TheMadnessofMay

fromtheMahl stadt/SvrcekCl ass!

We have tons of fun activities and special events that happen from now until the end of the year. We will update this
weekly and send it out as our newsletter for the remainder of the year.

FunLearni ngi sHappeni ng:
This week students are beginning to work on Greek Myth Readers Theatres.
Students are working hard to read with fluency (good reading rate, use of expression and
smooth and steady). Students will have a copy of their script in his or her planner. Please
have your child read his or her script aloud each night for a portion of the daily reading
homework. Students are also continuing to work on myth challenges, making trading cards of
their favorite Greek god, goddess, hero, or creature. We are also reading The Lightning
Thief, a fantasy-adventure novel based on Greek mythology. Ask your child which Greek god
he or she thinks is Percys father, and what evidence they have to support that.
We have begun to formulate solid ideas for students Greek myths! This week
students are focusing on working through the plot of their story. Ask your child what their myth is about, and what
lesson they are teaching the reader through his or her writing, or which origin their myth explains.
We will also be participating in Greek Myth Readers Theatres an invitation to an Authors Chair Celebration
(June 4
th
, 1:15) and Readers Theatre Event (May 23
rd
, 8:30) was sent out on Monday.
We are also concluding our learning about forms of energy. Students had a review come home on Tuesday
night for test preparation; the assessment will take place on Friday. Ask your child about the forms on energy flip book
and what pictures they are drawing to illustrate the different forms (electrical, heat, mechanical, chemical, light and
sound).
We are learning cursive! Each day we will focus on 1-2 new letters, which are ordered by style and method, for
example first the letter c and then a. We are using a program called Handwriting Without Tears, and it transfers
learning from print to cursive.

Attenti on4
th
GradeParents: Vol unteersNeededfor5
th
GradePi cni c
The 5
th
grade promotion/picnic is scheduled for Tuesday, June 3
rd
. This year, we would like to ask parents
of 4
th
graders to help with the picnic so that 5
th
grade parents can enjoy this special day. Next year, we will
ask the parents of 4
th
graders to do the same for you and so on. The picnic will be from 11 am 1 pm. We
need parent help for set-up (10-11), hot dog grilling (10:30-12), serving (11-12:30), and clean-up (12:30-?).
If you are able to help out, please go to the Volunteer Spot link (http://vols.pt/QdDBWy) and sign up! This is
a great way to get excited about next year and to help out the 5
th
graders and their families.


ImportantEvents:

Week of May 12
th
:

Scholastic Book Fair: May 12-16 (Friday hours are until 1:00 pm)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Week of May 19
th
:

Young Peoples Concert (4
th
Grade Only): Thursday, May 22
nd

! Class tie-dye
! Recorder
! Sack lunch
Beach Towel Wednesday, every Wednesday
! Reading in the sun, the perfect summer activity!
! Bring sunglasses and a towel to relax and read outdoors.

Readers Theatre: Friday, May 23rd @ 8:30am in Room 309/311
! Come and join our class for Greek Myths performed by the Mahlstadt/Svrcek class.
! Bring your camera; you are sure to be dazzled by their excellent reading/acting abilities!