5-2 Updates ~ 09/23/18

Hello 5-2 Parents ~

Ahhhhh...fall temperatures are my favorite :)  Wasn't this weekend just beautiful?!  With the fluctuating temperatures we've been having lately, it can be challenging to figure out what to wear on a daily basis!  As the weather begins to turn colder, please be sure that your child has appropriate outerwear.  We will be going outside for recess everyday, unless it is raining.  They need to be dressed warm enough to be outside for 30 minutes at a time.  It’s also a good idea to label ALL outwear – jackets, gloves, hats, scarves, coats, boots – with their names.  It would amaze you how many items end up unclaimed in the lost and found!  At the same time, it can get pretty warm in our classroom at times, so layers are always the best!

Important Dates

SIP Day ~ Friday, 10/05 ~ No School

Columbus Day ~ Monday, 10/08 ~ No School

International Walk to School Day ~ Wednesday, October 10th - Encourage your child to walk to school on Tuesday in celebration of International Walk to School Day!  Our staff will be at a number of pick-up points throughout the neighborhoods, looking forward to walking to school with your children :)  See the Olive Blog for pick-up points, and join us for the walk!

Math

My math class continued to work on multiplication and division in unit 2 this week. It has become apparent which students are struggling to recall their multiplication facts quickly, so I continue to encourage them to work on their facts at home.  There are several online sites that make practicing facts fun, such as Math Playground and Cool Math Games, but good old flash cards or quizzing your child while you're hanging out works, too!  As I've told the students, they should have automaticity with their skills at this point, and if they don't, they're going to find the math work takes them much longer.  Practicing their skills for 10 minutes a night will help them complete their homework much quicker!

With this unit, students have assignments on Khan Academy and Freckle to practice their skills.  As with other unite, they are encouraged to complete these assignments before the end of the unit.  They do have time in class to work on these assignments, but some may need to work on them at home as well.

This is a fairly long unit, so we won't be testing for a couple of weeks, but checking in with them along the way to be sure they understand the concepts are a great way to be sure they're staying on track.  

Social Studies

Your children were given the opportunity to take the persona of famous Patriots and Loyalists and engage in debate about who was right this week.  I loved seeing the enthusiasm as they researched and prepared for their debates.  We spent much of Friday recording those debates and uploading them to our Google Classroom stream - hopefully, you've gotten a chance to see their work. If not, ask your child to take you to the Google stream and check them out!  Look for their Owl Scorecards to come home in the next week.  We will be taking the Chapter 11 Assessment on Thursday.  Your child should be familiar with the difference between Patriots and Loyalists, as well as the common arguments and actions taken by both for that assessment.  Please encourage them to review the textbook and the uploaded organizer key for this test!  As with the Chapter 10 Assessment, it will be short answer instead of a traditional multiple choice assessment.

Reading

Your children are developing such a love for learning in our new reading program!  Since the texts are self-selected, they are more motivated to read.  I also encourage students to create book clubs with their peers, and they have been doing an amazing job challenging one another and self-assigning chapters.  Please continue to encourage your child to read at least 20 minutes at home every night, and to record their thinking in their Reading Notebooks.  Beginning this week, they should also be recording the length of time they read at home and how many pages they read during that time.  We're trying to help the students become aware of how many pages they typically read in a 20 minute period.  We will use that information to help set goals.  

Students have been eagerly sharing their book suggestions in our room whenever they are given the opportunity - I love their excitement!  This week, they will learn how to write an excellent Book Review Talk and will discover they will participate in our Book Talk Fashion Show on October 11th!  Your child will need a plain white t-shirt and materials to decorate the t-shirt. This has become a well-loved tradition in our classroom - I'm excited to see how creative they will be!

 “Whatever they grow up to be, they are still our children, and the one most important of all the things we can give to them is unconditional love. 

Not a love that depends on anything at all except that they are our children.” 

~ Rosaleen Dickson

As always, should you need anything at all, please don't hesitate to contact me!  Have a delightful week :)

Cheers ~

Theresa Fowler

5-2 Updates ~ 09/15/18

Hello 5-2 Families :)

If felt a bit more like summer out there today - hope you were able to get out and enjoy all that sunshine!

