Mrs. Dowd's Blog

Cereal Commercials

2011-06-30T16:42:00.000-04:00

Since I spent the day at home today, I finally got all of our cereal commercials posted!

Click the cereal box below to watch!

Enjoy!

Summer is here!

2011-06-20T23:03:00.001-04:00

Click below for free summer reading programs for kids

Click below for free or almost free summer movies

Monday 6/20

2011-06-18T22:24:00.000-04:00

Awards Day from 9-10am

Our Fourth Grade Agriculture Feast is on Monday!
Remember to send in your item with your child or bring it in by 10:45.

Field Day 2011 pics!

2011-06-16T22:30:00.002-04:00

FIELD DAY!!!

2011-06-16T00:18:00.000-04:00

Thursday is Field Day at OCS!

GO BLUE!!! GO GOLD!!!

12:30 dismissal

Technology Survey

2011-06-13T11:06:00.000-04:00

Students in grades 4-8 will be completing the technology survey in class.
Click the link below to complete the technology survey:

http://www.quia.com/quiz/3141833.html

BREAKING NEWS!!!

2011-06-09T08:58:00.003-04:00

WE WERE ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE EXPRESS TIMES NEWSPAPER TODAY!!!
CHECK US OUT ON THE LOWER RIGHT HAND CORNER!!!

http://xmedia.live.advance.net/lvlive/pdf/thursday_nj.pdf

Bill Sloan Visit 2011

2011-06-08T23:08:00.001-04:00

Our truck driver friend, Bill Sloan, came to visit all the way from the state of Washington! He answered questions about his travels, then we went outside to take a tour of his truck and meet Shorty. Bill brought a stack of postcards for the kids to take home as a souvenir.

postcards that Bill has sent from 48 states

question and answer session

Trinity and Mrs. Dechert checking out Bill's truck

Mr. Magnuson and Shorty

Fourth grade class picture with Bill and Shorty

Shorty and Bill

Excited Shorty!

Mrs. Dowd's class with Bill 2011

Coming up this week...

2011-06-06T23:40:00.002-04:00

Wednesday, June 8 -

Luau Lunch: wear something 'tropical'.

Wednesday, June 8-
Truck Driver Visit:

Our trucker friend, Bill Sloan will be visiting our class.

This will be the 11th year he has visited the fourth graders here at OCS.

Thursday, June 9 -
Ocean Night from 6-8pm

FUN 4th Grade Games!!!

2011-05-31T10:24:00.000-04:00

More MARE Movies!

2011-05-26T11:45:00.000-04:00

sea otters playing

sea otter enrichment

sea urchin eating

sea star eating

MARE - Kelp Forest

2011-05-15T20:05:00.000-04:00

In fourth grade, the students learn about the Kelp Forest and Eelgrass during our MARE science curriculum. The Montery Bay Aquarium in California is an excellent resource for us while learning about this topic. Click on the photograph to learn about this amazing aquarium and see the live web cam:

Other great websites can be found here:

Dive into the Kelp Forest in a submersible

Watch a movie about Kelp

NJASK Testing Week

2011-05-11T00:04:00.001-04:00

We have gotten through our first 2 days of NJASK testing on Language Arts. On Wednesday and Thursday, we will have our NJASK Math testing. Friday is our NJASK Science test.

I have been reading the novel "Hoot" to the students the past two weeks. The story is about a boy named Roy Eberhardt, the new kid at Trace Middle School. The story is an ecological mystery about a pancake house that is scheduled to be built over the burrows of endangered miniature owls. We will watch the movie HOOT on Friday.

Information About September 11th

2011-05-03T09:26:00.002-04:00

Our current Social Studies Chapter on "Times of Change" touches briefly upon the events of September 11th. With the current events in the news bringing up this tragic day, we felt it was appropriate to share some facts with the students. This week, we will be watching the Brain Pop movie about September 11th. Feel free to preview or review it with your child.

We will also discuss this famous quote:
"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Remember to thank our troops...

2011-05-01T23:35:00.001-04:00

Earth Day Game

2011-04-27T20:37:00.000-04:00

Click the picture above to play an Earth Day game!

Liberty Science Center Field Trip 2011

2011-04-20T19:45:00.002-04:00

Andrew Clements

2011-04-11T23:40:00.004-04:00

The author of Frindle, Andrew Clements, was born in Camden, New Jersey and lived here until the middle of his 6th grade year.

His website http://www.andrewclements.com/ is where you can see different versions of his novels that are sold in other countries.

You can also read more information on his website about your Book Review novel.

Check it out!

Earth Changes - Weathering and Erosion

2011-03-31T11:21:00.002-04:00

Play the Shape it Up game! Find out about earthquakes. Build your own volcano!

Tricky Tray Family Game Night Basket

2011-03-25T14:33:00.002-04:00

TRICKY TRAY DONATIONS for our FAMILY GAME NIGHT BASKET
Donations will be accepted until Friday, April 8
Thanks to everyone that donated!

