What's New this Week

July 16, 2012

Welcome to Fourth Grade!

            Thank you for choosing St. Anthony of Padua School!! At St. Anthony’s your child will enter a world of learning that puts an emphasis on development in the Catholic faith, academic excellence, diverse cross-curricular activities, and extra-curricular fun. We strive to meet the individual needs of your child!

           Wondering what to expect in fourth grade? First, faith plays an important role in our classroom. Your child will explore and grow in his/her faith throughout each and every day. Some ways that faith is practiced include:

·         Daily prayer: We pray as a class 3 times each day with an opportunity to personalize intentions.

·         Weekly Mass: Fourth graders attend mass weekly and are given the chance to plan and participate more fully in several masses during the year.

·         Altar Server/Children’s Choir: There are opportunities for Fourth grade students to become an altar server and a member of the children’s choir.

·         Service Projects: We stress the importance of living like Jesus would and offer several service projects throughout the year. Through food drives, a special St. Nicholas project and other community outreach projects, the students learn that we can show our faith by our actions.

Second, academic excellence is what we strive for every day. Your child will be encouraged to “impress” -- themselves, their classmates, their parents, and their teacher-- with each and every task.  This is an important year for your child as he/she develops the skills needed to be successful in middle school. In addition, your student will be changing from the elementary (O, S, U…) grading scale to a traditional (A, B, C…) grade scale. Academic distinction is evident in 4^th grade through the following:

·         An emphasis on mathematics and reading. Students will utilize their knowledge in these core subjects in every other academic area!!

o   Your child should be proficient with his/her basic addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication facts. Your student will be learning many new mathematic concepts, including long division, basic geometry, & basic algebra!

o   They will learn to take notes, make outlines, study for tests and compose research reports.

·         Hands-on learning experiences will encourage students to discover answers on their own, as well as pose new questions and find new solutions.

We all know that learning is not confined to the classroom. Students will experience this through co-curricular activities that will support and enrich formal instruction. Fourth grade students will enjoy learning through field trips, assemblies & speakers, and classroom projects, like the Wax Museum.

Finally, students will become well-rounded by enjoying the many fun extra-curricular activities that St. Anthony’s offers:

·         Music                ·         Computer Lab               ·         Library                          ·         Physical Fitness

·         Art                    ·        Foreign Language          ·         Jump-a-thon                ·         Scouting

·         Band                ·         Children’s Choir             ·         Altar Servers

·         CYO Sports including:

o   cheerleading, volleyball, and basketball on-campus

o   football and track off-campus

          I believe that communication is vital in your child’s success!! Your child will bring home their assignment book, signed by me, daily. They will bring home a Friday folder weekly, which will contain all of their graded papers for the week and will require a parent’s signature.