Battle Week

Has your 4th grader told you about Battle Week? We are using an interactive website (revolutionarywaranimated.com) to learn more about some of the battles of the American Revolution. The students are so engaged and interested in learning what happened during each battle. Check it out at home with your child!

Measures for Measuring

Fourth graders were treated to a special presentation by the Scotia-Glenville Children's Museum called "Measures for Measuring." Students worked in small groups on a series of tasks where they were asked to use both the metric and US Customary systems of measurement. Students had to measure their foot and ring size, how high they could jump and their arm span. New tools were introduced that some had never used before: food scale, postal scale, balance scale, beakers, and even a trundle wheel. Students loved the special time machine that kept track of the time of day using marbles. Ask your fourth grader to fill you in on some of the fun we had!

Proud Teacher

Just wanted to let all the parents know how hard your children have been working in school. We have been busy with test preparation in addition to our normal daily routines. The students have been really committed to improving each day. I couldn't be prouder of them!

Mrs. Bini's note about the upcoming NYS English Language Arts (ELA) and Math Tests was sent home earlier this week. If you have any questions or would like to discuss anything with me about your child or the tests themselves, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Best. School. Ever.

There was lots of energy at Westmere today after last night's awesome Farley Follies at FMS! The kids were anxious to learn about the 4th grade teachers' dance performance. I showed them the YouTube clip we used to learn our slick moves. Actually, it was from the video game 'Just Dance 4'. The kids were thrilled and having a ball! Before long, the double doors in our classroom flew open and in rushed Mrs. O'Brien's class to join in on the action. Check out the video! Have a great weekend!

Parent Volunteers Needed

We have some exciting events planned this spring for our 4th graders. The first is a visit from the Scotia-Glenville Children's Museum on Thursday, April 11th from 10:00-11:30. They will be organizing their program called 'Measures for Measuring.' The program is a series of interactive activities for students to practice their measurement skills. We are in need of at least 4 parent volunteers to help make the morning a success. Volunteers would be assigned a measurement activity to supervise (complete with all the materials and directions). If you can assist me that day, please email me or send me a note via backpack mail.

In addition, we have planned an all day field trip to the Waterford Museum on Thursday, May 16th. I am looking for 3 chaperones to attend. Again, please contact me if you are available! Thanks!

Fun with Circuits

We had a blast this week in science. Students are learning about circuits and are building different kinds of electrical circuits. Students LOVED our lesson with the "Energy Ball." Did you hear about it at home? This cool ping-pong looking ball demonstrates how a circuit works and how electricity can pass through our own bodies. We also created circuit testers which allowed us to experiment with a number of materials to see if they were conductors or insulators.

Book Buddies Begin

The excitement level was HIGH as students prepared to meet their book buddies for the first time on Friday! We are partnering with Mrs. Hoffmann's Kindergartners to begin our big buddy-little buddy program. Mrs. Hoffmann visited our classroom on Monday to share her expertise with us. She offered tips to us from everything to how to select the perfect book for a 5 year old student, to how to keep the young students engaged in reading. Ask your fourth grader to tell you about their buddy experience. We will meet with them most Fridays.