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DECEMBER
NEWSLETTER – 2008
FOURTH
GRADE NEWS
The fourth
graders are busy little bees as they enthusiastically learn new and meaningful
material. We are preparing for
Advent. The children will enjoy
doing activities in celebration of Jesus’ birth by remembering the needs of
others. They will be encouraged to perform acts of kindness during Advent as
Mary did when she stayed with and helped her cousin Elizabeth.
We will dramatize the Good Samaritan story as well as other activities.
We are all looking forward to our Christmas program on December 9th
at 7:00 P.M. The children always
perform so well!
In Language,
fourth grade has been exploring all forms of poetry.
We have been reading Haiku, which is Japanese poetry about nature.
We have also been reading and writing Limericks, and Cinquains.
I have submitted one poem from each
child, and those accepted will appear in the 2009 edition of the Anthology of
Poetry Book. You will be notified by mail if your child’s poem as been
accepted. It is a means of
fostering the development of creative expression in young children.
Good luck fourth grade! In Language we are also focusing on singular and
plural possessive nouns. This particular subject can be quite a challenge for
them, so please review worksheets at home.
In Math, we have
been focusing on all new algebraic terms.
We are continually working on word problems, one and two step operations
and deciding if we add, subtract, multiply or divide.
Please keep drilling your child on their multiplication tables.
We know that success with division hinges on knowing their tables.
Please reinforce math skills throughout the holidays. Keeping
“up-to-date” on these skills really does help the student.
Our St. Dennis
Geography Bee is scheduled for January 8th at 1:30 P.M.
Children from grades four through eight are eligible to participate in
this event. There will be three
participants and one alternate from each grade.
I am now in the process of preliminary rounds where each child is
presented with a different question about world geography.
The top three children with the most correct answers will participate in
the Bee. The fourth child will be
the alternate. We wish them all well!
In Science, we are discovering all the characteristics
of vertebrates
and
invertebrates and how they are all part of the Animal Kingdom. The terms
symmetry, arthropod, echinoderm endoskeleton and exoskeleton have become
familiar words in our vocabulary.
As we prepare
for the birth of Jesus and the holiday season, I would like to wish each of you
a blessed Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.
Mrs.
Barbara Geil