Sunday, December 17, 2017


Dear 4D Parents:

There are 3 early release days left before the break. One of those will be our Middle Ages Celebration; it should be a fun day. Thank you to those who are able to help donate and volunteer. There are still some spaces left. If you have the time, we could use the extra help : )

Important Dates:

  • Dec 18 - last day to contribute for Tax Credit Drive and be entered in raffle for gift basket
  • December 18-20 are early release days.
  • December 19th - Middle Ages Celebration
  • Winter Break starts on Thursday, December 21st. The 3rd quarter starts on Monday, January 8th
  • Parent/Teacher Conferences for 2nd quarter are January 4-5 (Thursday and Friday). This the link for the sign up: http://signup.com/go/CxsoZdx

  • January 8 and 9 - Fourth Grade Project: reciting "Paul Revere's Ride" 
  • January 15 - no school - Civil Right's Day

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Academics for the week:



We will continue learning about author's purpose and theme this week. There will be an activity with idioms and we will also have time to work on the poem.



"Paul Revere's Ride" is the fourth grade project for Project Week. It will be recited the first two days back from Winter Break (January 8th and 9th). Parents are welcome to watch their child recite the poem. Just email me if you would like to come and I'll give you an approximate time for your child's turn.  



This week in Math, we will conclude our unit on measurement with a unit test. This test will be structured like the previous one on fractions. On Monday, the students will take the test and after that, I will go through them, highlighting incorrect answers and work. It is most beneficial for the students’ learning if they show all their work, so I can highlight exactly where they started to go wrong. On Wednesday, I will hand back the test and the students will be able to correct the highlighted problems for full credit.

In science, we will continue learning about weather. We will focus on thunderstorms and lightning.



In history this week we will finish our unit on Islamic Empires. We will study the Crusades, why they occurred and the impact they had on Islamic and Christian Empires as well as the world around them. We will take a quiz on Wednesday. Students already have the study guide to use to prepare for this quiz. 

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Please remember to sign up for conferences and practice the poem over the break!



I hope you have a great week,

Mr. Bergeron

Sunday, December 10, 2017


Dear 4D Parents:

It is hard to believe we are quickly approaching the end of the quarter! We will finish strong not only with academics but some fun activities as well.

Important Dates:

  • Dec 12Birthday Book Club
    • AM Kinder (Jul-Dec) @ 11:30 a.m.
    • Full Day Kinder - 2nd @ 2:30 p.m.
    • 3rd - 5th @ 2:45 p.m.
  • Dec 18 - last day to contribute for Tax Credit Drive and be entered in raffle for gift basket
  • December 18-20 are early release days.
  • December 19th - Middle Ages Celebration
  • Winter Break starts on Thursday, December 21st. The 3rd quarter starts on Monday, January 8th
  • Parent/Teacher Conferences for 2nd quarter are January 4-5 (Thursday and Friday). There will be a sign-up for this in the coming weeks. 

On Wednesday, December 19th, the fourth grade will have our Middle Ages Celebration. We will need A LOT of volunteers. So if you have been fingerprinted and have some time on that day (any time between 8:30-12:15), we would love for you to help out and have fun, too!

There will be a sign-up for this event coming soon.

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Academics this week:


We will continue to practice writing comparing/contrasting paragraphs through the week. The emphasis will be on writing strong introductory and concluding sentences, and using effective transitions. In literature, we will learn about author's purpose and theme. In grammar, we will learn how to write possessive nouns.  Please continue to help your child memorize Paul Revere's Ride.


This week in math, we will conclude our unit on measurement by applying what we’ve learned about fractions to measurement. We will practice expressing measurements as proper fractions and mixed numbers. The measurement unit test will be next week.


We will finish learning about tornadoes and hurricanes. There is a quiz on tornadoes and hurricanes on Tuesday 12/12. The cumulative test is on Thursday 12/14 which covers the atmosphere, solar radiation, atmospheric heating, hurricanes, and tornadoes. There is a “jeopardy” review game available at this web address 


On Friday, we will about air masses and fronts. 


In history we finished our Middle Ages unit last week. This week we will start our unit on Islam. We will study the Five Pillars of Islam, Muhammad, the spread of Islam and Islamic culture. We will also focus on important contributions to mathematics, science and art/architecture.

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Sincerely,

Mr. Bergeron

Sunday, December 3, 2017

Dear 4D Parents,

Our Winter Break is fast approaching. As the quarter winds down, we still have a lot of interesting things to learn. I hope these next few weeks will be an enjoyable time of learning for your children.

