WEDNESDAY – tomorrow, both Mrs. Graham’s Group A and Group B will join a required, combined Google Meet from 9:00 – 11:30 am. In order for both groups to be combined, we will NOT use the links in Google Classroom. Instead, right before 9:00 students should open a new tab and click on the “waffle” (the nine dots) in the top right corner of the screen. Next, they go down to “Meet” and click on that. Then they will click where it says “+ Join or start a meeting”. The meeting code we will use will be “4g”. So students should type the number 4 and a lowercase g (with no space between) and click “Continue”. Make sure your microphone is muted, then they will click “Join now”. (We practiced in school but these are the steps to help students remember.) Partway through the Google Meet, Mrs. Ochs and Mrs. Graham will switch Meets to teach the other class their subjects. Students will then have virtual work to complete Wednesday afternoon.

Wednesday Office Hours for parents and/or students are by appointment. Please email Mrs. Ochs or Mrs. Graham to set up your appointment. Appointments can be for a phone call or a Google Meet. Please include two possible time preferences in your email. Our available times are in the afternoons following instruction and lunch from 12:30 up to 3:45 p.m.. Time slots will vary based on scheduled teacher meetings.

Math (group A) chapter 1 test is in your child’s envelope:)

We are having some students not completing all virtual work on their days at home. In order to view ALL assignments on Google Classroom, make sure to click view more at the end of the assignment list or check the To Do list located on the left-hand side under TOPICS. FYI: if students are not completing virtual assignments in the allotted time, they will be marked as absent and unexcused and will be in at lunch/recess to complete those assignments.

We started our classroom management program this week. Please look over our Classroom Community on ClassDojo paper, and sign up using the code. *If you are a two-household family and would want/need your child’s code (you are able to share the code with one another), email me and I will send you the code. All students will start out the week with 15 Dojo points:

• 5 homework points—all classes (after-school work and virtual work)
• 5 responsibility points—i.e., having writing utensils, notebook, a charged laptop
• 5 behavior points—i.e., attentiveness, on-task, following rules/directions

If students have trouble in any of the above areas, parents will receive a message through the Dojo app, and a corresponding point will be taken away from the student’s weekly total.  We find that the point system helps keep both students and parents aware of all the positives, as well as any areas that need improvement. In addition, if a student is recognized for doing something special, like a kindness or going above and beyond, they will be given a bonus ticket. Once a week, five (5) bonus tickets per group will be drawn, and those students will be awarded an extra Dojo point. At the end of each month, students can use their Dojo points to purchase various items/privileges.

• Group A was given a yellow Google Meet: Student Expectations paper in their blue folder. Please go over with your kid so that he/she is ready for this coming Wednesday.:)
• Students in group A were shown Spelling City (located under Fun Links on our blogs). We will be giving a bi-monthly test on 15 words. The test will be given in school. We will post the test dates on the blog.
• In order to go over the weekly Social Studies and Science assignments with the students, we will post both on Wednesdays after the Google Meet. Students will not have any additional math or reading assignments that day.
• October 5 (A group) or 8 (B group)–picture day
• October 9–early dismissal (1:30 pm)
• October 12–No school (Columbus Day)
• October 23–virtual assembly–Rainforests
• November 3–End of M.P. 1
• November 4–virtual assembly “Agents of Safety”
• November 6–No School (teacher in-service)

Math–group A had their chapter 1 test today (group B will be this Thursday). In order for students to know and understand Mrs. Ochs’s expectations for work shown, she modeled all problems (similar ones) prior to the test.

We are having some students not completing all virtual work on their days at home. In order to view ALL assignments on Google Classroom, make sure to click view more at the end of the assignment list or check the To Do list located on the left-hand side under TOPICS. FYI: if students are not completing virtual assignments in the allotted time, they will be marked as absent and unexcused.

We will be starting our classroom management program next week. Please look over our Classroom Community on ClassDojo paper, and sign up using the code. All students will start out the week with 15 Dojo points:

• 5 homework points—all classes (after-school work and virtual work)
• 5 responsibility points—i.e., having writing utensils, notebook, a charged laptop
• 5 behavior points—i.e., attentiveness, on-task, following rules/directions

If students have trouble in any of the above areas, parents will receive a message through the Dojo app, and a corresponding point will be taken away from the student’s weekly total.  We find that the point system helps keep both students and parents aware of all the positives, as well as any areas that need improvement. In addition, if a student is recognized for doing something special, like a kindness or going above and beyond, they will be given a bonus ticket. Once a week, five (5) bonus tickets per group will be drawn, and those students will be awarded an extra Dojo point. At the end of each month, students can use their Dojo points to purchase various items/privileges.

