Dear Parents,

    Happy Thursday!   It's a short week but a busy one!  The students are learning when it is a short week we have to work a little harder.  I know the farmers really needed this rain but several days with indoor recess is definitely a bummer!  These cool temps have been quite the change also but thank you for sending your child prepared. Most students had jackets and were prepared.  Our classroom is still a little chilly.  I do not want to turn the heat on yet.  Now, at home I did.  I needed to take the chill out of the air.  Please make sure your child is bringing sweatshirts so if they are chilly they may put them on or take them off as they wish.  I had one wear their jacket all day yesterday.  The whole class was sneezing yesterday too, me included but I blame allergies and the change in weather for that.  We would joke or laugh every time someone did it.  Let's hope this weather is not a sign that winter is coming early.  But it's 2020 so it won't surprise me at all.

Language Arts - This week we have read the story My Brother Martin.  It is a biography of Martin Luther King, Jr.  His sister Christine is the author.  Many were very interested in this story.  It shares what life was like growing up for Martin Luther King, Jr.  It also shows you what he experienced to make him want to fight for Civil Rights.  In spelling their spelling list was over short e and long e words.  The grammar this week is an easy one.  It was reviewing the four kinds of sentences.  The kinds of sentences are Declarative(telling statement), Interrogative ( a question), Imperative ( a command) and exclamatory ( strong feeling).  They had to read sentences and decide what kind they were, add the appropriate ending punctuation and tell what kind of a sentence it was.  It was not very difficult for them.  The vocabulary strategy was talking again about prefixes. This week they learned in-, im-, il-, and ir-.  These will show up on the end of the week test tomorrow.  We also read a short story about Langston Hughes who was an African American poet who lived in Harlem. His poetry focused on the feelings of those African Americans living in Harlem.  There will be a spelling post test tomorrow so be sure to study your words.  Also we will be taking the end of the week test.  Students need to be sure to study their vocabulary words.  They are the first 5 questions on the test and I do expect him to get those correct.  The students are doing a great job adjusting to our schedule and routine of Language arts.  This short week threw them off but next week we will be back to the way it should be.

Math -  We have finally finished lesson 1 in math.  I take a long time because I don't feel like you can rush place value.  It is very important we understand our number system before we move on to bigger and better things.  Number sense is the basis of math.  I do not plan on spending so much time on the rest of the lessons in this chapter.  I will if I feel they need more time but otherwise we will keep moving.  We have focused on the place value chart, finding values of numbers and comparing numbers.  The next lesson is on reading and writing numbers.  We will learn 3 ways to write numbers: standard form, expanded form and word form.  The hardest one is probably word form just because they have to write the words.  It can take up a little bit of time and 4th graders want to do things a quickly as they can.  It is very typical of 4th graders to want to rush on everything they do.  We really need to work on slowing them down and taking their time.  Doing things correctly is more important than being the first one done.  This is a very hard lesson for them.  Lesson 3 will be on comparing and ordering numbers.  This lesson will be fun for them because it is not a hard one.  We can usually do this one pretty quickly.    That will come close to covering next week's math.  

Social Studies - We will be moving into talking about our 3 branches of government.  I plan to just get the students familiar with what those branches are, what their purpose is, and who is a part of each branch.  These are just the basics but the they are important to understand.    We will then move onto to Time Zones.  They will color a time zone map, they will do a worksheet comparing times in certain cities, to show how they are different.  Then we end the chapter with the rights and responsibilities of being an American citizen.  It is good for the students to see what those are for all of us and how they as children fall into some of those.  I am sure with these kids there will be some interesting discussions.

Spirit Day - Tomorrow is a Spirit day.  The students may pay a $1.00 to wear sweats or a hat.  Also we are calling tomorrow Cy-Hawk day.  If the game were being played it would normally be around this weekend. So wear your favorite team tomorrow.  The kids know what I will be wearing!  I graduated ISU along with 2 out of my 3 kids and my 3rd one will be going there next year.  So I will forever celebrate the Clones. 

Expand-a-files:  I just wanted to talk a minute about their expand-a files.  It is very important that you not try to clean the files out for them. You may throw something away that should not be thrown away.  This has happened in the past. If you think their file is too heavy or has too much in it, please have them ask me to help them clear it out.  That way nothing gets thrown away that should not be.  Sometimes there are things they can get rid of and they forget or don't do it and so the file becomes messy and heavy.  I will gladly help them clean it out.  I have talked to the students about this also.  I am just trying to save them some tears and a late slip.

It was wonderful to have a long weekend to spend with family.  I had all my kids under one roof for at least two nights.  Friday we celebrated Molly and her Senior Night for cross country and her first appearance as a Senior Pepper.  What a year this will be.  Monday was a lazy day of TV, reading and laundry.  Just what I needed before heading back to school.  This weekend the goal is getting a Homecoming dress.  I hope all of you have another great weekend.  Get out and enjoy the weather since we have had such a yucky week or rain and cold. It reminded me what I wimp I am about the cold.

God Bless,

Mrs. Sickels