The B Hive 12.15

Happy Friday!  I hope I am finding everyone healthy and well.  We had several students out today with colds so I hope that the weekend rest helped.  We had a shorter week than normal, but we were still pretty busy.  Check out what we've been up to:

Reading - We spend the week continuing to read Rules and learn more about the major and minor characters.  We also spent more time talking about the author's message and how we could apply that to our own life. Next week, we are going to spend the week learning about plot and how authors use plot to develop the story.

Writing - We are continuing on our personal narratives.  This week we focused on using paragraphs to organize our story,  using dialogue to tell how the characters feel, and using conventions to make our stories easy to read.  Next week we will focus on a few more things and then when we return after break, we will begin to publish one that we will share with you at our Author Celebration. 

Math - We spent the majority of the week on 2 digit times 2 digit multiplication.  Students are using three different strategies to multiply those numbers.  You can see examples of all three below:

Partitioning is the most popular method for our class.

Partial Products is the next step.  This is challenging for many of us, but students will typically leave 4th grade able to use this strategy well.  

Standard Algorithm for Multiplication

PBL - We began a super fun Energy Unit about force and collisions.  Students are asked to find a way to help Mr. Egghead travel down a ramp safely.  They had to learn about seatbelts, bumpers, and potential and kinetic energy.  This week, they will build their cars and use what they know to design a restraint system to keep him. safe.  Look for pictures on twitter!

Spirit Week Next Week!

STEAM Fun Night

The B Hive 12.8

Wow!  Expo was amazing last night.  Your kiddos did an fantastic job.  Thank you for helping get them here on time and ready to present.  We really tried to limit the amount of people in the room so that was the rationale with the presentation times.  I loved that this morning all of the students wanted more time to present.  :)

We were so busy on Expo related things this week, but we did get some other things done too! 

Reading  - We started a new read aloud called Rules.  In this story, Catherine has a brother with autism and is working to navigate what this looks like for herself and her family.  They are really liking this book and I like it for so many reasons as well.  First, because it is just a nicely written story.  But the biggest reason is because we get to see a disability from the other point of view.  When we read Joey, we saw it from his eyes.  Now we see it from the sister's.  We are using this book and our other read alouds to think about the author's message this week.  The goal is for the students to be able to think about how they know what the author's message is.  Where is the evidence?

Writing - We began working on personal narratives.  The students were expected to think about important events, people, and places in their lives and pick a small moment to tell us.  We will write three personal narratives and then invite parents to an author share where they can read their stories out loud.  We will continue this for the next few weeks.

Word Study - We took a break from Word Study this week, but students have their words in their homework folders today for next week. 

Math - We left fractions and began multiplication!  Students this week were expected to master the idea of multiplying by zeros and partitioning numbers when multiplying 1 digit by 2 digit numbers.  They did well with this and almost everyone is level 4 in this skill.  We will be moving to two digit times 2 digit and it gets a little trickier.  Students will need support with this. 

PBL - We finished up concussions with Expo and next week are heading into Energy Collisions where students will get to learn about the forms of energy and what happens when two things collide.  This is a Project Lead the Way Unit that is super fun and engaging. 

Homework  - For Reading, students have a goal of within the text, beyond the text, or about the text.  For math, students decided (with my input) whether they wanted to work on IXL, Study Links, or Front Row.  Please see the homework for  your student and ask them about their decision. 

Variety Show Information

Thank you!

The B Hive 11.10

Brr!  It is pretty cold out there today.  The cold weather has arrived.  Please make sure that your student comes dressed for the weather.  I will not let students out during afternoon recess without proper attire for the cold weather.  They should have anything that they need to keep themselves warm and comfortable.

As always, we were busy this week in Room 402.  Read on to find out what we've been up to:

Reading
We are still reading Joey Pigza.  It seems to be slow going because we are also reading informational texts about concussions.  We spent this week in our new guided reading groups and we are focusing on within, beyond, and about the text things.  We have really been thinking and talking about two reading strategies, inferring and synthesizing.

Math
We spent all week really diving into what it means for a fraction to be equivalent.  We now have 8 students who are fluent on reflex and about four more who are in the 90s.  If your student is close, help support them to the end.  If they have a ways to go, please find a way to support that as well.

Writiting
We wrote informational paragraphs about our sensory organ.  These will be attached to our models so that others can learn all we know about our sensory organs.

