It's the Best Time of the Year...

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas!  Well, that was supposed to be playing the entire time, but you get the drift!  The girls had a wonderful week of singing, playing strings, and practicing for the Christmas Service tomorrow morning.  I'm not sure we will ever get the gold glitter out of the rug, and I had to reassure our incredible Mr. Demery that it was okay.  He is so great at keeping our classroom straight.  We all owe him a big debt of gratitude.  I wish that you could see the final result from our day of crafts.  We have a beautiful bulletin board with the creations from your daughters!

We also managed to work on decimals and do a lot of writing related to history.  I marvel at this group of girls and pinch myself everyday to say how blessed I am to have them!

Christmas Service Information

Dear Parents,

Each year, the Lower School has a service on the last day before the Christmas break. It is always a wonderful way to start the season of peace and joy and a time that the community can be together to celebrate the holidays. Please note that there are changes in this year’s Christmas services.

• The Lower School (JK-grade 4) will hold a combined Christmas Service on Friday, December 16, at 9:30 a.m.
• JK and K students will have a normal schedule on Thursday, December 15.
• Students will follow normal drop-off on Friday, December 16, and will be taken by bus to River Road Church, Baptist, at 8000 River Rd, Richmond, VA 23229. This is the same venue as last year’s Christmas Service.
• Parents and other family members are more than welcome at this service. The sanctuary will be open to parents starting at 8:45 a.m. Please do not reserve an entire pew until your entire party has arrived. If you must reserve seats prior to your party arriving, please limit this to one or two at most.
• Students will board buses after the service and return to St. Catherine’s School.

• Parents are asked to wait and leave after all the students have left the church.
• Buses will return to the McVey Parking Lot on Maple Avenue. Parents will not be able to access this lot until all the buses have returned.
• Dismissal will take place at the Lower School at 11 a.m.
• For your convenience, students will be dismissed via carpool only. Please note the following changes to some of the pick up locations for certain grades.
• Grades 3 and 4 will dismiss at McVey – this is a change from their normal dismissal location and only for this event
• Grades JK-2 will dismiss in front of the Lower School (this is a change from kindergarten’s normal dismissal location and only for this event)
• Extended Day will be open for students who use this service – these students will be transported by bus to Extended Day. Please remember to let the office know if there are any changes in your daughter’s typical dismissal procedure for that day.

  

Girls are encouraged to wear a skirt, dress or dress slacks to the service. Marketing and Communications will take photos and videos, so you can sit back and enjoy the beautiful service. The livestream video will be available on gobleachers.com/StCatherines

I hope that you can join us at River Road Church, Baptist. I look forward to seeing you then and wish all of you a joyous holiday season.

It's Pearl Harbor Day...a moment of silence

Hi Girls!

Do you know what happened 75 years ago?  Something tells me that you do!  Hint: What major event happened that caused the United States to enter World War II?

Today's Assignment

Go on the Fourthie Website.  Scroll to the Forties and down to  Job #3.  Watch the video, and read either the Ducksters or Scholastic Magazine.

Then scroll down and click  the word here. That will take you to questions.  Answer the first few questions in your History for Fourthies Notebook.  Mrs. Marshall will tell you how many questions to answer.

You already know a lot about this subject, and now you will learn even more.

I am so proud of you for working hard, and especially for learning so much!

If you don't know what this picture is, look it up on Images on the database!

Remember! Tomorrow is 3 Word Thursday!  As always, you will find the words on the Fourthie Website.

Hi Girls!

Hi Girls!

I am so proud of you!  Mrs. Marshall says that you are working hard and doing a great job.  Keep up the good work.  Just a few reminders--remember to do Xtramath.org everyday.  When I return I will print any certificates that you earn.  Make sure you make use of your study halls today so that you finish your cards.

Christmas news!

The Fourthie Website has some very fun activities for you.  The first one that I would like you to do is on Everything Else.  Go to Writing Activities and start Job #1.  This is a great way for you to use your imaginations.  Be creative, but also remember to edit your work.  Mrs. Marshall will tell you when you are going to do Job #1.

