Week of 12/5

A few reminders for upcoming events:

• The Barnes and Noble Book Fair event is this Wednesday, 12/7. This is a great event and fundraiser for our school!

• Remember to wear blue shirts or spirit wear on Fridays!
• Check out the December Days of Kindness that was sent home last week - we are collecting some items by the Kindness Tree in the lobby, like canned goods, toiletries, stuffed animal bears, SPCA items, etc.
• On 12/21, Riverside is having Polar Express Day. Students are welcome to wear pajamas and we will enjoy a treat with the movie!

Language Arts: 
Skills/strategies: Blood on the River book study (integrated Jamestown study) - ask your child what's happening in the book!

Please be sure that your child is reading nightly. Studies show that daily reading shows significant growth in vocabulary development and overall achievement. We want our kids to LOVE books, so we must work together to foster that love of reading.


Math:
We are wrapping up multiplication with a test on Tuesday, then we will start exploring division. We introduced it today, but the test is just on multiplication. It is critical that students are practicing their facts (all basic facts - addition/subtraction/multiplication/division). Lack of fact fluency really slows them down in their computation of larger numbers. Remember to use the portaportal site to review math concepts at home: http://www.portaportal.com/ 
I sent the login information via email. If you need it again, just email me: devon.day@nn.k12.va.us

Virginia Studies:
We are continuing to study Jamestown - there will be a quiz on Wednesday and a test on Friday. Please be sure your child is reviewing notes when indicated to do so in the agenda. Thank you for your support on the home front! :)

Week of 11/28

I heard all the wonderful Thanksgiving stories today! It seems all enjoyed the great family time and days off from school! Before we know it, we'll be preparing for the next holiday break!

A few reminders for upcoming events:

• Keep sending in Boxtops - they earn lots of money for Riverside students!! They are due December 1st. Maybe our class will WIN this month!
• The Barnes and Noble Book Fair event is next Wednesday, 12/7. This is a great event and fundraiser for our school!
• Picture retakes are tomorrow (Tuesday). Please send in the picture packet that was sent home if you want your child's picture retaken.
• The Holiday Shoppe runs Tuesday-Friday this week - if your child wishes to do some shopping, please send money in with the envelope that was sent home last week.

Language Arts: 
Skills/strategies: Blood on the River book study (integrated Jamestown study) - ask your child what's happening in the book!

Please be sure that your child is reading nightly. Studies show that daily reading shows significant growth in vocabulary development and overall achievement. We want our kids to LOVE books, so we must work together to foster that love of reading.


Math:
We will continue to explore multiplication this week. Students are investigating various multiplication strategies - be sure to ask your child to show you what we've learned!  There will be a quiz Wednesday and a test on Friday. Next week, we will begin division. It is critical that students are practicing their facts (all basic facts - addition/subtraction/multiplication/division). Lack of fact fluency really slows them down in their computation of larger numbers. Remember to use the portaportal site to review math concepts at home: http://www.portaportal.com/ 
I sent the login information via email. If you need it again, just email me: devon.day@nn.k12.va.us

Virginia Studies:
We will be learning all about Jamestown during our content block and also by reading and discussing Blood on the River. Please be sure your child is reviewing notes when indicated to do so in the agenda. Thank you for your support on the home front! :) Stay tuned to the agenda for quiz and test dates!

Week of 10/24

Fall is in the air now! I was so happy to have real Fall weather over the weekend, and it was wonderful to see so many families at the carnival on Saturday!


A few reminders:

• It's Red Ribbon Spirit Week this week. We will show our spirit for being drug-free:
• Monday: wear red to because we are REDy to live a drug-free life.
• Tuesday: wear favorite sports team jersey because we are teaming up against drugs.
• Wednesday: wear silly socks because we want to "sock it" to drugs!
• Thursday: wear a hat  - "hats off" to being drug-free
• Friday: Riverside spirit wear/blue because we make "beary" good choices
• We have begun our United Way campaign to benefit those in need in our community. Please send in change/dollars to contribute to this great cause. The girls and boys of Riverside are having a competition - who will raise the most money??
• Book orders went home last week and are due on Monday, 10/31. If you order online, you get a free book and our class gets a free book!
• Keep sending in Boxtops - they earn lots of money for Riverside students!! They are due November 1st. Maybe our class will WIN this month!
• Remember to be check ParentVue for your child's current grades. If you don't have login information yet, you must pick that up from the office; I am not able to send that home.
• Field trip to the American Revolution Museum in Yorktown is on Monday 11/21. More information coming home soon!

 Language Arts: 
Skills/strategies: Homophones, roots/affixes, context clues

I will be starting DRA testing with students this week. Once all testing is complete, I will be sending home results and goals for the year. Please be sure that your child is reading nightly. Studies show that daily reading shows significant growth in vocabulary development and overall achievement. We want our kids to LOVE books, so we must work together to foster that love of reading. 



