Last Week in Grade 4

Hello everybody!  Here we are in the last week of grade 4.  (sniff sniff)  Where has the time gone?  Karen and I would like to thank all the parents and students in grade 4.  It's been a tremendous year.  And we're both very proud on the growth we've seen in all of our students.  Thank you to all the parents who've read this blog and helped make sure their kids did their homework, and remained concerned interested parents all the way throughout the year.  Here's to a great summer, and more fun and learning next year in grade 5.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

·         CONCRETE PLANT UPDATE – The school has filed official denuncias in four agencies, attaching the documents that parents and teachers signed to each one. We are now in the process of investigating the plant with technicians. The school's lawyer is following all legal means of halting the development of the concrete plant. We invite and encourage parents to come forward with any information, suggestion or idea that may help us with this process by contacting Wendy Willemsen as President of the Board at wendywillemsen4@gmail.com. We will continue to update the school community regularly with new developments.

              

• EARLY DISMISSALS – Monday, June 3 is a full day of school. Tuesday, June 4, Wednesday, June 5 and Thursday, June 6 are early dismissal days (11:45 a.m.). We ask our parents to plan accordingly.

 

• AWARDS ASSEMBLY – This year’s Awards Assembly will be held on Thursday, June 6 at 11:00 a.m. Parents are welcome to come to this closing event of our school year (this is the last day for students).

 

• DISCOVERY ZONE 4 – Our Summer Camp is back, beginning June 10. If you are interested in enrolling your child(ren) please stop by the office to pick up the registration form or access the form on our website (www.discoveryschool.edu.hn)  Great discounts are available!

THIS WEEK'S CLASS ACTIVITIES:

Math:  We completed the grade 4 curriculum with a week to spare.  No math homework this week.  Yay!!!

Reading and Writing:  We will be finishing our final class novel, "Because of Winn-Dixie" this week and discussing the climax and resolution of the story and seeing if we can find any connections between this and other books we've read this year.  We will then be watching the movie and comparing and contrasting the film with the novel.  We will also finish publishing our biographies during writing periods this week.

Science:  Our students will be introduced to animals, their traits and their habitats.  The students will be learning why certain animals live in the habitats they do, and what adaptations help them to survive there.

And that's it!!!   Here's to one last fun week of school and an amazing summer vacation.  Thanks again,

Jordan and Karen

This Week In Grade 4

If you are reading this blog post, then you are awesome!  Thank you so much to the parents and students who have checked in with us throughout the year.  This will be the second last post of the year, can you believe it?!?   Yes, there are only 2 weeks of school left, but luckily we have tons of fun activities to keep us busy and having fun right to the end.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

• CUENTA CUENTOS – The Spanish Department worked on a Fluency and Reading Project during this school year. To conclude it, they will present a “Story Teller Show” on Friday, May 31st at 8:50 in our school gym. The cost of the activity is L. 50.00 per students, which have to be brought to Ms. Marisela or Ms. Norma, no later than Wednesday May 29th. Parents are invited to attend at no additional cost!

• CHOIR PARENTS’ MEETING – There will be a meeting for the new and returning choir member parents on Tuesday, May 28 at 2:15 p.m. in the school Library. This meeting is to present the New York City (Carneige Hall) project.

• ELEMENTARY PARENT LUNCHEON – Once again, our school cafeteria is hosting a luncheon for parents and students this Friday, May 31. Preorder forms were sent out last week, but are also available on the cafeteria blog, and are due onWednesday, May 29. This is a great opportunity for parents to come in and share with their child(ren), support our cafeteria or simply bring your own meal to enjoy with your child(ren). We hope you will be able to join us!

• DPTO GARAGE SALE – The DPTO will be hosting an Open Garage Sale this  Saturday, June 1. The price per table is L.500.00, and there are still a few spaces available! Please contact the DPTO officers for further information or emaildiscoverypto@gmail.com .

• DISCOVERY ZONE 4 – Our Summer Camp is back, beginning June 10. If you are interested in enrolling your child(ren) please stop by the office to pick up the registration form or access the form on our website (www.discoveryschool.edu.hn)  Great discounts are available!

