VW 4th Grade Blog 2023-2024

Good Afternoon, As students head off into a much deserved break, it is important to reflect on the growth and effort put in the past two months. I am proud of the growth socially of the class coming together to create a classroom that is welcoming, and supportive of everyone. Academically, students are pushing themselves daily with great effort and collaboration to grow in all areas. I hope everyone takes time rest, sharpen the saw, and be ready for another stretch coming up as we look forward to November. Week in Review: Leader in Me: This past week we reviewed expectations we have in all areas of our school. We did a check in on how we feel we have done following these expectations the first two months of the school year, and identified areas where we can improve. Writing: Writers started to 'build' their essay with the evidence they are going to use to support each of their reasons. We talked about how coming up with the best evidence will support the reasons, and then tha...

 Good Afternoon, It was our last full week of learning in the month of October which seems insane how fast the month is going by. It was great to see so many faces at family night on Tuesday, and today during our celebration of student's learning in social studies. The students pride was evident, and I loved that they were all able to display their learning in their own way, which made it special. I appreciate everyone taking time out of their days to make that celebration because I know it meant a lot to the 4th graders to see so many people caring about their learning. Week in Review: Leader in Me:  This week, we focused  on self-regulation strategies to use when we feel strong emotions. Invite your learner to teach you calming strategies. Practice them together! Writing: Writers were freewriting this week to try and practice saying more while continuing to write about one topic. This helped us then transition to finding an idea that kept coming up in your writing. We u...

Good Afternoon, It certainly doesn't feel like summer anymore, and not necessarily fall either with all the rain we are getting right now. Nevertheless, we carried on inside and it was another full week of learning in 4th grade. It was a week of transition as we started new units in writing, reading, and math. Everyone is coming with great attitudes and putting effort in everyday to learning and growing which is something we talk about weekly that are controllable in being proactive. We are in control of our attitude, and effort daily which helps set us up to have success, and that is something I am proud of everyone working towards! Week in Review: Leader in Me:  We learned to identify the intensity of our emotions and of those around us. As a family, take turns sharing examples of when you all have felt intense emotions and how you chose or could have chosen a helpful response. Writing: Writers celebrated their work as narrative writers storytelling to the kindergarteners to star...

Good Afternoon, We are full steam ahead into October as the weather outside today starts to feel a little bit more like fall. The 4th graders are demonstrating great growth mindsets as we have talked about in class that each day we try to learn, get a little bit better, and how over time we are going to see great growth. Learning is not a destination, and this week we talked about how we want to continue to get better daily in our learning journey. It was a great week, and I am really proud of every single one of them! Week in Review: Leader in Me:  This week, we discussed student-led learning strategies that help students take charge of their own learning experience, including learning targets and student-designed assessments. With your learner, discuss these questions for deeper connections: How can student-led learning strategies help with homework?  With practicing a sport?  Doing a hobby? Writing: Writers are completing their final story with the help of studying fro...

Good Afternoon, As we wrapped up our final school day in September, we had a mini celebration to celebrate the 4th Graders meeting their PIG (pretty important goal). It's been a great month of getting to know everyone, learning and growing daily, and making the classroom feel like a home. I'm very proud of all the 4th Graders for their daily efforts as we try to always be the best version of ourselves, and for the month of September we were able to achieve that. Week in Review: Leader in Me:  This week, we learned how to have a growth mindset and perseverance.  Having a growth mindset helps us persevere through tough situations. Work together to create a plan your family can use when you encounter a difficult situation. Writing: Writers started the week celebrating finishing their first narrative piece, and completing the writing process. Then they transitions to working off of prompts to get ideas like professional writers do when they finish a project. Writers ended the wee...

Good Afternoon, The days keep rolling by, and when you look up at the calendar it's hard to believe that next week is already the last week in September. We are 14 days into the school year already, and students have seemingly settled into the routines of the school year. I have been impressed with the leaders we have in the classroom not only setting the example for their peers, but the younger Huskies here at NDLC. The 4th graders are working hard everyday, so I hope they enjoy the time away from school to sharpen their saw so that they can come to school ready to be the best version of themselves. Week in Review: Leader in Me:  This week, we learned about paradigms. Paradigms, or our mental map, can help us deal with difficult situations. View this resource to learn more about Leader in Me paradigms and ways to engage your family! Writing: Writers wrote a flash draft of one of their original ideas from the previous week, and then spent the week taking that piece of writing t...

Good Afternoon, We ended our first week with a whole school celebration outside having some popsicles, and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. The kids deserved it with all the hard work they have been putting in these first couple of weeks. Getting back into routines can be tricky and tiring, but I am proud of the students for persevering, and how they seem to be settling into a little groove to start the school year. I am excited for this group of 4th graders to see how much they all can grow both academically, socially, and as leaders this year because they have been off to great start! Week in Review: Leader in Me:   We are excited to share the 7 Habits with our family members and caregivers. Try this activity as a family: Identify people in your family or community who are courageous. As we learn about the habits, We invite you to use the Habit Homework Menu and challenge your family to engage in the activities! Writing: Writers were drafting out narrative story idea...