New Technology!

Grade 4 has another amazing way to have YOU "join" US in the our Pine Glen adventures of learning and FUN!

A BIG thank you for giving us another great opportunity show our learning!

December News 2010

Rocket Day!

Rocket Day 2010

We had a blast! Thank you to Mr. Papadonis and Ms. Pavlicek

The Mysterious Floating Ball

Students in Room 206 demonstrating Bernoulli's Principle...the mysterious floating ball!

"Bernoulli's Principle is the principle that allows wings to produce lift and planes and helicopters to fly. There are many factors that can effect the lift produced under this principle, but in order to understand how and why things can effect flight one must understand how Bernoulli's principle works."

Bernoulli's principle works on the idea that as a wing passes through the air the its shape make the air travel more over the top of the wing than beneath it. This creates a higher pressure are beneath the wing than above it. The pressure difference cause the wing to push upwards and lift is created.

When the students blew air into the flex straw, the Bernoulli ball mysteriously floated in the air...how? Can you explain?

Rocket Day RESCHEDULED

ROCKET DAY rescheduled!

Due to chance of rain, Rocket Day will be THURSDAY, October 28th at 9:00am at Pine Glen School in the side parking lot

Thank you and hope to see you there!

Lovin' Language Arts

We heart books in fourth grade! During Language Arts, students have an opportunity to explore different genres and respond to readings in writing...here's a little glimpse.

Ms. Hayes' class is reading The Orphan Of Ellis Island by Elvira Woodruff. This chapter book is about a boy named Dominick Avaro, a ten-year-old foster child, who travels back in time to Ellis Island in 1908.

Wilfred, Sean, Catherine and Jaimee really seem to be enjoying the book.

Miss Comunale's class is reading Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo. This chapter book tells a story of ten-year old girl Opal. She has just moved to Naomi, Florida with her preacher father. On an errand to the grocery store she finds a homeless dog. Opal is immediately attached to the dog who changes her life.

Above, Liam and Dyviansi are writing in their reading response log. Below, Athena, Sydney and Morgan are going back to the text to confirm their responses.

Zubair "making connections to characters" in Daybook.

Sir Isaac Newton

Students in Room 206 have been learning about Sir Isaac Newton's Three Laws of Motion.

The students have completed hands on activities in the classroom learning about each law. Be sure to ask them about the relay race that helped explain Newton’s first law. They also completed an activity called “Move That Truck” for the second law. The most difficult one was for the third law called “Make It Twirl”!How can you begin to guide your child's understanding of these concepts? Without thinking about them, we use Sir Isaac Newton's three laws of motion every day. Newton's first law explains why it is harder to stop a moving car than a roller skate. Newton's second law algebraically relates the force on an object, its mass, and its acceleration. Newton's third law concerns how forces act upon objects.

By relating every day experiences, you can help your child understand Sir Isaac Newton's three laws of motion.Newton's first law of motion is also known as the law of inertia. Newton's first law states that any object will remain at rest or will continue to move in a straight line unless it is acted upon by an external, unbalanced force. A force is a push or pull on an object. Inertia is a measure of the mass of an object. An automobile has more inertia than a roller skate. Any time you want to change the speed or direction of an object, you need to use the appropriate force.Newton's second law of motion relates the concepts of mass, force, and acceleration. In science, acceleration is the change in speed or direction of a moving object.

Force on an object is equal to its mass multiplied by its acceleration. The strength of the force on an object depends upon the object's mass, or how much material it contains, and how fast its speed is changing, or its acceleration.Newton's third law of motion is more commonly called action reaction. For every action in one direction, there is an equal and opposite reaction in the opposite direction; even if the object does not move. Forces always act in pairs, even if the object remains still. While sitting in a chair, you provide a force on the chair acting down towards the floor. At the same time, the chair provides an equal and opposite upward force on you. If this were not the case, you would be sitting upon the floor instead. While you walk, for each step that you take your foot pushes against the floor. As you push, or provide a force, against the floor, the floor also pushes against your foot, propelling you forward. If you try to walk across sheer ice, you must adjust your steps, since the ice does not provide the same force as the floor.

By using every day examples, you can help your children understand Sir Isaac Newton's three laws of motion.

The law of inertia, or Newton's first law of motion, describes how a stationary object begins to move or how the motion of an object changes. Check out below!

Newton's second law of motion algebraically relates an object's mass and acceleration to the amount of force involved to cause motion.

Finally, Newton's third law of motion involves the fact that forces on an object always act in opposing pairs, whether or not the forces cause motion.

