Monday, April 9th: Puffins to Forest Grove Public Library 2pm-3pm
Chaperones Needed!
Wednesday, April 11th: Pioneer Day at the AT Smith House
All day O&A and Oregon Trail Dress Up Day!
Talk to your Puffin about how Pioneers might have dressed, and what types of foods they would have brought for lunch. We encourage students to dress the part that day!
Friday, April 13th: NO SCHOOL for students
Grading/Staff Development Day
Thursday 4/19 and Friday 4/20: NO SCHOOL for students
Student Led Conferences- Please sign up for your conference time with Vickie in the office.
Wednesday, April 25th: Pioneer Cook Off! 12:30-2:30pm @ UCC
Join us while we celebrate the journey's end and conclusion of our Oregon Tail Storypath Unit. Chaperones Needed!
Monday, April 30th: Puffins to Forest Grove Public Library 2pm-3pm
Chaperones Needed!
Monday, April 30th: Oregon State Testing Begins for Level 2 Students
State (SBAC) Testing
Level 2 students will begin state testing on Monday, April 30th. Testing is administered in the computer lab in short sessions, and students have the opportunity to work on the same test over multiple sessions so they can work at their own pace.
Please help support your Puffin:
- Every day, please send a healthy snack with your child
- Encourage them to do their best
- Help them get plenty of sleep and eat a good breakfast
- Homework: practice keyboarding skills
Your kiddo can also practice at home @ practice.smarterbalanced.org/student/
After following the link provided here:
sign in as a guest, select your grade and test (Math or ELA).
State Testing: A Note from the Principal
State Testing: Opt-Out Information:
If you are interested in learning more, please contact Karen Torry
[email protected]
Parent Rights/Opt Out Form (English / Spanish)
Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) State Testing
Level 2 Suggested Weekly Homework:
Reading Homework
Spend at least 20 minutes reading (outside of school) every day.
Reading is on the "honor system" and we ask that you help your kiddo to develop a daily reading routine with good-fit books. At fall conferences, your kiddo brought home the Tower of Books wall poster, which is a fun (and optional) reading genre challenge.
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.
This can be completed online with Dreambox or Khan Academy. Students can also play math games, or complete worksheets (you can find grade level workbooks online or at the Learning Palace).
Current 4th grade Math Topic:
- Geometry
All 4th grade math students should be practicing their multiples DAILY.
4th graders have set goals and made plans for daily practice and have identified the numbers they needs to work on (ie. 6’s, 7’s, 8’s, etc.). Check in with your kiddo about this!
What's Happening in the Puffin Nest...
This week, the Puffins visited the Old Train Station Museum with Friends of Historic Forest Grove to learn what Forest Grove was like in its early days.
Next week, students will dress up as their Oregon Trail character and visit the historical AT Smith house for a pioneer field day!
In class, we continued our Storypath!
Episode 3: Places Along the Oregon Trail
● Students read and discussed descriptions of various regions/terrains/places on the Oregon Trail.
● Students worked together in small groups to create mural panels of the Plains, Fort Laramie, the Rocky Mountains, and the Snake River Canyon.
● Students reflected on their experiences, and wrote a natural resource analyses.
Episode 4: The Thunderstorm
● Students learned that a thunderstorm and flash flood had destroyed the food in one of the wagons. They formulated ideas for solving the problem.
● Students planned and wrote opinion paragraphs in trail journals to support their position.
● Students met to discuss the problem and come to a consensus on the solution.
Current Class Read Alouds:
Daily Life in a Covered Wagon
This historical adventure follows a typical family from Indiana traveling to Oregon in a covered wagon. It shows how they really lived: how they dressed; what they ate; what they saw; how they survived the hazardous journey.
Rachel's Journal: The Story of a Pioneer Girl
Rachel and her family travel by covered wagon following the Oregon Trail from Illinois all the way to California. The terrain is rough and the seven-month trip is filled with adventure and Rachel's handwritten journal chronicles every detail.
Reading Workshop: Book Clubs
These small group "Literature Circles" engage students in vocabulary study and rich conversations about shared readings. Students can express their opinions, predictions, and questions about a text in a productive, structured way while developing their reading, speaking, and thinking abilities.
Students are finishing up their first book, and getting ready to explore a new book in their book club group. Ask your kiddo to tell you about the book they are reading!
Our Book Club Books:
- The Wanderer
- View from Saturday
- Flora & Ulysses
- Because of Winn Dixie
- Bridge to Terabithia
- Holes
- The Mouse & the Motorcycle
- Cricket in Times Square
- How to Train Your Dragon
- Clementine