Hello 5-2 Parents ~
While the temperatures were colder and drizzly outside today, they were much warmer in the classroom! With the fluctuating temperatures, 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 – 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 - layers are always the best!
Mid-term Grades ~ It's hard to believe, but we're already halfway through the first trimester!! I will be sending home mid-term grade reports this week for you to sign and return. The purpose of these grade reports is not only to communicate their progress to both you and your child, but also to continue to encourage your child to take ownership of their grades. If your child is not pleased with their grades, please encourage them to come to me to discuss how to improve their grades. Students are encouraged to ask for a mid-term at any time during the term or year. I believe this helps students to take ownership of their learning and success, and it also helps them to understand how their choices can have a direct impact on their grades.
Tenth Inning ~ We had our first Tenth Inning Celebration today...and the kids had a blast!! Students were able to choose from a variety of activities: indoor games, arts & crafts, online games, and an outdoor recess. We are so proud of those students who earned the reward of our Tenth Inning celebration! An additional bonus of a Tenth Inning HW pass was given to those students who didn't receive any strikes at all during the month of September! We started a new month, which means a clean slate for everyone...hoping to see everyone at the end of the month celebration :)
Mid-term Grades ~ It's hard to believe, but we're already halfway through the first trimester!! I will be sending home mid-term grade reports this week for you to sign and return. The purpose of these grade reports is not only to communicate their progress to both you and your child, but also to continue to encourage your child to take ownership of their grades. If your child is not pleased with their grades, please encourage them to come to me to discuss how to improve their grades. Students are encouraged to ask for a mid-term at any time during the term or year. I believe this helps students to take ownership of their learning and success, and it also helps them to understand how their choices can have a direct impact on their grades.
Tenth Inning ~ We had our first Tenth Inning Celebration today...and the kids had a blast!! Students were able to choose from a variety of activities: indoor games, arts & crafts, online games, and an outdoor recess. We are so proud of those students who earned the reward of our Tenth Inning celebration! An additional bonus of a Tenth Inning HW pass was given to those students who didn't receive any strikes at all during the month of September! We started a new month, which means a clean slate for everyone...hoping to see everyone at the end of the month celebration :)
Important Dates
International Walk to School Day ~ Wednesday, October 5th - 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!
Re-enactment ~ Thursday, October 6th - Permission slips came home last week. If you have not returned it yet, please sign and return as soon as possible. The Re-enactment is an interactive demonstration of life during colonial times set up in the field at our Administration Office. It is conveniently scheduled near the beginning of our Revolutionary War unit, and serves as an excellent introduction to the unit. Students will have the opportunity to interact with pioneers living on the frontier during this time period to gain a unique perspective of what life was like during the Revolutionary War. Always a favorite for the 5th graders!
SIP Day (No School) ~ Friday, October 7th
Columbus Day (No School) ~ Monday, October 10th
Service Learning Club ~ Wednesday, October 12th ~ Permission slips for Service Learning Club went home last week. This club meets at lunch on every other Wednesday at lunch, sometimes more frequently, to plan activities that support our community. Some of our past events include planning the Veteran's Day Assembly, fundraiser for the Buddy Foundations, blankets for children in the hospital, and the Fill the Nest food drive. If you would like your child to participate, and they did not bring home a permission slip, please let me know and I'll send them another one.
Math
My math class began to work on computation in unit 2 this week, as well as making magnitude estimates. With this unit, students have assignments on Khan Academy. While they do have time in class to complete these assignments, it would be a great idea if they continued to practice their skills on Khan at home. They will be assessed on their progress on the skills learned on Khan at the end of this unit. Please continue to encourage the students to practice addition, subtraction, and multiplication with decimals and their multiplication facts.
Social Studies
Students took their Unit 11 Assessment today on Loyalists and Patriots. Look for these assessments to come home on Monday for a sign and return.
Next week, we will begin our last Social Studies unit for this term - Unit 12 on the Declaration of Independence. During this unit, students will have an opportunity to debate whether or not our country should have declared independence. They will take the side of a Loyalist or a Patriot, and use chapters 10-12 for evidence to support their opinion. It always proves to be a lively time in 5-2!
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. 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.
I have also finished benchmarking your children's reading level in Fountas & Pinnell. I will be meeting with each of your children in the next couple of weeks to share their independent reading level. This level will help students to choose books at their appropriate reading level, and we will use the information to set reading goals. When you visit the AHML, use their reading level to help select books - the staff at the library can help you determine the level of each of the books on their shelves. If you would like to know your child's reading level sooner, please just email me and I'll send it to you. The on-level reading levels are S-T for 5th Grade.
I have also finished benchmarking your children's reading level in Fountas & Pinnell. I will be meeting with each of your children in the next couple of weeks to share their independent reading level. This level will help students to choose books at their appropriate reading level, and we will use the information to set reading goals. When you visit the AHML, use their reading level to help select books - the staff at the library can help you determine the level of each of the books on their shelves. If you would like to know your child's reading level sooner, please just email me and I'll send it to you. The on-level reading levels are S-T for 5th Grade.
Students have been eagerly sharing their book suggestions in our room whenever they are given the opportunity - I love their excitement! Today, students learned how to write an excellent Book Talk, and were asked to write one this weekend. They were also excited to find out they will participate in our Book Talk Fashion Show in 2 weeks! Your child will need a plain white t-shirt and materials to decorate the t-shirt.
Writing
This week, we focused on FOCUS in our writing! Focusing on a moment and focusing on an object creates rich, engaging text for our readers. Next week, we will take a mini field trip as we learn to focus on setting and sound in our writing.
“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 weekend :)
Cheers ~
Theresa Fowler
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