Merry Christmas!

Good Morning Families, 

This week's blog will serve as our blog our next week as well since it is only a two day, half-day, school week. We want to wish each of you and your families a very joyous and blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year! We hope 2016 has been one for the books and as we ring in the new year, may we all be blessed with good health, happiness, and love. 

Looking ahead this week and next...

• Monday, December 12th and Tuesday, December 13th - Social Studies Salt dough Map Project
• Wednesday, December 14th - All School Gift Mass: Please send in a wrapped gift with a tag for Wednesday's Mass. The tag needs to specify the age and gender the gift would be most appropriate for. 
• Wednesday, December 14th -- Reconciliation in the afternoon 
• Monday, December 19th - Half Day
• Tuesday, December 20th - Christmas Party, half day, and NO AFTERCARE

**Please pack your child a lunch on Monday, December 19th as we will have a designated lunch time during our day. 

**You child may wear Christmas socks on Tuesday, December 20th 

**Please send in a gently used or new book on Tuesday, December 20th for a book exchange during our Christmas party. 

English Language Arts 

There are no spelling words this week. We will resume in January.

We will working on Daily Oral Language this week for additional practice in basic conventions. 

We will continue working with Lesson 11: Hurricanes. The genre is informational text, so students will be looking at text features and creating a brochure highlighting key details. 

We will continue working on persuasive writing by composing a paragraph that will be titled, "Elf for Hire." Students will try to convince Santa to hire them as an elf to work in his workshop. 

Social Studies 

Our big focus this week is on creating our 3D salt dough relief map of Arizona. 

Math 

The students will be working on multiplication problems up to 4-digits by a single digit. Example: 1,423 x 3. They will be learning the standard algorithm. 

Science

The students will be learning about animal life cycles. Chapter 2, lesson 4

Religion 

In honor of the fest day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the students will have an understanding of the clothing she wears.

As we enter into the third week of Advent, below is our weekly prayer. 

Gaudete Week

Our week begins with “Gaudete Sunday.” Gaudete means “rejoice” in Latin.  It comes from the first word of the Entrance antiphon on Sunday.  The spirit of joy that begins this week comes from the words of Paul, “The Lord is near.”  This joyful spirit is marked by the third candle of our Advent wreath, which is rose colored, and the rose colored vestments often used at the Eucharist.

The second part of Advent begins on December 17th each year. For the last eight days before Christmas, the plan of the readings changes.  The first readings are still from the prophesies, but now the gospels are from the infancy narratives of Matthew and Luke.  We read the stories of faithful women and men who prepared the way for our salvation.  We enter into the story of how Jesus' life began.  

These stories are filled with hints of what his life will mean for us.  Faith and generosity overcome impossibility.  Poverty and persecution reveal glory.

Preparing our Hearts and asking for Grace

We prepare this week by feeling the joy.  We move through this week feeling a part of the waiting world that rejoices because our longing has prepared us to believe the reign of God is close at hand.  And so we consciously ask:

Prepare our hearts

and remove the sadness

that hinders us from feeling

the joy and hope

which his presence

will bestow.

Each morning this week, in that brief moment we are becoming accustomed to, we want to light a third dinner candle.  Three candles, going from expectation, to longing, to joy.  They represent our inner preparation, or inner perspective.  In this world of “conflict and division,” “greed and lust for power,” we begin each day this week with a sense of liberating joy.  Perhaps we can pause, breathe deeply and say,

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

     my spirit rejoices in God my savior.”

Each day this week, we will continue to go through our everyday life, but we will experience the difference our faith can bring to it.  We are confident that the grace we ask for will be given us.  We will encounter sin - in our own hearts and in our experience of the sin of the world.  We can pause in those moments, and feel the joy of the words,

“You are to name him Jesus, 

  because he will save his people 

  from their sins.” Matthew 1:21

We may experience the Light shining into dark places of our lives and showing us patterns of sinfulness, and inviting us to experience God's mercy and healing.  Perhaps we wish to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation this week.  We may want to make gestures of reconciliation with a loved one, relative, friend or associate.  With more light and joy, it is easier to say, “I'm sorry; let's begin again.”

Each night this week we want to pause in gratitude.  Whatever the day has brought, no matter how busy it has been, we can stop, before we fall asleep, to give thanks for a little more light, a little more freedom to walk by that light, in joy.

Our celebration of the coming of our Savior in history, is opening us up to experience his coming to us this year, and preparing us to await his coming in Glory.

Come, Lord Jesus.  Come and visit your people. 

We await your coming.  Come, O Lord.

Tis the Season

Good Morning 4th Grade Families,

December is here and the holiday spirit is all around us! We have a busy next two weeks, so please be sure to keep the following dates handy. 

