Weekly Updates 2/28-3/4

           

Upcoming Dates

• 3/11 - No School (Professional Development)
• 3/14 - 3/18 - Spring Break
• 4/1 - Recite "Preamble to the Declaration of Independence" 
• 4/26 - Field Trip to Austin

NOTE: Please reach out to your child's teacher if you are interested in chaperoning for our field trip to Austin on Tuesday, April 26th. We will be placing names in a hat and drawing at random to determine chaperones.

Announcement:

We are asking that all parents review the dress code policy as we will begin a uniform reset procedure to help our students get to 100 percent uniform compliance. Our uniform policy will be sent home in scholar’s folder; it is also found on our website under the family handbook. Per our family handbook, “While students are responsible for their clothing and appearance, it is the parents who are responsible for providing the conditions required for meeting the standard, e.g. haircuts, proper shoes, shirts, skirts and pants that fit properly, are clean, etc. Parents are urged to understand the uniform requirements below, and to ensure that their children go to school each day in the right attire, from head to toe. It is an uncomfortable experience for a child to be corrected for a uniform violation, and repeated uniform issues can become an enormous distraction for students.” 

 

Uniform Reset Procedure: An email or phone call and a note/infraction will be sent home when your scholar is violating our dress code policy. The note will explain the violation. After the third violation the student will receive lunch detention with the Dean. If for any reason you are unable to purchase the proper uniform please reach out to Jennifer Cape, Jennifer.cape@greatheartswesternhill.org. Infractions will start being sent home on Monday February 28^th.

A Look Ahead 

ELA - 

• This week in Spalding, scholars will continue with their normal routine. They will learn 10 words on Monday-Wednesday and finish the week with a test over those 30 words. Please ensure your scholar follows all instructions for their homework. 
• In Literature, scholars have already read 5 chapters of their next classic to keep, The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald. Please click here to purchase the novel if your scholar does not have one yet. The students have already done a wonderful job of pointing out the rich language and literary devices that MacDonald uses. They have begun to catch on to the themes of courage, curiosity, and perseverance in the face of fear and struggle. I know scholars will enjoy the chapters to come! This week we will be reading 
• In Writing, our scholars will review what it means to have conflict in a story this week. As a class, fourth-graders will read a selection of stories that model a strong beginning, middle, and end. Scholars will have the opportunity to write a summary of their favorite story at the end of the week!
• In Poetry, scholars will shift away from the masters of rhythm and meter and turn their attention towards one of the most important documents in our nation's history: the Declaration of Independence. Scholars will begin memorizing the Preamble to the Declaration on Monday. The recitation date will be Friday, 4/1.

Math -

Last week, we wrapped up our unit on area and perimeter, and scholars completed their Units 1-5 Cumulative test. Way to go, scholars! This week, we will begin learning about decimals and how they relate to fractions. We look forward to seeing the scholars discover this new concept.

History - 

This week we will meet George Washington and learn about the French and Indian War. We will also see the first unrest leading to the American Revolution.

Science - 

This week we will be learning all about volcanoes! Scholars will discover how they form, where they are most likely to be, and even what benefit volcanoes have in the environment

Weekly Updates 2/21-2/25

          

Upcoming Dates

• 2/18 - Great Hearts Day
• 2/21 - School in session; Begin Princess and the Goblin; Unit 5 Ch. 2 Math Quiz
• 2/21-2/25 - Paul Revere's Ride Recitations
• 2/23 - Carry On, Mr. Bowditch Celebration

NOTE: Please reach out to your child's teacher if you are interested in chaperoning for our field trip to Austin on Tuesday, April 26th. We will be placing names in a hat and drawing at random to determine chaperones.

Announcement:

We are asking that all parents review the dress code policy as we will begin a uniform reset procedure to help our students get to 100 percent uniform compliance. Our uniform policy will be sent home in scholar’s folder; it is also found on our website under the family handbook. Per our family handbook, “While students are responsible for their clothing and appearance, it is the parents who are responsible for providing the conditions required for meeting the standard, e.g. haircuts, proper shoes, shirts, skirts and pants that fit properly, are clean, etc. Parents are urged to understand the uniform requirements below, and to ensure that their children go to school each day in the right attire, from head to toe. It is an uncomfortable experience for a child to be corrected for a uniform violation, and repeated uniform issues can become an enormous distraction for students.” 

 

Uniform Reset Procedure: An email or phone call and a note/infraction will be sent home when your scholar is violating our dress code policy. The note will explain the violation. After the third violation the student will receive lunch detention with the Dean. If for any reason you are unable to purchase the proper uniform please reach out to Jennifer Cape, Jennifer.cape@greatheartswesternhill.org. Infractions will start being sent home on Monday February 28^th.

