So Who Do You Know in Your Neighborhood?

Who Do You Know in Your Neighborhood?

Does that phrase have a familiar ring--remember sitting on the family room floor eating your Cheerios and watching Mr. Rogers-that soft-spoken, eloquent man, from your childhood years?  We decided to investigate not only our own neighborhood but a few others, as well. This was the theme of the chapel the girls presented this morning.  The girls learned so much from each other--where everyone lives in the city, where they love to eat, churches where they worship. They also learned how diverse and interesting many of our Richmond churches are.  Did you know that Beth Ahabah was the second oldest synagogue in the country or that there was a Baptist church where there is a Chinese service, as well as an English one?

 I was also reminded of something that I already knew--what wonderful, welcoming people you are.  When I asked the girls how their families helped neighbors or how neighbors helped their families, their answers were so real.

"Bake an apple pie and take them flowers."

"Bring a meal to them when they are sick."

"Attend neighborhood gatherings."

"Bake cookies for people who can't get out."

Part of the fun included a walk through our neighborhood of St. Catherine's.  The girls met the owner of Nellie George, Nancy Hartt, who was in my fourth grade class!  They also interviewed Dick Fowlkes, owner of Peter Blair, and Lt. Pettigord of Firestation 19 on Maple. Last, but not least, they got to know Ms. Vermillion's upper school computer science students, and they LOVED that.

Happy girls after our chapel this morning!

 Visiting Peter Blair.

Thank you, Mr. Fowlkes!

 Lunch, anyone?  Cafe Caturra

 We love our neighborhood bank!

 New friends in Ms. Vermillion's Computer Science class!

Thank you, Mrs. Hartt, for letting us visit Nellie George!  It's been a long time since you were in my fourth grade class!

Lieutenant Pettigord, thank you for answering these girls' questions!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6Bf-RKPFfTGM0dWTU1hMXhBTW8/view?usp=sharing

Home Sweet Home



Book Projects Galore

We had a fun-filled day as the girls presented their first book projects!  All of them were so attentive as they listened to each girl's presentation.  The projects were creative and interesting, and I think everyone in the class has a new list of books that they would like to read!

October is such a great month for Fourthies!  Fall is upon us.  We hope!  Girls are getting in the groove, and we have lots of exciting Halloween activities, some of which are on the Fourthie Website!  We are reading mysteries and identifying the elements of a good mystery, as well as solving some mysterious math problems, as well.  Check out our Halloween math site! Our class loves Math Playground, and the Fourthie Website has wonderful activities that we will begin on Monday.

Lots of Activity in M06 and Chapel on Friday

Just a tease!  You know from my email that our class is presenting Chapel this Friday, October 13, at 8:15 in the Lower School Assembly Room. Your daughters have learned a lot during the process and are working hard on getting it ready for the lower school.  We would love to have you join us.

The classroom is filled with excitement pretty much the entire day.  The only problem we have is that there are not enough hours in the day to do everything.  Those of you who were able to attend Tech Night know that our new favorite thing is Kahoot.  It's so much fun and a great learning tool.  Ask your daughters about it!  

We are nearing the end of Unit 1 in Math, and we are finishing with the very challenging concept of Order of Operations.  We use a pretty cool acronym for remembering the Order.  Your daughter can show you the slide on Google Classroom.  Mastering this, however, just takes lots of practice so we will work on it until everyone feels comfortable.  As you know, for the last ten days the girls have been involved in an international Halloween Math Contest on a site called Manga High.  They love it, and I know they will be sad to see the contest end on Friday.  They earned bronze, silver, and gold medals by playing the games and completing the assignments.  It's a great way to become proficient in math while having fun and competing.  If you have been wondering why your daughters are spending lots of time on the computer lately, now you know why!

Xtramath.org, which is located on the right side of this blog, should be a nightly routine in your homes.  The girls need to learn their basic facts, so this is a regular assignment. Thank you for administering the nightly quizzes on the tables. We are focusing on the sevens this week.

We are finishing up Number the Stars, the wonderful book by Lois Lowry.  It ties into our history as we study World War II and the Thirties and Forties.  The girls are enjoying all of the reading, research and collaboration. 

Upcoming Field Trip Date  -  November 8     Mount Vernon

 As we approach the date, there will be more information on this trip.