Important Dates and Information:

Band Parent Night ~ Wednesday, 9/19 ~ 7:00pm in the Commons

School Pictures ~ Friday, 9/21 ~ Say Cheeeeese!  You should have seen a flyer come home with your child this past week about picture day. Follow this link to online ordering information:  Picture Day

Benchmarking (09/06-09/28)~ The beginning of the school year means we are spending some time collecting data about your child's abilities in math and reading. I have already assessment reading fluency and math computation skills (AimsWeb), next week, I will focus on reading comprehension (Fountas & Pinnell). 

Though it may seem like a lot of assessment so early in the year, the data is valuable to me as it drives instruction for the year.  I will have the data from all the assessments available and ready to discuss with at our conferences in October.  

SIP Day ~ Friday, 10/05 ~ No School

Columbus Day ~ Monday, 10/08 ~ No School

What's Happening in the Classroom

Math

We finished Chapter 1: Place Value this week and you should have seen the "Owl" Standards Scorecard come home indicating your child's understanding.  If your child received a 3, they have met standards; if they received a 2, they are approaching standards.  If they receive a 2, we continue to work on the skill individually, and then they are re-assessed - you will see Standards Scorecards come home for those re-assessments as well indicating their progress. If your child receives a 2 on the re-assessment, we will continue to work on the skill, and they will be given additional opportunities to demonstrate understanding.

We began working on Chapter 2:  Multiplying and Dividing Whole Numbers.  This chapter is significantly longer than chapter 1, so we won't be taking an assessment for a couple of weeks. It is important that your child has automaticity with his multiplication facts at this point in 5th grade. If they do not have quick recall, please encourage your child to spend at least 10 minutes a night reviewing their facts.  There are many online games that will help them practice these skills - please let me know if you would like some suggestions.

Social Studies
We spent the majority of the week discussing the cause and effect of events that led to the Revolutionary War, as well as how trade was involved in each of these events. Then the students created posters to represent the information learned as a performance assessment.  The posters were due by Friday.  Several students were not able to meet standards with the information they presented, so we met in small groups to discuss the information - these students have an opportunity to redo their posters over the weekend.  Look for the "Owl" Standards Scorecard to come home for the poster some time next week for a sign and return.

We also began to read about the Loyalists and Patriots in chapter 11 this week. An organizer for this chapter is due on Monday.  Once we review it, students will be given an opportunity to take the role of a Loyalist or a Patriot in a debate they will create.  They will work in teams to develop a script, and act it out on video.  These videos should be posted by Friday.

Reading
We've continued to work on how to participate in an effective reading conversation this week. Good readers collect their ideas and questions, then use those thoughts to start and engage in conversations about what they are reading.  They have been practicing this skill with assigned text, as well as in their book clubs. Please be sure your child is reading for 20 minutes every night - the best way to increase their reading comprehension is to have them reading often.

Writing

In writing, we continue to develop the skills necessary for writing engaging personal narrative.  Your children are becoming more focused writers who know how use sensory details and showing to engage their readers.  

Character Ed
We discussed the character trait of self-discipline this week in our Character Ed circle.  Self-discipline is thinking before you act and making good choices.  I was impressed with the honesty and maturity they demonstrated as they reflected on their behavior with a self-assessment. I asked them to choose one area they need to improve this week.  Hopefully, you will see some action on their part as they are to report back to the circle next week with an area of improvement.  We will continue discussing Self-Discipline through the month of September with role-playing different scenarios and creating an acrostic poem together.

You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives.
Clay P Bedford

Cheers ~

5-2 Updates ~ 09/08/18

Hello 5-2 Families :)

Ahhh....fall temperatures make me smile.  I don't know about you, but I'm ready to see those leaves changing colors :)  Maybe it's because I'm a teacher, but fall is definitely my favorite time of year!

We jumped into curriculum with both feet this week in all content areas, so have a seat - this is a long blog.  You may have noticed the increase in homework expectations.  If you are noticing more than an hour of homework, your child is probably not using their classroom time wisely.  This is a learned skill, and something we talk about often.  If they're struggling at home with the amount of homework, you may want to reinforce using their independent time in the classroom to complete homework.  If they seem overwhelmed, please include me in the conversation as your child may need some additional support with organization and making choices during work times.

