Mrs. Crabb’s News
2013-2014
Welcome to fourth grade! This is going to be an AMAZING year. The information
in this packet, along with the student handbook, will most likely be all you ever needed to
know about fourth grade at Southeast.
Communication: Communication is key to providing the best learning experience for your
child. Any questions or concerns please e-mail me: stephanie.crabb@jenksps.org. Our
class website is a great place to get information about our class. The address is
www.jenksps.org.
--Schools--Southeast Elementary—Staff Webpages—Stephanie Crabb—Enter the
Classroom Website. I’ll be slowly adding elements to the site and getting it organized so
that it can be helpful for you and your child. I send updates via e-mail often with
information about the upcoming week’s activities. Monthly newsletters will also be posted
on the website under the newsletter tab. I also have a phone extension that you are
welcome to leave messages on, but know that I only check it before and after school. 2994411 ext. 5836.
Curriculum
Reading: We use many sources for our Comprehension Toolkit. Our first goal is to
“monitor our comprehension”, follow our inner conversations (connecting to the text), and
notice when our meaning breaks down. When that happens, we use strategies to reconnect
(like checking for understanding, backing up and rereading, retelling the story - to name a
few).
In addition to the Toolkit, I will be meeting with students (whole group, small
groups, one-on-one conferences) using the CAFÉ guidelines – Comprehension, Articulation,
Fluency, (Expanding) Vocabulary. My goal is to give kids the skills they need to gain full
meaning from text. I will access student needs with the STAR (reading inventory),
individual conferences, and fluency running records. I also want to build their reading
stamina during the first few weeks of school so that they will be able to read and/or work
independently for a substantial amount of time during our reading/writing workshop.
Reading outside of class is required, and I expect students to be reading 100
minutes at home each week. Please be sure that you see them reading. (Students love to
“next-to-you” read. You read the paper or any text silently while your child reads their
book/article silently in the same room. Strong readers love to say “Listen to this!” and
share funny/favorite lines.) I am not requiring students to keep a written log of exact
minutes this year. I will know that the students are reading based on their weekly reading
reports that will be due at the end of each week. We will be modeling this process
together the first week so that the students understand what I have as an expectation on
a weekly reading report. I will be monitoring what book levels they are choosing so that I
can best help them choose just right books and hopefully develop a love of reading this
year.
Our class will visit the Media Center once a week, and I am always happy to help
your children find that just right book. Our goal is one “main course” book and one
“dessert” book from the library weekly. When one book is completed, I will give your child
a pass to the library to select another. We attend the library on Tuesdays from 10:4011:00 this year.
Language Arts: Our adopted text is Write Source published by Great Source. This is a
resource book/text book that your children will use as they learn the craft of writing.
Children will use the writing process to compose narrative, descriptive, expository and
persuasive texts. Poetry, research skills, grammar and word study will complete our
language arts experience.
The beginning focus of our writing is our Writer’s Notebooks. This is the place to
hold all our steps of the writing process (gathering an idea, choosing a seed, nurturing a
topic). Then we will write, revise, edit and publish our pieces. The Writer’s Notebooks will
hold mementos/pictures, topics, short writings, that we use as springboards for our pieces.
Word Study: I have pre-tested the students and am arranging groups according to their
spelling developmental needs. The children will work with a needed pattern for one to two
weeks. This pattern will be taken from the developmental stage your child is in based on
the assessments. The children will be collecting /finding words in this pattern as a way of
internalizing spelling rules. 4th grade will not be taking spelling tests each Friday this
school year.
Math: Everyday Mathematics (the newest version) is our adopted math series. Within
the content, emphasis is placed on establishing links from past experiences, discussing and
sharing ideas about math, and embedded problem solving. Playing games, solving
challenging problems relating to our world, and Study Links with most lessons keep the
children highly engaged. See the Everyday Math link on my web site if you have questions
or would like more information. JPS students are fortunate to have everyday-math games
and the children will soon have their passwords written inside their agendas. I want to
strongly encourage all of your children to use this because it is wonderful for
reinforcement, practice and individual challenge. The SRB (Student Reference Book) is a
great source for reviewing concepts and applying them with the practice problems at the
bottom. For the first time ever, the SRB in online so that students may reference it at
home as necessary!! There is also a section for your child and/or yourself to see the
algorithms we use in class re-taught step-by-step online and there is a video to watch that
teaches each algorithm as well. Please make use of this wonderful resource.
Handwriting: We will have work completed in both print and cursive writing. Neatness and
legibility are emphasized.
Science: We use a hands-on discovery based curriculum called Science and Technology for
Children. There are three units of study in fourth grade: Motion and Design, Electricity,
and Animals. We will begin our study of science with the Animal Studies Unit soon. The
science lessons are very interactive and concrete; the students will love exploring the
scientific topics we cover throughout the year!
Social Studies: We begin the year with map, globe, and geography skills. We will then
continue our studies with a tour of the U.S. Regions. It is so exciting to learn all about our
country and how people differ in each of the regions. We will memorize all the states and
capitals for each region. Our goal is to be able to identify all 50 states and label their
capitals on a map by the end of the year. In addition to our U.S. tour, we will be taking a
field trip on Nov. 7th to Rose Hill. Your child will have the opportunity to travel back in
time to a 1900’s school house and learn what life was like back then. You will want to begin
looking for an outfit for this special occasion. I will go over more about this at Back to
School night on Thursday, August 29th. I will also have examples of outfits that would
work for this trip. We will also have a field trip in the spring to the capitol/ history
museum in OKC. Our class will be attending on Friday, March 14th.
