20260503

Week of May 4-8, 2026

 





Pathway to Mathematics Progression Announcement

BPS is pleased to provide information regarding its district-wide process for identifying students in grades 2-8 who may be prepared for advancement in mathematics. The Pathway to Mathematics Progression has been carefully developed to utilize assessment data to identify students who could benefit from grade-level acceleration in mathematics. The district has reviewed M-STEP and i-Ready assessment results and has extended invitation letters to students who meet the established criteria.

If your child did not receive an invitation but you believe they are ready to advance a grade in mathematics, you may register your child to take the assessment. This assessment is a rigorous exam lasting approximately 90-120 minutes, covering standards for the upcoming grade level. Please note that this will include content not yet covered in your child's current instruction. Students who pass the assessment will be eligible for grade-level advancement in mathematics.

It is important to clarify that participation in the Pathway to Mathematics Progression is not the only way for BPS students to accelerate in this subject area. All students have the opportunity to enter an advanced mathematics program as they begin 6th grade, without the requirement of additional testing. Our middle school accelerated courses are designed to enable students to be one grade level ahead by 8th grade. Participation in the Pathway program results in a double advancement, meaning an 8th-grade student who qualifies will be enrolled in a 10th-grade level mathematics course.

If you believe your student is prepared for this level of mathematical progression and wish to register them for the MPA exam, please complete the registration form by Friday, May 8. The assessments are scheduled to take place at your child's school in late May or early June. Each school will share its specific testing schedule with registered families prior to the testing dates. To learn more about the Pathway to Mathematics Progression and to see Frequently Asked Questions, please visit our website. 


DIA Field Trip: May 6th 

  • Depart BCS 9:00 and return for lunch around 12:45

Students are allowed to bring electronic devices/headphones with parent approval


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.




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 28: Butzin
List 27: Parkin   

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 28

List 27


3rd Grade Math
The following information was emailed to my math student's parents: 
BCS Math Progression Pathway
Parents of some students at BCS have been sent an email to invite/register their child to take the Math Pathway Assessment (MPA) math test. Students were identified by the district using their mathematics MStep and iReady scores. If you did not receive an email, but feel your child should test for advanced math placement please click the link below to register: All registrations must be submitted by Friday,  May 8th The link to Registration The Math Pathway Assessment (MPA) will take place during the last week of May or the first week of June.  Link to website
Please Note:
If a student passes the MPA as a third grader, they will take 5th-grade math as a 4th grader. If a student passes the MPA as a 4th grader, they will take math 6/7 as a 5th Grader. 

Ongoing 3rd Grade 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
- Students are reminded daily during math class to return their signed Checkpoint Quizzes.
We are now working in Unit 5  


4th Grade Math: 

-Online fact tests #9 due on April 24, 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!
We are now working in Unit 7.



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


Previous Unit - 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?

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!

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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