April Newsletter
March 27, 2015
Dear Fourth Grade Families,
As we prepare to enter the last quarter of the 2014-2015 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 27 and June
10. 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 13. The
first quiz will be given on April 20. 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.
*Please note that due to our many snow days, 4th grade teachers may be
working on some different concepts.
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.
FLE (Family Life Education)
On April 24th, 29th, 30th, and May 1, the students will be participating in
FLE unless they have been opted out.
Dates to Remember
Third Quarter Ends
March 27
Spring Break
March 30-April 3
Teacher Work Day (No School)
April 6
Moveable Monday Schedule
April 7
Spring Pictures
April 8
Reading Under the Stars @ 6:30 p.m.
April 10
Field Trip
April 14
Report Cards go home
April 15
Spirit Night at Chick-Fil-A
April 22
Volunteer Breakfast
April 28
Spring Chorus Concert @ 6:30 p.m.
April 30
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