• Wednesday, December 7th - Reconciliation @ 10:00 am
• Thursday, December 8th - All School Mass @ 10:30
•  Monday, December 12th - Salt Dough Map creation in the afternoon 
• Wednesday, December 14th - All School Gift Mass @ 10:30
• Tuesday, December 20th - Christmas Party 

English Language Arts 

Students will have a spelling test on Thursday, December 8th. 

Students will have a grammar test on Friday, December 9th 

Students will begin a new writing project. Students will be trying to persuade someone to buy a car; a new car or a clunker car. 

Social Studies 

We are preparing to make our salt dough maps. 

Math

Students will continue to work on mastering their multiplication facts. This week, we will be having a x5 test on Wednesday and x6 test on Friday. This will be timed.

We will also be multiplying two-digit multiples of ten by two-digit multiples of ten. Example: 20 x 20 **Students will need to model this in order to show deeper understanding.**

Science

We will be discussing systems in animals. (Chapter 2, lesson 3)

Religion 

This week we will be receiving the sacrament of Reconciliation. The students are reviewing the Act of Contrition and will be tested on Thursday. 

As we enter into the second week of Advent, please take the time to pause and read the below prayer. 

Preparing our Hearts and asking for the Grace

We prepare this week by stepping up the longing.  We move through this week by naming deeper and more specific desires.

Each morning this week, if even for that brief moment at the side of our beds, we want to light a second inner candle.  We want to let it represent “a bit more hope.”  Perhaps we can pause, breathe deeply and say,

“Lord, I place my trust in you.”

Each day this week, as we encounter times that are rushed, even crazy, we can take that deep breath, and make that profound prayer.  Each time we face some darkness, some experience of “parched land” or desert, some place where we feel “defeated” or “trapped,” we hear the words, “Our God will come to save us!”

The grace we desire for this week is to be able to hear the promise and to invite our God to come into those real places of our lives that dearly need God's coming.  We want to be able to say:

“Lord, I place my trust in your promise.  Please, Lord, rouse your power and come into this place in my life, this relationship, into this deep self-defeating pattern.  Please come here and save me.”

Each night this week we can look back over the day and give thanks for the moments of deep breath, that opened a space for more trust and confidence in God's fidelity to us.  No matter how difficult the challenges we are facing - from the growing realization of our personal sinfulness, to any experience of emptiness or powerlessness, even in the face of death itself - we can give thanks for the two candles that faithfully push back the darkness.  And, we can give thanks for the graces given us to believe that “Our God will come to save us” because we were given the courageous faith to desire and ask boldly.

Come, Lord Jesus.  Come and visit your people. 

We await your coming.  Come, O Lord.

The Season of Advent

Good Morning Families,

We hope each of you had a lovely Thanksgiving holiday! We hope your bodies were filled with delicious food and your minds and souls filled with laughter from family and friends.

As we embark on the first week of Advent, we prepare our hearts and minds for the birth of Christ. Each day during the Advent season, our students will pray the Examine. We will reflect on our days and actions.

Thank you so much to everyone helped make our visit to St. Vincent de Paul a success! It was an incredible experience for our students. We lived out the mission of serving others! 

Looking Ahead....

Wednesday, December 7th - Reconciliation at 10:00 am
Thursday, December 8th - All School Mass at 10:30 am in the church
Wednesday, December 14th - All School Mass: this is our annual Gift Mass
Monday, December 19th - Half Day - dismissal at 1:15 pm
Tuesday, December 20th - Half Day - dismissal at 1:15 pm NO AFTERCARE
Tuesday, December 20th - Christmas Party

English Language Arts



Spelling - For the next three weeks of school, students be completing a different assignment for each spelling list. All directions will be covered in class. The spelling test will still remain on Thursdays.

Spelling Test Days: 12/1, 12/8, and 12/15

Grammar - Students will be working on pronouns. We will also be reviewing basic conventions through the use of  Daily Oral Language, which will be done in class each day.

There will be a grammar and reading assessment on Friday, December 2nd. 

Social Studies

This week, we will be discussing Arizona's global location, regions of Arizona, and different types of maps. This will lead us to our in-class project of creating a relief map. We will be making these maps the week of December 12th. We will need some parent volunteers to help us create our maps. Look for more information to come in a separate email.

Math

We will be working on multiplication  of a whole number up to 4 digits by a 1-digit whole number.

Science

We are studying animals with backbones including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.

