Dear Parents,
     Happy Thursday!  We are working hard this week.  I feel our room has been pretty lucky.  We were missing 2 kids on Monday but that was really it.  We have not been hit too bad by the flu but I feel it moving in on us.  Please be sure to keep your child home if they had a fever the night before.  If you don't you are just "gifting" the other students with it.  They are saying you are contagious a very long time.  Kids diagnosed with Influenza A are told 7 days contagious and are to stay home from school. I know this can be an inconvenience to a working parent but please listen to the doctors, they are trying to prevent the spread of it.  We are disinfecting our rooms and desks about twice a day.  The kids do it every morning and afternoon and even if someone in area sneezes they clean.  Hand washing is also being pushed, not the use of GermX but actual soap and water on their hands! We want to escape the sickness!!

Language Arts- This week we are reading a story that is interesting the first time but not so interesting the other 2 times we read it.  It is called The Right Dog for the Job and it is about the process a dog takes to become a service dog.  It is interesting to hear some of the things that a dog goes through to become a service dog.  Working in a classroom is one of the interesting things.  We have learned about adverbs and the questions they answer this week.  We also talked about suffixes.  We are sharing book reports slowly this week.  I gave each student a rubric to follow that showed exactly what was expected and how they would be graded.  Some of them followed the rubric and some of them didn't bother to look at it.  Grades will reflect this.  I will put on power school as they present them.

Math -  We have started into some fun items today.  Perimeter is our lesson today.  Yes it is easy to teach that to find perimeter you add all the sides together which is how I introduced it, but you must use the perimeter formulas in this chapter.  P=(2XL) + (2XW) for a rectangle and P= 4 X one side for a square.  This is showing them the algebraic way of finding perimeter. Tomorrow we will work on the same and then Monday I will partner them and send them around the building to find 3-5 things to measure and find perimeter.  This is the fun part, it gets them out of the room and moving around the building.  I talked about people's jobs that require them to use perimeter.  Some of you may talk to your child about it if you use it on a regular basis.  We will then learn Area in the same way.  We will learn it on paper then apply it to real world by measuring things and finding their area.

Social Studies - We are talking about animals and products found in the Southeast Region.   The students will have a map test on Monday.  They will need to be able to label the Southeast map with states and capitals.  Please help your child study.  I gave them last Friday to make an answer key and study on practice maps.  We will also put another state in our notebooks. Tomorrow I plan to give them a state and allow them time to study their maps.  

Food Pantry - We go to the Food Pantry tomorrow if weather permits.  Please be sure your student brings their boots tomorrow for the walk down there.  Some of them chose not to bring boots today. They have to have them tomorrow.  If they don't they may be asked to stay back.  I need them to have hats and mittens also.  The first part of their work is done outside and then they unload things and shelve them inside.  We need to be prepared.  Thank you!

Tuesday, February 13th -  This is "Fat Tuesday"!!  The 4th graders make and plate donuts for the entire school.  We spend a couple hours in the morning doing this.  It is a tradition we have had for many many years.  Well at least 19-20 since I have been here.  It is just a fun treat before Ash Wednesday and fasting begins.  Also we will be celebrating Valentine's Day on this day in the afternoon.  We are doing this due to Ash Wednesday being on Valentine's Day.  Not a big deal we are just going to celebrate a day early.  Our party consists of a snack and a drink and the kids exchanging valentine's at the end of the day.  So we start the day with food and end the day with food.  I will say because we provide a snack I do NOT allow the kids to eat any candy from their valentines at school.  I feel the parent can decide how much candy they eat.

I pray we all continue to stay healthy!!  I hope everyone has an enjoyable weekend!  I pray the weather doesn't put a damper on any of our plans.  I am suppose to do dinner and movie with my best friend in Des Moines tomorrow and I am praying the snow quits.  I am looking forward to some time with my friend.  

God Bless,
Mrs. Sickels