Parent Teacher Conferences Begin


Parent/teacher conferences mean no school for the kids on Monday through Wednesday. Tuesday is Veteran's Day so we will not have regular school until next Thursday. Have a good weekend!

Practice Multiplication Facts!

It takes lots of practice to learn the multiplication facts, but it's worth it. A few minutes several times a week should do the trick since we practice them daily with our Math Folders. Writing them down as a number sentence seems to work best, although flash cards, a time-honored practice, are not discouraged. You'll need a good command of the multiplication facts when we get to double digit multiplication and long division later this year. And as for fractions? You bet you'll need 'em!

Study Habits Matter


Remember that assignments are due before 8:10 AM each morning, Monday through Friday. Even if a Math paper is finished, for example, it's a good idea to take it home and check it over to make sure it's all correct. Then, get it in the Math box before 8:10 and you're all set.


Usually, on Fridays we do a Scholastic News assignment that is due on Monday. We did not do one today, but next Friday we will.


Remember to read for at least fifteen minutes each evening.


And last but not least: Remember to sing in the shower so you are ready for the next Friday Sing Along!


Finally, have a good weekend!

Tomorrow is Open House in Room 17 from 6 to 7 PM. See you here!

Picture Day is this Thursday!

Room 17 Report

Welcome to the new school year in Room 17! Below is our newsletter to answer some questions about our fourth grade class.

Room 17 Report

Mr. Burnett's Class       Franklin School                      Room 17

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

September 2nd, 2014

 

Dear Fourth Grade Student and Parents/Guardian:

 

     I want to welcome you to the fourth grade and let you know that I am looking forward to having you in my class this year.  You will have an enjoyable and productive year in our room!

 

     You will need to have a book for silent reading at 8:10 each day. You may bring a book from home or find one in our classroom collection.

 

     Since we believe that education is serious business, please do not bring any toys to school because they interfere with learning.  Here are other rules you will be expected to follow:

 

     1. Follow directions the first time they are given.

     2. Stay in your seat unless given permission to leave

         it.

     3. Raise your hand and wait to be called on before

         speaking.

     4. Turn in all assignments on time.

 

HOMEWORK:  Students are responsible for handing their homework in on time. Homework is due the following day and needs to be placed in the correct assignment box before the second bell when school starts. Homework generally consists of unfinished daily assignments, and I ask the students to read for at least fifteen minutes each evening. Occasionally, there will be homework projects that require more than one day to complete, and for these assignments I will give the students a due date.

 

WHEN ASSIGNMENTS ARE DUE:  Assignments are usually due the morning after they are assigned. If the assignment is not handed in, the student receives a 0 in the grade book for that assignment, so it is very important that all assignments are completed and turned in on time. Nothing lowers a report card grade faster than missing assignments. If a student is absent, he/ she will have at least two days to make up the assignments after checking with me to see which assignments to make up.

 

GRADING:  No student will receive failing marks on their report card if their assignments are turned in on time and they are trying to do the assignments to the best of their ability. I will present more details on the new report card as they become available to me.

    

                You will earn good grades as long as you listen well in class, follow directions the first time, and complete and turn in assignments on time.

 

HANDING ASSIGNMENTS BACK:  Assignments and papers are returned to the student’s “mail box.” Students are responsible for getting their “mail” and taking it home to show their parents/ guardians. I encourage you to keep assignments rather than throw them away, at least through the end of the trimester. The projects, like the “Family History Report,” you will probably want to keep forever. 

 

I hope some of your questions and concerns about this year have been answered in this letter. You can also check our Franklin website by accessing the Port Angeles School District website. Good communication will help each student succeed in fourth grade. Please contact me with any other questions and concerns.

 

 

Sincerely,

Mr. Burnett (565-1853)                                   

Bonus Questions Answered and Asked

Here is the answer to last week's bonus question, "What is the nickname for the first railroad trains to cross the American continent in the 1800's?  Answer: "Iron Horse"

This week's bonus question/problem: "Is the Burger King married to the Dairy Queen? Explain."

Here is our bonus question for Monday:

What is the nickname for the first transcontinental railroad trains that crossed the North American continent during the 1800's?

Tree-planting in Indian Valley with help from Merrill and Ring and Sitkum Tree Service last week gave first hand experience to our fourth graders with one of the areas major and historical resources and commercial enterprises. Some teams of two and three students planted as many as 32 trees and learned to distinguish between Western Red Cedar and Douglas Fir trees.

Today is "Poem In Your Pocket" day.

Try Again

'Tis a lesson you should heed,
Try, try, try again;
If at first you don't succeed,
Try, try, try again.
Once or twice though you should fail
Try again;
If you would at last prevail,
Try again.
If we strive, 'tis no disgrace
Though we may not win the race;
What should you do in that case?
Try again.
If you find your task is hard,
Try again;
Time will bring you your reward,
Try again.
All that other folks can do,
With your patience should not you?
Only keep this rule in view—
Try again.

On Friday, April 18th, our class will travel by bus to Indian Valley to plant trees with help from Merrill and Ring, the Department of Natural Resources, and Sitkum Tree Service. Two field trips in one week! (Today was the short trek to the bridge for the opening ceremony with our kindergarten buddies.)

We are looking forward to a memorable trip although the weather is, as usual, unpredictable and good shoes and rain coats or slickers are strongly advised.

No need to pack a lunch for this field trip since we will return to Franklin by 11 AM

The fourth graders are learning to convert improper fractions to mixed numbers this week. For example, 9/4 (nine fourths) converts to 2 and 1/4 (two and one fourth). Using the pizza example, you can think of two pizzas with each divided into four parts, or slices. If you have nine slices, then that is one more slice than eight slices, or two whole pizzas with one more slice. In other words, nine fourths equals two and one fourth.
Tomorrow the fourth graders will read one of their friendly letters about what one should expect in fourth grade to their kindergarten buddies. Then they will help them write their own friendly letter, which will likely be the first letter the kindergarteners have ever written, at least in school.

The Family History Reports are in and on the bulletin board for Room 17. As expected, they are some of the best reports in many years.

At this time the students are finishing their oral presentations where each student reads one of the anecdotes within their report that was shared by a relative.

Later this week we hope to receive our pen pal letters from Sierra Leone. This time each of our fourth graders will write to a specific student from the other class, and we are considering including a self-portrait drawn with oil pastels. In fact, today the fourth graders helped their kindergarten buddies draw and color self-portraits.

More on Family History Reports

Interviews

Take notes about your family members (at least three people). Ask where they were born, lived, went to school and worked. What were things like when they were your age? What hobbies do they have? Finally, and most importantly, ask for an anecdote form their life. In other words, ask your relative to share a story from their life. It can be just about anything, but this is always the most interesting part of the Family History Report to read during the oral presentation to the other fourth-graders.