THIS WEEK'S ACTIVITIES:

Math:  We will be looking at the metric system of measurement this week.  We will look at measurement units for length, capacity, and weight.  We will also be comparing and contrasting the metric and customary systems of measurement.  Our final quiz for the year will be on FRIDAY.  

Reading and Writing:  We will continue reading our class novel, "Because of Winn-Dixie" and examining the bittersweet theme at the heart of the novel.  We will also be focused on editing and publishing our classmate biographies this week.

Social Studies:  The students will be working hard this week to finish their entrepreneurial projects in time for our Grade 4 Market on Thursday.  The students will need to finish their product/service proposal and create the promotion necessary to create demand for their product.  The market on Thursday will give the students a chance to test out their creations.

There will be no spelling activities this week.

Here's to a great week.  Thanks again for checking in with us here in Grade 4. 

Sincerely,

Jordan and Karen

This Week in Grade 4

Hello everyone!  It won't be long now until we're all saying goodbye for the summer.  But luckily we've still got a lot of fun stuff to do and learn about here in Grade 4 before we take off.  Thanks as always for checking in!

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

• GENERAL ASSEMBLY - Thank you to those of you who attended and participated in last night's General Assembly. Thanks, also, to the teachers who remained at school for the Assembly, and to the DPTO for their participation and presentation. Unfortunately, there were not enough parents present to make our required quorum of 1/3 of our families. Therefore, as required by our By-Laws, we have to schedule another General Assembly. That General Assembly will be held on Thursday, May 23, 2013, beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the Cafeteria.

On the Agenda are:

Approval of the Budget

Approval of the school calendar

Election of 3 new Board members (current candidates are Wendy Willemsen, Wendolyn Sanchez, Arnaldo Palma, and Erica Herrera)

Discussion of the Cement Plant that is being built near the school (we will provide Separate denuncia forms for each family to sign. a petition that will be signed by all parents who want to sign it.

Discovery School is parent-owned, and this is your opportunity to make a real difference in the life and future of your child's school. With your participation and support, we believe we can stop this cement plant. However, without that commitment from all of our families, it will much more difficult to raise the level of awareness and concern about it.

The DPTO is supporting the General Assembly by offering a PIZZA PARTY to the grade who has the highest percentage of attendance from their parents! PLEASE JOIN US AT 6:00 P.M. ON THURSDAY, MAY 23 IN THE CAFETRIA--LET'S AIM FOR A QUORUM OF AT LEAST 2/3 OF OUR FAMILIES (115 FAMILIES).

• CUENTA CUENTOS – The Spanish Department worked on a Fluency and Reading Project during this school year. To conclude it, they will present a “Story Teller Show” on Friday, May 31st at 8:50 in our school gym. The cost of the activity is L. 50.00 per students, which have to be brought to Ms. Marisela or Ms. Norma, no later than Wednesday May 29th. Parents are invited to attend at no additional cost!

• DISCOVERY IDOL - Auditions will be held on May Wednesday 22^nd and Thursday 23^rd at the MUSIC ROOM ON recess and lunch time.

**An amount of L. 50.00 will be charge to each participant in order to buy MEDALS for 1^st, 2^ND and 3^rd places.

**We will select one student or group to represent each grade. The rest of the students will support their classmates during the show.

**ONLY SINGING performances will audition, no instrumental or dancing performances will be included this year.

• DPTO GARAGE SALE – The DPTO will be hosting an Open Garage Sale on Saturday, June 1. The price per stand is L.500.00 please contact the DPTO officers for further information or email discoverypto@gmail.com .

 

• DISCOVERY ZONE 4 – Our Summer Camp is back, beginning June 10. If you are interested in enrolling your child(ren) please stop by the office to pick up the registration form or access the form on our website (www.discoveryschool.edu.hn)  Great discounts are available!

THIS WEEK'S ACTIVITIES:

Math:  This week we will be learning about measurement.  This week we will focus on Customary Units of measurement with regard to length, weight, and capacity.  We will then compare and contrast the Customary System with the Metric System of measurement, and engage in some hands on measurement activities.

Reading and Writing:  Our guided periods will be focused on the bittersweet theme of our class novel, "Because of Winn-Dixie".  Students will explore this concept and discuss how it applies to the novel.  Our students will also finish drafting, and begin editing their classmate Biographies this week.