As of Friday, March 25th, we have the following items for our basket:
A frisbie
Pictureka!
Chess/Checkers/Tic-Tac-Toe
Magic 8 Ball
Jigsaw Puzzle w/puzzle carrier
Hands Down
Mancala
Trouble
Dominoes
Magikus Lego game
Checkers
Bowling set
Card games: Old Maid, Crazy 8's, Matching
popcorn w cheddar seasoning
popcorn on the cob
popcorn container

Items made in New Jersey

2011-03-18T14:43:00.002-04:00

Students earned extra credit points for bringing in an item made here in New Jersey!

Look in your cabinets and refrigerator - you will be surprised at all the Made in New Jersey products!

Lou Gehrig tribute

2011-03-17T14:20:00.000-04:00

Click the link below to watch Lou Gehrig's speech at Yankee Stadium.

Lou Gehrig tribute

Rock and Roll

2011-03-07T19:46:00.006-05:00

Our World: The Rock Cycle

More educational games & videos on Types of Rocks at NeoK12.com

Rocks

More science games & videos on Types of Rocks at NeoK12.com

Label the rock cycle: http://www.neok12.com/diagram/Types-of-Rocks-01.htm

Rock jigsaw puzzle: http://www.neok12.com/jigsaw-puzzles/Types-of-Rocks.htm

Hangman: http://www.quia.com/hm/81745.html

Measuring Angles

2011-03-07T10:05:00.011-05:00

Play some games to practice measuring angles:

http://www.mathplayground.com/measuringangles.html

http://www.amblesideprimary.com/ambleweb/mentalmaths/protractor.html

St Jude Math-a-Thon and Tricky Tray

2011-03-03T12:34:00.006-05:00

The St. Jude Math a Thon is underway! A big thanks to our 4th graders for visiting the K-5 classrooms to discuss why donating to St. Jude's is so important. We have about 1/2 of our permissions slips back, but hoping for participation from all the students in our class. Donations are due on Friday, March 11th. Tricky Tray - this year, our class is creating a 'Family Game Night' basket. I have donated a "checkers" set and a 3 pack of "Old Maid", "Hearts" and "Crazy 8's". So far, that's all we have. Hoping to receive some more donations to fill our basket. Examples are board games, card games, outdoor sports, etc. Thanks Mrs. Hayes (Ben's mom) for taking care of coordinating our basket this year. All donations are due by Thursday, March 31st.

Canal Extra Credit Projects

2011-02-27T22:30:00.006-05:00

We had 5 Canal Projects turned in last week. Here they are for your enjoyment!

Canal extra credit project

2011-02-14T10:20:00.004-05:00

EXTRA CREDIT PROJECT
Due Friday, February 25th
You have watched videos and read about canals in New Jersey and around the world. Now it’s time for you to create your own canal. Are you up for the challenge?

Use your book and watch the videos from our blog site to review how canals work. Be creative – use any materials you want to create your canal – twigs, clay, play dough, building blocks, legos, etc. If you don’t want to make a 3D model, you can also make a drawing of how a canal works. Your family can help you, but the majority of the work should be done by you.

For your project, you should include at least:

One lower level
One upper level
A lock
A boat

Your project doesn’t need to use water to show how it works, but it should show how a lock works in a canal.

The number of points you can earn will depend on how well you are able to demonstrate how a canal works. You can earn up to 10 extra credit points. Remember – family members can help, but the MAJORITY of the work needs to be done by you.

Your project should be handed in by Friday, February 25th. We will have a class demonstration for anyone that brings in a canal.

Erie Canal

Easton, PA- Josiah White II Canal Boat Ride

Hurricanes and Tornadoes

2011-02-07T00:13:00.000-05:00

Spelling Bee Winners

2011-01-31T23:56:00.002-05:00

Our second place winner is Zachary!
Our first place spelling bee winner is Nicolette!

Congratulations!

Because of Winn Dixie

2011-01-24T19:51:00.004-05:00

Write your own "Ten Things I Know About..." a favorite character, a family member, or friend, and print it out!

Weather Activities

2011-01-18T00:15:00.003-05:00

Snow Day

2011-01-07T17:02:00.002-05:00

Due to the snow day on Friday, your spelling and grammar tests will be moved to Monday.

Be prepared to take your tests after you finish writing your journal writing about the weekend.

Enjoy the snowy weekend and I'll see you Monday!

A new year...

2011-01-01T00:05:00.001-05:00

for our troops

2010-12-21T09:02:00.003-05:00

XEROX IS DOING SOMETHING REALLY NICE

If you go to this website, http://www.LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services.

How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!! It's FREE and it only takes a second.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these? This takes just 10 seconds and it's a wonderful way to say thank you. Please take the time to pass it on for others to do. We can never say enough thank you's!

mitten sewing

2010-12-16T23:32:00.010-05:00

I'm so proud of the wonderful job the students did sewing their big mittens today! The kids were able to sew on two buttons and they learned the whip stitch. Most students had time to learn how to thread a needle today as well.
A huge thanks to Dylan and Nicolette's grandmom, Eliza's mom, Ben's mom, and Thomas's mom for coming in and assisting the students. Thanks to all the 'at home' helpers and those of you that sent in supplies. Check out these mittens!