Important dates:
  • Dec 12 - Birthday Book Club
    • AM Kinder (Jul-Dec) @ 11:30 a.m.
    • Full Day Kinder - 2nd @ 2:30 p.m.
    • 3rd - 5th @ 2:45 p.m.
  • Dec 18 - last day to contribute for Tax Credit Drive and be entered in raffle for gift basket
  • December 18-20 are early release days.
  • Winter Break starts on Thursday, December 21st. The 3rd quarter starts on Monday, January 8th. 
  • Parent/Teacher Conferences for 2nd quarter are January 4-5 (Thursday and Friday). There will be a sign-up for this in the coming weeks. 

Academics this week:

This week in ELA, we will continue our focus on comparing and contrasting. We will use 2 characters in Robin Hood and some other passages to hone this skill. In grammar, our focus will be on defining and using similes and metaphors and classifying and diagramming possessive pronouns.

In math this week, we will continue studying measurement. We will practice adding and subtracting measurements and learn how to multiply and divide as well. These skills will mirror the skills our students already learned when we studied the operations of fractions.

We will continue our study of hurricanes and then go on to tornadoes, in science this week.

In history we will finish our study of Europe during the Middle Ages. We will learn about Joan of Arc, and the plague that swept through Europe in the 1300s. 
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Mrs. Rockmaker, our music teacher wanted us to pass on this information:

Now that the November concert has passed students will return to the use of their notebooks (for grades 3,4 and 5) and Theory Time books (for grades 4 and 5 only).  I would also like students to bring a folder and a pencil to music.  Students who have left materials in the music room can retrieve them outside of class time.  New 4th and 5th grade students can purchase Theory Time books to be purchased from Barnes & Noble at the Chandler Fashion Mall from the school book list. I have attached a copy of the list.
http://archwaylincoln.greatheartsacademies.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2017/04/Consumable-List-17-18.4.28.17.FINAL_.pdf

Needed this week:
Clear 2-liter bottles to make tornadoes!

I hope you have a great week!
Sincerely,
Mr. Bergeron 

Sunday, November 26, 2017


Dear 4D Parents,

I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving Break. It was wonderful to be able to relax before heading into the final weeks of 2nd quarter.  As we come nearer to the end of  the 2nd quarter, I want to encourage your child to finish strong. Our curriculum continues to be challenging and I hope to instill confidence in your child as they realize how much they can learn by perseverance and hard work.

Important Dates:


  • Winter Break starts on Thursday, December 21st. The 3rd quarter starts on Monday, January 8th. 
  • Parent/Teacher Conferences for 2nd quarter are January 4-5 (Thursday and Friday). There will be a sign-up for this in the coming weeks. 

_______________________
Academics this week:

This week, we will be focusing on finding the main idea and supporting details of certain passages in ELA. We will continue classifying and diagramming sentences, adding a subject pronoun. Toward the end of the week, we will start character analysis in Robin Hood in preparation for comparing and contrasting characters the following week. 

Please continue to encourage your child to keep memorizing Paul Revere's Ride. Many are doing a great job but some are falling behind. Help them to memorize a bit at a time so they can achieve success and then realize they can tackle more. 

This week in math, we will wrap up our unit on the operations of fractions. We will spend one more day practicing word problems, then review for our math test, which will be on Thursday (Nov. 30). On Friday, we will start a new unit about measurement.

In science, we will continue to learn about solar radiation. We will begin learning about extreme weather like hurricanes and tornadoes. There will be a quiz on the atmosphere and solar radiation on Thursday.

This week in history we will continue our study of the Middle Ages. We will explore topics including Eleanor of Aquitaine, the Magna Carta, the Hundred Years War and also the changes in European government during this time.
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I am looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow and finishing 2nd quarter off strong!


Mr. Bergeron

Sunday, November 19, 2017

Dear 4D Parents:


We only have school on Monday and Tuesday this week. As a reminder there will not be tutoring on Tuesday. It will resume on Tuesdays and Thursday when we get back from our Thanksgiving break.

This week in academics:

We will conduct the spelling bee in individual classes, this week. the top speller in each class will go on to the Lincoln Bee. We will also discuss Paul Revere's Ride and read chapters 3 and 4 in Robin Hood.

In math, we will practice solving word problems that involve finding the fractional part of a whole number. We will have a math test at the end of next week

In science, we will understand the characteristics of the different layers of atmosphere and how the air near Earth’s surface is heated.

This week in history we will study two more important figures during the Middle Ages: Thomas Becket and Eleanor of Aquitaine.

I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving.

I am looking forward to another great week! 



Mr. Bergeron

Sunday, November 12, 2017


Dear 4D Parents:



I hope you all had a nice Veteran’s Day weekend. I am thankful to come from a long line of veterans, and to have had the opportunity to serve with some exceptional men and women in our Armed Forces. Thank you to those of you who have served!



