July 2015
Dear Fourth Grader and Family,
Hello and welcome to the Dorey/Prato Team! Your homeroom teacher will be Mrs. Prato. In
order for our students to feel comfortable in their new classrooms, we will be scheduling a
“Sneak-a-Peek” on Wednesday, September 2 at 6:00 – 7:00 pm. Students are
welcome to bring their labeled supplies to empty in their new lockers and desks. We look
forward to a fun filled, adventurous school year.
Now to answer some questions:
Team Structure? The 4th grade works as one team, fluidly grouping students according to
unit, need, or even interest. Your child will have the opportunity to work with all the adults in
the team.
The First weeks? We start off slow to establish the classroom routine, set expectations,
introduce new classmates, get to know students, build a team atmosphere and jump start those
summer brains. This gives us an opportunity to establish a strong, non-threatening working
relationship with your child.
Homework? You can expect an assignment for math and language arts Monday-Thursday and
15 minutes of independent reading every night. Assignments will be written in their assignment
planners, which will be provided on the first day if school. Your child will bring his/her
assignment planner home each night for you to sign. There will also be a space to jot a note if
your child has trouble with his/her homework.
Before school time? Clubs and Intramurals will be offered from 7:20-8:00 to accommodate
the first bus run. Students will then be supervised in a study hall, library or computer lab from
8:00-8:25. We will know more about the extracurricular activities soon.
What is sent home? Book orders will be sent home every other month. Book clubs are an
inexpensive and fun way to buy books for your child. If you choose to order, please send a check
made out to the book club.
We will be sending home a weekly newsletter every Monday, which includes what we will be
working on that week and reminders for important events. We update this letter on our website
too, just in case the newsletter doesn’t make it home.  We will be updating our website over the
summer. We will also be using Remind to help with home-school communtication. Please see
the attached sheet for more information and directions.
Friday folder? We will be sending home corrected work on a weekly basis for you to look
over with your child to keep track of progress. There will be a sheet to sign off on once you have
reviewed the work. Please take the papers out and have your child return the folder on the
following Monday.
Language Arts? We have worked very hard to incorporate the Common Core into our
Language Arts program. Components include: Word Work (spelling/grammar), Reader’s
Workshop (Shared, guided, and independent reading) and Writer’s Workshop. We may start a
lesson in a large group, and then break down into smaller groups to meet varying needs and
address the interests of all the children. Our goal is to help all of our learners to meet the more
rigorous challenges of the Common Core Curriculum.
Spelling? We send home a “refrigerator list” of spelling words on Mondays to review for the
week. Many of the words will be part of a skill unit that includes words and corresponds with
what we are reading. Lists are individualized to accommodate spelling needs of the children.
We take a pretest on Monday and a final test on Friday. Use the list as you see fit to help your
child.
Math? We will be using the Common Core Math Modules, which students will be more
comfortable with this year. We will be sending home information on our homework webpage to
help parents with unfamiliar algorithms. Children are expected to have mastered basic facts,
including multiplication and division. Please continue to work on them this summer. Your
child may gripe now, but thank you later!!
Science? We use ESP kits as well as other resources in fourth grade. They provide materials
for hands-on activities that students really enjoy. We try to incorporate writing and reading as
much as possible. September starts with Animal Behavior (live crayfish), Adaptations, and
Ecosystems. In the second half of the year, we go on to Mystery Matter, Electrical Circuits, and
Weather. Check out our fourth grade website under study links. There are some fun animal
sites to explore this summer.
Social Studies? Social Studies curriculum for fourth grade focuses on the study of New York
State. Units will center on New York State Geography, Native Americans, NYS history and
development, the Revolutionary War, Government, Civil War, and Immigration. Students will
utilize various skills such as reading, writing, listening and speaking as well as learning research
skills to engage in this exciting study. Throughout the course of the year students will extend
their understanding by reading related novels and taking part in hands-on explorations of Social
Studies themes through various individual and small group projects. Again, check out the
fourth grade website for a sneak preview of related links.
Birthdays? Please feel free to send a treat on or around your child’s birthday. Summer
birthdays will be celebrated in June.
Recess? We believe children need unstructured time to interact and form friendships. We try
to have recess as often as our busy schedule allows. Typically, fourth graders have indoor or
outdoor free time every day.
Thank you in advance for all your support at home to help your child be successful in fourth
grade. We look forward to working together this year. Enjoy your summer and keep reading!
Jennifer Dorey
Cathy Prato
4th Grade Supply List
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● 1 1 inch three ring binder (No Trapper Keepers, please!)
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● 5 folders (red, yellow, green, purple, blue) with center prongs plastic folders hold up better!
● Package of Plastic Pocket dividers
● Pencils
● Red Pen
● Highlighter
● Composition Journal
● Loose leaf paper
● Package of 3 x 3 Post - It notes
● Crayons or Colored Pencils
● Expo Markers(fine point- dark colors)
● Pencil box
● Box of Tissues
● Headphones or Earbuds (to be kept at school)
● Glue sticks
● A book to read
● Snack and water bottle