From Middleton to England

Written by Guest Bloggers: Leo, Oliver & Peter

JDO is a foundation that lets kids interact with each other from far away and do projects together. Our class has a partner class in England. We meet on Google Meet to get to know each other and work on projects. We love our meet so we can hear their British accents. Here are some facts about our classrooms: we have a dog named Howie, and they have a dog named Sassy. We are close to Boston and they are close to London.

We don't just meet over Google Meet but we also have JDO partners journals. This is when you can write to a different person or people around the world. You can get to know the people/ person like if they play sports. It’s fun to meet new people around the world. For the partner journal, you can learn some facts about them and you teach them about you! I promise if you do it you’re going to have the most amazing glorious time of your life!

One of the fun things we do with the JDO project is our first project called Take a Walk. It is on Google Earth project to view different parts of the world and to make projects for where we live to show each other. Right now we are doing a practice one for places in Middleton like Richardsons, the police station, the fire station, and even the reservoir. Check out our class Google Earth Middleton Project here. Our partner class in England is making a Google Earth Project for their town called Burghclere, England. Check out our class Google Earth Middleton Project here.

Right now we are working on creating a Google Earth Project with our JDO partners for Patagonia with pictures from Miss Klipfel's expedition. We can't wait to share it soon!

🦃November Read Alouds

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie by Alison Jackson. Read aloud by Miss Klipfel's Class

One is a Feast For Mouse: A Thanksgiving Tale by Judy Cox read aloud by Mrs. Weeks' Homeroom

Disney Day

On Friday, Howe-Manning 4th graders got to experience one magical day! In honor of Mickey Mouse's 95th birthday, we all headed to Disney (Disney Middleton that is). Students traveled around Disney's magical lands, meeting different characters and reviewing skills across the subject areas. Check out our Disney Map and click on each land to see what we were up to.

We started our day in Frontierland to practice our geography skills. For Mickey's birthday, Minnie Mouse planned a spectacular trip around the Northeast Region of the United States. Students used iPads to scan QR codes which led them to letters from Minnie and clues about where she was taking Mickey on their trip.

We headed off to Fantasyland for reading (after a quick spin on the teacups). We practiced the different parts of speech with a digital hunt.

In the afternoon we headed to Adventureland (aka Math) with Mrs. Weeks, we had so much fun spending $200 to buy Mickey's birthday presents. We had to round, add, and even multiply to get as close to spending all $200 as we could.

We of course took a ride on Space Mountain too

We also visited Tomorrowland and Toontown for more Disney fun! We could design our own ears, become an Imagineer, code an Elsa snowflake, or even complete Disney Escape Rooms.

Until tomorrow 4th graders, we might not be at Disney but it is sure to be magical.

All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.

-Walt Disney

Monkey Business

If you're in Miss Klipfel’s class you will get jobs. The class jobs are called Monkey Business. In order to get a job you need to fill out an interest form and Miss Klipfel will pick your job for you based on your application. One of the jobs is messenger, that person gets all the notes and papers and takes them to the office every morning. Smile manager is someone who finds memes and jokes and puts them on the big whiteboard in the front of the pod for you to laugh at in the morning. Tech expert is the person who helps out with problems with Chromebooks. They also plug in the computers at the end of the day. 

The caboose is someone who stands at the end of the line and makes sure everybody is out of the place they are in. The custodian’s job is to clean and organize the classroom so it’s nice and clean the next school day. The door holder is second in line and holds the door for everybody and then goes in front of the caboose. Class DJ makes a playlist to play while working or whenever we listen to music. They take suggestions from the class suggestion list and make it a playlist. Last but not least, the person who’s on vacation, that person has no job and waits till the next shift to get a job. 

Monkey Business employees at work! Left📸: Smile Managers; Right📸: Tech Expert

But wait. There are more jobs than that. There is attendance person and attendance fills in everyone’s lunch orders and if someone is absent they mark them absent. How do they do it? Well, When you walk in you will see a computer on the Chromebook cart. The next job is the greeter so after we do the Pledge Of Allegiance, the greeter does the greeting of the month (which is a different language every month.) The next job we have is the substitute. The substitute is a really easy job. If one of the workers is sick they can take their place. The next job is the line leader. The line leader is also another easy job. Line leader is the first person in line and they set an example for our line. 

Monkey Business employees at work! 📸: Librarian; Center📸: Door Holder; Right📸: Messengar 

Next up, is the cubby monitor. The cubby monitor monitors the cubbies outside our pod and makes sure they are clean. Next up is the direction director who is the go-to helper if you forget a direction. The second to last job is the librarian. The librarian makes sure all of the books are in order. They can also do references for books Miss Klipfell is reading plus they get to do read loud on Fridays. Now the moment you've all been waiting for! The last job is… Wait! Drumroll please. The last job is… *drumming* the social media ambassadors. Wait, that’s us! We social media ambassadors post stuff like this and you read it. Yup. You're just reading what we made. Isn't that cool?

