Post on 03-Jun-2018
8/11/2019 2014 First Day Newsletter
1/5
Welcome to Grade 4at Highroad Academy
Welcome to another year at Highroad Academy! I ampleased to take this opportunity to introduce myself and to
welcome your child to Grade 4. A good learning experience isbuilt on a cooperative effort among parents, child andteacher. I look forward to the work and growth we will allaccomplish this year. With your participation both in and outof the classroom, we can look forward to a productive, creativeand enjoyable year. This year will be different in many ways not
only for you but also for myself.
First of all, I am looking forward to working with a new teachingpartner. Mrs. Ediger will be teaching Thursdays as I continue myadministrative role in the Grades 4-6 area. She is a wonderfuladdition to our class and I know you will enjoy the great ideas andlove for teaching and learning she brings to the class.
This year also means a new classfor us as the Grades 4-6 all move intothe newly renovated portables. I amlooking forward to a year full ofcollaboration between the Grades 4-6as we work to build an uniqueidentity and feel to the Grade 4-6area.
Mrs. Ediger and I believe firmlythat all children should have alove for learning and thatlearning does not just happen in
school within our fourwalls. Our goal this year is to help your child build that love for learninginto everything they do and to develop a sense of wonder at the
wonderful creation God has made in His love for us. As part of this, wealso hope to involve you in this goal; whether it is through our class blog,reading with your child as part of our Home Reading program or throughthe family projects that your child will bring home, we want you to be animportant part of this process.
Welcome to Grade 4. Let the learning begin!
IMPORTANT!!!
Our blog is animportant part of ourclass and an extremelyimportant to tool inhelping you be anactive, knowledgablepart of what is going on
in our class. Instead ofone newsletter at theend of the month, our
blog will be constantlyupdated withresources,links, news items,spelling, calendars and
other vital pieces ofinformation. Pleasecheck the blog often forinformation and waysto help your childcontinue their journeyin learning outside theclass! At the end of
this newsletter, therewill be a form you cancut out and put on thefridge to help you get toour blog!
THIS WILL BE
THE ONLY
PAPER
NEWSLETTER
YOU WILL
RECEIVE THIS
YEAR!
This year
will be
different inmany ways!
GRADE 4 - MR. HANCOCK AND MRS. DERKSEN HIGHROAD ACADEMY, CHILLIWACK, BC
NewsletterSeptember 2, 2014
Highroad Academy
8/11/2019 2014 First Day Newsletter
2/5
Introducing Mrs. Ediger!
I started working at Highroad Academy in 2010 as a TOC and have been teaching
in the Special Needs Department for the past three years. I attended Trinity
Western University and Simon Fraser University for my degrees and
Professional Development Program. Prior to working at Highroad Academy I
was at home raising my three children. As a young girl my passion was
gymnastics. As an adult I coached gymnastics for ten years prior to goinginto the teaching profession. Nowadays I enjoy camping, hiking and
travelling. It is my dream to travel to Europe someday!
I am very excited about teaching grade 4 this year with Mr. Hancock and
learning more about the adventures of his twin brother Bob!
CORE SUBJECTS
Grade Four is a busy year! With
Provincial Achievement test scheduled
for mid-year, students have a lot of
work and curriculum to cover. However,
Mrs. Ediger and I have a number of fun,
interactive, collaborative, exciting and
challenging projects planned.
For our Language Arts reading
program, we will be focusing on Novel
Studies. We will be starting as a class
and, as the year moves on, transitioningto more student led reading discussions
through the use of Literature Circles.
Poetry and spelling will also be major
parts of our reading program. For
writing, we will be using a mix of the
Six Traits program with the Blended
Style and Structure model. Both
systems are great ways to help students
both aspects of writing: style and
content. Our Math program continues
with the Math-U-See method with this
years focus being Division. As a part of
that program, we will be reviewing
multiplication and looking at fractions.
Daily Math Review and analyzing Word
Problems will also be an important part
of Math as problem solving is always a
difficult area for students. Science will
focus on Weather, Sound and Light and
Habitats and Communities.
Collaborative
Dynamic
Interactive
ChallengingMrs. Ediger will be teaching our Grade
4 Social Studies curriculum with
several fascinating topics to look
forward to. Grade 4 Social Studies
topics include: Geography of Canada,
Living in Canada, Life in Canadas
North and Explorers. Using tools like
GPS, Google Earth and maps, students
will also have fun learning more about
current world views and the various
cultures that make our global societ
the fascinating and dynamic world it i
today.
TECHNOLOGY
Technology will play an important par
in our Grade 4 year. However, it i
important that it is not the focus o
learning. Rather, technology is one o
the many tools we use to make sense o
our world and as a resource to gathe
information from. Our focus will ho
technology can complement oucurricul um in a dyn amic an
interactive way that provides student
with a multi-dimensional sense of
topic. Several tools will be used an
students will be going to the compute
lab at least once a week. We will also b
going through some basics of coding a
a beginning look at how webpages ar
created and structured.
