Weekly Announcements: 10/26-10/30

• 10/26-10/30: RED RIBBON WEEK
• Monday: Wear RED! “Say no to drugs!”
• Tuesday: Cowboy clothes: “Give Drugs the Boot”
• Wed: Mismatched/Crazy Socks- “Sock it to Drugs!”
• Thurs: Favorite sports jersey/tshirt: “Team Up Against Drugs!”
• Fri: White clothing or Halloween costume; “Say BOO to Drugs!”
• 10/29/15: Pumpkin Capers: All 4th graders need to bring in a pumpkin the size of their head for our awesome science lab! We begin at 9:05 am. I will keep your child’s pumpkin for you beginning on Monday 10/26. Thank you Mrs. Wente for volunteering!
• 10/30/15: Halloween Celebration: Please feel free to send in ONLY healthy, low sugar treats. I cannot accept anything homemade :-(. We will be watching Holes in the morning, and participating in the Costume Parade in the afternoon. School Harvest Festival 10/30 @ 4:00 PM
• 11/2-11/6: Parent Teacher Conferences.  Students will be dismissed at 2pm on Tuesday-Friday. Our conferences will begin on 10/29, due to travel.
• 12/1/15: 5th grade Science Camp Meeting. Camp dates: 5/9-5/11/16. Cost 195.00. Deposit of $50.00 due on 12/13/15.
• Your students’ direction for the “Trimester Book Project” are in this folder. Your student should be reading their chosen book and taking notes. Please review the assignment.Time for Step 4! Doing our projects!

Things to ask your kiddo, October 23rd edition

It was a good week, with lots of important work completed!
Grades are pretty well updated in Home Access Center, for you to check. Remember, we now only grade on a scale of 1-4, in order to match the state testing bands.

IMPORTANT: ALL 4th GRADERS NEED A PUMPKIN, ROUGHLY THE SIZE OF THEIR HEAD, AT SCHOOL BY THURSDAY 10/29/15, FOR 'PUMPKIN CAPERS"!

Things to ask your kiddo:

• 4th and 5th: What joint project did you do in science? What question are you answering on your google slide?
• Are you being a respectful and compassionate classmate?
• Are you talking over your teacher during instruction, and making it difficult for all students to hear and understand the tasks?
• What is a number talk? Can you make up one for me to do?
• You have a lot of writing in your binder at school. What do you need to work on to become a better writer?
• What special activities are happening next week for Red Ribbon Week?

Weekly Announcements, October 19-23

Alberg's Awesome Word: Awareness

10/23/15 Last day to bring in socks for SOCKTOBER!

10/30/15 Last day for 4th graders to bring in See's Candies Orders.

10/30/15: Halloween Celebration: Please feel free to send in ONLY healthy, low sugar treats. I cannot accept anything homemade :-(. We will be watching Holes in the morning, and participating in the Costume Parade in the afternoon. School Harvest Festival 10/30 @ 3:30 PM

11/2-11/6: Parent Teacher Conferences.  Students will be dismissed at 2pm on Tuesday-Friday. Our conferences will begin on 10/29, due to travel.

12/1/15: 5th grade Science Camp Meeting. Camp dates: 5/9-5/11/16. Cost 195.00. Deposit of $50.00 due on 12/13/15.

Your students’ direction for the “Trimester Book Project” are in this folder. Your student should be reading their chosen book and taking notes. Please review the assignment.Time for Step 4! Doing our projects!

Things to ask your kiddo, October 16th edition

What were your jobs in literature circles this week?
Did you do well being a member of your literature circle? Did you participate? Did you listen? Were you ready?
Tell me about your chemistry and electricity project. (See slides on our web page)
What is sage and scribe? How does it work?
Have we brought socks in yet, to donate for Socktober?

Weekly Announcements, October 5-9

Well, I wish this was what we saw each day...

Here are the weekly announcements:

• 4th graders are selling See's Candy to support our field trip to Riley's Farm in March. If each child raises $50.00 the trip to the "Gold Rush Adventure" should be covered.
• Both classes are participating in Socktober...please help your student collect new socks for homeless adults and children. We will be collecting them until October 23rd. Ask your friends and family to help out!
• There is no school (for students) on Monday, October 12th!
• Pumpkin capers is coming soon for the 4th grade!
• Our conferences will begin the last week of October. Minimum days for students, however, are 11/2-11/6. Please make sure your child is picked up on time.

Please talk with your students about respectful behavior and personal responsibility. It is absolutely an on-going conversation in our home! It is not okay to keep chatting over an adult, or to tune out during instruction time, or talk back when a consequence is given.

