Great Things Are Happening!!!!

I can't believe we are half way through the 3rd quarter already!! "So much time and so little to do--scratch that--reverse it--so much to do and so little time!!" (Willy Wonka)

Our field trip to The Henry Ford was a complete success. Many aspects of history that we have been discussing in class came to life! Presidential history, the Civil War, and African American history were all on display and the kids took it all in. It was quite a thrill being able to board the actual bus that made Rosa Parks an important part of the Civil Rights Movement! Viewing the actual chair that President Lincoln was assassinated in and the limosine in which President Kennedy was shot will be forever etched in our minds. You can view photos from our field trip at http://www.sps4thgrade20092010.shutterfly.com/ .

We have just begun our unit on The Solar System. The students made a scale model of the Solar System in the hallway and it was astronomical (lol)!!

The cereal box reports on the presidents turned out fabulously! The students were quite creative and thought very carefully about the prize inside the box. If you get a chance, stop by and see them in the hallway.

Happy 2010!!!

I hope everyone had a very restful Christmas vacation! It is hard to believe that 2010 is upon us! It seems like only about decade ago we were worried about the Y2K computer glitch! (lol)

Our Christmas party was a lot of fun! The kids did a great job keeping there Secret Santa gift a true secret. All of the kids seemed to really enjoy their gifts and were very polite and thankful!! Thank you to all who helped, especially to Mrs. Hughes and Mrs. Smith that got the ice cream buffet all set up. Thanks also to all of the parents that donated items for our ice cream buffet! I was truly touched by all of your gifts and Christmas cards. Thank you.

On another note....

Double digit multiplication will begin in about a week. Timed tests will be starting up again this week. Please make sure your child is practicing his/her mulitplication facts every night!!! Don't bother quizzing them on the ones they know, stick to the ones that they have to think about. Double digit multiplication is much easier if these facts are down pat!!!

Fourth Grade Fun

I hope your kids came home as excited as I did after our field trip to The Detroit Science Center. I had not been there since my daughter was in 3rd grade and I was amazed at the changes they have made. There is plenty of hands-on activities to do that cover many facets of science. I think the favorite was the music room that allowed the kids to sing and play guitar and drums. (Who would have thought that science and music are related? lol) Another favorite was the 4-D Engineering Theater. What a wild ride that was (and wet, too!). Thanks to all who chaperoned - you did a great job and the kids certainly did a great job representing St. Pius X School!

Halloween

Our Halloween Party was a ton of fun! The kids had some very creative (and appropriate) costumes. We had everything from a football player to Harpo Marx. A big "thank you" to Mrs. Hughes, Mrs. Smith (Tyler), and Mrs. Assenmacher for all of the preparation and help during the party. The kids played Halloween Bingo, watched "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" and made a craft. The weather turned out to be perfect for our school parade! I hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween. Enjoy your trick or treating tonight!! (By the way, Mrs. Piechocki loves gobstoppers - hint hint)

STATE REPORT INFORMATION

The students received the instructions for the State Report and we played "stick the state" to pick the state to do the report on. The rubric that I will use to grade the report is on the back side of the instruction sheet. If you have any questions, please email me. I have included some website links to help you with research. I do expect the students to use books and not just internet websites for information. The report is due October 16.

Thank You, Jabro's!!!

I just wanted to let you all know that Jabro's on Northline in Southgate donated an 8 x 8 rug to our classroom. If you need new carpet you may want to check them out. The owners are St. Pius parishioners, as well. The kids sent a "thank you" card to them with this picture of the class on the new rug.

Buenos Dias Amigos!!

It is very exciting to hear the children speaking Spanish! Please be sure to practice the words that Senorita Magda is working on each week. She involves the children in many fun activities and they seem to be learning!! This week they are working on the alphabet and numbers up to 20.

On Thursday, September 17, we celebrated Constitution Day. We first watched a video based on the book, "Shhh!! We're Writing the Constitution". The children then worked in groups to develop our own classroom constitution. I was amazed at how insightful your children are!! They came up with 10 rights that they felt every student should have. Wonderful!!!

It looks like our special schedule is set for the year: Monday - Art 1:30-2:15, Tuesday-Gym 8:10-8:55 and Computers 10:25-11:10, Wednesday-Spanish 8:50-9:20 and Music 1:30-2:15, Thursday-Library 2:15-3:00.

Next week we look forward to reading at Mass on Thursday at 8:30 and to the Jog-A-Thon on Friday. Our time will be from 10:30-11:15. Lunch will follow at 11:30-12:15. This year the monies raised will go to technology. Come on out and "jog" with us!!!

Have a great week!!

Adios amigos!!!
Mrs. Piechocki