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2013 has been a whirlwind so far! 

Please take a moment to read up on 
all the exciting P.S. 58/4-316 highlights of February and March. 

Class 4-316 is really excited to welcome our new student, Fardin, to the class! And we are so pleased with how welcoming students have been. We hope that you had the opportunity to meet him this past Friday at our Social Studies/Informational Writing celebration.

PS 58's Read-a-thon is winding down, officially ending February 3rd. Please make sure your child is compiling their minutes to submit to us on Monday, February 4. Donations for sponsored reading should be handed in as soon as possible. A big thanks to all who have participated this year! 

On February 5th, the New York Historical Society will be visiting the fourth grade! The workshop will bring New York's history alive. We look forward to supplementing our Social Studies lessons with actual artifacts. Please check back here for a photo recap of the visit.

Break out the pomade, Chuck Taylors... the cat-eye specs and neckerchiefs... Wednesday, February 6th is 50's Dress-up Day! This fundraiser for the 5th grade is a lot of fun. Please send your child in with $1 (or more!) to help show some school spirit. 

Our students are all a-buzz about the Valentine's Dance on Wednesday, February 13 at 5:00 pm in the cafeteria. The dance costs $5.00 is for 4th and 5th graders only.  Please remind your child that they don't need to be "asked" to attend! Please watch for ticket information in the e-blast and posted flyers. 

Though we won't be having a celebration for Valentine's Day, we will be aligning some of our lessons to the theme of the day: appreciation of our loved ones. We know that some 4-316-ers may like to distribute cards. They'll be given some time to distribute them during the day provided they have a complete class set. 

February 15 will be our February Birthday Celebration! We will celebrate the birthdays of David and Stephanie! 

Get those Box Tops in! The deadline is February 15th!

Our mid-winter recess is now a long weekend. We will have off February 18 and 19. 

When we return, the fourth grade will have some workshops with iFish NY, an organization that promotes sport fishing. The workshops will teach students about the diverse variety of fish species in the area. They'll then have the opportunity to catch these native New Yorkers during a fishing trip at Prospect Park in May. Though many will find the iFish workshops and trip enjoyable, we want to acknowledge that some may not.  There will be an alternate activity available at Prospect Park during the trip that your child may elect to participate in or your child may decline to attend the trip.   More information will be available soon. Please email us with any questions or concerns.

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 The Official Test Prep Season is here!

Though we have been unofficially preparing your child for the upcoming state exams since the start of this school year, we will begin direct test prep instruction within the next few weeks.  We realize that for many students (and parents... and teachers) test preparation can be stress-inducing. We do our best to expose your children to the structure and predicted content of the exams (100% Common Core-aligned this year) while equipping them with organizational and test-taking strategies to help reduce anxiety. 

That being said, our instructional units will be dedicated to test prep. Reading and writing units will help hone in on needed skill development, guided by the practice exam results. Math units will continue in Investigations simultaneously with supplemental math. Additionally, the new round of Extended Day groups (starting February 26) will focus on test preparation. Please be on the look-out for invitations from the fourth grade team.

On the topic of math, be sure to check in on the blog for important parent information pages as we move through the units of Investigations. (Unit 4's pages are below.) Suggestions for home activities and samples of our strategies will help you best support your child at home. We hope that you have become familiar with our division strategy and see the value in the deliberate mathematical decision-making embedded in the strategy. 

From Three Worlds converging, to the daily life of colonists, and onward to the catalysts of the Revolutionary War, we're so excited that our social studies work will continue on full speed ahead, offering students a "break" from test subject material and (covertly) a highly engaging way to grapple with informational texts. 

In March, we look forward to celebrating our March birthdays! Sammy, Gabe, and Ms. Penett! The date for our March birthday celebration is to be determined.

We will soon be seeing you for the final round of Parent-teacher conferences on Tuesday, March 12.  Keep an eye on backpack mail to request your slot. Report cards will be distributed prior. 

On Wednesday, March 13, the fourth grade will begin Ballroom Dancing! This fantastic program is highly anticipated by students, teachers, administration, and parents alike! 

Falling March 25 through April 2, our Spring Break is earlier this year! Your child will be receiving homework over the break to help keep their skills sharp. The state exams follow in April (ELA Exam: 4/16-18 and Math Exam: 4/24-26). 

Yowzer, that was a lot. Please let us know if you have any questions. Have a great February & March!

Constructing Better Readers Final Project!

Our Skype Meeting with Tom Angleberger, Author of Origami Yoda!

What a great treat to meet two published authors in one day! One, the part of our P.S. 58 parent community, the other, live via Skype. That's right: Michael Buckley introduced the class to Tom Angleberger, author of Origami Yoda! He gave us some background on his awesome book series inspired by the characters of Star Wars. Then we all made our very own origami Yodas!

Check out Tom's books here! They are available at the Scholastic Book Fair going on in the school's lobby.

Gettin' Ready For 4th Grade!

1.
Practice your multiplication tables. That means factors and products. These are two fun interactive games to help you.

2.
Read everyday. Remember that reading is more than staring at pages; you're using your noodle too. The more real reading you do the better you get at it. Like anything, you can't get better if you don't practice.

3.
Try some writing prompts to build your craft. Here is a website that has hundreds! Some are quite advanced so have a parent help you choose. One of our favorites is: Write a letter to your adult self. We'd love to see what you come up with!

4.
Get a head start on our social studies units! Watching The History Channel's America: The Story of Us will help you in our discussions greatly. A parent can order the dvd here. It's available on Netflix too!

5.
Be a word buff. Notice new words. They're all around you! Some words sound cool, like  scintilla. Look up definitions of new words here... and hear how they are pronounced here. Try using them in sentences, too!

6.
Be aware of bullying. We know that a bully can make a student dread going to school. As your teachers, we need to make sure all of you are comfortable and safe--that is when you learn best! Take a moment to Stopbullying.gov to learn a bit more about bullying through their entertaining "webisodes".

7.
Practice good habits. Being organized, timely, and responsible outside of school will help you do so during the school year. After all, we will be expecting these habits from you during the year. Many of your grades rely on these habits, as well.


8.
Listen. This one word is also a piece of advice. You know a lot--we're sure. Want to know more? Listen. Open your ears and you can let more into your brain.

9.
Stock up on supplies. Supply lists went home with your 4th grade report cards. Make sure you ask a parent to help you prepare your supplies by taking a look at the "preparation/notes" section of the supply list. This will give us more time in class.

1o.
Simply enjoy your summer! A balance of summer activities will help ready you for September.

We'll see you then! Let us know if you have any questions. :-)