“I find the greatest thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are
moving.” - OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES
Ask Me About...
Mr. Priest’s Fourth Grade
Phil.Priest@lz95.org
August 24, 2015
847-540-2804 (use either of these to communicate with me at any time)
HELLO STUDENTS AND PARENTS! WELCOME TO THE 2015-16 SCHOOL YEAR!
I hope that summer was an enjoyable and restful time for all of you, and now everyone is charged up
and ready to go for the exciting adventure that is known as FOURTH GRADE! I am really excited to
get to know all of my new students as we explore and learn together (that’s right - I learn too!).
We will be covering many subjects and skills during the course of the year, including Science
through active, hands-on activities. We will cover four units in science this year: Magnetism and
Electricity, Earth Materials, the Human Body (not the birds and bees part - that’s fifth grade), and
Ecosystems. We will journey through the regions of our country in Social Studies as we work at
learning how to get the most out of a textbook. In Reading we will be using a brand-new program
titled “Reading Fundamentals” and will also study some great children’s literature in short stories and
novels, including Sarah, Plain and Tall; Stone Fox; Midnight Fox. We will rehearse and present a
class play in the spring. In Math we will focus on mastering the multiplication facts through 12;
larger multiplication and division problems; geometry; fractions; and more, using the Origo “Stepping
Stones” program. Language Arts will find us continuing to learn and practice parts of speech; writing
in cursive; journal writing; creative, narrative, and informative writing; & poetry.
As you can see, we will be busy this year! This classroom newsletter will be coming home
every Friday so you can stay up-to-date on our activities and get a preview of what lies ahead each
week. The purpose of “Ask Me About” is not to tell you everything about our activities, but to serve as
a springboard for conversations between you and your child. I will put in a short sentence about the
activities, and you can ASK ME (your child) ABOUT the details!
Fourth grade means new challenges and responsibilities for the students. Some of the material
we cover may seem difficult at times, but we are teaching skills in problem solving and study
strategies as well as the “facts”, so we will work through any problems together. One of the focuses
of my teaching style is to try to develop students who are good thinkers and problem solvers in an
environment that encourages making good choices, cooperation, and respect. In the process we’ll
have a lot of fun exploring and learning together this year.
We will be taking a mid-morning break for healthy snacks each day. DUE TO SEVERAL
ALLERGY CONCERNS, ONLY FRUITS OR VEGETABLES MAY BE EATEN FOR SNACKS . (no,
Fruit Chews and Fruit Roll-ups do not count as fruit). Please feel free to contact me at any time if you have
any questions or concerns about your child or the schoolwork. You can do this by e-mail, send notes,
or leave voice-mail messages. I will get back to you as soon as possible. I am also asking that you
please take a few minutes to fill out the pink Parent Contact Information page with your phone
numbers, emails addresses, and “homework couriers” so that I can have this information
available when needed. Please then send that back to school by the end of this week. Thanks.
We’re going to have a great year together!
“I find the greatest thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are
moving.” - OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES
Ask Me About...