Can you believe we are in the final week of the school year? I think this school year went fast! We will not have any homework this week.
Student council has planned Spirit Week with the following days:
Monday - Hawaii Day
Tuesday - Professional Day
Wednesday - Backwards T-shirt Day
Thursday - Rainbow Day - fourth graders wear blue
We want to congratulate Adrianna and McKenzie for being selected to perform in the school talent show on Tuesday. We will definitely be cheering for them!
Our math lessons this week will be reviewing decimals, fractions, area, perimeter and graphing.
We had fantastic poetry books handed in last Friday! The students and I will be grading them this week. Then on Wednesday all of the fourth grade will gather in the library for Poetry and Pastries. The kids will share their poetry in small groups and large group. Then we will enjoy a delicious pastry!
May I express my love and best wishes to each student and their family. One of the kids told me last week we have a very good class. I had to smile and answer, " Yes, we do!" Please encourage your son or daughter to continue reading this summer. I will look forward to seeing the students and parents around campus next year. Have a very enjoyable summer.
Love,
Mrs. Figueroa
Showing posts with label Teacher's Note. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Teacher's Note. Show all posts
Monday, May 22, 2017
Saturday, May 6, 2017
Teacher's Note May 8, 2017
Oh, what a week we just had! It was Teacher Appreciation Week and our decorated door looks absolutely great! Everyday I was showered with group gifts from our CEOs. Some of the gifts were my favorite snack items, a bouquet of orange roses, a garden set with seeds, a gift card for a pedicure, and scented lotions. Thank you all for the gifts and your support all year long. The awesome parent support makes Soleng Tom an excellent work site.
Last week also had the challenge of so many students being sick. One day we had ten students absent due to illness. We have been disinfecting our tables and trying to use hand sanitizer in hopes of killing the germs. I will be more flexible with the make up work because we had so many absences. The students will be excused from many of the assignments.
Our final field trip of the year is this Friday, May 12. We will be walking around the U of A campus and trying to see as much as possible. I will check with the drivers and verify whether or not you can still provide transportation. I know some of our drivers had to take last week off to care for sick children. Everyone who goes on the field trip needs to wear walking shoes and a hat. We will eat a picnic lunch on a shady lawn. I really hope this field trip inspires the students to pursue higher education.
We have been working hard writing poetry. Currently we are working on our I Do Not Understand poem and three nature poems. The kids seemed very excited about the nature poems on Friday. I hope to rekindle the excitement to write on Monday. I see many of the students using flash drives to work on their poetry at home. Thank you for your help editing the poems.
May we have a wonderful week full of learning opportunities.
Love,
Mrs. Figueroa
Last week also had the challenge of so many students being sick. One day we had ten students absent due to illness. We have been disinfecting our tables and trying to use hand sanitizer in hopes of killing the germs. I will be more flexible with the make up work because we had so many absences. The students will be excused from many of the assignments.
Our final field trip of the year is this Friday, May 12. We will be walking around the U of A campus and trying to see as much as possible. I will check with the drivers and verify whether or not you can still provide transportation. I know some of our drivers had to take last week off to care for sick children. Everyone who goes on the field trip needs to wear walking shoes and a hat. We will eat a picnic lunch on a shady lawn. I really hope this field trip inspires the students to pursue higher education.
We have been working hard writing poetry. Currently we are working on our I Do Not Understand poem and three nature poems. The kids seemed very excited about the nature poems on Friday. I hope to rekindle the excitement to write on Monday. I see many of the students using flash drives to work on their poetry at home. Thank you for your help editing the poems.
May we have a wonderful week full of learning opportunities.
Love,
Mrs. Figueroa
Sunday, April 23, 2017
Teacher's Note April 24, 2017
Yeah!!!! We have completed the AZ Merit and AIMS testing for the year! As far as I could tell, the kids gave their best effort. We will return to our normal schedule this week.
I sent home permission forms for our field trip to the University of Arizona on Friday, May 12. The purpose of the field trip is to encourage our students to attend an university and become aware of the many opportunities higher education offers. It will be a walking tour of the U of A. Thank you for the terrific response to volunteer to drive. We do have more than enough drivers. I will try to use as few of vehicles as possible to save the cost of parking. Paperwork will be sent home for our drivers to complete. Thank you again for your continued support.
We have nearly completed our math module on two dimensional geometry. Tuesday we will review the concepts and Wednesday take the end of the module assessment. Our next module is titled Exploring Measurement with Multiplication. We will complete many measurement conversion charts and write an algebra equation to use for the conversion.
Wednesday is Baskin Robbins Night for Soleng Tom. Our staff will be serving the ice cream and my shift starts at 6:30. Perhaps you can stop by Baskin Robbins for a cool treat and support our outstanding PTSA.
Saturday our track team will compete in the City Meet against about 25 - 30 other schools at the U. of A. Drachman field. We have nine of our All Stars that qualified for City. I want to wish the entire track team and especially our All Stars a personal best at City. Anyone is welcome to watch the free event that starts at 8:00 am and ends around 1:00 pm.
May we all have a week full of learning opportunities.
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
I sent home permission forms for our field trip to the University of Arizona on Friday, May 12. The purpose of the field trip is to encourage our students to attend an university and become aware of the many opportunities higher education offers. It will be a walking tour of the U of A. Thank you for the terrific response to volunteer to drive. We do have more than enough drivers. I will try to use as few of vehicles as possible to save the cost of parking. Paperwork will be sent home for our drivers to complete. Thank you again for your continued support.