We are all looking forward to seeing you all on Rocket Day!

Rocket Day: Wednesday, October 27 (side school parking lot)
Rain Date: Thursday, October 28 (side school parking lot)

First Instrument Practice!

Hello Marvelous Musicians!

Tomorrow is the first day for instrumental practice with Mr. Napierkowski! YAY!

-Instrument practices will be on Tuesdays

-Students should bring their instrument to school on Tuesday mornings

-Students are not allowed to leave their instrument at school in their cubby

-The instrument practice schedule is on a rotating schedule. Therefore, your child will not miss the same part of a Tuesday each week

If your child ordered an instrument stand for practicing at home and has not yet received it...please contact Rayburn Music at 617-266-4727 or visit their website for more information http://www.rayburnmusic.com/

HAPPY PLAYING!

Meet and Greet!

Meet and Greet! Miss Comunale
Thursday, September 23, 2010

6:00: Welcome Back! ~ Mr. Lyons in the cafeteria
6:20: Session ONE
7:00: Session TWO

I am looking forward to meeting all of you! Your child’s education is TOP priority! My goal is to create a successful learning experience for your child. I hope you are excited to learn about the 4th Grade curriculum and expectations.

Reminder: Individual conferences will be scheduled for November.

Tomorrow's the first day!

Hi boys and girls!



I am so excited for the first day of school! I am looking forward to meeting each of you!



Reminders:



-If you are buying lunch, please remember to have your parents put money on your "lunch card" either by going to the website http://www.paypams.com/ OR they may write a check made out to the "Burlington Food Service" and bring it with you tomorrow



-You have Physical Education tomorrow with Ms. Govoni, so please remember to wear or bring sneakers to school



-Bring in your family's homework, the "Handle with Care" sheet I sent to you and your families over the summer



It's going to be a fantastical year! =)

Hello 4th graders!

Dear 4th grader,

Hello! My name is Miss Comunale and I am your fourth grade teacher. I hope you are having a great summer and have been reading and writing every day. I also hope that you are getting excited about the fourth grade! I know you will think it is interesting, challenging, and fun learning in our classroom. Just check out last year’s classroom blog to see all the wonderful things we did! www.comunale206.blogspot.com

I have been very busy this summer spending time with my nieces, camping, planning my wedding and taking classes to make learning more exciting for you and your friends. I have been working really hard getting our classroom ready. I hope you like it!

If you are going shopping before school starts, here is a list of school supplies you will need. If you have already purchased supplies that do not match the list, don’t worry! Just bring what you have! J I was at staples just the other day and bought each of you a pack of 12 pencils. I couldn’t resist! I love sales!

· 1 spiral FIVE subject notebook (this will be your “Learnal”)
· 3 - two pocket folders (any color or design)
· A “soft” pencil case (fits better in your desk)
· Pencils
· Scissors (optional)
· Post-its
· 2 black sharpie markers
· 2 highlighters (any color)
· 1-2 glue sticks
· 1 box of colored pencils
· 2 boxes of tissues
· 3 containers of “cleaning wipes” (no baby wipes please J)
· You may also want to buy crayons and markers, although we have some =)

For YOUR first homework assignment, I would like for you to write me a letter about your summer vacation and mail it to me! Your letter should include:

-At least 3 things you have done over your vacation
-A book your are reading (or have read)
-At least two things you look forward to about the fourth grade
-Anything you think I should know about YOU!

Mail your letter to:
Miss Comunale, Room 206
Pine Glen Way
Burlington, MA 01803

I look forward to hearing from you! Enjoy the rest of your vacation and start looking forward to a fantastic year! See you on the first day of school, Wednesday September 1st!

Invention Dates to Remember!

Students were given a packet to help them follow the "Design Process" for their Invention. Below are dates to remember and the steps in the "Design Process".

1)IDENTIFY: Identify your problem or task DUE: Monday, May 17th

2)ASK: (questions & brainstorming) DUE: Friday, May 21st

3)PLAN: Sketch your design on the “Student Design Sheet.” DUE: Monday, May 24th

4)CREATE: (This step will be done at home) DUE: Wednesday June 15th

5)IMPROVE: DUE: Friday, June 17th

Invention Convention-NEW DATE!

Wednesday, June 16th beginning at 9:45am and ending promptly at 10:45am. We hope to see you there!

Students completed inventions are due:

Tuesday, June 15th

Our Luna Moth

We had an opportunity to view two different life cycles, the luna moth and butterfly. Check out our amazing pictures! Thank you Science Center for another great experience! "Science is Life!"