December 13-17

2010-12-12T17:27:00.004-05:00

This week we have many exciting events in fourth grade.

Wednesday is the holiday concert - the students have been practicing their songs and are ready to perform! Students should arrive to school at 5:30 (no earlier), and come to the fourth grade classroom. Students should be dressed nicely and may wear Santa or Elf hats. The concert starts at 6pm. On Thursday, the students will be sewing a big holiday mitten in class. This has been a fourth grade tradition for 10 years now! Students will get to sew on a button and learn the whip stitch. The students will each bring 17 little items (due Friday) that I will 'stuff' into their mittens and they will bring home a mitten-full of little trinkets on Thursday, Dec. 23.

Tests this week:
Wednesday - Science test-Chapter 4 Ecosystems
Thursday - Reading test -"Komodo Dragons"
Friday - Spelling, Grammar&Social Studies Test-Chapter 4 Colonists
December "Animal" book review&project due Wed., 12/22

Ecosystems...

2010-12-02T10:24:00.001-05:00

Click on the logo to visit eekoworld!

Traditional Native American Games

2010-11-22T09:59:00.002-05:00

We have been playing some traditional Native American games online. You can play these at home by visiting the following website:

http://nativetech.org/games/index.php

Halloween Pictures

2010-11-12T16:35:00.017-05:00

MASK MAKING

HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN CARVING

SAY 'HAPPY HALLOWEEN' :)

WE WROTE 'REVENGE OF THE PUMPKIN' STORIES DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF NOVEMBER...

Halloween Pictures coming soon...

2010-11-07T23:08:00.000-05:00

Red Ribbon Week and Halloween Party

2010-10-24T21:45:00.006-04:00

Red Ribbon Week
*Monday, October 25th: Sports Jerseys
*Tuesday, October 26th: wear red clothing
*Wednesday, October 27th: “Dress for Success” - skirts, dresses, pants, nice shirts & ties.
*Thursday, October 28th: “Silver Strong” - Red Ribbon week's 25th anniversary! Bring a canned good in so that we may give back to the community and wear something silver (or gray)
*Friday, October 29th: Halloween Costumes or Orange & Black - School wide pumpkin scavenger hunt in the morning. Mrs. Lunghi's class is our partner class. We will be reading some stories with them after our pumpkin hunt.
HALLOWEEN FRIDAY
Kids should wear costumes to school Friday morning over their clothes. If the costume needs to have any face painting, it should be done before school - kids will not be allowed to put on any make up at school. Kids may want to take costumes off before pumpkin carving.

From 1:00-1:45, we will be enjoying the Halloween treats that some of our families will be sending while we watch "The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown". We will go out for the parade from 1:45-2:00. Once we come back inside, we will work on pumpkin carving with the help of the parents that are coming in for the party. The parents will be carving the pumpkin that the students design. Kids will get to scoop out the seeds and watch their creation 'come to life'! We will put some battery operated candles inside and write some stories about the pumpkins during the first week of November.

Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

2010-10-20T19:08:00.003-04:00

Will you be a millionaire?
Play the Plant Parts Game!!!

Activities from the week of Sept. 27-Oct. 1

2010-10-05T09:45:00.014-04:00

During one of our math classes, the students looked through newspapers to find sports scores, temperatures, money, etc.

After reading the story, "Yingtao's New Friend", the students practiced using chopsticks in Language Arts.

Animal Games

2010-09-23T10:20:00.003-04:00

Click here Animal Games to play games!!! Yea!!! Fun!!!

September 13-17 Week in Review

2010-09-17T14:36:00.005-04:00

*Language Arts: The students read a story called, “A Visit with Grandpa”. The students discussed how the story related to their lives. The main theme of the story was, "If you practice and put effort into something, things that seem hard now will be easier to do later."

*Social Studies: This week, we discussed the landforms that make up New Jersey. We celebrated “Constitution Day” on Friday and discussed how the Articles of the Constitution helped to form our nation. We watched a video featuring the National Constitution Center and the first woman Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. You can visit that website at: http://www.constitutioncenter.org/

*Science: We learned how animals and plants are classified. The students created a flip booklet with examples of flowering plants, conifers and ferns & mosses.
*Math: In Math class, we discussed quadrangles, polygons, and angles. The students worked in groups at different math centers. We read the book “The Greedy Triangle” by Marilyn Burns to review shapes. The kids took a quiz on lines, segments, rays, angles, and polygons. We spent some time using a compass to create circles. Next week we will be using a compass to create some cool designs.