We have nearly completed our math module on two dimensional geometry. Tuesday we will review the concepts and Wednesday take the end of the module assessment. Our next module is titled Exploring Measurement with Multiplication. We will complete many measurement conversion charts and write an algebra equation to use for the conversion.
Wednesday is Baskin Robbins Night for Soleng Tom. Our staff will be serving the ice cream and my shift starts at 6:30. Perhaps you can stop by Baskin Robbins for a cool treat and support our outstanding PTSA.
Saturday our track team will compete in the City Meet against about 25 - 30 other schools at the U. of A. Drachman field. We have nine of our All Stars that qualified for City. I want to wish the entire track team and especially our All Stars a personal best at City. Anyone is welcome to watch the free event that starts at 8:00 am and ends around 1:00 pm.
May we all have a week full of learning opportunities.
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
Saturday, April 15, 2017
Teacher's Note April 17, 2017
This week the Soleng Tom fourth graders will take the reading and math portions of AZ Merit. We will take one test per day Monday through Thursday. The test will be administered on the computer first thing in the morning. Please encourage the kids eat a good breakfast, arrive at school on time and have a good attitude. This is an opportunity to show what they do know.
Due to the testing, there will not be vocabulary or spelling words this week. Perhaps the best news is we will not have homework this week other than the reading log! Students may take their language arts or math notebooks home to review if they wish.
We will continue with our geometry unit in math. Our goal is to learn the attributes and how to classify triangles and quadrilaterals. We will also improve our knowledge of symmetry.
During language arts we will be working on writing poetry. The kids are writing I Am and concrete poems.
Let's strive to do our best this week and always!
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
Due to the testing, there will not be vocabulary or spelling words this week. Perhaps the best news is we will not have homework this week other than the reading log! Students may take their language arts or math notebooks home to review if they wish.
We will continue with our geometry unit in math. Our goal is to learn the attributes and how to classify triangles and quadrilaterals. We will also improve our knowledge of symmetry.
During language arts we will be working on writing poetry. The kids are writing I Am and concrete poems.
Let's strive to do our best this week and always!
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
Monday, April 10, 2017
Teacher's Note April 10, 2017
You probably already have on your calendar that there will not be school this Friday. I hope you have a wonderful Spring Holiday/Easter with your loved ones!
Fourth grade will not have AZ Merit testing this week - ours is next week. Due to computer based testing we will wait for our turn to use the computers. Fourth grade will test Monday through Thursday next week.
The math concepts that will be studied this week are adding or subtracting angles to find the unknown angles and symmetry. We will continue to practice using the protractor to measure angles.
Our spelling words will be double challenge this week. We want to spell the words correctly and use the right homophone, words that sound the same, but have different spellings and meanings.
Have great week!
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
Fourth grade will not have AZ Merit testing this week - ours is next week. Due to computer based testing we will wait for our turn to use the computers. Fourth grade will test Monday through Thursday next week.
The math concepts that will be studied this week are adding or subtracting angles to find the unknown angles and symmetry. We will continue to practice using the protractor to measure angles.
Our spelling words will be double challenge this week. We want to spell the words correctly and use the right homophone, words that sound the same, but have different spellings and meanings.
Have great week!
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Teacher's Note April 3, 2017
If you wish to purchase Spring pictures, the order is due on Wednesday, April 5th.
The most important curriculum item this week is preparing for the AIMS science test on Thursday. We will learn about the changes people make to earth and review scientific inquiry. Wednesday night the students will have a little study packet to help them review for the test. Please encourage your son or daughter to study the packet of Big Ideas.
We should become pros at using a protractor and measuring angles by the end of this week. The kids will be able to recognize landmark angles. They will have an opportunity to use pattern blocks to help add different angles and search for patterns. I think they will enjoy the pattern blocks!
In language arts we are reading an excerpt from Sarah Plain and Tall and writing an I AM poem.
I hope we all have a week full of learning opportunities.
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
The most important curriculum item this week is preparing for the AIMS science test on Thursday. We will learn about the changes people make to earth and review scientific inquiry. Wednesday night the students will have a little study packet to help them review for the test. Please encourage your son or daughter to study the packet of Big Ideas.
We should become pros at using a protractor and measuring angles by the end of this week. The kids will be able to recognize landmark angles. They will have an opportunity to use pattern blocks to help add different angles and search for patterns. I think they will enjoy the pattern blocks!
In language arts we are reading an excerpt from Sarah Plain and Tall and writing an I AM poem.
I hope we all have a week full of learning opportunities.
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
Saturday, March 25, 2017
Teacher's Note March 27, 2017
I hope each of you had a wonderful Spring Break and feel refreshed to return to school. Let's make the fourth quarter the best one of the year!
The Dragon Folders and third quarter progress reports will be sent home on Tuesday. You know the routine, please remove all of the papers from the progress report envelope, sign the back and return it empty on Wednesday. Let me know if you have a question or want clarification.
The decimal and fraction assessment will be in the Dragon Folder for you to review. Now we will focus on 2 dimensional geometry. This week we will learn about types of lines, angles and intersections. Plus we will start to use a protractor to measure angles. There will be a lot of specific vocabulary terms in this unit. I think the students will enjoy this geometry unit.
We will be preparing to take the AZ Merit writing assessment on Friday Morning. The entire assessment will be on the computer. The kids will read information and then write about what they read. It will be an untimed test. Please encourage the kids to have a good breakfast, a positive attitude and a determination to do their best.
