Mr. Denton's Class Blog

Before each math test, we always review with a fun game of Jeopardy. Students are able to work together, practicing what they learned over the last couple weeks. To take a look at the first math jeopardy, click on the link below. Challenge one another and help students from 4TD prepare for their test tomorrow.

Unit 1 Math Jeopardy

Elementary Open House is coming soon. This September 8 at 6:00 I hope to see you in the elementary project area. The is a student/child free event, so this time around you get to come to school while the kids stay at home. Take a look at the message below from our principal's that details everything you need to know about the event.

Second & Third Grade Presentations 5:00-6:00

Fourth and Fifth Grade 6:00-7:00

Pre-K and K & 1^st Grade Presentations 7:00-8:00

Presentations:

All grade level presentations will begin in the Elementary School library for specialist teacher introductions; introductions will be followed by grade level curriculum presentations and then end with time for families to explore their child’s classroom and talk with teachers.

Dinner & Transportation:

The Food Court will be open from 5:00-7:00 for parents to purchase a light dinner or snack.  Your attendance is supported through optional transportation from Starbucks in Jingqiao.  Buses will depart at 4:15 and return to Starbucks at 8:15.  Secretaries will be available to call taxis for families as well.

What to Expect:

Elementary teachers are looking forward to sharing with you the details of how your children spend their day at SAS, the curriculum that is delivered as well as an opportunity to explore the classroom and instructional materials.  Your attendance is very important.  Presentations are intended for an adult audience, due to time and space restraints, we kindly request that your children enjoy an evening at home.

We all look forward to personally welcoming you to our wonderful school,

Sacha McVean & Jason Robinson

We had a great start to the year in 4TD. We spent a lot of time getting to know one another and getting a feel for the classroom routines and expectations. The pictures below give you a glimpse of what has been happening in Room 228. The photos are linked to Flickr where you can open them up and save or download them at your convenience. Just click on the title of the photo set and you'll be sent directly to the Flickr account.

Hey parents,

For the first unit of the year, 4TD is heading to the cool to cool off in the water. The unit will end on the 6th of September. For students who are interested in continuing their swimming throughout the year, the elementary competitive swim tryouts are coming coming Monday and Tuesday.  Below is a message from the swim director, George Carpouzis:

Swimming Team try-outs for elementary students in Grade 2, 3, 4 and 5 will be held on Monday, August 23rd and Tuesday, August 24th at 3:15pm sharp.  Swimmers need to attend both days because we will not finish testing out the students in one day.  We will be finished by 4:15pm so students can take the 4:30pm bus home.

All students should be at the Aquatic Center with their bathing suits, caps, goggles and towels ready to compete at 3:15pm.  Parents are more than welcome to watch their children from the Viewing Gallery.  No parents are allowed on the pool deck or in the locker rooms.  As we are trying to make the swimmers responsible competitors, please help us in this.

Swimmers trying out must swim all four strokes proficiently.  This is not a learn to swim program but a competitive program.  If your child does make the team, they are expected to train twice a week all year long, attend all Shanghai local meets as well as one international meet.

Parents, please make sure that your children know which bus to take home after the tryouts (contact YAEP if you are unsure).

And finally, though swimming is a lifelong skill and for everyone, competitive swimming is not.  Make sure your child is interested in trying out for the team and not something you as a parent want.  They might find it discouraging if they do not make the team.  Talk to them to avoid disappointment.

Parents, please do not contact your classroom teacher for any swim team try out information, contact me personally (George Carpouzis, Aquatics Director): george.carpouzis@saschina.org

Hey 4th graders, I am so excited for you to join me on a journey of learning.  Throughout the year we will be learning new concepts, subjects, and skills. The list of all that we will learn goes on and on, so much so that I couldn't possibly fit it all in one blog post. One type of learning that I do want to mention is the fact that we will also learn a lot about each other. I'm a bit impatient though, and would like a head start on knowing all about you.

Look at the list of questions below. On this blog post, click "Comment" at the very bottom. Once you select comment, add in your first name and an email (if you don't have one you may use mine todd.denton@saschina.org).  Once you've done that, take some time to answer the questions listed below. Once you press submit, your thoughts and questions will be posted online for everyone in our classroom community to read. I'll make sure and respond to any questions you write.

