August 27th Classroom News

Hello Parents,
Well, we've been in school for a little over 2 weeks now, and we're really getting to know each other quite well. Thank you for sharing your children with me.

I would like to thank all of the parents who sent in extra classroom supplies! We usually need to re-stock mid-year, so additional supplies are very much appreciated.

Classroom News:
Homework: Most students are bringing back their homework each day…Yeah!
Some are still having trouble remembering to read and write a short 1-2 sentence summary on their home reading log. Please remind your child to complete his/her independent reading assignment each evening. In addition, they are to be recording how many minutes they read each evening on their independent reading calendar.

Spelling: 5th grade spelling will be introduced to your child on Monday.
Spelling words will be introduced on most Mondays with a test to follow on Friday. Students will receive their spelling homework packet on Monday and have the option of pacing themselves throughout the week or completing it all in one evening. I did suggest, however, it is probably better to do one page each night, so they are practicing the new words a little each day. We will also work with the words during class.

Vocabulary: Students will receive new vocabulary words every 2 weeks. We will practice using these words in class and they should be studying these words at home. Students will have a vocabulary quiz next Friday.
Our new words are: endeavor, historian, primary source, secondary source, artifact, chronological, archeologist, and catastrophe.

Math: Students are working hard in math. We have completed up through lesson 10. Students took their official subtraction facts test today. Students should continue to study subtraction. We will begin to focus on multiplication facts next week.

Reading:
We continue to read The City of Ember. We are also doing some writing related to the book.

Social Studies: Students are learning how to navigate an expository text book. This week we focused on what historians do as well as primary and secondary sources.

Mrs. Russell, our counselor, introduced herself to the students this week. She will be working on several goals with the students, many of which relate to our 6 character pillars.

Ms. Molina, our art teacher, works with the students on Fridays. She will be introducing various artists all year.

Ms. Jenny, our P.E. teacher, has been working on sun safety with the students.

Notes to Parents
FYI: I have been assessing students’ reading and writing abilities all week. This has taken a lot of class time; therefore, we have not delved into science as of yet. We will begin learning about inventions next week and will embark on an inventor research project in the near future….stay tuned. Thank you for returning the student information sheets. If you did not provide me with your email address, I am asking that you send me an email (address above), so I can save your address into my contacts. Email is the best way to communicate with me. I usually check my mail once a day and will get back to you within 48 hours.

Open House: I look forward to seeing everyone next Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Don’t forget…you can also visit the book fair during Open House.

Absent Students: Students have been notified that it is their responsibility to make up work when absent. I will not continually ask them to turn in specific assignments that were assigned while they were out. Students are given one day to make up work for every day that they are absent. Upon their return, students receive a list of assignments that they missed while they were absent. Students MUST be responsible for completing the assignments on their own.
If assignments are not turned in to me in a timely manner, they will not receive any credit for those assignments. Please ask your child about his/her make-up work and encourage them to be responsible.

Volunteers: Don’t forget to sign up to be fingerprinted if you wish to volunteer. You can pick up the paperwork at the front office.
Thank you for helping your child get to school on time each day. It truly makes a difference in how their day goes!
Also…thank you for allowing your child to stay in school until the bell rings. The end of the day is valuable time to discuss homework and tie up loose ends.

Important Dates:
8/23-9/8 Entertainment book sales. All profits will definitely impact students.

8/30 Book Fair Begins

8/31 School Pictures

9/1 Dress Down Day for $1.00
Open House 6-8 p.m.

9/6 Labor Day. No School

9/10 Mid Quarter Ends

9/20 Dentist

9/21 Skate Country 6-8 pm

9/27 Great American Cookie Sale