May we all have a terrific week and fourth quarter!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Figueroa
The Dragon Folders and third quarter progress reports will be sent home on Tuesday. You know the routine, please remove all of the papers from the progress report envelope, sign the back and return it empty on Wednesday. Let me know if you have a question or want clarification.
The decimal and fraction assessment will be in the Dragon Folder for you to review. Now we will focus on 2 dimensional geometry. This week we will learn about types of lines, angles and intersections. Plus we will start to use a protractor to measure angles. There will be a lot of specific vocabulary terms in this unit. I think the students will enjoy this geometry unit.
We will be preparing to take the AZ Merit writing assessment on Friday Morning. The entire assessment will be on the computer. The kids will read information and then write about what they read. It will be an untimed test. Please encourage the kids to have a good breakfast, a positive attitude and a determination to do their best.
May we all have a terrific week and fourth quarter!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Figueroa
Saturday, March 11, 2017
Teacher's Note March 13, 2017
Can you believe we have come to end of the third quarter? It sure went fast! This Friday will be Teacher Grading Day to give us a chance to complete the progress reports and prepare for fourth quarter. Spring Break is next week and class will resume on Monday, March 27.
Our regional track meet will be this Tuesday, March 14. Seventeen of my All Stars and I will be attending the track meet. The track team will meet at 7:30 AM to arrive at the meet on time. I will have a substitute in my room for the students in my class and Mrs. Carlson's that do not attend the meet. I am excited to see how our athletes compete. Obviously, I will expect all of my All Stars to be their best whether they are in the class room or at the track meet.
We will complete the fraction and decimal math module this week. A study guide will be sent home on Wednesday to help prepare the students for the test on Thursday. Please review the study guide with your son or daughter. I certainly hope the kids understand fractions and decimals.
I love the selection that we will be reading this week! It is "Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox". It is a humorous tall tale full of exaggerations. I think the kids will enjoy a few laughs reading this story! We will not be taking a spelling test this week. So much to do and so little time.
I hope this is a great week of learning opportunities and that you have a very enjoyable Spring Break!
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
Our regional track meet will be this Tuesday, March 14. Seventeen of my All Stars and I will be attending the track meet. The track team will meet at 7:30 AM to arrive at the meet on time. I will have a substitute in my room for the students in my class and Mrs. Carlson's that do not attend the meet. I am excited to see how our athletes compete. Obviously, I will expect all of my All Stars to be their best whether they are in the class room or at the track meet.
We will complete the fraction and decimal math module this week. A study guide will be sent home on Wednesday to help prepare the students for the test on Thursday. Please review the study guide with your son or daughter. I certainly hope the kids understand fractions and decimals.
I love the selection that we will be reading this week! It is "Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox". It is a humorous tall tale full of exaggerations. I think the kids will enjoy a few laughs reading this story! We will not be taking a spelling test this week. So much to do and so little time.
I hope this is a great week of learning opportunities and that you have a very enjoyable Spring Break!
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
Teacher's Note Week of March 6, 2017
Oh how nine of our class members loved the limo ride to Peter Piper Pizza yesterday! We appreciate their efforts to earn at least $250 dollars for the spell a thon. We also appreciate all the efforts our fantastic PTSA put into the event, especially Kim Botkin.
I have been thinking about whether or not to continue updating this blog weekly. The number of views have decreased. I do not mind continuing if the blog is helpful to some of you. Please let me know your feelings about the blog.
We have a couple of special events in the next couple of days. Mrs. Damek has arranged a nutrition assembly for Tuesday. I will predict that it will be informative! Thursday we have a Tucson Electric Power safety presentation that I believe the kids will love! The linemen have excellent props to teach the safety concepts.
The kids will be working on comparing and ordering decimals this week. Then we will start adding and subtracting decimals. We should complete the decimal module next week.
We have two main items to work on in language arts. We have been working on a Candy packet that has three different texts included. Plus we will be reading "Fire!" from our anthology. The class will be studying informational text structure and features.
I certainly hope this is a wonderful week full of learning opportunities!
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
I have been thinking about whether or not to continue updating this blog weekly. The number of views have decreased. I do not mind continuing if the blog is helpful to some of you. Please let me know your feelings about the blog.
We have a couple of special events in the next couple of days. Mrs. Damek has arranged a nutrition assembly for Tuesday. I will predict that it will be informative! Thursday we have a Tucson Electric Power safety presentation that I believe the kids will love! The linemen have excellent props to teach the safety concepts.
The kids will be working on comparing and ordering decimals this week. Then we will start adding and subtracting decimals. We should complete the decimal module next week.
We have two main items to work on in language arts. We have been working on a Candy packet that has three different texts included. Plus we will be reading "Fire!" from our anthology. The class will be studying informational text structure and features.
I certainly hope this is a wonderful week full of learning opportunities!
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
Saturday, February 25, 2017
Teacher's Note February 27, 2017
I hope each of you had a very enjoyable Rodeo Vacation and feel refreshed to continue learning!
Please keep in mind that Spring pictures will be on Wednesday, March 1. You may want to plan your clothing you wish to wear for the pictures.
On Tuesday morning I will not be available for tutoring. I have a meeting that I will be attending.
We started studying decimals last week and the kids seemed to understand tenths. We should have a far better understanding of tenths, hundredths and equivalent fractions by the end of the week. The fraction test will be in the Dragon Folder on Monday for you to review.
