Welcome Back!!!
4th Grade
Mrs. Butzow
Room 404
8-27-15
My name is Gina Butzow, and I am so
excited to be teaching fourth grade
at Meadow Ridge this year! I will be
covering Mrs. Douglas’ classroom until
she returns in January.
I live in Orland Park with my husband
and my two-year-old son, Logan.
I love to travel, read, listen to country
music, drink Starbucks and practice
yoga!
My educational background…
Bachelors Degree from University of IL Champaign
Masters Degree from Loyola University Chicago
Previous experience in Kindergarten,
1st, and 4th grades in Chicago and
Frankfort.
My favorite subject to teach is math, but I
am REALLY looking forward to our new
reading curriculum!
I am really looking forward to getting to
know each of your children as individuals
and helping assist in their academic
growth this year.
• Goal Setting in the classroom
• One Goal Challenge
Students are expected to come to school
prepared to learn everyday. Upon entering,
each student will be responsible for emptying
his/her take-home folder of any notes or
homework and putting them in the
appropriate place.
Lunch is at 11:00 with recess immediately
following. Dismissal is at 2:30.
Students will be asked to contribute to our
classroom community by holding various
“jobs” throughout the school year.
We will do a lot of group and partner work.
Students will come to understand the
importance of collaboration and cooperation.
Students will be responsible for charging their iPad at
home each night and returning it to school the
following day.
There may be homework that requires iPad or internet
use. Please contact me if this will be a problem.
iPads are for student use only – not to be used by
siblings or friends. Beyond that, it is
“your house, your rules.”
Please review appropriate iPad usage and
expectations with your child.
Monday Music
PE
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Computers
Music
Art
PE
We will use a colored system to monitor our
behaviors in school this year. All students will start
the day on green.
PAW – Entered into weekly, school drawing
Blue – Caught being a leader!
Green – Good job!
Rewards include positive praise, certificates,
pencils, and extra recess.
Verbal Warning
Yellow – Warning
Orange – Write a note home
Red - Minor
We will be using the new Schoolwide curriculum
for reading and writing. This curriculum is set up
around a workshop approach with a lot of small
group instruction and 1:1 conferences. We will
rotate through a mini-lesson, independent
reading/work, and shared learning.
Students will be graded in part based on their
participation and effort during Reading and
Writing workshop.
• Hands-on approach to word study that
teaches students to look closely at words to
discover the spelling patterns and syllable
structures that are needed for reading and
writing.
• Individualized lists based on spelling skills
The heart of the program is the sort, the process
of grouping words that represent sounds into
specific categories. Students will learn a variety
of sorts and use them to study their word lists at
home as well.
Once again we will be using Envisions math for the bulk
of our instruction.
Each student will have a math notebook, and they will
learn how to take notes by chapter and lesson. These
notes will be used in class and at home.
Multiplication fact fluency is critical to success in fourth
grade. Please spend 5-10 minutes a night practicing
math facts with your child as a part of their nightly
homework routine.
There is an emphasis on explaining HOW students got to
their answer.
Our Social Studies curriculum is theme
based and will be integrated into our
new Reading/ELA curriculum.
Some topics we will cover this year
include Map Skills, US Regions, Illinois
History, and the US Government.
Students have a Science textbook.
Science will be taught through note
taking, videos, and a variety of
hands-on science experiments.
Some topics we will cover this year
include Classification, Plants, Matter
and Energy, Forces and Motion, and
Simple Machines.
• Read with your child as often as possible
• Support math fact fluency with multiplication
and division flash cards or apps
• Practice keyboarding skills at home
• Check electronic assignment notebook daily
• Check Friday Folder and discuss
Homework will be assigned Monday - Thursday. Please check
your child’s digital assignment book via my classroom page or
the shortcut on their iPad.
Students will get one “freebie” late assignment a month. This
assignment will still need to be completed, but will not count
against them as a late assignment. Beyond that, missing
assignments will be counted and may prevent your child from
participating in whole class rewards like extra recess time. If
your child misses an assignment, a yellow note will come home
informing you and requiring a parent signature.
Three missing assignments will result in a minor.
4th graders will receive approximately 40 minutes of
homework a night Monday - Thursday. Homework is
usually not given on the weekend.
A typical night of homework may include…
•20 minutes of independent reading
•Spelling practice
•Math practice
•Completion of any class work not finished during the
school day
•Correct and Returns (Fridays)
Every Friday your child will bring home a folder
containing their graded papers from the week
before. Please look them over and discuss good
performance and areas that need improvement.
Also, please check for papers that require a parent
signature. Any paper that receives a grade of D or
F will require a parent signature and have the
option of Correct & Return. This will help your child’s
grade overall, so please encourage their
participation. Lastly sign the enclosed form and
have your child return the folder on Monday.
• Newsletters on the website weekly
• Friday Folders
• Questions? Call, email, or send a note
to school with your child
gbutzow@orland135.org
708-226-8404
I am looking forward to
working with you and your
child this school year!