4th Grade
Curriculum Night
August 29, 2013
Frost Elementary…
Happy, happy, happy!
GENERAL
INFORMATION
Food Service 2013-14
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Meal Prices
Breakfast - $1.10
Lunch PK-8 - $1.80
Lunch Visitor - $3.00
Student lunch numbers are the same as their
student ID#. This should never change as
long as they are enrolled in LCISD.
Bar code scanners are on order to help
schools manage the speed of service.
Food Service 2013-14 (cont.)
Updated meal charge policy – Students
are allowed to charge up to -$15.00.
After reaching this, a student will receive
milk and cereal for breakfast and a cold
cheese sandwich and milk for lunch. The
account will be charged $0.50 for this
alternate meal.
 No charging is allowed by adults.
 The district meal charge policy will take
effect September 3, 2013.
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Food Service 2013-14 (cont.)
After a student receives 10 alternate meals
the parents will need to make arrangements
to provide a lunch for their child. Our
automated calling system will call phone
numbers listed to remind families to send
money to avoid receiving alternate meals.
Please make sure to update your contact
information with the district.
 Pay online at www.parentonline.net
 All schools have copies of the free/reduced
meal application if needed.
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Food Service 2013-14 (cont.)
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New meal requirements:
o Students must take ½ cup fruit or vegetable at
lunch to complete a reimbursable meal.
o There is no longer an entrée. A student must
take 3 components to complete a meal. No
beverage is required.
o LCISD practices ‘offer vs. serve’. Students need
to be allowed to make their own choices.
o No juice will be offered at lunch.
o There will be no more syrup. New items such
as prepackaged mini-pancakes, mini-waffles, and
French toast sticks will have syrup flavor cooked
in the product.
Birthday Guidelines
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In accordance with district policy, we
discourage food being brought in by
parents/grandparents for the following
reasons: protect instructional time; student
food allergies (peanut, gluten, eggs); student
medical conditions (diabetes); liability
assumed by person bringing in food
Flowers, balloons, pencils, invitations and any
other treats in honor or recognition of a
child’s birthday cannot be delivered or
distributed at school.
Lunch Drop-off

Once the school day begins, parents will
want to follow these guidelines to drop
off lunches:
o Check in at the front office and receive a
visitor’s name badge.
o Proceed to the cafeteria with the lunch.
o Place the lunch in the appropriately labeled
bin near the cafeteria kitchen.
o Students and/or teachers will check the bin
at the beginning of the lunch period for their
class.
Dress Code
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Red, white, light blue or navy blue collared shirts
are allowed. Tops may not have any visible logos.
Viewable undershirts should be one of the
uniform shirt colors.
Sweaters and jackets must be solid red, navy,
black, khaki or white.
Khaki, navy, black, blue denim slacks, shorts, skirts,
skorts and jumpers are permitted.
School shirts and sweatshirts are allowed.
Leggings and tights should be red, black, blue,
white or khaki.
No backless shoes, flip flops, overalls, hats, caps,
scarves, skate shoes, sweat pants, or rolling
backpacks are allowed.
Fourth Grade Swimming
3/28-3/31 & 4/3-4/11
 Fourth graders will be participating in
swim lessons at the Natatorium.
 Students will ride the school bus, and
permission slips will be sent home at a
later date.
 Students will need a swimsuit, and girls
will be required to wear a one-piece suit.
 Towels will be provided. Students are
only to bring their swim suit, a plastic
bag, and a comb or brush.
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ATTENDANCE
and
TARDIES
New Tardy Policy
Students are counted as tardy if they are
not in the classroom by 7:45 a.m.
 Students with excessive tardiness will be
referred to the attendance committee for
consideration of ISS and a home visit by
the social worker.
 Three or more tardies in a 9 week period
will disqualify students from attendance
awards.
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Good Attendance Celebrations
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Tardies will be recorded by the front office
and reported to the classroom teacher at
the end of each nine week grading period.
Students are considered tardy if they are not
in the teacher’s class by 7:45 a.m.
Students with less than 3 tardies or early
check outs within a given 9 weeks will be
eligible for participation in a good
attendance prize drawing. The only
exception to this requirement is a student
bringing a medical excuse.
COMMUNICATION
Newsletters
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Beginning on Sept. 3rd, all grade levels will
post a copy of the newsletter on the Frost
Elementary website and will do so each
Monday evening during the year. In addition,
an email blast will be sent out to grade level
parents with the newsletter attached.
Newsletters will include special events,
birthdays, learning objectives, assessment
dates and any other information deemed
necessary by the grade level team.
Access to the newsletters is at:
http://www.lcisd.org/campuses/frost/about/newsletters
Agendas
 Students
record homework
and other important
information.
 Parent/guardian
initial daily.
should sign or
Communicating with Your
Child’s Teacher
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E-mail
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Telephone – You can contact your child’s teacher by
calling the direct extension. Please note that phones do
not ring during school day hours.
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We are generally able to respond quickly; however, in
some instances, please allow 24 hours for a response.