Our new science unit is The Changing Earth. The kids will have three investigations to complete this week. First is Tombstone Troubles, then Temporary Tombstones and finally Sandblasters. All three of these investigations model the slow changes that happen to the earth's surface through erosion.
I think the kids will love our reading selections this week. One Grain of Rice is a mathematical folktale from India with absolutely gorgeous pictures. I think the kids will enjoy the math and illustrations. Plus, we will be working on packet with three types of text on candy. It will feature nonfiction, fiction and poetry. I am looking forward to the candy packet because it seems very interesting.
I hope each of us have a wonderful week full of learning opportunities!
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
Please keep in mind that Spring pictures will be on Wednesday, March 1. You may want to plan your clothing you wish to wear for the pictures.
On Tuesday morning I will not be available for tutoring. I have a meeting that I will be attending.
We started studying decimals last week and the kids seemed to understand tenths. We should have a far better understanding of tenths, hundredths and equivalent fractions by the end of the week. The fraction test will be in the Dragon Folder on Monday for you to review.
Our new science unit is The Changing Earth. The kids will have three investigations to complete this week. First is Tombstone Troubles, then Temporary Tombstones and finally Sandblasters. All three of these investigations model the slow changes that happen to the earth's surface through erosion.
I think the kids will love our reading selections this week. One Grain of Rice is a mathematical folktale from India with absolutely gorgeous pictures. I think the kids will enjoy the math and illustrations. Plus, we will be working on packet with three types of text on candy. It will feature nonfiction, fiction and poetry. I am looking forward to the candy packet because it seems very interesting.
I hope each of us have a wonderful week full of learning opportunities!
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
Sunday, February 19, 2017
Teacher's Note February 20, 2017
You are probably already aware that Rodeo Vacation is this Thursday and Friday. Due to the short week we will not have vocabulary or spelling words this week.
Monday our class will take the third quarter math benchmark test on the internet. It will give us valuable experience testing online and help us know what topics we have mastered or need to review.
Let me give you a brief description of the curriculum that will be covered this week. Our language arts time will be invested into reading and writing about United States presidents and writing poetry. We will learn about decimals, fractions and metric measurement during math. The class is ready to analyze the data that we gathered from our weather station the past two weeks. We hope to gain a better understanding of the difference between weather and climate.
This week the track team will be selected. The majority of our class tried out for the team. Monday will be track practice, but not on Tuesday. Tuesday afternoon the coaches will be studying the data and selecting the team. On Wednesday afternoon the athletes will be given a letter stating whether or not they made the team. If they made the team, their events will be listed.
Let's try to make great use of our school days and then enjoy Rodeo Vacation.
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
Monday our class will take the third quarter math benchmark test on the internet. It will give us valuable experience testing online and help us know what topics we have mastered or need to review.
Let me give you a brief description of the curriculum that will be covered this week. Our language arts time will be invested into reading and writing about United States presidents and writing poetry. We will learn about decimals, fractions and metric measurement during math. The class is ready to analyze the data that we gathered from our weather station the past two weeks. We hope to gain a better understanding of the difference between weather and climate.
This week the track team will be selected. The majority of our class tried out for the team. Monday will be track practice, but not on Tuesday. Tuesday afternoon the coaches will be studying the data and selecting the team. On Wednesday afternoon the athletes will be given a letter stating whether or not they made the team. If they made the team, their events will be listed.
Let's try to make great use of our school days and then enjoy Rodeo Vacation.
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
Sunday, February 12, 2017
Teacher's Note February 13, 2017
We have a couple of special events to look forward to this week. On Tuesday, February 14 the fourth graders will celebrate Arizona's birthday with special activities. Each teacher will guide the kids through an Arizona lesson and the kids will rotate through all three teachers. We hope we have an enjoyable time learning about Arizona - the Sweetheart State!
Tuesday afternoon the class will be given time to exchange valentines with each other. I will send a list of the students home in the Dragon Folder. If your son or daughter wants to hand out valentines, please give one to every student in our class. We do not take the time to make a beautiful box or container. If your son or daughter wants a special valentine container they can bring it from home. I will give students a bag to hold their valentines.
Friday will be one of our favorite days of the year - the Literacy Parade! Students will dress as one of their favorite characters from a book and parade through the school with that book in their hand! They kids are always super cute! I can't wait to see how they dress up this year.
The Spell a Thon money is due this Wednesday by 5:00 if the student is trying to earn a prize. I know of a couple of limo riders from our class so far. Please support our fantastic PTSA.
We have a couple of assessments to take this week. On Monday afternoon our class will be taking the language arts benchmark test on the computer. In the middle of the week is our end of the module fraction test. Be watching for the study guide to help prepare your son or daughter for the assessment.
Thank you for your continued support.
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
Tuesday afternoon the class will be given time to exchange valentines with each other. I will send a list of the students home in the Dragon Folder. If your son or daughter wants to hand out valentines, please give one to every student in our class. We do not take the time to make a beautiful box or container. If your son or daughter wants a special valentine container they can bring it from home. I will give students a bag to hold their valentines.
Friday will be one of our favorite days of the year - the Literacy Parade! Students will dress as one of their favorite characters from a book and parade through the school with that book in their hand! They kids are always super cute! I can't wait to see how they dress up this year.
The Spell a Thon money is due this Wednesday by 5:00 if the student is trying to earn a prize. I know of a couple of limo riders from our class so far. Please support our fantastic PTSA.
