Weeks 15-16

Winter Parties

Mark your calendars for our upcoming Winter Parties. Winter Parties are scheduled for the following date and times:

Thursday, December 15th:

8:00 am - 3rd Grade        1:00 pm - 4th Grade        1:45 pm - Kindergarten

12:30 pm - 1st Grade       1:00 pm - 5th Grade        1:30 pm - 2nd Grade


Libraries of Love
Did you know that children in Uganda used to go to school and have no books there to help them learn? Trudy Marshall, a former RRISD librarian, realized this fact on a trip to Africa and decided to change that. In the last 13 years, Ms. Marshall has built and stocked 36 libraries in schools in Uganda. She started Libraries of Love and all the books, shelves, and supplies are provided through our donations of books and money.

The FCE Service Club will lead our book drive for Libraries of Love beginning in December. Drop off new or gently used HARDCOVER books that will go to libraries in Uganda. Our goal is to collect 800 books for children in Africa.

Learn more about Libraries of Love at https://librariesoflove.org/ and watch an amazing video about Libraries of Love! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpXmXfX8rQ4&feature=youtu.be


Save the Date

Walk to Read Event will be on Friday, January 13, 2017 at 1:15 pm. The entire school will participate. Bring hardcover books to donate as we simulate the long walk that children in Uganda take to get to school and their library! Celebrate reading with us as we share the love of books with children in Africa!

Science Fair Packet
The Forest Creek Science Fair will be held on January 26th, 2017. If you want to participate in the Science Fair you must submit a completed registration form to the school office by January 13th, 2017 by 3:00. Late entries will not be accepted. There are two types of registration forms (one for Kinder, 1st and 2nd grade students and another one for 3rd, 4th, and 5th students). The registration forms can be found in this packet. The School and PTA will not be selling display boards. These are readily available at many retail and craft stores.

*A science fair project is required to be completed by ALL 4th grade students. There are checkpoints that were sent home Thursday 12/1 on a green paper. There was also a green packet sent home with all of the science fair guidelines. Fourth graders do NOT have to submit their project for the science fair but they will present their projects for the class.

Important Dates
Monday, Dec. 12- Service Club 2:50-3:50 pm

Wednesday, Dec. 14- Gingerbread House Project with 2nd grade buddies (homeroom only)

Thursday, Dec. 15- Winter Party for fourth grade at 1:00 pm in classrooms

Friday, Dec. 16-Winter Break begins!

Tuesday, Jan. 3-Welcome back to school!

Weeks 13-14

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and are ready for a busy week.

Passport to Adventure!

On Thursday, December 8, 2016, we will have our Passport to Adventure-Literacy Night. Each grade level is learning about a different continent and will present their learning to the community on Thursday night. The fourth graders are working on projects about Asia. We are researching Asia and its countries as well as analyzing fairy tales from Asian cultures. Come see our posters, plays, artwork, and computer presentations!

Libraries of Love-Book Drive for Africa

We will kick off our Libraries of Love Book Drive on Thursday with a video about the organization and their accomplishments in Uganda, Africa. We will collect donations of new or gently used HARD COVER books that will go to Africa for the children. Trudy Marshall, the founder of Libraries of Love and a former RRISD librarian, will be at our Passport to Adventure-Literacy Night to talk about her project. Our school will have a Walk to Read Event on Friday, Jan. 13 at 1:15 and will collect books and donations until that day. Learn more at https://librariesoflove.org/. Thank you in advance for your support.

Holiday Party-We will have our class Holiday Party on Thursday, Dec. 15 at 1:00. You will receive a sign up genius asking for supplies and volunteers this week. Thank you in advance for your help!

Election Coverage Tomorrow

When students are tracking the election tomorrow, they may use ANY reputable new source; via app, website, or traditional news. I understand that many families have commitments outside of school, so I am asking students only to take 5-10 minutes to take notes on the election updates. They should each mark the time when they recorded the election progress. If they do not have blue or red colored pencils, they can mark an X in the correct column in the chart and then color in the states Wednesday morning if necessary. If they can get it all done Tuesday night, great!

Some students expressed concern on where to find the information. I explained that each of the major networks will have ongoing election coverage. A guide to the network coverage may help in choosing a channel.