Religion

As we begin Advent, we light one candle in the midst of all the darkness in our lives and in the world.  It symbolizes our longing, our desire, our hope.  Three “advents” or “comings” shape our desire.  We want to be renewed in a sense that Jesus came to save us from our sin and death.  We want to experience his coming to us now, in our everyday lives, to help us live our lives with meaning and purpose.  And we want to prepare for his coming to meet us at the end of our lives on this earth.

So, we begin with our longing, our desire and our hope.

When we wake up, each day this week, we could light that candle, just by taking a few moments to focus.  We could pause for a minute at the side of our bed, or while putting on our slippers or our robe, and light an inner candle.  Who among us doesn't have time to pause for a moment?  We could each find our own way to pray something like this:

“Lord, the light I choose to let into my life today is based on my trust in you.  It is a weak flame, but I so much desire that it dispel a bit more darkness today.  Today, I just want to taste the longing I have for you as I go to the meeting this morning, carry out the responsibilities of my work, face the frustration of some difficult relationships.  Let this candle be my reminder today of my hope in your coming.”

Each morning this week, that momentary prayer might get more specific, as it prepares us for the day we will face.  And as we head to work, walk to a meeting, rush through lunch, take care of errands, meet with people, pick up the phone to return some calls, answer e-mail, return home to prepare a meal, listen to the ups and downs of our loved ones' day, we can take brief moments to relate our desire for the three comings of the Lord to our life.

If our family has an Advent wreath, or even if it doesn't, we could pray together before our evening meal.  As we light the first candle on the wreath, or as we simply pause to pray together our normal grace.  Then, as we begin to eat, we can invite each other, including the children, to say something about what it means today to light this first candle.

Perhaps we could ask a different question each night, or ask about examples from the day.  How am I getting in touch with the longing within me?  How did I prepare today?  What does it mean to prepare to celebrate his coming 2,000 years ago?  How can we prepare to experience his coming into our lives this year?  What does it mean for us now, with our world involved in so much conflict? How are we being invited to trust more deeply?  How much more do we long for his coming to us, in the midst of the darkness in our world?  In what ways can we renew our lives so we might be prepared to greet him when he comes again?  Our evening meal could be transformed this week, if we could shape some kind of conversation together that lights a candle of anticipation in our lives.  Don't worry if everyone isn't “good at” this kind of conversation at first.  We can model it, based on our momentary pauses throughout each day, in which we are discovering deeper and deeper desires, in the midst of our everyday lives.

And every night this week, we can pause briefly, perhaps as we sit for a minute at the edge of the bed.  We can be aware of how that one, small candle's worth of desire brought light into this day.  And we can give thanks.  Going to bed each night this week with some gratitude is part of the preparation for growing anticipation and desire.

Come, Lord Jesus!  Come and visit your people. 

We await your coming.  Come, O Lord.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Good Morning Families,

Could you feel the coolness in the air? It is truly starting to feel like Fall, and with Thanksgiving just a little over a week away, the holiday spirit is among us. This week's blog will serve as the blog for next week as well; since it is a short 2 day school week. 

We wish each of you and your families a very restful and warm Thanksgiving. May each of you travel safe, enjoy good company, and delicious food. Please remember there is NO AFTERCARE on Tuesday, November 22nd and NO SCHOOL on Wednesday, November 23rd. 

Looking ahead...

• Monday, November 14th to Friday, November 18th the Book Fair is here! Both classes will shop on Tuesday during our regularly scheduled Library time. 
• Friday, November 18th is our annual Food Drive Mass. All students received food bags last Friday. You can either fill up the bag with canned food or donate a gift card. 
• Friday, November 18th is our annual Grandparents' and Grandfriends' Day with Mass at 9:00 am followed by hospitality, classroom visits, and the Junior High Concert. DISMISSAL IS AT 11:30 AM. 
• Monday, November 21st the Fourth Graders will be making pumpkin pies and preparing the last minute details for our field trip. 
• Tuesday, November 22nd is our field trip to St. Vincent de Paul. Permission slips went home last Friday. There is NO aftercare this day: dismissal is 3:00 PM. 

English Language Arts

There will not be any spelling words this week or next. We are not moving onto the next lesson in our Journey's Reading program until after the Thanksgiving holiday. 

Our focus these next 7 school days will be as follows:

Grammar - continue to work on simple, compound, and complex sentences as well as basic conventions

Writing - continue to work on persuasive writing, thankful writing, read and evaluate recipes, write a short How-To writing piece

Reading - students will be reading a story called Two Kettles, which comes from the Reading A to Z program. This program allows for the entire class to read the story, but the story is leveled based on lexile level. So, the students are reading text at a level they are ready for. Each student will be working on a reading packet that goes with this story.

Social Studies

We will look at the week 2 AZ Studies Weekly Newspaper.

