Happy September! :)

 Hello!  Happy September!  We have had a WONDERFUL second week of school!  We have been super-busy as we have transitioned into all the core classes, as well as beginning Specials!

(Our Home School friend, Ethan,  joined us this week!  Yay!)

*As a reminder, HOMEWORK FOLDERS will come home this afternoon filled with graded work.  Please empty these and return the folder on Tuesday (usually Mondays!).  Anything with a letter grade can be “redone” for half credit per answer, and turned back in when they return to school the next week. (Except for tests/exams, please.) So far, everybody is doing very well and working very hard!

*Graded work is recorded on Sycamore.  Please take time to see how your child is doing.   You will also be able to see their missing assignments, and remind them to get their work in!  Thanks for your help with this!  

*If you have not done so already, please send back in your child’s FAITH ALIVE BIBLE.  We use these almost daily during Religion class.  Thank you!

*Also, if you have not already sent in your signed Behavior, Internet, and Handbook forms, please do so.  (This is the last page of the handbook.)  Thank you!

*My 4^th graders will be taking our MAP Growth Assessments during the week of 9/11.  

What is a MAP Growth Assessment? 

It is a measure of what your student knows and how they are growing academically.  Timothy Lutheran School will be assessing students three times each school year for academic growth; early September, early January, and late April/early May.  Our September testing window begins September 5th.  If you would like to understand more about this new tool for guiding us in the planning of our instruction, take time to read the attached Family Guide to MAP Growth. 

You may also find resources that include videos at this site:  https://www.nwea.org/family-toolkit/

*Information about the WALK-A-THON is coming home today!  You should have received an email earlier in the week, and your child is bringing a sheet home as well.

In a nutshell, Timothy Lutheran School’s 7th annual Walk-a-Thon is Friday, September 22nd!  (9:30-10:30 am) We are hosting this fundraiser to raise funds for our school—to buy ClearTouch boards for our mobile classrooms.  All students will participate by getting pledges and completing laps around the school’s parking lots.

-Pledges can be online!   Please click here: https://timothylutheranschool.com/walkathon/

-Please use this link to volunteer: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C4DADAB2DA7F58-timothy

-Please use this link to send in snacks:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C4DADAB2DA7F58-walkathon

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Here is what we have been up to this week:

RELIGION- We learned about the Tower of Babel and God’s mission for each of us--to spread the Good News of His saving grace and love!  We talked about the many blessings God has given us today!  On Wednesday, Pastor Ryan led Chapel, and his message went right along with what we are discussing in class.  God LOVES and forgives us so freely, so we are called to LOVE and forgive one another!

At the beginning of the week, the kids write a prayer on a piece of paper…something that is on their heart or mind.  They can alter or change this prayer during the week, as they need.  At the closing of each day, we pray these prayers!  At the end of the week, I pass out these prayers to the students.  They don’t receive their own, so they can pray for someone else all weekend…So, if you see these little slips of paper coming home, that is what they are!  How blessed we are that we have the privilege to take our needs to God in prayer!  

MEMORY for Next Week:

9/5- “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” ~John 15: 5

9/8- The Old Testament

Genesis

Exodus

Leviticus

Numbers

Deuteronomy

LANGUAGE ARTS- We read the first six chapters pf Because of Winn Dixie.  We LOVE this story, and have had some great discussions about character-building, and some fun stories of antics of our pets!  (I have to say, every time I read this story, I think of my own pup…to me, she looks so much like a black Winn-Dixie!)  We analyzed the characters, wrote summaries of the chapters, and studied the new vocabulary words.  We took our first reading and spelling tests today and the students did very well!  The students also received information about their first book reports.  They have each picked out a Newbery Award winning book to read, and understand their projects.  This information should be in their homework folders. We also worked on using editing symbols this week, as we corrected sentences with grammatical and spelling errors.  Busy, busy!

COMPUTER CLASS-We took practice MAP tests in the computer lab this week!  The students now are comfortable with that process! 

 SPELLING WORDS for the Week of September 8th:

Story: “Because of Winn Dixie” (Chapters 8-15)

admire, magnet, contest, method, custom, rally, soccer, engine, sudden, finger, accident, mitten, intend, fabric, flatten, rascal, gutter, mammal, happen, cannon

Challenge Word:  concoction

MATH- This week, we finished up our chapter about what “Math Is…” Yesterday, we began reviewing place value and the vocabulary words digit and period.  Next week, we will work with putting numbers in standard, word, and expanded forms.  We will also read numbers up through the millions, and work with ordering numbers, and using place value to round.  We have also been working hard on memorizing our multiplication facts in class.  We are up to our 2’s and 3’s!  They are really starting to realize the importance of learning these! 

SOCIAL STUDIES- We completed our first Scholastic News this week.  This is a great way to talk about current events.  We also began learning about Missouri History this week!  We reviewed how to read maps, find things using a grid system, and reviewed our “address” in this world.  Please ask your kiddos to tell you about that!  (What planet, hemisphere, continent, country, state, county, street, etc., we are in!)

SPECIAL CLASSES

ART- We learned what a horizon line was and studied some Expressionistic artists.  We then drew landscape drawings with a horizon line.  We will studied primary, secondary, and tertiary colors, created a color wheel with tempera paint, and then began painting in our horizon pictures with that Expressionistic style!  We will finish these up next week!  They are beautiful!

MUSIC-We had our first classes with Mrs. Beckie Hatcher!  4th grade is going to learn so very much this year from this amazing teacher!

WRITING-We each wrote a Bio-Poem about ourselves—our likes, loves, fears, wishes, hopes, and adjectives describing ourselves. Many of us completed the drafting, editing, and revising process, and are now publishing these masterpieces! 

P.E.-This week we learned the correct way to stretch, run our laps, and we reviewed body skills like skipping, galloping, hopping, jumping, crab walk, grapevine, and bear walk.  We had some fun in relay races!

This was such a fun week!  As always, thank you for your prayers and guidance as we travel through this school year together.  Have a wonderful and safe, LONG Labor Day weekend!

God’s Blessings!

Kim