Final Post

Dear Girls-

Thanks for being your best and always showing more kindness than was necessary. I will miss you. Stay in touch on this Padlet. Have a safe and happy summer! Love, Mrs. McCallum

PS- Don't forget your summer work😊

Class of 2025 SMART, KIND, and, CREATIVE!!!

Ready for Middle School!

Girls gotta have FUN!!

Post #38

And then it was OVER! Just like that our school year has come to an end. The girls had a great final week. They made posters in Excel to remember the year. We peeked into life in the forties and did some problem solving. The girls worked on their fairy tales and design bedrooms. 

They enjoyed their Fourthie End of Lower School Party. Greer's parents treated all to Gelati Celesti Ice Cream. What a perfect way to begin our celebration. The girls had a blast in the pool and got a kick out of watching First Kid (circa 1996). Do you recognize the setting? Scenery look familiar? 

It's going to be hard to say good-bye to these smart, kind, and creative girls. I am so proud of their achievements. It was my pleasure to spend fourth grade with your daughters. Here's to a memorable final assembly on Tuesday!

_______________________________________________________________________________

FYI......

The Middle School math department has required summer work. The packet is in the girls' work folder. I have also included it on our class blog along with other activities to Keep the Lamp of Learning Burning.

• June 5 Early Dismissal for grades JK-2, 11:30 a.m. and grades 3-4, noon. (Lunch will not be served).
• June 6 Lower School Final Assembly, 1 p.m., Kenny Center Grades JK - 4 should not arrive at school until 12:15 p.m for the Final Assembly. Dismissal immediately following the Final Assembly from classrooms. Grade 4 reception on the Kenny Center Patio.
• Assembly attire letter

Post #37

Celebrating our memories! That's what the last two weeks are all about.

The girls made memory dodecahedrons to celebrate their last year as Lower School students- a fun 3- dimensional math project. Our Dream Bedroom Design Project is coming along. The girls will present these next week. We added our own sunshine and solved Sunny Musical Moments- Here Comes the Sun, Walking on Sunshine, You are the Sunshine of my Life.... We problem solved with our class read aloud- Wonder by R.J. Palacio. The girls love this book and embrace the book's precept: Always show more kindness than is necessary. They even wrote persuasive essays to the fifth grade teachers in hopes that they will be able to join us next year when we take the Class of 2026 to the movies.

Fairy tales are getting exciting. The girls are using beautiful imagery in their storytelling. We will have "library time" next week and enjoy some corn of the popped variety.

The Middle School math department has required summer work. The packet is in the girls' work folder. I have also included it on our class blog along with other activities to Keep the Lamp of Learning Burning.

A Few Notes.....

* Fourthie Party- Thursday, June 1st (12:00-3:00 swimming and a movie). Girls will need a one piece bathing suit, swim cap, towel, and goggles (optional).

* Carpool Helper Calendar- Peyton will represent our class next week. 

* Homework-No more homework!

ASSEMBLY PRACTICE

Thursday, June 1 – Kenny Center

9:30 – 10:30 am 

Friday, June 2 – Kenny Center

1:00 – 2:00 pm

Monday, June 5 – Kenny Center

8:30 – 9:45 am

• June 5 Early Dismissal for grades JK-2, 11:30 a.m. and grades 3-4, noon. (Lunch will not be served).
• June 6 Lower School Final Assembly, 1 p.m., Kenny Center Grades JK - 4 should not arrive at school until 12:15 p.m for the Final Assembly. Dismissal immediately following the Final Assembly from classrooms. Grade 4 reception on the Kenny Center Patio.
• Assembly attire letter

Girls- Your mystery blog question... Did you wear sunscreen at the pool? Post your answer here. 

Post #36

A few girls found themselves in Mathematical Jail- their offense?? Earning five or more speeding tickets in weekly fact checks. The goal is always to improve accuracy and speed from week to week. It's all about achieving your personal best each week. A special shout-out to these "criminals."

The girls are designing their dream bedrooms. They are determining area, perimeter, using a scale calculator, paint calculator, and adding their own creativity to design a space that fits their personality. The artist rendition comes next week. The girls are still moving through the United States with math listening stations. They are practicing rounding numbers and solving states and capitals riddles as they locate states. This week's problem solving kept us in the 1930's and the Dust Bowl. 

