Monday, January 28, 2019

5-2 Updates ~ 01/28/19

Hello 5-2 Parents ~

Happy Snow Day!!  

It looks like Mother Nature has taken control of our school schedule for the week!  The good news is I will see your kiddos tomorrow, but the rest of the week will probably be cut short by the predicted cold temperatures. While we will be in school tomorrow, we'll probably be staying indoors for recess since the temperatures are predicted to be below zero. 

Since we're talking about winter weather, this is a good time to remind you of our school policy about recess in the winter. If the temperatures are above zero, we will be going outside. Students should have boots that can be worn outside - we've had many students requesting to stay inside because their boots are not waterproof and they did not want them to be ruined. If your child wears these boots to school, please be sure they have waterproof boots to change into for recess.  Unfortunately, we do not have staff available to offer indoor recess options unless all students are indoors. Your child also needs a hat and gloves to go outside on those cold days. I know it can be more challenging to encourage your pre-teen to dress appropriately for the cold weather, but please send them with the appropriate outerwear.  If they do not have gloves, we will send them to our lost and found to find a pair to wear before allowing them outside. Thank you for helping us to keep your child safe and warm!

Important Dates
Global School Play Day ~ Wednesday, February 6th ~ Please send in games or toys with your child for a day of unstructured play!  NO ELECTRONICS, PLEASE!  We are specifically looking for math games during our math block, but the rest of the day is unstructured! For more information on this national movement, please click on this link: https://www.globalschoolplayday.com/

Erin's Law ~ Wednesday, February 13th ~ A presentation about personal body safety is scheduled from 9:10-9:40am, and will be made by our Social Worker, Mrs. Mary Moore. 

Valentine's Day Party ~ Thursday, February 14th ~ 2:15-3:15pm
Due to severe and life threatening allergies, we are asking that you DO NOT INCLUDE ANY FOOD OR CANDY ITEMS with your child's individual Valentines. There are many clever and creative alternatives to food items, including pencils, tattoos, stickers, & bubbles... but the nicest way to say "Happy Valentine's Day" is to write a nice note! 

President's Day ~ Monday, February 18th ~ No School



Math
Your children took the Chapter 5 Assessment on Friday, and the Owl Scorecards were sent home with them this weekend for them to review with you. Please be sure to sign and return these to me tomorrow!

We will begin chapter 6 - Area tomorrow. This is another quick unit - only 3 lessons long, so we will be taking the assessment by the end of next week.

Social Studies
We wrapped up our Social Studies unit on Friday with the Chapter 15 Assessment. The Owl Scorecards for these also went home on Friday - please be sure to sign and return tomorrow!

Science
We will begin our new science unit tomorrow - Investigating Matter.  In this unit, students will:
~ Define matter and identify many of its common properties.
~ Become familiar with the common states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas.
~ Plan and conduct an investigation to prove that air has weight.
~ Conduct investigations on the physical properties of matter.
~ Show that the weight of matter doesn't change when heated or cooled.
~ Discover the differences between physical and chemical changes
~ Plan and conduct experiments to show weight of matter stays the same when changed.
~ Discover how unusual mixtures have properties unlike other materials.


Reading
We have been learning about text structures and text features found in different types of nonfiction text.  Your child also chose a biography to read for their upcoming Bio Bottle projects.  The biography should be completed by tomorrow.  Please check in with your child to be sure they are on target. Information about the Bio Bottles will come home tomorrow - just a heads up, your child will need a 2 liter bottle and a styrofoam ball.

Writing
We've continued our work in the Response to Fiction unit over the past few weeks. Students are enjoying the engaging story, The Liberation of Gabriel King. It's prompting some excellent discussion about conquering fears and dealing with bullying. They continue to learn how to focus on using the text as evidence to support and explain their claims about character traits in a well-written response to fiction essay.  

"You will never have this day with your children again.  Tomorrow they will be a little bigger than they are today.  This day is a gift.  Breathe and notice.  Smell and touch them; study their faces and pay attention.  Relish the charms of the present.  
Enjoy today.  It will be gone before you know it."
― Jen Hatmaker

Cheers ~
Theresa Fowler



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