Important Dates and Information:

Bike Rodeo ~ Wednesday, 9/12 ~ 3:35-4:45pm.  Please note the Bike Rodeo is mandatory if your child would like to ride their bike to school.  If they have attended the Bike Rodeo in previous years, they do not need to attend it this year.

School Pictures ~ Friday, 9/21 ~ Say Cheeeeese!  Look for information to come home next week.

Benchmarking (09-09/28)~ The beginning of the school year means we are spending some time collecting data about your child's abilities in math and reading. I have already assessment reading fluency and math computation skills (AimsWeb), next week, I will focus on reading comprehension (Fountas & Pinnell). 

Though it may seem like a lot of assessment so early in the year, the data is valuable to me as it drives instruction for the year.  I will have the data from all the assessments available and ready to discuss with at our conferences in October.  

What's Happening in the Classroom

Math

We will be wrapping up Unit 1 this week.  This unit focuses on place value to the millions place, comparing large numbers, as well as rounding and estimating. We began review for the test on Friday and will continue on Monday, then we plan to take the Unit 1 Assessment on Tuesday, 9/11.  You can help your child study for the test by reviewing lessons 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3, and completing the chapter review.  They can also practice skills learned in this unit on Freckle and Khan.  

Your child will also bring home a Unit 1 Self Assessment Monday as an additional point of review prior to taking the test.  We are trying to cultivate an ownership of learning in 5th grade, and the Self Assessment encourages reflection on the skills learned in this unit.  Please take a moment and review the Self Assessment with your child on Monday and help them determine if they have mastered the Unit 1 skills necessary for the assessment.  If not, they should practice on Freckle or Khan Academy.

The standard assessed in Chapter 1 is understanding place value. As mentioned on Curriculum Night, look for the "owl" standards sheet to come home attached to the assessment on Tuesday to indicate their progress report grade. These assessments are to be signed by you and returned by your child.  Students receiving a 3 have mastered the material. Students receiving a 1 or 2 will spend additional time with the concepts, then they will be given another opportunity to demonstrate mastery of place value.

Social StudiesWe spent the week diving deeper into the events that led up to the Revolutionary War, and grew in our understanding of the opposing perspectives of the colonists and the British. Your children debated who was at fault, and arrived at the decision that they were both right and both wrong.  I was impressed with their connections to conflicts in their own lives - there are two perspectives to every disagreement.  

The standards assessed in this unit include: 1) understanding the causes and effects of events in US history and 2) understanding how nations trade goods (Stamp Act, Tea Act, etc.). Your child will create a poster this week about one specific event that led to the Revolutionary War as a assessment of those standards.  They will identify the cause and effect of the event, as well as how trade between Britain and the colonies was involved in the event. This poster will be done primarily in class on Google Draw, but they may need to finish it at home if they missed class time.  The poster is due by Friday and is considered an assessment grade - look for an assessment sheet to come home next week for a sign and return. Again, if they did not demonstrate mastery, they will continue to work on the concepts until they can demonstrate mastery.

Students will NOT be taking the traditional History Alive assessment at this time since it does not accurately measure the reporting standards on our progress report. Students will be given opportunities to demonstrate understanding of standards with a variety of projects.

ReadingWe continue to practice routines in our Schoolwide curriculum, and we are growing in our ability to have a conversation about what we read.  I continue to be impressed at the depth with which your students discuss characters and events in the stories we read aloud, as well as the engagement in their small group work.  We reflected on our reading conversations, discussing the difference between loud and softer voices in conversations and how they can be sure all voices are heard in these conversations.  Ask your child who they consider themselves to be - a louder voice or a quieter voice.  Either way, your children are working hard to be sure everyone has input into the conversation!  They continue to be expected to read 20 minutes per night and record their thinking.  Please be sure your child allows time in their schedule to read!  This week, we will add a Reading Log to the expectation, where they will record the number of pages and minutes they record every night.

