MEAP Prep

We are preparing for the MEAP test.  During our 4th grade switches, Mrs. O'Keefe teaches Social Studies with the Michigan book, Mrs. Mosher teaches Science.  I teach the subject English.  It is a study of grammar.   With the MEAP test being the second and third week of October, I'm postponing the grammar subject so we can focus on the MEAP prep.  Each day we focus on two of the GLCE's (grade level content expectation).  By the time we take the MEAP math test each student will have seen a particular GLCE question at least 3 times and many of them 8-9 times.  I had an issue with the MEAP pretest scantron sheet.  Our scantron machine put incorrect marks on the answer sheet.  Mr. Culp has gone back through them and recorrected them. 

I gave each student a pretest packet and their regraded scantron sheet.  Jokingly I told the students to study four to ten questions a night.  I told them to put it under their pillow at night.  The only problem is that not every student turned their old scantron sheet in. So turn them in if they don't have highliter marks.  But I would like you and your child to talk about a few problems a day

Soon, the students will get their Short Task Packet back and they can study from that too.  We will staple the individual worksheets together to make another packet to keep studying from.  The key is to not memorize answers but to look for test taking strategies.  Look for ridiculous answers and cross them out.  Look at each question and try to answer which operation to choose.  (Add, subtract, Multiply, divide, fractions, graphs, etc.)  Look at the incorrect answer the MEAP test gives and explain to your child how they chose that answer as a choice.  For example, Perimeter and Area questions will have the answers when you times and add the length and width.  The students really need to know the question inside and out.

Thanks for being patient with the MEAP, but please stress with your child that it is so important.

Box Tops/Labels for Education/ Spartan/ Tyson

The labels for education program is a great way for the school to make money from our trash.  In a way if you throw these labels away, it's like throwing a pop can away.  The school can earn 10 cents from each label you send in.  At McBain your child has two opportunities to win some prizes: before Christmas and before the end of the school year.  Last year it was gift certificates to Meijer.  The top class gets a pizza party and 10,000 points to spend to get cool things for the classroom.  My class has come in second place so many times.  It is almost frustrating.  Last year we were 300 labels short.  The next day a student brought in a bunch of labels.  I don't think it was enough but who knows.  This year I'm campaigning... Meijer has a deal were you buy 5 box top items and they give you a coupon worth 200 labels.  What a deal!!!  So if you shop at Meijer buy a couple of extra items and you could earn 200 extra labels.

Second Week

Important Dates:

Picture day K-2nd Grades, Tuesday, Sept, 11th
                   3rd-5th Grades, Wednesday, Sept 12th
                   6th-8th Grades, Thursday, Sept 13
                   9th-12th Grades, Friday, Sept 14th
You can turn in your picture money anytime before Wednesday.

Important Papers to turn in:
Field Trip Permission Slip (purple half-sheet)
Power Announcement (white paper)
Acceptable Use of Technology Resources

Look for an assignment sheet folder to come home every night.  It has a "to-do" side and a "done" side.  The assignment sheet is in the middle and the students fill it out each day.  They will earn a "Class Dojo" point if a parent signs it nightly. 

Class DoJo:
This is a website set up to help teachers monitor student behavior.  I'm using it as an incentive program to reward possitive behavior.  Things that I'm looking for are homework done, assignment sheet signed, good hall walking, quiet silent reading, good behavior, etc.  Behaviors that can lose points are disruptive, out of seat, chair tipping, owing time at recess, etc.  There is a way I can email your child's results.  I'm working on collecting parent e-mail addresses.  If you were at the open house and didn't receive a test email from me, please email me at lfredin@mcbain.org  I must have typed your address in wrong.

Spelling:
Each week for spelling
Monday:Abc order 5 x's each due Tuesday
Tuesday: Unit wkst (3 pages) due Friday
Wednesday: Word Search or Writing due Friday
Thursday:Pre-test if passed with a 94% or higher they pass out of Friday's
test
Friday:Final test and correct wkst 
If your child can score 100% on their test 5 weeks in a row they will move up to a 5th grade list.  If they struggle on that list they will move down to the grade level list.

