Thursday, January 28, 2016

Town Center Digital Resources

We are so lucky to have an abundance of digital resources for our learners to use both at school and at home. Some of these resources are paid for subscriptions. We thought it might be helpful to share the links to these resources with you in case you and your learner might want to access them from home.

Each learner has a "Password Helper" resource sheet in their take home folders. On this resource sheet, you can find the learners username and password for every website they access at school. If your learner has misplaced this resource sheet, please contact your learner's teacher to get another copy.

Mackin Via
Mackin Via is a resource through which the learners can access all of our databases. When they login to Mackin Via, learners will have access to all linked databases, including but not limited to: BrainPOP, World Book Online, Culture Grams, and Britannica. The username and password to Mackin Via is their normal username and password.

Our wonderful librarian, Mrs. Montgomery, created this how to video for our educators and leaners. While it's intended for educators and learners, it could be helpful for anyone wanting to use Mackin Via.



Discovery Education - coppellisd.discoveryeducation.com
Discovery Education is our science textbook. There are videos, articles, and interactive activities for the learners to experience. The username and password for Discovery Education is the learners' normal username and password.

No Red Ink - noredink.com
No Red Ink is a website that provides learners with interactive lessons and quizzes based on their individual interests. We use No Red Ink in class for assessments and as an extension activity for learners.

If you have any questions regarding any of these resources, please do not hesitate to email and ask. We are more than happy to help!

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Family Meetings

Each class has at least one "Family Meeting" during the week. Most of the time, we start our week with a quick Family Meeting on Monday mornings. Prior to our Monday morning meeting, the learners have a quick reflection tool that they use to reflect on their weekend and set some goals for the following week. 

One side of the form has a graphic organizer for the learners to think about and share about their weekends. The kids might refer to these as "Ups, Downs, and In Betweens." 




We make a few changes to these each week based on the life principle and other things that may be going on, but the basic structure is the same. 





During these family meetings, we discuss the life principle of the week as well as various other character lessons and scenarios. Feel free to chat with your son/daughter about what he/she is taking away from these family meetings. 

Updates Week 20

Thank you for taking the time to read our blog. We are officially at the beginning of our third nine weeks which means we are about halfway through the year. It was been a really outstanding year so far, and we are looking forward to the second half! 

There is a lot of important information in this post. As always, please let us know if you have any questions. 

Important Announcements
  • Year Book Update - Please see the following blurb from PTO regarding yearbooks: Click here to build your child’s “personal ad” and/or buy your yearbook!  For $25, and only through January 22nd – the yearbook will be on sale at Balfour.com. You can also add a personal message and some photos in your child’s personal ad for the back of the book. Only a few days left – the store closes on January 22nd and remaining books will be sold cash-only at the end of the year – first come, first served basis in the cafeteria at the Yearbook Signing Party.  If you do not wish for your child(ren)’s portrait to be in the yearbook please email kari@kariandco.com or Katherine.Brinck@Gmail.com.We cannot guarantee that your child will not be in a candid photo, but we do not identify children by name in the group candids.
  • We are excited to be partnering with a company called DTCC to provide our fourth and fifth graders with learning experiences focused around financial literacy and coding. This Friday afternoon will be the first of four visits, and the learners will be focusing on budgeting. We are excited about this awesome opportunity.

Holiday Coupons! 
For the holidays, we gave our students a coupon book. Within this coupon book, there is a coupon for a fun experience for each month. We will send reminders as those days get closer, but you may want to go ahead and mark them in your calendar now.
*February 12th - 30 Minutes of Electronics/Device Time
*March 31st - 30 Minutes of Non-electronic Game Time
*April 29th - A Picnic Outside for Lunch
*May 26th - A Movie & Popcorn

Texan Town!
Our next Texan Town session will be this Friday, January 29th. 

In addition, every Friday we have a modified "Texan Town" schedule. Therefore, on Fridays, we have Specials (Move & Groove) from 9:30-10:20 AM. Our lunch and recess times stay the same. 

Popcorn Money

If your family is new to Town Center and you have any questions about Texan Town, please don't hesitate to ask. 


Texan Town Starts this Friday and POPCORN IS BACK!!!
Learners can purchase a subscription for $3.50.  It will cover the cost of popcorn for 7 weeks of Texan Town
 OR
They can purchase weekly for $.50 a bag
Dates:  January 8, 29
February 5, 19, 26
March 4


Upcoming Dates
  • Friday, January 29 - DTCC Visit (See Note Above)
  • Friday, February 12 - Electronics Coupon
  • Friday, February 12 - Class Valentine's Parties
  • Monday, February 15 - No School for Learners
  • Monday, February 22 - Spring Pictures
Character Education
The citizenship quality for January is Self Control. 

Each week, Town Center focuses on one life principle, or guiding character quality. The life principles for each week are discussed on the morning announcements and will be posted on our agendas. 