Writing

We began our writing curriculum this week - our first unit is Personal Narrative. We learned how to be focused writers, and discovered how it impacts our readers.  Focusing on a moment object creates rich, engaging text for our readers because it forces the writer to spend more time developing thoughts and feelings, sensory details, and dialogue. Next week, we will take a mini field trip as we learn to focus on setting and sound in our writing.


Word Work - Spelling & Vocab
We began our Word Work groups this week - students were divided into groups based on an initial spelling inventory.  Your child is in one of four spelling groups:  Within Word Spelling Patterns, Syllables & Affixes - beginning, Syllables & Affixes - middle, Derivational Relations.  Within Word Spelling Patterns is below grade level and focuses on spelling patterns within a word; Syllables & Affixes is at grade level and focuses on prefixes, suffixes, and root words; and Derivational Relations is above grade level and focuses of Greek and Latin root words. If you have any questions about where your child placed, please don't hesitate to ask me.

Different groups have varied schedules each day so that I have an opportunity to meet with every group each week.  They will have a Word Work sort assignment every day on Google Classroom - these are primarily completed in the classroom, but are homework if they miss class for some reason.  They generally work in partners or small groups on these word sorts. The Google Classroom assignments are not graded assignments, but rather serve as just practice.

In addition to the sorts on Google Classroom, your child will also have 8 Spelling City assignments  (4 spelling and 4 vocabulary) each week.  Each group has a different due date for their Spelling City assignments, but they are given an entire week to complete these assignments.  Some choose to do them all in the first night, some choose to do them over the weekend, some choose to complete them throughout the week.  Ask your child which group they are in, and for their weekly due date. Assignments are expected to be completed by their weekly test date.  Each week they will take a spelling test and a vocabulary test.  I will not send home information on these assessments, but rather ask you to log into your child's account periodically and monitor their scores by clicking on "My Records."  If your child does not demonstrate mastery on an assessment, they will be asked to complete additional assignments over the weekend, and re-take the assessment on Mondays.

Your child should have their Spelling City password written in the front of their assignment notebook - if they do not, please encourage them to see me and I'll make sure they write it down.

Grammar
As mentioned on Curriculum Night, No Red Ink is our grammar program this year.  On Mondays, students will take a pre-test on the grammar concepts to determine their understanding prior to instruction.  If they can demonstrate an understanding, they will not need to complete the assignments for the week  After instruction on Monday, students are given assignments to practice the skill throughout the week. They are expected to master every skill by Friday - they know they have mastered the skill because the circle indicating the standard has turned green.  

On Fridays, they will take a post-test on the grammar skill.  Again, I will not send home information on these assessments, but rather ask you to log into your child's account periodically and monitor their scores by clicking on "Results." Assessments are marked "Quiz." If your child does not demonstrate mastery on an assessment, they will be asked to complete additional assignments over the weekend, and re-take the assessment on Mondays.

Your child should have their No Red Ink password written in the front of their assignment notebook - if they do not, please encourage them to see me and I'll make sure they write it down.

Character Ed
Every week, we come together in "Trust Circle" to discuss our character, focusing on one character trait per month. We call it the "Trust Circle" because it's a safe place for students to honestly evaluate their character and reflect on areas of improvement.  We can all grow in our character, right?

For the past two weeks, we've been discussing and creating Responsibility collages.  Responsibility is doing what needs to be done without being asked.  Hopefully, you've seen an increase in responsibility from your 5th grader as I've challenged them to choose one area to increase their responsibility.  They were asked to choose something that they are regularly asked to do at home, but don't often do well, and complete it without being asked. This week, they reported back to the circle if they were able to meet the challenge, as well as how their parents responded.  The conversations have been rich with reflection of triumphs and failures of the past week, but they left the conversation resolved to improve this week! Many shared your great responses when they stepped up and did something without being asked. Thank you for being parents that naturally reward responsibility :)

This coming week, we will begin discussions and activities on a character trait closely related to Responsibility:  Self Discipline.

Whew!  Overwhelmed yet??  I hope not...but if you are, please don't hesitate to reach out to me with any clarifying questions.  Your children are doing an excellent job adjusting to the increased expectations in 5th grade, and should be managing all of what I just shared independently!

