Next Week We Will Continue with Our Full Week Schedule, Which Means the Children WILL

#16 December 2-6, 2013 Fourth Grade Footnotes Next week we will continue with our full week schedule, which means the children WILL HAVE their regular Spelling Unit 2 Week 5, Language, and Reading.

Students and parents, don’t forget to work on your state float project over the break. The Social Studies projects are due on Thursday, December 12th. Many thanks, Mrs. Hemberger

Remember to read for the Six Flags READ to SUCCEED program. The children have until Monday, February 3rd to read for 360 minutes or 6 hours. Any child who achieves this goal by February 3rd will earn a free pass to Six Flags. The tickets are valid during the 2012 season. Get to reading, 4th graders, so you can earn your ticket to Six Flags!!!

Our Christmas Party is approaching quickly so I wanted to remind the students and their families who have volunteered to provide items for our Christmas party. Our party will be on Friday, December 20th from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Just a reminder we have 21 students and one teacher. Cupcakes – Cassidy Cookies – Briar Candy Treats – Tamara Napkins – Hallee Juice Boxes – Hallee

We would all like to wish Olivia a very happy 10th birthday. Olivia celebrated her double digit birthday with us on Tuesday, December 2nd.

This year I am using the app Remind101. I introduced Remind101 to everyone who was at the open house. I only have 14 parents using Remind101. This app allows me to text important information to each of you when I need to do so. Please sign up to receive my text messages by texting (815)261-0491 with the message @mrshembe, and I will reply. Then you need to follow the directions on your texts.

Students need to remember to copy all of the assignments off of the board and cross off the assignments that they get finished in class. Remember, students, you can bring home your schoolwork to be checked by your parents. Parents, please check your child’s work. I have a lot of grades that could be improved greatly if they were checked at home. The only schoolwork that cannot be checked by your parents are, the Smart Responses, Language quizzes, and tests. I am pleased to announce that we will be having Accelerated Reader for 4th graders. This means that the children will once again be able to earn prizes for reading. The children have also been asking me how to find out if a book is A.R. (Accelerated Reader) or not. If you would like to know whether or not a book is an A.R. book you can search the following url, http://www.arbookfind.com. Remember to use my website to help you with useful websites.

Our school is once again collecting Box Tops for Education. Please send all of your Box Tops to school. The money collected from the Box Tops goes right back to your child’s education. Thank you for your help!!!

Your child will be taking a selection test every Thursday on the computers at school. I will be printing of these tests for you because I wanted you to be able to see your child’s score. I will let you know that due to budget constraints, I will be unable to print off these tests every week. However, you can keep track of your child’s test scores simply by going to www.pearsonsuccessnet.com and logging in using your child’s name and password. You can find your child’s user name and password in their binders located in the reading section. Simply go to www.pearsonsuccessnet.com enter your child’s name and password, as it appears on the paper. Then you will go to another screen. From there you will need to click on “Parents.” In the box that says “View Student Progress” you will need to choose Mrs. Hemberger-Reading Success Tracker 2008 G4. Here you will be able to keep track of your child’s reading test scores.

Parents, I want you to know that it is never too early to start preparing your child for the I.S.A.T. tests. You child and utilize a program for home called “STUDY ISLAND.” To go to this website you child will need to type in http://www.studyisland.com/ . Here they can begin to practice for the fourth grade I.S.A.T. tests that will be coming up this spring. The child’s user name is the first two letters of their first name, then their entire last name, with no spaces, then the at sign followed by CUSD10. The CUSD must be in all caps. For example, my first name is Tricia and my last name is Hemberger so my user name would look like this trhemberger@CUSD10. Their password is the child’s lunch account number. If your child is new to the district the password is trojans. When they log in they will need to change their password to their lunch account. This site will definitely help them perform better on their I.S.A.T.

If you are sending in cash for lunch money it needs to be sent to school in an envelope with the students name on it, their lunch account number, and my name. When cash gets put in the envelope the secretary does not know who it comes from and which account to credit. Thank you for your help with this matter.

If you are sending in a cake or a cookie cake for your child’s birthday please make sure that it is precut. It is very difficult to get 21 slices even and I do not have a knife in my classroom.

