20251027

Week of October 27-31, 2025

Dear Families,


Conferences are approaching on Wednesday, November 12, and Thursday, November 13. The majority of conferences are held virtually using Teams. However, there is an In-Person option on Wednesday evening from 

5pm-7pm.  


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 Wednesday and Thursday on Teams. Your child has the following co-curricular classes this quarter: 


Butzin:

  • 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


Parkin

  • Engage with Mrs. J. Heckman 

  • Spanish with Mr. J. Leibson 

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

  • Art with Mrs. A. Cierpial 


Mrs. Geden will send the PTC Fast conference signup link to parents; look for an email in your inbox this Thursday, 10/30. In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email.



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.

We are excited for Halloween Fun at BCS on our half day Friday, October 31!

Our annual BCS Halloween parade will start around 10:15am and families are welcome to join us to cheer on the fantastic costumes in the parade. Our students will parade through the school and outdoors, and the prime viewing spot for this thrilling spectacle will be just outside the front office and outside the pool entrance. In the event of rain, don't worry, the show must go on, albeit a bit wet. Fingers crossed for clear skies so everyone can fully relish this event.

Guidelines for Halloween Costumes

In the spirit of creating a safe and considerate Halloween environment for our elementary-age students, we request that costumes refrain from being overly frightening. Additionally, we must be mindful of avoiding any promotion of violent behavior that would be considered inappropriate on any other day. Please adhere to the following costume guidelines:


All Halloween costumes at BCS must steer clear of violent themes. This means no blood, gore, or imitation weapons of any kind, including pirate swords and light sabers.


  1. Masks should not be excessively scary or represent violent characters.
  2. Culturally insensitive outfits are not allowed.
  3. Costumes should not make fun of real people, human traits, or any culture.
  4. Historical costumes should be accurate and void of misinformation.
  5. Ensure that costumes provide good visibility and allow for easy breathing.


It's worth noting that students can still don costumes like "army soldiers" or "pirates" without accompanying weapons. We aim for all students to enjoy the day without costume-related issues. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us at 248.203.4430 or via email at Jhill@birmingham.k12.mi.us.



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


Homework:

Butzin Students - Conference Letter Students brought home a yellow conference letter on 10.21.25 that is due ASAP.  Please return before 10.30.25.  Thank you!

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:
Butzin List 7
Parkin List 8

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 7

List 8


Math
3rd Grade: 
XtraMath.org.  Please practice 3 times per week. Keep going until "Mr. C says, you're done!" It should take approx. 10 minutes
If you have not already done so, please return all parent-signed Unit 1 Checkpoints (A, B, and C)  and the End of Unit 1 test (so that Mrs. P knows your parents have seen them!) Then, you may keep them at home.

We are now working in Unit 2.  

4th Grade: 
Practice * / math facts for 10+ minutes each day! 

Unit 2 Test is Monday, November 3.  Signed test letter with attached review is due November 3. I told students that the review format is just like the test format.

Check Point C came home on October 30.  Students will show me the signature and keep the signed checkpoint in their take home folder to use as a review during our unit of study.

Online fact tests # 3  due on November 17. Your child should practice the week before and a parent can always type.  This is a homework assignment. This can be accessed on any device with internet.

iReady Math Path Homework:  Complete 30 minutes weekly.  Students also have time during math centers to work on this.  

Signed Check Point B due on Monday, October 27.  Students will show me the signature and keep the signed checkpoint in their take home folder to use as a review during our unit of study.

Online fact tests # 2 due on October 30. Your child should practice the week before and a parent can always type.  This is a homework assignment. This can be accessed on any device with internet.

 Students brought home optional additional practice problems for Unit 2 Section B on Tuesday, 10.21.25. I explained that optional means a parent decides!

Checkpoint A came home the week of 10-15-25. Please have a parent sign your quiz, then return it to Mrs. Butzin (so that she knows your parent saw it!) After that, you can keep it in your take home folder for a review. 

 Students brought home optional additional practice problems for Unit 2 Section A on Monday, 10.13.25.  

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!

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. 

We are currently working in Unit 2. Students generate and reason about equivalent fractions and compare and order fractions with the following denominators: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 100. Students will extend their prior understanding of equivalent fractions and comparison of fractions. 

Social Studies
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?

Science
We are currently enjoying our study of water and climate.   We are trying to use scientific words to describe the behavior of the water.  It's a lot of fun!

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? 


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