Going Once, Going Twice, Sold To The Highest Bidder!

Friday was finally here! The highly anticipated “Auction” took place with all 90 students. Yes, you read it right…90 students! They were all housed in the large Phillips/Pinchot co-teach room. All 90 students came armed with their Behavior Bucks ready to bid on an item of their choice. Excitement rose as the auctioneer called out, “Who’ll give 2 dollars, 2 dollars, 2 dollars, now 3 dollars, now 4 dollars…sold to the highest bidder for $4.00!” What a thrill to see the winner, money in tote, speed walking with a brimming smile up to the auctioneer to pay for and collect the winning item! Talk about engaged students! The room was bubbling with excitement. After auctioning off many items, the auction ended with 90 students who couldn’t wait to earn more money. But how do they do this?

Do you want to know how to positively motivate, encourage, and reward your students for doing the right thing? Here’s what we do at the Lopez, Launey, Phillips, Pinchot 4- Corners. We “catch” our students behaving exceptionally well, committing random acts of kindness, going above and beyond our expectations, giving back to our learning community, etc. When they are “caught”, they are rewarded with a Behavior Buck (a green simulated-looking dollar). Here at 4- Corners, all four teachers believe in Positive Discipline. We would rather mold and build outstanding character by rewarding learners who “do the right thing”, than spend our time focusing on negative behavior. We have found that children want to do what is right. They just need to see it modeled and see that it “pays” to be an honorable and upstanding citizen. So, what do they do with these earned Behavior Bucks? They spend them at our auction when they want to bid on something. What a positive way to motivate students to do the right thing! Where do we get these items to auction? We get donated items from our loving, generous, and supportive parents. Our students clean out their play rooms and with permission from their parents donate “almost new” items. Teachers also contribute things they find on sale. We are always in need of donations because we have an auction every Friday! We would like to personally thank all of the parents who donated to our auction.

-Mrs. Lopez, Ms. Launey, Mrs. Phillips, Mr. Pinchot
The 4 - Corner Team

To Our Students: What to Remember When Making a Post

This is a special message to all of our precious students who are visiting our blog this weekend to vote in both of our polls and leave a message:

Here are a few things you must remember in order for us to accept your post:


1) Please remember to sign your comment with your first name at the end of your comment. Please do not include your last name.

2) Posts that are not signed with a person's first name (anonymous posts) will not be accepted.

3) Remember to add posts to the right section and make sure that your post addresses the topic of the section. For example, if you are leaving a post about the Georgie read-aloud you are currently experiencing in ELA class, please leave your comment in the section on the Georgie post.

We are so pleased that so many of our students are visiting our blog this weekend and showing their participation in what we are learning in class! Please visit often and check for updates!

Have a wonderful weekend.

Ms. Phillips, Ms. Launey, Ms. Lopez, Mr. Pinchot

The Thing About Georgie by Lisa Graff

Our first chapter book read aloud is The Thing About Georgie by Lisa Graff. We are in the third chapter, and our 4th grade students are loving it! They thoroughly enjoy getting to know the main character, Georgie Washington Bishop, who is a ten year old dwarf. Georgie's parents are accomplished musicians of normal size. In Chapter 3, we learned that Georgie's mom is having a baby, and we are predicting that Georgie is wondering if his sibling will be a dwarf like him or of normal size like his parents. Our students are learning that Georgie cannot do everything that they can do, because of his size. ...but then again, some things he is able to do. For example, Georgie and his best friend, Andy, have a dog walking business, and Georgie walks the smaller dogs like poodles and Andy walks the larger dogs like Great Danes. We know that Georgie has a good heart because he is trying to make money so that he can buy his parents decent presents at Christmas time and still have money left over to buy comics for himself. Our students are very engaged and curious to see how Georgie is going to deal with Jeanie the Meanie, a fellow classmate who constantly pesters him. Already, we are becoming aware of the differences in others, how we perceive others and how they perceive us. Now that you have a little introduction of our read aloud, you might be interested to learn what our readers have to say about this highly entertaining book. Stay tuned! Our students will be posting soon!