We have a couple of assessments to take this week. On Monday afternoon our class will be taking the language arts benchmark test on the computer. In the middle of the week is our end of the module fraction test. Be watching for the study guide to help prepare your son or daughter for the assessment.
Thank you for your continued support.
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
Saturday, February 4, 2017
Teacher's Note February 6, 2017
We had a spectacular field trip to Saguaro National Park last Wednesday! The weather was beautiful, we had plenty of parent volunteers and the park docents were excellent. A special thank you to all the adults that spent your day with us!
The kids took the Spell a Thon test on Thursday. The results were handed back to the students Thursday afternoon. If you have not seen their results, please ask your soon or daughter about the Spell a Thon test. Now the students can implore people to sponsor them. Please support our wonderful PTSA in the Spell a Thon.
Thursday and Friday of this week is Parent Teacher Conferences so the students will be dismissed at 11:40. Please discuss with your child their lunch and transportation plans. Conferences will be scheduled as needed - I will not be meeting with every family. I will contact the families that I would like to conference. If you want an appointment, please send me an email to set up a time.
Due to the early releases on Thursday and Friday, we will not have a spelling test this week. We will study the words, but not take the test. I want to use the class time to do text based writing on the Wright brothers. Tuesday the Wright Brothers packet will be introduced and started. If the packet is not complete by Thursday, the rest becomes homework. I honestly hope the kids have very little or no language arts homework on Thursday.
We have one more lesson on adding and subtracting mixed fractions. Then we will start multiplying fractions. Tuesday through Friday we will be concentrating on strategies to multiply fractions.
Our Hug a Gram sells start this week. They will be sold February 7th, 8th, and 13th. Also, our class will exchange Valentines on Tuesday, February 14th. A list of my All Stars will be sent home as resource when writing valentines. If you choose to hand out valentines, please give every student one.
Thank you for your continued support!
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
The kids took the Spell a Thon test on Thursday. The results were handed back to the students Thursday afternoon. If you have not seen their results, please ask your soon or daughter about the Spell a Thon test. Now the students can implore people to sponsor them. Please support our wonderful PTSA in the Spell a Thon.
Thursday and Friday of this week is Parent Teacher Conferences so the students will be dismissed at 11:40. Please discuss with your child their lunch and transportation plans. Conferences will be scheduled as needed - I will not be meeting with every family. I will contact the families that I would like to conference. If you want an appointment, please send me an email to set up a time.
Due to the early releases on Thursday and Friday, we will not have a spelling test this week. We will study the words, but not take the test. I want to use the class time to do text based writing on the Wright brothers. Tuesday the Wright Brothers packet will be introduced and started. If the packet is not complete by Thursday, the rest becomes homework. I honestly hope the kids have very little or no language arts homework on Thursday.
We have one more lesson on adding and subtracting mixed fractions. Then we will start multiplying fractions. Tuesday through Friday we will be concentrating on strategies to multiply fractions.
Our Hug a Gram sells start this week. They will be sold February 7th, 8th, and 13th. Also, our class will exchange Valentines on Tuesday, February 14th. A list of my All Stars will be sent home as resource when writing valentines. If you choose to hand out valentines, please give every student one.
Thank you for your continued support!
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
Saturday, January 28, 2017
Teacher's Note January 30, 2017
We are very excited about our field trip to Saguaro National Park on Wednesday. According to the weather forecast, it should be a beautiful day! Students should wear closed toed shoes and long pants to protect themselves from cacti. Everyone attending the field trip should bring a water bottle and a lunch unless they preordered a school lunch. Parents that are driving are invited to arrive in our class between 8:30 and 8:45. The goal is to be in the park by 9:30.
Many of us are excited that track practice will start on Tuesday, January 31. I will be one of the coaches so I will not be in the classroom after school on Mondays, Tuesdays, or Thursdays. You can email me if you have questions or comments and I will respond as soon as possible. I am pleased that so many of my All Stars are brave enough to try out for track.
Thursday will be our Spell a Thon test. Last week we took words 1-15 and this Thursday will be words 16 - 30. These words seem more of a challenge and the students may need to put extra effort into learning the words. The kids have come up with the phrase "Every word counts!" as motto to study our words.
Our math lessons this week will be comparing, adding, and subtracting mixed fractions using a variety of strategies. I think the kids will do well, but if anyone needs help please come to my room before school for assistance.
Our weather station has been set up in the desert habitat and we are recording data to analyze. We send two students out in the morning, mid day and afternoon to record the weather conditions. The students will record ten days of weather data and then we will look for patterns.
This week we will read "In My Family" in our reading anthology. It describes traditions in a Hispanic family. The skills we will try to improve is recognizing sequence words, determining the main idea and summarizing. I'm also reading the book Matilda to the class.
I hope we have a week full of learning opportunities.
Love,
Mrs. Figueroa
Many of us are excited that track practice will start on Tuesday, January 31. I will be one of the coaches so I will not be in the classroom after school on Mondays, Tuesdays, or Thursdays. You can email me if you have questions or comments and I will respond as soon as possible. I am pleased that so many of my All Stars are brave enough to try out for track.
Thursday will be our Spell a Thon test. Last week we took words 1-15 and this Thursday will be words 16 - 30. These words seem more of a challenge and the students may need to put extra effort into learning the words. The kids have come up with the phrase "Every word counts!" as motto to study our words.