Some reminders!

Check spelling.
Make sure you use capitals.
Check for ending punctuation.
Check for run-on sentences.

I read your vocabulary stories, and they were quite creative, but I did see a lot of run-on sentences!
Don't let that little annoying guy mess up your writing!

On Wednesday, you can go to Job #3 on the Christmas website.  You will be choosing three of your spelling words and learning to "sign" with them.  Watch the video.  Then go to the library database that we use and type in "sign language."  The signs will pop up.  Have fun with this!  Later, you will be signing with a partner.

How are those decimals coming along?  REMEMBER!  Decimals are a part of a whole, just the way fractions are.  Sometimes it makes sense to use decimals, and sometimes it makes sense to use fractions.  More on that later!

I miss all of you so much!  Keep working hard, and I will be back in a few days. We will have some serious fun when I get back!

This is the Christmas season, but it is always the season to be KIND.  Do something kind for a classmate today!  Kind words can really make someone's day!

Love,
Mrs. Roberts

Remember to bring canned goods!

Girls, this is an image from a Thanksgiving card from 1900!  As we grow closer to Thanksgiving, we become more aware of how much we have in our St. Catherine's community and in our families.  Most of you have told me about your Thanksgiving plans. Some of you are traveling to be with family and friends, while some of you are staying home and having a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.  Whatever your plans, we know that we are blessed.  This is a time of giving to those who need our help.  This is the tradition at St. Catherine's.  Remember when you were much smaller being part of the great can-a-thon across Grove Avenue to St. Stephen's?  Wasn't that fun, and didn't we help many people?

Remember to bring canned goods to school this week!  In the words of our school motto, "What we keep we lose, and what we give remains our own."

Fourthies Head to Mount Vernon - November 9, 2016

Last week was quite something!  The girls had Monday off, the Election was Tuesday, and at the crack of dawn, the Fourthies left on busses for Mount Vernon, home of George Washington.  Given all of the surprises that elections can bring, it was actually quite fitting that we spent our time learning about the wonderful qualitites of our First President and the responsibility that our Presidents feel the moment they enter the Oval Office.  Mount Vernon is an extraordinary place. The setting is unparalleled, poised on the Potomac River, with the incredibly long piazza facing it.  Washington and his wife, Martha Custis, are also buried there in quite a lovely place.  The girls paid their respects because that part of Mount Vernon is maintained as a quiet place.  The Educational Center is fantastic.  There, through interactive vignettes, short films, and maps of the Revolutionary War, the girls learn about the man, Washington.  Make sure you ask them about the first "intelligence" used during the Revolutionary War!

Relaxing on George's piazza!  Hi Girls!

Roberts' Fourthies at Mount Vernon

Cousin Fun at Mount Vernon!  Lunch with Grace and Mary McKee Williams!

Sumner and Mary McKee in front of a Revolutionary War display!

Ask Your Daughter about Chris Smith and Aircraft Carriers

This is the best way to learn a vocabulary word, and it is all because of Parent Conference Day. Getting to know all of you Fourthie parents is so much fun. On Conference Day, I was fortunate to learn that Chris Smith used to be Lieutenant Commander Smith.  This was just in time for this week's vocabulary word, carrier, referring to aircraft carrier.  The girls learned first hand from Charlotte's father all about aircraft carriers and the pilots who land on them. Now, they know what is involved in taking off and landing on this runway in the sea. So amazing! The girls were riveted, and I am sure we have a few who might think this would be a cool career.  An added bonus--Chris told them that he had to memorize his emergency flight manual and how he did it!  Make sure and ask your girls.  You can't Google in the sky!  Some things you just have to know. Thank you so much, Chris, for a great morning!

Don't Miss Seussical!