Math

Students will be working on multi-digit multiplication and division. They will also be solving word problems using tape diagrams.

Science

We are starting chapter two, the Animal Kingdom. Invertebrates is the focus for lesson one.

Religion

We will continue to prepare for our service project to St. Vincent de Paul.

2nd Trimester Begins

Good Morning Families,

This week marks the beginning of the second trimester. Report Cards will be available for view this Friday, November 11th. All of the students have been working extremely hard, and we are full steam ahead!

On Tuesday, November 8th, we will be off campus at the Grandview Diary Farm. Please PACK your child a lunch. We will be having a snack provided by the Vanderwey's and our sack lunch out there. We will return to school by 2:30 PM.

Please join us on Wednesday, November 9th for our grade band Mass at 10:30 AM in Brophy Chapel.

On Friday, November 11th, we honor our Veteran's. The annual Veteran's Day parade will be taking place until roughly 1:30 PM. This means that our families will ONLY BE ABLE TO ENTER THE PARKING LOT FROM THE WEST SIDE. Please be patient and understanding as there will be lots of traffic.

SCHEDULE CHANGE: On Friday, November 18th, we have Grandparents' and Grandfriends' Day with DISMISSAL AT 11:30 AM. 

English Language Arts and Social Studies 

We will focus heavily this week on Grammar, Writing, and Social Studies.

Grammar - Students will continue to work on verb tenses and compound and complex sentences. We will also continue to circle back to identifying types of nouns and types of sentences.

Writing - We will work on using persuasive language. In small groups, we will work on composing a persuasive paragraph.

Social Studies - We will continue our work with the 5 C's. We will focus on cotton and cattle. We will go on a virtual field trip on beef, which was provided to us by the From Farm to Football organization.

Students will need to complete 4 journal entries this week via Google Classroom. There will also be a few grammar skill sheets for homework this week. 

Math

We are going to finish our metric conversions module on Wednesday. We will begin Module 3, which is multi-digit multiplication and division. Please practice multiplication facts at home.

Science

The field trip is a culmination of our cotton unit. We will continue talking about inventions that have impacted our world and our world in the future.

Religion

We will focus on the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. The students will use these to create decorations for our trip to St. Vincent de Paul.

Hello November!

Happy Halloween! Happy "almost" November! Where is the cooler weather we are all so badly wanting? We hope you have a fun and safe Halloween! Please join us on Tuesday, November 1st at 10:30 AM in he Church as we celebrate All Saint's Day.

Looking Ahead....

• Tuesday, November 8th - Field trip to the Grandview Dairy Farm 
• Tuesday, November 16th - Jesuit Strong Presentation at 8:30: Finding God in All Things 
• Friday, November 18th - Grandparent's and Grandfriend's Day 
• Tuesday, November 22nd - Field Trip to St. Vincent de Paul and Thanksgiving Food Mass 

English Language Arts 

Students will be working more in a differentiated model of learning, which is designed to meet the child where he or she is at. The students will be working in lesson 9 of Journey's, but not everyone will be reading the same story. 

We will continue working on verb tenses and introduce compound and complex sentences. 

GOOGLE CLASSROOM homework: students will be expected to read 30 minutes each night and log onto Google classroom to complete their journal entry each night summarizing what they read. The journal will be due on Friday, November 4th. Students will be given examples and directions in class. This will be the weekly assignment for the months of November and December as there is no monthly book projects. 

• Students will have a spelling test on Thursday, November 3rd.
• Students will have a vocabulary test on Friday, November 4th.

We will be beginning our next writing project, which focuses on persuasive writing. Students will be given instruction on persuasive language and practice this skill prior to beginning the writing project. 

Social Studies 

Last week, we read through week 1 of our AZ Studies Weekly Newspaper in groups. Each group brought forth a main idea, which we then used in writing a  class paragraph summarizing the newspaper article. We will continue to work with week 1's newspaper and begin learning about the 5 C's in preparation for our field trip.

Math

Students will model and solve addition and subtraction word problems involving the metric system.

My Halloween treat is that there is NO Dreambox this week. However, if a student had a previous poor score in Dreambox, he or she can complete 40 minutes and 5 lessons this week and I will replace the low grade. 

Science

Students will learn about Eli Whitney and his revolutionary cotton gin and how it transformed the cotton industry. Then the students will brainstorm  ideas on an invention that would dramatically change their life.

Religion

Students will continue to talk about serving others and keeping in mind that we can find God in all people and all things. We will also continue  learning about the Beatitudes.


There is no Bible verse/handwriting this week. If a student wishes to enter the handwriting contest, I will pass out the entry form. 

The end of October is near

Happy Monday morning 4th grade families!