We continue to experience culture of the 1930's. The girls listened to a portion of the 1938 radio broadcast of The War of The Worlds.  They imagined what people were thinking as they listened to this broadcast. Here are a few ideas from Madigan and Powell:

The last writing lab was introduced this week. We explored the elements of a fairy tale. The girls chose a "she-roe" and are on their way to placing the sheroe in their fairy tale.

And finally- it's not everyday you get back seat passes to a Judge Judy concert! The girls organized a concert and performed during recess. So many details went into this free concert. A spin-off band was formed by Piper and Molly. These two girls are now writing songs helping to solve peer conflicts. I will miss this creative bunch!

A Few Notes.....

* PE Board Games- please read the message from the PE department 

* Fourthie Party- Thursday, June 1st (12:00-3:00 swimming and a movie). Girls will need a one piece bathing suit, swim cap, towel, and goggles (optional).

* Carpool Helper Calendar- Aseye will represent our class next week. 

* Homework-No more homework!! Woo hoo!!

ASSEMBLY PRACTICE

Thursday, June 1 – Kenny Center

9:30 – 10:30 am 

Friday, June 2 – Kenny Center

1:00 – 2:00 pm

Monday, June 5 – Kenny Center

8:30 – 9:45 am

• June 5 Early Dismissal for grades JK-2, 11:30 a.m. and grades 3-4, noon. (Lunch will not be served).
• June 6 Lower School Final Assembly, 1 p.m., Kenny Center Grades JK - 4 should not arrive at school until 12:15 p.m for the Final Assembly. Dismissal immediately following the Final Assembly from classrooms. Grade 4 reception on the Kenny Center Patio.
• Assembly attire letter

Girls- Your mystery blog question... What is Tuesday's homework assignment? Post your answer here. Please be sure to click on the "initials needed" link on the left side of the blog.

Post # 35

We're almost there!

The girls enjoyed their trip across The Green. The excitement on Wednesday morning was palatable. They came back from the Middle School excited and a tiny bit nervous. You can read their reflections here. 

Three Word Thursday included the name of a fifth grade teacher. So we decided to share the 3WT with the Middle School teachers. I know the fifth grade team will appreciate your daughters' writing as much as I do. 

We wrapped up Unit 7 in math and the girls took their assessment on Wednesday. Look for these in next week's work folder. The tests are graded numerically and with traditional grades. The girls asked for a taste of middle school grading. Test corrections were made and we discussed the power of learning from mistakes and making corrections. Growth mindset, growth mindset, growth mindset! The new math unit centers on area and perimeter. We will begin a HUGE project next week. The girls will design their dream bedroom. This class will hit it out of the ballpark with their creativity. Math problem solving taught the girls a very important life lesson if they ever encounter an alligator. Your daughter can explain.

We are chugging through the Great Depression. We read several picture books that helped the girls visualize what life was like for children during this time period. They learned about the Dust Bowl and practiced essay writing about FDR and the New Deal. Our novel study The Home-Run King by Patricia McKissak is also set in the 1930's.

The girls had fun writing a plot summary of a movie starring their moms. This is one of my favorite writing activities. The girls get a kick out of creating the movie posters and writing about their families.

And a very Happy Mother's Day!

A Few Notes.....

* Special Week Sign-up Anne will be our Special Week girl 

* Carpool Helper Calendar- Isabelle will represent our class next week. 

* Homework-Homework is posted for family planning

* Book Fair is on May 17th (our class goes at 3:10).

* Graduation info 

• June 5 Early Dismissal for grades JK-2, 11:30 a.m. and grades 3-4, noon.
• June 6 Lower School Final Assembly, 1 p.m., Kenny Center Grades JK - 4 should not arrive at school until 12:15 p.m for the Final Assembly. Dismissal immediately following the Final Assembly from classrooms. Grade 4 reception on the Kenny Center Patio.

* Robotics applications (for those interested) are due on 5/19.

Required Summer Reading for rising fifth graders:

The rising fives will all read Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper and One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams Garcia.  

