please meet us in the computer lab. If you have not yet rsvp'd and would like to join us email me as soon as possible so I can add you to our guest list. 

The students are very excited to share their presentations. They have worked so hard! 

Chapter 8 math test

Today chapter 8's math test was sent home with your student. Some students really understood the concept while others are still struggling. If your student did not get a 100% and would like to improve their score I'm offering graded test corrections. This means if your student corrects his/her work and turns it in by Tuesday I will combine the two scores to make a new chapter 8 math test score.

For example if your student got an 83% that means he/she got 6 problems wrong. If the student corrects the 6 mistakes I will average 83% and 100% to make a new test score of 92%. Please email me if you have any questions. 

SHENsational!

Mark your calendars for SHENsational! A Global Expo on Saturday, March 22 at High School West from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Never been to SHENsational? See what you have been missing. Watch the video produced by high school student Ishan Parashar, the Senate representative on the Diversity Committee… https://vimeo.com/88940249. 

Tuesday Newsday 3/11/14

Today Dan shared a great article about a boy and his dog. Many students said they would like to share the video with their families. Here is the link.  Enjoy!

Math book access

This link will give you direct access to the GoMath online resources. Each student's username is the one used in the computer lab and everyone's password is student. This is a great way to watch videos, use itools and get extra practice in any chapter. Have fun!

March Newsletter

ELA

Reading:

Ø  We have switched our reading block to encompass reading groups. Here students are working together to practice comprehension skills and strategies with texts that are appropriate for their level. Soon we’ll start our first literature circle with the genre of biographies. The discussions are always very meaningful!

Writing:

Ø  We’ll begin writing our own myths as a way to sum up our understanding of the genre mythology.

Grammar:

Ø  Adjectives and ordering adjectives

Spelling Patterns: All tests are Thursdays!!!

Ø  List 20 - suffixes

Ø  List 21 – words with er or and ar

Ø  List 22 – words with the /el/ sound

Ø  List 23 - words with the /en/ sound

Math

Concepts:

o   Finish Chapter 7 – mixed numbers & add and subtract mixed numbers

o   Chapter 8 – Multiply fractions by whole numbers

o   This is a short chapter so we’ll most likely finish within March as well.  

Vocabulary:

o   See book for important vocab

Assessments:

o   We will be having the chapter 7 math test 3.11.14

o   Chapter 8 test TBA

Reminders

            All GoMath materials can be accessed on tablets and PC’s at home for further explanations and practice

Science

This month we will kick off our big animal study unit! First we’ll explore invertebrates and vertebrates through lots of books, movies and articles. Then we will partner with Miss Smith’s class to create an online presentation titled “Ask the Animal” where students hone their researching skills to investigate a specific NYS animal.

Stay tuned for an invitation to our presentation. You’ll be sure to learn a lot!

Reminders  

ü 3.1.14      Fin Friday ~ wear green

ü 3.9.14  Daylight savings time begins

ü 3.20.14  PTA meeting in the library at 7

ü 3.21.14 No school ~ Superintendents Conference Day for staff

ü 4.1.14 to 4.3.14 NYS ELA tests

ü 4.30.14 to 5.2.14 NYS Math tests

 

Tuesday Newsday follow up

We had an amazing Tuesday News day article that our students thought they would like to share with their families. Andrew M. found a News Channel 13 story about the NYS Museum re-discovering an original recording of Martin Luther King Jr. giving a speech. He picked it so we could all really think about the reason we have MLK Jr. Day off. :)  I've linked the news report which also has a link to the entire speech.  Enjoy!!

MLK speech

NYS book project

Tomorrow we  will kick off our NYS setting book project! In your students backpack you'll find a NYS mapped they traced, a planning guide and explanation of the project and the book we'll be reading; Rip Van Winkle. All reading will be done in school but students are encouraged to re-read or read ahead to help in comprehension. The poster part will be done completely at home. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.  Can't wait to see the finished products!!

January Newsletter

ELA

Reading:

Ø  We will be learning how to participate in literature circles with the mentor text Rip Van Winkle in class. This book is set in the Catskill Mts. & in Dutch Colonial life so it’s a perfect tie into our socials studies concepts and our NYS settings book project.

Writing:

Ø  The focus will be on dialogue within stories.  We’ll explore how word choice can make all the difference and how to use quotation marks. .

Grammar:

Ø  Run-on vs. fragment sentences and quotations.

Spelling Patterns: All tests are Thursdays!!!

Ø  List 13 – possessive nouns using apostrophes

Ø  List 14- commonly misspelled words

Ø  List 15 – words with ei, ie, and eight

 

Math

Concepts:  Factors, Multiples & Patterns

o   How can you find factors?

o   How are factors and multiples related?

o   How can you tell if a number is prime or composite?

o   How can you make and describe patterns?

 

Concepts:  Fraction Equivalence & Comparison

o   How can models show equal fractions?

o   How can you use multiplication to find equivalent fractions?

o   How can you find simplest form and common factor?

o   How can you use benchmarks to compare fractions?

o   How can you order fractions?

Assessments:

o   1/14/14  & TBD

 

Social Studies

Concepts:

We’ll be taking an in-depth looking into both how Europeans explored what is now NYS and how the Dutch settled this area. It’s amazing how much history is in our how backyard!

While we study we’ll pair our text book with both fiction and non-fiction sources of information.

There will be homework, quizzes and tests along with this unit so make sure to check your student’s agenda each day.

 

Reminders

ü 1-20 Martin Luther King Jr. Day – No School

ü 1-22 i-ready test for reading

ü 1-28 i-ready test for math

ü 1-31 Half day dismissal at 11:00

ü 1-31 Book orders due – don’t forget to use your holiday coupon!!