Can you believe we are in the last week of October already? Where is the time going? We have two weeks left of the first trimester....YAY!! The trimester ends on November 4th. We have a very busy next few weeks, so please be sure to save the below dates. 

• Friday, October 28th - Book Project #2 is due
• Monday, October 31st - Halloween Party 
• Tuesday, November 1st @ 10:30 - All School Mass - All Saints Day 
• Tuesday, November 8th - Field Trip to Grandview Diary Farm
• Wednesday, November 9th - 3-5 Mass @ 10:30
• Monday, November 14th - Book Fair is here! 
• Friday, November 18th - Special Person''s Day and Food Drive Mass @ 9:00 AM
• Monday, November 21st - 4th graders are baking and preparing for trip to St. Vincent de Paul 
• Tuesday, November 22nd - Field Trip to St. Vincent de Paul
• Wednesday, November 23rd - No School 

English Language Arts

The students have been preparing to take a summative assessment in grammar on Wednesday, October 26th. A summative assessment refers to assessing students at the end of a unit taught to see if mastery of a skill has been met. Over the last month and half, students have focused greatly on common and proper nouns, proper use of quotation marks, writing complete sentences, identifying fragments vs. run-on sentences vs. complete sentences, and verbs. Throughout the last several weeks, students have received whole group instruction, small group instruction, practice pages, homework, and informal or formative assessments. Informal and formative assessments are used as quick check-ins to see how the students are progressing. 

There will be a spelling test on Thursday, October 27th. 

On Friday, October 28th students will have an open book assessment in the form of two short answers questions that relate to our skill and story for the week. 

Social Studies

We have finished our geography unit by finishing strong in knowing our states and capitals! Thank you so much to everyone for putting up with the silly yet fun songs, games, and practice on these skills. The students worked so hard! 

As we prepare for our field trip to the Grandview Diary Farm, we will begin our big unit on Arizona. We will be learning all about the 5 C's and more! 

Math

The students will be beginning Module 2, which covers unit conversions and problem solving with metric measurement. 

Science

We will be working on a mini Cotton Unit in preparation for our upcoming field trip. 

Religion 

We will be learning about the Beatitudes. We will be continuing to pray the Act of Love, and the test is Wednesday. 

Please do not forget that if you have not brought in your fleece yet, please do so by Friday, October 28th. It was listed on the school supply list; however, it was not provided in the First Day of School Supplies Box. 

A 4 Day Week

Happy Wednesday Morning Families,

We hope you enjoyed the long weekend! We are only here at school this week for four days. Last week, each fourth grader received an invitation to the Blue Family's Annual Open House. Please check with your child if you did not get it yet. Also, please kindly RSVP to Ann or Dan. Thank you for opening up your home to all of of us!

Looking ahead....

• Friday, October 28th - 2nd Book Project is due 
• Monday, October 31st - Halloween Party @ 1:45
• Tuesday, November 8th - Field Trip to the Grandview Diary Farm 

English Language Arts

There is NO SPELLING TEST this week. Students are preparing to take their capitals test on Friday, October 21st. 

Students are still working on the following grammar skills:

• complete sentences vs. fragments
• verbs: helping, linking, and action 
• quotations
• common vs. proper nouns 
• verb tenses 

There will be a grammar test on all of the skills we have been covering for the last month and half next week, Wednesday, October 26th. 

There is no comprehension test this week, but in-class work will be completed that goes with the story. 

Social Studies

Students will be assessed this Friday, October 21st on the capitals. SPELLING DOES NOT COUNT FOR THE CAPITALS! Students will be given the state's name and will need to write the capital next to it. 

We will begin to look at our Arizona Studies Weekly Newspapers. 

Math

We will be reviewing and practicing the concepts from Module 1. 

• Place Value
• Ronding
• Adding and Subtracting larger numbers
• Problem Solving using tape diagrams 

Science

We are continuing to learn about plants. We are learning how seed plants reproduce and placing a special focus on cotton. 

Religion 

The students are learning and praying the Act of Love. The test will be next week. 

The theme for this week is being a Kid for Others. We are beginning to prepare for our service project with st. Vincent de Paul. If you have not done so yet, please send in your fleece, so that the room Mothers have time to prepare our blanket project. 

A long weekend is a head

Good Morning Families,

We hope you each had a restful weekend! We truly have enjoyed the conversations thus far during Parent-Teacher Conferences. We continue conferences this week and look forward to seeing the rest of you. We are beyond grateful for your time, support, and partnership as we walk this journey together in educating your children.