PBL
We have our models ready to be put together and Ms. Jensen will be helping us with that on Monday.  Next week we are moving into our Concussion presentations.

Things to Note
1.  Our calendar is updated so please check that out.
2.  We are having a fun fraction celebration the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.  Please sign up here to help us with things that we need for our room.  Students also need to bring in 2 to 3 dollars to help pay for the pizza.  Thank you to those who have already sent in their money.
3.  Book Fair is next week.  Students will get the opportunity to preview the book fair one day and then purchase the next.  There will be a classroom wishlist if you are able to help provide books for our classroom.  We appreciate any help in advance!
4.  Last Spirit wear order of the year: Please order online online order form  by TUESDAY November 28th at 11:59 PM  
5. Annual Education Donation Drive: Our A2 STEAM fall donation drive is underway and your contributions help add value to our student's overall educational experience.  Please consider donating what you can through the paper form or via the online donation link.  Please find more via A2 STEAM annual drive.

Pizza and Pie Fraction Fun!

Fourth Grade Friendship Fraction  Feast

11:30 AM Tuesday, November 21

We will be having lunch at school, in our classrooms, to experience the deliciousness of fractions and to express gratitude for our friends at school.   Parents are welcome to join us!

To Do:  

1. Fill out the bottom of this form and send to your teacher ASAP.  
2. Send in $2-$3 depending on how much pizza your child eats.
3. Go to: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090e4daca723a0fe3-fraction  to help with supplies.
4. Bring your own drink or plan to get a milk from school on 11/21/17

_____________________________________________________________________

Student’s Name ____________________________

Bertelson              Culver               Huntley

Parent estimation of how many slices of pizza your child will eat:  ____

Pepperoni              Cheese  

____ Adults will be joining us to eat (This is just for ordering pizza. Anyone is welcome to come without signing up.)

$2 is great for 1-2 slice eaters, $3 is helpful if your child eats more than 2

The B Hive 11.3

Good morning!  I feel like we finally hit fall.  Although the snow flake possibilities are making me feel more like winter.  We were busy this week.  Check out what we've been up to:

Reading - we did some regrouping this week for guided reading groups.  Students are now in a group with others who need help on a specific set of reading skills.  Those skills were talked about at conferences and they are within the text, beyond the text, and about the text skills.  They will be working with their group to really uncover what it means to think within, about, and beyond.  We are still reading and being grossed out occasionally by Joey in Joey Pigza Swallows the Key. 

Writing - we finished up our region articles this week and students will be or already have brought a copy home.  They will be up at EXPO in the hallway for all to see.  We worked hard on them.  We are now shifting our writing focus to fiction writing. 

Math - we began a unit on fractions.  So far we have talked about how we can equally share with a group of people and have begun to think about equivalent fractions.  Fractions can be difficult for many students because we are now thinking about part of something and not always a whole.  There is a new IXL log attached to the homework log to help focus their work on IXL at home. 

PBL - we are still working on the brain.  We have finished our research and will be creating models to teach others about a sensory organ that we have researched. 

A few things to note:

1.  Unit 2 post test will come home tonight in homework folder.  Check it out and use IXL to practice those skills.
2.  Unit 3 pre test will also come home tonight.  There is an IXL practice log and the homelinks.  Students should use these to help support their math work. 
3.  There is a new homework log format.  Students must answer four questions this week about their reading.  They are questions that help them think within, beyond, or about the text. 
4.  Calendar has been updated for next week.  Remember, there is no school on Tuesday. 
5.  DTE Energy forms are attached to homework log this week. Please fill it out and return it so we can get our hundred dollar classroom grant. 

Science Olympiad Needs You!

 Science Olympiad is an exciting competition for grades 2-5 where student teams participate in a variety of events involving subjects like engineering, math, biology, electronics, astronomy, programming, chemistry and more.  The coaches for the events are volunteer parents.  WESO has a list of the events, which can be accessed through the A2Steam Science Olympiad Website at a2steamweso.org.  There will be an informational meeting on Thursday, November 9th from 5 pm to 6 pm in the Media Center (Library).  Please plan to join us!

It is almost time for Book Fair!

Annual Book Fair

The Scholastic Book Fair is fast approaching and will be on our doorstep November 14-17! 