What are we learning?
Math & Science


In math, we will be continuing our Multiplication unit. The learners will be reviewing 1-digit by 1-digit and 1-digit by 2-digit problems. They will also begin to explore 2-digit by 2-digit and 1-digit by 4-digit problems using arrays, area models, and equations.

In science, we will be investigating the moon phases, seasons, and tides. Learners will learn why these different patterns happen and how often they happen.

Language & Literacy

We have recently started our first Junior Great Books story, and the kids are loving it. Junior Great Books is a curriculum set that uses short stories and fables to teach theme, inquiry, and evidence based thinking. We are reading Thank You M'am by Langston Hughes. At the end of our study of the story, the learners will participate in a Socratic discussion revolving around an interpretive question. 

In writing, we will continue to explore expository writing. The learners will focus on elaborating by using examples and clarification statements. 

*Learners will not be held responsible for spelling homework until further notice. As always, students are encouraged to use their tools and choice boards from the past in order to assist them each week with their spelling lists. 

*Students have been invited to participate in a weekly "Power Paragraph" each night of the week for homework. Learners will begin by producing a paragraph on a topic of their choice and will work through the writing process as the week progresses. So far, we have really enjoyed reading the learners' power paragraphs. Their writing is creative and enjoyable.  

Social Studies

In social studies, we wrapped up our study of the Spanish Missions, and we will begin to dive into the causes of the Texas Revolution. 
_____




Thank you, again, for taking the time to read our blog. We are looking forward to another great week with our fourth graders! 

Thursday, January 7, 2016

Updates Week 17

Thank you for taking the time to read our blog. There is a lot of important information in this post. As always, please let us know if you have any questions. 

Important Announcements
  • For the holidays, we gave our students a coupon book. Within this coupon book, there is a coupon for a fun experience for each month. We will send reminders as those days get closer, but you may want to go ahead and mark them in your calendar now.
*January 20th - Comfy Coupon (The kids are invited to bring a pillow and wear PJs/comfy clothes.)
*February 12th - 30 Minutes of Electronics/Device Time
*March 31st - 30 Minutes of Non-electronic Game Time
*April 29th - A Picnic Outside for Lunch
*May 26th - A Movie & Popcorn

  • Starting this week, we will have a different Friday specials schedule. The learners will go to either Music, Art, or PE each week with the exception of a few run days. 
Texan Town!
This Friday, January 8th, we will start our new Winter Session of Texan Town. 

In addition, every Friday we have a modified "Texan Town" schedule. Therefore, on Fridays, we have Specials (Move & Groove) from 9:30-10:20 AM. Our lunch and recess times stay the same. 

Popcorn Money

If your family is new to Town Center and you have any questions about Texan Town, please don't hesitate to ask. 


Texan Town Starts this Friday and POPCORN IS BACK!!!
Learners can purchase a subscription for $3.50.  It will cover the cost of popcorn for 7 weeks of Texan Town
 OR
They can purchase weekly for $.50 a bag
Dates:  January 8, 22, 29
February 5, 19, 26
March 4


Upcoming Dates
  • Tuesday, January 14 - Skate Night
  • Friday, January 15 - Spirit Rally
  • Monday, January 18 - NO SCHOOL! 
  • Wednesday, January 20 - Comfy Coupon
  • Friday, January 12 - Electronics Coupon
  • Monday, February 22 - Spring Pictures
Character Education
The citizenship quality for January is Self Control. 

Each week, Town Center focuses on one life principle, or guiding character quality. The life principles for each week are discussed on the morning announcements and will be posted on our agendas. 

What are we learning?
Math & Science


In math, we will be beginning our multiplication unit. The learners will be reviewing 1-digit by 1-digit and 1-digit by 2-digit problems. They will also begin to explore 2-digit by 2-digit and 1-digit by 4-digit problems using arrays, area models, and equations.

In science, we will be finishing our unit on Climate and Weather. The learners will be creating a website based on a climate in the world for their design challenge.

Language & Literacy

In reading, we will continue to focus on making inferences while we read. The learners will continue to practice using clues from the text and their own background knowledge to make a solid inference. Learners are required to fill out a reading form for each book they complete. They can complete this during class time or at home. This form can be found on your child's language arts teacher's website. 

In writing, we will continue to explore expository writing. The learners will continue to use the skills they've learned about writing more descriptively as they begin to write expository texts in class. 

*Learners will not be held responsible for spelling homework until further notice. As always, students are encouraged to use their tools and choice boards from the past in order to assist them each week with their spelling lists. 

*Students have been invited to participate in a weekly "Power Paragraph" each night of the week for homework. Learners will begin by producing a paragraph on a topic of their choice and will work through the writing process as the week progresses. 


Social Studies

In social studies, we will begin to explore Spanish Missions. During this unit students will be invited to participate in a debate where they can share their own thoughts and opinions. 
_____




Thank you, again, for taking the time to read our blog. We are looking forward to another great week with our fourth graders!