Author-Illustrator Matt Tavares

Today fourth grade students were visited by Matt Tavares, an author and illustrator of children's books. Matt met with each class and discussed the writing/ illustrating process, did a demonstration, and answered questions. Students were highly engaged and inspired by his visit! Thank you to the creative arts team for this wonderful visit!

States and Capitals Spelling

As we enter the spring, fourth graders embark on a culminating study of the states and capitals. Students should be able to identify the states and state capitals in each region. Although we have been learning about the states and regions throughout the year, students complete a spelling unit in order to finalize their understanding.

Students will study one region each week. They should be able to:

✓locate and label each state on a map

✓ spell the state and capital correctly

✓ identify the capital of each state

For the first two weeks, students will learn and practice how to study in class. We will model with the first two regions, and then students will be responsible for practicing at home for the remainder of the regions. At that point, students should be studying each night and will take a quiz on Friday for that region, to show they learned the information. On June 16th, students will take a final quiz on all fifty states and capitals.

The assignments are broken down as follows:

• April 24th - 28th : Northeast Region (completed in class)
• May 1st- 5th   - Southeast Region (completed in class)
• May 15th -19th - Midwest Region (students study at home, quiz on Friday, May 19th)
• May 22nd – 26th- Southwest Region (students study at home, quiz on Friday, May 26th)
• May 29th – June 2nd- West Region (students study at home, quiz on Friday, June 2nd)
• June 5th – 9th - Review Week (students continue studying and reviewing all 50 states)
• June 16th - Final Quiz

This is such an exciting part of fourth grade and students are always eager to show all that they learned! Please sign and return the bottom portion of the yellow sheet that went home to students.

MCAS

Students will begin the MCAS state testing next week. The testing will continue through May. The schedule is as follows:

English Language Arts (Reading and Writing)

• Thursday, April 6th
• Friday, April 7th
• Tuesday, April 11th

Math

• Wednesday, May 10th
• Thursday, May 11th

Please remind children to take their time, relax, and do their best. We will provide sugar-free gum, but students are welcome to bring their own. Please send your child in with a water bottle.

Students should get a good night's sleep, eat a nourishing breakfast, and bring a healthy snack.

Spring Conferences

It was a pleasure meeting with families during Spring Conferences. We enjoyed discussing your child's academic and social progress. During the conferences, we provided a list of upcoming important dates:

• States and Capitals Quiz: Friday, June 16th
• Portfolio Share: Monday, June 19th; 8:30-9:00
• End of Year Party: Monday, June 19th; 9:30-11:30
• Rain Date: Wednesday, June 21st, 9:40-11:30

Thank you for your continued support!

John F. Kennedy Museum

John F. Kennedy Museum

4AC: Monday, March 27, 2017
4M & 4S: Monday, April 10, 2017

Departing at 8:30

Students will be participating in a fantastic interactive program, March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

• Attendance is at 8:30 sharp, as we need to board buses for our departure at 8:35. We should return about 1:15.

• Students should bring a small snack to eat at the museum. This should be able to fit in their jacket pocket, as we will not carry any bags with us to the museum.

• Students should bring a bag lunch and a drink to eat in the classroom when we return at 1:15.

Spring Conferences

We hope you all had a wonderful February break! We are looking forward to meeting with you during spring conferences. Please be sure to check your email for a Sign Up Genius form, if you have not reserved a conference yet.

February Homework

Please check the homework page for additional information and homework options.

The February math games are:

• Driving into Division
• Race to the Moon

These games help reinforce division skills.

Progress Reports

Dear Families,

Winter Progress Reports will be released on Monday, February 6th. The following FAQs may be helpful as you review your child's progress.

Progress Report FAQs

Newton Educational Workshops

We had a wonderful visit from the Newton Educational Workshops today. Please see the message from them below:

Dear Angier parents, 

Hello! We are Newton Educational Workshops (N.E.W), a club at Newton South that has been collaborating with the South-feeding elementary schools for many years. Students in our club teach classes to your 4th and 5th graders on Saturday mornings in the spring. All proceeds go to charity, and our most important goal is for the kids involved to have fun. 

A registration pamphlet has been sent home to your child, and we would like if they could then be handed in to teachers when they are completed.

Our program gives children of Newton a fun opportunity to bond with their future peers and learn from South students at Newton South. We hope to keep this community interaction going as long as we can (N.E.W is the longest-running club at Newton South!) and would love to have your cooperation in order to make that happen. 

If you have questions please don’t hesitate to ask.

@newtoneducationalworkshops@gmail.com 

Thank you!

Design Your Own Homework

We are so excited to begin DYOH, or Design Your Own Homework, with fourth grade students. Please visit the DYOH tab to learn more!

Winter Weather Update

We hope you all enjoyed the winter vacation! As we enter January, we are getting into a variety of winter weather. Please remember that in order to play outside when it is snowing, students need:

• coat
• boots
• gloves
• hat/hood
• long pants (snow pants if they want to play in the snow)

Also a friendly reminder that students must have sneakers for P.E. on Mondays and Fridays.