Field Day Fun!

Weekly Happenings....

What a busy week we are going to have! The end of school is always filled with such excitement!

Please remember that Wednesday is our last full day of school and last day of lunch service and that Thursday 6/16 & Friday 6/17 are both early dismissals and there will not be lunch.

Thursday is Field Day AT OCS! Please be sure to have your child apply sunscreen prior to coming to school. Also, a hat is also a great idea to wear outdoors!

Friday is Movie Day at OCS. Fourth graders will watch a movie together and will have time to play some board games with each other. If you have a favorite board game at home that you would like to share, please send it in for the day!

Enjoy the week!

A few items.....

We are in for quite a week! The students have been researching their sea animal and are bringing the hallway to (sea)life. Be sure to check it out on Thursday night!
Also....please send in a clean white t-shirt for the students to create their NJ shirts. These are a tradition at OCS and one we want to continue! :) The shirts will be worn to our NJ Agriculture festival which will be June 20.

Spelling Words for the Week:

1. able
2. ability
3. sign
4. signal
5. mean
6. meant
7. deal
8. dealt
9. soft
10. soften
11. relate
12. relative
13. heal
14. health
15. meter
16. metric
17. compose
18. composition
19. crumb
20. crumble

Enjoy the week!

Library Books!

Please send in any books from the OCS library ASAP!

Have a great weekend!

Spelling List!

This week's list is quite challenging, so I encourage students to arm-tap a minimum of 5 words nightly!


SPELL LIST
TEST FRIDAY, JUNE 3
shoes
sure
sugar
musician
patience
mission
occasion
physician
tension
conclusion
constitution
caution
constellation
addition
fiction
position
official
glacier

Have a great week!

Sea Otters!

Check out the interactive link to learn more about our adorable friends, SEA OTTERS!
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/media/all_about_otters/whatsanotter01.html

Sea Otters!

Check out this great interactive site about our adorable friends: SEA OTTERS!

Scholastic Book Fair

THE OH-SO POPULAR SCHOLASTIC (BOGO) BOOKSALE IS BACK!!
OUR CLASS WILL BE HEADING OVER THIS THURSDAY!

MARE Writings with 1D!

This week we worked with our friends from 1D in creating wonderful stories involving sea creatures!
Everyone worked very well together and we look forward to sharing in another Writer’s Celebration with 1D next week!

Some Updates....

This morning starts day 4 of 5 of the NJASK. I am very impressed with how everyone has been handling it! I knew that this class was extremely bright!

As you know, we have not and will not have any homework this week. There will be a test in Social Studies on chapter 9 on Tuesday of next week (5/17) and we have been studying a great deal in class for it.

Also, in Language Arts, the students have been working in small groups on some very creative stories! They are pretty close to completing the typing, look for them soon!

Progress Reports will be going home next week.

If you visit our school site and click on the MARE picture, you will come to a picture of 3 4M students, that won the 4th grade round of "Minute to Win It!"

Have a great night!

Monday, May 2, 2011

Today, in class, we used our Social Studies time to discuss one very major current event. Being that Osama bin Laden was captured by the US government, I took the opportunity to discuss this very vital development in United States & World history with the students.

Being that this is a very sensitive subject and that these students were basically infants at the time of September 11, 2001, we discussed how lives have changed but how we remain free and safe due to the courage of our armed forces. However, we did discuss that there can be evil in the world and that innocent people can be victims.

We also watched a very child-friendly video to help students understand the happenings. If you would like, please copy and paste the following link:

http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/ushistory/september11th/

Tim and Moby on Brain Pop are two characters that the class has viewed several times before and topics such as multiplication, the food chain, essay writing and this video was released earlier this morning.

All of the students seemed to have understood the information being discussed and did not display any fears.

In other events:
We were lucky enough to have 1D visit us today and share some amazing books that they authored. We were all really impressed with their great work.

Book Reviews were due TODAY! If they were not handed in today, they can bring it in tomorrow but will have points taken off of their grade. Anything not handed in tomorrow will be a 0%.

Have a great week! Can you believe it is May already?

WELCOME BACK!

What a great day back!