Keep in mind these upcoming dates:

Friday, December 6th – The children who did not earn a 100% A+ on Monday’s Spelling Pretest will be taking the Unit 2 Week 4 Final Spelling Test today to try for an improved score. Also, your child took their Language Quiz over singular possessive nouns today. Don’t forget to look at your child’s papers in the “Friday Folder.” Keep the papers and then sign the “Friday Folder” so that it can be returned on Monday. Please sign your child’s December Behavior Chart on the Week 1 line. The children need to study for their Unit 2 Week 5 Spelling Pretest on Monday. Please study for the Chapter 11 Math Test. Use the Math Chapter 11 Study Guide to study from. The Chapter 11 Math Test will be on Monday, December 9th. School Improvement / Students will be dismissed at 11:20 a.m. Saturday, December 7th – The children need to study for their Unit 2 Week 5 Spelling Pretest on Monday. Please study for the Chapter 11 Math Test. Use the Math Chapter 11Study Guide to study from. The Chapter 11 Math Test will be on Monday, December 9th. Sunday, December 8th - The children need to study for their Unit 2 Week 5 Spelling Pretest on Monday. Please study for the Chapter 11 Math Test. Use the Math Chapter 11Study Guide to study from. The Chapter 11 Math Test will be on Monday, December 9th. Monday, December 9th – The children will have their Unit 2 Week 5 Spelling Pretest today on the computer using Spelling City to take their pretest. Please go to www.spellingcity.com to practice your spelling words this weekend. The children were given their list for these words to practice Friday. The children will take their Chapter 11 Math Test today. Wednesday, December 11th – Your child will ask you to listen to them read this week’s story aloud and then you will need to sign the Reading Log indicating that you listened to them read the story to you entitled So You Want to be President. The children will have their selection test over this story tomorrow. Please use the “FamilyTimes” for this story to help your child prepare for this test. The children will need to study for their Social Studies quiz over the Southeast States. This quiz will be tomorrow. They will need to know the states location and be able to successfully match each state with their capital. The children will also have a Science Test tomorrow over Chapter 6. The children received both of the review sheets for these two tests the Wednesday before Thanksgiving break. The children’s state float projects are due tomorrow. Thursday, December 12th – The children will take their reading selection test today in the computer lab over the story So You Want to be President.. Remember, you can check your child’s selection test score by going to www.pearsonsuccessnet.com and logging in using your child’s name and password. You can find your child’s user name and password in their binders located in the reading section. The children will take their quiz over the Southeast states today and they will also have their test over the Chapter 6 in Science. Social Studies State Float Projects are due today. Friday, December 13th – The children who did not earn a 100% A+ on Monday’s Spelling Pretest will be taking the Unit 2 Week 5 Final Spelling Test today to try for an improved score. Also, your child will take their Language Quiz over singular possessive nouns today. Don’t forget to look at your child’s papers in the “Friday Folder.” Keep the papers and then sign the “Friday Folder” so that it can be returned on Monday. Please sign your child’s December Behavior Chart on the Week 2 line. School Improvement / Students will be dismissed at 11:20 a.m. Thursday, December 19th - 2:00 Dismissal Friday, December 20th – 2:00 Dismissal / End of the Second Quarter Monday, December 23rd – Monday, January 4th – No School / Christmas Break Monday, January 6th – All day Teacher Institute / Students Not In Attendance Tuesday, January 7th – School Resumes Wednesday, January 8th – PTO Meeting tonight at 6:30 at the Auburn Elementary School Library. Monday, February 3rd – Six Flags READ to SUCCEED forms are due. Remember you need to have read for 360 minutes. Wednesday, February 5th – PTO Meeting tonight at 6:30 at the Auburn Elementary School Library. Wednesday, March 5th – PTO Meeting tonight at 6:30 at the Auburn Elementary School Library. Wednesday, April 2nd – PTO Meeting tonight at 6:30 at the Auburn Elementary School Library. Wednesday, May 7th – PTO Meeting tonight at 6:30 at the Auburn Elementary School Library. Friday, May 9th – All of the children’s A.R. points are due today in order for them to attend the A.R. award.