Grade 4 Archives - Page 3 of 38 - Berkshire Country Day School

Closing out the schoolyear with our last package of PenPal letters, sent + received!

Bonjour to all,

Today we have posted our final letters/drawings/ origami art to our friends in France, wishing them a bon été and telling them a little bit about what we will each be doing this summer.

It has been an enriching and heartwarming experience for us all, students and teacher alike! I am amazed to see the instant connection formed between these students, a true comradery, having never met nor spoken, and living an ocean away!

What has amazed me most is to see the spark in my student’s eyes and their eagerness to understand the letters that their French friends are writing, and to be able to write back to them. It has been a great motivator for our curriculum, to see the words and phrases put into use for basic communication.

It has also been enriching to learn more about the Montessori School of Uzès; what their school is like, what subjects they are studying in class, and to get to know their school pets (chickens): Abricot, Black and Grissette!

I also take pride in sharing information about our school. I included a copy of our 2018-19 yearbook with our envelope of letters shipping out today, to share a glimpse of what our school year at BCD looks like! The traditions and special events that we honor, the organized sports that are played here, and the field trips that are taken.

I look forward to continuing this PenPal exchange with the 4th and 5th graders next school year, and incorporating this project into other grade levels as well!

I’ve uploaded some new pictures to our BCD photo 2018-19 French @ BCD album! …

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Y8axH9vNz9NtJCs57

Bon weekend tout le monde!

Mme. Daire

By BCD Blog|2019-05-31T13:23:40-04:00May 31st, 2019|

Last chance for summer reading materials in French through Bayard-Milan!

Bonjour tout le monde,

Tomorrow, May 15th, I will have a table of sample materials from the French language publishing house, Bayard-Milan, on display for your consideration in the Learning Commons.

My hope is that parents and families of students of all ages at BCD will stop by during or after school to peruse the selections, and consider subscribing to a magazine for your child for some enriching summer reading in French!

From Pre-school through Gr.9, there is something for everyone!

The samples on display will be organized by level and age, and include a plethora of themes, styles, and layouts. Please check out the link below for more information on the different magazines offered, per age.

http://monde.bayard-milan.com/parents/quel-magazine-pour-quel-age/

What is Bayard-Milan? … “We are journalists, graphic designers, early childhood education professionals, employees or freelancers … for forty years we have chosen to put our readers at the center of our editorial thinking. Listening to them, understanding them, astonishing them, nourishing them with inspirational works and accompanying them at each stage of their lives.”

Here’s a short excerpt on the mission of Bayard-Milan:

“More than anything, today as for yesterday, we have a duty of promoting enchantment in the younger generation. And in this particular situation where our magazines are not the voice of parents or teachers, but of caring accomplices, we can highlight the positive force that exists in everyone and in the many situations one encounters in life. And when you have the chance to live through words, thanks to talented creators, characters who can embody all their life experiences, it’s as if we invent small lights that will mark the lives of children and which they are will remember for a long time.”

Please carve out a few minutes tomorrow to check out the selection of Foreign Language materials in the Learning Commons, for all grade levels and interests!

Best,

Mme. Daire

P.s for all inquiries concerning subscriptions, please refer directly to the US agent for Bayard-Milan ;

Ms. Catherine LAMY

catherine.lamy@bayard-may.org

*Orders are not placed through BCD.

http://monde.bayard-milan.com/#

Merci beaucoup!

By BCD Blog|2019-05-14T14:11:59-04:00May 14th, 2019|

Boston Museum of Science Trip 2019

Dear Families,

I’m so glad to hear from many of you how much you’ve enjoyed the movie of our trip. I confess to watching it more than once myself. Also attached are some additional stills from the trip, but I moved most of the better ones into the movie. I will add that the class was at their best, their behavior to each to each other, to their chaperones and to everyone we crossed paths with was commendable.

As you know, this last month of school is extremely busy and I’m working hard to keep the work, routines, and expectations foremost in our minds along with the many fun and extra activities sprinkled in our days.

