Taos Charter School 4th Grade Class

-Reading: Read for 20 minutes or more per day. If you haven't yet hit Level 16 on Lexia, then try to keep up with your weekly 60 minutes. -Math: Use your IXL account over break to keep your math skills sharp and to preview new material that we haven't covered yet. -History: Students started presenting their reports the past 2 days, and I've got to say I'm quite impressed with the high level of effort that kids put into these. I've been assigning this project for a number of years, and this may be the best group of Revolutionary Biographies that I've seen. Way to go 4th graders! -Reminder: 4th graders ski and snowboard for FREE everyday at Sipapu! Just bring a copy of your first marking period progress report for verification. See the link or call 800-587-2240 for more info. -Thank you so much for the nice cards and gifts. I really appreciate it! I wish you and all of your families a fun, safe winter break. Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año Nuevo! I'll se

-History: Steps #7, 8, 9 on the blue checklist. Write your bibliography and add images to your report. Practice reading it out loud a few times so you'll be ready to present. Students who need an extra day to finish up can hand theirs in on Friday. -Geo Bee: The preliminary school-level round of our National Geographic Bee is Thursday at 1:00 in the cafeteria. Families are invited to attend! -Secret Santa: Our 4th grade gift exchange will be at noon on Friday. Don't forget to bring in a gift for the person whose name you drew. Students may bring in a snack to share during Secret Santa as well. -Friday is an early 1:00 pm dismissal day.

-History: Step #4 on the checklist. Write the 5 paragraph final draft of your report, either in your best handwriting or using Google Drive. You may print it in school if you don't have access to a printer at home. -Spelling Bee Winners!: Cheers to Emily and Gabi for being two of five overall winners of our school-level spelling bee this afternoon, competing against students up to eighth grade, and advancing to the county-level bee! The county bee will be 9:30am on Thursday, January 14th, in the TCS gym. TCS, Anansi, Waldorf, TISA, Questa, and Penasco will all be participating. One speller from the county bee will progress onto the New Mexico state bee.

-History: Step #3 on the blue checklist. Revise and edit your rough draft. Also, come up with a good title for your report. You'll be creating your title pages in the library on Tuesday. -Spelling Bee: Congratulations to Gabi, Ariana, and Emily for winning our grade-level spelling bee today! The school level bee will be held tomorrow, Tuesday, December 15 in the TCS cafeteria at 1:00. Parents are invited.

-History: Use your outline to start writing the 5 paragraph rough draft of your Revolutionary Biography Report. Follow the "hamburger" paragraph format that you studied in class, and review steps 1 and 2 of the blue checklist. Try to complete a minimum of 3 good paragraphs of the rough draft this weekend. -Geo Bee: Congratulations to our six winners of today's class-level bee: Rafa, Eva, Brianna, Violet, Sebastian, and Talia! They'll move on to compete against the winners in grades 5-8 in the TCS school-level National Geographic Bee on Thursday, December 17 at 1:00 in our cafeteria. Parents and grandparents are invited! -Secret Santa: Students drew names today for the Secret Santa gift exchange which we'll have in class next Friday, December 18. Please limits gifts to about $10.

-Spelling: Study for the quiz. -History: Finish your outline, and then move on to start writing your first couple paragraphs of your rough draft. See steps 1 and 2 on the blue checklist.

-Math: P. 315-316 in My Math -History: Continue to read and take notes for your biography report. Start working on your outline to plan your 5 paragraphs (Step #1 on the blue checklist). Use the purple outline format sheet to help. Outlines are due for me to check by Friday, but you can complete yours earlier if you're ready. -TAOS FEEDS TAOS: Please drop off any food donations by Thursday, December 10th - all boxes will be picked up from Taos Charter on Friday.

-Math: Complete p. 309-310 in My Math. -History: Continue to read and take notes for your biography report.

1. outline 2. rough draft 3. paragraph 4. topic sentence 5. supporting details 6. conclusion 7. evidence 8. patriot 9. loyalist 10. bibliography 11. biblioteca (library) 12. tarea (homework) 13. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.

-History: Gather information, read, and take notes about the person you're studying for your Revolutionary Biography Report. Use the books you've checked out, and the 5 websites linked here to help.