This is an all-school event that raises money for the library while simultaneously encouraging children to read. There is also an online component that starts November 1st. To read more about all aspects of the Fair, please click here: https://sites.google.com/a/aaps.k12.mi.us/media-center/parents/book-fair

We cannot hold the event without your help! Please consider volunteering by following the link listed here: 

https://volunteer.scholastic.com/#/experience/signup/oPCxu4hIu. 

We appreciate any time you can give to support this huge endeavor!

The B Hive 10.22

Hello all!  Sorry for the delay in posting.  The stomach bug is currently running it's course through our house.  The weather seems very beautiful from my window vantage point.  I am hopeful you are out and enjoying it for me.  :)

A few things to note:

1.  Homework logs will come home tomorrow.  I wasn't prepared to have a guest teacher look through the goals that the students set.
2.  We are in need of pens for checking things as well as small handheld pencil sharpeners.  If you happen to have either lying around or are willing to purchase these for us, please do!  Thanks in advance for this. 
3.  Scholastic book orders are due Friday, October 27th.  Remember the books that you purchase for your student benefit your family and our classroom.  I use the bonus points to add to our classroom library.  My online code is HB47X.  Thanks in advance for considering to order. 
4.  Conferences take place this Thursday and next Monday.  I would love for your student to join us if possible.  We will talk about the following things:

Conference Goals

How is 4th grade going?  Is there anything you are hearing at home you want to talk about?

Share homework completion percentage

Are there any homework or spelling/word work questions that you have?

Share behavior data

Share reflex percentage

Share work completion concerns (if any)

Share and discuss Personal Learning Plans (PLPs)

Share MSTEP and NWEA results

Are there any questions or concerns that you still have?

5.  Recorders will start in Music this week.  It seems most helpful to have students leave their recorders in their bags if they bring them home to practice.  

6.  Check out the calendar page of our blog for upcoming important dates.  

As always, if you have questions or concerns, please contact me.  I look forward to seeing everyone at conferences this week and next.  

October Scholastic Order

Class Code - HB47X

Order Due Date - 10/27/17

Subject: Scholastic Book Clubs Class Order Due Date is approaching!

Dear Families,

This is a friendly reminder that your Book Clubs orders are due by 10/27/17. You can place your orders online at scholastic.com/bookclubs using my class activation code: HB47X

Happy Reading,
HEATHER BERTELSON

The B Hive 10.13

Can you believe that we are already in the middle of October?  We are really owning our routines, procedures, and learning and it is helping make the days go really smoothly.  We had the opportunity to have many superintendents around the state of Michigan come and check out what we were up to and the students did amazingly well!  Kudos to them!  We got to show off our driving question and charts which were created in PBL using some reading and writing skills.  

Reading - We spent the week really thinking about inferences.  The students are getting really good at looking for clues in a text and using their prior knowledge to make inferences.  I keep asking the questions, "What do you know that the author does not say?  How do you know that?"  We are still reading and enjoying Joey Pigza.  As one student pointed out, he likes to read about a character who is not always following the rules and ask, "What is he doing?  Why is he doing that?"  We are working on clearly writing our reading thinking as we read and thinking deeply about a text. 

Writing - We spent the week connecting the pieces with our region work and creating beautiful charts that highlight the differences between the regions.  The specific skill we were working on was determining importance.  We spent time thinking about the difference between what is interesting and what is important. 

PBL - It was ALL wrapped up into reading and writing this week where we were using our inferences to determine importance as we created the charts.  This was the week that everything came together into a beautiful moment of cross content learning. 

Homework - Home work was a HUGE success this week.  Almost everyone brought it in AND we had some great goal setting conversations.  The students have new goals and will work towards those goals at home and at school. 

Word Work - Students received new spelling words this Friday and will receive their graded spelling tests on Monday.  We are getting into the grove of spelling.  Your student will get a spelling city account next week as another way to help them study.  Sorry for the delay. 

Dates To Remember - Check out the calendar section of our blog to see what is happening in the upcoming weeks.  

Homework Clarification...

 Math Work:

1.  Students set goals for themselves (most were fluency goals) this week.  They are trying to gain 10 percent or more fluency on reflex.  This is to help them see an end goal.  We talked about how effective goals can be measured.  For example, a student at 47% fluency set a goal for herself of 57%.  This goal can be worked on both at school and at home.  As students become fluent, this goal will change from fluency to something else that they need to work on.  

2.  To work towards a fluency goal, they can reflex, do flashcards, white board work, oral quizzes, or paper practice tests.  I have other ideas if you need them.  Please let me know.  

