Fourth Grade Bits and Pieces for Parents

from Mrs. Besonen

~Birthdays​...We will celebrate all birthdays. For those who have birthdays in the summer, we will celebrate in
May. All birthdays are on our classroom website at the following link on the calendar:
mrsbesonen.weebly.com

~​Volunteers...​All interested volunteers are welcome for helping us in the classroom! Whether you can come
one time or weekly...we would love to have you share in our school experiences!

~​Library will be on WEDNESDAYs.

~​Book/Magazine Orders-​ ​September​ is the ​best month​ to ​order books​, as if our class orders $300, we get
10,ooo bonus points to get resources for the classroom such as better seating or more books. Christmas is
coming (yikes)! Scholastic Books are a great way to get your child reading books he/she is interested in at
reasonable prices. I will send them home once a month and our classroom benefits from you ordering by
giving us free books and classroom necessities. With other companies, our class can earn free books and
resources from even just returning slips that say “not interested” but having a signature. I will enclose all of
the orders that I have received. Please return all you are interested in or are willing to sign. Return quickly!

~​Spelling​- There will be a weekly test with new list sent home on Mondays following pretest. Students are
expected to put a list of the new words in their take home folders on Mondays. If you need the spelling list, it
can be found on spellingcity.com or on my classroom webpage.

~​Homework​-No homework will be given other than the requirement to read books for working toward
quarterly A.R. goals and studying for spelling tests.

~​Water Bottles​-Everyone needs to drink water to supply brain power for learning! If you wish to send a water
bottle with your child, make sure it’s labeled. I allow them to fill the bottles at the beginning of the day and
after lunch. Children can store water bottles in the classroom & take home daily or at the end of each week.
We now have a water bottle filling station at school by the office!!!

~​Sweatshirts and Socks-​The indoor temperature is variable, as seasons will change; and it’s a great idea for
your child to keep a sweatshirt at school on their hook or in their locker when needed! In addition, extra socks
are great when the weather gets colder and snow gets other socks wet. Students can keep in the socks in
their lockers.

~​Accelerated Reader (AR)-​In our classroom, students take a test monthly to assess their reading skills. This is
called the ​STAR Reading Test​. Based on the monthly test, students are given an AR goal to work toward based
on reading 25 minutes each day. At the end of each quarter, students who reach their goal will participate in
a class celebration of pop, popcorn, and a movie. You can check how they are doing on their goal by
Renaissance HomeConnect. Encourage your child to read at home daily 20 minutes. Students not reaching
their goal will work toward reaching it by reading and taking AR tests while others are doing the celebration.
Goals ARE reachable and students are given at least 15 minutes daily to take AR tests. Thank you for helping
your child become a successful reader!

~​40 Book Genre Reading Challenge-​ Our class will be rising to the challenge to stretch what we read by reading
40 books from different reading genres. This will be explained at school and more details will come in the
future!

~​Morning Snack-​ Since we have a later lunch this year, students will be able to bring a snack to have in the
morning. Please remember to keep it healthy with no candy. Some good suggestions are crackers, fruit
snacks, fruit cups, pretzels, etc. They will be responsible for their snack if they choose to have one. We will
store boxes of snacks but please send along clips to close bags, packages so we don’t attract bugs.