I would like to invite you to view the classes final Create-A-State projects on Friday the 31st before the Spring Concert. I know a lot of you are back and forth to school often this month, and I thought that might be easier than yet another trip. The concert begins at 1:30, so I’d like to invite you to come a bit earlier and we will have our presentations in the Learning Commons at 12:30.

Please let me know if you cannot attend. The projects will be going home that day, so I’m sure you can get a repeat performance at home if necessary.

Field and Fun Day activities have been selected and that will be a full Day of fun indeed. I will remind you as we get closer, but sunscreen/hats/water and towels are necessary.

Upcoming Dates :

Wed., May 15th, 1:00 – 4th grade to Chocolate Springs

Friday, May 24th – (early start to Spirit Week)- Twins Day

Monday, May 27 – Memorial Day – No school

Tuesday, May 28th- Crazy hair and hat day

Wednesday, May 29th – Fun and Field Day

Thursday, May 30 – Dress your Best Day

Friday, May 31 – Rainbow Day (4th grade color TBD) / Create-A-State Presentation/Spring Concert

Friday, June 7- Last Day of Classes / Picnic

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms!!!

Best, Katharine

https://photos.app.goo.gl/k2UyAuY1BhD2oa5r7

https://photos.app.goo.gl/xE2TTebYs2U1tkAN8

By BCD Blog|2019-05-10T15:05:47-04:00May 10th, 2019|

4th Grade Poetry Slam/ April 2019

Dear Families,

“You’ve been slammed” the class announced as we surprised different classes with poetry recitations yesterday and today in honor of National Poetry Month. Tomorrow we’re surprising the Administrative offices, shhhhh!

In Social Studies the class is totally engaged in our final Create-A-State project. All of the physical maps have been completed and now we are on to road maps, regions and products and downtown maps. Landmarks, histories, and flags will follow and some may have time to produce a travel brochure as well.

This class has done a great job of converting our knowledge of factions over to decimals in Math class. We also did some measuring with yardsticks, rulers, and tape measures of each other and various other classroom items. I like to save the Geometry unit for the end of the year and we will be starting that next week.

The class has gotten much more comfortable with our ELA reading book, Locomotion and the packet that goes along with it. The packet calls for using detailed evidence from the text to explain their answers which connects with all the work we have done this year on how to find the main idea in what we read and how to determine what are supporting details. Thorough reading comprehension includes not just remembering and understanding what you’ve read but identifying which statements support your understanding. They are becoming quite adept at providing evidence and explaining their point of view.

In the slideshow (link below) there are some shots of the class receiving their most recent issue of the Penguin Press. This paper is their creation and has become quite anticipated each week. Also included are some shots of our recent session with the Wise Bodies program. How does a flower reproduce? How many different parts are involved and what do they look like? These are some of the questions we considered and learned about.

As part of our Service Learning unit, we will be visiting Chocolate Springs in Lenox on Wednesday, May 15. Senor Silva and I will drive the class in the school vans. The class has already asked me if they can bring money to make a purchase. I am asking that each child brings no more than $10, if any, and I am hoping that Mr. Needleman might treat us to a small goody as well. The process of how cocoa pods become the delicious chocolate we all know and love is one of the more complex ones and a great example of the many steps of the food chain.

We will continue working on learning how to read food labels and what to look for as well as preparing a presentation of what we have been studying all year about the Food Supply Chain.

We are planning to leave on Thursday at 1:00 for our trip to the Boston Museum of Science which allows us to eat lunch at school and have some recess time as well before the long drive. We will still make a bathroom stop on the Pike on the way. I think most questions have been answered in class but if you still have any last minute concerns, please don’t hesitate to email or call. I will send as many photos as possible back to school and Ms. Hedidnger will get them out to you as soon as she can.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Jts3qTCNSS5HPzAa9

We will be back in time for dismissal on Friday, if we are any later, I will contact school asap. Last year the timing worked out perfectly, here’s hoping for the same this year.

Best, Katharine

By BCD Blog|2019-04-30T13:00:02-04:00April 30th, 2019|