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.

Summer Reading Resources?

Want to find good book recommendations for your children for the summer? Take a look at our Summer Reading resources! 

https://sites.google.com/a/aaps.k12.mi.us/media-center/parents/summer-reading-program

At the top of the page, you will find the "What Should I Read Next?" section that has some great lists & resources for kids.

Scroll down to view links and information about different Summer Reading programs around town. I hope your student can take part!

Happy Reading!

AADL Visit this Thursday!