• On Friday, Group B got to see our 8th monarch caterpillar go into a chrysalis! When butterflies start to emerge this week, we’ll be able to tell if our butterflies are males or females. If there are two black dots on the lines on their bottom wings, that signifies a male. Two butterflies came out on Sunday, but Group A saw the next three emerge today. We released four females and one male. We are now watching the last three chrysalises! 🙂
• Group A has a yellow Google Meet: Student Expectations paper in their blue folder. Please go over it with your child so that he/she is ready for this coming Wednesday.:)
• Tomorrow students in group A will be shown Spelling City (located under Fun Links on our blogs). We will be giving a bi-monthly test on 15 words. The test will be given in school. We will post the test dates on the blog.
• In order to go over the weekly Social Studies and Science assignments with the students, we will post both on Wednesdays after the Google Meet. Students will not have any additional math or reading assignments that day.
• October 5 or 8–picture day (more information to come)
• October 9–early dismissal (1:30 pm)
• October 12–No school (Columbus Day)
• October 23–virtual assembly–Rainforests
• November 3–End of M.P. 1
• November 4–virtual assembly “Agents of Safety”
• November 6–No School (teacher in-service)

* We will be starting our classroom management program next week. Please look over our Classroom Community on ClassDojo paper, (B group received today; A group will get the paper on Monday, September 21) and sign up using the code. All students will start out the week with 15 Dojo points:

• 5 homework points—all classes (after-school work and virtual work)
• 5 responsibility points—i.e., having writing utensils, notebook, a charged laptop
• 5 behavior points—i.e., attentiveness, on-task, following rules/directions

If students have trouble in any of the above areas, parents will receive a message through the Dojo app, and a corresponding point will be taken away from the student’s weekly total.  We find that the point system helps keep both students and parents aware of all the positives, as well as any areas that need improvement. In addition, if a student is recognized for doing something special, like a kindness or going above and beyond, they will be given a bonus ticket. Once a week, five (5) bonus tickets per group will be drawn, and those students will be awarded an extra Dojo point. At the end of each month, students can use their Dojo points to purchase various items/privileges.

• On Friday, Group B got to see our 8th monarch caterpillar go into a chrysalis! We should start to see butterflies emerging this week. 🙂 We’ll be able to tell if our butterflies are males or females. If there are two black dots on the lines on their bottom wings, that signifies a male.
• Group B has two math quizzes in their manila envelope–check them out!
• Group B has a yellow Google Meet: Student Expectations paper in their blue folder. Please go over this with your child so that he/she is ready for this coming Wednesday.:) Group A will receive it on Monday.
• Students in group B were shown Spelling City (located under Fun Links on our blogs) and the Week 1 List. We will be giving a test every other week on 15 words. The test will be given in school. We will post the test dates on the blog. Group A will be shown Spelling City on Monday.
• If a second laptop permission form was sent home with your child (check his/her blue folder), please return ASAP
• In order to go over the weekly Social Studies and Science assignments with the students, we will post both on Wednesdays after the Google Meet. Students will not have any additional math or reading assignments that day.
• October 5 or 8–picture day (more information to come)
• October 9–early dismissal (1:30 pm)
• October 12–No school (Columbus Day)
• October 23–virtual assembly–Rainforests
• November 3–End of M.P. 1
• November 4–virtual assembly “Agents of Safety”
• November 6–No School (teacher in-service)

• Students will have a manila envelope in their backpack for work/tests that you are to keep. Today, students have two math quizzes and reading work for you to see. Please routinely check your child’s envelope.
• WEDNESDAY – tomorrow, both Mrs. Graham’s Group A and Group B will join a required, combined Google Meet from 9:00 – 11:30 am. In order for both groups to be combined, we will NOT use the links in Google Classroom. Instead, right before 9:00 students should open a new tab and click on the “waffle” (the nine dots) in the top right corner of the screen. Next, they go down to “Meet” and click on that. Then they will click where it says “+ Join or start a meeting”. The meeting code we will use will be “4g”. So students should type the number 4 and a lowercase g (with no space between) and click “Continue”. Make sure your microphone is muted, then they will click “Join now”. (We practiced in school but these are the steps to help students remember.) Partway through the Google Meet, Mrs. Ochs and Mrs. Graham will switch Meets to teach the other class their subjects. Students will then have virtual work to complete Wednesday afternoon.
• Wednesday Office Hours for parents and/or students are by appointment. Please email Mrs. Ochs or Mrs. Graham to set up your appointment. Appointments can be for a phone call or a Google Meet. Please include two possible time preferences in your email. Our available times are in the morning from 8:20-8:45 and afternoons following instruction and lunch up to 3:45 p.m.. Time slots will vary based on scheduled teacher meetings.