Watch this space for sample math lessons!

Have a great week!

Things to ask your kiddo about school this week, October 2nd edition

Greetings, and Happy October!

I triple love the month of October, and can't wait to share it with your students!

Without further ado:

• can they show you partial products (4th grade) and partial quotients (5th grade) in math. They should be able to demonstrate these cool strategies for solving multiplication and division problems.
• What is Socktober? Who started it? Why? Are you participating? (Please do!)
• What is a number talk? What do we do during that time?
• What was required of them on their language arts Culminating task? What did they learn from it?

Have a wonderful weekend! Check back on Monday for the weekly announcements!

D4 5th graders teach partial quotients and one EPIC division problem!

Partial Quotients Method 9/28/15

Weekly Update for September 28- October 2

And...we are off! Both sides of the room will be working on their first Culminating Task in Language Arts. That involves reading, independently, and creating a long piece in the writing type. The kids have been building toward this, and I am excited to see how they do with ownership of the piece.

Please remind your student to practice their mindful strategies of breathing and taking time to check in with themselves throughout the day.

By Friday, our novels should be finished. We will begin to talk about projects that can be created around the novel. This is no ordinary book report!

Announcements for the week:
9/30/15 Ford Night Out: The Habit in La Quinta

10/2/15 School Fundraiser Orders Due!

10/7: TWEEN Yoga begins at Evolve Yoga Studio in La Quinta, call them for more information. 760-567-6716

10/12/15: NO SCHOOL (for students!-I’ll be here!)

11/2-11/6: Parent Teacher Conferences.  Students will be dismissed at 2pm on Tuesday-Friday. Our conferences will begin on 10/29, due to travel.

Things to ask your kiddo, 9/25 edition

It has been a good and productive week in D4, as we get used to routines and procedures and stretch our ability to stay focused and on task.

Here are some things to ask your kids about:

• How are you doing with reading your novel and note-taking? Do you need help and support with that?
• Quiz them on their times tables, or put a free app on your phone!
• 4th grade: tell me the parts of a story. Tell me about circuits. What does it mean when I ask you to tell me a number in "expanded form"?
• 5th grade: What does the ACE strategy mean for writing informational text? (Answer- Cite-Explain). Can you model a the solution to a division problem by drawing?
• What is a prepositional phrase?(a phrase that starts with a preposition and ends with its object) What are some prepositions?(to, for, among, under, without, over, in, with) What is a dependent clause?(a group of words that does not make its own sentence) What is an independent clause?(a group of words that could be its own sentence) What punctuation mark is used after a dependent clause when it comes at the beginning of a sentence? (a comma)

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Make sure to finish the novel by Friday 10/2/15!

Weekly Update Sept 21-25

Here is what is coming up this week:

• Science lab on Monday afternoon
• Picture day is Tuesday
• Mrs. A-B at the district office on Tuesday
• Formative Tasks 2 for both grades:
• 5th grade uses the Answer-Cite-Explain (ACE) strategy
• 4th grade will be comparing two characters
• Please quiz kiddos on multiplication facts 0-12

Have an amazing week! We will!!

Things to ask your kiddo: Friday September 18th edition

Greetings! Tired of asking, "What did you do in school?" and getting the answer, "Nothing." in return?

Here are some things you can ask your kiddo about:

• What was the hardest part of math for you this week?
• What is FANBOYS? (it is a way to remember conjunctions)
• What were the pieces you read about this week?
• Is there a science lab on Monday? (Yes)
• Who do you sit with at lunch?
• Who do you play with at recess?
• Are you being a bucket filler?

Have a wonderful weekend!

xo

Mrs. A-B

Math lesson, grade 4, 2.2 9/15/15

Weekly Update, April 27-May 1

This should be quite a week! We have state testing for both grades Monday-Thursday mornings. We begin right away, so please, be on time and have had breakfast. There is no homework; use this time to read and to work on your projects which are due on 5/21/15.

• 4/27-5/7/15 State Testing Both Grades!
• 5/8/15 States and Capitals  test for 5th grade begins
• 5/11-5/13 5th grade Science Camp. School continues for 4th graders and 5th graders who are not attending camp.
• 5/21/15 CA Landmark/ State Project Due
• 5/25/15 No School Memorial Day
• 6/4/15 Arts in the Gardens
• 6/8/15 Academic Awards for 3rd Trimester: 4th @ 1:30; 5th @ 2:15
• 6/9/15 5th grade Promotion 1:45 PM
• 6/10/15 5th grade to Wet and Wild; 4th grade to Palm Desert Aquatic Center (tentative)
• 6/11/15 Last Day of School- Minimum day and report cards distributed.

