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.