One website we have used in class is http://www.270towin.com/ -- it has easy visuals for the class to read and follow along. Some other visual tracking should be able to be found on Politico, on The Washington Post website, as well as http://www.electoral-vote.com/ .

Other websites are useful, however many social media outlets are doing live streaming as well. If students get online, please be aware that online news coverage may not be kid-friendly. A guide to online streaming coverage may help in finding live news via internet.

Thank you all for your support in this; please email me if you have questions.

Weeks 11-12

We have been discussing the Electoral College in social studies, and I have asked the students to take 5-10 minutes this Tuesday to mark down the election update. I do NOT want students to stress or stay up late; they should just find a time to record the states that have been identified as voting for a candidate. If this time is early in the evening, and there are only 4 or 5 states announced, that is fine. I am providing them with a paper to track the information. We will discuss it in class on Wednesday, so please help ensure that the electoral vote tracker makes its way back!

Other campus info:

OMS Toy Drive-Thank you to all those who donated new toys for our OMS Toy Drive. The toys will go to children at Dell Children's Hospital. We collected 53 toys so far and our goal is 200 toys. Our drive will continue until the end of November.

Food Drive-Our school is also participating in a food drive for the Round Rock Serving Center. Thank you for sending in non-perishable food to help our people in our community.

TAG Parent Information Night-The TAG teachers will host an information night on Tuesday, November 8th, 2016 in the library. The meeting will be held from 6:00 to 6:30 PM and is for parents of students not currently in TAG, who are interested in learning more about the program.

Veterans Day Program

We will be having a tribute to Veterans on the morning of November 11th. Please invite any veterans you know to Forest Creek to have breakfast with the student(s) they know. The cafeteria will serve cinnamon rolls, fruit and milk or juice from 7:15-7:30 a.m. Please help us prepare for breakfast by completing this form to provide an accurate number of those eating. There is no charge for our special guests.

We will be having two patriotic programs to honor our Veterans on November 11th - one at 8:15 a.m. for grades Kinder-2nd and another one at 9:00 a.m. for grades 3-5. You may attend one or both. Thank you for helping us teach our students the meaning of this holiday and why it is so important to honor those who have served our country.

Veteran’s Photo Needed

We look forward to recognizing these special men and women who have contributed so much for our country through a slideshow presentation.Please send a photo of your special Veteran to Kelly_Erickson@roundrockisd.org. Please include the Veteran’s name and unit or job title during their service. Veterans do not need to be present for our program to be included in our slideshow.

Red Ribbon Week (Week 10)

This week will be our annual Red Ribbon Week, bringing awareness about the risks of drugs and alcohol. There are daily "themes" for the students each day.

Monday, 10/24
“TEAM UP against Drugs”
Wear your favorite Team jersey or tshirt

Tuesday, 10/25
“Coyotes Give Drugs the BOOT”
Wear your favorite pair of boots

Wednesday, 10/26 (Early Release)
“It’s CRAZY to do Drugs!”
Wear everything inside out, backwards, or anything the CRAZY way!

Thursday, 10/27 (Picture Day)
“Coyotes are too SMART to do drugs”
Dress SMART for Picture Day

Friday, 10/28
“Say PEACE OUT to DRUGS!”
Wear your favorite tie-dye items

Weeks 7-9

We have wrapped up our unit on matter, and we are diving head first into weather. Questions we are exploring include:

• What affect does the Sun have on water above and on the surface of the Earth?
• Which tools can be used to gather weather information and how should we record the data?
• How does a weather map indicate weather conditions?
• How can we use weather maps to make predictions about weather changes?

In social studies, we are beginning to look at American Indians of early Texas, asking:

• How did American Indian groups in Texas organize their government systems?
• Why are American Indians important to the history of Texas then and now?

We will have a brief unit on health as science during Red Ribbon Week.

First Round of Parent Conferences

Mrs. Ahn, Mrs. Pinter and I are beginning the first rounds of parent conferences on Monday, October 10th. The sign up went out via email, and the first thirty slots were filled within three hours. Please know that we will continue to make times available to meet with each family in the coming weeks.

Weeks 4-6

We are more than halfway through our first grading period, and we are still rolling along! In science for the past three weeks, we have examined the physical properties of matter, including changing state, and we have compared mixtures and solutions. We explored the following essential questions:

• What are the physical properties of matter and how can they be measured?
• How can we compare and contrast matter?
• What are the similarities and differences among mixtures and how can they be separated?
• What is the effect on water when heat is added or removed?
• What changes occur to the outside of a glass when ice water is placed in it?

