HELLO!... Welcome parents to fourth grade and to the American School In Japan. I hope that this information will be useful to you as a parent of a fourth grader.

WHO I AM… Debbie Studwell: While I am in my sixth year as a fourth grade teacher at ASIJ this year, I previously was a fifth grade teacher here from 1990-1996. The four years in between I worked at the American School in London, a school very similar to ASIJ. I am no stranger to overseas living, having started as a nanny in Germany at the age of sixteen.  After graduating from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, I moved back overseas to teach. Along the way I finished my masters degree from Michigan State University. Since the age of twenty-three, I have taught in Australia, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Thailand before coming to ASIJ. I am a true “Yankee”, growing up in the northeast, and calling Boston home whenever asked. I do though consider myself a true “third culture adult”. I love living and working overseas, enjoying all that those wonderful experiences have to offer.

COMMUNICATION…My email address:  dstudwell@asij.ac.jp  You can also reach me by calling school, leaving a voice mail, or calling directly to extension 584. Please use this extension number ONLY before 8:15, or after 3:15. You can also reach me at home at 042 405 5531. Please do not call after 9PM. You can also send notes, especially if it is a timely matter that I may need to know about right away.

FRIDAY FOLDERS will come home each week. They will have information and newsletters as well as samples of work. You can also put a note in them. The class web site will be updated each month from now on, please be sure to have a look. The fourth grade team also maintains a section, for all grade information.   

CURRICULUM…Whenever possible and practical, the curriculum is integrated so that subject areas are taught with similar topics and ideas being presented concurrently. Our main units in science and social studies will be based on the theme of interaction and change. In Social Studies; China, the Middle East, and Japan are the three core units. In Science; weather, simple machines, and earth’s forces are our core units. Ms. Newman will teach Science to my class as I teach her class Social Studies. Students benefit as we both teach to our strengths. Language Arts work will be connected to, and integrated with, the core units. Students will also participate in an individual reading program called Book Bingo. Each child will need to read at least one book per month, and do a project based on the genre they chose. Book talks at home with parents are an important part of this program. Our written work will be based on “The Six Traits”, which focus on voice, organization, sentence fluency, idea development, word choice and conventions. We will write in a large variety of forms; narratives, summaries, diary pages, postcards and letters, poems, and research reports. The children will learn to access information in a variety of ways; using both written and computer based sources. We will base our spelling on learning words with common rules, while adding in words from other content areas and daily life. In Math, we use a program called Everyday Math. This challenging program spirals mathematics concepts throughout the year. In addition, extra timed basic math fact work will be done for needed reinforcement.

Technology will be incorporated into our core units with one class per cycle, where Mr. Ward will be our teacher. We will plan our units of study together. In addition, many computer classes and skills will be incorporated into our daily lessons as a part of the laptop program the fourth grade is using this year. We will use laptops in the classroom, as well as the computer labs. Each student will build an electronic portfolio, that they will present in the spring.

COMMUNITY BUILDING… An integral part of fourth grade is a focus on working together as a team. Cooperative work skills are stressed, and your child will be asked to work with a partner, or as a member of a small group many times throughout the year. We have made class agreements that should help the children focus on how to work best whatever the situation.. We will participate in the ASIJ Rice Project, collect toiletries, and hopefully participate in some other charity projects. The fourth grade will also meet as a group about once a month. We will tell stories, sing songs, listen to poetry, take part in special events etc. Each month we will have a BUNKA [Japanese culture] project, which culminates with Bunka Month in May, so that we have a yearlong celebration of Japanese culture. We also have a two- part exchange program with Fuchu Dai Ichi, our sister Japanese school.

HOMEWORK…The school policy for fourth grade is one hour each night, though this must also include Japanese assignments.  If homework is not handed in on time, your child will fill out an “OOPS” slip. The signed slip and finished work then needs to be returned the next day. If that is not done, they will be asked to stay in for recess until the work is done.  Homework is generally not given on weekends, though sometimes long term projects, or work not finished in the regular school day may need to be done. I will give advance notice whenever necessary, along with guidelines and deadlines for long term assignments.  Specific instructions and expectations are given to make the homework process more successful. Homework should be written down each day in the assignment book, and carried home in the homework folder. Please let me know if the workload is causing problems for your child, so that we can discuss the need for necessary changes or adaptations. If your child is absent, please wait until the SECOND DAY they are out to request homework. If you let me know that day, I can get some work together to go home, whether with a sibling or another child on the bus. Please understand that it is difficult to send some assignments as they require lots of explanation or were part of class or small group work that can’t be put on paper.

**** Generally, expectations for fourth grade are greater than those for third grade.

ASSESSMENT…Evaluation is done in a variety of ways; ranging from in class correcting, to teacher based rubrics. Often I will ask the children to take a part in the evaluation process, adding their own thoughts to the assessment. Formal narrative reports will be sent home three times a year. As mentioned above, samples of finished work are also sent home each week in Friday Folders. At times it may seem that there is not much coming home, that may be because work is being kept in portfolios, or to share at the end of a unit or at the end of  the school year.

Misc. Information:

1.    Birthday Party/Sleepover invitations: Please do not send these invitations in to be sent from school unless the whole class is invited. It is too hard otherwise for those not invited. This is a tough social issue that I appreciate your help with.

2.    Communication: Please sign and return the Friday Folder with your child each Monday morning.

3.    Lunch Money: If your child forgets to bring money or a packed lunch they can borrow from the ES office. You do not need to worry about your child not having lunch.

4.    Hump Day: We will take turns throughout the year to share treats on Wednesdays. A small treat is fine, and it need not be homemade.

****Please note that this year I have children with allergies to peanuts and fish. I also have a child who is diabetic, so low sugar treats are appreciated.

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR ALL THAT I KNOW YOU WILL DO TO SUPPORT YOUR CHILD THIS YEAR. I LOOK FORWARD TO AN EXCITING AND SUCCESSFUL YEAR WITH YOUR CHILD.

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