Our math lessons this week will be comparing, adding, and subtracting mixed fractions using a variety of strategies. I think the kids will do well, but if anyone needs help please come to my room before school for assistance.
Our weather station has been set up in the desert habitat and we are recording data to analyze. We send two students out in the morning, mid day and afternoon to record the weather conditions. The students will record ten days of weather data and then we will look for patterns.
This week we will read "In My Family" in our reading anthology. It describes traditions in a Hispanic family. The skills we will try to improve is recognizing sequence words, determining the main idea and summarizing. I'm also reading the book Matilda to the class.
I hope we have a week full of learning opportunities.
Love,
Mrs. Figueroa
Saturday, January 21, 2017
Teacher's Note January 23, 2017
Our school is starting to look extremely beautiful with all the art on display! I sure hope you can attend Night at the Museum on Tuesday evening. It is an open house event so you can arrive and leave anytime 6:30 to 8:00 PM. Your son or daughter will be the docent to show you their art and other work on display. I always enjoy Night at the Museum and look forward to visiting the families that attend.
Thank you to all who cut out hearts or donated Kisses. We have now started attaching the Kisses to the Hug A Grams. I certainly appreciate your help!
We should have a better understanding of how to change fractions into mixed or improper fractions by the end of the week. The students will change fractions and then compare their size. We will also have an opportunity to solve story problems involving fractions. I am available before school if a student needs a little help.
Our class will set up a mini weather station this week and then begin to observe and record weather data. We will be searching for weather patterns. I predict the students will enjoy acting as meteorologists.
We kicked off our Spell A Thon with a pep assembly on Thursday. The details of this fund raiser were sent home in small envelope on Thursday afternoon. Please ask your son or daughter for the packet if you did not receive it yet. One student told me she already had three sponsors by Friday morning. Fourth grade has thirty spelling words total. We will take the first fifteen words on this Friday, January 27. On Thursday, February 2 the kids will be tested on words 16 - 30. Please support our fabulous PTSA and gather as many sponsors as you can.
I am getting excited for our field trip to Saguaro National Park on February first. If you are one of our drivers, please come to our class no later than 8:30 so we can share information and let the adventure begin.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your help and support!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Figueroa
Thank you to all who cut out hearts or donated Kisses. We have now started attaching the Kisses to the Hug A Grams. I certainly appreciate your help!
We should have a better understanding of how to change fractions into mixed or improper fractions by the end of the week. The students will change fractions and then compare their size. We will also have an opportunity to solve story problems involving fractions. I am available before school if a student needs a little help.
Our class will set up a mini weather station this week and then begin to observe and record weather data. We will be searching for weather patterns. I predict the students will enjoy acting as meteorologists.
We kicked off our Spell A Thon with a pep assembly on Thursday. The details of this fund raiser were sent home in small envelope on Thursday afternoon. Please ask your son or daughter for the packet if you did not receive it yet. One student told me she already had three sponsors by Friday morning. Fourth grade has thirty spelling words total. We will take the first fifteen words on this Friday, January 27. On Thursday, February 2 the kids will be tested on words 16 - 30. Please support our fabulous PTSA and gather as many sponsors as you can.
I am getting excited for our field trip to Saguaro National Park on February first. If you are one of our drivers, please come to our class no later than 8:30 so we can share information and let the adventure begin.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your help and support!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Figueroa
Monday, January 16, 2017
Teacher's Note January 16, 2017
May you have a very pleasant Martin Luther King Day! I especially hope the students have a better understanding of treating everyone with respect. We read the book The Iron Dragon Never Sleeps which describes how the Chinese helped build the railroad, but were not treated fairly. Last Friday we watched the movie Ruby Bridges, the African American first grade girl who helped stop segregated schools. The class had a great discussion on how we should treat everyone with respect.
This week is packed with great learning activities. Tuesday a ranger from Saguaro National Park will come and teach the fourth graders about plants and people that have lived in our region. Thursday afternoon will be the Spell a Thon kick off. Friday we start our weekly Chinese lessons with Mrs. Su.
Tuesday morning we will take the mid module fraction test. The good news is that the kids will not have math homework on Tuesday. Next we start working with fractions that are bigger than 1 or 2. This is an in depth math module so we have another month to become very efficient and knowledgeable about fractions.
One of our language arts goals for the week is to better understand figures of speech. We will be studying idioms, similes, metaphors, personification and hyperboles. We want to be able to identify each type of figurative language and be able to write them ourselves.
Please save the date of January 24 for Soleng Tom's Night at the Museum. Student art and work samples will be displayed through out the school. The students will act as the docent and take their parents around the school to describe their work. It is a fun evening to see the children so pleased with the work they have accomplished.
I appreciate your continued support. We did get enough drivers for the Saguaro National Park field trip and I will be sending home paper work for the drivers to complete. Also, thank you for volunteering to help with Hug a Grams. All of the hearts have been sent home to cut out. If you volunteered to donate Kisses, please bring them to school by Friday. Then we will get started on the gluing. Thanks again for your help.
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
This week is packed with great learning activities. Tuesday a ranger from Saguaro National Park will come and teach the fourth graders about plants and people that have lived in our region. Thursday afternoon will be the Spell a Thon kick off. Friday we start our weekly Chinese lessons with Mrs. Su.
Tuesday morning we will take the mid module fraction test. The good news is that the kids will not have math homework on Tuesday. Next we start working with fractions that are bigger than 1 or 2. This is an in depth math module so we have another month to become very efficient and knowledgeable about fractions.
