Parent Input Form & Curriculum Night

There are still a few families that have not completed this Parent Input Form. Please take a moment to fill it out if you haven't done so yet.  I will send home a paper copy of the form to complete this week to those I haven't hear from.  I am creating an email group for important announcements and this will help me to ensure I have everyones most up to date email addresses.  Thanks to those of you that have already filled it out.  

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone at Curriculum Night on Thursday, September 4th. The 4th grade presentation will begin at 6:35 pm in the auditorium and then you are then welcome to visit our classroom afterwards.

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

~Maya Angelou

25 Ways To Ask Your Kids “So how was school today?” Without Asking them “So how was school today?”

I came across this article this morning, and I thought it had some great after school conversation starters! Let me know if you try any of these with your kids and how it goes!

Perfect end to a great week...

Mann school was challenged to the ALS ice bucket challenge by Whittier School, and we quickly accepted!  Watch the video below to see your principal, Mrs. Cole, lead the Mann staff in the challenge!  To be honest, after a hot day in the forth grade pod, it felt great to get doused in ice water! 

Wow, we had a great first week of 4th grade.  I couldn't be more pleased with the amount of growth I have already seen from the kids in such a short amount of time!  Today was the best day of them all!  We had a fabulous class discussion answering two questions: "Is it ok to struggle on an assignment?" and "How do you feel when you struggle?"  From this talk, we learned that many of us have negative feelings about struggle.  Some of the words the kids gave were to describe their feelings were stressed, frustrated, dumb, lose of confidence, stuck, cry.....  However our discussion ended on a positive note by us understanding that we learn from struggle!  If something is tough that means we are learning something new.  The kids then spent 40 minutes working independently on a math word problem.  Not one kid in our class gave up!  They kept trying different strategies and working at it.  The amount of effort they put into our first math word problem was beyond my expectations!  Everyone earned an extra Horseshoe Hooray for putting in so much effort.  

It really was a great week!  I couldn't be happier with my decision to join the Mann family!  Enjoy your three day weekend :)

Cheers,

Mrs. Chrystall 

"You Can Grow Your Intelligence"

Today we starting working on non-fiction reading skills, and we began learning about growth mindset.  We read an article titled "You Can Grow Your Intelligence."  Tomorrow, we will discuss how this relates to their effort in school and strategies the kids can use to increase their achievement.  We will refer back to the article and use the information as evidence to support our thoughts about intelligence and effort.  Be sure to ask your child about this article tonight.  Here is a link to the article your kids read today if you are interested in reading it too: http://www.isacs.org/misc_files/Brain%20Article.pdf.
  

Students reading the article for a 2nd time and discussing the important information. 

The kids also had to highlight the most interesting thing in each paragraph while they wrote notes in the margins about their thoughts.

Fostering a Growth Mindset

Hello Parents,

This year I will be working with all the kids to develop a growth mindset instead of a fixed mindset.  I have read a lot of research on this topic and I think it's an important message for teachers, students and parents to hear.  Throughout the year, I will share with you some interesting, researched based articles for parents.  On the night before the start of a new and exciting school year, I wanted to take the time to share with you a few videos and an article on the topic.   This link has four great short videos for parents to learn more about what growth mindset is and how to help foster in children.  I want your children to see the connection between effort and achievement.  Also, here is an article on the topic you can read for more information.  Please keep these ideas in mind and help me to develop the growth mindset in your child! 

Cheers!  See you tomorrow :)
Mrs. Chrystall



“So what should we say when children complete a task—say, math problems—quickly and perfectly? Should we deny them the praise they have earned? Yes. When this happens, I say, “Whoops. I guess that was too easy. I apologize for wasting your time. Let’s do something you can really learn from!”  - Carol Dweck

Welcome and Information for Parents

**I sent the below email to all families on 8/21. Please email me if you did not receive this, so I can be sure to have everyones correct email addresses on file. 

Hello 4th Grade Families,

Welcome to the 2014/15 school year! I am thrilled to be your child’s teacher this year. It will be an exciting year for me and the students. I am so looking forward to seeing everyone soon.

Until we meet, here are a few things that you should know:

• All fourth grade students will enter and dismiss from the 7 West Door. 
• There will be time for a snack while we work in the morning, so please send a healthy, nut free snack. It is recommended to label the snack with your child's name. Please note that fourth grade is scheduled to have lunch at 12:00 this year with recess following lunch. 
• It is recommended that each student have a water bottle at school, especially during the warmer weeks. It can become quite warm in the pod when it is hot outside. 
• Our classroom blog is updated frequently with class news and photos, be sure to check it often: http://www.lchrystall.blogspot.com
• 4th Grade Curriculum Night is on Thursday, September 4th. The 4th grade presentation will begin at 6:35 pm in the auditorium and then you are then welcome to visit our classroom afterwards. 
• Use this link for a copy of the iLearn iPad Program permission form which can be completed and returned the first day if you would like, otherwise a hard copy will come home Monday. We are asking that this be returned by Thursday, August 28th. We are scheduled to begin iPad boot camp that day for the 4th graders! :) 

Lastly, we are asking all fourth grade parents to complete the electronic parent input form using the link below. This is very helpful, as it gives us valuable insight to help make this a successful school year for your child. It is confidential and only shared with the 4th grade team. If you would prefer a hardcopy, please let me know and I will send it home with your child. We are asking that this is completed by Friday, August 29th.

PARENT INPUT FORM

I am looking forward to working with your children and to a very successful school year! If you have any questions, comments, or concerns in the meantime, please feel free to contact me at this email address.

Please respond to this email, so that I can be sure that I have everyone's correct and current email addresses.

Cheers,
Mrs. Chrystall :)

lchrystall@op97.org