Math with K'Nex

2010-09-09T23:52:00.006-04:00

Today in class, the students created lines, line segments, rays, angles, and quadrangles using K'Nex. Here are some pictures of the students while constructing their figures:

Our First Friday

2010-09-02T18:29:00.008-04:00

With only three days this past week, who would have thought we would have gotten so much accomplished? Today your child will be coming home with his/her first Friday Folder of fourth grade. Included in the Friday Folder will be a "cover sheet" with a review of our weekly activities and some reminders for next week. You will also find three Scholastic Order Forms ~ Lucky, Arrow, and Click ~ with an information sheet on how to order. Please send in orders by Thursday, or if you wish to order online, you can go to:
Web address: scholastic.com/bookclubs
Class Activation Code: GTGQX

Here are some of my "Picks of the Month"

LUCKY
Diary of a Wimpy Kid #5 ~preorder and it will arrive November 10th
Beesus and Ramona
Geronimo Stilton novels
101 Freaky Animals
100 Things You Should Know About Explorers
Adventures in Cartooning
Fudge Collection

ARROW
Percy Jackson & the Olympians~The Lightning Thief~ and others in the series
Ripley's Believe It or Not 2011
Children's Thesaurus
National Geographic Kids World Atlas
Slightly Odd United States of America
Dear America novels
Mad Libs

CLICK
If you order from this catalog, you will receive a $5 coupon for the October Click Order!
Kid Fit Island Resort (WII & compatable with balance board)
National Geographic Dog Town (CD Rom)
World Championship Spelling (Nintendo DS)
Type to Learn 3 (CD Rom)
Video Game Tycoon Gold Edition(CD Rom)
Think Smart (Nintendo DS or WII)

Wonderful first day!

2010-09-01T19:30:00.002-04:00

We had a wonderful first day today! This morning, I collected all of the summer math packets and summer reading posters. I gave a tour of the classroom and went over the school/classroom rules. We gathered on the carpet to read the story Math Curse, about a student that sees everything is related to math. After lunch, the students had a chance to introduce themselves by completing an "All About Me" informational paper. To share stories about "Our Summer Vacations", we wrote postcards and 'sent' them to Oxford Central School. At the end of our day, the students worked with a partner to complete a "First Day" puzzle, which we will complete tomorrow. I'm looking forward to an exciting year!

September 1, 2010

2010-08-31T20:40:00.004-04:00

Back to School 2010

2010-08-23T02:33:00.007-04:00

Hello Fourth Graders!

The summer is coming to an end, but it is a time of great excitement! I am starting to set up our classroom so it is ready for September 1st.

Oxford is providing most of the supplies you will need for the school year. The following is a list of the supplies that you will need to bring to school with you on the first day:
 1 pocket folder – pick a “fun” design for your homework folder
 1 jumbo and 3 regular sized stretchy book covers
 1 zippered pencil case – to hold all of your school supplies
 1 pair of scissors – child sized, preferably Fiskars brand
 4-5 pencils –pre-sharpened – NO mechanical pencils
 1 glue stick
 1 pack of 3x5 index cards

Donations of the following items can be sent in at any time during the year:
· sandwich sized “Ziploc” or slider bags
· gallon sized “Ziploc” or slider bags
· paper towels
· hand sanitizer
· baby wipes (for cleaning desks)

A homework agenda book will be provided. I have markers, crayons, and colored pencils, but you may bring small packs if they fit in your pencil case. Please DO NOT bring in Trapper Keepers or any other type of binder. They are too large to be stored in your desk.

Feel free to send me an email if you have any questions: hdowd@oxfordcentral.org

:)
Mrs. Dowd

2009-2010 YEAR IN REVIEW

2010-06-18T23:39:00.012-04:00

First week of school

Halloween party

Mitten sewing

Canal projects

Liberty Science Center

10th anniversary of Bill Sloan visiting our class

Ocean floor models and oil spill clean-up

Field Day

Last week of school - NJ t-shirts and Agriculture Feast

Bill Sloan's Visit 2010

2010-06-04T23:37:00.013-04:00

Our truck driver friend, Bill Sloan, came for a visit today all the way from his home in the state of Washington. The kids asked Bill some questions in the classroom, then we went outside to see his truck and Mr. Shorty, his Jack Russel Terrier. Since this was the tenth anniversary of Bill visiting our school, I presented him with a scrapbook of pictures from our visits from the last 10 years. Mr. Shorty!

Dylan 'driving' the truck

The fourth grade class

Mr. Shorty 'driving' as Bill and I hang on!

Mrs. Dowd's fourth grade class with Bill Sloan

Tenth Anniversary Cupcakes

Bill autographing Joel's water bottle

Winter's Tail

2010-05-27T13:27:00.008-04:00

Today we read a book called "Winter's Tail" about a dolphin who was caught in a crab net when she was a baby. Through the help of the Clearwater Aquarium, Winter was rehabilitated and was able to get a prosthetic tail.

Here's the video we watched about Winter:
http://www.scholastic.com/winterstail/

This is the site where you can watch the webcam of Winter and play games!
http://www.winterstail.com/

You can order the Winter's Tail video game for the Nintendo DS at the Scholastic Click Ordering page:
www.scholastic.com/parentordering
class user name: mrsdowd
password: 4ocs

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T14:18:00.003-04:00

Liberty Science Center

2010-04-29T19:49:00.019-04:00

Seeing the Statue of Liberty from the bus The boys working in the Skyscraper area
The girls next to a beam from the Twin Towers
The IMAX theater for the Hubble movie
Mr. and Mrs. Hahn - thanks for getting us the free tickets from J&J!!!
The girls making water graffiti
The boys building cars and racing them
On the observation deck with New York City in the background
Building in the watershed area
Reading about core sampling
Ms Mazzeo inside the diabetes area
Climbing the rock wallLab boys How long can you hang on?
Ms. Mazzeo selling tickets Mrs. Nyman in the health area
The 2009-2010 fourth grade class with
Mrs. Nyman, Mrs. Hahn, Mrs. Dowd and Ms. Mazzeo

Spring Pictures

2010-04-25T20:02:00.004-04:00

Spring Pictures will be taken on Monday, April 26th!