Math:
We are exploring decimals. So far we've learned how they are related to money and the place value of decimals to the thousandths place, rounding, and comparing/ordering decimals.This week, we will learn fraction/decimal equivalents. There will be a decimals test early next week on everything we learned about decimals. Remember to use the portaportal site to review math concepts at home: http://www.portaportal.com/ 
I sent the login information via email. If you need it again, just email me: devon.day@nn.k12.va.us


Virginia Studies:
The kids are loving our exploration of the Native Americans. There will be a test next week on everything we've covered on Native Americans. Please be sure your child is reviewing notes when they are sent home (will be noted in agenda); they are learning a lot of information and if they are not studying, they will not understand the material. Thank you for your support on the home front! :)

Week of 10/17

It was a glorious weekend and I hope everyone was able to be outdoors to enjoy it!

• Remember to wear blue Monday to take a stand against bullying. Wednesday is Unity Day, and we will be united by all wearing orange and marching in a parade at school in the afternoon - NNPD and Menchville marching band will be joining us!
• The Riverside Fall Carnival is Saturday from 11-3. Remember to send in ticket orders - fliers went home last week! You get some free tickets if you pre-order by Wednesday and/or volunteer at the carnival!

Language Arts: 
Skills/strategies: Cause and effect, roots/affixes

I will be starting DRA testing with students this week. Once all testing is complete, I will be sending home results and goals for the year. Please be sure that your child is reading nightly. Studies show that daily reading shows significant growth in vocabulary development and overall achievement. We want our kids to LOVE books, so we must work together to foster that love of reading. 



Math:
We are exploring decimals. So far we've learned how they are related to money and the place value of decimals to the thousandths place. This week, we will learn to compare and order decimals, as well as round decimals. There will be a decimals quiz early next week. Remember to use the portaportal site to review math concepts at home: http://www.portaportal.com/ 
I sent the login information via email. If you need it again, just email me: devon.day@nn.k12.va.us


Virginia Studies:
We have finished our geography of Virginia unit. Graded tests will be coming home this week; please have your child review and correct the errors, using his/her Virginia Studies notebook, and return the test to school. We will be placing them in a binder for review before the SOL test in the Spring. We have also been learning about the branches of Virginia's government and will be starting our unit on Native Americans this week. Please be sure your child is reviewing notes when they are sent home (will be noted in agenda); they are learning a lot of information and if they are not studying, they will not understand the material. Thank you for your support on the home front! :)

We won!!

Our class won for 4th grade...most participation for Beary Blue Friday!! We won 10 tallies, which got us to 100 tallies!! Way to go!!

Week of 10/3

Happy October! I am excited to see all of you on Tuesday at 6:30 for Back to School Night! I'll be sharing information about what we do each day in class, as well as field trip information, and general classroom expectations and goals for the year. Shop at the Book Fair from 6-7:30 in the gym!

Here's what we'll be working on this week:

Language Arts: 
Skills/strategies: character traits, drawing conclusions, context clues, homophones, roots/affixes

We'll also continue our unit on the New York Times Bestseller, Wonder, which will cover many reading strategies and skills, as well as lead to great classroom discussions. The kids are loving it, and often ask if we can read more - I LOVE that!! 

Please be sure that your child is reading nightly. Studies show that daily reading shows significant growth in vocabulary development and overall achievement. We want our kids to LOVE books, so we must work together to foster that love of reading. 

Math:
Reminder: There will be a quick check-up on rounding/comparing on Monday. There will be a whole numbers test on Wednesday. This will cover place value, rounding, and comparing numbers. Our next unit will be investigating decimals. Remember to use the portaportal site to review math concepts at home: http://www.portaportal.com/ 
I sent the login information via email a couple of weeks ago. If you need it again, just email me: devon.day@nn.k12.va.us

Virginia Studies:
We will continue our exploration of the regions of Virginia. I will be sending the VA Studies notebook home each night to review the regions learned so far. There will be a test on Friday on the geography of Virginia (bordering states, water sources) and the regions of Virginia.

Week of 9/26

Hopefully everyone was able to get out and enjoy the sunshine with some great family time! 

As we begin our third full week of school, I am hopeful that we will earn our bubblegum party! We will continue to work on being kind and respectful, following directions, and raising hands to share ideas. We want to learn as much as we can from each other to build our classroom community. 

We have an exciting week of learning ahead!
Language Arts: 
Skills/strategies: character traits, roots/affixes, homophones

We'll also continue our unit on the New York Times Bestseller, Wonder, which will cover many reading strategies and skills, as well as lead to great classroom discussions. The kids are loving it, and often ask if we can read more - I LOVE that!! 

Please be sure that your child is reading nightly. Studies show that daily reading shows significant growth in vocabulary development and overall achievement. We want our kids to LOVE books, so we must work together to foster that love of reading. 
 