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Transportation changes should be made in writing or by
calling the school office at 832-223-1500.
Homework
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We believe that homework is a valuable aid in
helping students make the most of their
experience in school. Homework will be given
Monday-Thursday and occasionally over the
weekend.
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Math homework will often include a spiral
review.
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Homework should take not more than 60
minutes.
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Infractions are given for missing homework.
BEHAVIOR
Behavior
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Each teacher carries a clipboard.
After 1 to 2 warnings, a student will
receive an infraction for breaking a
rule.

Parents will be notified on a daily
basis through the agenda.
Nine Week Behavior Expectations
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Infraction chart by grade level:
Grade Level
Expectations
Kindergarten
S = 0-8 color changes/infractions
N = 9+ color changes/infractions
All other grades
1st-5th
S = 0-8 color changes/infractions
N = 9-12 color changes/infractions
U = 13+ color changes/infractions
Conduct grades will include infractions received for no
homework. Office referrals will be counted as 9 infractions.
Therefore, a student will receive no better than an “N” in
conduct in nine weeks where behavior has resulted in an
office referral. Students who choose to participate in clubs
must maintain an S in conduct. N’s in conduct will result in a
4 week probationary period. U’s and F’s will mean dismissal
from clubs.
Nine Week Behavior Celebrations
Students from each classroom will be
honored for their winning behavior each nine
weeks.
 Celebrations are coordinated by grade level
volunteers. We need at least three
parents/each celebration.
 Celebrations are generally scheduled for the
Friday after the nine weeks ends, from 2:052:35 p.m.
 Other classroom-specific incentives may be
offered from time to time.
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LCISD Grading Policy
All corrections on daily graded work must be
made in school.
 Any work that is to be graded will not be sent
home for completion.
 Students will not be given make-up work ahead of
time when parents remove their children for trips
during school days.
 Late Work Policy – classwork will be accepted
late within the current grading period with these
guidelines in place:
One (1) day late = 0 points off
Two (2) days late = 10 points off
Three (3) days late = highest grade possible is a 70
Extenuating circumstances will be reviewed by
campus policy.
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Reassessment (Daily Grades)
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The teacher shall provide one reasonable
opportunity to reassess failure to master the
TEKS/Curriculum in each daily grade.
The highest possible grade that can be
earned and recorded on the reassessment is
a 70.
There will be no reassessment based on lack
of effort.
The teacher will make a note in the
electronic grade book of the date and grade
of the reassessment. Original grades will be
recorded in the notes section.
Reassessment (Test Grades)
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A teacher shall provide one reasonable opportunity
to reassess failure to master TEKS/Curriculum on
each test grade.
There will be no reassessment based on lack of
effort.
Teachers will reteach and allow students an
opportunity to retest the objectives not mastered.
The highest possible grade that can be earned and
recorded on the reassessment is a 70.
The teacher will make a note in the electronic grade
book of the date and grade of the reassessment.
Original grades will be recorded in the notes section.
Elementary 9 week assessments and student projects
are not subject to reassessment.
Report Cards/Progress Reports
Report Type
Date Report Sent Home
Progress Report – 1st Nine Weeks
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Report Card – 1st Nine Weeks
Thurs.-Fri., November 7-8, 2013
(Parent Conferences)
Progress Report – 2nd Nine Weeks
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Report Card – 2nd Nine Weeks
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Progress Report – 3rd Nine Weeks
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Report Card – 3rd Nine Weeks
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Progress Report – 4th Nine Weeks
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Report Card – 4th Nine Weeks
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Skyward Family Access
Replaces the Classroom Connection
Center PCG portal
 Allows parents to track student grades
and progress
 Go to www.lcisd.org and click on the
Family Access button at the top of the
page.
 Sign in with your username and password.
 Update all email addresses associated
with your account.
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Parent Conference Dates
Teachers will meet with parents to review
student progress for the first nine weeks.
 Conferences will be held on November
7th and 8th.
 The first nine weeks report card will be
distributed at the conference.
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ASSESSMENTS
Common Formative Assessments (CFA)
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CFAs are formative assessments – they inform
teachers and students ‘of’ learning (that which has
already occurred).
Research shows that schools that consistently
used CFAs showed the greatest improvement in
student achievement.
Students will take a CFA once per nine weeks in
the areas of reading, science, writing and math.
Data from the CFA will be used to form small
groups and guide instruction.
CFAs are not graded but are used diagnostically
and to better facilitate student learning and
provide feedback for students.
Common Assessments
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Common summative assessments are major
tests that are given at the 8-9 week mark of
each grading period.
These tests are to be completed by the
student in one class period.
Common summative assessments are not
subject to reassessment guidelines and will
be weighted at 200%.
Assessments will be given in math, reading,
language, science and social studies.
