Mrs. O'Toole

Visit the TeacherWeb® videos to learn about the features, modifications, and customizations available on your website. Click here to learn more.

<br />
"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things,
because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.
We're always exploring and experimenting."<br />
<br />
                                                                     - Walt Disney<br />
<div><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br />
   </span><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong style="font-family: Lucida Console;"><br />
</strong></span>
<div><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong style="font-family: Lucida Console;"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong style="font-family: Lucida Console;">Current Events</strong></span></span></strong></span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong style="font-family: Lucida Console;"></strong></span></div>
<div> </div>
<div></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Welcome to Room 16! We are off to a great start this year. I am slowly getting to know all the children, and they are all truly amazing people. As we progress forward, it is my hope that we all grow and learn together in a fun and exciting way. <br /><div><br />
<br />Our Math program is Everyday Math. The students complete a math message at the beginning of the lesson, and then explore the day's concept as a class, in groups and with partners. Children also work on math boxes that enable then to review previous concepts and practice those just introduced. Along with Everyday Math, students in room 16 work daily on Independent Work Folders (IWF). Independent Work Folders focus on math facts and allow children to work at their own pace.  Students also teach each other so that fact concepts such as 2digit x 2digit multiplication and subtraction of multi-digit numbers are kept fresh in their minds. This year we will also be implementing Origo Math. This program will keep the children challenged and always actively learning. We are currently focusing on geometry in Unit 1. The students will be bringing home a study guide on Monday in order to study for our Unit 1 test.<br /><br />In Language Arts, our anthology is called Story Town. Students will read many stories and focus on strategies such as character development, story mapping, cause and effect, inferencing, and so on. Along with the anthology, Room 16 will also be reading class novels. While reading the novels, reading strategies from the anthology will be reinforced. Our first two stories will be <u>Mighty Jackie:</u> <u>The Strike -Out Queen</u> and <u>Kai's Journey to Gold Mountain</u>. The strategies we will be focusing on are  character traits and compare and contrast. Many lessons in Enlish Language Arts are also based on a novel I read orally to the class. Right now we are reading <u>Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing</u> by Judy Blume. The children seem to be enjoying this novel and many are reading the sequels. It is so much fun to see them take off with a good book!<br />
<br />In Science, we are going to explore weather. We will learn about weather instruments, types of weather and the water cycle. We will be conducting many experiments, and the students display such enthusiasm while practicing their skills as meteorologists! The unit will end with a field trip to the weather station at Blue Hills at some point in October. This is a fun and educational field trip that the fourth grade enjoys each year. <br />
</div>
<div> <br />We start Social Studies with map skills and quickly move on to immigration. Students will review concepts such as the continents, longitude and latitude, and map keys. We also read short stories on immigration that help us understand the many difficulties immigrants encountered in the past. We continue to learn about immigration and how a person becomes a citizen of the United States in current times. <br />
<br />
</div>
<div><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Room 16 is already filled with creativity and enthusiasm during writer's workshop. We have spectacular writing happening in the classroom and it is such a pleasure to read everyone's products. All the students will be incorporating vivid verbs, adjectives, figurative language and varying sentences into their writing. Their imaginations are going to soar this year and their writing already brings a smile to my face.<br /><br />I am looking for a couple of room parents. If you would like to volunteer, that would be very helpful. I also need parent volunteers in my classroom for approximately a half hour each morning. The children would take turns reading aloud to an adult, and this would help each child reach their personal best in reading fluency. If you would like to volunteer in the classroom, or be a room parent, please email me at hotoole@scit.org. Thank you!<br /><br /><strong>Specialist Schedule:<br /><br />Monday - Library<br />Tuesday - Music<br />Wednesday - Art<br />Thursday - Curriculum Lab<br />Friday - Physical Education<br /></strong><br /><br />
Warmly,<br /><br />
Heather O'Toole<br />
</span>
</div>
</span>

<div> </div>
<div> </div>
<span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong style="font-family: Lucida Console;"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong style="font-family: Lucida Console;">
<span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><strong style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;">Ways to Help Your Child Grow</strong></span></strong></span></span></strong></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14pt;" align="center"> </div>
<div style="font-size: 14pt;" align="left">Please check your child's "Take Home Folder" every night. Within the folder is a W.E.B. log that needs a parent or guardian's initials Monday through Thursday. Your child should be reading at least 25 minutes each evening and 10 of those minutes should be reading aloud to an adult. For those avid readers, a reward is offered on Fridays after reading 3 times 45 minutes each week. Also, you will find the folder packed with homework, notices, notices from the office and notes from me. Please sort through the folder each night and send back homework and notes for me the next day. Your child is responsible for his/her folder, but they could use a helpful hand.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14pt;" align="left"> </div>
<div style="font-size: 14pt;" align="left">Each fourth grader also has an assignment notebook that goes home Monday through Thursday night. Your child's homework assignments, and at times reminders from me, should be printed neatly each day in the assignment notebook. Please check the assignment book each evening and sign it at the bottom. Your signature lets me know that you have reviewed your child's homework and that you are aware of any reminders I may include. The assignment notebook needs to come back and forth to school each day! Thank you.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14pt;" align="left"> </div>
<div style="font-size: 14pt;" align="left"> </div>
<div><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">
<div style="font-size: 24pt;" align="center">Reminders</div>
</span></strong>
<div><span style="font-size: 18pt;">
<div> </div>
<br />
<br />
<strong>September 20th - Half Day<br />
</strong>
</span><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><span>
<div>
<div>
<div><span>
<div> </div>
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</span></span></strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">
<div>
<div>
<div><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">
<div></div>
</span><br />
</strong></div>
</div>
<strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br />
</span></strong>
<div><br />
</div>
</div>
<div></div>
</span></div>
</div>
<div align="center"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">
<div style="font-size: 14pt;" align="left"> </div>
</span></div>
<span style="font-size: 18pt;">
<div style="font-size: 14pt;" align="center"> </div>
<div style="font-size: 14pt;" align="center"> </div>
<div style="font-size: 14pt;" align="center"> </div>
<div style="font-size: 14pt;" align="center"> </div>
<div style="font-size: 14pt;" align="center"> </div>
<div style="font-size: 14pt;" align="center"> </div>
<div style="font-size: 14pt;" align="center"> </div>
<div style="font-size: 14pt;" align="center"> </div>
<div style="font-size: 14pt;" align="center"> </div>
<div style="font-size: 14pt;" align="center"> </div>
<div style="font-size: 14pt;" align="center"> </div>
<div style="font-size: 14pt;" align="center"> </div>
<div style="font-size: 14pt;" align="center"> </div>
<div style="font-size: 14pt;" align="center"> </div>
<div style="font-size: 14pt;" align="center"> </div>
<div style="font-size: 14pt;" align="center"> </div>
<div style="font-size: 14pt;" align="center"> </div>
<div style="font-size: 14pt;" align="center"> </div>
<div style="font-size: 14pt;" align="center"> </div>
<div style="font-size: 14pt;" align="center"> </div>
<div style="font-size: 14pt;" align="center"> </div>
<div style="font-size: 14pt;" align="center"> </div>
<div style="font-size: 14pt;" align="center"> </div>
<div style="font-size: 14pt;" align="center"><br />
 </div>
<div> </div>
<div> </div>
<strong><u><br />
</u></strong></span>

Automatically clean input to optimize for the web.

Or, would you like to view and optionally restore one of these previous versions?

Password: Forgot your password?

TeacherWeb.com

Content on this site is the responsibility of the Subscriber. Additional information is available in the TeacherWeb Terms & Conditions

Mrs. O'Toole

Announcements