Social Studies:  We will begin to brainstorm ideas for the product creation for our 'young entrepreneurs project'.  The students will be working in small groups to use what they've learned about economic concepts to create a product that they think they could sell to the elementary students of Discovery.  This should be fun!!

Grammar:  Our grammar focus this week will be on reviewing all of the parts of speech.

Here's to another awesome week in grade 4!  Thanks for reading!

This Week at Discovery

Hello everybody!  Can you believe that there are only 3 weeks of school left?  Where has the time gone?   Thanks as always for checking.  Here's to yet another fun filled week at Discovery!

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

CLASS PARTY PLANNING:  To any parent interested in helping plan our final class get together, there will be a meeting with Elizabeth Touchstone and some other parents this Wednesday morning at 9 am.  

• GENERAL ASSEMBLY will be held on Thursday, May 16, beginning at 6:00 p.m. According to our by-laws, we need a quorum of at least 57 families represented--please join us at this year’s meeting. Three of our Board members will complete their 2-year terms (Wendy Willemsen, Wendolyn Sanchez, and Arnaldo Palma). These members are all running for re-election. If you would also like to nominate someone for one of these three positions, please use the nomination form that is available at this link.http://www.discoveryschool.edu.hn/forms/2012-2013/BoardNominationForm.pdf

• THE CHRONICLES OF DISCOVERY GALA  --  The Chronicles Gala is this Friday,  May 17, 2013.  This formal, black tie event is modeled after the Oscars in that there will be pomp and extravagance, live entertainment and hors d’oeuvres, photographers and a quartet.  It is a celebration of literature and art, specifically for the Chronicles of Discovery Literary and Art magazine. 

The Gala begins at 7:00 p.m. May 17, 2013. Purchase your tickets for L. 100 from any AP English Composition student, Mr. Fenn, or Carolina. (EL Heraldo and TN5 will be covering the event.)

• DPTO GARAGE SALE – The DPTO will have an Open Garage Sale on Saturday, May 25. The price per stand is L.500.00 please contact the DPTO officers for further information or email discoverypto@gmail.com .

• DISCOVERY ZONE 4 – Our Summer Camp is back, beginning June 10. If you are interested in enrolling your child(ren) please stop by the office to pick up the registration form or access the form on our website (www.discoveryschool.edu.hn)  Great discounts are available!

THIS WEEK'S CLASS ACTIVITIES:

Reading and Writing:  We will be working on our reading skill of using 'context clues' to identify new and tricky words, and working out their meaning.  We will apply this skill during our guided reading periods with our class novel, "Because of Winn-Dixie".  We will also be working on creating our very own biographies of one of our fellow classmates.  Our students have created a list of interesting questions and will now conduct interviews and gather information to put into these biographies.  

Math:  We are finishing up our unit on graphs and time this week.  Monday we will look at misleading graphs, Tuesday we will work on using graphs for problem solving, and Wednesday will be a review period before: TEST ON THURSDAY!

Social Studies:  We will be continuing our Economics unit by looking at what it means to be an entrepreneur, and why it is never too young to have an entrepreneurial spirit.  We will also look at times in history when supply and demand have had a large affect on outcomes in the past.

Grammar:  Our grammar focus this week will be on everybody's favorite part of speech: the preposition.

Thanks again!  Here's to a great week!

Jordan and Karen

This Week in Grade 4

Hello everybody!  May is here, and our homestretch has begun.  Here's to a great week and a great finish to the year.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

MAP Testing:  This week begins our final MAP test session.  Let's hope all of the improvement that we've seen in the classroom translates to these assessments.  Test dates are: Wednesday, May 8th, Tuesday, May 14th, and Wednesday May 22nd.

DISCOVERY ZONE 4 – Our Summer Camp is back, beginning June 10. If you are interested in enrolling your child(ren) please stop by the office to pick up the registration form or access the form on our website (www.discoveryschool.edu.hn)  Great discounts are available!

THIS WEEK'S ACTIVITIES:

Math:  This week we will looking at line graphs and practicing creating our own graphs, and using those graphs to solve problems.  We will then turn our attention to learning about median, mode, and range, and knowing how to assess when a graph contains misleading details.

