Dear 4D Parents,

It was great seeing those of you who were able to make it to Curriculum Night. I hope you were able to get a nice overview of the year ahead! Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have throughout the year. Here is a look at the upcoming events and the week ahead!

Some important dates coming up:

• No school on Monday, September 4th in recognition of Labor Day - This will also be a Rest and Relaxation weekend (which means no homework!)

• Singapore Math/Spalding Night for 3rd-5th grades - Tuesday, September 5th from 6-7:30 (This event will mainly benefit new families.)

• Love and Logic by Larry Kerby - Tuesday, September 12th from 6:30-8 (This event will benefit all families.)

The Week Ahead:

This week in ELA, we will continue in Pollyanna with discussing imagery and focusing on comprehension. In grammar, we will study synonyms and antonyms and subject nouns. Your children recited the poem, "Dreams" well and will receive "Afternoon on a Hill" to recite the week of September 11th. Our first spelling and phonogram tests will be on Friday. There will be 30 spelling words on the test and a separate test for 10 of the phonograms.  

   We are excited to begin this week with our unit on "Geology: The Earth and Its Changes". The unit starts off with the study of the Earth's layers. Students will be able to identify the layers of the Earth through hands on activities as well as building their own 3D models.

In math this week, we’ll be wrapping up our unit on whole numbers by introducing word problems. There will be a test on Friday covering all the topics we’ve studied in math so far, including place value, estimation, factors, and multiples.

This week in History/Geography we will be learning about the 4 time zones in the United States. Students will explore how ET, CT, MST, PST compare with other time zones in the US and across the globe. We will also begin our study of physical maps. Students will learn the importance of these maps and how to read changes in elevation on a physical map. 

Other Announcements:

As a reminder please make sure you check the agenda each night. In addition, please also check the reading logs each night. Each Friday, your child gets a daily breakdown on what the reading log should contain. This paper can be stapled to the reading log or just kept in the take-home folder. It is important that students answer these questions and the reading log is initialed to receive full credit.

We will be starting tutoring shortly, tutoring at this time is by invitation only. I will be reaching out soon if it is recommended you child attends tutoring.

We are in need of tissues and hand sanitizer for the classroom. If you are able to donate any of these items, they would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for all of your support thus far!

Sincerely,

Mr. Bergeron

Dear 4D Parents:

Welcome to the 3^rd full week! of classes! We have some exciting events happening this week. First the solar eclipse will occur tomorrow, Monday 8/21. Those children who will be accompanied by their parents may observe it with special glasses donated to the school for them to use. The rest of us will remain in the class watching it on live stream. We will have a lesson and activity that will correspond to the subject. A letter was sent home regarding this event, please refer to it to understand the policy and procedure for the day.

The other important event is Curriculum Night. It will be on Tuesday 8/22 from 6-7:30. Please come to hear the overview of our year and to understand more of how our classroom operates. This is an adult only event, please make other arrangements for your children. 

Important dates:

• This Tuesday, August 22nd is Curriculum Night for 3rd-5th grades from 6-7:30
• Singapore Math/Spalding Night for 3rd-5th grades - Tuesday, September 5th from 6-7:30
• Love and Logic by Larry Kerby - Tuesday, September 12th from 6:30-8

Here is a look at our upcoming week. In language arts this week, we will continue writing summaries and doing dictation. We will begin diagramming simple sentences, and start Touchstones which is a book that helps us in our Socratic discussions. Everyone will individually recite the poem, "Dreams", on Friday. 

In literature, as we read Pollyanna, we will go over the skill of understanding conflict and resolution. Please make sure your child is completing their reading log using the sheet they were given that has the questions for each day on it.

In History/Geography this week students will review important components of maps and learn to use them along with latitude and longitude to find coordinates of cities and countries. We will also learn about time zones across the United States, and internationally. Students will discover their importance and how they impact travel and communication. 

This week in Math we'll continue studying multiples and factors, exploring their relationship through discussion and group work. We will introduce the order of operations and start working on word problems at the end of the week. 

In Science this week we will prepare our students for the 2017 Solar eclipse on Monday, August 21^st. We will learn what a solar eclipse is and all about what makes an eclipse occur. We will also discover the difference between a lunar eclipse and a solar eclipse as well as the difference between a total eclipse and a partial one. To begin our study of Earth’s history, we will begin our unit in  Geology this week. We will learn about the layers of the Earth, land formations, and much more. 

Thank you for all of your support so far this year!

Mr. Bergeron

Dear 4D Parents,

We are about to embark on our second full week of school. I am so thankful for the hard work the class has put in so far. We have been working on our classroom routines and began diving into our academics last week. This week we have a lot of exciting lessons planned!

Before we get to the academics for the week here are some important dates to mark down:

·       Picture Day – Tuesday August 15th  (An envelope went home last week for orders.)

·       Curriculum Night – K-2nd grade – August 17 from 6-7:30

                                           3rd -5th grade – August 22 from 6-7:30

**Curriculum Night is an adult only event, please make other arrangements for your children.**

This week in Math we'll be wrapping up our study of place value with a discussion of number patterns and mental math. We'll be working on estimation for numbers up to 6-digits and at the end of the week, starting to discuss factors and multiples. 

In Language Arts this week, we will be reading chapters 6-10 in Pollyanna. Your child should not be reading ahead because we want to experience the twists and turns together as a class. Our focus this week is characterization and comprehension. One of the main grades in Literature is from the reading logs. These need to be completed in a thoughtful manner in order for your child to get the 10 points (per week) that they are worth.