One of our language arts goals for the week is to better understand figures of speech. We will be studying idioms, similes, metaphors, personification and hyperboles. We want to be able to identify each type of figurative language and be able to write them ourselves.
Please save the date of January 24 for Soleng Tom's Night at the Museum. Student art and work samples will be displayed through out the school. The students will act as the docent and take their parents around the school to describe their work. It is a fun evening to see the children so pleased with the work they have accomplished.
I appreciate your continued support. We did get enough drivers for the Saguaro National Park field trip and I will be sending home paper work for the drivers to complete. Also, thank you for volunteering to help with Hug a Grams. All of the hearts have been sent home to cut out. If you volunteered to donate Kisses, please bring them to school by Friday. Then we will get started on the gluing. Thanks again for your help.
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
Saturday, January 7, 2017
Teacher's Note January 9, 2017
Welcome back to the second half of the school year. I hope you had a very enjoyable two week vacation and feel ready to get back into the school routine.
First, let me thank you for the very generous group gift basket I received for my birthday and Christmas. The basket contained a Fandango, Longhorn Steakhouse and Creative Juices gift card plus many of my favorite sweet treats! My family and I will definitely enjoy the cards and the goodies. My youngest granddaughter absolutely loves the tub of red licorice. Thank you very much! I do appreciate your kindness.
The Dragon Folders and second quarter progress reports will be sent home on Tuesday. Please return the Dragon Folder and the signed progress report envelope on Wednesday. Contact me if you have any questions or concerns you would like to discuss.
The permission forms for our next field trip to Saguaro National Park East will be in the Dragon Folder. We will be using private transportation so please sign up if you can provide transportation. I would really appreciate your prompt response returning the student permission forms.
This week we add and subtract fractions with common denominators and then related denominators. We also get to solve fraction story problems! We are approaching the middle of the fraction module.
The Electricity unit will be wrapped up this week and then we start a mini Weather unit. The kids will learn about the instruments meteorologists use and then we will set up our own weather station to gather data to analyze.
Our social studies time will be spent studying Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement. Hopefully we will have a better understanding of why we celebrate Martin Luther King Day.
I sincerely hope we have a fantastic second half of the school year. We can do it!
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
First, let me thank you for the very generous group gift basket I received for my birthday and Christmas. The basket contained a Fandango, Longhorn Steakhouse and Creative Juices gift card plus many of my favorite sweet treats! My family and I will definitely enjoy the cards and the goodies. My youngest granddaughter absolutely loves the tub of red licorice. Thank you very much! I do appreciate your kindness.
The Dragon Folders and second quarter progress reports will be sent home on Tuesday. Please return the Dragon Folder and the signed progress report envelope on Wednesday. Contact me if you have any questions or concerns you would like to discuss.
The permission forms for our next field trip to Saguaro National Park East will be in the Dragon Folder. We will be using private transportation so please sign up if you can provide transportation. I would really appreciate your prompt response returning the student permission forms.
This week we add and subtract fractions with common denominators and then related denominators. We also get to solve fraction story problems! We are approaching the middle of the fraction module.
The Electricity unit will be wrapped up this week and then we start a mini Weather unit. The kids will learn about the instruments meteorologists use and then we will set up our own weather station to gather data to analyze.
Our social studies time will be spent studying Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement. Hopefully we will have a better understanding of why we celebrate Martin Luther King Day.
I sincerely hope we have a fantastic second half of the school year. We can do it!
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
Sunday, December 18, 2016
Teacher's Note December 19, 2016
We have arrived at the final week of this semester. Friday is a teacher grading and the kids will begin their Winter Break. I know we are all looking forward to Christmas and the holidays with our family, but we still have to work this week. I will try to incorporate at little fun into the next four school days.
Monday we will enjoy another art lesson and activity with an expert from the Tucson Museum of Art. The kids will have an opportunity to paint a stylized animal. I predict my All Stars will love this art project!
Our class is in the middle of Shiloh and will finish the book this week. We have been reading two chapters a day and completing an outline with the important characters, settings and events. The kids seem very engaged in the book.
Monday night the kids who have not finished their persuasive essay Elf for Hire or applying for a job of their choice will finish the final copy. About a third of the class has already handed in their final copy. I have been impressed with this project.
The math lesson on Monday focuses on finding common units or denominators to compare fractions. Then on Tuesday and Wednesday we will add and subtract fractions. I think the class will find adding and subtracting fractions easy to understand with tape diagrams and number lines.
Thursday we have our multiplication celebration at 1:00 in the afternoon. As you know, the students' will receive the ice cream sundae ingredients according to how many multiplication tests they have mastered. It is not too late to study the multiplication facts. Monday at lunch, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday before school I will be available to give multiplication tests. Our wonderful CEOs are arranging donations for the ice cream sundaes. Please do not send in food that is not related to the ice cream celebration. We do not want to get sick or more hyper.
I send my best wishes to each of my students and their families. May you enjoy this special time of year and have some time to relax.
Love,
Mrs. Figueroa
Monday we will enjoy another art lesson and activity with an expert from the Tucson Museum of Art. The kids will have an opportunity to paint a stylized animal. I predict my All Stars will love this art project!
Our class is in the middle of Shiloh and will finish the book this week. We have been reading two chapters a day and completing an outline with the important characters, settings and events. The kids seem very engaged in the book.
