I am sure you could feel it this weekend: fall is officially upon us. For some, that means pumpkins in the yard and beloved coffee flavors in our mugs. For the children, it means coats! Please make sure your child is prepared for recess. They haven't used their lockers much up until now, but it is time to start keeping coats and hats in there in the event the chill takes over.

Along those same lines, this is the time of year the sniffles creep upon us. If you're like me, it's hard to know if it is just allergies or something more. Please make sure you watch your child for symptoms that may mean they should take a day off. Thank you for your partnership on this! I am happy to email assignments home to keep your child on track.

This past week we had a few more students join Mrs. Coen for math. They all seem to be enjoying it and up for the challenge! Please note that students staying with me are also working hard! In room 111, we are all working at our own pace through Topic 3 (multiplication strategies) to get help as needed. Students who test this week in Topic 3 will be given enrichment opportunities to ensure they are working at their highest potential. It has been fantastic to watch these kids working so hard!

We will be finishing Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing this week in language arts. This wrap-up will give children the opportunity to start their first writing project. As a result, we will be reviewing the writing process this week and talking about our expectations. I am looking forward to seeing these children have fun with the writing prompt and corresponding craft. 

Upcoming Dates to Know:
September 24 - Fall MAP scores were sent home
September 29 - Fundraiser Kick-Off
October 8 - No School / NEOEA Day
October 25 - Red Ribbon Week

Good evening, Families!
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After 3 weeks of grades, I am starting to get to know your children and they are starting to get to know me. Obviously every teacher has a different teaching style and to that same point, we all have little nuances when entering information into Progress Book. As a result, I wanted to use this post to update you on some things I do in Progress Book to help you navigate how your child is doing.

When you log into Progress Book (this image is from a laptop, not a mobile device), please make sure you go to "Grades" on the left side. Each subject can be clicked on to give you more detail about the assignments entered. Please note that I input grades by standard or topic so they may appear to be entered twice. However, this is just how the information is organized: first accumulated by subject and then broken down by standard.

You may see some icons next to percentages on the right. Those are:
M = Missing
L = Late
W = Weighted (tests carry more weight than classwork)

I try to make sure I am caught up on grades from the week by Sunday, but sometimes life happens. Please feel free to email me if you ever have any questions. I prefer email; it keeps me organized. I am happy to call after I see your email if needed.

With regards to the assignments, we had a great week! Those that stay with me for math got through our second topic, and everyone did great on the assessment Thursday. Those scores are in ProgressBook and will be released to the students tomorrow in Schoolwork. We completed our airplane experiment in Science and made significant headway with maps in Social Studies. And finally, we got through the fifth chapter in our class novel, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. If anyone is struggling with the book (or any future class novels), I recommend getting a copy from the library and reading it at home with your child. Sometimes getting the audiobook is a huge help, too. I love listening to the books my daughter is reading while we drive places together. It leads to great discussion, and I feel like I am in the know! 😉

This coming week we are celebrating "Hello Week." Please check out the email sent home from the district on the 16th for more information. We will be adding to those valuable events in our class by starting our "Second Step" program. The children did this last year, too. It is a social-emotional lesson once a week that is supported by our guidance counselor, Mrs. Kerrigan. I will be sending information about it home this week. 

In our core subjects, we will be looking at different strategies for multiplying and dividing, getting through another five or six chapters in Tales, learning about more features on a map, and learning about vertebrates and invertebrates in science. Thankfully I have a great class to navigate the content with this year! It is another whole week with a lot to accomplish.​

Upcoming Dates to Know:
September 21 - Parent Meeting at 7pm if your child is interested in playing violin
September 22 - Wear Green for "Hello Week"
September 24 - Wear your Bath Team Hero shirts, PTA Meeting, and class store day!
September 29 - Fundraiser Kick-Off
October 8 - No School / NEOEA Day

As I sit here with the Browns playing in the background, I cannot help but see this game mirror our fourth-grade year ahead. We are running strong out of the gate, and our class is so fun for me to watch. We have a strong group of kids. Even if we get sacked occasionally, I can tell it will be an exciting season for Cleveland and our Bath Team Heroes!

During this past week, we ramped up our pace and set our routine. Those children that stay with me for math have already launched into our second topic. We are now working on strategies to add and subtract accurately and with an increased pace. We explored the first chapter of Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing in language arts and learned how we will track our progress in a Pages reading journal. Social Studies was a fun start as we began learning about the continents and oceans. And in science, we began to understand the scientific method by drafting our own experiment using paper airplanes. Please make sure to check out the photos on Twitter (@mrsjodihetman).

This coming week we will continue to read our Judy Blume book together. In addition, we will finish our science experiment and learn more about the globe, hemispheres, and the compass rose in Geography. The students who stay with me for math will be challenged to do some EdPuzzles to prepare for our "Flipped" classroom approach, which will begin in October. This model allows me to work with children on topics they need support with while pushing those who understand it to go on for higher-level thinking work. The class seemed excited to know they had some control over their own pace.

We are going to start using our I/E (intervention/enrichment) block for some personal passion projects. The class is really excited to begin. Make sure you ask your fourth grader what topic they have chosen. These projects are a fantastic way to work on math, reading, science, and social studies in a real-world setting the children want to learn about. I cannot wait to see what these superstars accomplish!

Last but not least, we will be using our grammar spiral notebooks this week. If you have not already, please send the notebook and glue in with your child tomorrow. Thank you!
Upcoming Dates to Know:
September 16 - STEM starts for our class
September 20 - Kindness Week begins
   Monday - Hey Day!
   Tuesday - Random Acts of Kindness
   Wednesday - Wear green
   Thursday - Social Switch-up
   Friday - Note Day
September 24 - Wear your Bath Team Hero shirts

Hello Parents!

I hope the first week of school was manageable - very few tears, no forgotten lunches, early bedtimes, and lots of laughter for both you and your children. 😄 I know I forgot lunch once for me, but I managed to pack my daughter's every day. Priorities, I suppose. 

We had a fun week in room 111. By Friday, we were on schedule! We started Topic 1 in math, defined science and what a scientist looks like, learned about 9/11 and Labor Day and even wrote our first paragraph. The draft was sent home Friday; it is about a significant thing - your child.

We will continue building our routine this week by starting fluency practice, daily language review, and journaling. In addition, we will start our first novel together: Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume. In math, we will wrap up our place value review so we can get into adding and subtracting with large numbers. Science will be fun as we navigate the scientific method with a hands-on flight experiment. And social studies will be all about geography. 

By Friday, you should have seen a few papers in your child's take-home folder. In addition to hard copies, you can also find digital copies of the work we do on our iPads by opening the Schoolwork App. It is a yellow icon with a globe and books. Ask your child to help you find the "Done" category so you can see their Scientist Selfie. I recommend checking this app periodically because many of my math and learning journals will reside in the tool.

Upcoming Dates to Know:
September - Math MAP Test
September 9 - Math ELA Test
September 10 - Picture Day
September 16 - STEM starts (for real this time, sorry!)
September 20 - Kindness Week begins

I hope you enjoy this three-day weekend. The weather is ideal for cook-outs, boating, and barbecuing. ⛵