“The child must know that he is a miracle, that since the beginning of the world there hasn't been, and until the end of the world there will not be, another child like him.” – Pablo Casals

Cheers ~

5-2 Updates ~ 08/31/18

Hello 5-2 Families :)

I hope you have plans to enjoy this 3-day weekend with your family!  It looks like we have some warm temperatures predicted, but let's hope that rain holds off so we can enjoy our last weekend of "summer"!

Important Dates and Information:

09/03 ~ Labor Day ~ Enjoy the day off!
Band ~ Band lesson began this coming week!!  If your child signed up for band in the spring, they received information from Mrs. Kuzmanoff today to bring home to you, and you should have received an email with similar information.  If you have your child's instrument at home, please have them bring it to school on their lesson day.  If you rented an instrument, Mrs. Kuzmanoff will have the instruments for them.  Lessons are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursdays, with the whole band lesson at 8:10 on Wednesday mornings (these will not start for several weeks). Your child will be pulled for 30 minute lessons on a rotating schedule so they are not always pulled from the same subject.  It is important that your child understands they are responsible for making up the work they miss while they are at their band lesson at home.  In other words, on band days, they may have additional homework.

Bike Rodeo ~ Wednesday, 9/12 ~ 3:35-4:45pm.  Please note the Bike Rodeo is mandatory if your child would like to ride their bike to school.  If they have attended the Bike Rodeo in previous years, they do not need to attend it this year.

School Pictures ~ Monday, 9/21 ~ Say Cheeeeese!  

What's Happening in the Classroom


Math ~ We started Unit 1 this week in math!  In this unit, students will learn to represent numbers in different forms, and they learn to extend place value to 6 and 7 digit numbers. This chapter also delves into comparing and ordering numbers, negative numbers, and estimation as a way of verifying reasonableness of responses.  It's a quick unit only covering 3 lessons, so I anticipate the Unit 1 Assessment to be on Tuesday, 9/11.  To help your child prepare for the assessments, please look at the chapter assessment pages at the end of Unit 1 in their student book.

Just as a review of the important information I shared on Curriculum Night, I pre-test the students for every unit.  This allows me to differentiate instruction for each lesson based on student ability.  I teach math in a workshop model, so students rotate stations.  In the rotation, they will meet with me for instruction, spend time in their journals, and practice skills on Khan Academy or Freckle.  If they demonstrate mastery on the pre-test, they will work on enrichment and advanced content; if they demonstrate a need for additional support, I will spend more time in instruction with them.  

Homework is not graded because it is practice, but it is checked every day.  If students do not demonstrate an understanding of the skills covered on their homework, they will be asked to re-do the assignment.  Encourage your child to work through their homework each night - even if it is a struggle, they should do their best to complete as much of the homework as they can, but not to worry if they cannot complete it correctly.  We do review the homework every morning, so if they do not understand a concept, they will have a chance to discuss it with me.

Most nights, they will be assigned approximately two pages of work for homework - sometimes these assignments will be out of their student book and sometimes they will be out of their work book.  These assignments should take them approximately 20-30 minutes of their nightly 60 minutes of homework.  If you find that your child consistently takes longer than 30 minutes to complete their math homework, please let me know!

They are also given online assignments on both Khan Academy and Freckle.  These assignments are due by the end of the unit.  Students are given plenty of time to complete these assignments in class, but if they do not use their time effectively, they may need to complete them at home before the end of the unit.

Social Studies - We began our unit on the Rising Tensions in the Colonies last week with a "letter" from the PTA limiting all classroom celebrations and field trips for the students. (We took away their annual 5th grade field trip) They were angered and immediately began to organize protests and petitions.  Students were writing speeches to present to the PTA Board, and creating signs to protest the restrictions.  Their reactions were priceless!  I almost didn't want to tell them I had tricked them for fear they would revolt on me!  

In the end, it was an excellent introduction to the tensions between Britain and the colonies prior to the Revolutionary War as we made connections between the colonists and the students, and the PTA and Britain.  We will continue to study six of the major events that led to the Revolutionary War this week as students create posters about the events.  