Along with summaries and dictation, we are continuing capitalization, reviewing what a sentence is, and reviewing the 4 types of sentences, in Language Arts. We will have a packet for cursive practice. We will also practice the poem “Dreams” which each child will present to the class on August 24^th. They should be practicing this each night with proper pacing and inflection. 

We have an exciting week planned for history/geography! We will discuss the importance of maps, and their many uses. Students will learn to measure distances using map scales, and locate places on maps using latitude and longitude. Students will be able to identify the importance of a map key, and compass rose and other essential components of map reading. Major terms we will learn this week are: Meridian, Equator, International Date Line. Students will also learn the importance of time zones in the United States and across the globe.

In Science, we will continue learning about the Scientific Method. Scientists are continually making observations and wondering about the natural world. As they observe the world around them, they ask many questions. Then, they make an educated guess called a hypothesis.  From there, the scientist plans his or her experiment. This is all done with these thoughts in mind..."I can discover how this works, or why does this happen, or how can this problem be solved."

Students will also learn how to control variables and make decisions.  Sometimes our hypothesis wasn't correct or the experiment was faulty.  Learning to discover through "failures" is part of being a scientist.  Students will learn to get messy, make mistakes, look for patterns, and discover that science is fun, and we will begin by doing so by conducting an experiment using skittles. Our students will learn to observe, investigate, form a hypothesis, collect data, analyze information, make conclusions, and report their findings

To prepare our students for the 2017 Solar eclipse on Monday the 21 of August, we will talk about what a solar eclipse is.  We will learn all about what makes an eclipse happen. Discover the difference between a lunar eclipse and a solar eclipse as well as the difference between a total eclipse and a partial one. Find out the best way to watch an eclipse in action as well as what to be careful of while watching one.

Mr. Bergeron

Dear 4D Parents,

I hope you and your family had a relaxing weekend. I wanted to tell you how welcoming, receptive, and ready to learn your child was on Friday.  I look forward to sharing many wonderful memories with the class this year. 

We will be starting Pollyanna this week. Please ensure your child brings this book to school with them on Monday. 

In Science, we will begin by learning about the Scientific Method. Students will be able 

explain 5 reasons why science is important, and be able to identify and record each step of the scientific method. They will learn to define and identify variables in different scenarios as they conduct an experiment of their own. At the end of our study on the Scientific Method, we will each take on the role of scientists and conduct an experiment using M&M's to show mastery of all that we have learned about Scientific Method.

In Math, we will begin by discussing place value in numbers up to 5- and 6-digits. Using manipulatives, we will discuss how to write numbers in standard and expanded form, how each place value relates to other place values, and how to order large numbers. Place value is a foundational topic upon which many other later topics are based, and this week is an important one in laying strong groundwork for the rest of the year.

We will begin our study of history/geography this week by learning the importance of maps, and their many uses. Students will learn to measure distances using map scales, and other fundamental components of map reading. We will use latitude and longitude to find locations across the globe and become familiar with the Prime Meridian, Equator, International Date Line and how lines of latitude and longitude divide the earth. At the end of the week we will turn our attention to time zones across the world and here in the United States. 

In Literature this week, we will begin reading Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter. Please make sure your child brings in the book on Monday. I have put up a picture of the cover of the book we use. Learning about Pollyanna's difficult circumstances and how she deals with them is a great way to start the year. We will be focusing on setting and characterization this week.

Also this week, we will be working on summaries and dictation in our writing portion of Language Arts and capitalization in the grammar portion.

The students will start memorizing the poem "Dreams" by Langston Hughes. This will be presented the week of August 21.

Mr. Bergeron

Dear 4D Parents,

I am excited to welcome you to 4D and a new school year at Archway Lincoln! It was great meeting everyone at Meet the Teacher Night. I am looking forward to working with you and your child and beginning the new school year.

This will be my first year teaching 4th grade at Lincoln. Prior to joining the Archway Lincoln Team, I worked with children and young adults in numerous setting including teaching, coaching and after school programs. I earned my MA in History from Virginia Tech and served 6 years in the New Hampshire Army National Guard. I look forward to collaborating with my colleagues this year and providing your children with a rigorous, highly formative, and enjoyable year.

Joining me this year as my teaching assistant is Mrs. Laura Ryan. Mrs. Ryan brings years of experience to the classroom and I know she will be a pivotal asset in 4D. I am looking forward to partnering with her to make this year.

Please note the following important information:

·         August 4 -  2017/2018 School Year Begins (doors open at 7:45 a.m., the day begins at 8:05 a.m. but please arrive at least 10 minutes prior to the start of school)

·         No hot lunches will be served until August 14, so please be sure to pack a snack, a lunch, and water bottle for your child each day. Please be sure to label your child’s lunchbox and water bottle with their first and last name.

Labeling and Supplies:

·         Please label your child’s water bottle and lunchbox with their name.

·         Please label your child’s outer wear with their name (sweaters, pullovers, etc.)

Our curriculum is rigorous and interesting. Your child will be studying subjects that range from the Middle Ages to meteorology, phonograms to fractions, narration to navigation and many things in between. Mrs. Ryan and I look forward to helping your child transition from third grade to fourth grade.

Our goal is for this to be an enjoyable, productive, challenging, and encouraging year for all our students. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. My email is tbergeron@archwaylincoln.org and Mrs. Ryan’s is lryan@archwaylincoln.org

I send out weekly updates and information on my blog. I will send you the link to that soon.

Sincerely,

Mr. Bergeron