A Look Ahead 

ELA - 

• This week in Spalding, scholars will continue with their normal routine. They will learn 10 words on Monday-Wednesday and finish the week with a test over those 30 words. Please ensure your scholar follows all instructions for their homework. 
• In Literature, scholars have officially finished their fourth Classic of the year! We will be starting our new novel by reading and analyzing the Greek myth of the Minotaur, which will give scholars a strong basis for some major themes in The Princess and the Goblin. We will read chapters 1 and 2 on Tuesday, pause for our celebration on Wednesday, and continue with chapters 3 and 4. Click here to purchase The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald. We are so excited for the scholars to meet Irene, Curdie, Lootie, and more!
• In Grammar, this week our scholars will review the functions of prepositional phrases and objects of a preposition. They have already explored these concepts at an introductory level, but this week they will have the chance to dive deeper! Scholars will create their own prepositional phrases and imitate strong examples to help them solidify their knowledge. We are so excited to explore this with our scholars!
• In Poetry, scholars have officially finished memorizing "Paul Revere's Ride" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. We will do recitations throughout this week, ending on Friday, February 25th. Next, scholars will memorize the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence!

Math -

This week, scholars will take a quiz encompassing what they have learned over Area and Perimeter. Then, we will begin reviewing for our Unit 5 Test. We have been impressed with your scholars' ability to use algebraic thinking in this fun and challenging unit! 

History - 

This week we will continue our study of the early American colonists and discover what factors led to the beginnings of the American Revolution. Students will also get to explore what daily life was like for children in the co

Science - 

This week we will move on from earthquakes and explore tsunamis! On Friday we will shift gears and look at another natural hazard: volcanoes.

Weekly Updates 2/14-2/18

         

Upcoming Dates

• 2/14-2/17 - Open House Event (see Campus Newsletter for details)
• 2/15 - Unit 5 Chapter 1 Math Quiz (Area)
• 2/17 - Literature Test
• 2/18 - Great Hearts Day
• 2/21 - Bad Weather Makeup Day—School in session
• 2/21-2/25 - Paul Revere's Ride Recitations
• 2/23 - Carry On, Mr. Bowditch Celebration

NOTE: Please reach out to your child's teacher if you are interested in chaperoning for our field trip to Austin on Tuesday, April 26th. We will be placing names in a hat and drawing at random to determine chaperones.

Announcement: 

Every day that a healthy student does not attend school, GHWH loses federal funding that helps us hire and retain teachers, keep the lights on, and allow us to host a myriad of student activities like clubs, sports, the house system, field trips, and field days. 

It goes without saying that the biggest loss when a student misses school is not money, but important learning experiences and meaningful participation in the student community. As always, sick children should stay home, but our hope is that our parents will help us raise attendance rate by bringing their scholars to school on time, avoid checking them out early, and scheduling family trips around school holidays. 

To encourage strong attendance for the remainder of the year, the K-4 grade level with the best attendance will receive a small weekly reward (extra recess time or a class treat). These classrooms will also compete for an overall semester prize of a Mystery Literary Celebration on May 20th.

Help 4th grade earn awards for attendance! Check the campus newsletter for updates on prizes and to see Ms. Keffer’s full message about the importance of attendance and its impact on our campus. 

A Look Ahead 

ELA - 

• This week in Spalding, scholars will continue with their normal routine. They will learn 10 words on Monday-Wednesday and finish the week with a test over those 30 words. Please ensure your scholar follows all instructions for their homework. 
• In Literature, scholars have experienced the highs and lows of Mr. Bowditch’s exciting and tragic life. We have seen him grow from a small, hopeful boy to a wise, world-weary man. We are finishing our journey with Nat this week. Scholars received a Study Guide to help prepare for their test, which will be on Thursday, 2/17. The next novel we will read is The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald.  
• In Writing, scholars will learn how conflict is used in a story. They will read examples to understand the significance of raising stakes in a story. Scholars will end the week by writing a story with original dialogue and description. We can’t wait to see what they write!
• In Poetry, scholars have thus far memorized Stanzas 1-12 of "Paul Revere's Ride" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. We will finish memorizing the poem this week and begin recitations next Monday, 2/21.

Math -

This week, scholars will learn the formula for area and perimeter. They will then practice how to find the area and perimeter of rectangles. Our area quiz will be on Tuesday, and our Perimeter quiz will be Monday, 2/21. 

History - 

This week we begin our unit on the American Revolution! We will compare the forms of government seen in previous units with the American model, and find out what led to the drive for independence in the Thirteen Colonies

Science - 

This week we will continue to explore earthquakes. Scholars will also have a chance to create an earthquake model!