1. Mrs. Kitchell’s Fourth Grade Class Welcome, parents!

2. Welcome to Fourth Grade!  I will introduce you to fourth grade and to our classroom.

3. All About Me  My background  I grew up in Highland  I attended Purdue University where I obtained both my B.A. and M.S. degrees from.  My experience  I’ve been teaching for 19 years.  I have also taught Special Education, first, and third grades.

4. My Goals  To give your child the academic and social skills they need to: pass I-STEP’s, show improvement in their learning, and progress to fifth grade.  To provide a supportive and fun classroom environment.  To help your child make new friends and discover new interests.

5. Class Subjects  The subjects we cover during fourth grade are:  Reading  English  Spelling  Math  Science  Social studies

6. Reading  Each week there will be a story to read and a homework routine.

7. Reading Homework  Monday-vocabulary definitions  We will have workbook pages to do in class and for homework on Tuesday/Wednesday.  Thursday night your child will bring the story home to read please read and review it with them.  A quiz will be given over the story every Friday.

8. English/Writing  We will do several writing assignments this year.  Most of the work will be done in the classroom  We will be doing seven Grammar Units. There is a unit test after each.

9. Spelling  Each week there we will have a new Spelling Unit  Monday-The words will be introduced and they will write the words 3 times each.  Tuesday or Wednesday- Pages from their book or a packet will be given for homework  Friday-Unit test

10. Math  We will take bi-weekly timed tests over multiplication/division facts. 100 prob. 5 min.  Homework is given almost every day.  Our Math series has a website that you can access at any time.

11. Science  I will provide a study guide a few days before each test.  If your child completes the study guide, they will be able to participate in a review session that goes over the answers.  It is very important that they do the study guides.  We will be using three books, Life, Earth, and Physical Sciences.

12. Social Studies  I will provide a study guide a few days before each test  If your child completes the study guide, they will be able to participate in a review session that goes over the answers.  It is very important that they do the study guides.  There are four units so we will have a unit test before each grading period ends.

13. Classroom Community  Our classroom is a community. In our community, we have rules to help us get along with each other.  Behavior/Work Habits  GREENGreat day! Earn 2 Bucks  YELLOWWarning.  RED Lose 5 minutes of recess. Owe 1 Buck  BROWNLose entire recess. Owe 2 Bucks  BLUE Contact Parent. Owe 3 Bucks  ORANGESend to Mr. Trezak. Owe 5 Bucks

14. Accelerated Reading/Math  Each quarter your child will take an online reading/math assessment  This will determine their reading level and math ability  I will use this information to set a reading goal for each quarter  They have to read books in their reading level and then take quizzes over them in the lab to obtain points to meet their goal.  They will be working on accelerated math sheets 3 times a week. They will have a math goal of 25 objectives to meet each quarter  A weekly updated print out will be posted for AR goals. Charts are updated weekly for AM goals. AR/AM counts for 10% of reading/math grades.

15. Book Reports  Each month I will assign a Book Report  A rubric (grading sheet) will be sent home so you know the specific requirements  Your child must choose a fiction book in their AR range. I MUST APPROVE THE BOOK.  They will be due at the end of the month  NO LATE BOOK REPORTS WILL BE ACCEPTED FOR ANY REASON. They can always be turned in early.

16. Book-It  Starting in October your child will participate in Book-It  They must read 4 chapter books in their AR range each month. (1 must be non-fiction)  This will be a part of their reading grade and will be due at the end of the month  NO LATE BOOK-ITS WILL BE ACCEPTED

17. Field Trips  We will have 2 field trips this year~One per semester  We will only be allowed a few chaperones each time.  Chaperones must have a completed background check filled out in the office.

18. Weekend Folders  Folders go home with your child every Friday. Their graded papers stay home, please look over their behavior report, sign the sheet, and return on Monday.  Special notes and calendars will be sent home in the folder along with my weekly classroom letter.  Please go over rules your child broke with them at home each week. They will always know the reason they have to drop a color.

19. Technological Information  School Town of Highland website School Town of Highland website  RDS Parent Access  My email: dkitchel@highland.k12.in.us

20. Let’s Have a Great Year!