I hope everyone enjoyed Spring Break. Judging by all of the relaxed and happy faces that were in this classroom today, it seems as if everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves!

Before you know it, it will be June-unbelievable!

In Science, we are beginning to discuss physical changes to our Earth. Today, the “scientists” in the room conducted an experiment in which they observed changes to chalk and rocks that were being shaken in a jar. When they added water, they noticed that it was a more drastic change to the inside rather than it being dry. If you get a chance, ask your child about this experiment. Everyone had a great time!

Just a few reminders:

Tomorrow (Wednesday, April 27) the Spring Break Math packet is due. I was happy to see that a number of students handed them in today!

Keep working on the Andrew Clements study!

Spelling packets due on Friday!

Of course, keep practicing those facts!!!

Hat Day!

This Friday, April 15, Oxford Central School will be showing it's support for the people whose lives have been hit by the disasters in Japan.

Students will be permitted to wear their hat during the school day on Friday (except, of course, for The Pledge of Allegiance!). In return, we hope that students will contribute $.25 which is going to the Red Cross.

A great cause!

TRICKY TRAY BASKET!

Our basket is well under way, but it seems as if it can fit a few more donations.

If anyone is interested in contributing any spa/nail/beauty gift cards (no gift is too small!), please feel free to do so.

ITEMS WE ALREADY HAVE:

SHIATSU NECK MASSAGER
SOAPS
BATH SALTS
LOTIONS
SPA CD'S
LOOFAHS/SPONGES
INCENSE & HOLDER
GEL EYE MASK

Thank you for all of your support!

Tuesday, March 29

Spelling List Words
(Test on Friday, April 1)

re-
1. rewrite
2. reappear
3. recall
4. recover
5. rebuild

dis-
6. dishonest
7. disagree
8. disappear
9. disappoint
10. disconnect
11. disapprove

mis-
12. behave
13. misfortune
14. misunderstand
15. misspell
16. misuse

il-
17. illegal
18. illegible

**Spelling packets due Friday/ Practice “Arm-Tapping!”

Grammar for the week is ADJECTIVES!
Grammar homework is due on Thursday!
Enjoy the week!

Updates for this week-

Our Science Chapter 7 Test and Math Chapter 6 Test will both be on Wednesday, March 16!

Tricky Tray!

It's that time of the year again-to put together our class basket for the annual (& fabulous) PTA Tricky Tray!

The PTA does so many wonderful things for our school, so it is nice to help them-which really helps us all out!

A letter from our class coordinator was sent home a few weeks ago, but I know so many things come up so I just wanted to reiterate.

Our class basket theme for this year is: RELAX AND REGROUP WITH A SPA DAY-so anything that has to do with relaxation would be greatly appreciated.
Some ideas for a "spa" basket would be: scented candles/oils; hand/foot scrubs/lotions/gloves; slippers; robe; eye-wraps; body washes; bath salts, beads; gift cards to spas/salons/nail salons (SpaFinder gift cards are at supermarkets & drugstores!); spa music;

facial masks----THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS! You may even send in a monetary donation so that our kind volunteer can shop for you!

Everyone loves a spa day, so let's try to make this basket a success for the PTA and our classroom. You may even be lucky to win it!

Hurricanes & Tornadoes!

In Science, We are beginning to discuss and learn about Hurricanes and Tornadoes. To assist your child at home, please check out the Sky Diary link for kids that is posted above. The site offers a great deal of information that all kids would love to explore!

Science Cloud Project is due on Friday, February 25!

Please be sure that everyone is tracking the clouds on a daily basis and recording their findings on their mini-poster! Thank you!

It seems as if we have finally made it through a FULL week! Woohoo!

Some fun Math news:
*On Fridays, we will have a (very) short quiz on a topic that was worked on during the week, which will be ensuring the class is ready to proceed on the next lessons.
*Also, we will be attacking our Fast Facts on a DAILY basis. In order to ensure the students are attaining the speed and accuracy that they need with their basic facts, this 3 minute drill has become a part of our morning routine.
If you are looking for a site to access at home to help with multiplication, check out: http://www.coolmath-games.com/numbermonster/index.html

Have a great weekend!