3.  They should be working towards their goal for a minimum of 10 minutes a night at least 4 nights a week.  

4.  Your student received their Unit 1 pre test and Unit 2 post test with areas for them to work on highlighted.  They can use the study links or IXL to focus on tightening up these skills.  It is NOT a requirement to do this, but many families choose to do the study links and have students do a little more work than the 10 minutes of fluency practice.  

5.  On the homework log, they should be recording what they are doing to meet their goal.  How did they work towards fact fluency specifically?  If they do IXL or study links as well, they can record those there too.  

At the end of the month, they will sit down with me and evaluate if they need a new goal or if their old goal should be tweaked or continued.  

Reading Work

1.  Students set goals for themselves that were measurable and attainable.  Some goals included read 3 books by the end of the month, finish a series I started, or read for 25 minutes a night.  

2.  To work towards their reading goal, they need to be doing that particular goal.  If it is to finish a series, they should work towards that goal.  If it is to read for 25 minutes a night, they should work towards that.  

3.  They should be working towards their goal for a minimum of 20 minutes a night at least 4 nights a week.  

4.  On the homework log, they should be recording their book and specifics for how they are meeting their goal.  If it is a time goal, they should be recording a time.  If it is a book goal, they just need to keep track of what they read.  

At the end of the month, they will sit down with me and decide if a new goal is needed or if they should adjust their old goal.  

Word Work

1.  Students receive a home copy of their spelling words on Fridays and these come home in the Friday folders.  They should be cutting their words and working on some particular sort for at least five minutes four nights a week.  

2.  These sorts can include:  written sort, blind, sort, category sort, see and spell, speed sort, or any other way to help them successfully learn their words.  We will be getting spelling city as a resource soon that can be used at home.  If you need ideas for word sorts, see a previous blog post or just search for Words Their Way sort ideas.  

3.  Students get instruction on their words on Mondays and then take tests on Fridays.  The spelling tests come home Friday or Monday depending on turn around for grading.  

Logistics

Homework logs come home on Fridays and are due on Fridays.  If your student does the study links, he can turn them in whenever they are completed.  

Can you help?

Ms. Lewit is back and teaching us some great playground games.  But we need your help!  Can you purchase any of these supplies for us?  

Check out our school's wish list here.  

The B Hive 10.9

Hello there!  Our beautiful weather is sure hanging on.  I hope you all spent some time this weekend watching some football and apple picking.  :)  We were busy last week.  Check out what we were up to:

Reading - We finished The Tiger Rising and are now reading Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key.  The kids are already hooked!  As we read the book, we are focusing on strategies that readers do before and during reading.  We are recording our thinking as we read and are starting to share those great readerly thoughts.  Please remember to have your student read for at least 20 minutes a night.  You can always ask them what they are trying as a reader.

Writing - We took some time to really dive into what a paragraph is so that we are able to write a really solid one.  We worked on conventions, mechanics, spelling, content, and even WHAT a paragraph looks like.  We made some good progress with this.  You can ask what an indent is.  :) 

Word Work - We are fully emerged into word work now.  Students spent at least ten minutes a day sorting and thinking about their words. It is my hope that they are spending at least five minutes at home with their words as well.  It is not just about spelling the words, but it is also important that they understand what the words mean.  Have your student show you their current words.  Maybe you could do a blind sort with them?

Math - We are moving through unit 2 and are gaining some new multiplication knowledge.  The Unit One Post Test came home on Friday so I hope you had a chance to look at that.  The Unit 2 pre test is coming home on Tuesday.  Please look for the highlights for both of those to help focus your student as he/she works on IXL at home (or the study links). 

Fact fluency is still a big thing here in Room 402 and the students continue to love Reflex.  This week, they set goals for themselves with Reflex to show that great progress.  They also set new reading goals that are measureable.  So check out their homework log. 

Dates to note:

Please see the updated calendar on our blog to see all of the exciting things happening in our room. 

As always, please contact me with questions or concerns. 

:) Best,
Mrs. Bertelson

Need Spelling Help?

Here are a list of videos that can help you and your student with the Words Their Way routines. 

Cut and Sort

Blind Sort

Writing Sort A

STEAM PUNK

People United humaN Kindness

DO YOU…

• Think about equality and kindness for everyone?
• Think about having a safe and welcoming community?
• Want to be part of a group that is committed to kindness and creating a welcoming place?