Written by Monkey Business Employees: Natalia & Penelope

Reader's Workshop

Reader's Workshop is well underway in 4th grade. We have been practicing REAL reading (no fake reading here) with STAMINA. We've been enjoying read alouds together, and practicing our reading strategies. Let's just say, I am one impressed and proud teacher! Not to mention there are tons of comfy spots to stick our noses in our books.

We kicked off our first genre study on fiction with a delectable book tasting. Reservations were made and Klipfel Cafe was packed.

Students were exposed to a wide range of fiction texts. They whet their appetites with historical fiction, realistic fiction, fantasy, science fiction, adventure, and even mystery books. I loved hearing students hunt for these books in our classroom library, school library, and even Flint Public Library.

Wait, did I mention our noses in books? We are well on our way with our love of reading!

Klipazon

We know you have heard of Amazon, but have you heard about Klipazon?! Let us tell you all about it...

In Miss Klipfel's class, we earn Klipfel Cash. You can go onto Klipazon and here are some of the cool things you can purchase: 2 stickers for $5, making a mark on the high table for $5, hoop time for $5 Flappy Dragon for $5, no shoes for a day for $10, having Mango or Chevy sit with you for the day for $20 and even be Miss Klipfel’s assistant for $25.

You might be wondering how do we earn Klipfel Cash? In order to purchase something from Klipazon you need to earn money. Earning money is simple, you just need to behave well and be kind. The lowest priced thing on Klipazon is $5.00, the highest price is $25.00. You can save but nothing too high because there is only so much Klipfel cash! You keep your money in a wallet that you can decorate. All our wallets stay in a “vault”.

Just like Amazon, our orders come in in 2-3 school days. We get a certificate and then can use it any day in Miss Klipfel's room. We hope you check Klipazon out! We LOVE Klipazon and we think you will too! Happy shopping!

Written by Guest Bloggers & Klipazon Customers: Natalia & Penelope

1st Day

Our first day together was the first of many happy days in 4th grade. Time sure does fly when you're having fun. I guess the smiling faces, excitement, and lasting summer tans of all the 4th graders only helped. I loved hearing about your summer adventures and look forward to many more shared stories this school year. Klipfel & Kids is your one-stop spot into virtual room 216. Take our hand and let us take you on a tour...

Check out the library area, browse the shelves, pick out a favorite story and snuggle up.

Thank you to those of you who purchased items from our wishlist! We are still looking for a few more flexible seating items to help turn room 216 into a home if you are able to help. Our classroom couldn't look this amazing without you.

Make sure to check back soon and see our adventures. We also love to receive comments on our blog throughout the school year!

Summer Adventure

Old friends and new friends, add a post or picture with your summer adventures. I look forward to seeing your days at the beach, reading by the pool, and flights to adventurous places. If you are having trouble adding a post or picture, email it to me at jklipfel@middletonps.org and I will add it for you. Happy summer days!

Goodbye Friends

Dear Fourth Grade Families,

Fourth grade sure was easy!

It's finally here-summer! This school year sure has been one for the record books. Today, I officially give you back the same child from the fall, a few inches taller, a few months wiser, and much more mature. Although this growth would have happened anyway, it has been my pleasure to watch and be a part of their year. I am overwhelmingly proud of each and every one of them.

One last thank you to all the students for their continuous hard work this school year. You rocked it and we had so many laughs along the way! Thank you also to the parents, grandparents, and relatives for all your support and encouragement from home, as well as, all our faithful blog followers.

Enjoy your days at the beach and nights by the BBQ. Don't forget to post your summer adventures on our summer padlet or send me an email jklipfel@middletonps.org with what you are up to. I love nothing more than getting notes and postcards too! This summer, don't forget to READ, READ, READ. Need a book recommendation or want to chat about a great read, just send me a message. You know I LOVE talking books.

We have truly lived, loved, laughed, and learned together this year. I wish it could continue but each and every one of you is ready for next year. Remember, I will always be interested in your future, wherever you go, whatever you do. Your joys and sorrows I will always be happy to share, so please make sure to keep me in the loop for many years to come. Until we meet again!

Love always,
Miss Klipfel

      Hello 4th Graders                                  Goodbye My Good Friends

Patagonia Expedition Guide

Written by Guest Blogger Josie

Hi! Today I’m going to tell you about our JDO Patagonia book. For those of you who don’t know, JDO is a program for schools that match you with a classroom around the world. Our classroom was paired with a classroom in Dublin, Ireland. We have been doing fun projects this whole year, and the Patagonia book was one of them.