General Information
Homework
Students will have math Study Links or another math worksheet most evenings. They will
also be assigned 100 reading minutes weekly. Coming soon: Weekly Reading Reports that
will take the place of Reading Logs this year.  Further, any work that has not been
finished during the school day will need to be finished at home and returned the next
morning. I will often assign written homework and occasional projects. The children will
write assignments in their agendas daily and they each have a yellow homework folder to
help keep items organized and continually located in a safe place.
Grading
Your children will be assessed using formal and informal measures. The JPS grading scale
using the report card rubric is as follows:
3 = consistently successful 85%=100% of the time
2 = progressing 70%=84% of the time
1 = area of concern (student does not demonstrate skill in an area)
I do not take a grade on every assignment but I keep anecdotal notes and use some grades
for re-teaching. I will usually state how many correct out of total numbers of points.
(8/10) I will be using rubrics for grading writing pieces and the children will be working
with these rubrics throughout the writing process. Jenks Public School is on a 9-week
grading period. All students will receive a Progress Report in mid-September. After that,
only those students who are not progressing as expected will receive them.
Late Assignments
The fourth grade policy is as follows. Any assignment not completed in class is homework
and should be finished at home and returned the next day. If there are extenuating
circumstances at home, please send me an e-mail. Late work can affect your child’s grade,
Bonus Bucks, and his/her ability to participate in reward activities such as Fun Friday
Recess on Friday mornings.
Yellow, Take-Home Folders: I will send home graded papers in the white folder every
Thursday afternoon. This is an excellent opportunity for you to keep up with your child’s
progress. You may see some “correct and return papers”. Please note that these do not
have to be returned the next day, but it is appreciated if it is returned as soon as
possible. Let me know if you have concerns. The baby binder makes a trip home every day
of the week and may contain homework assignments or District/PTA flyers that you will
take out and return empty the next day.
Communication: I will update the class newsletter regularly using the JPS site and your
email. I will always include special events, class projects, and school functions. The nightly
agenda is also your way of knowing what is going on because we write assignments as well as
reminders.
School Attendance: Please call the office each day that your child is absent. Homework
may be picked up on request but please allow time after school hours for me to get it
together. Students will be given any make-up work upon arriving back in class. It is the
student’s responsibility to complete and turn in makeup work. Your child will have one day
for each day absent to make up the work. Our school day begins at 8:50 and ends at 3:30.
It is helpful to know when your child is being checked out early. We do agendas at the
very end of the day so homework reminders are fresh on our minds. If your child is
getting checked out early, they may not have their agendas filled out.
Bike Riders/Walkers: A note must be on file in the office if your child is going to walk or
ride a bike. The office has these forms.
Classroom Management: I strongly believe in positive reinforcement of good
behavior. If we have a problem we will solve our problem as a class. Students take
ownership of what happens in this classroom and they are constantly put in charge of the
behavior choices they make. We strive hard to create and keep a positive learning and
social environment. I want each child to feel worth, power, and a sense of purpose. We
learn together often in collaborative groups and work hard to develop positive
interpersonal skills. We are a Tribes School, and we participate in Tribes energizers and
community building activities. Our Community is a place to be heard, appreciated and
complimented. Our agreements that truly run the room are: Mutual Respect, Attentive
Listening, Appreciation/No Put downs and the Right to Pass. We also use Bonus Bucks as a
form of positive classroom management. Children must keep track of their bucks each day
in order to be prepared for quarterly auctions.
Birthdays: The homeroom moms will send out reminders to all the parents of a particular
birthday month and you may then choose to work with the other birthday month’s parents
for a small celebration in the cafeteria during lunch time on the last Friday of each month.
We will need to combine some months together.
Snacks: We will have time for a five-minute nutritious snack every morning. (Please do not
send items with peanuts in any form.) Please speak with your child about the importance of
not sharing and/or eating another student’s food.
Technology: We use technology often. We have laptop computers in our classroom. We
will also have frequent visits to our Computer Lab. Besides practicing keyboarding, the
students will learn Power Point, Timeliner, research through the Internet, and writing
papers and reports. Some district testing is done in the Computer Lab as well. Our
classroom is equipped with a Smartboard, and audio sound system (to enhance instruction),
and a document camera.
Parent Volunteers: Our co-homeroom coordinators will have signup sheets for some
volunteer activities your children will experience this year. Please inquire if you are
interested in any of these areas. We need several volunteers for Pumpkinology in October
30th from 9:30-10:30. We will also need helpers for Quilt Squares that we take to Rose
Hill will us. Sign-ups will be on a table at Back to School Night. All help is appreciated.
Parent Teacher Conferences: The first conference time is in October, and there will be
an e-mail via Sign Up Genius sent out soon for you to sign up for a time that will work with
your schedule. If you ever need an additional conference please let me know and I will be
happy to schedule one.
Looking forward to an exciting, fun year of learning!
Stephanie Crabb