Wondering what to do this weekend?  Got the weekend blahs?  Seriously, we know that is not true, but you should run, not walk to the St. Catherine's Ampersand Production of Seussical.  It has everything going for it--a great story, I mean, really, an elephant sitting on a bird's nest, the flashy mother having abandoned the poor egg, and  Gertrude, the bird with the tiny tail, in love with an elephant--you can't make this stuff up!  The biggest plus of all is that you will see our own students present a fabulous musical.  Yes, they can sing...they can dance, and they can act!  One of my former students, gifted dancer, Emily McDermott, steals the show with her character.  It turns out that Emily can not only dance, but she also can sing like a bird(excuse  my pun, please)and she has perfect comic timing.

I'm saying it first here on my Fourthie Blog---Emily McDermott is headed for Broadway!  I'm not stopping there.  Other Roberts' grads were fabulous also--Laney Yoo, Kate Oelkers, Madison Gardner, and Liddy Wade all have major singing and dancing roles, and Senior, Schuyler Guare, produced the whole thing! Do you know Schuyler Guare? You should.  She could produce D-Day, and I'm not kidding. Watch that girl! She is going to do big things.  How do I know all of this? I taught these talented girls, AND I was in the audience last night. I could go back and watch it all over again!

Treat yourself!  Grab the fam, load up the Suburban, and head for McVey for a night of exceptional entertainment!

Cast previewing Seussical!  You have to see it with costumes!

****Wish I had pictures of the behind the scenes talent--former Roberts' Fourthies, Anna Marie Barnes, Bailey Guare, and Lucy Farrell. I hope that they will come and tell me all about their roles!



Seussical Stars!
Former Roberts'Fourthie, Emily McDermott, as Gertrude, and Hannah Jennison, as JoJo, posing in my classroom yesterday!  They are so talented!  Come and see the whole, wonderful production!

Seussical Stars!  Former Roberts' Fourthie, Emily McDermott, as Gertrude, and Hannah Jennison, as JoJo

Post Halloween Update, Mount Vernon, etc.

Wow!  Good job on the math last night!  The girls were quite surprised to see what you spend on Halloween.  We had a lot of fun exchanging the word problems and finding the class mean, median, and mode for the outlay for candy. Talk about making math real!

                                                                       

                                                                                    November 3, 2016

Dear Parents,

On Wednesday, November 9, 2016, the Fourthies will tour Mount Vernon, the home of our first president, George Washington.  This is a highlight of our fourth grade curriculum, as we study the lives of presidents throughout the year.  Fortunately, in Virginia, we have several homes from which to choose, but we think this one is truly special and the education center is outstanding.

When:  Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Where:   Mount Vernon

Attire:     Field Trip Uniform and Fourthie hat, jacket appropriate for the weather

Lunch:    We will eat in the cafeteria at Mount Vernon.  There is a Child’s Lunch available for $6.00, which includes chicken nuggets, French fries, Jell-O, and a drink.

Here is the link for the Food Court.

http://www.mountvernon.org/plan-your-visit/where-to-eat/mount-vernon-food-court/group-meal-options/

We highly suggest this idea, so we can alert the cafeteria that they will be handling 72 children.  Otherwise, please send around  $12.00 for lunch.

Time:  Please be here by 7:00 A.M.  We will leave promptly at 7:15, so that we will be on time for our reserved tour.

If we don’t encounter problems with traffic, our plan is to be back at school in time for carpool at 3:30.

Thanks so much for your support of our program.

Best,

Pam Roberts

Mayan Cavallo

Judy McCallum

Sloan Hiscock

Parent Alert! You are involved in this!

 I hope that all of you had a frightfully, fun night putting costumes together, Trick or Treating, and stealing your children's candy. 'Fess up!  You know you do it!  The girls are busy using infographics on Halloween Spending to write partner word problems this morning.  Maybe you can join in the fun by telling your daughters  how much you spent on Halloween, so they can compare that to national numbers! Let's see who is on target!

Seriously, it's a homework assignment!  I'm just giving you a heads up!

Halloween Chapel...Spooky Party,Vocabulary Parade, Haunted House.....