Math:
Students will finish their place value quiz from Friday. There was a technology issue, so we weren't able to finish Friday afternoon! We will also begin rounding and comparing whole numbers. Stay tuned to the agenda for a quiz date for rounding and comparing. Remember to use the portaportal site to review math concepts at home: http://www.portaportal.com/ 
I sent the login information via email last week. If you need it again, just email me: devon.day@nn.k12.va.us

We will begin our "Math Jam" sessions this week, where students will be working on math activities in partners/groups daily while I work with small groups of students.

Virginia Studies:
We will continue our exploration of the regions of Virginia. I will be sending the VA Studies notebook home each night to review the regions learned so far. Stay tuned to the agenda for a quiz date!

Week of 9/19

We had an incredible week last week - just one letter away from earning our class bubble gum party! The class has really come together and each day our classroom community improves; I am so proud of each of them! On Friday, we learned about the Constitution since it was Constitution Day on Saturday, and our class created our own class constitution:



As noted in last week's Thursday folder, the children will have Family Life this Thursday, 9/22. Boys will go at 9:30, and girls will go at 1:15. Both sessions are ninety minutes, and parents are welcome to attend. 

Here's what else we'll be working on this  week:

Language Arts: 
Skills/strategies: summarizing, synonyms/antonyms, character traits

We'll also continue our unit on the New York Times Bestseller, Wonder, which will cover many reading strategies and skills, as well as lead to great classroom discussions. The kids are loving it, and often ask if we can read more - I LOVE that!! 

Math:
We'll be continue our work with identifying place and value to the millions period. Students should be able to read and write numbers through the millions period and be able to write a given number in standard, written, and expanded forms. There will be a quiz on Friday.

Virginia Studies:
Students will continue learning about the geography of Virginia and be able to identify Virginia on a U.S. and world map, as well as identify the bordering states of VA. We'll also continue our exploration of the regions of Virginia. There will be a bordering states quiz on Friday. Ask your child to sing the Bordering States of Virginia song that we'll learn this week!

Week of 9/12

We had a good start last week and we will continue to work on building our class community where we all respect each other and remember our three big rules - to be safe, be respectful, and be thinking. 

Here's what else we'll be working on this  week:

Language Arts: 
Skills/strategies: author's purpose, fiction vs. nonfiction

On Monday, I am going to share a story, 14 Cows for America, that tells about a special 9/11 tribute. It's a true story that shows the compassion that people around the world felt for our country. We will not go into great detail about the events of that day, but we will have a brief discussion about why we remember September 11th, 2001. 
 
We'll also begin a unit on the New York Times Bestseller, Wonder, which will cover many reading strategies and skills, as well as lead to great classroom discussions. I am excited to read this book to the class!

Math:
We'll be conducting a place value investigation and identifying place and value to the millions period. 

Virginia Studies:
Students will learn about the geography of Virginia and be able to identify Virginia on a U.S. and world map, as well as identify the bordering states of VA. We'll also begin exploring the regions of Virginia. 

 

Great Start!

We've had a wonderful first couple of days of school in Room 5! We are working hard to build our classroom community and we're learning how to be successful by making good choices. Below are some highlights of some of the activities we've done so far:

 

Here and in a few other pics below, students are sharing ideas (they "brain-bumped" to find a partner) about what why we are in school and what we need to do the things that we need to accomplish. 

 

 

 We did a Gallery Walk Consensogram to discover 

our interests and get to know each other better!

 Resource teachers and Mr. Thrift reviewed expectations for each part of the building: bathroom, hallway, buses, and cafeteria. 

 

 We did our first Brain Break with GoNoodle today -

 I saw some good dance moves!

Ready for Tuesday?!

It was great to meet those who were able to come to Open House on Thursday! For those who weren't able to make it, I look forward to meeting you tomorrow! Please bring your school supplies if you are able; each student in my class needs a total of six composition books. 

We'll be on a 5-day resource rotation schedule:
A - Art
B - Music
C - P.E.
D - Guidance
Z - Library

Since our first day of resource will be Thursday, we will start with "A day" on Thursday, so our class will have Art. On Friday, we'll go to Music. I will post our resource schedule each week on the right side bar of this page. 
 
I'm looking forward to a fantastic first week of school, are you? :) 
 

Remind

This year I'm using Remind to send updates about important class information. To sign up for Mrs. Day's 4th Grade notifications, please visit:
https://www.remind.com/join/mrsdays4?utm_source=email&utm_medium=android&utm_campaign=join_invite

Open House Tomorrow!

I can't wait to meet my new class tomorrow - 

Thursday, September 1st from 4-7! Bring your school supplies if you can! You can check out this cool reading nook in our class and go on a classroom scavenger hunt to learn about our room!

Preparations Are Under Way!

I am so excited to join the Riverside team as a fourth grade teacher! I've been busy preparing for a fantastic school year, and I look forward to meeting my new students and families at the Open House on September 1st from 4pm-7pm.