Then please consider joining Steam PUNK!  

Our GSA club is open to students in grades 3-8.

We will meet twice a month on Thursdays from 3:25-3:50pm

The first meeting will be on Thursday, October 5th

in Ms. Burk/Ms. Adam’s room (in the 2/3 hallway).

• (Students can join the club at anytime.)

Come enjoy some snacks and good company!

Another Fantastic Author Visit!

I love Stuart Gibbs!  If your student has not read his great series, he/she should! Order forms will come home on Monday. 

The B Hive 9.29

Hello!  Happy weekend!  It is the end of September already!  I can't believe that we will be coming up on a month of time we've been together.  Even though I wasn't there this week, the students were very busy.  This is what we were up to:

Reading - We are almost finished with our read aloud, The Tiger Rising and will be moving on to Joey Pigza Swallowed a Key.  This is a great book for the beginning of the year because the character is hard not to love.  Check it out if you are interested in learning more about it.  During our read aloud, we will continue to focus on things that good readers do.  We will also continue to think about what good readers do during non fiction texts in our PBL unit around regions.  Ask you student how they felt about the end of Tiger Rising, which will take place on Monday.  We will begin our new book on Tuesday.

Writing - Students worked this week on paragraphing.  By the end of the year, 4th graders should be able to write a 5 paragraph paper.  We had some success with that this week, but we will need to continue working on that more next week.  You can help by giving your student a writing prompt that requires only a paragraph response and walking them through the steps.  We used the hamburger paragraph model to highlight this for students.  Contact me if you would like a copy of this form to keep at home.

Math - We worked on angles, shapes, and perimeter this week.  We will be taking our unit test on Tuesday so be looking for the results near the end of the week.  On Friday, the new home links and a correlation chart will come home.  Some students are making great progress with fact fluency using Reflex.  If your son/daughter hasn't convinced you to let he/she use it at home, you should!  It is an invaluable resource that will help with mastering those multiplication facts.

PBL - We began our new Project Based Learning unit this week around regions.  Our driving question was "What region would be a good fit for my family?" and we are focusing this work around the fact that 4th graders get a free national park pass.  If you noticed that coming home this week, that is the explanation.  Many of our former 4th graders took trips over the summer with their families to utilize this great resource.  The end result will be your student suggesting which region (and national park) would be a best fit for your family based on your interests and vacation needs.

A few things to note:
There was some confusion with word study this week and I can attribute that to my being gone.  I will make sure this is clearly laid out for students and families this week.

Recorder Forms came home this week.  Didn't see one?  It is available here. 

Conferences - a conference sign up will be coming to you on Sunday so please look for that.

A few dates to note:
Student Count Day - Wed, Oct 4th
Bike/Walk to School Day - Wed, Oct 4th
Fall Festival - Fri, Oct 20th
Early Release - Wed, Oct 25th

The B Hive 9.22

Happy Friday!  Even with all of this heat, we've been busy.  Check out what we've been up to:

Scholastic Order - was submitted today. Thanks to the many parents that purchased books, I was able to get 3,500 bonus points!  This means I could purchase A TON of new books for our classroom library.  Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!

Homework Logs - Today was our first day of turning in homework logs and we only hit 50 percent!  Remember, your student should be working on a reading and math goal throughout the week at home and recording that work on their homework log.  A lot of students forgot to turn them in today!  I know we can do better next week.  We sat down and reviewed that expectation carefully.  If you need a reminder on what the homework log looks like, see the page on this blog.

Spelling Words - We will begin spelling next week.  The words are attached to your student's homework log.  There is nothing for them to do over the weekend, just save them.  A post will be added here at the blog about how to "do" spelling at home.  Look for it on Sunday.  Your student also received their word study teacher and we will rotate on Monday to different rooms for differentiated lessons.

Weekly Wrap Up

Math - we worked on traditional adding and subtracting.  Most students totally have it, but there are some students who could use a little more practice.  Ask your son or daughter how they feel about this strategy.  If they need more practice, they can go to IXL in 4th grade and look for sections B and C.  They also can use the home links you received at Curriculum Night.  If you weren't able to come to Curriculum night and would like home links, please let me know.

Reading/Writing - we are continuing to read Tiger Rising as our read aloud, but we also dove into non fiction.  This week, we read like writers and thought about why authors use headings, titles, paragraphs, pictures, and other text features.  Ask your student about their learning for this this week.