Since it is conference week, we have two half days with dismissal being at 1:15 pm on Wednesday, October 12th and Thursday, October 13th. No lunch will be provided these two days, so please make sure to make your child a hearty snack. There is no school Friday, October 14th as teachers will be attending Educator Day and no school Monday, October 17th. Enjoy the extra long weekend and cooler weather!

English Language Arts

We will continue working on the following grammar skills:
- verbs
-quotation marks
-complete sentences vs. fragments
-common and proper nouns

We will continue with our story from lesson 6. THE TEST HAS BEEN MOVED TO WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12TH 

Students will finish their tall tale.

Social Studies 

For the next two weeks, students need to reviewing the states and capitals. The test is Friday, October 21st.

Students will receive their 50 states quiz score this week, and those who did not pass with a 80% or better will need to stay after school to retake it until they pass it. Their original score will stand as is though.

We will begin reading from our Arizona Studies Weekly Newspaper that talks all about Arizona's History.

Math

The students will solve 2 step word problems using the subtraction algorithm with tape diagrams. They will also use rounding to assess reasonableness of the answer.

Science

We are learning about the Plant Kingdom.
- How do we classify plants?
- What is photosynthesis?
- How do we use plants?

Religion 

We will be learning about the liturgical calendar and discussing ordinary time. With the theme of our week being temptation,, we will discuss forming a good conscience. We will also be tested on the Act of Hope on Wednesday, October 12th. 

Hello October!

Good Morning Fourth Grade Families,

We hope you all had a lovely weekend and were able to enjoy the rain and cooler weather. It was wonderful seeing so many of you at the Auction on Saturday night. What a fun and beautiful event it was for all!

As we enter into October, we will begin Parent-Teacher Conferences this week. Please review the date and time you signed up for. We look forward to seeing you and discussing your amazing children!

English Language Arts

Please note that this week there is no spelling words as the students are preparing for their 50 States Quiz, which is Friday, October 7th. Also, since next week has two half days, we will keep our focus on lesson 6 for the next two weeks. With that said, students will have the spelling words on the below focus wall for next week, test on Thursday, October 13th. More details to come later in the week.



We will continue to practice identifying complete sentences vs. fragments, proper nouns vs. common nouns, proper use of quotation marks, and verbs.

Students will be working on writing a Tall Tale using quotations (dialogue) correctly over the next two weeks.

Students will have a reading comprehension test and grammar test next Tuesday, October 11th.

The students did an outstanding job on their first book projects. Please remember they have a second book project to complete by October 28th. The genre they should be reading is mystery. If you child is in need an extra packet that describes the book projects please have them see me for an additional copy.

Social Studies

We will be preparing for our 50 States Quiz on Friday by playing mystery state game, Jeopardy, memory game, and a variety of songs. Students will need to correctly locate and spell the state's name for Friday's quiz.

We will also begin working on learning the abbreviations for each state.

In two weeks. students will be tested on the states and capitals together. The test date is Friday, October 21st. Last Friday, each student received a packet of flash cards that has the state name and capital.

Math

Students will be able to use place value understandingto decompose smaller units once using the standard subtraction algorithm, and apply the algorithm to solve word problems using tape diagrams. In other words, please practice subtrraction.

Please practice math x5 facts.

Science

We will be reviewing classifying things. We will be beginning the plant kingdom.

Religion

We will continue the Act of Hope. We will be discussing how to pray the Rosary.

Fall has arrived!

Hello Families,

We hope you all enjoyed the festivities last week in celebration of our 80th Anniversary. The kids had an awesome time showing off their school spirit at the pep rally on Friday. The fourth graders even showed off their amazing lnowledge of our school by taking first place in the SFX trivia game - way to go Reid Hassett and Audrey Frevola!

The fun continues this week with the school auction, White Party, on Saturday, October 1st. We hope to see you there !

Please know that this Wednesday, September 28th at 10:30 in Brophy Chapel, the fourth graders are leading Mass. 4A will be singing and 4B will be leading us in the readings.

English Language Arts

There is no spelling test on Thursday! 

There will be a comprehension test on Thursday, September 29th. 

BOOK PROJECTS ARE DUE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30TH 

Last week, we began working on a new program called eSpark. eSpark is a program designed to meet the learner where they are at. eSpark is innovative, creative, and fun for the kids as it involves apps for the students to play on that are specific to the skill they are currently on. As the students work through each skill, also known as a quest, it will prompt them to record a video to show off their newly learned skill. This program was a big hit last week! 

Social Studies 

This week, we will wrap up the last region and move into learning the abbreviations. In the coming weeks, students will be tested on the entire United States. Can they correctly identify and spell out each state? Do they know the state's abbreviation? Please help your child study as this test will be worth 100 points. There is a fun song that we are learning in class to help us memorize the 50 states in alphabetical order.  