What a fabulous day the Fourthies had...beginning with our vocabulary chapel.  The third graders were duly impressed with the words the Fourthies have already learned...90 to be exact!  The costumes were clever, and everyone had a terrific time guessing words. Did the fun end there?  No, then the Halloween party began and Ashley Byrd, our class helper, brought a very cool craft for the girls to make...a spider web. Giggles and ooh and ahs could be heard throughout the fourth grade hall. Thanks to Ashley...72 were made today!  Please look at the Haunted House the girls built from their projects.  Thanks to many Steam Days, they used their engineering and design skills to build a house, using all of the projects!  Videos to follow!

Thanks, Mrs. Byrd, for this awesome project!  Moms, you might want to take note.  Cool, fun project, and not that hard!

Goggles, Swimming, and Fun...coming next week

Dear Parents,

         On Tuesday, November 8th, our class will begin swimming
instruction at the Kenny Athletic Center.  The schedule is listed
below. Your daughter should be dropped off at the Lower School.
During that time, the girls will NOT have regular P.E. classes.

The following equipment will be needed for each child on swimming
days:  a one-piece swimsuit, a latex or silicone swim cap, a towel,
goggles (optional), healthy snack, and a bag other than a backpack to
carry swim equipment.  Please label your daughter’s supplies.

Tankinis and bikinis are not allowed.  The swim cap is required to
help keep hair relatively dry and to keep the pool clean.  All swim
equipment will be taken home each day and brought back to school the
following day.  If your daughter has long hair, please put it in a
ponytail or braid for ease in putting on the swim cap.  The girls
should NOT wear tights on swimming days, as they are hard to put on
damp legs.



SWIMMING SCHEDULE

Tuesday, November 8                       Tuesday, November 15

Wednesday, November 9                   Wednesday, November 16

Friday, November 11                        Friday, November 18



Thanks so much,

                                                               Tara
DiGiacomo and Alexa Anderson

Halloween and Vocabulary...What's That

Monday is going to be so much fun in the Lower School, but especially fun in Fourthie classrooms.  The girls have worked hard to learn so many new words since the beginning of school....around 90 words!  Can you believe it?  I  think that they can because they did all of the work involved in learning them!  Each girl is going to dress up as a word, and we are going to ask the third graders to guess what the words are.  Sound like fun?  The girls think so!

Stay tuned for some good pictures!

Well, he did huff and he did puff....and

These houses are still standing!  Whew!  This Steam Day really required some serious innovation because it turned out that we could not use tape or glue.  Thank heavens for marshmallows...you might want to ask your daughters how that worked.  This was a lot of fun, but we did experience a little angst during the 30 second hair dryer test....after all that work, no one wanted to end up like the Three Little Pigs, or at least, two of them!

Check out these houses!  The three little ones were made in my classroom, and the big one was made in Miss Saffelle's.
Ask your daughters about them!

He huffed and he puffed, but.....

He couldn't blow the house down!  Tomorrow we will see about this on Steam Day.  We are pairing with Miss Saffelle's class to design houses that can withstand wind....simulated by a hair dryer for 30 seconds!  Sound like fun?  Sound like a great way to test our skills with design and innovation and physics and TAPE, TAPE,TAPE...

We still need supplies for tomorrow!  Please send anything that can make this Steam Day a creative experience for the girls.  I will post pictures of this wonderful event, so stay tuned!

Biking, Biking, Biking

The biking segment of PE starts on Monday.  Please remember to bring your helmets, so you can participate!  Don't forget!  Miss Anderson wanted you to have a special reminder.

What a great week of  learning!  We are in Lesson 3 in math.  Its primary focus is on  multiplication, so the girls should continue to work for automatic recall of the multiplication facts.  There are sites available on the Fourthie Website, but we primarily use Xtramath.org, so there is plenty of help available.  Today we talked about multiples, and we reviewed finding  median, mode and range.  They are becoming quite good at that.  Problem solving is always a main focus throughout the week; the girls are having fun utilizing the bar method of problem solving, which is a component of Singapore math. Knowing all kinds of ways to solve a problem is key to becoming a great math student. Next week we will have a lot of fun doing some Halloween math!

International Day of the Girl...What a Run at St. C!