Word Study - will be coming next week!

PBL - It was all about Health this week in Room 402!  There is an extra homework assignment for students to do this week.  We spent all week learning about nutrition, physical exercise, rest, home safety, and strategies to calm your brain.  Please see the handout for more details on this.

A Few Things to Note

This Wednesday is an early release day.  Students will be dismissed at 12:52.  They will have lunch before they leave.

Homework folders should be coming back every day.  There are always papers to bring home.

Thank you to those who sent in supplies.  We are in good shape for a while.  It is greatly appreciated!

Whoo Hoo!

What a great start!

Scholastic Book Order

Class Code - HB47X
Order Due Date - 09/22/17
 Dear Families, I want your child to be a successful reader—and for that, I need your help. When children choose their own books to read for pleasure, they enjoy reading more and spend more time doing it. The more your child reads, the better they will do in school and in life. Scholastic Book Clubs flyers are made for you and your child to shop for books your child will love to read. Each month, the flyers are filled with trusted, excellent quality, age-appropriate books chosen by Scholastic for prices as low as one dollar. Plus you will be helping our class when you order: Scholastic matches each order you place with FREE BOOKS for our classroom to share. Thank you for helping your child become a successful reader.
Sincerely, HEATHER BERTELSON

 Please place your online order to me by 9-22.

 Two ways to order:
 1. Go online to: scholastic.com/newparent Look up my name: Heather Bertelson
Or enter our Class Code: HB47X
Follow the instructions to place your order online by: 9-22.

 2. Check off the books you want to order for your child and return the flyer to me with a check to Scholastic Book Clubs by 9-22.

Room 402 is on common ground...

Math Homework Goal Setting

We are going to use a goal setting for our homework to hopefully focus the work so that students and families feel it is beneficial and relevant.  All students will be working on fact fluency for the first few weeks.  Things that can be done to help with fact fluency as as follows:

1.  Flashcards
2.  Reflex.com
3.  ixl.com
4.  Times Table Worksheets
5.  Online math games
6. Xtramath.com

The B Hive 9.15

Happy Friday!  Whew, I am tired!  It has been a long busy week. It was great to see so many of you at Curriculum Night last night.  The information is linked at the bottom in case you missed it.  We are getting into the routine and really getting to know each other.  I hope students are coming home and sharing the highlights of our week.  If not, here is what we've been up to:

Reading - We really started focusing on our thinking as we read.  The students started to use their readers' notebooks to track their thinking as I read to them and they read to themselves.  We got read- to-self really up and flowing and did an amazing job getting to a full hour of reading by the end of the week.  Students will be starting reading teams in just a few weeks.  Ask your student what they are noticing, thinking, and wondering as they read this week.

Math - We continued working with place value and rounding.  We used these two things to begin to estimate our answers before we solved problems.  We discussed the importance of estimation and rounding in our lives.  Ask students how they feel they are doing on rounding and estimation.  If they feel they need support, use the study links or IXL to focus them.

PBL - Our unit is continuing along nicely and we are really getting to know each other and what we are all about.  We create a vision for our class, which is The B Hive will come together to be happy, helpful, and do our best.  We wrote I am from poems that are hanging in the hallways.  Come check those out.  Ask your student about something new they learned about a classmate or themselves this week.

Curriculum Night Presentation

Things to Know handout

A few things to note...

We could use Clorox wipes, handheld pencil sharpeners, and extra headphones if you can help us out!

Headphones would be very beneficial for all students to have.  Write their names on them and they can keep them in their backpacks.

4th​ ​Grade​ ​Ukulele​ ​Club!   4th graders have an opportunity to continue playing the ukulele this year. Ukulele Club will meet on  Tuesdays from 12:04-12:28 (4th grade lunch recess) in Ms. Huckabone's room. We will start  September 19th. New members are welcome!

There are several dates added to our calendar.  Check this out for upcoming things like Picture Day, an Author Visit and more...

Interested in Math Olympiad?

Announcing Math Olympiad  @ A2STEAM

Our Elementary School team welcomes participants in grades 4 & 5 and will meet Mondays starting September 25th in Mr Vince’s room, after school from 3:30-4:50.

The program will run until at least early April.

Math Olympiad involves math and logic puzzles and reflection/discussion on methods and strategies for problem solving.   

We meet weekly and there will be six official challenges which will determine each participating student’s standing for the year.   There is no off-site portion to this activity.