Tricky Tray

2010-04-18T00:27:00.005-04:00

I had so much fun at the Tricky Tray! Our Movie Night basket looked great!
My sister in law actually won it and was thrilled with the variety of movies, movie tickets, candy, and popcorn containers. Thanks to all who donated and organized our basket :) I won a cute luggage set with butterflies on it!

It was so nice to get to see so many class parents at the Tricky Tray - an overall fun night!

Tricky Tray Basket donations - UPDATED 3/22

2010-03-23T09:51:00.000-04:00

Our Tricky Tray Basket donation letter was sent home last week in the Friday Folder. Our class theme is "Family Movie Night". We are looking for donations of movies - G and PG rated, popcorn, popcorn bowls, snacks, candy, ice cream toppings, and movie tickets.

We had a $40 Clearview Cinema donation! Thanks for such a generous contribution towards our basket!!!

For warming up with your loved ones, we have an ivory cozy wrap (similar to snuggy)

Our donated DVD's include:
*Madeline
*Bedknobs and Broomsticks
*The Perfect Man
*The Adventures of Milo and Otis
*Kicking and Screaming
*Big Fat Liar
*Underdog
*Fantastic 4
*The Nanny Diaries

We have two boxes of Microwave Popcorn, Twizzlers, Swedish Fish, Milk Duds, Junior Mints, Whoppers, Good & Plenty, Jujyfruits, Sour Patch, a box of Twixels, and a bag of Trail Mix. We also have 4 individual plastic pop corn holders!

Thanks to Mrs. Reece and Mrs. Pierro for offering to organize the basket!
Donations are due by Friday, March 26th.
Thanks!

Protractor practice

2010-03-04T07:44:00.003-05:00

Here is the link to the protractor website we have been practicing on in class:
Protractor

Canal Project Pictures

2010-01-22T07:27:00.013-05:00

2-liter bottles needed

2010-01-19T19:04:00.003-05:00

If anyone has any empty 2 liter bottles at home, could you please send them into school before Monday? We will be using them for a tornado experiment.

On another note, I hope the students are starting their Weather Projects - if you have any questions about the project, please let me know. Remember, I really want the kids to do most of the work themselves, although parents can assist if needed. Projects are due by Friday, January 29th.

The canal extra credit projects were amazing - we will be sharing a few each day this week and I'll post pictures of them on our blog by Friday.

Thanks!

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T15:27:00.001-05:00

Mitten Sewing 2009

2009-12-19T11:55:00.008-05:00

Our mitten sewing was a great success! The students did an excellent job securing their snowman on with 2 buttons and doing the loop stitch around the edge of their mitten.

Thanks for all the donations of the materials needed for our project! We also want to thank Mrs. Hahn, Mrs. Hale, Mrs. Frasca, and Mrs. Brennan for assisting in the sewing process. Our mittens will be displayed in our classroom until Wednesday. The students will bring them home stuffed with the mitten stuffers they brought in to share with their classmates.

Progress Reports and Mitten Sewing

2009-12-05T12:38:00.006-05:00

Progress reports were sent out Friday - please sign and return by Monday.

Mitten Sewing Project - our fourth graders will be sewing a big mitten in class on Thursday, December 17th from 1-2. We are looking for parent helpers to come in and assist in this fun holiday craft. If you are unable to come in, we will need helpers at home to cut out the snowmen and thread needles. We are also looking for donations of 9"x12" felt (in any color) and large buttons.

The students will bring in a little mitten stuffer for all 15 students so they can receive a "little something" from each student. Ideas for mitten stuffers are: pencils, erasers, etc. I will be stuffing the mittens for the students to bring home on Wednesday, December 23rd.

We are thankful for...

2009-11-25T12:27:00.003-05:00

Joel – I’m thankful for my possessions.

Darrell – I’m thankful for my friends because they help me in school.

Nia – I’m thankful for my family because I have someone to love and care about me.

Kristina – I’m thankful for my family because they provide me with food, shelter, and water.

Samantha – I’m thankful for my family because they are always there for me.

Megan – I’m thankful for my friends because they are so sweet and they will never let me down.

Brianna – I’m thankful for my family because they get me things I need.

Sarah – I’m thankful for my family because they care for me.

Veterans' Day

2009-11-11T09:50:00.004-05:00

Thoughts about Veterans' Day from our 4th graders:

Joel
I have a veteran in my family. His name is Carl Lundgren, and he is my grandpa. I thank him by going to where we spread his ashes and say prayers. 1921-2005

Darrell
Brave means Veterans had to fight even if they don’t want to.

