May 14, 2026
Dear Families,
You are receiving this a day early because I will be gone tomorrow, Friday, May 15th. I am having a procedure done. However, I wanted to touch base with you and tell about our great week. Mrs. Mura will be my substitute teacher tomorrow, and I’m sure my students will be well behaved for her!
We are almost done with discussing Family Life, our school’s curriculum to discuss puberty and the reproduction system. However, we don’t go into many details in fourth grade. We discussed that God gave us a body and a soul; the different stages of life from conception to natural bodily death; and how God cares for each stage. Within those stages, we discussed what puberty is: the stage in which our bodies get us ready to have a baby. We also discussed what conception is: with the God, the mom’s egg and the dad’s sperm come together and create a human life. Cells will rapidly multiply at that stage. We also are having some “guest speakers” which are Lilly Fisher’s four-month old baby sister (today) and my grandgirls to observe the fast development between birth and three years old (Monday). We have not talked specifics. They will be beginning the specifics in fifth grade. However, if you want to be the one to discuss this first with your child, this might be the time to do so.
We will be walking to Mt. Baker Theater on Monday after lunch. Please make sure your child brings clothing that will keep him or her warm and dry enough!
I have handed out the May Book Report criteria and the schedule today. Please look for it in your child’s homework folder. Here is the schedule: Students with numbers 1-7 –Tuesday, May 26th. Students with numbers 9-15 –Wednesday, May 27th. Students with numbers 16-21 –Thursday, May 28th. Students with numbers 21-26, Friday, May 29th.
MAP testing will continue on Tuesday (Language) and Thursday (Math) next week.
Blessings,
Paula A. Martin-Zender
Academics
Religion – Fourth Grade Theologians discussed Family Life and worked on Cel-You-Brations.
Language – We continued reading in small groups about one of these famous pilots: the Wright Brothers, Amelia Earhart, and Neil Armstrong. For writing, we are continuing to write a five-paragraph essay on our favorite pet. For Spelling, Unit 312 involved singular and plural possessive nouns.
Math – Fourth grade mathematicians took a test on connecting fractions to decimals and money.
Science – These scientists are learning about volcanoes. Students began researching a specific active volcano on earth.
Social Studies – We are having a guest speaker for Junior Achievement. Mr. Yeend is an alumni parent that is a long-time parishioner. He will continue next week too.
Specialists
Art – This week, 4th grade artists learned how to use paint and different brush techniques to create realistic animal fur details. Students practiced adding texture, layers, and careful brushstrokes to make their animals look more lifelike.
Spanish – They practiced prepositions of place through the poem La Llave de Roma, describing objects and places in a house, and they also played a guessing game to find where an object was located.
Music – This week in music we are…composing a 16-beat melody to accompany a spring poem, using the creative process to experiment with rhythm, pitch, and melodic direction while turning words into music. We are also learning the Caribbean song Four White Horses and practicing teamwork through coordinated hand-clapping patterns
Physical Education – This week in PE we learned how to jump explosively and land safely. We practiced our traveling, balance, and jumping skills through gymnastics stations. Some favorites were the balance boards, trampoline, and the rock wall.
Library – This year we got to participate in the Washington Children’s Choice Awards. We read many books and this week we got to vote on our favorite book. The winner will be announced from the WLA on June 1st; we can’t wait to see which book gets chosen. To look at the story or other library activities, check out librarypage.
May 18 – Mt. Baker Theater performance field trip
May 19 & 21 – The last two MAP tests in the morning!
May 22 – Early Release for Memorial Day weekend
May 25 – no school – Memorial Day
June 2 – Field trip to Marine Park