MEAP Prep:
We are using are grammar time to prepare for the MEAP test.  You will see MEAP prep packets, one is called Short Task the other is called Multiple Choice packet.  These are overviews of all the GLCE's the students learned last year.  Then we will dive into individual GLCE's and try to get the students to understand these standards.  We will get to the grammar after the MEAP test.  (About 6 weeks into the new school year.)
Late Start:
Late Start has change this year.  It is the third Monday of the month.  School starts at 10:00 a.m. on those days.

Ways to reach me:

Class Blog- go to mcbain.org.  McBain Public School's homepage.  click:
Elementary Teacher's Pages
Lars Fredin

From the class blog I have links to my website.  My homepage, assignments, spelling lists.

Email me at lfredin@mcbain.org

Call 825-8330 ext 1518 to leave a message

Call the Elementary office 825-2021

Thanks,
Mr.Fredin

Welcome to 4th grade.  We don't have gym the first day so you don't need to bring your gym shoes until Friday the first week only.  Our normal gym time is Wednesday and Thursday and that starts the second week.  See you Tuesday at 8:00 a.m. and bring your me bag.

Funny thing that happened during the Valentine's Party

     A chance to eat during the teaching day has always been a highlight, and something I look forward to with great anticipation; it is extremely important to me that the food be distributed smoothly, and my room avoid becoming a hazardous zone.
   Therefore, I like to have the students seated while I pass out the food and drinks during a classroom holiday party.  This year during the Valentine's party, I decided I would be the responsible recipient to pass out the hot, BBQ sausages brought in by a student excited to share his mother's outstanding recipe. My serving platter was merely a paper plate, but I figured with my ingenuity, I could manage the task without flaw. Paper plate in hand, I meandered around the room, sharing the hot sausages with each student.
   Simultaneously, Mr. Culp (a parent volunteer) was passing out the pop. Being a multitasker, I asked the students to raise their hands if they wanted Sierra Mist to drink. As I made the announcement, I was preparing to deliver sausages to a student extremely excited about receiving pop, for the student's enthusiasm led him to raise his hand quickly and violently upward in my direction, unaware of my proximity, hitting the  precious BBQ sausage plate out of my hands.  Ten sausages and a rich, thick sausage sauce went flying straight up in the air. I closed my eyes, hoping this was only a dream and hoping for the best, for I knew that once something goes up, it must come down. And that's exactly what the sausages did, hitting me in the face, shoulders, and chest, while sauce splattered on me like rain.
     And yes, I was wearing my favorite red Valentine shirt and tie; these pieces of clothing suffered the brunt of the sausage attack, and still have the stains to prove the seriousness of the matter. The student that bumped me was very apologetic and repeated over and over, "I'm sorry, Mr. Fredin. I'm so sorry." For repentance, this student quickly rescued eight sausages from the floor, and loaded them back on the plate. Stunned, and bit annoyed that food was being wasted, I said, " I don't want them; throw them away!"
     The student who brought in the sausages, chimed in quickly, not wanting to see his Mom's prized sausages go uneaten said, " I'll eat them." 
     And he did.
    
   

Labels for PTO

Keep sending in those labels.  Our class took third place in the 1st semester competition.  We had close to 2000 labels.  Wow!  But that still only took third place.  The winning class had over 3000 labels.  I was at Meijer last week and if you bought 5 box top for education items they would print a receipt for a 100 bonus labels.  I did it and I got an extra 100.  I don't know how long the promtion last.  So check it out.  And thank you for collecting and sending  them into the school.  The PTO just received a check for $2850.00.  Pretty amazing! 

Spelling

Each week for spelling
Monday:Abc 5 x's each due Tuesday
Tuesday: Unit wkst (3 pages) due Friday
Wednesday: Word Search or Writing due Friday
Thursday:Pre-test if passed with a 96% or higher they pass out of Friday's
test
Friday:Final test and correct wkst