Jonah and Micah were both in the same school class again this year--which we decided would be their last time together. Up until now, we've always requested they be in the same class together, and they have been ever since they were 3 years old in pre-school. It's just so much easier for me this way: to volunteer as a room mom in just one room, to schedule parent/teacher conferences with just one teacher, to go on field trips with just one class, to help with homework that's the same, etc. But as 5th graders next year, they won't have the same teacher all day long anymore; they will have a home room teacher in the morning, then have a class schedule rotating between 3 teachers throughout the day, and we aren't requesting they be in the same home room class. I think it will be good for them to have a change, and to not always be in the same class as each other. Also, it's okay for me too, because I don't like volunteering weekly to help with 5th grade and above: I have learned that scheduling becomes too difficult and it's not as much fun when they get older.
Jonah and Micah had a fabulous 4th grade year. They had Mrs. Baker again (they had her in 2nd grade too), and they loved her! They both told me on multiple occasions throughout the year that 4th grade was the best year they had at elementary school, and that they were so happy that they got to have Mrs. Baker as their teacher again.
They had a fun class, and made some new friends this year, too. They both did very well on their academics: especially in reading and spelling. Math became harder for them this year, and they really had to work at it in order to maintain an A grade in the subject. Micah got really frustrated occasionally with his math work, and both he and Jonah started bringing their math work home for Josh and I to check their work and to help them better grasp the concepts. They both enjoyed learning about Idaho history, which was a new subject this year. They also learned Science, which Jonah finds more interesting than Micah. But Micah found a new passion for art, and Mrs. Baker did lots of art projects that he really, really liked. Often, he would come home and continue the art project because he enjoyed it so much. They both of course loved P.E., and they liked music, too--Micah especially liked learning how to play the ukulele in music class.
I got to volunteer once a week reading to their class all year long, which I truly enjoyed. I loved reading the longer chapter books to them, and using voices for the different characters. I read several books to them throughout the year, including 'Frindle', 'Nim's Island', and 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'. I just LOVE Roald Dahl books! I finished the Chocolate Factory book the very last week of school, and I brought the kids all a piece of real chocolate from England (it is SO much better than American chocolate!). Josh's friend Sam sent us a package from England with some unique chocolate bars in it, and I split up the chocolate bars into little bits (just like Charlie would eat his special birthday chocolate once a year) and each child got to have a piece. Then they watched the original movie, and discussed the differences between the book and the film. I will miss reading to these kids--I've been a guest reader in Jonah & Micah's classes ever since they were in 1st grade!
The 4th grade track meet was at the high school field a week before school got out at the end of May. Jonah and Micah had been practicing in P.E. class and running at home to prepare for this meet for almost two months. I took the afternoon off work, and Josh came over to watch them, too. The weather worked out perfectly--it was sunny and beautiful. Their P.E. teacher Mrs. Kirkpatrick was so organized, and the track meet took several hours and everything ran smoothly! They were in multiple track and field events.
Jonah did the 4x100 relay race. His team members were Mason, Nathan, and Colter. Jonah ran the 2nd section of the relay. He's wearing a blue/green shirt and an orange hat, and he's handing the baton off to his teammate Mason (wearing the orange shirt) in this photo:
Micah ran the 400m. He had a good race, and it was a close finish. Tyler just barely beat him by 1 second.
Micah also ran the 100m, which had the most entries in it due to its short length!
Jonah ran the 200m, and he also ran a great race. It was another super close and very exciting finish, with Toby just barely beating him!
Jonah did the softball throw, which was another popular events among the 4th grade boys.
And Micah had a strong long jump!
Jonah and Micah both did the gunny sack race, an event they both love and one they've done very well at the last few years.
The last individual/group event was the 3-legged race. I tried to convince Jonah and Micah to be a team, because they'd have a great advantage over the others: they're the same size and they live together so they could practice. But, neither one of them wanted to be on a team with each other. Jonah teamed up with Mason, and Micah didn't participate in it.
They both did well at the track meet, and each earned two placing ribbons. Jonah's team got 1st place in the relay, and he got 3rd in the 200 meter with a time of 39.16 seconds. Micah got 3rd in the 400 meter with a time of 1:33 and placed 4th in the long jump with a distance of 8'7".
The last week of school was a busy one for them. They had class parties, assemblies, and class field trips. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend very many of their happenings, but I'm glad they had so many fun opportunities.
At the final school assembly, they both earned Terrific Kid awards for earning all A's on their report card, which they worked hard to get. They both also received the 100% Attendance award for the entire year! They had a goal to receive this again, and were so glad to earn the award which comes with prizes to local stores.
Their 4th grade class went fishing to Kid's Creek Pond one morning. They took their fishing poles to school, and Jonah came home with two fish!
They went ice blocking on the high school hill for their final AR goal reward, and although they said they had a numb butt and cold fingers by the time they were through, they had a great time!
They attended a 4th grade talent show, but chose not to participate (although Micah said if he'd learned a ukulele song before the auditions had been done, he would've done it).
They watched movies and had treats in their classroom, and had extra recess time with Mrs. Barningham, too.
On the last day of school, their class had a special brunch. Several of the parents brought in food for the kids, and they had a yummy feast celebrating their final day of 4th grade.
I'm so glad they had a wonderful experience their 4th grade year. They worked hard, but they had a lot of fun, too. Mrs. Baker did an excellent job teaching her students about the 7 Habits, and they were all given opportunities to be class leaders throughout the year. Jonah's job was the class Secretary, and he had to deliver messages to other teachers as needed. Micah's title was Grounds Crew, and he was responsible for checking the cleanliness of the room at the end of the day and the students couldn't leave until he gave the final approval. Mrs. Baker had the students all keep track of their goals and progress for each school subject in individual binders. They also attended Parent/Teacher conferences and showed their parents the binder and gave overviews of what they were doing and how they were doing in school. I was impressed with the way Mrs. Baker taught them to be self-sufficient leaders!
No comments:
Post a Comment