Then, they will choose (at least) one of the following to read: 

The Secret Horses of Briar Hill by Megan Shepherd

Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell

Savvy by Ingrid Law

Wildings by Eleanor Glewwe

Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk

Many girls have started their required summer reading and were asking if they needed to summarize, take notes, etc. We checked with Taryn Chesshire (5th grade English teacher) and here's her response:

What we'll do is use them as common texts next year when we introduce the elements of literature, before we start reading a (very exciting, engaging) novel together as a class. The only thing I would recommend is that they look back over the novels toward the end of the summer to refresh on the details. 

Girls- Your mystery blog question... Who has the best mom in the world? Post your answer here.

Post #34

The girls enjoyed their 100 Compliment Celebration on Wednesday. We made unicorn bark coated pretzels. Yumm!

The Fuzzbert Empire is at a whole new level as of this week. Mrs. Hamilton-Dixon loaned us some Little Bits and the girls are innovating and collaborating in incredible ways! I love Little Bits home page:

Math problem solving was mouth-watering and filled with soccer tricks. These two EdPuzzles gave the girls plenty of fraction practice. The girls are adding, subtracting, reducing, and comparing fractions with confidence. They will take the unit assessment on Wednesday afternoon. Math wasn't all fractions- the girls practiced rounding large numbers as they solved riddles and learned more states and capitals. A few girls are on their way to Mathematical Jail for receiving multiple speeding tickets. Trust me-this is a jail everyone wants to visit. The jail was Madigan's idea and creation. Many girls accepted the weekly math challenge this week. I'm glad that they are pushing themselves as the year winds down.

The fun of the 1920's has come to an end and the girls are now being dragged down by the Great Depression of the 1930's. They imagined life as a ten year old and wrote heartfelt journal entries about their dire situation. Next week they will experience the Dust Bowl.

The girls do such a great job celebrating each others' writing and offering feedback. They completed a special writing project that will come home next week. Here's their clever and collaborative 3WT!

A Few Notes.....

* Special Week Sign-up Anne will be our next Special Week girl (week of 5/15)

* Carpool Helper Calendar-Catherine will represent our class next week. 

* Homework-Homework is posted for family planning- it's spring, girls are busy, please encourage them to plan ahead.

* Middle School Orientation is on Wednesday after chapel until 12:30.

* Book Fair is on May 17th (our class goes at 3:10).

* Letter about the graduation ceremony is in your daughter's work folder. Here's a digital copy.

* Robotics applications (for those interested) are due on 5/19.

Required Summer Reading for rising fifth graders:

The rising fives will all read Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper and One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams Garcia.  

Then, they will choose (at least) one of the following to read: 

The Secret Horses of Briar Hill by Megan Shepherd

Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell

Savvy by Ingrid Law

Wildings by Eleanor Glewwe

Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk

Many girls have started their required summer reading and were asking if they needed to summarize, take notes, etc. We checked with Taryn Chesshire (5th grade English teacher) and here's her response:

What we'll do is use them as common texts next year when we introduce the elements of literature, before we start reading a (very exciting, engaging) novel together as a class. The only thing I would recommend is that they look back over the novels toward the end of the summer to refresh on the details. 

Girls- Your mystery blog question... When is your math test? Post your answer here.

Post #33

Wow! What a week! So much going on at St. Catherine's and in Room M02! It was such a treat to meet all the grandparents and special friends. The girls were gracious hosts and great collaborative partners with their guests. I can't wait until I can attend a "Grandparents' Day" with my sweet granddaughter.

The girls are rolling along with fractions- adding and subtracting with unlike denominators and reducing to lowest terms. They are grasping these concepts and solving fraction equations independently. I've been making  "how to" tutorials for new math concepts and this has allowed for even greater independence. Many have commented that the videos are great tools. So... several girls have started making "how to" tutorials on their own as a way to remember concepts. Love that they are recognizing strategies that work for them!

We've been keeping the beat with poetry. The girls wrote songs and performed karaoke style. Several were HYSTERICAL and others so tender that they brought tears to my eyes. Creative writing was oh so clever this week. Take a look:



On a personal note- One of my favorite events this week was a surprise birthday party that the girls had for me. I have the best job in the world! These girls are unlike any others. See for yourself.