Please remind your students, as I will remind them in person:

Do the best you can on the tests, take your time and think about the question. Make sure you answer the question- all the way. You are not your test scores! you are a living, breathing, intelligent amazing person. Each of you have a huge contribution to make to this world, and that can never be shared via a test. I am proud of the many talents and kindnesses you share each day with me and with your classmates.

Things to ask your kiddo, April 24th edition

We had a good week- off schedule, but good. Our class takes things in stride and does their best, evening "wowing" the principal this week with their focus and manners.

Ask your child about...

•  the new Literature Circle novel they started. Who wrote it? How does it start?
• did they make an effort to show kindness this week? How?
• do they have a plan for completing their state/CA Landmark project?
• ask them to tell you what figurative language is and maybe share an idiom or two!
• if you have a 5th grader, ask them about the field trip today

Have a wonderful weekend!

Weekly Update 4/20-4/27

The copier is once again broken, so here are the weekly announcements: (they were also carried home to you by your student with their graded work on Friday)

• All Camp paperwork is due Monday 4/20/15. All tuition is due 4/24/15. Checks made out to Gerald Ford School, please.
• Riley's Farm trip for 5th grade is Friday 4/24/15. We leave at 8:30 sharp. Please, make your $10.00 donation if you haven't.
• 4/21- State science test
• 4/22- State science test
• 4/21: Math test- chapter 9 4th grade/ chapter 11 5th grade
• 4/27-5/7/15 State Testing Both Grades!
• 5/8/15 States and Capitals  test for 5th grade begins
• 5/11-5/13 5th grade Science Camp. School continues for 4th graders and 5th graders who are not attending camp.
• 5/25/15 No School Memorial Day
• 6/4/15 Arts in the Gardens
• 6/8/15 Academic Awards for 3rd Trimester: 4th @ 1:30; 5th @ 2:15
• 6/9/15 5th grade Promotion 1:45 PM
• 6/10/15 5th grade to Wet and Wild; 4th grade to Palm Desert Aquatic Center
• 6/11/15 Last Day of School- Minimum day and report cards distributed.

Things to ask your kiddo, April 17th edition

Another week draws to a close...
Here are some replacements for: How was school today?

• What novel did you finish in Literature Circles? What did you think of it? Explain that to me.
• What group project did you do for Literature Circles?
• Did you practice state testing on the Chromebook? How did you feel about navigating the site? Did you know how to use the test web site?
• What are you learning about grammar?
• What is your plan for the next few weeks for staying tuned in to school and learning?
• Are you prepared for the math test this coming week? How do you know? How can I help you?

Things to ask your kiddo April 10th edition

I have to say, it has been a good week together! We were happy to be with each other and got right to work....

In this week's edition of "Things to ask your kiddo":

• Did you have fun at the "Walk A Thon"? What did you enjoy the most?
• What "extra" class do you like the most (PE, Music, Computers, Art)? Why? Tell me more than just about the teacher.
• Can you please summarize your literature circle novel for me? Ask them follow up questions, to help them be more detailed in their response.
• Did you like the novel? Tell me why or why not, and give me evidence to support your opinion.
• What did you learn from doing the "light bulb brain" meditation this week?
• 5th: Tell me about volume? What does it tell you about a figure, for example a box?
• 4th: What did you think of Smokejumpers?
• Which day of the week featured Mrs. Alberg-Burbank's grossest smoothie?

Have a wonderful, safe, relaxing weekend. Honor Roll assembly will be on 4/17/15: 1:30 for 4th grade and 2:15 for 5th.

5th graders take the state science test on April 21st and 22nd and both grades begin state testing on April 27th.

Weekly News 4/6-4/10

Welcome Back!
I hope your break from school was wonderful- filled with relaxing, reading and fun!

We now begin the big push towards state testing. Attendance and being mindful in the moment become even more important.

I will work to keep the "test prep" to a minimum in here, but some time will be necessary in order for students to feel comfortable using the Chromebook to complete testing. All students must have earbuds present and available at school.

In the coming week we will transition back to Language Arts modules and reading and writing opinion pieces. One of the things we learn to do is respond to all that we are being asked, as well as to defend our reasoning with evidence drawn from the text.

We will have conferences this week, along with minimum days. Please pick your child up promptly at 1:55 Tuesday-Friday.

On Friday, we'll attend our WALK A THON. Please send in envelopes/donations ASAP.

State reports (5th) and CA Landmark reports (4th) will be due at the end of May. Requirements for the assignment will be going home soon!

