Our class can't believe there's only one week of school left until winter break! Everyone's been working really hard in the classroom and I'm excited to see them progress even more.
How We Express Ourselves
People develop strategies to share their beliefs and values.
We ended our last unit and began our new unit last week. We've been learning about different elements of opinion texts as well as informational text features (bold print, headings, glossary, etc.). Our goal is to understand how to navigate informational texts so that we're prepared to do research on various public policy issues. Students have identified some issues they want to learn more about and form an opinion on. The issues are as follows:
- World Hunger
- Pollution
- Child Labor
- US/Mexico Wall
Math
My 4th graders have really been enjoying math this year. I can tell from their positive attitudes and desire to learn from their mistakes. As we've been beating our math goals, I'm seeing an increase in confidence in every child. We will be wrapping up Unit 4 this week, reviewing the material during the first week after break, and taking our post-assessment. We've been learning the partial product algorithm to solve multi-digit multiplication, converting weight measurements, and finding area of rectilinear shapes. We're starting to apply a lot of what we've been learning to more complicated problems, and I've been working with each child on solidifying those basics as much as possible. Having more practice with their multiplication facts at home will help as well!
Reading
As mentioned before, we've been exploring informational texts and learning how to dissect and gain information from them. I'm hoping students will gain a love for reading nonfiction and apply what they're learning at home in the kinds of books they read as well. We're also doing word work and learning different word patterns in various groups at the end of our reader's workshop time.
Announcements
- Our Math Celebration will be on Thursday 12/19. We will be having ice cream and a movie. If you'd like to contribute any other snacks, please email me and let me know!
- With the colder weather, please make sure your children are appropriately dressed to play outside. We want to give students as much exercise as possible even in the winter months!
From Mr. Hilton
New Visitor Management System
As part of the Ann Arbor Public School’s commitment to student safety, every school in the district is instituting a new visitor management check-in system at the main entrance.
To help us keep track of who is in our schools during the school day we ask that you present your identification, either a driver’s license or identification card, when you visit the school. If you don’t have an identification card the Office Professional will assist you. Once you have presented your identification for the first time, you will be in the system and will no longer need to present your ID for future visits. This is true for visits to other AAPS schools as well.
The system creates a visitor badge for you to wear while you are visiting the school. The visitor management system also checks your identification against the national sex offender database.
The benefits of a visitor management system for our schools includes:
Up-to-date information about who is in our schools, where they are and the time they entered - especially important during any type of drill or emergency situation.
Creates customized visitor badges with photos to easily identify visitors, contractors, volunteers and parents.
Provides instant and accurate screening off the national sex offender registry and custom alerts for custody restrictions, banned visitors, etc.
The entrance procedures during the day will remain the same:
When requesting entrance, parents and guests will stand in front of the camera and press the buzzer to signal their request. The main front door and the main rear door have a buzzer & camera system. These are the only two doors in which you can enter. Please press the buzzer and be prepared to share why you're visiting school. If the office staff does not immediately answer the buzzer, please be patient and they will be with you shortly.
Guests and visitors should then go immediately to the office to sign in and wear a visitor's sticker.
While the district must comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) and the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), due diligence was conducted to ensure visitor’s Personal Identifiable Information (PII) is secure. Note that the cost for the selected system comes as part of the Michigan State Police School Security grant that AAPS received.
Thank you.
Mitchell PTO Meeting
The Mitchell PTO will be meeting on Tuesday, December 17 at 6:00 PM in the school media center. All families are welcome and encouraged to attend!
Mitchell Science Olympiad Team Forming – Coaches Needed
Science Olympiad is beginning to look for team coaches. Science Olympiad is an annual tournament for students in grades 2 through 5 to increase interest in science. These events teach teamwork, group planning, and cooperation. Students will see that science is fun and exciting! Needed: PARENTS, GRANDPARENTS, TEACHERS, ETC. You do not need to be an expert. Anyone with an interest in helping students learn and grow will make an excellent coach. Here is a Science Olympiad Coach Interest Form for anyone interested in coaching a team!