Dorry Lopez and Meli Launey

Our Solar System

Wow! Today we asked our students to draw a picture of our solar system before we began our new unit. In their picture they should have included anything they knew about the system around us. We were expecting that a fair amount of students would be able to list the planets in order, understanding the sun was in the center. Maybe a few would know the planets were not all the same size and have some idea of their characteristics. Boy, did we underestimate their knowledge. Here is a list of responses we recieved:

• Saturn and Neptune have rings


• Saturn's rings go around its equator while Neptune's go around its poles


• Pluto is a dwarf planet


• We have 4 inner and 4 or 5 outer planets


• An asteroid belt serparates the inner and outer planets


• Jupiter is the largest planet


• Jupiter's volume is large enough to fit all the other planets inside


• We live in the Milky Way Galaxy


• Pluto is in or near the Kuiper Belt


• Our moon causes our tides


• Planets revole and rotate


• Mercury has a very hot side and a very cold side


• Jupiter is a gas giant

I think we will need to revise our lessons!

Welcome Back!

Today was our first day back after our extended time off due to "Fay". During Science Workshop, as a way to turn that time off into a "learning opportunity", Mr. Pinchot (a degreed Meteorologist!) led a thoughtful conversation with our classes about the different classifications of storms and how "wind speed" constitutes the category of storm we experience. This conversation led to the students reflecting on their own personal experiences over recent days. Many of our students shared the precautions their families took during this inclement weather time period (some students even practiced the "Duck and Cover" response in their homes when we experienced local tornado warnings in our area a few days ago, which is a special drill we had just practiced in school in preparation for this sort of situation). Our discussions also led us to develop a list of the many "do's" and "don'ts" of how to react during a storm to maximize personal safety. Needless to say, it was time very well spent.

If you are a parent of a child in our class reading this entry, ask your child to identify for you the three classifications of "storms" that we discussed in class:

*Identify the type of storm with winds greater than 74 miles per hour.

*Identify the type of storm with winds between 40 and 74 miles per hour.

*Identify the type of storm with dying winds that have fallen below 40 miles per hour.

Finally, ask your child which 2 categories "Fay" fell into, and see if he or she can tell you the significance of this storm beginning with the letter "F"!!!

Fay Cuts First Week Short

Tropical Storm Fay put an abrupt halt to our first week of school. Just as we were learning students' names and collecting data through our diagnostic, we had to take three days off for Fay to pass. Although much work has been done through email and phone calls, I for one would have rather been at school. We hope everyone is safe and look forward to seeing all of our students once again on Monday.

Our Very Memorable First Day of School

Our first day of school was incredible. In addition to establishing guidelines, organizing supplies, and getting to know each other, we attended a very special assembly aligned with this year's theme at Chets: Around the World in 180 Days! Our very special guest, Mr. Bruce Junek, took our students on a virtual tour of a special trip he took with his wife Tass "around the world" several years ago. It was absolutely amazing. He and his wife traveled to over 25 different countries over a two year period, traveling 14,ooo miles (many of these miles by bicycle!). He led his presentation with a pictorial slideshow, sharing the triumphs and difficulties of their journeys. The most compelling part of the presentation was how he taught our kids to appreciate diversity by sharing the traditions, lifestyles, and beliefs of the many people he and his wife interacted with during their journey. He told stories of his visits to many places, including: Hawaii, Fiji, New Zealand, Nepal, India, Egypt, Jerusalem, Athens, Austria, and Switzerland. As he reflected on his experiences in each country, he taught us so much about the culture and the landscapes, the people and the way their lives compared to or differed from our own. Upon returning to our classroom after this special presentation, our class debriefed the experience and what we gained from it. A lot of what was discussed pertained to appreciating (and not judging) people who are different from us in America. Justin said that we should "Respect the things that we have and respect others for what they have." Many of the children we saw in the pictures had no shoes, or they had to walk with buckets to retrieve water each day for their family from nearby rivers. Other children Mr. Junek spoke about cared for younger siblings and worked to support their family instead of going to school to receive an education. In addition to developing a greater appreciation for others different from us, we also found that we were inspired to follow our dreams. As Ryan reflected, he said: "It doesn't matter what other people say of your dreams- you just do it." Shannon said we should "Try our hardest to accomplish our goals." What important life lessons we learned beginning in the first few hours of our journey together in 4th grade that has just begun! We are looking forward to many more life lessons to come!