Brianna
I have a veteran in my family; My grandfather was in the army. I would tell him, “Thank you for serving our country, and for saving it.” My grandfather is still alive. He is 65 years old. His job is paving drive ways. “Thank you, Granddad . I love you.”

Chloe
Thank you for fighting for our freedom and for our country.

Cassidy
Thank you for serving our country. Also thank you for fighting for our freedom.

Amanda R.
My great grandpa was in the military, he was trying to save 2 people in a poisons army tank, but he failed and died with them. If he was here I would say, “You were brave.” You died before Grandma, Mommy, Zach and I.

Samantha
I have a veteran in my family. My grandpa is a Veteran. He fought in the Korean war. He is 85 years old. He was also in the Navy.
To thank a veteran or current soldier for serving our country I would say, “Thank you for serving our country. You were a big part of the Navy, Army, Air force, Marines or National Guard.”

Megan
I think my Uncle Ray was in World War Two. I pray for him sometimes and thank him for serving our country. I am thankful to have a brave person in my family. Even though I never got to meet him, he was pretty cool.

Nicholas
My grandpa was in the Air Force when he was younger. He fought in the Korean War. He tells my brothers and I stories about the Korean War.

Nia
The soldiers could be nervous or a little scared, but they can do it no matter what.

Amanda L
A soldier fights for our country to save it. They probably are scared and afraid to die, but they care and want to help our country. If they are going die, they know they died for our country.

Kristina
My grandfather was in the military. He is still alive and well right now! I’ll thank him and all the veterans!

Hailey
Being brave doesn’t mean you aren’t scared, it means you do it anyway. This describes a soldier because no matter what the consequences between life or death, the soldiers fight for our country. They might be scared to never see or hear from their family again. Who knows, they might not even get to say good by to a loved one, but they still fight for our country. That is why I am very grateful for our freedom fighters.

Earthworms

2009-11-08T20:44:00.002-05:00

Halloween

2009-10-30T11:21:00.003-04:00

Happy Halloween!

The teachers were all dressed up as "Witchy Women" today!

Staying Healthy

2009-10-20T10:50:00.002-04:00

I wanted to express our thanks for the donations of the hand sanitizer and the hand wipes that have been coming in to our room. We are using the hand sanitizer before snack and lunch, and after sneezing! The wipes are being used to wipe down our desks.
Thanks again! Any donations are appreciated!

Progress Reports Oct.8th

2009-10-08T18:10:00.002-04:00

Progress Reports were sent home today. Please sign and return by tomorrow!

Scholastic Order for October

2009-10-01T22:16:00.004-04:00

The Scholastic Lucky and Arrow Book Orders and Click Order for October is being sent home on Friday, with the order due on Wednesday, Oct. 7. There are many interesting books in this order. You can send cash or a check made out to Scholastic, in an envelope with your child's name and "Scholastic Order". You can also online this year at:
www.scholastic.com/parentordering
Class User Name: mrsdowd
Password: 4ocs

Here are some of my recommendations for each order:

Money Madness - a book about the history of money

Goosebumps Haunted Pack - 13 books, just in time for Halloween!

Sports Illustrated for Kids Magazine - 6 issues for $10

Mad Libs pack - 5 books for a fun way to practice grammar

Greeting from the 50 States - learn about every state

The Witches - a Roald Dahl book just in time for Halloween

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Dog Days - be one of the first kids to own Book #4

Indiana Jones Trio - 3 books and a poster in a hard case

Star Wars Last of the Jedi Pack - 10 books

Bill Wallace Animal Pack - 4 favorites about dogs and cats

Computer games: Math Blaster, Sponge Bob Monopoly, Soccer Math

Wii and Nintendo DS games: Monster Mayhem Build and Battle, King of the Clubs-Mini Golf, Wordmaster, Dreamer Series Babysitter, Yamaha Supercross

Looking for numbers...

2009-09-30T18:40:00.004-04:00

We began our new chapter in Math today by looking for various numbers in the newspaper. The students flipped through to find a number in the millions place, a percent, a number written in word form, etc. Here are some pictures of the work in progress:

Our Fish!

2009-09-22T23:01:00.003-04:00

We are excited that Kristina brought in guppies for our fish tank!
Here they are!

Back to School Night

2009-09-15T22:14:00.005-04:00

It was really nice to finally meet the parents of my wonderful students! Thank you for taking the time out of your busy evening to come in for a visit. For those that were unable to attend, feel free to stop by after school one afternoon to check out our classroom.

Kids: your parents were impressed with how well your desks were organized! Your bio-poems were a hit!