We identified the luna moth as female, by looking closely at the antennae

Setting the luna moth free...

Invention Convention Letter for Familes

Invention Convention!

Dear Families,

The 4th graders will be participating in an Invention Convention! They will embark in a Science Challenge! During the next few weeks they will have the opportunity to design and build their own original invention. This process will help them learn the design process, which is an important part of the Massachusetts State Frameworks in Science and Technology.

Student Objectives:
-Students will solve an everyday problem or make a task easier to accomplish.
-Students will need to use at least two simple machines in their invention.
-Students may use any variety of materials to make their own invention.
-Students must follow the important Design Process (provided in a packet to the student in -school) to complete the invention process.
-We ask that you please provide guidance and support with their inventions. However, the student should try to produce as much of the invention on their own as possible.
-Be sure to have fun and be creative!

At the end of the process, Pine Glen will hold an Invention Convention for the students to demonstrate their inventions. All students, teachers and families will be invited to attend. The date for the 4th grade invention convention will be Wednesday, June 16th beginning at 9:45am and ending promptly at 10:45am

If you have any questions, please let us know. Thank you again for your continuing support!

Anna Lisa Comunale
Aimee Coutu
Sarah Hayes

Cindy Fitzgibbon visits

Cindy Fitzgibbon visited the Pine Glen yesterday and talked about WEATHER with the 4th grade! We're famous!...we were on the morning news on Fox 25. Did you see some familiar faces! Thank you Cindy for an amazing hour of fun and learning.

If you missed it, click the link below:

http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/weather/school_visits/how-weather-works-burlington-20100512

Thank you Mr. Papadonis!

Grade 4 science in the cafe with Mr. Papadonis!

Thank you, Mr. Papadonis for sharing your knowledge of earthquakes with the 4th grade. Your dedication, devotion, love for learning and teaching along with your never ending gift of science is very much appreciated. Science is life! We will be tracking earthquakes using the following website and the sensational seismograph that is on loan from the Science Center.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_big.php

MCAS and more!

The 4th grade will be taking the MCAS English Languages Arts Long Composition on Tuesday March 23, 2010

Some helpful tips for parents:

• Talk with your child about upcoming tests.
• Be positive, and remind your child of his/her strengths.
• Encourage your child to do his/her personal best.
• Encourage your child to read every day.
• Establish good habits of healthy eating, regular exercise, and sleeping.
• Set up consistent, daily homework times.
• Praise your child for the work he/she does well. Resist the opportunity to do the work for him/her. Doing so can send a message that you do not believe he/she can do it.

Helpful TEST DAY tips:

• Get a good night sleep the night before the test.
• Have a good breakfast.
• Come to school on time.
• Pack a healthy snack. (Nothing gooey, sticky or noisy)
• Drink lots of water. (Water feeds the brain)
• Bring in a book to read in case you finish before everyone else.
• Try your best!

EXTRA! EXTRA!

Spring is in the air! YES! The nice weather is approaching and we all know our tootsies like to be cool too! However, it’s important to be safe at recess. SAFETY FIRST! If your child comes to school wearing flip flops, I would strongly suggest sending them with an extra pair of sneakers and socks for recess. (Sneakers are required for Physical Education class.) Thank you!

REMINDER: Please be sure to check your child’s agenda every night. Initialing their agenda each night is a helpful way for me to know that you have seen their homework and emptied their homework folder. Thank you!

Valentine's Author's Party

On February 12th, we had an opportunity to share our compliment letters with each other. Yummy coooookies and treats were there too!

Being kind and courtious... It was a special day, we all felt special.

Juliana passing out delicious cookies

Mr. Lyons joined us

Cupcakes too! Thank you Haylee!

Ms. Hayes

Sarah

Thomas

Thomas presenting Haylee with her compliment letter :)

Haylee presented Arya with hers!

Arya

Jeenal

Kenna

Jake presenting Aidan with his compliment letter

Aidan

Rachael

Josh

Eric

Eric presenting Emma with her compliment letter

Emma

Emma presenting Alex with his compliment letter

Alex reading Miss Comunale's compliment letter the whole class wrote! Thank you...as beautiful as a butterfly :)

Miss Comunale

Chris

Chris presenting Niko with his compliment letter

Niko

Niko presenting Arman with his compliment letter

Juliana presenting Nick with his compliment letter

Miss Comunale's Class

Valentine's Day Author's Party

"Compliment Letters"

Great day! Thank you Room 206