First Day

Wow! What an exciting first day. I just wanted to thank our third grade teachers from last year. As always, I turn most conversations to math and today was no different. While taking roll I asked the class if they knew how many students were in the room? I told them we had seven tables with six chairs each and all the tables were full. Noah quickly stated that we had 42 students in the room. When asked how he knew, Noah responded, "I know 7 x 7 is 49, so 6 x 7 is one group of 7 less or 42!" He must of had a great teacher last year!

Chets Creek Families are Amazing!

There has been a severe decrease in supply money this year in all schools in Duval County. After explaining our needs to the parents at Orientation, one parent came through with flying colors! It was Dave Ranney, a father of a student in Ms.Launey's homeroom. The teachers came upstairs after our faculty meeting to discover a massive, overflowing box of white binders (exactly what we had asked for). Mrs.Lopez and Ms.Launey were jumping for joy (you know you are a true teacher when school supplies make you jump and scream!). The binders were supplied by a business that no longer needed them and Mr.Ranney found them the perfect home. We thank the Ranney family so much for their extra help and support in our time of need.

Orientation Day

We all enjoyed meeting our students and their families at Orientation. We were thrilled to have a full house in all of our classrooms. During Orientation, our parents learned about the basics of 4th grade during a powerpoint presentation in their child’s homeroom class. The presentation included information about switching classes, staying connected throughout the year, and tips on how to be a successful "traveler". We also introduced our world traveling bear, who will remain nameless until we hold our official vote. After the homeroom presentations, the parents and children were given the opportunity to "travel" to their other classroom, where they toured the rooms and met their other teachers. The Orientation was a perfect kick-off to a year full of world-class adventure! We are so excited about what lies ahead!

The World Around Us....and Beyond!

Hello 4th grade travelers! I have been very busy preparing for my first day at a new school. I have heard many rumors of the great traditions at Chets and I know I am in store for quite a big celebration on the first day. With all the excitement and buzzing going on in the hallways and classrooms this week, it is hard to think about anything else going on in the world outside of Chets Creek Elementary. Often times, It is easy to become so involved in your own little world, that you lose sight of the big picture. Over the last couple of weeks, many of the other teachers and I have made a habit of not leaving school until the sun has gone down for the day. We have been spending so much time in our own "little world". Today I turned on the news for the first time in several days and saw that I had missed so much! It made me realize how important it is that our students this year understand what life is like outside of their classroom and neighborhoods. There are so many things going on in our city, state, country, and all over the world. Knowing about things going on in the great big world makes you a more successful and productive member of society. (..and also gives you more to think, talk, and write about!) This really gets me excited that I will be teaching my students how to become more globally aware as we take a virtual trip around the world this year. We are about to set forth on a journey that will take us beyond the walls of our classroom. Get your bag packed....for a year of amazing adventures. Watch the video below to see some of the exciting places we may be "traveling" over the next 180 days!


-Ms.Launey

Welcome to the Beginning of a Great Journey Together!

Welcome to 4th Grade with Ms. Launey, Ms. Lopez, Ms. Phillips, and Mr. Pinchot!

This year promises to be an incredible year of growth, reflection, and celebration of our knowledge as we embark on a very busy 180 day journey together and take our learning to new heights! To begin, we are very pleased to introduce you to a very special member of our learning community, our class mascot. Next week our students will help to decide on this very special bear's name! In addition, our mascot will begin having the opportunity to "travel" with our students as they attend special trips to faraway places with their families and friends during the course of the school year. This forum will help us learn about many new and special places in our state, our nation, and other parts of the globe! We are so excited to begin this journey "around the world in 180 days"!