In social studies, we finished our exploration of the physical regions of Texas, and practiced map skills with latitude and longitude. Some essential questions were:

• Why did geographic factors influence settlement patterns?
• Why is geography important in understanding the history of a place?

We will be covering the native tribes in Texas in the coming weeks, as well as concepts of weather and the water cycle.

More General Information for Parents

As a follow-up to the previous parent technology overview, here are additional helpful tips:

Teacher websites vs. Google Classroom: The teacher websites we each have are primarily for families, and most of what is posted here is with a parental audience in mind. We are working toward updating the calendar regularly, with the major projects and tests posted as they come up. Google Classroom is a platform for creating, distributing, and grading assignments. It began its existence during the 2014-2015 school year, so it is a relatively new tool. It is posted with a student audience in mind, and by design requires a student account to access it.

Agendas/Planners: These are expected to travel with each child every day, to every class. We instruct and usually model what to write, but it is up to the students to write for themselves. They all tend to catch on to the usefulness of these planners, but we will continue to support students with using them.

Class Schedules: All three classes follow the same basic schedule, and all three classes merge together for PE on Tuesdays and Thursdays (and half of Friday specials time).

• 7:40-7:50 Morning routines and KIOT news
• 7:50-9:05 Rotation block 1
• 9:05-10:15 Rotation block 2
• 10:15-10:35 Recess
• 10:35-11:15 Coyote Club/RtI
• 11:15-11:45 Kirby lunch / 11:20-11:50 Pinter & Ahn lunch
• 11:45-12:05 Flex time (agendas, read alouds, class business)
• 12:05-12:55 Specials (PE on T/Th/half F, art & music alternate M/W/half F)
• 12:55-1:35 Writing
• 1:35-2:45 Rotation block 3 (with homeroom teacher)
• 2:45-2:50 Dismissal

Class Dojo: This is used mostly as a way to monitor behavior. This is a new tool for the three of us, and we hope it helps us communicate with each other, as well as families, regarding behaviors. We may occasionally use Class Dojo to "push" reminders out to families. However, like Remind 101, it will be used as an outgoing information source. Parents wishing to contact us should continue to use email as the best method. Our goal is to respond within 24 hours, and Class Dojo notifications back to us aren't effective for this goal to be met.

We appreciate all of the questions, support, and involvement from all of our families. Thank you!

Weeks 1-3

In science for the first three weeks, we have reviewed science safety expectations, and looked at uses for different tools (mostly review, with a few new ones). In the coming weeks, we will examine the following essential questions:

• What are the physical properties of matter and how can they be measured?
• How can we compare and contrast matter?
• What are the similarities and differences among mixtures and how can they be separated?
• What is the effect on water when heat is added or removed?
• What changes occur to the outside of a glass when ice water is placed in it?

In social studies, we have covered some basics overviews of map skills. In addition, we have been taking a "tour" through the Texas regions. Next week, we will work more on social studies than science, in celebration and study of Freedom Week. Driving questions will include:

• What is the intent of the United States’ founding documents?
• How do Americans celebrate their freedoms?
• Why are the founding documents of the United States important?

In writing (for my homeroom), we are continuing to build stamina with journaling. Students are also reviewing the basics of building sentences. In the coming weeks students will work on drafting a personal narrative and taking it through the writing process.

Frequently Asked Technology Questions

Many of the questions asked at Parent Night involved the students' use of technology. Most of what we use is Google-based. Each student has a Google account through the district, and as they advance in grades, they will submit more and more assignments via Google Classroom. Most fourth graders are just getting started with this, and therefore, most technology required will be completed in class. However, extra practice at home often helps, so here are a few general tips:

Signing in with Google: Every RRISD student has a unique six-digit ID number, used for Home Access, cafeteria accounts, library checkout, computer login at school, and Google. Every email address is:

s_ _ _ _ _ _ @student.roundrockisd.org 

with the blanks representing the six-digit student ID. Each password is an 8 letter, two word phrase, like "dogchair" with no space and all lowercase letters. Every student should have that written inside his or her agenda. Often, if a student needs to login to Google at home, the "@student.roundrockisd.org" portion is forgotten.