We had a pristine fall day for our run/walk fundraiser for the Kopila Valley School.  What a perfect way to celebrate the International Day of the Girl.  Our Fourthies were so excited and participated with a great deal of energy and enthusiasm.  Keep those Pledges coming!  The deadline is Friday.

Thank you so much for your support of this worthy cause!

Fourthies Sign Pledge!

The tradition continues!  The fourth grade class officially became leaders of the school on Friday, when they signed the pledge promising to be good leaders, role models, and helpers to other students and teachers.  Each girl received an official gold Fourthie hat, and they also received a copy of the pledge.  Make sure to ask to see it!  The girls were so excited, as you will see when you view the video! Don't forget to wave when you see them opening doors in morning carpool!

Dates to Remember!

International Day of the Girl  Tuesday, October 11
From 10:15 to 11:00 girls will run/walk on the Green to earn money for tuition for two girls to attend the Kopila Valley School.  You will have a chance to sponsor your daughter for this worthy cause.  Look for information on Friday in their Message Folder.  Needless to say, this event will not only benefit these two young girls, but also our third and fourth graders will have a lot of fun in the process.

It's really true!  Wordly Wise

I'm giving the girls the option of taking the Wordly Wise test this Friday or next Wednesday.  The Spelling Test will be on this Friday, as usual.  I think that it is good to sometimes give them an option.  They learn a lot about themselves and their learning styles by doing this.

Late Start Tomorrow Morning

Don't forget, girls!(as if you could!)

School will start tomorrow, September 29, at 10:AM.

All of you are making such great progress!  You've learned many new vocabulary words, used them in sentences, and now you are using all of your creativity to make your first comic strip in Google Classroom! It's going to be such fun to see how you use your vocabulary words.  Make sure to edit your work.  Look for run-on sentences and correct use of grammar.  Try your best!  On Friday, we will share your creations.

Keep working nightly on your basic facts.  Take quizzes, write the facts, sing the facts, dance the facts, utilize Fourthie Websites, and you will soon have them mastered.  Learning your math facts is key for all Fourthies!

PARENT ALERT!
Girls, don't forget to show your parents your Message Folder, so they can keep up on important information from school.  This should be checked nightly.

Important information to parents is relayed by the Message Folder, email, and blog, as well as the school push page.

Picture Day, Famous Author Coming and more

Dates to Remember
  It's School Picture Day on Tuesday, September 20!  

This is what School Picture Day used to look like!
Wait a minute!  Who's the guy in the red?


   

Look, girls, this was a class in 1958 on Picture Day!

NEWBERY award-winning author Cece Bell    October 6

Check your daughter's folder for information on ordering books by September 29 to be autographed in advance.   Also, you can go to the BBGB website  www.BBGBbooks.com/book-buzz

SPELLING AND WORDLY WISE UPDATE

Ordinarily, these tests would be given this Friday, but I will not be in school that day.  Since this is the first day the test will be given on the computer, I have decided to give both Wordly Wise and Spelling on Monday.  This rarely happens because NONE of us is fond of a Monday test, I'm sure.  If possible, it would be a good idea for the girls to look over the words on Sunday.

Logging into Google Drive

Exciting Parents' Night! September 8, 6:00PM McVey Theater

Dear Parents,

    Welcome to the second week of school!  Parents' Night is scheduled for tomorrow, September 8.  It will start in McVey Theater at 6:00.  Third and Fourth Grade parents will sit in the front rows of the theater because you will stay an extra ten minutes to hear Jim Astrove speak on Cyber Safety and Schuyler Guare, a Senior, speak about the importance of the Honor Council.  These are important issues that your girls are facing, so I think that you will find this very informative and helpful.  Schuyler, an exceptional girl, was in my fourth grade class, so I know she will do an excellent job explaining the importance of honor at St. Catherine's.

    After the program in McVey ends, you will have an opportunity to meet the Special Teachers. My classroom program begins at 7:00 in M06, right next to the Science room. Afterwards, there will be more time to meet Special teachers.  

    There is always a special energy at school on Parents' Night, as we come together for a common purpose--the education of your daughters.  I look forward to seeing you tomorrow night!

Sincerely,

Pam