20260316

March, 16th -20th, 2026

Dear Families,

    As we approach spring conferences, we want to share that conferences are available for those who would like to connect about their child's progress. However, if you feel comfortable with your child's current progress and do not have any pressing questions, a conference is not required at this time. 

    Conferences are HOMEROOM ONLY on Tuesday, November 24, and Wednesday, November 25. The majority of conferences are held VIRTUALLY using Teams. However, there is an In-Person option on Wednesday from 12pm-3pm.  

    Butzin's 3rd grade math students: Mrs. Parkin will provide a math report for Mrs. Butzin's 3rd graders to give to parents during their conference time with Mrs. Butzin.

    Parkin's 4th-grade math students: Mrs. Butzin will provide a math report for Mrs. Parkin's 4th graders to give to parents during their conference time with Mrs. Parkin.

    Co-curricular teachers are also available to meet with you on Tuesday and Wednesday on Teams. Your child has the following co-curricular classes: 

Butzin co-curricular teachers:

  • Engage with Mrs. J. Heckman 

  • Spanish with Mr. J. Leibson 

  • P.E. and Swimming with Mr. C. Manchester

  • Art with Mrs. A. Cierpial 

Parkin co-curricular teachers:

  • Music with Mrs. O. Zang 

  • Digital Literacy with Mrs. L. Amatulli 

  • P.E. and Swimming with Mr. C. Manchester

  • Eng. Tech with Mr. M. Brown













         

Please ask your child if he/she has a pair of working headphones/earbuds at school.  We use them all year long and they need to be kept in school.

4th Grade Battle of the Books Program: 
If you are a 4th grader interested in ordering a Battle Pack of books for the Battle of the Books program this year: Click here for a  Battle of the Books letter and order form.  Click here for the RELEASE VIDEO!





HOMEWORK:

Language Arts:

3rd Grade Reading: 20+ minutes every night
4th Grade Reading:  30+ minutes every night

*PLEASE HAVE YOUR CHILD BRING IN A FEW CHAPTER BOOKS FOR OUR DAILY FREE READING TIME!

Bi-Weekly Reading Fluency Chart - Refer to the planner. Read a paragraph (any paragraph from a book you are reading at home) out loud to a parent from your nightly reading book to practice/improve your reading fluency. Reading Fluency video




 
Spelling:
List 23: Butzin
Parkin -  No Powerspelling list until after Spring break. Please see planner for list. We will review words from semester 1 this week and next week.

Each week, your child will write the week's words in his/her planner.  Ask your child to share the spelling list with you.  This list can also be printed from PowerSpelling.  We will have a weekly spelling test in class on Monday (Parkin) or Thursday (Butzin).  Kids have an option to practice their words by playing the spelling games on PowerSpelling.  They have logins taped to the insides of their planners. Please show your weekly spelling test score to your parents in Powerspelling- Click Scores/Results.

List 23






3rd Grade Math
- Order of Operations Worksheet was due, 3/10 - 6 questions to complete
- Return signed Unit 4 Checkpoints A, B, C, and D. Students are reminded daily during math class to return their signed checkpoint quizzes.
- Complete the Unit 4 Cool Down packet to prepare for the Unit 4 test this week!

Ongoing homework:
-  XtraMath.org.  Practice 3 times per week. Keep going until "Mr. C says, you're done!" It should take approx. 10 minutes
- iReady Math 30 mins per week - My Path  (Note - Complete Teacher Assigned lesson - if you have them in your account.) Students can log on to iReady via the Classlink page

We are now working in Unit 4  


4th Grade Math: 

Unit 6 Test Monday:  Signed Test Letter due Monday!

Optional Review was sent home on Monday along with the math journal.

Return Signed Checkpoint D and show me Monday!  

Online fact tests due on March 10, 2026.  

Practice * / math facts for 10+ minutes each day! 

iReady Math Path Homework:  Complete 30+ minutes weekly (Note - Complete Teacher Assigned lesson - if you have them in your account.) Students can log on to iReady via the Classlink page.

In class, we have a goal of completing one "Fluency Flight" a day in our math iReady program.  If your child misses a day of school, please ask him/her to complete this at home.  It takes about 10 minutes. 

Students will also receive optional additional practice problems assigned through their Illustrative Math account, which correlate to the section we are currently teaching. See the screenshot below for an example of what this looks like. Students can log in through Classlink on any home device. They know how to do this!


Social Studies
Talk About topics:
Ask your student to tell you about Michigan's State symbols (State bird, gem, reptile, mammal, stone, tree, flower, and soil)
Name all five Great Lakes (using the acronym - H.O.M.E.S)
What are some of Michigan's rivers?
What stance did you take on the public policy of building homes around a lake?
Who were " The Three Fires'?
What did Naive Americans trade with the Europeans?
Science

Our unit of study:  Soils, Rocks, and Landforms
We are trying to use scientific words to classify rocks and minerals and describe different landforms. It's a lot of fun!

Soils, Rocks, and Landforms Essential Questions:

Soils and Weathering

  • What evidence does the composition of soil provide about where it came from?

  • What causes big rocks to break into smaller rocks?

Landforms

  • How do landforms change over time?

  • How do fossils in rock layers provide evidence for changes in a landscape over time? 

Mapping Earth's Surface

  • How can we use maps to understand the shape and elevation of the land?




Previous Unit - Water and Climate Essential Questions: 
● What happens when water falls on different surfaces? 
● How does water move on a slope? 
● How much water can a dry sponge soak up? 
● What happens outdoors when rain falls on natural materials?
●What is the water cycle? Use the following words to describe the cycle: evaporation, condensation, precipitation
●What is the difference between 'weather' and 'climate'?

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