Looking Ahead At Our Year In Grade 4!Below: Mr. Hancocks children: Liam and Siena
Learning does not just happen within the four walls of our school!
September 2, 2014
page
Highroad Academy
8/11/2019 2014 First Day Newsletter
3/5
Class Blog - Your Gr. 4 Connection
As you may or may not be aware, one of the areas of focus in the Elementary and Primar
department as been communicating through the use of Blogs. Our class blog will be a
important part of our parent/teacher communication. The blog contains lots of interestin
articles, links, videos and resources to help bring curriculum alive and into the hom
where you can share what your child is learning. It is vital that you have the ability t
access our blog on a daily basis! You can visit our blog at:
http://mrhclassblog.edublogs.org/
Spelling and Weekly Bible VerseThroughout the year, students will be involved in practicing spelling words an
memorizing Bible Verses. Students will be given their spelling words and Bible Verses o
Mondays and tested on those words and verses on Fridays. To help you organize and hel
your child, Bible verses will be placed for the year ahead on the Blog calendar. Our clas
also uses a website called Spelling City which allows students to practice spelling words
play games and prepare for their spelling tests. Weekly Spelling Practice will not star
until the beginning of October as we review phonograms and handwriting skills.
Other Important Items...
There are so many exciting things happening this year, it is hard to fit them all in thinewsletter!
Home Reading Program - This year, students will be introduced to an new
way of doing their home reading. Each day, as students complete their readin
for the night, they will fill in their reading log question for that day. Each da
has a different type of question that will help them to think about th
structure and style of literature as well as work on their comprehension. Thi
is also a good opportunity for you to gauge how well your child is engaged with
the books they are reading. More information will be given along with
guidelines on the amount of time expected.
Think! Projects - As part of the Science program in our class, students will b
bringing home projects designed to force students to think outside the box an
be creative. Creativity is an important part of learning and we want to hel
students stretch their creative muscles. Collaboration will be key and parent
and other family members are encouraged to help. These projects ar
mandatory and will be part of their Science mark.
Genius Hour -This is something new that all the teachers in the Grades 4-6
will be starting this year. Google introduced a concept a number of years ag
whereby 20% of worker time was devoted to any project their were interested
This helped promote creativity and passion for learning. We want to build tha
concept into our week as well. We feel that for so much of the school year, we
tell students what to do and learn. This is an opportunity for students to
pursue an idea/concept or project they are interested in and passionate about
To that end, one hour of the week will be given to students to pursue a passio
or interest they have. They will complete a project based on that passion anpresent it to the rest of the class. These projects will be worked on throughou
the term and be presented at the end of each term. We will be using a number
of resources to help us including a free website called DIY.org to help student
gather ideas for projects. We are really excited by this idea and feel that this
will inspire a passion for learning and creativity.
Uniforms -As directed by the school board, the intermediate department wi
be strictly enforcing the uniform policy this year. While we understand tha
sometimes circumstances sometimes make it difficult to adhere to the policy
all parents are required to be familiar with the policy and ensure that thei
child has the appropriate uniform pieces. All infringements will be followed up
on.
COME VISIT US AT HTTP://MRHCLASSBLOG.EDUBLOGS.ORG
September 2, 2014
page
Highroad Academy
http://mrhclassblog.edublogs.org/http://http//MRHCLASSBLOG.EDUBLOGS.ORGhttp://mrhclassblog.edublogs.org/http://http//MRHCLASSBLOG.EDUBLOGS.ORG8/11/2019 2014 First Day Newsletter
4/5
Lets
Get Acquainted!Please fill in the form as completely as possible!1) Childs Name _______________________________________________________________________
2) Birthdate _______________________________________________________________________
3) Parents Names _______________________________________________________________
4)Address _______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
5) Home Phone
_______________________________________________________________________
6)Work Phone _______________________________________________________________________
7) Email: _______________________________________________________________________
8) Name of other family members (including pets):
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
9) List several of your childs favorites, such as a favorite food, TV show, book or hobby:
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
10)Your childs strengths:
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
11)Areas needing improvement:
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
12) Educational needs of your child from your perspective: (Feel free to add more info on the back!)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PLEASE FILL IN AND RETURN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!SEPTEMBER 2, 2014
page
Highroad Academy
8/11/2019 2014 First Day Newsletter
5/5
13) Does your child like to read? Never Rarely Sometimes Always
14) How often does your child read independently?
_____ 0"2 times per week
_____ 3"4 times per week
_____ 5"7 times per week
_____ 8plus times per week
15)As we plan projects this year, we are hoping to gather some information to see what tools may be available for your child t
use. Please check all that apply:
__ Computer __ High"speed Internet __ GPS Device __ digital camera
16)Are you interested in having your child be involved in after school clubs? ____ Yes _____ No
If so, what kinds of clubs would your child be interested in participating in?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
17) Any thoughts you would like to communicate:
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PLEASE FILL IN AND RETURN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!SEPTEMBER 2, 2014
page
Highroad Academy