Dr. Charles Drew Elementary School
Fourth Grade Dolphin Splash
Dear Parents,
We have completed our first marking period. Students have adjusted well to center and
have become wonderful members of the Drew community. We are very excited about
upcoming work throughout the months of November and December with John Morogiello, our playwright in
residence. We look forward to presenting student plays created by each fourth grade class in December.
At Drew, students in grades 3-5 engage in student-led parent
teacher conferences. These conferences are student-led with parent
and teacher participation. You and your child will attend the
conference together. Students will practice learning how to run the
conference over the coming week. Each conference is 20 minutes.
Reminders will be sent home with your day and time.
Important Dates
Professional Day for Teachers
– no school
11/2
Community Meeting
11/6
Our center focus during Marking Period 2 is on the theme of
Early Release Day-conferences
11/11
Adaptation. At the outset of MP2, students will focus on
(1:20 dismissal)
environmental and scientific issues such as oil spills, exploitation of
indigenous cultures for resources, the moral implications of animal Early Release Day-conferences 11/12
(1:20 dismissal)
research, and experimentation with the DNA of extinct species.
Each student will select a topic of concern, create a Google Slide
11/16 –
College Week
Show stating an opinion and containing an analysis of the
11/20
problem(s) with recommendations for solutions. In the last few
weeks of the marking period, students will research a particular
PTA Meeting at 7 pm
11/17
explorer of the “New World” and write a narrative nonfiction piece
Early Release Day (1:20
that contains visual components (such as maps, timelines,
11/25
dismissal)
photographs, and journal entries) that tell the tales of the explorers’
journeys. In science, students will investigate environmental
11/26Thanksgiving Holiday
problems. Students will conduct pollution experiments using well11/27
designed investigation processes. In social studies, the focus will be
on exploration, explorers, and Native American Indians. In 4/5 math, we will wrap up Marking Period 1 with
work on division, then begin Marking Period 2 topics by exploring prime and composite numbers, factors and
multiples of numbers. Later on, we’ll spend several weeks comparing, adding, and subtracting fractions,
followed by three weeks of geometry. In Grade 4 math, students will focus on computation and word problems
involving multiplication and division followed by application of strategies used to solve measurement problems
involving time, metric, and customary units.
We are very grateful for the wonderful parent volunteers who are supporting our program. Thank you Mrs.
Rasheed for planning and executing a fabulous Fall Festival celebration (on such short notice!) and thank you
also to parents and grandparents who sent in contributions for Fall Festival and helped with the celebration
activities. We would also like to thank all of the parent volunteers who accompanied us on our recent field trip
to Flag Ponds.
If you have any questions or concerns the best way to reach us is by email. We look forward to meeting with
you during conferences!
Best regards,
Mrs. Doane and Mrs. Leichtling
[email protected]
November, 2014
[email protected]
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