• Edmodo_Parent_Information_Note_2013.pdf
• sack_lunch_form.pdf

Good Afternoon,

3rd quarter report cards came home today.  Please sign and return the envelope at your earliest convenience.

This next Tuesday is an Early Dismissal day.  We dismiss at 2:00pm.  It is also a Cheetah Fun Day at Incred-A-Bowl from 3-5pm. 

Our spring learning fair is rapidly approaching.  This year, we will also be celebrating our 10th year that evening with an open house for staff and students who have been a part of our CHE community during the last 10 years.  Please mark your calendars for Thursday, April 10th from 6:30-8:00pm and join us to look at all of the many successes of your children this year.

We are still collecting birthday party items for the Blue Valley Service Center.  Our 4th grade item is canned fronsting.  Your child can place the donations in the bin in the lobby.

A note from Mrs. Bowden - I am excited to announce that our recorder concerts are approaching!  Students will be performing in two concerts this year on the following dates and times:

• CHE Gym, April 17^th, at 2:30  p.m.

• The Kauffman Center For The Performing Arts, April 29^th, at 10:00 a.m.

Parents and guests are cordially invited to the afternoon performance at 2:30, where the Sunflower Ambassador recipients will be acknowledged as well!  The Kauffman Center performance is a wonderful opportunity for our young musicians, so I will be making a video compliation of the two outstanding performances as a keepsake.  Parents, this is a great way to view parts of the Kauffman Center performance, since this is a student-centered performance only. Please note: there will be no evening performance on the 17^th.

We have a learning excursion coming up on April 16th.  We will be traveling to district office to take part in a Main Street USA Colonial Times  activity.  We are in need of volunteers who would be willing to go to district office prior to our arrival to help set up, lead and facilitate activities throughout our day, and help tear down after we depart.  Please let me know if you are interested in helping with this wonderful activity.

Be sure to check the Upcoming Events section below to see a full listing of activities.

Enjoy your weekend!

Worth Repeating...

We have our spring Kansas Assessment dates!  Mark these on your calendar. 

• Monday 3/31 @ 2:00pm - Reading #1
• Wednesday 4/2 @ 12:20pm - Reading #2
• Tuesday 4/8 @ 12:20pm - Math #1
• Wednesday 4/9 @ 12:20pm - Math #2
• Tuesday 4/15 @ 2:00pm - Science #1
• Friday 4/18 @ 2:00pm - Science #2 

A note from District Office...

The Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) asked Blue Valley as well as several other school districts to participate in a research study this spring involving student participation.  Students in grades 3-8 and 11 will take a short reading comprehension test. The test will contain short paragraphs followed by multiple-choice questions. The test will be administered after the Kansas Reading Test (within 2 weeks), and will take about 1 hour to complete. Students' responses will be shared with KSDE's partner in this study, MetaMetrics, so that a link can be established between The Lexile Framework for Reading and the Kansas Reading Test.  Student results will not be used for anything other than establishing the link and student data will not be shared or used for any other purpose.

The Lexile framework is a valuable tool for matching readers with books and monitoring growth in reading.  Having a reliable lexile on Kansas State Assessments will help Blue Valley teachers and parents see true reading growth levels for students.

The Student will learn to:

Reading: Unit 5: America's Heartland

• identify cause and effect by referring to details and examples in a text.  U5W3-4
• make predictions while reading. U5W3
• use knowledge of prefixes that tell where to understand the meaning of a word or phrases. U5W1&3
• explain the meaning of similes in context. U5W3

Grammar: 

• correctly use and understand descriptive adjectives and adjectives that compare in reading and writing. U5W2-3

Writing:   Informational Reports

• make connections to nonfiction topics through sharing facts and viewing photographs, books, magazine articles, and Internet articles. 3.1
• understand elements of an informational report by listening to a mentor text. 3.2 & 3.3
• use personal interests guiding questions to brainstorm informational report topics. 3.4
• identify and analyze informational report features. 3.5 
• use idea evaluation questions to narrow the writing focus for information reports. 3.6
• analyze the text structure and recognize the difference between credible and noncredible sources. 3.7
• evaluate Internet sources and recognize the difference between credible and noncredible sources. 3.8

Math: Topic 16 - Lines, Angles, and Shapes

• identify and describe points, lines, and planes. 16-1
• identify parts of lines and types of angles using geometric terms. 16-2
• use unit angles and fractions of a circle to find angle measures. 16-3
• use a smaller angle to measure a larger angle by repeating the unit. 16-4
• measure and draw angles. 16-5
• find unknown angle measures by adding and subtracting. 16-6
• identify, sort, and classify polygons. 16-7
• identify, sort, and classify triangles. 16-8
• identify, sort, and classify quadrilaterals. 16-9
• determine if a plane figure has line symmetry and, if so, how many lines of symmetry it has. 16-10
• solve problems by making and testing generalizations. 16-11

Science: Magnetism & Electricity 

• trace the path of the energy flow.
• assemble electrical circuits that will produce light, heat, and sound.
• demonstrate magnetic properties.
• investigate practical applications of magnetism.

• Monday 3/31 @ 2:00pm - Reading Kansas Assessment #1 
• Tuesday, 4/1 - Early Dismissal @ 2:00pm
• Wednesday 4/2 @ 12:20pm - Reading Kansas Assessment #2
• Friday, 4/4 - 10th Year Student Celebration
• Tuesday 4/8 @ 12:20pm - Math Kansas Assessment #1 
• Wednesday 4/9 @ 12:20pm - Math Kansas Assessment #2 
• Thursday, 4/10 - 10th Year Open House @ 6:30pm
• Friday, 4/11 - Future Cheetah Kindergarten Activity, 9am - 11am
• Monday, 4/14 - No School, Professional Development Day
• Tuesday 4/15 @ 2:00pm - Science Kansas Assessment #1 
• Wednesday, 4/16 - 4th Grade Learning Excursion, Main Street USA Colonial Days
• Thursday, 4/17 - 4th Grade Recorder Concert, 2:45pm
• Friday 4/18 @ 2:00pm - Science Kansas Assessment #2 
• Tuesday, 4/22 - Early Dismissal @ 2:00pm
• Tuesday, 4/22 - Spring Pictures
• Thursday, 4/24 - ESOL Parent Night @ 5:30pm
• Tuesday, 4/29 - 4th Grade Learning Excursion to Symphony Recorder Concert
• Wednesday, 4/30 - Friday, 5/2 - Spring Book Fair

I will send Scholastic Book Club flyers home each month.  If you would like to order books, you can do so one of the following two ways: 

1. send the order form back in with a check
2. click the link below to order online with our class code - FZPKM 

I will close out each order on the 15th of each month and the books should arrive about a week later.  Thank you!