• IMPORTANT INFORMATION – For this week’s virtual lessons, each day you will have one assignment listed for each subject. However, when you open it to view the assignment, there will be several parts. Make sure you complete all parts of the assignment and then turn it in. This week we also start virtual content lessons. One day you will have social studies, and the other day you will have science. Please email Mrs. Ochs with any social studies questions and Mrs. Graham with any science questions.
• WEDNESDAY – On Wednesday, both Mrs. Graham’s Group A and Group B will join a required, combined Google Meet from 9:00 – 11:30 am. In order for both groups to be combined, we will NOT use the links in Google Classroom. Instead, right before 9:00 students should open a new tab and click on the “waffle” (the nine dots) in the top right corner of the screen. Next they go down to “Meet” and click on that. Then they will click where it says “+ Join or start a meeting”. The meeting code we will use will be “4g”. So students should type the number 4 and a lowercase g (with no space between) and click “Continue”. Then they will click “Join now”. (We practiced in school but these are the steps to help students remember.) Part way through the Google Meet, Mrs. Ochs and Mrs. Graham will switch Meets to teach the other class their subjects. Students will then have virtual work to complete Wednesday afternoon.
• MONARCHS – Last week we started raising monarchs in our classroom. We have a large cage that now has six chrysalises and a caterpillar that should go in to a chrysalis this week. We are looking forward to seeing our monarch butterflies emerge from their chrysalises in about two weeks! 🙂
• Virtual Back to School Night – You can view our Meet the Teacher videos here: Back to School Night
• Group A & B Laptop Permission –some students are bringing home the laptop agreement packet again for parents to complete. On the last 2-sided page of the packet, please complete the “Agreement for District Laptop Use” page if you are OK with your child bringing his/her laptop home (I outlined that page with green). Do NOT complete the back page titled, “Addendum to Agreement for District Laptop Use”. Return just the last 2-sided page to school. Thank you:)

• Please check out our teacher videos on the Conestoga blog (located to the right of this post):)
• B group–some students are bringing home the laptop agreement packet again for parents to complete. On the last 2-sided page of the packet, please complete the “Agreement for District Laptop Use” page if you are OK with your child bringing his/her laptop home (I outlined that page with green). Do NOT complete the back page titled, “Addendum to Agreement for District Laptop Use”. Return just the last 2-sided page to school. Thank you:)

All homework assignments, virtual and evening homework from school, will be posted in your child’s Google Classroom under the current week. To make it easier to locate, homework assignments from school will be labeled with a notebook icon.

A PTO half-sheet flyer is sent home today for group B.

All homework assignments, virtual and evening homework from school, will be posted in your child’s Google Classroom under the current week. To make it easier to locate, homework assignments from school will be labeled with a notebook icon.

A PTO half-sheet flyer is sent home today for group A and will be sent home on Thursday for group B.

Math–Today, students in the B group were given their Prodigy and XtraMath accounts. In your student’s blue 4th-grade folder are invites for you as parents/guardians to view your child’s progress throughout the school year. If you have any questions, please email Mrs. Ochs at janet.ochs@pennmanor.net

Reading – Groups A and B were both logged into Epic, the book site for kids. It has over 14,000 e-book titles. Epic School: Students use during school, 7am-4pm, Monday-Friday. During school hours, students can log in to Epic School from school or home with their Class Code, and read between 7am-4pm for free. When students log in, their class code for Ms. Graham’s class should be provided, and they just click on it. If they would need to type it in, it’s: ipy1682 Next week students should be prepared for class by having their own books or by marking favorites on the Epic site. Hopefully soon, we will also be able to borrow books from the library and the classroom.

*If students have their own earbuds or headsets, they may bring them to school.

*No School on Friday and Monday because of the Labor Day holiday.

Math–Today, students were given their Prodigy and XtraMath accounts. In your student’s blue 4th-grade folder are invites for you as parents/guardians to view your child’s progress throughout the school year. If you have any questions, please email Mrs. Ochs at janet.ochs@pennmanor.net