Frankenstein, Dracula, 4th Graders.. Oh My!

Important Dates

  • Tuesday, October 15 – Reimagine Middle School Night 6:00 – 8:00 P.M. – 4th Grade is Invited! See below.
  • Friday, October 18 – Talent Show Videos due to Mr. Alex! 
  • Friday, October 18 – 9:00 am Coffee Conversations on Main Campus
  • Saturday, October 19 – 9:00 am – 3:00 pm, Fall Campus Refresh!
  • Tuesday, October 22 – Students Wear PINK for Breast Cancer Awareness
  • Thursday, October 31 – 9:15 Whole School Halloween Parade

It was a great (but short) week! The students are working hard, enjoying the beautiful days, and demonstrating the power of their brains! Keep reading for a recap of our week.

Have a great weekend!

Grace and Stella

In ELA:

  • Students started a new novel study, “The Mysterious Benedict Society” that will be read aloud during class time. The focus will be on group discussions, various reading skills, and strategies. 
  • In writing, students continued to edit their memoirs and slow down their big moment to add exciting details. 
  • They began a, “Mini Mysteries” series that will continue on through the month of October. These are short stories of Sherlock Holmes that students must read and infer to help solve the mystery! 
  • Students have wrapped up their plural spelling rules and will be moving into contractions next week. These plural rules will still be popping up in morning work and even homework to make sure they are remembered as they move on. 
  • Next Wednesday students will take their first Knowledge Check. This will consist of various skills throughout all core subjects to check for complete understanding. On Monday and Tuesday there will be homework sent home to serve as a review. This check will contain nothing new and only information that students have worked on for multiple weeks. 

In Math:

  • The students concentrated on adding multiple numbers (up to 4 addends).
  • They also practiced aligning the numbers and then adding.
  • The students are making corrections to their work. It’s important for them to see their mistakes. Many times we hear them say, “I don’t know why I did that, it was such a silly mistake!”
  • Next week we will move on to subtraction with borrowing.
  • Next Wednesday students will take their first Knowledge Check. This will consist of various skills throughout all core subjects to check for complete understanding. On Monday and Tuesday there will be homework sent home to serve as a review. This check will contain nothing new and only information that students have worked on for multiple weeks. 

In Government:

  • Students began prepping for their schoolwide election by conducting their first round of voting. They also discussed Super Tuesday and its purpose. 
  • After they practiced voting etiquette (voting independently, staying quiet, and being respectful) they discussed different ways to count their votes. As a class, they created a spreadsheet to tally the votes. 
  •  After voting, the four candidates still in the running are Spaghetti, Grilled Cheese, Taco in a Bag, and Mac & Cheese. 

In Brainology:

  • Students finished their writing about their personal “Growth Mindset” experience and many of them shared with the class.
  • We also did a reading comprehension activity where students read an article titled, “What happens during a ‘brain freeze’? By Jason Bittel. The students used their higher-level reading skills to find evidence and details to answer questions. Mr. Rouse also helped us pronounce the official name for ‘brain freeze’, which is sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia. 

Important Reminders:

  • Next Wednesday students will take their first Knowledge Check. This will consist of various skills throughout all core subjects to check for complete understanding. On Monday and Tuesday there will be homework sent home to serve as a review. This check will contain nothing new and only information that students have worked on for multiple weeks. 
  • If your child is struggling with homework assignments on any particular evening, please send us an email or write us a note about it. We will follow up with your child the next day to help them relearn the skill.
  • Fall has arrived which means cold mornings that lead to warmer afternoons. We are finding stray hoodies, jackets, and sweaters around campus. Please label all items with your child’s name.

Tuesday, October 15 – Reimagine Middle School – 4th Grade Students and Parents are encouraged to attend!

This is just a reminder that we would like to personally invite you and your child to hear, see, and feel our wonderful middle school in action for our Branch Night: Reimagine Middle School!  Join us on Tuesday, October 15, at 6:00 pm at the middle school. Please click the to RSVP for the event – WCDS Reimagine Middle School RSVP.

Thanks 

Carrie Ochap

Director of Middle School 

October 18th – Talent Show Videos due to Mr. Alex!

We are excited to announce that our WCDS Tallent Show will be shared as a Viewing Party during our 29 Hours of Giving November 13th – 14th! To ensure we have videos in and compiled in time, please send all submissions by October 18th. Videos should be no longer than 60 seconds and sent to talentshow@wcdsedu.com. Please email Mr. Alex at ahill@wcdsedu.com with any questions!

October 18th – 9:00 am Coffee Conversations on Main Campus

  • Please click on these articles about giving your child age-appropriate responsibilities around the house. 
  • Article 1   Article 2   Article 3

October 19th – 9:00 am – 3:00 pm, Fall Campus Refresh!

  • Volunteer for a few hours by swinging by 8 Park Road with gardening gloves to help freshen our campus. Lunch and refreshments will be provided!

Week of October 21st – October 25th:

  • October 22nd – Students are encouraged to wear pink to show support for Breast Cancer Awareness this Tuesday! Donations will be collected by classroom teachers and sent to local breast care centers.

Thursday, October 31st – 9:15 Whole School Halloween Parade. Students should come to school dressed in costume and bring a change of casual clothes to change into afterward. We will have treats and a snack in the classroom after lunch.

4th Grade Fun!

Math Silliness!