-Math: Complete p. 297-298 in My Math. -Spelling: Written work is due. Study for the quiz. -History: Gather information, read, and take notes about the person you're studying for your Revolutionary Biography Report.

-Math: Complete My Math p. 289-290. -History: Review the Revolutionary Biography page you got today in class. Start thinking about 2 or 3 of the people from that list who you are interested in learning more about. Use the links to find more information. You may also choose interesting/ influential people of that era who are not in the list, as long as you can find enough information about them (2 books and 2 websites minimum). Write the names of your top 3 choices on the sheet, and bring it into class with you on Wednesday. -Geo Bee is coming up soon!: TCS will be holding our 9th annual National Geographic Bee for grades 4-8 on December 17. See the links to learn more about the Geo-Bee, and use the games and daily quizzes to help you get ready to win!

-Math: My Math p. 283-284.

1. empire 2. liberty 3. monarchy 4. democracy 5. millimeter 6. centimeter 7. meter 8. kilometer 9. research 10. biography 11. library 12. calle (street) 13. listo/ lista (ready or smart) 14. Don’t judge a book by its cover.

I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving break with family and friends. Safe travels. See you Monday.

-Math: Prep for the Unit 4 test by practicing the starred skills on IXL Math. -Ski Club Reminder: Payments and paperwork are due no later than Tuesday, November 24. -Penny the Therapy Dog-in-Training Visit: I'm currently working to train my new puppy to become a certified school therapy dog so that she can come to TCS to help kids in a number of ways. She visited our class once earlier this year, and I'm planning to have her come visit the school again as part of her training on Tuesday, November 24 from 1:30-2:45. She's extremely gentle and very safe with kids. As far as I know, we don't have any students in 4th grade who are are allergic or afraid of dogs. If parents have any questions or concerns, please email me: mbonner@taoscharterschool.org Have a great weekend!

-Math: Finish My Math p. 259-260. -Spelling & Vocabulary: Written work is due. Study for the practice quiz.

1. tyrant 2. ally 3. taxation 4. boycott 5. independent 6. revolution 7. petition 8. intolerable 9. quarrel 10. rights 11. desayuno (breakfast) 12. almuerzo (lunch) 13. cena (dinner) 14. No taxation without representation! ** This week's list is uploaded at Spelling City. Use your account to practice spelling and definitions. -Math for Tuesday: Practice IXL skills D5, D6, D17, D18, D19

Thursday evening, the Taos Community Foundation awarded our class a grant of $249 to continue the 4th grade subscription to IXL Math for another year. I'm very thankful to the anonymous donor who provided the entire grant, who did so in honor of her late father, a math teacher. Thank you TCF!

-Math: Pages 245-246. -Spelling: Study for the quiz. -Taos Feeds Taos: We've started our yearly school-wide effort to help provide food to people in need in Taos County. There's a collection box in each class. Please contribute canned or boxed non-perishable items if you can. Thanks!

-Math: Finish My Math p. 239-240, and practice IXL skills D10 and D11. -Spelling/ Vocabulary: Written work is due. Study for the practice quiz on your own or at Spelling City. -Science: Finish up the Circulatory System Quiz you started in class today. You may use notes or your science packet materials to help.

-Math: Complete p. 233-234 in My Math. Practice IXL skills D5, D6, D7.

1. crisis 2. crucial 3. colonist 4. ascend 5. descend 6. devastate 7. veteran 8. remedy 9. slavery 10. immigrant 11. Great Britain 12. venado (deer) 13. bosque (riverside forest) 14. On the warpath

-Ski Club!: Parents, the packet of information and paperwork for our Ski and Snowboard Program went home with students today. Completed forms and payments are due November 23. -Spelling and Vocab.: Due to the early dismissal today, we didn't have time to have our weekly spelling quiz. Many students already got a 100% score on Thursday, but if you still need to take it, have a parent give you the quiz over the weekend and bring it in on Monday. Yes, they can SAY the words. You can also take a quiz at Spelling City. -Math: Practice the starred IXL skills, especially D5 and D6.

-Math: Practice IXL skill D5. -Spelling: Written work is due. Study for the practice quiz.

-Math: Finish My Math p. 207-208, and practice IXL skills D12, D13, D14.

-Wednesday, November 4: Dyslexia Advocacy Workshop - A workshop for parents and educators of dyslexic children presented by Michael Kaczor, Master Advocate. Come learn how to navigate the IEP process and access appropriate resources for dyslexic children. $5 suggested donation. For more information, call (575) 613-6592 or email marcyandrew@hotmail.com 7-9 PM in the TCS Cafeteria. -Thursday, November 5: Explora Science Night! Thanks to the efforts of Sally Greywolf and the TCS Student Council, Explora is coming to Taos Charter School for a family night, Thursday, November 5th 5-7:30pm in the cafeteria. Bring your appetites and imaginations! Also, Right before Explora! - Come and honor artists Chris and Debbie Taylor for their beautiful, intricate work on our Tile Mosaic at the entrance of the cafeteria. They worked for over a year with the help of every student at the school to put together this amazing mosaic tile wall.

-Math: Complete My Math p. 201-202.

1. aorta 2. red blood cells 3. white blood cells 4. plasma 5. platelets 6. atrium 7. ventricle 8. valve 9. alveoli 10. exchange 11. exercise 12. viento (wind) 13. nieve (snow) 14. Have a heart. ** This week's list is uploaded at Spelling City. Use your account to practice spelling and definitions.

-1st quarter progress reports went home with students today. Please take some time to read and discuss the grades and comments with your son or daughter. For more info on Lexile reading range scores, see www.lexile.com -Happy Halloween! Have a great weekend.

-Spelling: Written work is due. Study for the quiz. -Math: Get ready for the Chapter 3 test by spending 20-30 minutes practicing the star skills on your IXL account (D2,D3,D4,D9,E1,E2,E3). Also practice the multiplication facts up to 81. You'll have a 100 fact frenzy as part of the test. -Conferences: Parents, at this point I'm fully-booked with conferences on Friday. If you'd like to meet, but haven't set up a time yet, I'm happy meet with you Monday, Wednesday, or Thursday after school next week from 3-4 p.m. Please email me at mbonner@taoscharterschool.org if you'd like to talk after school on one of those afternoons.

-Math: Complete p. 183-184 in My Math, and fill in all the blanks/ fix your mistakes on Five-Minute Frenzy (E) that you took today in class.

Parents, progress reports for the first marking period will go home with students on Thursday. There's no school on Friday, October 30th for Parent-Teacher Conferences. I’ve already scheduled meetings with some of you, and I meet with some parents fairly regularly, so conferences are not mandatory for all students at this time. If I haven’t contacted you and you’d like to meet, email me at mbonner@taoscharterschool.org to make an appointment. I’m also available to meet after school from 3-4 pm in the coming weeks, if that works better for you. Students may wear or bring Halloween costumes on Thursday if they want to. Please no fake weapons like axes, swords, knives. At 1:45 pm, grades K-4th will have a costume parade outside at the basketball courts. Parents are invited. Afterward, weather permitting, we'll have an outside party. Students are welcome to bring in a healthy snack to share with the class. No candy or soda, please.

1. specific 2. vague 3. percent 4. circulatory system 5. arteries 6. veins 7. capillaries 8. oxygen 9. carbon dioxide 10. heart 11. lungs 12. corazon (heart) 13. sangre (blood) 14. Blood is thicker than water. ** This week's list is uploaded at Spelling City. Use your account to practice spelling and definitions.

-Reading: Spend 20 minutes or more each day reading a book, newspaper, or magazine of your choice. Reading aloud with parents or siblings counts too. Keep track of your daily reading on your Fall Break Reading Log. -Math: Complete the 4 page multiplication fact packet. Log into IXL a few times over the break if you have access, and focus on the star skills D2, D3, D4, D9, A5. -Believe it or not, Friday was the last day of the first marking period. First quarter report cards will go home on October 29th. -Have a safe, fun Fall Break! See you October 26th.

-Math: Complete p. 171-172 of My Math. -Spelling: Written work is due. Study for the practice quiz.

-Math: P. 165-166 from My Math, and Five Minute Frenzy pages B and C are due.

1. folklore 2. tradition 3. shivered 4. version 5. neighbor 6. circulate 7. hesitate 8. frighten 9. creature 10. believe 11. preserve 12. abuelo/ abuela (grandfather/ grandmother) 13. cuentos (old stories or folklore) 14. off the top of my head

-Math: Complete My Math p. 157-158, and finish the Five Minute Frenzy multiplication fact practice page you started in class. -Spelling: Study for the quiz.

-Math: Complete p. 139-40 in My Math. Practice X facts for 15-20 minutes using flashcards and/or websites. IXL skills D1, D2, D3, D4.

1. factor 2. product 3. dividend 4. divisor 5. quotient 6. legendary 7. glared 8. opponent 9. fluke 10. traits 11. motivation 12. Tengo hambre. (I’m hungry.) 13. Tengo sed. (I’m thirsty.) 14. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. ** This week's list is uploaded at Spelling City. Use your account to practice spelling and definitions.

-Reading: Finish up the Jackie Robinson book review and comprehension questions if you didn't complete them in class today. -Math: We'll start Chapter 3 on Monday, which is all about multiplication and division. Take 20-30 minutes to brush up on your multiplication facts (from 0-12) using flash cards or math websites.

-Math: P. 117-118 in My Math -Spelling: Written work is due. For this week's list, practice writing the words 3 times each, then write a sentence for one homophone from each pair, your choice. Just be sure to use and spell it correctly in the sentence. Study for the practice quiz. -School photo proofs went home with students today. Directions for ordering pictures or requesting retakes are enclosed in the envelope. -Have a great San Geronimo day!

-Math: Complete p. 111-112 in My Math. -Bring in your re-enrollment paperwork if you haven't already done so. -Basketball practice for our class team starts next week! Come out and try it if you're interested. Call Coach Jose Espinoza for more info 770-7105.

1. homophone 2. clothes/ close 3. break/ brake 4. buy/ by 5. hear/ here 6. choose/ chews 7. right/ write 8. sum/ some 9. whole/ hole 10. would/ wood 11. peek/ peak 12. mail/ male 13. (your own pair of homophones) _________ / ________ 14. Money burning a hole in your pocket ** This week's list is uploaded at Spelling City. Use your account there to practice spelling and definitions.

-Re-enrollment packets: Parents, please fill out the paperwork that went home with students this week, and return it to class on Monday. It should be in the Take-Home folder.

-Spelling: Written work is due. Study for the practice quiz.

-Reading: Complete the Book Review and comprehension questions for Superfudge that you started in class today. You may use the book and your chapter summaries to help. Be sure to prove your answers by using examples from the book!

-Picture Day in 4th grade is Wednesday, September 23, so look your best.

-Math: Complete p. 97-98 in My Math. IXL skills to practice this week are C1, C2, C3. -Reading: Complete the 12 chapter summaries from the novel Superfudge. Fix any mistakes in spelling, capitalization, and punctuation. I'll collect those Tuesday.

1. Autumn Equinox 2. minuend 3. subtrahend 4. synonym 5. antonym 6. budget 7. catastrophe 8. elevation 9. there 10. their 11. they’re 12. jugar (to play) 13. deportes (sports) 14. spill the beans ** This week's list is now uploaded at Spelling City. Use your account there to practice spelling and definitions.

-Spelling: Written work is due. Study for the practice quiz.

-Math: Complete p. 83-84 in My Math. -Language Arts: You're going to like your assignment. Finish both sides of the Your / You're Practice Page.

-Parents, the K-5th grade open house meeting is Wednesday, September 16 from 5-7 pm. We'll all meet in the cafeteria at 5:00, and then head over to the classrooms. Hope to see you all then!

-Math: Complete My Math p. 77-78. IXL skills of the week are B7, B8, B9, C5, C6, C7.

1. apostrophe 2. contraction 3. wouldn’t 4. we’re 5. weren’t 6. aren’t 7. doesn’t 8. she’ll 9. we’ll 10. your 11. you’re 12. lapiz (pencil) 13. libro (book) 14. Beauty is only skin deep. ** This week's list is now uploaded at Spelling City. Use your account there to practice spelling and definitions.

-Spelling: Study for the quiz. -Math: Complete p. 71-72 in MM. Practice IXL skills B4 and B6.

-Spelling: Written work is due. Study for the practice quiz on your own or at Spelling City. A number of students have been doing their written spelling work on Google Drive/ Google Docs, and then sharing it with me at mbonner@taoscharterschool.org which is a great way to go!

-Math: Complete p. 65-66 from My Math.

1. Equator 2. Prime Meridian 3. hemisphere 4. continent 5. nation 6. variable 7. embellish 8. contagious 9. plot 10. character 11. estudiante (student) 12. escuela (school) 13. When it rains, it pours. ** This week's list is now uploaded at Spelling City. Use your account there to practice spelling and definitions.

-Parents, Did you know that there's a new federal initiative called Every Kid in a Park that gives 4th graders AND their families FREE admission into ALL of the National Parks and Monuments? This includes nearby National Park Service sites such as the Great Sand Dunes, Chaco Canyon, Bandelier, Mesa Verde, Carlsbad Caverns, and about 400 more across the US! This offer continues through August 31, 2016 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the NPS. Today, I registered all the students in the class for the program, and printed their passes. They should be inside the Take-Home folder. See this link for more info: http://www.nationalparks.org/ook/every-kid-in-a-park Enjoy the long weekend! See you Tuesday.

Starting September 13, there will be a new fun, educational radio program for kids ages 6-12 on KNCE, 93.5 FM. The show will feature diverse music aimed at kids, including an exploration of different music genres, as well as old favorites from TV, film, and classics such as Schoolhouse Rock, Really Rosie, and Free To Be You and Me. Interspersed with the music will be live performances by kids, and many short, educational segments prepared in consult with local teachers and students. The show will be designed and overseen by long time Taos educators Andy “Rosey” Hayett and Roe Ziccarello, who will be in the studio with college and High School age, supporting the 6-12 yr old DJ crew. Educational segments will be either performed live, or pre-recorded in the KNCE production studio. Educational content would be created in consult with an advisory board of local teachers and educators, representing many local schools. The first show will air on Sunday, September 13 from 12-2PM. If a

-Math: Complete p. 47-48 in My Math. -Spelling: Study for the quiz.

-Spelling: Written work is due. Study for the practice quiz. Using your account at Spelling City can help a lot with this!

-Math: Complete My Math pages 41-42 on rounding. Log in to your My Math account at Connect Ed if you need extra help. Also, practice IXL skill A6 if you have some time.

1. privilege 2. mountain 3. unanimous 4. sum 5. difference 6. product 7. quotient 8. are 9. our 10. hour 11. Taos Charter School 12. arriba (up) 13. abajo (down) 14. break the ice ** This week's list is now uploaded at Spelling City. Use your account there to practice spelling and definitions.

-Math: Finish pages 33-34 from My Math if you didn't complete them in class on Friday. -Have a great weekend!

-Spelling: Study for the quiz, unless you already got a 100% on the practice quiz. Use Spelling City to help! -Username and Password List: Parents, every student has a home copy of their Username and Password sheet that lists all the log-in information for their accounts at Google, IXL Math, Moby, Lexia, Spelling City, My Math, and Typing Club. That's a lot to keep track of! This sheet should be in their Take-Home Folder today. Please keep one copy to use at home. Maybe tack it up on the wall near the home computer for easy reference. -Early dismissal on Friday, August 28. Students will be dismissed at 1:00. Please see the TCS website for bus info.

-Spelling: Written work is due. Study for the practice quiz. Use your account at Spelling City to help. -Math: Log into your account at IXL, and spend some time practicing skills A1, A2, A3 in the 4th grade section.

-Math: Complete the Lesson 2 homework, pages 21-22. Use the ConnectEd homework help at the My Math link if you need it. Username: your first name + tcs Password: mymath4

-Parents, lunch and bus forms went home today with students who need to have them filled out. Please complete these forms even if your child does not eat school lunch, and send them back in to school as soon as you can. They should be inside students' Take-Home Folders.

1. A new spelling list comes out every Monday. 2. We discuss the meaning of each word in class. Students should take notes on the definitions and keep them in their Spelling Journal. 3. Written assignment (due every Thursday): A.) Practice spelling each word by writing it 5 times in your SJ.(2 times for the weekly saying.) B.) Use each word by writing a creative sentence that shows you understand the meaning of the word. Use a dictionary to help when you need it. The sentences can be funny or fictional. Please make them interesting to read. C.) For the Spanish words, do the best you can to write short, simple sentences in Spanish. If you need extra help with those sentences, ask a family member, Mr. Bonner, or Senora Molina some time during the week before Thursday. There are Spanish translation websites linked on our class blog to help you as well. 4. On Thursday, we’ll have a practice spelling quiz, and I’ll check your written work. Students who score 100% on the practice q

1. novel 2. fiction 3. non-fiction 4. harmony 5. geography 6. latitude 7. longitude 8. northeast 9. southeast 10. southwest 11. northwest 12. Yo (I) 13. nosotros (we) 14. “as the crow flies”

-Math: Check out the My Math Online link to log in to your account. Take some time to explore what's available: ebook, games, songs, and all kinds of really cool options. We'll be using this site a lot this year. Username: your first name + tcs (example: samtcs) Password: mymath4

Hello to all the incoming 4th grade students and parents at Taos Charter! I hope you've all have had a fantastic summer break. I really enjoyed mine too, but I'm glad to be back working in the classroom and excited to kick off another school year with this new group of kids. School starts Monday, August 17th at 8:15 AM. Fourth grade supply lists are available in the office or at the TCS website in the "For Parents" section. It's not necessary for everyone to have all the supplies on the first day. Pencils, folders, and composition books are the most important items. Until then, get outside, have some fun, and make the most of your last days of break. I'll see you bright and early on Monday! Our TCS Welcome Back Pot-Luck is Friday, August 14th from 5:30 to 7:00pm if you can make it. Thanks for taking the time to find and read our 4th grade blog! Please be sure to bookmark it into your links. -Mr. Michael Bonner email: mbonner@taoscharterschool.org

-It's been an excellent year. I've really enjoyed working with all the creative, diligent, kind-hearted, smart kids in this group. I'll miss seeing you all every day! Please email me a schedule of your plays and baseball/ softball games (mbonner@taoscharterschool.org), and I'll come see them if I can. Over the summer, keep your reading skills sharp and get ready for 5th grade by continuing the D.E.A.R. habit of reading for at least 20 minutes every day. Your accounts at Lexia, MobyMax, IXL Math, Spelling City, and Typing Web will all remain open and available for you to use any time during the summer break. So be sure to take advantage of your memberships at those sites when you have the time. -Adrian, Richie, and Dominic, your final report cards and class awards are available for you to pick up in the Office.

-Tuesday is Field Day for grades K-4 at Kit Carson Park from 10:30 a.m. to 1:40 p.m. Students should dress for outside PE and bring a snack and a water bottle. Parents are welcome to come down to the park and join the fun! Lunch will be provided to all students by the Friends of the Taos Charter School. Parents can meet us at the park and pick kids up by 1:40. Otherwise, we'll return to school on the bus and dismiss at 2:50 as usual. -Wednesday is a half-day, dismissing at 11:30. We'll clean out desks and cubbies, check in textbooks, and I'll give out final progress reports. Students who have siblings in 8th grade can attend graduation outside with their families. Please bring in a cloth or paper grocery bag to carry home your school supplies and belongings. -Thursday: No school. -Missing Library Books: The following students are missing books that they checked out from the TCS Library: Alejandro, Chris, Dominic, Gabe, Yeri. Final notices went home with students today

-Reading: Continue reading another 40 minutes in the novel Holes. Write a title for each chapter you finish. -Field Trip: Don't be late for our 8:15 departure!

-Reading: Spend 40 minutes reading in the novel Holes. Write a title for each chapter you finish. -Spelling: Written work is due. Study for the quiz.

-Career Project: Finish up the final draft of your Thank-You Letter if you didn't finish it in class today. It can be hand-written or printed from Google Drive. Bring it to school on Wednesday, along with the mailing address of the person you interviewed. I'll supply the envelopes and stamps. -Talent Show: Write down 2 jokes to tell at the Talent Show. The show is Wednesday at 12:30 in the Gym. Parents are invited to attend! -On Friday, May 15, the fourth grade class will be taking a hiking field trip to Bandelier National Monument. During the morning, we’ll take a 2 ½ mile loop hike on Tsankawi Mesa to tour Anasazi cliff dwellings. In the afternoon, we’ll have a picnic lunch, and then hike down the Frey Trail into Frijoles Canyon about 2 more miles to explore the main ruins. Students should be prepared for the elements and wear sturdy sneakers or hiking boots, and a hat to block the sun. They should also bring a small backpack with sunscreen, at least one water bottle, and

Our 4th grade spring field trip is coming up on Friday, May 15. We'll be taking the bus to Bandelier National Monument near Los Alamos for an all-day visit that will include 2 great hikes to explore beautiful canyons and Ancestral Pueblo ruins. I'll be sending home more information/ permission slips on Tuesday.

-Career Project: Write the rough draft of a 2-3 paragraph friendly thank-you letter to the person you interviewed for your project. You can use the form on the back of your spelling list to help, or just write it on your own sheet of lined paper. Bring in their mailing address on Tuesday as well if you have one.

1. Anasazi 2. Ancestral Pueblo 3. cliff dwelling 4. viga 5. artifact 6. cistern 7. petroglyph 8. kiva 9. cavate 10. pottery sherd 11. archeologist 12. pueblo (village, small town) 13. frijoles (beans) 14. Don’t cry over spilled milk. **This week's list is up at SpellingCity.com. Use your account on that site to practice spelling and definitions.

-Spelling: Written work is due. Study for the practice quiz using your account at Spelling City. -Career Projects: Students will start their presentations at 1:45 on Thursday afternoon. Parents are invited to come in to class and watch if you're available.

-Math: Spend 20 minutes practicing IXL skills. -Career Projects are due on Thursday. Students should be working on Steps 6 and 7 on the checklist.

1. optimist 2. pessimist 3. eager 4. flashback 5. plunge 6. skeptical 7. altered 8. vile 9. scholar 10. foreign 11. theme 12. caballo (horse) 13. barranca (canyon) 14. Take the bull by the horns. **This week's list is up at SpellingCity.com. Use your account on that site to practice spelling and definitions.

-Career Project: Continue working on Steps 5, 6, 7 on your project. If you need images to print for your board, have your mom or dad help you search at wikipedia and google for photos and clipart. If you want to print images on our school printers, you can email them to me at mbonner@taoscharterschool.org and we'll print them on Monday. -Wacky Week is May 4-May 8 Monday - PJ Day Tuesday - Crazy Hair Day Wednesday - Favorite Character (from a movie, book, cartoon, etc) Thursday - Nerd Day Friday - class pick

-Math: Study Links 9-1 (p. 195) -Spelling: Written work is due. Study for the practice quiz.

-Career Project: Keep working on steps 4, 5, 6. Start thinking about how you'll set up your posterboard.

1. judge 2. destiny 3. desolate 4. innocent 5. guilty 6. scoundrel 7. suburban 8. ruthless 9. spacious 10. parched 11. primavera (spring) 12. lluvia (rain) 13. Comparisons are odious. **This week's list is up at SpellingCity.com. Use your account on that site to practice spelling and definitions.

-Math: Spend 30 minutes practicing your choice of IXL skills.

-Spelling: Study for the quiz. -Career Project: Continue steps 3, 4, 5 on the yellow checklist.

-Spelling and Vocabulary: Written work is due. Study for the practice quiz using your account at Spelling City.

-Math: Finish the 4 page packet on probability and fractions that you started in class today. -Check out the "Song for Jenny Vincent" video in the links. Thanks to Rick Romancito of the Taos News for documenting and sharing this event, and Happy Birthday to Jenny Vincent, who turns 102 years young on Wednesday, April 22!

-Parents, our second round of PARCC testing will begin this week. Tests in 4th grade will take place the following three mornings: Thursday, April 23, Monday 4/27, and Tuesday 4/28. Please don't plan appointments or out-of-town trips for your child on those days. All students will need to have a set of headphones for the tests.

-Math: Study Links 7-11 (p. 165), and complete the 30 minutes of IXL practice in skills Q and U if you didn't do that over the weekend. -Career Project: Start Step #3 on the checklist.

1. probability 2. outcome 3. certain 4. likely 5. unlikely 6. impossible 7. emperor 8. dynasty 9. famous 10. infamous 11. tyrant 12. ciudad (city) 13. pais (nation or country) 14. It’s always darkest just before the dawn. **This week's list is up at SpellingCity.com. Use your account on that site to practice spelling and definitions.

-Career Project: Complete Step #2 on the yellow checklist. Choose carefully! As you choose a career to study, ask yourself these 4 questions: 1. Is it a career? 2. Is it a career you think is interesting and important? 3. Is it one that you can find enough information about? 4. Is there someone locally who has that career that you can interview for that part of the project? Use the Career Information Site in the links to help you choose. Not all careers are listed there, but there's a lot of great information about many possible choices. -Math: Spend 30 minutes practicing the Q and U skills at IXL. -History: Check out some of the documentaries on the Ancient China YouTube playlist (optional).

-Spelling: Written work is due. Study for the practice quiz using the games at Spelling City. -Career Project: Deliver the green parent note to your mom or dad, and start Step #2 on the yellow checklist. -Thursday Field Trip: The weather forecast is looking better, but it will likely be cool and cloudy for our lunch and afternoon hike. Dress for being outside in cooler weather (jeans, long-sleeve top, sneakers), and remember to bring a sack lunch, water bottle, and maybe a small backpack. Parents, please email me (mbonner@taoscharterschool.org) if you plan to come along on the bus or meet us at TRV so I know how many chaperones to expect. Please send in the $4 bus fee if you haven't paid already.

-Math: Finish pages 25P, 26P, 27P (long division algorithm practice) in your Math Journal. Practice IXL skills in Q and U. -Career Project: Complete Step #1 on the yellow project checklist. Brainstorm a list of 6 careers that you think are interesting and you'd like to learn more about.

-Math: Study Links 7-9, and play the Death to Decimals and Fraculator games in the links. -Field Trip!: On Thursday, April 16, the class will be taking a field trip to the Taos Retirement Village on Placita Ave. to perform songs from their music class with Ms. Tara Somerville. Following the performance, we plan to walk over to Kit Carson Park for a picnic lunch. Then, weather permitting, we’ll take a hike for a couple of hours on the Divisadero Trail in Taos Canyon. We’ll need a few parents to come along and help chaperone if you're available. We plan to leave TCS at 9:30, and return at about 2:15. There is a transportation charge of $4 for the bus. Please send that fee into school any day this week. On Thursday, students should dress for the weather, wear sturdy sneakers , and bring a water bottle and a sack lunch (if they weren’t one of the 7 students who ordered a school-provided sack lunch today).

1. local 2. national 3. global 4. career 5. interview 6. inexpensive 7. tolerant 8. urban 9. rural 10. salary 11. mediate 12. caro (expensive) 13. barato (cheap) 14. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. **This week's list is up at SpellingCity.com. Use your account on that site to practice spelling and definitions.

-Math: Practice IXL skills U1, U2, U8, U9, and any of the Q skills. -Reading: Complete the Book Review of "Jackie Robinson" if you didn't finish it in class today.

-Math: Study Links 7-8 (p. 159), and work on the Q skills at IXL.

-Math: Complete both sides of the "Convert Improper Fractions to Mixed Fractions" practice sheet. Attempt a few items in the last section, where you go from mixed numbers back to improper fractions. We'll cover that in class tomorrow. Practice IXL skill Q21.

-Taos High School's amazingly entertaining production of "Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka" will be performed at the TCA tonight (Friday) at 7:00 p.m., and on Saturday at 1:00 and 7:00 p.m. Go see it if you can! -Math: Practice any of the Q skills at IXL. -Have a great Spring Break! See you Tuesday, April 7.

-Math: Study Links 7-6 (p. 155) -Spelling: Written work is due. Study for the practice quiz. Use Spelling City to help. -As far as I know, 4th grade is still invited to attend the dress rehearsal of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" at 3:45 Thursday at the TCA. See you there!

-Math: Study links 7-5 (p. 153) -NMSBA Science Test: On Tuesday morning, 4th grade will take the first 2 sections of the science test. Bring a snack to have during the break between the 2 sessions. -Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Live On Stage!: The 4th grade has been invited to attend the final dress rehearsal for Taos High School's production of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." This performance will be on Thursday after school at 3:45 until about 6:00 p.m. at the TCA (near Kit Carson Park). Parents will need to provide transportation, and are welcome to attend. I will be there to enjoy the play and help supervise our group. There's no charge for admission.