Reading - We began our new Schoolwide Literacy Program last week by learning about the Reading Workshop Model, and establishing routines and expectations.  One of the focuses of our Launch unit is how to share our thinking as we're reading in a discussion format.  Your children are thinking during our read alouds, and they are learning to be respectful and thoughtful while sharing their thoughts.  They have been encouraged to share without raising their hands, but to offer their thoughts more naturally in a discussion as a whole group.  This requires they pay close attention to one another in the discussion, waiting for an appropriate time to speak and respond to each other.  

We set up our Reading Baskets and our Reading Notebooks this week.  Our Reading Baskets are where they keep their Reading Notebooks, Reading Folders, several texts, and a few other supplies while at school.  They are encouraged to keep both fiction and non-fiction books in their baskets, and to include both books they are currently reading and books they would like to read.  Their Reading Notebooks are where they will record notes and information about what they are reading. They will be expected to complete a response for their notebook every night, but they do not need to bring the binder home.  They simply need to complete the response and put it in their notebook when the return to school. 

Your children were also quite excited to choose a "Book Club" novel this week. Students were free to choose the novel and the friends in their group.  They set the schedule and manage the discussion.  I have found that students truly enjoy the ability to self-select their novels, and they are much more engaged in the conversation when they choose the novel and topic of discussion.  My only requirement is that they are reading the novel on a schedule and that they engage in the reading conversation. Please check in with your child to be sure they are reading according to the schedule designated by their group.

Please be sure they are reading every night for at least 20 minutes!  The best way to improve your child's vocabulary and comprehension is to have them reading often.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns at all.  

Cheers ~

“Children see magic because they look for it.” 

― Christopher Moore

5-2 Updates ~ 08/25/18

Hello 5-2 Families ~

I hope your children came home after the first week of school excited about all we have going on in 5th grade!  Their energy was contagious this week - I have truly enjoyed getting to know them all!

Important Dates:

Parent Curriculum Night ~ Thursday, 08/30 6:30-8:00 ~ Please join us on Thursday night to learn about curriculum and classroom expectations. Our presentation will begin in the classroom promptly at 6:55pm and end at 8:00pm. Here is the schedule for the full evening:

6:35 - 6:50 pm - General session with the principals and PTA in the commons

6:55 - 7:25 pm - Classroom presentations

7:30 - 8:00 pm - K-5 specials (Art, Library Media Center (LMC), Music, & PE) presentation in the commons

Looking forward to seeing you all there!

Standards Based Grading ~ Parent Information Night:

9/13 - 7-8:00pm - South Middle School

9/18 - 7-8:00pm - Thomas Middle School

Your child was briefly introduced to SBG this week so they understand scores that will be given to them.  We will discuss SBG more in the coming weeks.  Please plan to attend one of the Parent Information Nights to help understand the change in our reporting system.  In the meantime, these descriptions should help you understand the scores that your children receive.

• 3 - Meets Standard
• The student demonstrates a thorough understanding of the standard and can apply the knowledge and skills learned.
• 2 - Developing Toward Standard
• The student demonstrates a partial understanding of the standard and/or occasionally applies the knowledge and skills learned.
• 1 - Does Not Meet Standard
• The student does not independently demonstrate an understanding of the standard.

Bike Rodeo ~ Wednesday, 09/19 4:00-5:00pm ~ If your child would like to ride their bikes to school, it is mandatory they attend a Bike Rodeo at least once!

School Pictures ~ Friday, 9/21 ~ Smile!  Watch for more information about how to order pictures.

What's Happening in 5-2

We spent the first four days in 5-2 getting to know each other, learning routines and exploring classroom organization - they were all excited to check out our classroom library and many checked out a book during LMC orientation.  We will be establishing more reading expectations and routines when we begin our reading curriculum next week, but hopefully many of your children are already reading every night for 20 minutes.  The single greatest activity that improves a child's reading comprehension and increases test scores is simply reading - your child needs to be reading every single day!

What's in the Sack? ~ It has been so much fun getting to know many of your children as they shared their 5 treasures with the class.  I just love seeing pictures of families and dogs, hearing stories of favorite vacation spots, seeing medals and trophies, and learning about their favorite hobbies.  And they all seem to take great pride in sharing who they are with their classmates and with me :)  

Google Classroom ~ Your kiddos have spent plenty of time already on technology as they learned how to download and complete a couple of assignments on Google Classroom, then turn them back in.  I have not only been impressed with their competence using technology, but also the leadership so many of your children demonstrated as they learned, then turned around and helped each other!  Have them show you around Google Classroom a little - they should be able to show you the documents they completed and turned in.  You can read their assignments, view their scores, and read my comments.  