Reading and Writing:  We will be reading more of our class novel, "Because of Winn-Dixie" and checking for comprehension from each of our students.  We will also begin our unit on Biographies, and students will be asked to choose a biography for their SSR reading material, and begin crafting questions that they would like to ask of their fellow classmates in order to create a student biography of someone else in the class.

Social Studies:  We will be beginning our last social studies unit on Economics.  This unit will focus on supply and demand economic concepts, entrepreneurs, and innovation.  We will start by asking ourselves, what motivates people to make new products?, what makes a product valuable?, and what factors lead to a products success?

Thanks for checking in everybody!  Here's to another fun-filled week in grade 4!

Jordan and Karen

This Week At Discovery

Hello everyone!  Thanks for checking in with us here in grade 4.  I hope everyone's well and excited for the beginning of May, our last full month of school!!  Here's to a great week!!

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

• BINGO returns to Discovery! - Proceeds to buy TECHNOLOGY for the school. Please mark your calendars forthis Saturday, May 4! Lunch will be sold for all attending families, friends and guests starting at 11:00 a.m. and the grand BINGO will begin at 1:30 p.m. PARENT COLLABORATION IS STILL APPRECIATED in donating prizes for this event. Please contact Ms. Ivonne Cascoicasco@discoveryschool.edu.hn (2221-7790 and 9960-0070) or Ms. Nora Sierra  nsierra@discoveryschool.edu (2221-7790 and 9985-0732) if you can help by donating gifts.  Thank you for those who have already donated.
  
  

TICKETS:  The schoolsent home a closed envelope with 5 numbered tickets that we are asking each family to sell for Lps. 150 each. Please send back the envelope with the money to the school, addressed to Ms. Carolina or Ms. Gloria. The school will keep a record of each family’s payment. Make sure you contact the school (2221-7790 orgpalacios@discoveryschool.edu.hn) if you are sending the envelope with your child, especially if he/she is very young, so we can follow up on the envelope. On the day of the event, you will find the TICKET TABLE, where you will be able to turn in the stubs and collect your Bingo Cards. You may also buy more tickets if needed. Don’t miss this opportunity to collaborate with the school and spend a wonderful afternoon with your family.

 

If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact: Ms. Gloria Palacios gpalacios@discoveryschool.edu.hn (2221-7790 and 95611434, or Ms. Debra Giles debgilespk@yahoo.com (2221-7790 and 9572-0230).

 

• DISCOVERY ZONE 4 – Our Summer Camp is back, beginning June 10. If you are interested in enrolling your child(ren) please stop by the office to pick up the registration form or access the form on our website (www.discoveryschool.edu.hn)  Great discounts are available!

 

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES:

Math:  This week in math classes we will be looking at graphs, and how to read and interpret the information from them, and how to use them to display data. We will be studying pictographs, line plots, bar graphs, and line graphs.  It should be fun!!

Reading and Writing:  This week our reading skill will be inferring.  Students will be reading our novel "Because of Winn-Dixie" and looking for inferences that can be made about our new characters, and the way they lead their lives.  We will also look at how we can make inferences in our everyday activities. 

Science:  This week we will be experimenting with series and parallel circuits, and determining the differences and similarities between the two.  We will also experiment with making a switch for an electric circuit that we can connect and disconnect as we please.  It should be a fun week learning about electricity.

Thanks again for checking in with us here at Grade 4.  Here's to another fun filled week.  All the best,

Jordan and Karen   

This Week at Discovery

Hello everybody!  Thanks for checking in with us here in fourth grade.  We have a busy week ahead of us.  Thanks for keeping up with everything that's going on here in grade 4.


IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

• PARENTS PLEASE TAKE NOTE - there will be no school for students on Wednesday, April 24. Ms. Judi Fenton, Educational Consultant, is with us this week to review our curriculum and discuss the Common Core that has been adopted by 46 states in the US, including how it might be adapted for Discovery. As part of the process, Ms. Fenton will work with the entire faculty together on Wednesday.
• BINGO returns to Discovery! - Proceeds to buy TECHNOLOGY for the school. Please mark your calendars for Saturday, May 4! Lunch will be sold for all attending families, friends and guests starting at 11:00 a.m. and the grand BINGO will begin at 1:30 p.m. PARENT COLLABORATION IS NEEDED in donating prizes for this event. Please contact Ms. Ivonne Cascoicasco@discoveryschool.edu.hn (2221-7790 and 9960-0070) or Ms. Nora Sierra  nsierra@discoveryschool.edu (2221-7790 and 9985-0732) if you can help by donating gifts.  Thank you for those who have already donated.
  