Google Apps for Education: When a student is signed in to Google Chrome, and the data is linked, apps and bookmarks should automatically appear. If access at home doesn't allow for use on Chrome, most apps are also available in an iOS format as well. Students will simply need to login into the app with the Google account assigned. Quizlet is one example of such an app.

Other online accounts: Some web-based programs, such as iStation, Think Through Math, and ALI/STEMscopes, are separate from Google Apps for Education and may have different sign in instructions. These user names and passwords, just like the Google ones, are assigned to each student. These are just similar enough and just different enough to be confusing at first, and the companies involved frequently adapt their platform to co-exist with Google Apps. As these are introduced to students, they will be used during class time. Often students will want to access these programs at home, but because of the slight variation may not login easily. Again, we will be using these primarily in class, especially at first.

We are encouraging our fourth graders to own their academics, so instructions are given in class to the students directly. If there are problems with student access at home, I will be available to students during Coyote Club the first few weeks of school. It is usually helpful to know what systems or devices are being used at home, so students should be prepared with that information when asking procedural questions.

Hopefully this helps with some of the beginning questions. As we continue to add resources and online tools, I will work to expand the FAQs. Please email me with any additional questions.

Parent Night

Thank you all for coming in tonight -- the turnout was overwhelming! There were great questions brought up, and I will be posting some of that extra info here in the next few days. In the meantime, the slideshow we used is posted here, and please feel free to email us with questions.

In addition, one of the tabs says "Trio Home and Calendar" -- the Google calendar shows the bigger project & test assignments, and can be added to most personal family calendars. Hopefully, this will help with some of the concerns regarding agendas and upcoming dates and deadlines.

In science right now, we are wrapping up the safety and tool review (quiz on tools will be Tuesday 9/6). We will be shifting into classifying matter in the upcoming week. We have just begun exploring the Texas regions in social studies, and we will be practicing map skills working with latitude and longitude.

Have a great three day weekend!

Here is the link:  Parent Night Slideshow

Welcome Back!

We are getting ready for a great new school year. Please join us for Supply Drop Off on Thursday, August 18th. Students will last names A-L should come between 4:00-4:30, and names M-Z should come between 4:45-5:15.

It's Summertime!!

This has been such a terrific year! I would like to thank you for sharing your amazing children with me. You all have been very supportive and generous, and thank you for the lovely gifts.

To continue learning this summer, here is a list of great websites to use as resources. For additional book suggestion resources, please go to our parent or student links (found in the column to the right).

HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!!

Mrs. Ahn’s Website
http://fceahn.blogspot.com/

Mrs. Pinter’s Website
http://fcepinter.blogspot.com/

iStation
http://isip.istation.com/

Think Through Math
https://lms.thinkthroughmath.com/

Sheppard Software

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/

Garden Boxes and Other Life Science

We are exploring adaptations, inherited traits, and life cycles, so it is a great time to garden! Each of the classes had the opportunity to visit the FCE Garden, and some students were able weed and plant a little. Out of the three garden boxes for our trio, two were already filled with veggies planted last season. We harvested a few carrots, and made room for some squash and tomatoes.

We have quite a range of gardening experience among the students. Some kid experts were able to give me a few new tips, but others were amazed to see food literally pulled form the earth. You would think they had never seen a carrot before! I enjoyed seeing the excitement and wonder in their eyes.

Several have asked if we can use seed donations. I would be happy to receive any vegetable seeds that families can share. Although most plants won't be ready to harvest until the last week or two of school, we have enough time for each student to sow their own seeds and watch them germinate. When the baby plants are strong, they will go home with everyone. In addition, sunflower seeds should have gone home with anyone who walked or biked to school today.

In related news, March was National Nutrition Month, and students have been asked to keep a log of the fruits and veggies they each this week. We will discuss it briefly each day, so please help ensure that the logs stay with everyone in backpacks. Students will need to turn in their logs on Monday, April 11.

Lastly, FCE is holding the first annual Health Fair tonight (April 5) from 5-7. I will have a sign up from 5:30-6:30, and students who attend and write their name on my log will receive a Koala Pass good for bonus credit or a free homework. It will take place in the cafeteria, gym, and east parking lot. One of the booth stations will include a bike safety check and obstacle course, so bring your bikes! Hope to see everyone there.

Camp Write Along Has Begun!