Monday night the kids who have not finished their persuasive essay Elf for Hire or applying for a job of their choice will finish the final copy. About a third of the class has already handed in their final copy. I have been impressed with this project.
The math lesson on Monday focuses on finding common units or denominators to compare fractions. Then on Tuesday and Wednesday we will add and subtract fractions. I think the class will find adding and subtracting fractions easy to understand with tape diagrams and number lines.
Thursday we have our multiplication celebration at 1:00 in the afternoon. As you know, the students' will receive the ice cream sundae ingredients according to how many multiplication tests they have mastered. It is not too late to study the multiplication facts. Monday at lunch, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday before school I will be available to give multiplication tests. Our wonderful CEOs are arranging donations for the ice cream sundaes. Please do not send in food that is not related to the ice cream celebration. We do not want to get sick or more hyper.
I send my best wishes to each of my students and their families. May you enjoy this special time of year and have some time to relax.
Love,
Mrs. Figueroa
Saturday, December 10, 2016
Teacher's Note December 12, 2016
Our class is going to read Shiloh, a Newbery Award winning book, the next couple of weeks. I always enjoy rereading it. Since we are reading the novel, we will not have spelling or vocabulary words for homework. Determining main idea, summarizing and understanding cause and effect will be the skills that we will focus on.
Tuesday I will introduce the persuasive writing project Elf For Hire. The kids will write their opinion with reasons and evidence why they should be hired as an elf. If your son or daughter thinks the Elf for Hire is too silly they can write as if they were applying for a job. They will be given a choice to write an essay or a letter stating why they should be hired to their potential employer. The assignment will not be due to until next Tuesday.
Last Tuesday I was not a happy teacher when 11 of my All Stars forgot their reading log. I do not want that to happen again. I will expect the students to continue to hand in their homework on time.
As we continue in our fraction unit we will learn how to simplify fractions, build a fraction number line, and compare fractions. These are important concepts for the students to understand. Please continue to monitor their comprehension of the math concepts.
On Thursday from 9:30 until 10:00 Soleng Tom will have a practice soft lock down. The exterior doors will be locked and nobody will be allowed to enter or leave the building. Please plan accordingly so you do not get locked in or out at that time.
The class has earned enough points and voted to watch a movie in their pajamas. My plan is to watch The BFG on Friday afternoon. My class may wear pajamas to school on Friday if they wish.
Thank you for your continued support.
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
Tuesday I will introduce the persuasive writing project Elf For Hire. The kids will write their opinion with reasons and evidence why they should be hired as an elf. If your son or daughter thinks the Elf for Hire is too silly they can write as if they were applying for a job. They will be given a choice to write an essay or a letter stating why they should be hired to their potential employer. The assignment will not be due to until next Tuesday.
Last Tuesday I was not a happy teacher when 11 of my All Stars forgot their reading log. I do not want that to happen again. I will expect the students to continue to hand in their homework on time.
As we continue in our fraction unit we will learn how to simplify fractions, build a fraction number line, and compare fractions. These are important concepts for the students to understand. Please continue to monitor their comprehension of the math concepts.
On Thursday from 9:30 until 10:00 Soleng Tom will have a practice soft lock down. The exterior doors will be locked and nobody will be allowed to enter or leave the building. Please plan accordingly so you do not get locked in or out at that time.
The class has earned enough points and voted to watch a movie in their pajamas. My plan is to watch The BFG on Friday afternoon. My class may wear pajamas to school on Friday if they wish.
Thank you for your continued support.
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Teacher's Note December 5, 2016
The kids seemed pleased with their historical newspaper book project that was due on Friday! It is cute to watch them put their name on the list to present to the class and listen to them describe their topic. We only had time to listen to eight presentations and look forward to hearing the rest of the presentations on Monday afternoon or Tuesday. The newspapers will be displayed in the hall for others to enjoy. You are welcome to stop by and take a look.
This week our reading selection is all about carnivorous plants! That seems to grab the kids' attention. We will be studying informational text structures - how the text is organized and text features. The kids will be given a chance to draw a diagram about their favorite carnivorous plant.
Equivalent fractions is our math focus for the week. We will use the area model to provide evidence that fractions are equal. Then we will use multiplication and division to find equivalent fractions. Hopefully we have a solid understanding of equivalent fractions.
On Thursday we will take the twelve's timed test. We need to spend time studying the multiplication facts both at school and at home. Students that want to take a timed make up test may come in Wednesday at lunch to retake a test.
We did not build an electromagnet last week, but we will this week. I even bought new batteries so our magnets will have more power! I hope the kids tell you all about their electromagnets on Thursday afternoon.
I sincerely hope we all have a wonderful week full of learning opportunities.
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
This week our reading selection is all about carnivorous plants! That seems to grab the kids' attention. We will be studying informational text structures - how the text is organized and text features. The kids will be given a chance to draw a diagram about their favorite carnivorous plant.
Equivalent fractions is our math focus for the week. We will use the area model to provide evidence that fractions are equal. Then we will use multiplication and division to find equivalent fractions. Hopefully we have a solid understanding of equivalent fractions.
On Thursday we will take the twelve's timed test. We need to spend time studying the multiplication facts both at school and at home. Students that want to take a timed make up test may come in Wednesday at lunch to retake a test.
We did not build an electromagnet last week, but we will this week. I even bought new batteries so our magnets will have more power! I hope the kids tell you all about their electromagnets on Thursday afternoon.
I sincerely hope we all have a wonderful week full of learning opportunities.
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
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