 Important Dates:

  • Thursday, November 16th Mandatory Winter Concert - 3-5 grades preform at 7:00 (There will be no homework given on Thursday)
  • Wednesday-Friday, November 22-24 - No school, Thanksgiving Break


Archway Lincoln Winter Concert is this Thursday. This is a mandatory concert. This year, the concerts will be held at the Higley Center for the Performing Arts located at 4132 E. Pecos Road Gilbert, AZ 85295. The 3-5 concert will begin at 7:00 p.m. with students arriving at 6:30 p.m.

The attire for concerts will be as follows:

Boys: Black pants, white dress shirt, black dress shoes, and black socks. Hair should be combed neatly.
Girls: Black skirt, white top, black tights, and black dress shoes. Hair should be pulled away from the face with no distracting adornment. Please follow the Archway Lincoln dress code for guidelines on jewelry.

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone there and hearing the selections the students have been working on.

Academics this week:

We will start our unit on Robin Hood with a discussion about legends, myths, folklore, and fairy tales. We will tie this into writing summaries on short passages about King Arthur. We will also work on the skill of prediction using Robin Hood. In Grammar, we continue to practice classifying and diagramming prepositional phrases.

Reading Logs did not go home this week. The students will have 20 minute a day independent reading this week, since we have the Fall Concert.

This week in math, we will learn how to find the fraction of a set. This concept involves multiplying fractions by a whole number and a lot of simplifying fractions, so if your child is still working on those concepts, they will get a lot of practice this week!

This week in science, the students will continue learning about air pressure and density. On Friday, the students will understand the characteristics of the layers in the atmosphere. The first meteorology test is on Thursday.

In history this week, we will continue our unit on the Middle Ages. We will focus on famous individuals during the period and how they shaped the society they lived in, and future generations. Historical figures we will focus on include William the Conqueror, Henry II and Thomas Becket.
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Classroom needs: We can always use more tissues and hand sanitizer. Thank you to those of you who have already donated!

Sincerely,
Mr. Bergeron

Sunday, November 5, 2017


Dear 4D Parents,

We had a very fun, and exciting week last week in 4D.  I enjoyed seeing your children dress up and perform in the Reader's Theater on Literary Day. I am so thankful to those of you who were able to volunteer ,and those of you who donated items as well. The students really enjoyed the day!

Important Dates:

  • Wednesday, November 8th - Parent Positive Series - 6:30-8 - Minds of Boys and Girls
  • Friday, November 10th - No school - Veteran's Day
  • Thursday, November 16th Mandatory Winter Concert - 3-5 grades preform at 7:00
  • Wednesday-Friday, November 22-24 - No school, Thanksgiving Break


Believe it or not, the third annual Archway Lincoln Winter Concert is fast approaching. This year, the concerts will be held on Thursday, November 16th at the Higley Center for the Performing Arts located at 4132 E. Pecos Road Gilbert, AZ 85295. The 3-5 concert will begin at 7:00 p.m. with students arriving at 6:30 p.m.

The attire for concerts will be as follows:

Boys: Black pants, white dress shirt, black dress shoes, and black socks. Hair should be combed neatly.
Girls: Black skirt, white top, black tights, and black dress shoes. Hair should be pulled away from the face with no distracting adornment. Please follow the Archway Lincoln dress code for guidelines on jewelry.

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Academics this week:

We will finish Prince Caspian this week. Last week filled up with other good things and we were not able to finish it. There will be a vocabulary quick check on Thursday for chapters 9-15 and the character trading cards will also be due on Thursday. In grammar, we will continue to work on prepositions.

Robin Hood
is our next book. Please make sure your child has the same one that is represented under "current literature" in the margin of the blog.

This week in math, we will continue practicing adding and subtracting mixed numbers as separate equations and embedded in word problems. We will also start to learn how to multiply a fraction by a whole number. This concept builds on the work we’ve already done with multiples earlier in the year and challenges students to think of fractions a bit more abstractly than we have been doing so far.

This week in science, the students will learn about fog and how water acts in the air. We will being an introduction to weather, wind, air pressure, and density. The students will have a quick check on the water cycle and clouds on Wednesday.

This week in History we will study city life during the Middle Ages and how it differed from life on a manor, as well as the important role of women during this time period. We will also learn about William the Conqueror, the Battle of Hastings and the why William and the battle are important to the English language and Europe.


*This past week in History, we took a virtual tour of Warwick Castle. The students were very excited about it and some wanted to view it further. Here's the link so you and your child can "visit" it together:   



I am looking forward to another exciting week!

Sincerely,

Mr. Bergeron

Dear 4th Grade Parents, We hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. We were very excited to share such a wonderful day with those of you w...