Friday, April 14th NO SCHOOL for students
Teacher grading and staff development day
Thursday & Friday April 20th-21st: NO SCHOOL for students
Thursday, April 20th: Student Led-Conferences (See note below)
Friday, April 21st: Teacher Professional Development Day
Monday, April 24th: State Testing begins for Level 2 students.
Please see message below.
Monday, May 1st: Puffins to Forest Grove Public Library
Parent chaperones: meet in the classroom at 1:50pm if you would like to join us:)
Friday, May 12th: Art Show and Cake Decorating Contest!
After school at the Forest Grove Public Library
For more information, email Art Teacher Stephanie at: [email protected]
Friday, May 19th: NO SCHOOL for students
Teacher grading and staff development day
Thursday, May 25th: FGCS Celebrations of Learning Event 5-6pm
Monday, May 29th: NO SCHOOL Memorial Day
A little note about comfort: Spring is here! Please make sure that your kiddo is properly outfitted with waterproof layers and appropriate footwear everyday!
Student-Led Conferences
Our student-led conferences are an opportunity for kiddos to reflect on and and own their learning journey. Up to three families are scheduled for student-led conferences during each half hour time slot. During this time, students will share their portfolio work and discuss progress with family members.
A note about student-led conferences: Student participation is required because students are leading their parents/guardians through a presentation of their recent school work. Teachers are on hand to answer questions, but students are in the lead. If you have questions or concerns you'd like to discuss privately with your student's teacher, please make arrangements directly with the teacher by phone or email.
[email protected]
Oregon State Testing Begins for Level 2 Students
State (SBAC) Testing
Level 2 students will begin state testing on Monday, April 24th. 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:
- Encourage them to do their best
- Help them get plenty of sleep and eat a good breakfast
- Practice keyboarding/typing skills
Your kiddo can also practice at home @ https://osasportal.org/students.html
After following the link provided here:
sign in as a guest, select your grade and test (Math or ELA).
State Testing: A Note about Opting Out
FGCS, like all public schools, is required by state law to administer standardized tests to all students in 3rd-8th grades every year. Students in Level 2 take tests in English Language Arts and mathematics.
Under Oregon law, parents may opt their students out of testing with certain limits: Parents may opt students out of Math and English Language Arts tests without stating a reason. Parents must submit a signed form indicating their wish to opt students out of testing. The forms is available here on the Testing page of the school website or in the school office.
Please contact Karen Torry at [email protected] or 503-359-4600 with any questions about state testing.
Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) State Testing
Math Homework
For the upcoming week, focus on these Apply homework pages:
For 4th graders:
4th graders should be working up to lesson 15 in the new Module 4 workbook.
Also, 4th graders should check that all lessons are finished up in their module 3 workbook.
For 3rd graders:
Keep an eye out for new Module 4 homework workbooks (sent home 4/7)
3rd graders should be working up to lesson 3 in the new Module 4 workbook.
Also, 3rd graders should check that all lessons are finished up in their module 3 workbook.
Also strongly recommended: daily practice with multiplication facts for 2-10's
Check out these multiplication fact practice apps: Looking for more? Check out lessons on Khan Academy.
What's happening in the Puffin Nest:
Our new StoryPath unit:
Main Street: Understanding Goods and Services.
Over the next 2 months, students will explore community collaboration and civics, the path of goods and services, and natural resource management by creating a business and addressing problems within the business community.
Episode 4: The Advertising Campaign
(responsible marketing, with a focus on community engagement)
Students learned about the costs and profits involved with running a business. Next, the business owners and workers of our Storypath Grove business community were faced with a problem: declining customers and sales. Students worked in groups to discover the causes of the problem and to brainstorm solutions.
Business partners focused on a message they wanted to deliver to their customers and the special products and services they could offer to improve sales and foot traffic. Students chose to create a jingle, a commercial or a social media campaign to boost business and presented their advertisements to the class.
Out & About
On Wednesday, Level 2 experienced a blackout in our Main Street Community! In order to get our power back on, we tried mining "coal" chocolate chips, but realized that these non-renewable fossil fuels came with some ecological downsides. Next students explored possible sources of renewable energy, then engineered and tested simple wind turbines. Do you know where Forest Grove's electric energy comes from?
Later in the week, we considered the costs/benefits of utilities that come from non-renewable sources. We read the book: Energy Island, an inspiring true story about how a community worked together to go green with energy conservation.
We held another community meeting to discuss options for "going green" in our Storypath Grove business community.
Read Aloud
We are enjoying the genre of Mystery!
The Name of This Book Is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch.
This is a story about two young, adventurous detectives, who accidentally stumble upon a mystery surrounding a magician's diary. This is a fun read, filled with word games, and featuring a mysterious narrator.
Our kiddos are considering clues and suspects, making predictions, asking questions and solving puzzles.
Opinion Writing
This week, we continued our opinion writing unit by editing/revising and typing our work into a 5 paragraph essay on the Chromebooks. We worked diligently to demonstrate strong paragraph structure.
Our opinion writing skills focus will include:
- Introducing a topic, “hooking” the reader, and stating an opinion
- Supporting point of view with reasons and details
- Ending with a concluding statement
- Transitions, writing conventions, word choice and cohesive ideas
Social Emotional Learning
This week, we continued to talk about the "job" of being a student who strives to make gains in scholarship, citizenship and stewardship. We want to be self-aware and cultivate helpful habits that will serve us well. Our focus:
Growth Mindset:
- I believe my intelligence and abilities can be improved with effort and the right strategies.
- I love learning new things, I like to be challenged, and I am willing to make mistakes! I persevere and try my best. I have a positive attitude, even when things are tough.
- I am thoughtful about my words and I am aware of how they affect others.
- I always show respect and care to all students and teachers by speaking kindly.
- If I get upset, I take a break before saying something unkind.
- I pay attention to directions and I understand how to do my job as a student independently. I don’t need many extra reminders.
- I am ready and eager to learn. I do my best to pay attention during lessons.
- I participate by raising my hand to share ideas.
- I take care of my materials and space.
- I am aware of my body, and I move safely around others.
Tower of Books Challenge
The Tower of Books is an optional at-home independent reading challenge designed to support your child's daily reading habits. We ask that all of our level 2 kiddos engage in 20 minutes of reading outside of school time each day. Our kiddos brought home their paper "Tower of Books" backgrounds and book spine labels at fall conferences.
To meet the challenge, students must write down the name and category for each book they finish on a paper book "spine" and add it to their tower. The goal is 30 books! Consider an incentive for every tenth book your child reads (like picking family dinner or movie night). We have a special V.I.P celebration and award for any students who are able to complete the challenge before the last day of school this year. Please support your child in working on their tower and in helping them to be accountable with finishing a book "cover-to-cover" by discussing the book with them when they finish.