Heroes

2009-09-11T07:27:00.000-04:00

Scholastic Suggestions for September

2009-09-03T23:31:00.010-04:00

The Scholastic Lucky and Arrow Book Orders and Click Order for September is being sent home on Friday. There are many interesting books in this order. You can send cash or a check made out to Scholastic, in an envelope with your child's name and "Scholastic Order". You can also online this year at
www.scholastic.com/parentordering
Class User Name: mrsdowd
Password: 4ocs

Here are some of my recommendations for each order:

Presidental Pets - book that tells about the different pets that have been in the Whitehouse, including a hippo
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, the Last Straw - paperback, not sold in stores
50 Amazing States Book and CD-ROM to become an expert on all 50 states
Family Huddle - a football book written by Archie, Eli, and Peyton Manning!

Ripley's Believe it or Not - 2010 edition hardcover
Everything You Need to Know Pack - 6 homework helper books for all subjets
Island of the Blue Dolphins - Can a 12 year old girl survive on a deserted island alone?
Books about current movies - G-Force, Transformers 2, GI Joe

Computer games: Type to Learn, Adventure Workshop 4th-6th Grade, I Spy Fun House
Wii and Nintendo DS games: Backyard Baseball 2010, Learn Math, Escape the Museum

See you tomorrow!

2009-09-01T18:49:00.003-04:00

I'm looking forward to see all of the smiling faces on my 4th graders tomorrow!

School Supplies for Mrs. Dowd's Class

2009-07-27T12:35:00.011-04:00

Hello to my 4th grade class of 2009-2010! I'm sure you will want to start shopping for your school supplies with September 2nd just around the corner! Oxford is providing most of the supplies you will need for the school year. The following is a list of the items that you will need to bring to school with you on the first day.

1 pocket folder – pick a “fun” design – this will be used for your homework folder
4 jumbo sized stretchy book covers – (I saw these at Target and Walmart for 50 cents)
1 zippered pencil case – to hold your pencils, scissors, and other supplies you will get in school
1 pair of scissors – preferably Fiskars brand
4-5 pencils –either mechanical pencils or pre-sharpened pencils

A homework agenda book will be provided. I will sign the agenda book daily to show that your child has written in his/her homework correctly. Parents will sign nightly when all homework is completed.

I have markers, crayons, colored pencils, and glue sticks, but you may bring small packs if you would like to have your own in your desk. If you want to bring a small sharpener, be sure it is the type that holds the pencil shavings.

Please DO NOT bring in Trapper Keepers or any other type of binder. They are too large to be stored in your desk.

I will be updating our site as it gets closer to September. Feel free to send me an email if you have any questions: hdowd@oxfordcentral.org

Sincerely,
Mrs. Dowd

FUN summer activities

2009-06-29T22:09:00.004-04:00

Click on the link below the picture to create your own story starter!

Story Starter Spinner

Last Day of School & Bill Sloan Visit

2009-06-21T12:58:00.010-04:00

I just want to thank all of the fourth grade students for a wonderful year! We have so many special memories from our year that we will never forget. Here are some pictures from our last day of 4th grade and Bill's visit. I hope you all enjoy your summer! Keep in touch hdowd@oxfordcentral.org
Love,
Mrs. Dowd

Post cards from Bill in the background

Field Day 2009!

2009-06-12T21:21:00.015-04:00

This week's events

2009-06-08T20:05:00.002-04:00

Tuesday night 6-7:30 Oxford's Got Talent!
Come on out for a fun family event - watch students from grades 4-8 perform their talents - singing, dancing, acting, etc!

Thursday night 6-8 Ocean Night!
Check out our Kelp Forest and Eelgrass information!

US States and Capitals Games!

2009-05-30T13:11:00.010-04:00

Friday, June 5th, the students will be taking their 50 states and capitals test. You can play some fun games while reviewing for the test:

States and Capitals games

New Jersey t-shirts and Mother's day flowers

2009-05-27T17:51:00.007-04:00

The students created New Jersey t-shirts as a way to remember information they learned while studying New Jersey history this year. Below are 2 photos, one to show off their shirts, and one of the kids showing off!

For Mother's Day, the students decorated a flower pot for Mom and planted a snapdragon. Happy Mother's Day to all our Moms!

Liberty Science Center photos

2009-05-03T13:37:00.009-04:00

Liberty Science Center Field Trip - Thursday, April 30

2009-04-27T16:30:00.002-04:00

The fourth graders will be taking their class trip to Liberty Science Center on April 30th. Information will be sent home on Monday, April 20th. In the meantime, you can check out LSC online...
http://www.lsc.org/
We will see the IMAX film "Wild Ocean" while we are there! Get a sneak peek here:

Fun Electricity Circuit Website

2009-04-03T11:13:00.004-04:00

http://www.andythelwell.com/blobz/

Cultural Feast

2009-03-27T15:14:00.014-04:00

Thank you all for the wonderful Cultural Foods!
We had a spectacular lunch today!

Tricky Tray Basket and Family History Projects

2009-03-20T16:11:00.010-04:00

Thanks to Mrs. McGuire for putting our Tricky Tray basket together! We really appreciate all the donations to our Family Movie Night basket!

I also want to thank everyone for sending in the Family History information this week. It was amazing to hear the stories of the journey to America. Here are a few students with items they brought in from their relatives...

