Monday, December 16th: Puffins to Forest Grove Public Library 1:50pm-2:50pm
Chaperones Welcome! We visit the children's department about every three weeks and can always use parent volunteers to walk with us, encourage our kiddos to make smart choices, and to help kids find and check out books. If you would like to join us, simply meet us in the classroom at 1:55pm on library days.
Thursday, December 19th: O&A to Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
Dress rehearsal of "Cirque Nutcracker" which includes dance and acro to classical Nutcracker music.
All day O&A, leaving FGCS at 9am, returning @ 1:45pm
Winter Break: December 23rd- January 3rd NO SCHOOL
2020 O&A's:
Wednesday, January 23rd Oregon Children’s Theater: Dragons Love Tacos
Depart FGCS at 9:30am, returning about 1:30pm
1 Chaperones needed
Wednesday, March 4Orchestra-Young Peoples Concert
Depart FGCS at 9:30am, returning about 1:30pm
1 Chaperones needed
FGCS YEARBOOK: The 2019-20 FGCS Yearbook is now available to order online! Click here to purchase a yearbook with credit or debit. If you prefer to pay with cash or check, you may do that in the office using this form, which is also available in the school office. Yearbook orders are due by 3 p.m. Fri., March 20.
Level 2 Suggested Weekly Homework:
Reading Homework
Spend at least 20 minutes reading (outside of school) every day.
Typing Homework
Level 2 students have typing homework to develop and support important keyboarding skills. Please practice at least 20 minutes per week on: Typing.com
Math homework
It is strongly recommended that your student practice math skills at least 30 minutes (or more) per week.
Click here for DreamBox
Current 4th grade Math Topics:
- Factors and Multiples
- Prime and Composite Numbers
- Multiply by 1-digit numbers
- Multiply by 2-digit numbers
- Division
What’s happening in the Puffin Nest?
Once upon a time…
Our storytelling theme is in full swing in the level 2 classrooms, as we launch our fairy tale writing unit.
What is a fairy tale?
The ancestor of the fairy tale is the folk tale. A folk tale has been created by a community over many generations. A fairy tale is a written folk story with wondrous elements. The writing makes a big difference; when one person writes the story, he or she changes details to tell the tale his or her own way.
During the fairy tale writing unit, our kiddos will read and listen to familiar fairy tales and then write their own adaptations.
Why do we study them?
Studying folktales and fairy tales helps students with fiction writing. This is because in reading and listening to these stories, students deeply connect with story arcs, archetypes and lessons.
This connection helps them as writers to create the world of their story, and to bring their characters to life. It is all about bringing the resonance of a storyteller’s voice onto the page.
We have also been exploring humorous fairytale adaptations through Reader's Theater. Our goal is to explore fluency, characterization and to enhance reading skills and confidence through practice with a purpose.
How will we connect reading & writing with our project work?
As the weather gets cold, we are staying warm with "In & Abouts" each week.
During the month of December, we will be working on Engineering Labs!
Students will imagine, create, test, make improvements and find solutions as they built an item that would assist characters in well known fairy tales.
This week, students worked in pairs to completed their first fairy tale engineering project:
- A parachute for Jack (& the Beanstalk)
- A zip-line for Little Red Riding Hood
Ask your Puffin to tell you about their project!
Here are some questions to ask:
- Was your design successful? How could you tell?
- Did you try any designs that didn’t work?
- What surprised you about the project?
- What frustrated you about the project? How did you work through it?