FRIDAY is the Southeast Region quiz! 

Math 

The students will work on solving multi-step word problems with whole numbers. They will fluently add and subtract large numbers using the standard algorithm.

Science

We will be working on classifying living things. The students will learn the six kingdoms and how organisms are grouped within a kingdom. 

Religion 

Our theme this week is decision making, which begins Wednesday for all fourth graders. We will discussing using our free will. The prayer we are focusing on this week is the Act of Hope. 

Happy 80th Birthday St. Francis Xavier!

Happy Monday Families!

We have such a fun week ahead of us as we celebrate St. Francis Xavier Catholic School being open for 80 years! Please join us on Wednesday, September 21st for Pledge and Prayer immediately followed by an all school Mass at 8:30 am. There is a reception to follow in the Parish Hall for guests. We will end our week with an all school Pep Rally! 

Looking ahead in the coming weeks.....

Friday, September 23rd - Progress Reports 
Wednesday, September 28th - 3-5 Mass at Brophy
Saturday, October 1st - School Auction 

English Language Arts 



Last Friday, all students were given directions and handouts on the new spelling policy. Spelling words will be provided to students on the Friday before the next week. Students will also receive the spelling menu board, which is their homework. They are to choose 3 different activities to complete and it is due on Wednesdays. Spelling tests will now take place on Thursdays, unless the students are advised otherwise.

Writing - Students are finishing up their state reports. Students will take their newly gained information and place it on an outline of the sate. We will then come together as a grade and "form" the United States on the white board in the Library.

• Students will be assessed in spelling on Thursday. 
• Students will have assessments and activities in the area of grammar throughout the next weeks. The skills we have been covering are the proper use of quotation marks and fragments/run-on sentences. 

Reminder that our first book project is due Friday, September 30th 

Social Studies

Students will be assessed on the Northeast Region stats on Tuesdays. We will begin working on the last region, the Southeast. Students will finish up their state reports.

Who is ready for some football??? From Farm to Football is a sponsored program being brought to schools by The Arizona Cardinals and Hickman's Family Farms. 

"In cooperation with Hickman's Family Farms, a proud partner of the Arizona Cardinals, we are excited to offer classrooms across the state "From Farm to Football." Provide your students with the opportunity to hear from Arizona Cardinals' running back, David Johnson , and learn about the role agriculture plays in his life on and off the field! Students will also be able to pen pal with Arizona Farmers and Ranchers"

We are so excited to participate in this program since the big focus for 4th Grade Social Studies is the state of Arizona. 

Our class will participate in “From Farm to Football," which is the Harvest for All Penny Drive. 

Here is how it works.

• Have your students collect pennies October – December 16th.
• Pennies will be picked up from your school the week of December 19th to be counted.
• The grade level that collects the most pennies will receive a Cardinals Event in February (there will be only 1 winner in the state) 
• Pennies will be donated to your local food bank once all pennies have been collected and tabulated

Math

We will continue to use place value understanding to round multi-digit numbers to any place value using real world applications. They will also be taking the mid module assessment this week.

Science

The students will learn how cells are grouped. Cells make up tissues. Tissues make up organs. Organs make up organs systems.

Religion

We will be talking about school theme this week "Traditions." SFX is celebrating their 80th year and students will review what they know  about our patron saint and learn more about him.

IOWA and Cogats

Good Morning Families! 

We hope you enjoyed your weekend and are ready for a full week of school. Today, we start our standardized testing with the Cogats test. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday we will be taking the IOWA tests. Please remember to have your child to school on time, ensure they have eaten a good healthy breakfast, and had plenty of sleep. 

English Language Arts

With a week of testing, there will not be any language arts tests this week. We will cover how to properly use quotations in a dialogue. We will also continue working on our state essays.

Social Studies 

We are making our way through all the regions. The kids are doing a great job! This week we will focus on the Northeast region. The quiz on these states will be next Tuesday, September 20th.



Math 

Students will practice rounding to different place values. We will also focus on mastering the x 4 facts.

Religion 

We will be discussing using our free will and how the Fruits of the Holy Spirit help us make good decisions.

Happy Labor Day!

Our Week at a Glance....

Happy Tuesday Families! We hope you had a restful and fun-filled long weekend! WE have another four day week ahead of us. The following week we have ITBS and Cogats. Please do not pull your child out of school for any appointments. It is extremely important that they are at school each day on time, have had a good nights sleep, and a healthy breakfast. Please refer to the SFX Weekly e-blast for additional information.

Our school pantry is still in need of canned foods and cereal. Thank you to those families who have sent in items already. Your generosity is greatly appreciated!

