Upcoming Events
Monday, December 5th: Puffins to Forest Grove Public Library 2pm-3pm
Students may return books from our last library visit - please bring a tote bag!
Chaperones Welcome! If you would like to join us, please send Ginny an email: [email protected]. On library day, check in first at the school office, and then meet us in the classroom at 1:55.
Tuesday, December 13th
The FGCS office is closing at 3:30 p.m. Tues., Dec. 13 for a staff holiday party.
All after-school activities are canceled.
Please be sure your students are picked up promptly at 3:20 p.m. so office staff can enjoy the holiday gathering. Thank you!
December 19th - January 2nd
Winter Break- NO SCHOOL
School will resume on Tuesday, January 3rd
Math Homework
For December 5th-9th, focus on these Apply homework pages:
For 4th graders:
Work on lessons in the new Module 2 workbook up to lesson 18.
For 3rd graders:
Work on lessons in the new Module 2 workbook up to lesson 12.
Also strongly recommended: daily practice with multiplication facts for 2-10's
Check out these multiplication fact practice apps:
What's happening in the Puffin Nest:
Writing Workshop
To prepare for our Informational writing unit, we will be focusing on the composition and structure of an informative paragraph. We are exploring topic sentences, "Star Ideas" that are parallel/related to each other, details/examples, transitions and closing sentences.
During Reading Workshop we explored another important reading skill: synthesizing.
We talked about combining what we already know with new information to create new, bigger understanding.
Our Novel Study Read Aloud
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
We are exploring a new genre: Science Fiction!
Lights shine in the city of Ember—but at the city limits the light ends, and darkness takes over. Out there in the Unknown Regions, the darkness goes on forever in all directions. Ember—so its people believe—is the only light in the dark world. And now the lights are going out...Is there a way to save the people of Ember?
Out & About & Science
This week, our focus was magnets and static electricity. We learned that:
- Forces can be applied at a distance through magnetism and static electricity.
- The closer magnets are, the stronger the force.
- Magnets can push or pull other magnets, depending on the poles.
- Electromagnets can be turned on and off with electricity.
- Static electricity can push or pull things without touching them.
For our "In & About" this week, students had an opportunity to rotate through stations to explore two forces that can act on something WITHOUT touching it: magnetism and static electricity. Here are some interesting demonstrations we explored that you could try to recreate at home: anti-gravity machine, magnet tower, bouncing tower, the magical comb and simple electromagnets. What else can you create with magnetic force?
Social Emotional Learning
This week, our focus was interoception. Interoception is a sense that allows us to notice internal body signals (like tensing muscles, a racing heart or a rumbling stomach).Our brain uses these body signals as clues to our emotions. Research shows that awareness of body signals is linked to the ability to identify and manage emotions like anxiety, distraction, sadness, and anger.
We practiced paying attention to our body signals and being mindful of our emotions.
Inclusive Community Read Aloud for November: Indigenous People’s Month
This week, we continued our weekly "Inclusive Community" read-aloud series.
Through these read-alouds, we learn about and celebrate diversity in our community.
This week, we finished reading We Are Water Protectors