Hello again!

We have had a couple parents contact us wondering how to access Google Classroom from a home computer.  Thank you so much for reaching out!  Chances are in this move to digital learning, if you are struggling with something, many others are as well.  We are here to help and assist in what ever way we can, and we appreciate you letting us know when you encounter a snag.  

I put together a document that should walk you through how to get access to Google Classroom from a home browser.  It is attached with this link:  How to Login to Google Classroom from a Home Computer

In addition to this, if you go to the mcpsmt.org website and click on the Web Connect, you will see a link in the student section for Clever.  When students click on this link it will prompt them to log in using their google account.  It is the same username and password that they use to log in to Google as directed in the attachment to this email.  

Clever is the site that will give them access to the IRLA and ENIL books mentioned on the Online Learning website created by our district.

Hope this helps, and keep those questions coming!  

The 4th Grade Team

Hello Paxson 4th Grade Families,

We hope you and your family are doing well and staying safe during this unusual time.  It is hard not to be seeing our students face to face, and we recognize it’s hard for you to teach them at home.  We will get through this, working together.  

We are planning together as a 4th grade team, as a school, and as a district to come up with a blueprint for online learning.   Here is where we are right now: 

This week, March 24-27, students are asked to participate in online learning using the mcpsmt.org website. Our Teaching and Learning department has provided a daily schedule to keep students’ minds sharp while we await our next steps.  All of the activities are useful and friendly to navigate. Below is how you can access the daily plans:

1.   Go to mcpsmt.org
2.   Click on COVID-19 on the bottom of the page.
3.   Click on Remote Learning on the right side of the page.
4.   Scroll down to Remote Learning Opportunities. Click on Grades 3-5. 
5.   This will bring you the daily plans with learning links.

In addition to the ideas provided by the district, we encourage students to log onto their Google Classroom to make sure they are connected with us.  

We know you have a lot of questions. Please stay informed through the superintendent’s updates, which he posts on the district website and sends via Blackboard messages, as is the most current information. District level communications will come out on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays by 3:00 pm. School level communications will come out on Tuesdays and Thursdays by 3:00 pm.  

You can also email any of us with questions.  We can email you back or set up a time to talk.  

This is new to all of us.  We are going to be learning together. Thank you for your patience during this time, and we will be in touch regarding our next steps.   We miss you lots and hope you stay well.  

Sending you all virtual hugs,

The 4th Grade Team

Hello 4th Grade Families!  

This Friday is the end of the second trimester!  The end of the trimester is always a flurry of activity, so we want to be sure you know about all the upcoming events.  

PROGRESS REPORTS AND CONFERENCES

• We sent out an email invitation to sign up for Spring Conferences.  Please sign up for 1 thirty minute spot. At Paxson, Spring conferences are Student-led.  Your kiddo will share some work and talk to you about their experiences as a 4th grader. We three teachers will circulate, chime in, and answer questions.  

HELP WANTED!  “CELEBRATE MONTANA” SCRIPT REVISION:

In keeping with our 4th grade Social Studies and Indian Education for All standards, we have a tradition of putting on a Montana History musical in May.  This play is a work in progress in an ongoing quest to make it as representative, accurate, and educational as possible. Every year, we re-work the script with a few members of our community who volunteer their time to help us.  

This year, we would like to extend the invitation to all 4th grade families.  Are you interested in helping us make the MT History script the best it can be?  Do you have an interest/expertise in Montana history? Or would you just like to preview the script and  offer any feedback before we perform it?  Please join us at our Script Revision Session on  April 2 at 2:30 in Mrs. J’s room.  

UPCOMING EVENTS:  

• February 25: Family Fun Night at Paxson.  Free! Fun! Family!  

• February 28:  End of trimester.

• March 9, 10, 11, 12: Student-led conferences

• March 10-13:  Book Fair in the Library (stop in during conferences!)

• March 12: 4th Grade Poetry Reading
•  11:35 dismissal

• March 13: no school 

• March 16-20: Spring Break

Please let us know if you have questions after looking over the progress reports this evening. Have a great day!

-The 4th Grade Team

Happy Wednesday!

Quick reminder that we will be doing a short but sweet Valentine's Day celebration on Friday for the last 30 minutes of school.  Students will be in their homeroom (Rotation 1) classes and will deliver Valentines to each other and socialize.  

Class lists went home in Thursday Envelopes last week.  Hopefully you all received them.  

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Parkey

Happy Friday, 4th Grade Families!

Please be sure to check agendas today.  We are sending home progress reports and some information from Paxson about out schoolwide behavior flowchart.    

Please look over your child's progress report and sign it.  Your kiddo can make up any missing assignments.  Please be sure they communicate with the subject teacher to get the missing work.

Paxson Elementary has begun a new system to communicate Level 2 Misbehaviors. The flowchart in today's agenda explains how misbehaviors are categorized and what consequences may ensue. Once a consequence has been discussed with a student, you will receive an email notifying you of the incident.  

UPCOMING EVENTS:  

• Friday, January 10:  Progress Reports go home.  Please check on missing assignments!

• January 13-24 ELA, SLA, and Math STAR testing window.

• January 15: Paxson’s  Around the World Cultural Night (This is a fun evening where students get to learn about some of the diverse cultures represented at Paxson!)

• January 20: NO SCHOOL for Martin Luther King Day

• January 22:  Mid-term reports go home 

• February 7: MCPS 4th Grade Youth Symphony Field Trip

Whats happening in English Language Arts??:

• We are continuing to work on opinion writing.  Students are separating introductions and conclusions away from body paragraphs and using direct quotes from texts to support their opinions.
• We will be taking the STAR test next week to measure our reading progress so far this year.
• We have been learning about Indigenous cultures of North America though a fictional story.  Our next texts will continue this learning.  We will read nonfiction texts about four different indigenous cultures in North America.
• We have begun learning and using Greek and Latin root words to help students with both spelling and vocabulary acquisition.
• We continue to practice and learn proper conventions and grammar.  We are focusing on punctuating dialogue correctly, as our next writing standard will be narrative writing.
• We have begun discussing figurative language and using words as an artform.  We will continue this investigation as we start our 6 week poetry unit at the end of January!