Wrap Up for week of 3/23-3/27

What a great week it has been!
We finish reading The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, by CS Lewis. We got to view the film on Friday, but prior to that, we used technology to draft a news script and then animate our newscast with POW Toons!

We added some elements to our e-portfolios, as well.

In math, we continued to explore geometry (5th) and decimals relationship to fractions (4th).

Please support the FORD FALCON WALK A THON! Send in your envelopes ASAP, as our "walk-a-thon" will be held on April 10th.

Things to ask your child about:

• What are they reading for free time reading?
• How are they handling Literature Circles and discussions? Are they being good listeners, are they contributing appropriately? Do they give appropriate feedback to others?
• In math, are they asking questions? Are they doing their homework?
• In social studies, are they connecting the past to their lives today? Do they attempt to understand what the lives of the people we study must have been like. Do they try to picture the geographic locations which we are discussing?

Have a wonderful Spring Break!

Weekly News 3/23-3/27/15

Spring Break begins after this week!

I will be out on Monday and Tuesday, both, but have left great plans for the guest teachers. (I will be back on campus to teach kid yoga on Monday!)

• For the fifth grade: If they are going to camp, they need a "cabin buddy" turned in to me, hopefully, by today. We are working on cabin groups and learning groups.  There is a chaperone meeting on Thursday at 3:05.
• Please continue to turn in MATH A THON funds! Our little class has raised more than 500.00. That is so great! All money is due 3/26/15.
• Riley's Farm trip is 4/24/15. More information to follow.

For both grades: 

• Spring Break: March 30-April 3.
• Conference Week: April 6-April 9. Minimum days April 7-9.
• Parent/Community Meeting with Desert Sands Teachers Association: April 9th 5:30-6:30,at the DSTA office on Corporate Center Dr, off of Dune Palms, in La Quinta. Attend to learn more about the struggle between the teachers and district and what you can do to support your students. Please feel free to ask me questions!

Weekly Wrap Up Friday March 20, 2015

The copier is broken, so no homework folders will go out this week. I will assign math on a day to day basis, and get spelling and dictation to the kids on (hopefully) Monday.

Things to talk about with your student:

• Ask them to tell you key details about the novel we read this week. Also ask them to discuss the characters and their qualities, along with the themes contained in the novel.
• Talk to them about answering all parts of a question, whether it is in writing or speaking. many students are struggling to make sure they answer what is asked. Either they are hurrying, or they do not look past the first part of a question. Encourage them to slow down and to be thoughtful.
• Ask them about the flyer they made.
• Ask them about how they feel they did on math chapter 8 math test
• Help them set a goal for the week. Make the goal more meaningful than, I want all 5s on something. Be more specific. What will they do to achieve the goal?

It was a good week together! Report cards are due the district on 3/25/15, so it will be a bit before you see them.

Week of 3/16/15

Good Morning!

We are getting ready for another great week in D4...

• In addition to Literature Circles, we are studying the novel The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.
• AR goals will be re-created for the final trimester!
• We will prepare for chapter 8 math test: multiplication of fractions in 4th and division of fractions in 5th.
• We will wrap up our creation of google slides on the Rock Cycle and Weather.
• 5th graders have a guest speaker from the Water Department on 3/19/15.

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Alberg-Burbank

PS Please attend the LCAP funding meeting on Tuesday night at 6PM in the MPR!

Things to ask your kiddo....

Instead of, "What did you do in school today?", here are some things to ask about:

• What novel did you begin today?
• Did you use technology this week?
• How is your slide coming in science?
• How do you think you did in your culminating task for Language Arts?
• Are you struggling with fractions? If so, what part?

I wish you each an amazing weekend. Thanks for the kids you send to me each day!

Weekly News 3/9-3/13

Good Morning!

This week is going to be a great one...
Here are the things on which we will be working:

• 5th graders should still be gathering pledges for the MATH-A-THON. This is an academic fundraiser, that reinforces important math skills. Did you know it takes roughly $10,000 to get all of our kids to our year end activities? We actually have to pay to use the district buses!
• Both grades are beginning their culminating task in Module 4, Language Arts. This task attempts to mirror the structure of the state tests, which will begin in April.
• Picture Day was today- the kids look delightful!
• In science we continue to study the rock cycle and the weather.
• In Math, 4th grade is working on multiplying fractions and 5th grade is learning what it means to divide fractions.

Our web site is up and running! It will be a process to get it going, but beginning this week, we will post our homework there, in case you need it. All of my contact information is contained in a QR code- so you can point your cell phone at the screen and have all of my information.

Have a great week!

Mrs. Alberg-Burbank

Here we go...

Finally, getting our web site and blog up and running!