Andrew with Grandpa's war jackets

Charlie with Grandpa's Scrapbook

Jackie with immigration papers

Ryan with Great-Grandma's needlepoint from Greece

St. Jude Math-a-Thon

2009-03-10T09:24:00.004-04:00

We raised over $4,200 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital!!!

There is only one more day left to contact relatives, friends of your family, and trusted neighbors to sponsor you for the St. Jude Math-a-Thon. Donation envelopes are due Wed. March 11th. Don’t forget to choose your prizes!

On behalf of the patients at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, thank you for your participation. Your donations will be used to improve the quality of life for the children affected by childhood diseases.

Tricky Tray Basket donations are due Friday, March 13th

2009-03-09T09:59:00.003-04:00

I want to thank all of those that donated to our Tricky Tray Family Movie Night basket. We have received many snack items, such as popcorn and candy, and we have popcorn containers.
As for movies, we have:
*How to Eat Fried Worms
*Andre
*The Perfect Man
*Spiderman
*Dr. Doolittle
*Milo and Otis
*Wild Hogs
*Popeye
*Agent Cody Banks

If anyone would still like to donate, all donations are due this Friday, March 13th. Mrs. McGuire has offered to put our basket together for us. Thank you again for all donations!

Spirit Day tomorrow!

2009-03-02T21:26:00.003-05:00

Twin day is tomorrow! If you forgot to find a friend to match for Spirit Day, you can always wear blue and yellow or an OCS t-shirt. Here's Mrs. Kantz and I from last year's twin day.Our Math Quiz on division will be switched to Monday.
See you tomorrow!

THE BABIES HAVE ARRIVED!

2009-02-27T18:49:00.005-05:00

Our baby guppies were born this morning!
We are estimating somewhere between 25-50 little ones are now in our incubation tank.
Here are a few pictures of Momma with her fry.
You can see them at the top of the water.

Where did the last two weeks go?

2009-02-26T00:28:00.006-05:00

The St. Jude Math-a-Thon is going strong! Over 1/2 of the students at Oxford are participating, thanks to our 4th graders! Please remember to gather donations, choose your prizes, and return your sponsor envelope to school by Wednesday, March 11th.
We are going to start our collection for the OCS Tricky Tray. Our classroom basket is "Family Movie Night". Donations can include any G or PG rated DVD's, movie tickets for local theaters, movie rental certificates, gift certicicates for local pizzerias or other take out restaurants (to have dinner and a movie at home), snacks, drinks, popcorn bowls, etc.
You can send in donations anytime before Friday, March 13th. Here is an example of what we are looking for:Progress Reports are being sent home this Friday. It seems really early since the 3rd Marking Period doesn't end until April 3rd, but ready or not, here they come!

St. Jude Math-a-Thon

2009-02-11T16:45:00.003-05:00

I am so proud of our 4th graders for helping out with the Oxford Central School St. Jude Math-a-Thon 2009! Students will be going out to the K-8 grade classes to give a speech telling how the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital works to find cures for childhood diseases and provides care for children who have cancer or other illnesses.

Today, the students started preparing by reading over their part of the speech, watching the St. Jude video, and getting the parent letters placed into the sponsor envelopes.

Information will be sent home with your child on Friday so they can have permission to start the Math-a-Thon, and they can begin asking for donations. Students will receive their booklets on Wednesday, and can hand them in anytime they complete the math work.

For more information on St. Jude, visit www.stjude.org or www.mathathon.org/

Report Card Time

2009-02-04T09:14:00.002-05:00

Report Cards for the 2nd Marking Period will be sent home on Friday.
Look for it in the Friday Folder.
:)

Super Bowl Sunday!

2009-01-31T19:22:00.002-05:00

I hope you all enjoy the Super Bowl on Sunday!
Don't forget your 3D glasses for half time!

SNOW DAY!

2009-01-28T11:36:00.003-05:00

I hope you are all enjoying the day off today!

We are going to push our Social Studies quiz ahead to Friday. We will review in class again tomorrow and you will fill in your notecards to bring home and study Thursday evening.

We will work on our Reader Response questions for "Marven of the Great North Woods" on Thursday and you will read with your family Thursday evening. The Reading and Spelling tests will be on Friday. We will skip our Grammar Quiz this week.

SCIENCE TEST RESCHEDULED!

2009-01-26T10:40:00.003-05:00

The Science Test scheduled for Tuesday, January 26th will be rescheduled.
The new date for the test will be Tuesday, February 3rd, and will cover Units 2&3, Flowers for All Occasions and Plenty of Plants.

Thanks!
Heather Dowd

NEW EMAIL!

2009-01-24T13:27:00.018-05:00

We found the answer to the email problem!

Oxford is changing over to a new email system. I was one of the first to be switched over, so the email messages I should have been receiving were being redirected to my new email.

Please update your address book with my new email address:

hdowd@oxfordcentral.org

Tim and his family donated 3 new fish for our class fishtank - thanks!

Our 4th Grade Spelling Bee Winners
1st Place Lily
Tie for 2nd Place Jeffrey & Andrew

Here is a picture of our Lenape Village drawings and descriptions. Check them out for yourself in the hallway across from our classroom!