Important Dates

Conferences

If you would like a spring conference, please sign up for one time slot per child below. 

Field Trip
Students will need a completely disposable lunch and drink on March 17. They are not permitted to walk around the museum with drinks or lunch boxes.

FIELD TRIP LINK:
https://dcsdk12.revtrak.net/tek9.asp?pg=prairiecrossES

Follow these directions:

1) Click on "Registration"

2) Click on "Field Trips"

3) Find "PCE - Gr 4  Colorado History Museum - Click on Correct Teacher to Register" - underneath that, you'll see all 4th grade teacher names...click on correct teacher 

4) Then in the right box click "Register for this class" and then you either login or set up a new account.

If you have questions/problems with the online registration/payment, please contact:

RegWorks directly at 1-888-848-2194 or Kathy in our office at 303-387-8200 or Kathy.Klancic@dcsdk12.org
If you are having trouble with the link - we have found that it works best in the  GOOGLE CHROME BROWSER.  Other browsers were not working consistently.

PARCC/CMAS

This morning Mr. Rainford came in and showed the kids all of the tools that will be on the PARCC tests this year, and they had a little time to do some practice test problems. If you'd like your child to practice at home, here are the links to the PARCC and CMAS practice tests. There is also a practice test that guides the kids through how to answer questions on the math test. The practice tests do not work in Chrome, so please use Safari/Firefox/Internet Explorer. Be sure to choose the Grade 4- Computer Based Practice Test.

Students need headphones/earbuds for PARCC testing. Please make sure your child has working headphones/earbuds at school. 

PARCC/CMAS tests are the state mandated tests that your child takes once a year. More information about PARCC/CMAS will come out via the weekly email blasts from the school, but here is our testing schedule so that you can plan accordingly. Please note that we start testing the first day back from spring break.

Monday, 4/4

1. English Language Arts, 9-10:45
2. Math, 12-1:15

Tuesday, 4/5

1. English Language Arts, 9-10:45
2. Math, 12-1:15

Wednesday, 4/6

1. English Language Arts, 9-10:45
2. Math, 12-1:15

Thursday, 4/7

1. Math, 12-1:15

Tuesday, 4/12

1. Social Studies, 9-10:35

Wednesday, 4/13

1. Social Studies, 9-10:35

Thursday, 4/14

1. Social Studies, 9-10:35

February News

What are we learning this month?

In social studies, we continue to focus on three World Class Outcomes: Evaluate how environment and culture influence sustainability. Evaluate the relationship between cause and effect. Evaluate the relationship between decisions and the impact on available resources in the community. 

The content we'll use to understand these WCOs include:

• The Native American tribes that have lived in Colorado

• How Spanish explorers affected the native people

• Colorado history to include: fur trappers, mountain men, the gold and silver rushes, Westward Expansion, pioneers, homesteading, ranching, the Great Depression and Dust Bowl, Sand Creek Massacre, Camp Amache, and Lincoln Hills

In math, we'll spend the month focusing on decimals. Students will learn how to model, understand the place value relationships, order and compare, round, and compute addition and subtraction problems with decimals.

In literacy, we are focusing on a new WCO: Construct a viable argument and critique the reasoning of others.

• Students are synthesizing information from multiple sources to draft a report to support a claim they've made about the person they read about in their biography book.
• We are wrapping up their first book clubs with presentations to convince the class to read (or not read) the book that they read.
• We'll start our next round of book clubs with novels that take place in Colorado during different time periods in our state's history. Students may have another fourth grade teacher for this novel study. Mrs. Thistleton will be teaching Blizzard, Estes Park; Mrs. Everett will be teaching Little House on the Prairie; Mrs. Williams will be teaching Hard Gold; and I will be teaching The Secret School.
• In writing groups we are writing opinion pieces based upon articles that we've read.

Snapshots of our Learning

 

Each group read about a tribe and took notes on their food, method of getting food, traditions, shelter, location, and clothing.

 

Then, they planned out what was most important to teach the class about their tribe.

 

Next, they divided up the work.

Finally, the groups created a poster to share their learning with the class. 

Sharing out with the class how the Cheyenne made decisions based on their environment

Teaching the class about the Arapaho's culture

Explaining how the Ute used their natural resources for a sustainable society

The Stink book club is creating a poster for their presentation next week. 

The Nest for Celeste book club is collaborating on a Popplet for their presentation.

Homework

Please be sure that your child is reading nightly. Your child should finish two books at home this month. 

My favorite websites for math homework are Front Row and Ten Marks Jam Session. These websites give your child practice at his/her skill level and will push them to learn new concepts as well. 

Spelling for this month:

• Testing Friday, February 5: per
• Testing Friday, February 26: multi