The whole reason we’re doing this project is because of Miss Klipfel’s National Geographic Lindblad expedition. Miss Klipfel applied to be a National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellow. The whole idea is to send teachers to remote places so they can teach more people about them. She was one of the fifty teachers who got selected out of like, hundreds! Miss Klipfel is going to be sent to the far reaches of South America. She’ll be sent to remote islands, and see lots of other cool areas while she travels to Patagonia.

Patagonia is somewhere in the far South of South America, and to be honest, not a lot of people know about it. That’s when we got the great idea to do a JDO project about it! We started with a Padlet to figure about what we already knew about Patagonia which was pretty much nothing and brainstorm things we were curious about. 

We met over Zoom to begin researching and planning our book together. Like with other projects, we split into groups and got assigned specific sections. I got assigned the introduction, and-but enough about me! It took us close to a month to finish, but we finally did. 

Miss Klipfel also added a new section to her blog dedicated to her National Geographic expedition, so she can inform everyone about all the places they probably haven’t heard of. 

Click here to Explore with Miss Klipfel

Anyway, the Patagonia book is going to be shared with people from all different places, and inform them about a not so known place. We even made a K-2 edition for younger students to be able to read and learn about Patagonia. Check out the book and learn about Patagonia too!

This project was by far one of the most fun I have ever participated in, and I am proud to have been part of teaching people about Patagonia!

Comic-Con 2023

Deep in the halls of Howe-Manning, students have been showing their true superpowers. By day you know them as Howe-Manning 4th-grade students but when problems arise they turn into superheroes. Some are able to leap Howe-Manning in a single bound while others are able to stop a speeding monkey. They are all here to eliminate crime one diabolical villain at a time!

Over the last month, students have been preparing for Comic-Con. Students reviewed parts of plot and watched clips of past and present superheroes/villains to then create their very own. Check out all the published 4th grade comics here.

Dressed from head to toe students, families, and friends met to share all their SUPER work for our annual Comic-Con event. 

This year we added handheld vintage video games thanks to Artovation with Ms. Nassar and a full-size bat mobile thanks to Innovation with Mrs. Deeley. 

The Amazing Race Across the West

Written by guest blogger Leo

The Cheez Sticks. The Alaskan Huskies. The Piggy Bananas. The Corgi-bat-pandas. The Ratty Rats. The Cheez sticks got their clue. Thirty seconds ‘tIll the next team gets theirs. It’s The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race is during social studies, and everybody is so excited about it.  “This state was the first to allow women to vote,” Hmm. The next team gets their clue. Everybody is trying to find the location where the answer is. “Wyoming!” Owen yells. Oops. Everybody pins it on Google Earth. They all race to Miss Klipfel to get theirs checked first. 

Then teams are given roadblocks to complete, like writing a paragraph about how wolves are important to Yellowstone. We all use Google Earth and National Geographic resources to help. For our roadblocks in Alaska, you could also make a poster about the Idatroid race racers. We also get detours that we can pick between. In Hawaii, you could make a Hawaiian Leis necklace, or learn to dance the hula. At the end of Hawaii, we limboed. 

When you got the last roadblock/detour done, when you check in with Miss Klipfel on the mat. As a team we all jump on a blue mat. We all had a lot of fun doing it too! This is The Amazing Race.

Golden Dome

Written by guest bloggers Shawn & Joey

The State House was so fun to visit. Let me tell you ALL about it! First, we went on a bus from Howe Manning to the State House. When we arrived at the State House we saw… The GOLDEN Dome! It was so shiny and did you know that the golden dome is made out of 23k Gold. Did you know that more than a thousand people work at the State House?

When we went into the State House we had to go through security and there were big gates in front of the State House to keep it safe. There is a nice beautiful garden in front of the State House. When we got through security we had to walk up so many stairs. Then we went under the Golden Dome and under the Golden Dome is the Senate room. There are two fake fish that give you good luck. One is Under the Golden Dome on a chandelier called the Holy Mackeral (pictured below on the left) and one is in the House Chambers called the Scared Cod (pictured below on the right). 

Representative Jones got us special permission to go on the Senate balcony (see picture above). It is a spectacular view of Boston. We then headed over to the House of Representatives Chambers. The House floor is where the House of Representatives works to make laws and take votes. We got to sit in the House seat and even got to stay while the House went into session. It was pretty cool that we got to lead the pledge for the MA House of Representatives session. 

While we were on the House floor, Representatives Jones and Representative Keran surprised Miss Klipfel with a citation from the MA House of Representatives. When Miss Klipfel got a citation everyone clapped. It was so loud and everyone was so happy for her. The reason she got it is that she got selected as a National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellow for all the amazing teaching she does for us and gets to go on a National Geographic Lindblad expedition to Patagonia. After that, we took a picture on the grand staircase with both representatives and Sentate Tarr. We were supposed to go to the swan boats but it was raining so we went back on the bus to head to Howe Manning.