Sheptyck, Jake

 

Grade 4, Room 333 - Alden Elementary School

Teaming with Ms. Wigmore and Ms. Theophilos

jsheptyck@duxbury.k12.ma.us

 

 

 

 

Hello families!

The first month of school has come and gone and we are on to October! It was great to meet so many of you at Open House. I know my presentation video is long, but please take some time to watch as it covers a great deal of important information for the year (you can skip the parts about me in the beginning as a timesaver). 

I want to start off by saying a great big “Thank You!” to Caitlyn Gable and Karen Weisel for volunteering to be homeroom parents and to help coordinate class parties, volunteer opportunities, etc. You both rock! 

On Wednesday, October 26th and Thursday, October 27th, we will be hosting parent-teacher conferences. These will both be early release days for the kids. You will find the Sign-Up Genius in the email with this newsletter. If you have any trouble with this, let me know!

In math, we have begun our first topic involving multiplication. In my Open House presentation video, I talked about how reviewing basic multiplication facts and working towards mastery of them is crucial to success in later topics. Please take some time and practice with your children; it can be as simple as quizzing them at the dinner table or on car rides. The benefits are tremendous, and it’s easy to build into most schedules!

In literacy, students are working on interpreting characters in fiction books and are writing personal narratives of their own. I am pleased with the book choices I see around the classroom, and how students are excited about independent reading time. Please keep up the great work at home with reading with your kids.

In social studies, we have begun to study the ancient civilizations of North America. This has been of high interest to the students, and they are excited to learn more about this topic and discuss it. As we have much history in this area related to Native Americans, please feel free to share your own knowledge with your children or point out areas of interest and relevance.

The Dragon Dash is scheduled for Friday, October 14th! This is a great fundraiser and the kids have a blast, though I’ve learned I’m nowhere near as fast as I used to be. If you have not donated yet and would like to, please see the PTA website.

Our trip to the Book Fair is on Monday, October 17th. We encourage all students to set up an E-Wallet account for quick and easy transactions - this is also found on the PTA website. The Book Fair will be open all week if students need another chance to run down. 

Our field trip to the Manomet Bird Sanctuary is scheduled for Tuesday, October 18th. Please make sure students wear sneakers or boots they can hike/walk in, that they are dressed appropriately for the weather, and that they bring a bag lunch with them as we will not be eating in the cafeteria. We have one spot available for a chaperone, so let me know if you’d be interested in joining us!

Our class Halloween Party is scheduled for Friday, October 28th. Homeroom parents will be in touch regarding volunteer opportunities for the party (it’s fun, trust me). On this day, as well as Monday the 31st, students may wear their costumes if they like. However, we ask that students not wear masks around the building and that they leave any fake weapons at home. They should also not bring any candy to distribute to classmates.

As always, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions!