4th Grade

Arrival and Dismissal

• The school day starts at 7:50 a.m. and ends at 2:35 p.m. Early release days end at 12:26 p.m.  Breakfast is served each morning starting at 7:35 a.m. Please try to arrive with enough time to make it to class by 7:50.
• Please email Jackie Ventura or call 703-228-8707 if students are going to be absent.
• Please send a note with any dismissal changes (two copies [one for Extended Day]).  Dismissal changes must be received via note, email to the teacher, or phone call to the office by 10:30 AM.

Thursday Folders

We encourage parents to check Thursday Folders each week for student work, permission slips, grade level newsletters on the first Thursday of each month, etc.  Other important information will be communicated by PeachJar and SchoolTalk. Please see the main office for questions about these programs.

Homework

The 2022-2023 homework policy for 4th Grade is:

All homework is to support what students have learned in school. It should be

• 20 minutes of independent or assigned reading per night
• 20 minutes of math per night. Please do not spend more than the allotted time on math homework. Let teachers know if students are struggling with or spending more time on homework than this guideline.
• 20 minutes of writing in their writing journal 3 times a week. This practice is to develop fluency in writing. They may choose to write about a variety of topics or to continue to work on a piece we started in school.

The Workshop Model

• We use the Workshop Model in reading, writing, and math.
• We will use Lucy Calkins Units of Study to guide our Reading and Writing Workshop.  Student will learn to apply reading and writing skills and concepts through the use of mentor texts, mini-lessons, conferencing, and independent work time.
• The Math Workshop model revolves around math talk routines, mini-lessons, authentic tasks, differentiated hands on activities and centers, and targeted small group instruction to meet the individual needs of students.

4th Grade Content and Expeditions

Some of our major units will be:

• Jamestown
• American Revolution
• American Civil Rights
• Earth, Sun, and Moon relationship
• Electricity
• Botany

Quarterly Assessments and SOLs

• Quarterly assessments in reading and math will be taken on iPads. These are formative in nature but do help students prepare for the format of SOLs.
• We will have SOL assessments in May in Reading, Math, and Virginia Studies.