Camp kicked off yesterday with an inspiring video from Kid President. Campers are writing about how they can change the world, and what they would banish if they were king or queen of the world. We also had a guest speaker from Cedar Ridge, Mrs. Jipp. She shared what expectations are for high school writers, and how important expository writing can be for college applications and beyond. The fourth grade classes are getting pepped up about writing.

Spring Break Challenge

The following letter was sent home with students today. I hope everyone has a terrific week!

Students,

Spring Break is a great time to have some fun experiences and then write about them. This week, you will have two optional, but awesome assignments for writing. Due Monday, 3/21 

1. You will choose a prompt and write a one page paper. You will turn in your plan, rough draft (use different colors to revise and edit.) You will use the revising checklist and the editing checklist to revise and edit your rough draft. You will turn in your final copy as well. You need to hand write this paper and it needs to fit on one side of a piece of notebook paper. Work hard on this. Using the writing process is the way published authors write. You can break this process into several days or do it all in a few hours. Do your best and show us your best writing! 
2. You will also do at least one piece of free writing this week. Be creative! Write about something that happened over spring break. Write a poem, a song, a script, a newspaper, a commercial, or a book! Have fun and use your imagination. 

We included a lesson plan with research about the writing process to help you have more background knowledge and refresh your memory. We have also included a model text written by a fourth grader in a previous year. This piece is a good example of a well-organized essay. We want to be sure that all of our students can write a detailed, focused, organized, interesting expository essay and we know that free writing is a love of our students and we want to encourage writing everyday for everyone (parents included) for life! 

Here are the items needed to turn in on Monday, March 21 to get a special reward (besides pride in hard work): 

1. plan for expository essay 
2. rough draft-different colors used to show revising and editing 
3. editing checklist 
4. revision checklist 
5. final copy of expository essay-(handwritten, one side of notebook paper) 
6. one piece of free writing-(choice of the child) 

Have a wonderful spring break. Relax and enjoy time with family and friends. Use some of this extra time to enjoy some writing and reading together as well. 

Thanks and happy reading and writing! 

 Sincerely, 
Meaghan Kirby 

The Road to the White House

Our classes participated in a vote for the Presidential Primaries, and here are the results (the top/lighter green shows our three classes; the bottom/darker green shows students statewide who voted on Newsela):

For more on how a candidate becomes the President, visit Scholastic's Road to the White House.

Changing State

If you were asked to re-do the chart for Changing State, please go to this link:

http://www.crickweb.co.uk/ks2science.html#changingstate

The chart screen that you should click on looks like this:

Whew! Nearly Finished (Weeks 17 & 18)

Science projects should be nearly finished. Social studies is taking a back seat as we will spend several days on the project presentations. Once the presentations are over, we will kick back in gear with both subjects.

PLEASE email me with questions or concerns. Again, I know this can be a daunting task, so if there is anything I can clarify, please let me know.

BrainPop Video on Plagiarism

BrainPop Video on Paraphrasing

BrainPop Video on Citing Sources

EasyBib Webpage to Cite Sources

Happy New Year! (Weeks 15 & 16)

I hope that everyone enjoyed the time off. Now that we are back at work, we are diving into the next science unit (states of matter and the water cycle).

Science projects should be about halfway finished. As a reminder, the final whole project is due on Monday, January 25th. The remaining checkpoints are due on the next few Wednesdays. Because of all the work at home with projects, I will not be assigning homework for the next few weeks.

Checkpoint #4 is the "Background Information" requirement. This is what we used to call writing a report, and these days we usually call it an expository paper. Today in class, we reviewed plagiarism and paraphrasing in depth. Students should have a very clear idea on each of these concepts. Plagiarism will result in a failing grade, and the work will need to be redone to be accepted.

Regarding the bibliography: I am requiring students to use at least TWO sources for the paper, and one for the definitions. A great website tool for citing sources is EasyBib.com - we have looked at this in class a couple of times. We also watched video clips from BrainPop to help understand plagiarism, paraphrasing, citing sources, and so on. To access the videos, login with fce/ password coyotes.

PLEASE email me with questions or concerns. I know this can be a daunting task, so if there is anything I can clarify, please let me know.

BrainPop Video on Plagiarism

BrainPop Video on Paraphrasing

BrainPop Video on Citing Sources

EasyBib Webpage to Cite Sources