Include:

• Your name (Only use your first name)
• Tell me about yourself!
• What do you like to do in school?
• What do you dislike in school?
• What do you like to do outside of school for fun? Do you have any special talents?
• Is there anything you are nervous about?
• What are you excited to learn in fourth grade?
• Do you have any questions you want me to answer?

For the second year in a row, Pudong Elementary will be on a 6 day schedule. In order to be prepared for specialists like music and PE, it will be very important to pay attention to what day is coming up. To help with this, I have linked a draft of the general 6-day schedule for 4TD. I may make some changes to the schedule as the year goes on. However, the specialist times and library checkout times are not changing. Go ahead and click on the image of the classroom schedule to get your own pdf copy. You can also select “schedule” from the drop-down menu to see a year calendar. The school calendar has the days between 1 and 6 listed for the entire year.

Hello students and families,

Welcome to the Room 4TD blog. This website will be a vital form of communication throughout the school year. In many ways, the site is used as a class homepage where student work can be posted along with updated class information.

There are several key components to the blog. First of all, each student has a page that can be found by clicking on the “Students” link above. Throughout the year students individual writing pieces will be posted and published in their page. The writing will be able to be accessed by family, friends, and classmates around the world. Everyone will also have the opportunity to leave comments on the student work. For safety reasons, all written comments on the blog will not be posted until I approve them.

Another key component to the site is the areas to both sides of this post. On the left of the screen is a list of what is coming up. As important dates approach, I will post them on the blog to keep you updated. To the right of the screen you have the Academic Updates section. Every couple weeks this section of the blog is changed to keep you up to date on what is going on in class.

As the year progresses, this site progresses with it. Throughout the year I will be posting class photos, videos, and student created pod-casts that you can access from the comforts of your home. Field trips will be documented as well as special projects. Students and families alike will have the opportunity to be part of an online dialogueaa. I highly encourage you to check out the blog often and make comments on class projects and experiences, and individual student work. Web 2.0 here we go!

To access all the posts from the previous school year, look to the right of your screen. Under categories you can choose areas that interest you. Take a moment to check out some of the projects and field trips from the 09-10 school year and get an idea of what lies ahead.

Enjoy the blog and don’t forget to come back regularly!

-Mr. Denton

Today was a day of goodbyes, hugs, and I'll miss you's. It was also a day of excitement and energy with summer so close you could taste it. Amidst all of this, 4TD had a chance to reflect on the year and share one last moment together. At the start of this year, the class talked about what the ideal class would look like. We then worked all year to make that image as much of a reality as possible. I feel so lucky to work at this school and with these students and I believe it truly has been an ideal year. I wish everyone a wonderful summer.

All the best!

-Mr. Denton

I just have to add these photos to the blog. One set of photos is of a science experiment we did with our snail friends. We decided to see just how strong a snail really is. We created a paper clip sled, added weights, and attached the contraption to the snail using string and tape. We realized a number of different things from this experiment. One thing we learned was that snails will just keep pulling, whether or not they're strong enough. We also found that a land snail can pull up to nine washers. We did the math and found out that the snail was pulling about 30 times it's own body weight! Pretty incredible.

The photos you see below are of 4TD students working together to recreate their Terra-cotta Warrior. As you can tell from the pictures, this took a lot of cooperation and puzzle solving. Don't forget, you can get any of these photos from the flickr account. They just drag right onto your computer.

While the sun wasn’t exactly sizzling last Friday, the day sure was. Except for the short downpour that resulted in last minute adjustments to the morning’s dynasty dig- everything went off exceedingly well. Thanks to all the support from parents, the 4^th graders started the day with fruit, drinks, and donuts to get their energy up for the long day ahead. They then played the role of archeologists as they dug, sifted, organized, and researched artifacts from Chinese dynasties. The pictures above show the entire process, including last Wednesday’s “Cookie Dig” where students learned that patience is a virtue with archeology.

In the afternoon, after a tug-of-war break and a pizza lunch, the 4^th grade moved on to Field Day. The pictures below tell you the entire story. All the 4^th graders broke into separate groups and had the chance to work hard, play hard, and get exceedingly wet. Nothing better than a slip-and-slide on a school day. Take a look at the pictures and enjoy all the smiles.