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

Comic-Con 2026

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 below: 

Mrs. Week's Homeroom

Miss Klipfel's Homeroom

Dressed from head to toe, students, families, and friends met to share all their SUPER work for our annual Comic-Con event. In collaboration with Artovation, students designed and drew a wooden medallions, then used the Glowforge (laser cutter) to actually create it out of wood.

New England Aquarium

"Hop on, kids, we’re headed under the sea!" said in my best Ms. Frizzle voice. We hopped on the Magic School Bus and headed to the New England Aquarium in Boston, and spent the day exploring the incredible world beneath the ocean’s surface.

One of the highlights of our trip was the giant ocean tank in the center of the aquarium. As we walked up the spiral ramp, we spotted colorful fish swimming through coral reefs, saw Myrtle the Turtle gliding through the water, and even sharks swimming below us. Students eagerly pointed out animals they recognized and asked thoughtful questions about the different species and habitats. 

Another favorite part of the day was visiting the touch tank. Students had the opportunity to gently interact with tide pool animals. It was an exciting hands-on experience that helped bring our ocean learning to life! This experience was especially meaningful because it helped prepare us for our upcoming tide pooling adventure in June. Students practiced careful observation skills and learned how to respectfully interact with marine life and fragile coastal ecosystems. We are excited to continue our learning outdoors when we explore tide pools ourselves next month.

Of course, the penguins were also a big hit. We loved watching them hop across the rocks, dive into the water, and interact with one another. We also love seeing Cayenne, the seal who painted the artwork hanging in our classroom. Make sure to ask about it next time you stop in. 

Throughout the day, students learned about ocean ecosystems, animal adaptations, and the importance of protecting our oceans. We discussed how pollution affects marine life and explored ways we can all help care for our planet by reducing waste, recycling, and making environmentally friendly choices. A huge thank you to the PTO and chaperones who helped make this trip possible. 

Klipper Bowl VIII

Are you ready for some fffooooootball? 4th graders were geared up and ready to go for the seventh annual Klipper Bowl. Teams were introduced while blasting their team chosen song, then we completed warm-up stretches, huddled up for last minute strategies, and then stood for the national anthem. Next up was our coin toss for kickoff return placement. Lucky teams who guessed the coin toss correctly had a 20-yard kickoff return while others started on the 10-yard line. Using perseverance and grit, teams quickly caught up.

Teams then ran "plays" from their playbook to gain yardage on the field. "Plays" included using different forms of texts (articles, media, poems, etc.) and completing activities. Players learned about who invented football and completed a comprehension activity worth 50 yards. Teams could choose to run a play and apply all their figurative language knowledge to create football similes, metaphors, alliterations, personifications, and onomatopoeias for 30 yards.

The plays worth the most yards involved correctly placing team logos for all the Southeast region teams (yes, we have been learning all about the Southeast in Social Studies). Other plays included reading a passage about Tom Brady, learning about the history of the Super Bowl, placing fraction footballs on the correct place on the field, and reading a football poem to determine the mood and purpose all for different amounts of yards.

Once teams correctly completed a play, they brought it to Referee Klipfel for the final check and to advance on the field. After gaining enough yardage to make it down the field, teams scored a touchdown! Complete with touchdown dances! Teams then got to throw for point conversions. Team cooperation and good sportsmanship earned extra yards or kicks for points at ANY time throughout the game. "Good job", "keep working hard", and other forms of encouragement were heard around the field all day. No yellow flags needed to be thrown.

Referee Klipfel and teams had one SUPER day! Klipper Bowl VIII is complete so now onto baseball season.