Space is limited!   

Please contact coach Michael Maranda for details on registering your child for the A2STEAM Math Olympiad Team.  Provide your child’s name, grade and math level as well as their teacher’s name.

Thank You!

Michael Maranda

A2STEAMMO@gmail.com

Author Visit on September 25th

The B Hive 9.8

Wow!  We have been busy this first week settling into our classroom and routines.  We are already learning a lot about each other and some content as well.  Check out what we have been up to...

Reading - We spent the week practicing sustained read to self and set some goals that we would like to work toward for this first month of school.  We are reading The Tiger Rising, which is always a 4th grade favorite.  

Math  - We are now 2 lessons into our new 4th grade math curriculum.  We took the Beginning of the Year Math Test so you will be getting a score and things to work on next week.  Our focus right now is place value and reading numbers into the millions.  

PBL - Our current unit is titled Selfies on Common Ground and the goal is to determine how we can work together to create a common ground.  We spent the week learning about each other and deciding what our space will look like.  

A few things to note:

A homework log came home this week.  If you need a copy, find the Homework Log Page to print one.  A lot of the items on the homework log this week are parent pieces.  I need the field trip form, the volunteer form if you think that you will be volunteering for field trips or events, and the parent survey filled out for your student.  You can find the link here.  

A Scholastic book order came home this week.  If you are interested in purchasing online, my code is HB47X.  I use the points that I earn for classroom materials so the more books ordered the better for our class.  Paper orders are due the 22nd.  I will submit the order over the weekend.  

We will be taking selfies on Monday as part of our PBL project.  Students planned out where their selfie should take place.  If it is in a place outside of school, you can send the picture to me via email.  If they plan to take it at school, props should come in on Monday.  

The last part of the homework log is reading.  We would love to help students get into the habit of nightly reading.  It sounds like this is a habit for most of us.  Thank you for your help with this.  

Curriculum Night will take place next Thursday, September 14th from 6:30 to 8:00.  Can't wait to see you there.  If you have any questions, don't hesitate to email me at bertelson@aaps.k12.mi.us

Best, 

Mrs. Bertelson

Family Survey Link

Here is the family survey link. Apologies for the formatting in the email.

  Family Survey

Welcome to 4th Grade!

Welcome and/or welcome back to A2 STEAM at Northside! I am so happy to have your child in my 4th grade class! We are going to have a wonderful year of project-based learning and collaboration. We will incorporate and integrate the Ann Arbor curriculum as we teach the Common Core State Standards in fun and engaging ways. The STEAM difference is a focus on real world problems and real solutions. The STEAM difference is a focus on our students, our community, our family. The STEAM difference is you. I am married and have two beautiful children, Luci and Jude. Jude is five and is entering kindergarten. He is very excited to join the A2 STEAM family. Luci is 7 and has been here with me for the past two years. Before coming to Ann Arbor, I taught in Battle Creek, Michigan for ten years, with the last three being at a STEM school. I love teaching and learning and can not wait to get this year started! This newsletter is intended to inform you about the work we are doing during our very busy days. I tried to keep this first one simple, but I know you will have many more questions and I will have many more answers. Things You Want to Know: Arrival: 8:19 am (first bell 8:15) Lunch: 11:40-12:28 (includes recess) Dismissal: 3:22 pm **You are welcome to visit our room anytime and eat with your child anytime. Always sign-in with the office. You can email me anytime! bertelson@aaps.k12.mi.us Science: For the first two weeks we will make observations and learn about how perspectives affect how we see the world. Students will spend time learning the design and engineering process. This is integral to the work we will do throughout the year. Technology: We are a 1:1 iPad school and we treat our ipads as tools and not toys. We spend considerable time talking and practicing how to use them to deepen our learning and create incredible work. Engineering: On the first day of school students dive right into the fun world of creating. They use masking tape, paper and a wooden stick to create a sculpture that represents themselves. We will share these throughout the week at Morning Meetings. Arts: The creativity in the student's’ sculptures is just the beginning. Students will explore our classroom library, considering what they find useful when looking for a book they want to read. We will also study self-portraits, creating our own as we discuss coming together as a community of individuals. Math: We get started right away with guided math. We use Everyday Math along with problems from projects and our lives. Homework: There will be more information coming soon about homework expectations. It may feel different for you this way and I hope this difference is welcomed.