Halftime of March!

Good Afternoon,

It was a great week here at NDLC filled with excitement each day for different dress up days, and culminating today with our Knowledge-A-Thon and field trip to Skate City. I may be biased, but I truly believe in everything we do here at NDLC, and think it is a special place. I look forward to continuing to make more core memories as we head into the second half of March and the remainder of the school year. Lastly, getting families in for student-led conferences is always a special time because it allows everyone a look at the magic I get to see everyday! 

Week in Review:

Leader in Me: This week we discussed how we can be upstanders, not bystanders, in bullying situations. A bystander is a person who is present at an event or incident, does not take part, and doesn’t help. An upstander is a person who speaks or acts in support of an individual or cause, particularly someone who intervenes on behalf of a person being mistreated or bullied. Invite your learner to teach you about the 3 criteria for bullying: repeated, imbalance of power, done on purpose. Invite them to explain how they can be an upstander.

Writing: This week, 4th graders focused on a variety of writing skills. They began by reading a short story, The Missing Sandwich, and wrote their own endings, using descriptive details to solve the mystery of who or what took the sandwich. Students then worked on opinion writing, first expressing their views on whether kids should spend less time on screens or if screens are good for learning and fun. They practiced supporting their opinions with strong evidence, both from the text and their own ideas. Finally, they read a nonfiction article about recycling and wrote an opinion piece on whether recycling is important, emphasizing clear reasoning, strong evidence, and a thoughtful conclusion. Throughout the week, students engaged in both guided and independent writing activities to refine their skills for Forward testing.

Math: This week in math, 4th graders worked on a variety of division and multiplication skills. They began with a pre-assessment to establish a baseline for their learning. They then focused on dividing larger amounts of money, connecting division to real-world situations. Through class discussions, they shared different strategies for solving division problems and practiced new multiplication strategies to increase their problem-solving flexibility. Lastly, they modeled their multiplication and division strategies to demonstrate their understanding and thought processes. These activities are helping the 4th graders build a stronger foundation in both multiplication and division.

Reading: This week, your 4th grader focused on several key reading strategies to prepare for upcoming tests. They worked on constructing meaning from poetry, learning how to interpret and understand poems more deeply. In addition, they practiced chunking texts into manageable parts to help summarize and comprehend the material more effectively. Lastly, they focused on determining the main or central idea in narrative nonfiction by identifying repeated themes or details. These activities are all aimed at boosting their confidence and ensuring they feel well-prepared for the test.

Content: Students reflected on their investigation of events from the early history of the U.S. and our state to draw conclusions about how those events impacted our state and the people who live there. They re-examined sources in light of new learning to determine how to tell a more complete story of events that have shaped the story of our state.

  • Thank you to a parent who shared this great resource which can benefit your 4th grader and family! Every fourth grader in the US is eligible to receive a free pass for their family to visit America’s natural wonders and historic sites, which accesses hundreds of parks, lands and waters for an entire year! Visit everykidoutdoors.gov/rules.htm for more information and to get your pass!


A Look Ahead:

  • March 21st - Early Dismissal (11:30)
  • March 24th - 28th - No School
  • Madison Field Trip - Thursday, April 10th
  • April 18th & 21st - No School
  • May 23rd - Early Dismissal (11:30)
  • May 26th - No School
  • May 29th - 4th Grade Concert


That's all for this week!

Have a great weekend!


Mr. VW




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