STAAR (State of Texas Assessment
of Academic Readiness) by Grade
Grade
Level:
Subject:
Subject:
Subject:
3rd Grade
Reading
Math
4th Grade
Reading
Math
Writing
5th Grade
Reading
Math
Science
STAAR (State of Texas Assessment
of Academic Readiness)
 More
questions with a higher cognitive complexity
level to match the TEKS
 Greater emphasis on critical thinking and reading
across different genres
 Two essays required in writing
 Assessing process skills with content skills in
mathematics and science
 Greater number of open-ended (griddable)
questions on mathematics and science
 STAAR is timed – 4 hours
STAAR (State of Texas Assessment of
Academic Readiness)
Testing Dates (2013-2014):
 April 1st – 5th Math, 4th Writing (Day 1)
 April 2nd – 5th Reading, 4th Writing (Day 2)
 April 22nd – 3rd/4th Math
 April 23rd – 3rd/4th Reading, 5th Science
STAAR is a timed test. Students will be
allowed 4 hours to complete each test.
ENGLISH/ LANGUAGE
ARTS
&
READING
English Language Arts Grading
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Language Arts:
 Writing
40%
 Oral and Written Conventions
* Grammar
* Handwriting
* Capitalization
* Punctuation
* Spelling
 Research 10%
Listening and Speaking 10%
40%
3rd-5th Grade Spelling 2013-2014
• Teachers will not administer a pretest on
Monday.
• Spelling tests will occur on Friday each week.
• There will be no advanced lists.
• Students will receive one grade for spelling
based on a test of review words each nine
weeks.
• 3rd grade - 20 words
• 4th grade - 20 words
• 5th grade - 25 words
Guided Reading
As part of our Balanced Literacy curriculum, teachers will
differentiate reading instruction through Guided Reading.
Teachers will use assessment data to plan and adjust small
group Guided Reading lessons. Groups will be flexible and
will focus on specific strategies and skills needed by
students.
Students will rotate between literacy-based activities,
independent reading, and meeting with the teacher as part
of our Reader’s Workshop approach.
Reading
•
Every student will be required to read for
100 minutes at home.
•
Reading should be recorded in student’s
agenda and reflect 100 minutes per week;
20 minutes should be recorded each day.
•
Students should record the title and page
numbers in agendas.
Reading
Novel Studies
 Expository Text
 Historical Fiction
 Poetry
 Short Stories
 Focus on small group instruction
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MATH
4th Grade Goal:
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Each student has exposure and
understanding of all four operations:
1. Addition
2. Subtraction
3. Multiplication
4. Division
Covered Topics:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Place value/decimals
Fractions
Problem Solving
Identifying Patterns
Measurement
Geometry
Probability
Guided Math
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Implementation of guided math consists of:
 Whole group instruction: 1-2 days a week,
primarily to introduce a new concept or topic
 Small group instruction: 3-4 days a week so
that teachers can effectively monitor student
understanding and tailor instruction to meet
needs of all students
Math workstations: 3-4 days a week during the
guided math cycle
Fact Fluency: 3-4 days a week during the
guided math cycle
EPSE Problem Solving Method
What is EPSE?
• In mathematics, students continually use problem-solving,
language and communication, and reasoning (justification
and proof) to make connections within and outside
mathematics. EPSE is a method in which students can
explore a problem, plan and solve it, then explain their
thinking.
• What
does each letter stand for?
E – Explore: Fact Finding
P – Plan: How will I solve this problem?
S – Solve: Find the answer.
E – Examine: Show or explain how the answer is
reasonable.
EPSE at Frost Elementary
At Frost, teachers will implement EPSE with
fidelity.
 Students will have time for guided and
independent practice in the classroom.
 Grades 2-5 will include one EPSE problem
for homework two days a week (Mon. &
Wed.)
 Grade 1 will begin including EPSE homework
in the 3rd nine weeks.
 For homework and assessments, students
will only be required to practice and master
the sections of EPSE that have been taught
previously by the classroom teacher.
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SCIENCE
Problem Solving
 We
want to challenge our
students by providing them
with real-world and hands-on
experiences.
Covered Topics
Science Lab Safety
 Weather
 Earth and Space
 Plants and Soil
 Animal Adaptations
 Matter
 Forms of Energy
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SOCIAL STUDIES
Texas History
Geography
 Regions
 Native Americans
 Government
 History of the state
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Parent Volunteers
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Volunteers are always appreciated!
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Please note LCISD is required by state
law to obtain criminal history record
information on volunteers in the
district.
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Confidential volunteer forms are
available from the office.
Help Needed!
Team Celebration helpers are needed at
the end of each nine weeks to celebrate
the success of the winning teams. Please
sign up to help.
You can help by volunteering to chaperone
the party each nine weeks. (About 30
students will attend and we need a minimum of 3
parent helpers.)
Coordinated by 4th Grade Room Moms
More Help Needed!
We also need help with our large
bulletin board displays in the 4th grade
hallway.
 This display is changed each 9 weeks.
 Fourth grade team will provide a
theme and student display samples.
 The first one is already up … only 3
more to go!
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QUESTIONS?
Thank you for coming!