Friday, February 4, 2011

Updates:

The LA assessments that would have been held this week for our current story Marven of the Great North Woods will be on Wednesday of next week.

Our Science test will be on Tuesday.

Also, PLEASE practice math facts at least 10 minutes nightly, this will greatly help children in Math class!

Have a wonderful weekend!

MATH HOMEWORK HELP

PARTIAL PRODUCTS!
•
I know that we all did not grow up learning “Everyday Math” (neither did I) but want to help out with homework. Students SHOULD be packing their Student Reference Books to use at home, but in the event you do not see it, here are some example problems.

* Multiplying 2 digits by 1 digit*

9 * 54 =

1.) 9 * 50 (the value of 5 in 54 is 50!) = 450

2.) 9 * 4 = 36

3.) 450 + 36 = 486

4.) 9 * 54 = 486
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13 * 7 =

1.) 10 * 7 = 70

2.) 3 * 7 = 21

3.) 70 + 21 = 91

4.) 13 * 7 = 91

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

• Multiplying 2 digits by 2 digits*

23 * 14 =

1.) 20 * 10 = 200

2.) 20 * 4 = 80

3.) 3 * 10 = 30

4.) 3 * 4 = 12

5.) 200 + 80 + 30 + 12 = 322

6.) 23 * 14 = 322

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78 * 45 =

1.) 70 * 40 = 2,800

2.) 70 * 5 = 350

3.) 8 * 40 = 320

4.) 8 * 5 = 40

5.) 2,800 + 350 + 320 + 40 = 3, 510

6.) 78 * 45 = 3,510

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

This may seem to take a bit of time at first, but once practiced is really quite simple. What our program does it encourage mental math and this is a form (once gotten the handle of) that assists students in doing so.

Hope this helps!

Science Extra Credit

In Science, we are discussing damage to the environment created by humans. For extra credit, students are encouraged to do some research at home (with the help of an adult) and learn about ways that birds survive oil spills OTHER THAN DISHWASHING LIQUID.
This is due on Friday 1/28 (SAME DAY AS THE CEREAL BOXES & COMMERCIAL!) & all students are encouraged to complete this!

Enjoy the week!

Wacky Weather

With Mother Nature being as unpredictable and a bit harsh, as she has been lately, I wanted to post a few links that can be used during "snow days."


In Social Studies, we are starting to discuss the American Revolution. PBS is a great source for everything school, but does have a "Liberty!" series. Clicking on the link will take you to a game "The Road to the Revolution," just perfect for those chilly snow filled mornings. http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/road.html


For Language Arts (we know Book Reviews are every month and there is always something to read) & Math, FunBrain is a great site and students love it since it is set up as an arcade.
Check it out: www.funbrain.com

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/ has some kid-friendly Science news/activities. A family science experiment would be such a fun activity to do on a snow day!

Enjoy!

Snow?

In the event of a snow day tomorrow, all of the students are aware of a few things they can be working on.

In LA, (if we are NOT in school tomorrow) will be to read pages 67-87 in Dear Mr. Henshaw and answer the questions in the packet.

For Math, please play an extra round of "Multiplication Wrestling" (which is also homework for tonight)

The Social Studies test that is scheduled for tomorrow will be postponed to Thursday if we are not in school tomorrow.

Have fun and keep warm!

Weekly Happenings....

It seems as if we were given a three day weekend!

Here is some information from our Friday bulletin-

Social Studies Chapter 4 Test will be on Wednesday, January 12-we will review in class on Monday & Tuesday.

Language Arts-we will begin a new Literature Circle on "Dear Mr. Henshaw" by one of my favorites, Beverly Cleary!

Math-we are working in a new unit. Please click on the link and read the family letter that accompanies Unit 5. https://www.wrightgroup.com/support_info.html?sid=264

Enjoy your Sunday!

Welcome Back!

Welcome to 2011!




This week in Language Arts we are reading "John Henry" which everyone has loved!

The Spelling List is as follows:

smaller
hotter
closer
fatter
happiest
deepest
funniest
larger
sadder
scarier
smallest
hottest
closest
fattest
happier
deeper
funnier
largest
saddest
scariest
*boulder
*hollered
*horizon
*rhythm
*tunnel