TICKETS:  The school will send home a closed envelope with 5 numbered tickets that we are asking each family to sell for Lps. 150 each. You will then need to send back the envelope with the money to the school, addressed to Ms. Carolina or Ms. Gloria. The school will keep a record of each family’s payment. Make sure you contact the school (2221-7790 or gpalacios@discoveryschool.edu.hn) if you are sending the envelope with your child, especially if he/she is very young, so we can follow up on the envelope. On the day of the event, you will find the TICKET TABLE, where you will be able to turn in the stubs and collect your Bingo Cards. You may also buy more tickets if needed. Don’t miss this opportunity to collaborate with the school and spend a wonderful afternoon with your family.

 

If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact: Ms. Gloria Palacios gpalacios@discoveryschool.edu.hn (2221-7790 and 95611434, or Ms. Debra Giles debgilespk@yahoo.com (2221-7790 and 9572-0230).

 

• DISCOVERY ZONE 4 – Our amazing Summer Camp is back, beginning June 10. If you are interested in enrolling your child(ren) please stop by the office to pick up the registration form or access the form on our website (www.discoveryschool.edu.hn)  Great discounts are available!

ENROLLMENT DRIVE:  Last year's Enrollment Drive brought in 14 new students to the school and helped account for the 13% increase in enrollment that we have experienced this year. With the help of our parents and The Board of Directors has elected to repeat the Enrollment Drive again for the 2013-2014 school year.

 

1.      PERIOD OF THE ENROLLMENT DRIVE:  This opportunity is from April 16 until August 31, 2013, and is not retroactive. 

 

2.      CONDITIONS:

A.    Discovery Parent must personally introduce a potential new student and parents to Ms. Giles at the beginning of the admission process (this must be someone who has not already requested information on admission)

B.     The school will follow the usual admission process in determining whether the student will be admitted

C.     The cash benefit will apply only if the new student is actually admitted.

 

3.      CASH BENEFIT FOR DISCOVERY SCHOOL PARENTS AND TEACHERS:

During the enrollment drive period, for each new student that a family introduces to Ms. Giles and who is thereafter admitted after meeting all of our admission requirements, the sponsoring parent or teacher will receive a cash bonus in the amount of 5% of the tuition (not capital fee) that the new student pays during the 2013-2014 school year.

 

4.      ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:  All new students are required to meet the admission requirements that are already established. If a student applies and is not admitted, no bonus will be paid.

 

5.      ORGANIZATIONS:  This offer applies to individuals who pay their own tuition and does not apply to organizations.

 

6.      UNFORESEEN COMPLICATIONS:  The Board reserves the right to discontinue the Enrollment Drive at any time if there are any unforeseen complications for the school.

 

**NOTE:   If a class is or becomes full, Discovery School reserves the right to put a new applicant on a waiting list. In that case, the bonus would not be paid unless the child is admitted during the 2013-2014 school year.

 

THIS WEEK'S CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES:

Math:  We will begin a new unit this week on time and graphing.  Students will begin by looking at different ways to tell time, different units of time, and learning to calculate elapsed time.  We will then take a look at calendars and how they came to be the way they are, and learn about leap years as well.  

Reading and Writing:  We will be starting our new class novel, "Because of Winn-Dixie" this week, and work at creating character sketches of our new character, and assessing the introduction of the novel.  Later in the week we will be comparing and contrasting our new novel with some of the others that we have read this year.  In writing we will be publishing and reading our persuasive essay examples.

Science:  We will experiment by creating an electrical circuit that will allow us to connect and disconnect our circuit with the flick of a finger.  We will also be learning about magnetic energy and static electricity. 

Thanks as always for checking in!  Here's to a great week at Discovery!

Jordan and Karen