5th Grade Goals (Gym Shoes) ~ We've spent some time discussing our goals for 5th grade yesterday.  We talked about the importance of reflecting on our past and using that to guide our decisions for the future.  Not only did we set up and post our goals for the year, but we discussed the specific ways we can achieve our goals.  It's difficult to accomplish anything if you don't know how you're going to get there!  I was so impressed with the maturity of your students as they committed to specific ways they will improve themselves this year! Their shoes are due on Monday if they did not finish them on Friday.  Look for their goals and commitments on our Putting Our Best Foot Forward bulletin board when you visit our classroom next week!

Meter Stick Experiment - Ask your child what happens when you cover a meter stick with a couple pieces of newspaper, then hit the end sticking out with a hammer.  Boy were they surprised!!  Together, we read complex text that explain the outcome and wrote an extended response using evidence from the text.  To see your child's progress on this assignment or any assignment, please ask them to log in to our Google classroom

5th Grade Annual Egg Drop ~ Thursday, 08/23 ~ Thank you for keeping our secret!  The students were so excited when the walked in to discover it was our Annual Egg Drop Day!  We don't let them know ahead of time because we don't want any research or planning to be done before the big day - it's more authentic when students have to brainstorm in the moment, and don't have any hints from older siblings ;)  So, we've reminded them all to help us keep the secret as well.  They were all given the same supplies and worked in teams to build Egg Carriers that would safely land a raw egg when dropped.  We started by dropping them off the 5th grade ledge, then the lucky winners had their Egg Carriers taken to the roof for a drop!!  5-2 proudly had one group make it to the roof - congratulations to #16!!  If you haven't already seen the pictures, please scroll down and check them out!

Ask your child which type of carrier was most successful! On Friday, we worked on writing excellent extended responses using our experience from the egg drop and complex text.  These assignments are also graded on Google Classroom.

FLIPS & FLOPS ~ Yesterday, students were given a writing exercise about the BEST moment of our summer, and the WORST - our FLIPS and FLOPS of summer.  The students worked on these independently, and I will be using them as a baseline for their writing skills.  A few students did not finish the assignment in class, so they were asked to complete them at home this weekend.  They are due on Monday.  Please allow them to complete them independently at home.  They will not be graded, but will help me get to know them as writers.  I'm looking forward to reading all about their summer vacations tomorrow!  Look for them when you visit our classroom for Parent Night :)

What's in a Name? ~ Finally, we spent Friday working on a project that allowed your child to creatively share their interests in their letters of their names.  I was blown away by the creativity your children demonstrated this afternoon!  Next week, they will be completing the written portion of this assignment. Your children should be asking you why you gave them their name (so you may want to share that with them this weekend), and they will research the meaning of their names to complete the written portion of the project.  I can't wait for you to see their hard work when you visit our classroom next week!

Patrol Training ~ On Friday afternoon, students received their Patrol Training and chose their positions.  Our Patrol Day is Tuesday - as your child which position they signed up for! It was refreshing to see how excited all of your children are to serve as good role models this year!  With a bigger building, larger student populations, and changes in routines this year, it is especially important that we have Patrols on duty around the building keeping our community safe.  A Safety Patrol letter was sent home via backpack on Tuesday to explain our Safety Patrol program and expectations.  Please let me know if you have any questions about Safety Patrol!

Whew!  What a full few days we've had!  I just love the energy and sense of community in our classroom this year.  The students are excited for the year ahead, and look forward to taking on the challenges of 5th grade.  I will share more about the upcoming year at Parent Curriculum Night - hope to see you there!

As always, if you have any questions or concerns at all, please do not hesitate to send me an email or set up a time to meet.  Have a fantastic weekend!

“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”  Aristotle

Egg Drop - the Roof!!

Egg Drop Day - Winners!!

These are the 5th graders that made it to the roof!!  We just might have a couple of engineers in this crew!