Monthly Archives: September 2022

September 20, 2022

Good evening families,

Tomorrow will be the first of eight BioSite field trips your child takes this school year. Thank you for signing your child’s field trip form and having them turn it in!

Here is some information plus a few guidelines so you and your child are prepared.

–Students should wear sturdy shoes and clothing that can be layered- items that you are not too worried about – tomorrow.

–Each student has been paired with one or two students form our class and placed in one of twelve field group. Your child can expect to be with this partner and group for the year.

–Lunch will be at Reed, but at 12:15 instead of 12:45. Students will eat either their own or a regular SJUSD provided lunch from the cafeteria. During this time, every student will be reminded to use the restroom as there are no indoor restrooms at the field trip site. 

–We may have to sit 3 to a seat on the bus. Remind students to be patient with each other!

–Students will not be bringing backpacks, water bottles, lunch boxes, or other items on the bus or to the field trip site.  Personal effects will remain at Reed.

–We will return to Reed just before the end of the school day. Students may expect to go home or after school groups shortly after we return.

We have a great class. I think they will impress the student teachers, have a wonderful time, and learn a lot. Families, be sure to ask all about the field trip Wednesday night!

Warmly,

Ms Seyan

September 19, 2022

Hi Families,

A few quick reminders for this week:

–The first BioSite field trip of the year will take place during the afternoon of Wednesday, September 21st. Staff and students will take two buses to the site, which is the creek bed behind Pioneer High School. No chaperones needed. Permission slips are, however! Please have your child return their form, signed by you, Wednesday morning at the latest! That being said, if they turn in the form after Wednesday, they are good for the remaining BioSite trips this year, but will stay on campus Wednesday.

–This week we are starting Origo Module 2, where students practice rounding and estimating with larger numbers and delve more deeply into multiplication facts. In ELA, we are working on the short e spelling pattern, growing our reading stamina by reading for longer periods of time, practicing the steps of Close Reading nonfiction (particularly social studies) texts, and writing personal narrative. We will have a personal narrative pre-test shortly, probably by the end of this week. In Social Emotional Learning, we are working on setting SMART goals, working with others in the classroom, and class procedures! All students in the class use Dreambox weekly, and we are all still taking time for Istation as the class isn’t quite ready for small group work yet.

–We have a Scholastic books account, and a fantastic family helper. Thank you, Mrs. Blomseth! Flyers and a short note with our online login code will go home with Thursday envelopes this week. Exciting!!

Thank you for your attention! As always, please reach out with your questions, comments, and concerns at sseyan@sjusd.org.

Warmly,

Ms Seyan

September 13, 2022

Dear Families,

Here are a few quick updates about your child’s 4th grade class at Reed:

–Picture Day is tomorrow, Wednesday, September 14th. Our class is scheduled to take their pictures at 10:45 AM, but that could change depending on how it goes! For ordering, our school Picture Day ID on mylifetouch.com is: EVT4TM7TT.

-Reed will hold a Hun, Hide, Defend drill on Thursday, September 14. We will not have to create barricades. However, STUDENTS MUST BE SILENT DURING THE DRILL. Even if Mr Ramezane comes to our door and makes a comment, students are to remain silent. Please work with your child on this important point. Thank you! 

-Procedures: We have been working very hard on class procedures, and will continue to review, model, and practice until good classroom and study habits are the norm! The extra effort now will pay off later in the year, when students are attentive through a lesson and can work together productively in groups. This week, we will work on basic procedures such as moving from our seats to the carpet quietly, sitting and focusing on instruction while on the carpet, and what to do when you hear one of our class’ callbacks (respond, eyes on the teacher, voices off). 

– Here is some information on the homework, in case you were wondering about the  Spelling Words: 

…Studies have shown that spelling tests and memorization don’t support development of spelling skills or the understanding of word meanings.

Providing the words we are working with each week on the front of the homework gives you a peek into the classroom. The following week you will see a couple of pages of work that use the current words/spelling pattern we are exploring so that students can review. 

Please check the blog at https://msseyan.com/links-and-resources/ for more information about the Spelling Words. 

Thank you for your attention!  Please reach out with any suggestions, comments, or questions via email at sseyan@sjusd.org.

September 7, 2022

Dear Families,

May I just say a huge THANK YOU to the families who visited our class’ Amazon Wish List and came through with teaching tools and students support materials! I am overwhelmed by the generosity of Reed families. I have never experienced such support at a school, and I am grateful.

And another thank you to everyone who attended Back to School Night and was able to complete the family survey and/or sign up for a conference. I will be in touch with families who have not signed up for conferences in October. If you would like the link to sign up for a conference online or would like to access the family survey, please email me at sseyan@sjusd.org.

Today’s Blackboard update answers a few questions I received on BTS night:

Q: Do 4th Graders get free passes to National Parks?

A: YES, they do. According to the State of California website, “Applying for the free pass online is simple. All that is needed is a name, address, phone number and an email address. For individuals who do not have access to a smartphone, computer or printer, and/or do not have an email address to use when applying online, they can still apply for a pass by visiting a State Parks Pass Sales Office or by calling (800) 444-7275. 

Please check out https://www.parks.ca.gov/AdventurePass for more details. 

Q: May my child bring goodies or treats for their birthday?

A: MAYBE. In our class this year, we have students with severe allergies. Reed’s school nurse advises that we remind students not to trade/share lunches and that we hold no class parties involving food this year. I take student safety very seriously, so will not offer nor help distribute food treats to my class this year.

That being said, non-food goodies or bags that can be shared at the end of the day are more than welcome. Students may have flowers, balloons, or gifts in class during the day-though they may be moved if they block the whiteboard or are super distracting to other students. ;o)

Q: When will homework start?

A: THIS WEEK. Students took home their Bobcat folders with their first homework packet on Tuesday. The homework will have spelling included in future weeks, so there will be daily reading, some math review, and/or a spelling activity. It should take around 30 minutes to complete at most. Families really aren’t required to do anything with the homework, as it is the student’s responsibility. That being said, if you have any observations, suggestions, feedback-I’d love to hear it! I’m always looking to improve.

Please continue to contact me with suggestions, information about your child, and questions about anything. I do apologize if I have been delayed in responding to you this past week. I am making changes to my communication procedures so my responses should be much more timely. I appreciate your patience!

Warmly,

Ms Susan Seyan, Educator