Field Day is Tuesday, June 2. If it is canceled due to weather conditions, it will be rescheduled for Wednesday, June 3. Students who have not ordered a school sack lunch need to remember to bring a sack lunch. Parents are welcome to watch the events at the stadium. Reminder: fourth grade girls need to wear a red t-shirt. Fourth grade boys need to wear white t-shirts
Field Day
May 31st, 2009 by cboersma in News from Mrs. Boersma · No Comments
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Our Class Gets Funky!
May 17th, 2009 by cboersma in Photos · No Comments
The title says it all! Watch this video of our class at the talent show! We were FUNKY!
This was student planned, choreographed and organized! Wow!
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French Toast and English Muffins
May 14th, 2009 by cboersma in Photos · No Comments
We had a great time on our field trip. We learned about the fur trade, as we pretended to be the “bourgeois” and the “melee” of the French and the British. Each challenged the other to a race. Fortunately it was a tie. Enjoy these pictures of our climb up Mt. Baldy, our picnic, and canoe trip.
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Field Day Information
May 12th, 2009 by cboersma in Calendar/Contact Information · Uncategorized · No Comments
Field Day is coming up Tuesday, June 2. Fourth grade girls are asked to wear the color red. Boys should wear white. This helps to organize students. They are selling shirts (forms were sent home), but students are welcome to wear their own shirt of the correct color. Forms also went home about ordering sack lunches. They must be returned by Friday, May 19. Students may bring their own lunch from home. However, if students want to have a school lunch, it must be preordered.
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Pink Day
May 12th, 2009 by cboersma in Uncategorized · No Comments
Thank you to fourth grader Ashley Tiesman for organizing Pink Day. Here are two pictures of our class on Pink Day. Which one do you like best?

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Just Write Celebration
May 3rd, 2009 by cboersma in Uncategorized · No Comments
Our Just Write Celebration is on Tuesday, May 5, from 2:15 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. Please join us in celebrating our writing. Each student has a story on their locker. There is a scavenger hunt that we will be taking part in during that time. (a hunt for various stories). Students are encouraged to wear their Just Write Shirt from last year if they did not get a new one. There are a few available in the office for $10.
What’s Happening in Our Classroom? Newsletter
April 26th, 2009 by cboersma in Curriculum · Newsletters · Uncategorized · No Comments
Dates to Remember
April 29 Art Show-Georgetown Reception at Park from 5:30 to &:7:30p.m.
May 1 Wear Pink Day!
May 5 Just Write Celebration for Fourth Grade Parents 2:15 to 3:00 p.m.
May 6 Voyageur Canoe Field Trip
May 8 Reading Counts End Date
May 15` Reading Counts Party
June 2 Field Day (Rain Date June 3)
June 4 Last Day of School
Science
Mr. Gort has been teaching our class about Space-Systems in the Sky! The students have been very excited about this topic and are looking forward to making their project presentations this week. I have been teaching the electricity and magnetism unit to Mrs. Jurewicz’ class.
Social Studies 
At the end of this week we will switch to a study of economics. We will be running a mini-society to experience economic decision making. On May 8, Brenda Raterink from the Ottawa County Extension Service will lead us in some activities. She lives on a dairy farm and shares her economic experiences in a very relevant way. Watch for more information on this soon.
Math
We are studying geometry. We are working to identify basic geometric including isosceles, equilateral and right triangles. We are also identifying and counting the faces, edges, and vertices of basic three-dimensional solids such as cubes, rectangular prisms, and pyramids.
Reading
Mysteries are lots of fun to read. We are enthusiastically playing detective and using clues to figure out the mysteries. Alibis, red herrings, and suspects are vocabulary words that we are applying to our novels. Many of us are reading the books in pairs or small groups called detective clubs. Then we can discuss our findings together.
Writing 
Be sure to plan on joining us Tuesday, May 5 for our fourth grade Just Write Celebration. Our book of our writing has been published and has arrived. Our writing will also be posted on our lockers. Many activities will be enjoyed throughout the week to help us celebrate.
Field Trip 
Voyageur Canoe Experience is May 6. Please turn in money by Friday, May 1. Read the previous blog to get complete information. You can also click on the tag titled “field trip” or “canoe trip.”
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What’s Happening?
