1. 4 th Grade Curriculum Night

2. Our Mission Statement Building upon the foundation of the Core Knowledge Sequence, Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy: A Challenge Foundation Academy partners with families to educate students in grades K-12 in the trivium of grammar, logic, and rhetoric, thus graduating thoughtful, articulate young adults who are prepared for college and for a lifetime of citizenship and active intellectual inquiry.

3. Our School’s Mission  Thomas Jefferson Classical Grammar School-A Challenge Foundation is a college preparatory school.  Our aim is to broaden your child’s learning experiences to include many topics that are not currently taught in most public schools.  As a result of our challenging curriculum this may entail more homework, and extra study time at home as compared to what you have been used to.  Also, your child is now in the process of getting closer to the middle school age where organization is key to their success.  While this may take extra time and effort from all of us, we are confident that the rewards will far outweigh the hard work it will require!

4. CKLA /ELA The CKLA Program includes grammar, spelling, writing and language arts. Please refer to your pacing guide to determine our current topic. We will be reading Pollyanna, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle, Robinson Crusoe, Robin Hood, Treasure Island, and Gulliver’s Travels.

5. Grammar  Grammar will come from the Orange Grammar Workshop book. Each student will have their own workbook. We will do some pages together and then students will have assignments to do at home as well. These books will be used all year so please help your child keep up with them. It will be your responsibility to replace it if it is lost.

6. Core Knowledge  What Your 4th Grader Needs to Know What Your 4th Grader Needs to Know  Core provides students with rich content covering various topics in science and social studies.  It allows teachers to work across the curriculum and to be creative.  If you and your child are new to Thomas Jefferson, we recommend buying What Your Third Grader Needs To Know.

7. Science Topics  Electricity and Magnetism  Meteorology  Circulatory System  Respiratory System  Geology  Chemistry 

8. Social Studies  Using Maps and World Mountains  Europe in the Middle Ages  Spread of Islam  Early and Medieval African Kingdoms  China: Dynasties & Kingdoms  American Revolution  Making a Constitutional Government  Early Presidents and Politics  Early American Reformers  American Symbols and Figures

9. Singapore Math  Singapore Math takes a slightly different mathematical approach than what you may be used to.  Word problems are solved using model drawing. This helps students visualize what a word problem is saying so they can understand the meaning and thus how to solve the problem.  Students will have mental math exercises which teaches them to calculate in the heads without using paper and pencil.  Importance of knowing multiplication facts  Students will have timed speed drills with addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts.

10. Schedule  7:50 Arrive to Class (Happy and Prepared)  7:50-8:20 Attendance, Lunch Count, Announcements, Unpack, Morning Work  8:20-10:10 Singapore Math  *9:20 Restrooms and Snack  10:10-11:30 English/Language Arts  11:30-12:00 Lunch  12:00-12:30 Recess  12:30-12:40 Water/Restroom  12:40-1:25 Specials  Monday - Art  Tuesday – P.E.  Wednesday - Music  Thursday – Computer  Friday - Library  1:30-2:30 CK History and Science  2:30-2:50 Read Aloud/Pack Up  2:50 Dismissal  *This schedule is subject to change.

11. Lunch/Snack  Please refrain from dropping off lunch daily during lunch time.  The front office will not allow students to call requesting lunch for that day. Students need to come prepared for lunch.  Snacks should include food that is quick and not messy.  Please send appropriate food with your child for lunch and snack.  No Soda or Candy!  $3.00 a meal  Please keep up with your child’s account. Review the Parent Handbook regarding the lunch policy.

12. Attendance and Tardies  If a student has consistent tardies, a parent-teacher conference will be scheduled.  Students missing over 20 days (excused or unexcused) will receive an automatic fail for the school year.  We will be picking up students from the gym by 7:50.  We will begin instruction at 8:05, so punctuality is very important. Students who are consistently here obviously gain the best advantage in performance over their fellow students. Students having great attendance will gain more knowledge and are able to understand the subject matter being taught since they were present for the entire lesson. When your child is not at school, we have to rush through lessons and the student is overwhelmed with make up work. Please make every effort to give your child a successful year! Early Check-Out During the afternoon, 4 th grade conducts Core Knowledge hands on activities that are difficult to make-up. If your child needs to miss part of the day, please contact me to make arrangements for make-up work.

13. Homework Planner  It is the students responsibility to make sure that they get all homework assisgnments.  Students are required to write down their homework each day.  Parents can find the homework on my website.  The Planner will be used to communicate homework, notes, and behavior issues. The Planner must be signed nightly!

14. Absences and Late Work  Students have 2 days per day absent to make up work without being penalized.  All missing assignments will have to be made up. Due to lack of time throughout the day, recess will be used as time for students to complete make up work that has to be graded. All other make up work will have to be completed at home.

15. Classroom Management  Jumping Frogs  Lily Pad #1- Laps at recess  Lily Pad #2- Teacher Discretion  Lily Pad #3- Office/Parents Contact  Brownie Points  For every compliment the class receives as a whole, you will earn a “brownie point”. When the pan is full I will bring in a pan of brownies at lunch. The pan is then empty and we start over again.

17. Communication  Please make sure we have your current e-mail address.  Check your e-mail and my website frequently.  We send a weekly update so you know what to expect.  If you have a major concern, please call rather than e-mail.  Sensitive matters  Transportation  Please keep in mind that we are all adults working together as a team to ensure your child has a great year.  If you need to talk with me, we will need to schedule a meeting instead of impromptu meetings.  Communication is a key factor in the success of your student….emailing the teacher is also a quick connection!  All important classroom dates, school events, and everything we will be studying in class can be found on my website, and in each student’s planner.

18. Weekly Work Folders  Go over work to be returned to school that night & the other work to be left at home at your convenience. This is critical to your child’s success!  The work sent back is kept to create a portfolio of each student’s work for this year.  Please make sure you sign the back of the Weekly Work Folder next to the assigned date. This is the way I know you saw your child’s work.

19. Teacher Webpage  School Website School Website  Homework  Calendar  Attachments  Reminders  Examples and Pictures  Weekly Update

20. Uniforms  Please be sure to read the Uniform Policy in the Parent Handbook.  There is a write up slip for those students who do not follow the Uniform Policy.  There have been many changes this year in the uniform policies. One major change is that the new TJ logo is the only one allowed on their uniforms this year.

21. Powerschool  We will be using the same login information as last year. If you need your information again please let me know or contact the office on your way out.  If parents do not live in the same household, you will need to contact the office at a later date to receive a login.  If you have more than one child, you only need one account. You may sign multiple children up under one name.  You may check your child’s grades at any time. However grades will only be updated on Tuesdays. Please refrain from emailing me until after you receive the WWF on Wed. and have time to review the work with your child. If questions still remain feel free to email me.

22. Upcoming Events  Parent Conferences  Labor Day Holiday, Monday, September 7th  Early Release, October 15 th  Teacher Workday October 16th  Check your email and the website for upcoming dates of important school events and tests each week!

23. Field Trips This Year  Low-Income or assistance needed paperwork is available in the front office from Mrs. Downs and this is kept confidential—this is only available for day field trips, not overnight field trips.  Scheduled Field Trips:  Mineral Museum in Asheville  Kings Mountain Battleground  North Carolina Outer Banks (March 22-24)  We will have a meeting to discuss this in further detail on September 1 st at 6:00 pm. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT MEETING.  Deposit will be $75 per person and will be due by Sept. 21 st.  The estimated cost for a Quad room will be $355.00. These costs are subject to change based on the amount of people that sign up for the trip.

24. Contact Information Stephanie Blanton sblanton@tjca.org