Hope to see everyone at Daisy Days. I'm watching May Pole practice right now and it looks like they have perfected this St. Catherine's tradition. 

A Few Notes.....

* Special Week Sign-up Meg will be our Special Week girl.

* Carpool Helper Calendar-Leslie will represent our class next week. 

* Homework-Homework is posted for family planning- it's spring, girls are busy, please encourage them to plan ahead.

* Book Fair is on May 17th

Girls- Your mystery blog question... What color is Emily's sippy cup ? Post your answer here.

Post #32

And that's a wrap! 

A fabulous show by a bunch of talented and spirited Fourthies!

We are getting back to our regular classroom business. We worked with haikus this week and talked about writing from the heart. The girls used water colors to illustrate their haikus. They will teach their grandparents and special friends how to write haikus and tankas (a lengthier haiku) next Friday. I'm really looking forward to Grandparents' and Special Friends' Day and so are the girls. The schedule is at the bottom of this post. 

Unicorns are still floating around and seem to be everywhere. Even Starbucks has caught the unicorn fever. The girls worked with unicorn problem solving in math, read about the newest Starbucks creation. They even played around with virtual realty. Ask your daughter to explain. We started looking at equivalent fractions- more on this next week. 

A Few Notes.....

* Special Week Sign-up Meg will be our Special Week girl.

* Carpool Helper Calendar- Molly will represent our class next week. 

* Homework-Homework is posted for family planning- it's spring, girls are busy, please encourage them to plan ahead.

* Grandparents' and Special Friends' Day is on Friday. Fourth grade celebration will begin at 12:45 with a performance in the Lower School Assembly Room. Following the performance, our guests will spend time in the classroom and in a special before snacks on the green. Here's the schedule:

A message from Taryn Chesshire (fifth grade English teacher) regarding summer reading:

The rising fives will all read Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper and One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams Garcia.  

Then, they will choose (at least) one of the following to read: 

The Secret Horses of Briar Hill by Megan Shepherd

Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell

Savvy by Ingrid Law

Wildings by Eleanor Glewwe

Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk

The books will be on sale at the spring book fair but I thought you might want a heads up.

Girls- Your mystery blog question... What time does Grandparents' and Special Friends' Day begin for Fourthies?   Post your answer here.

Post # 31

It's spring and unicorns are everywhere!

Not really, but the girls have been working so hard during our play practices that we had to have a little fun and silliness. We are working with fractions of a set and problems solved with mythical figures among other adorable things. 

The girls completed their biography book projects. They learned that Excel is not just for math. With a few margin tweaks and page set-up details they created a 15" x 20" poster. The independence displayed during this project makes me confident that the girls are ready for Middle School. They watched a tutorial and explored Excel on their own. Each poster is unique. We have them on display in the classroom. Here are Meg's and Alex's to give you an idea:

"How to" essays were revised and edited and video tutorials were created. We enjoyed watching them today. Here's the link. Hope you like them too!

The girls keep reminding me that April is National Poetry Month. I promise we will enjoy lots of poetry after the play. The girls will be writing haikus, tankas, free verse, and more. Stay tuned.

A Few Notes.....

* Special Week Sign-up Meg will be our next Special Week girl during the week of 5/1.

* Carpool Helper Calendar- Anne will represent our class next week. 

* Homework-NO homework next week!

* Play production for parents on Wednesday @ 2;30!!

* Final Assembly- Please click here to let us know how your daughter's name should appear on her Promotion certificate.

* Grandparents' and Special Friends' Day is April 28th. Invitations were given to the girls to give to their grandparents/special friends.

* The girls will spend the morning in Middle school on 5/10. They will go to the Middle School after chapel and return at 12:30.

A message from Taryn Chesshire (fifth grade English teacher) regarding summer reading:

The rising fives will all read Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper and One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams Garcia.  

Then, they will choose (at least) one of the following to read: 

The Secret Horses of Briar Hill by Megan Shepherd

Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell

Savvy by Ingrid Law

Wildings by Eleanor Glewwe

Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk

The books will be on sale at the spring book fair but I thought you might want a heads up.

Girls- Your mystery blog question... Why do you think we are having a homework free week?   Post your answer here.