April 24th, 2009 by cboersma in Uncategorized · No Comments
Find out what’s happening in our classroom by reading the words of some of our students:
Science:April 20,2009:Today in science we worked on our solar system projects. We could either do a diorama or a poster or both to get a perfect 3*!(Remember the projects are due either April 24 or April 27 2009)By, Maddie Scott
Science April 21,2009:On Friday April 24 We will have a test on the sun moon & earth. So study up!
By, Maddie Scott
Writing: April 20,2009: Today in writing we had a CELEBRATION! We read our stories and had ice cream too. Mrs. Boersma said by adding sprinkles & Hersheys chocolate syrup, it was like adding more details to our stories. Writing is an awesome thing to do when your bored at home or at recess.And also just a reminder that our Just Write Celebration is coming up on May 4, but for Mrs. Boersma’s class it’s on May 5. So parents or grandparents, if you would like to come the best day for Mrs.Boersma’s class is may 5. So till then, just WRITE!
Written By,Maddie C. Scott
In reading groups we are reading mysteries. Some of the books we are reading are The Mystery of the Dark Lighthouse, The Spraypaint Mystery, From The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs.Basil E. Frankweiler, Pirates don’t Wear Pink Sunglasses. Some of these books are very good to read, so if you are a kind of reader that likes mysteries these are some books that you’d like.
Written by Laura Boonstra
Our Book is Published!
April 12th, 2009 by cboersma in Uncategorized · No Comments
Our JUST WRITE collection of stories has officially been published!
You can view the published book at this link:
http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=2368410
Books are available for purchase through the website. They will be shipped to your home. A portion of the purchase ($4.00) of every book goes toward supplies and programs for our school writing program.
More celebration details coming soon! Watch for information on Just Write!
What’s Happening? Fourth Grade News
March 22nd, 2009 by cboersma in Newsletters · Uncategorized · No Comments
Important Dates
April 15 Westshore Symphony Concert
May 6 Voyageur Field Trip
June Last Day of School
Spring is Here!
Spring arrived Friday at 7:44 a.m. We tried balancing the egg on end and it actually worked! I tried it half an hour later with Mr. Gort’s class and it wouldn’t work. There is just a brief span of time during the spring and fall equinox that this happens. We are very grateful for the warmer weather. Students are actually eager to get outside to play. Please continue to send apparel appropriate for the weather. Sweatshirts, jackets, and sometimes even mittens are still needed!
Field Trip
On May 6 we will have another class field trip. We will be going to the Saugatuck/Douglas area to go canoeing. These will be large “voyageur” type canoes that hold 14 + paddlers. Naturalists from the Saret Nature Center will be guiding us on a one hour canoe experience. (We really just go across the bayou and back, but we learn a lot about the voyageurs, and have fun!). Parents are welcome to join us. A few parents may help with providing “muscle power” on the canoe trip as room permits. We will have a picnic lunch at a nearby park and go to Mount Baldy for a hike. Watch for more information!
Math
My students have successfully completed our study of fractions. We are working on measuring and geometry for the next few weeks. This is a nice break from some very hard, intense work.
Science
We began a science unit focusing on conserving and caring for our environment. We learned that each person produces 4.6 pounds of trash per day in the United States! That’s a lot of garbage. The children were shocked when I dumped out a bag filled with trash and they could actually see what 4.6 pounds looked like.
To help us think about how much trash we produce, the students will be taking something that they’d normally throw away and recycling (re-purposing) it into a useful/attractive item. This will be a VERY simple project. I have clean trash here if your child needs an item, or they may take anything from home and turn it into a game, a pencil holder, a funnel, bird feeder, etc. The simpler the better. The focus is to help us realize that we can reuse items instead of adding them to our landfills. I’ve added a link below to help you and your child if you’d like some ideas! Again, if your child needs some trash (!) or help with this, please send a note and I will gladly help.
Writing
We are working very hard on typing our fiction stories. Most of us will be using them for the Just Write Celebration. Some of us are choosing to use our personal narrative or poetry for the celebration. We are also beginning a series of lessons on writing essays. We are comparing narratives to essays. Essays are organized around ideas, our thoughts. We have written essays titled “Why I Love America” for the Westshore Symphony LinkUp concert.
Reading
We are continuing our study of reading strategies. This week we will use inference to identify themes by looking at actions, events, ideas, and pictures in the text. After spring break we will start book clubs again focusing on mysteries. Each group will choose to read a different mystery based on their interest and reading level.
Spring Break begins Friday, April 3. Please let us know if your child will be leaving early prior to spring break. It is nice to know so we can plan accordingly.
Enjoy your spring break!
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