This week, SFX begins after school enrichment classes and the Xavier Mentoring program. Please help us, help our fourth graders remember where they are going after school.

English Language Arts 

The last two weeks, while in the computer lab, students have been learning how to send an email properly to a teacher as well as becoming familiar with Google Classroom. We will now be using Google classroom for reading homework on a weekly basis. Should your child need extra assistance with Google classroom or need to use a computer at school to complete an assignment, please have them schedule an appointment with me before or after school for help. 

Additionally, last week we spent time with the iPads and we walked through the process of logging into Think Central. All students are familiar with this process and had no problem logging in from school. We will continue to use the iPads in class with the occasional homework assignment that requires them to log in from home. 

In the area of writing, students collected facts on their assigned state. We will take those facts and turn it into a short informative report beginning this week. 

There will be a spelling test on Friday, September 9th. 

Students will also be assessed in the area of comprehension.

Looking ahead.....BOOK PROJECTS are due Friday, September 30th 

Social Studies 

WE have now covered the West and Southwest regions. This week, we will focus on the Midwest and students will be assessed on those states Friday, September 9th. 

Math 

We are continuing to round numbers using the number line and algorithm. 

Science

We are doing the Mystery Powders Unit using the Scientific Method. 

Religion 

We are going over the Parts of the Mass. We will be having a test on Friday, September 9th on the Act of Faith Prayer. 

Short Week Ahead

In keeping with our school theme from last week of 'service', we ask you to please consider donating canned food or cereal to our SFX school pantry. Our school pantry helps numerous families within our community and the pantry is low on food. Any donation is appreciated. 

4th Grade Week at a Glance

Wednesday, August 31st - 3-5 Mass in Brophy Chapel @ 10:30 am

English Language Arts

This week, we will practice logging into Think Central from the classroom by focusing on the leveled reader stories from the last two weeks of school. 

We will also be reviewing subjects and predicates.

Students will be working on composing an "I AM" poem. 

Social Studies 

Students will learn about the Southwest Region of the United States. 

There will be a quiz on the West Region states  on Thursday, September 1st. Students will need to be able to locate the states on a map and spell the names correctly. 

Math 

Students need to be able to round numbers to the nearest thousand, ten thouusand and hundred thousand.

We are also focusing on mastery of the 3 facts.

Science

We are working on the Scientific Method. 

Religion

We are learning the Theological Virtues of faith, hope, and charity. We are also learning the Act of Faith.

Routine, Routine, Routine

As we begin the second full week of school, we are settling into the routine of things at school. We are becoming more familiar with the schedule each day. We realize the beginning of the year is a transition period for all, but things will settle down and we will get into a good grove.

Our week at a glance....

Wednesday, August 24th - All School Mass of the Holy Spirit @ 10:30 am

English Language Arts



There will be a spelling, grammar, and comprehension test on Friday.

All 4th graders are expected to read at least 20 minutes a night. Each student needs to be reading a CHAPTER BOOK. Reading homework will begin this week on Thursday via Google Classroom. All students will be given specific directions and walked through the process during our tech time. 

Social Studies

This week, we begin learning about the different regions of the United States.

Math

We will continue with place value.

• standard form
• expanded form
• word form
• unit form 

Science

We are beginning to understand the Scientific Method.

Religion

We will be celebrating God's wonderful creation. Our school theme is service, so we are going to concentrate on service within God's creation.

First Full Week

4th Grade's Week at a Glance

Wednesday, August 17th - Back to School Night @ 6:00 pm
Thursday, August 18th - STAR Reading and Math tests

English Language Arts



Students will begin working in Unit 1 of the Journey's Reading Program. The great thing about lesson 1 is that the story is Because of Winn Dixie. Students will get to review key concepts from the story and have meaningful discussions with their peers about the story they read this summer.

Students will have a spelling, grammar, and reading comprehension assessment on Friday, August 19thl 

Writing

Students will be working on a personal narrative about their summer vacation.

Math

Students will be working on place value.

Please complete 40 minutes/5lessons of Dreambox for the week - GRADED.

Religion 

We are going over our goals for year.

Homework

Please check your child's agenda daily.

Welcome to the 2016-2017 School Year!

Welcome Back Families!

We are excited to be your child's 4th grade teachers.

As you know, school starts Wednesday morning at 8:10. The gates open at 8:00 am. Make sure your child has a hearty breakfast. We will provide time for them to have a snack during the course of the day. Lunch will not be provided this week. Dismissal is at 1:15 with aftercare available if needed.

All summer reading, math, and writing assignments are due this Friday, August 12th.

Love, Mrs. Grucky and Mrs. Ezell