April Newsletter
April 1, 2016
Dear Fourth Grade Families,
As we prepare to enter the last quarter of the 2015-2016 school
year, we want to ask students to stay focused on their schoolwork while
the weather is getting warmer. We have really enjoyed working with your
child so far and want him or her to continue to strive for academic
success during the fourth quarter!
Standards of Learning Test
Fourth graders are taking the Standards of Learning test for
Reading, Math, and for Virginia Studies between May 23 and June 7.
Please see the 4th grade web page to see the specific dates for your child’s
class. This can be accessed by going to www.lcps.org and selecting
Sycolin Creek Elementary. Choose the grade level page and select 4th
grade. Students will be participating in several different review activities
and games in all three subject areas to help them prepare. As a Social
Studies review, students will participate in the Race to the Governor’s
House. Each week the students will need to review a slideshow at home.
These will also be located on the 4th grade web page. If you are not able
to access the slideshows from home, please let your child’s teacher know
so that she can send home a copy to review. Students will begin
reviewing the slideshows on Monday, April 11. The first quiz will be
given on Monday, April 18. The slideshows are a great tool for
preparing for the SOL test. Students can also study their Social
Studies notebooks to prepare. Another excellent source for students to
review Virginia Studies is to go www.solpass.org under Other Resources
on the 4th grade page. Choose the Elementary activities and then select
Virginia Studies 4/5. The password is SC. The games on SOL Pass are
an excellent resource for review. There are also study guides you can
print! Thanks so much to our awesome PTA for purchasing this website
for us to use this year!
Accelerated Reader
As the third quarter comes to a close, we are ecstatic about our
students who worked hard to reach their Accelerated Reader goals. The
next quarter begins the day after the Teacher Workday so keep reading!
SOL Fact to Know
The SOL test will be here soon! Help your child get ready by
reviewing what we’ve learned so far this year. See if he/she can answer
the questions below. If not, look up the answers together in their Social
Studies book.
 Who wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights? (George Mason)
 What three rights are listed in the Declaration? (Freedom of speech,
freedom of religion and freedom of the press.)
 Where did the American Revolution end? (Yorktown, Va.)
 Were all Virginians patriots (wanted independence from Britain)?
(No, some remained loyal to England. Others were neutral and did
not take sides.)
What we are learning in April:
Math: Following our unit on fractions, we will study decimals. We also
recommend reviewing your child's math facts with them and practicing
their division skills to start preparing them for their SOL tests this
spring.
Reading: We are working on further developing the students’ reading
comprehension skills by reading nonfiction texts and making inferences.
We will also work on reviewing previously learned skills and strategies to
prepare for the upcoming SOL test. April is National Poetry Month.
Students will have opportunities to read different types of poetry and
write some of their own to celebrate.
Science: We are finishing up our unit on force, energy, and motion.
Then, we will be moving into electricity and magnetism, followed by
measurement.
Social Studies: We are wrapping up our unit on the Civil War and
Reconstruction. Then, we will move onto learning about the branches of
government and Virginia during the 20th century. We will also be
starting our Race to the Governor’s House Quizzes to review for the Social
Studies SOL.
Reading Tip
Use the time in the car for wordplay. Talk about how jam means
something you put on toast as well as cars stuck in traffic. How many
other homonyms can your child think of? When kids are highly familiar
with the meaning of a word, they have less difficulty reading it. (from
readingrockets.org)
PBIS
We can show respect at recess by using the equipment properly, sharing
the equipment, and wiping our feet before entering the building.
Dates to Remember
Sammy Game – Mat Ball Game
April 1
PTA Meeting @ 7:00
April 5
Fun Run
April 6
Spring Pictures
April 7
3rd Quarter Ends
April 14
Teacher Workday
April 15
Word Masters Challenge #2
April 18
Fourth Grade Field Trip
April 20
Science Night
April 22
Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast
April 26
Report Cards Sent Home
April 27
Spring Chorus Concert @ 6:30 p.m.
April 28
Thank you so much for all of your support this year! Please don’t
hesitate to contact us at 571-252-2910 if you have any questions!
The Fourth Grade Team