Well, it definitely felt like fall was in the air today...brrr! Now that the weather is turning 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!
Students - The students met Mr. Carpenter today - he is a student teacher from Harper College who will be doing about 25 hours of observation in our classroom this fall. Your children were so welcoming to him as he jumped right into math groups!
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.
Tenth Inning ~ We had our first Tenth Inning Celebration on Thursday of this week...and the kids had a blast!! Students were able to choose from a variety of activities: indoor games, movies, arts & crafts, and online games. 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 :)
Students - The students met Mr. Carpenter today - he is a student teacher from Harper College who will be doing about 25 hours of observation in our classroom this fall. Your children were so welcoming to him as he jumped right into math groups!
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.
Tenth Inning ~ We had our first Tenth Inning Celebration on Thursday of this week...and the kids had a blast!! Students were able to choose from a variety of activities: indoor games, movies, arts & crafts, and online games. 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 ~ Tuesday, October 6th - 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 8th - 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 9th
Columbus Day (No School) ~ Monday, October 12th
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.
Character Education
During the month of October, we will focus on the character trait of Courage - choosing to do the right thing, even when it's difficult. We started the unit with a self-assessment on Courage - ask your child how they scored themselves! We also began reading a Reader's Theater about choosing to do the right thing when friends pressure you to do the wrong thing.
Character Education
During the month of October, we will focus on the character trait of Courage - choosing to do the right thing, even when it's difficult. We started the unit with a self-assessment on Courage - ask your child how they scored themselves! We also began reading a Reader's Theater about choosing to do the right thing when friends pressure you to do the wrong thing.
Science
Students took their first science test this week on lessons 1-6 in the Human Body - please look for those tests to come home for a sign and return early next week. There was a delay in sending these scores home due to the number of absent students in our class over the past week of so. This was our first content area assessment this year, and an excellent opportunity for students to start improving their study skills. If your child is not pleased with their test score, please encourage them to request a re-test. Studying for a test is a specific skill many students struggle to learn in 5th grade, so we discuss often how we can intentionally prepare for an assessment. We discuss what studying looks like, and the resources we can use: re-reading the chapter, creating flashcards, creating quizzes, reviewing the graphic organizers. As the content gets more complex, students need to spend more time with the information independently, and this doesn't come naturally for some students. Please encourage them to spend time studying prior to assessments! If they need any additional help, please encourage them to come see me :)
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 - I will write their reading level inside the front cover of their reading notebooks. 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 - I will write their reading level inside the front cover of their reading notebooks. 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.
Writing
This week, we focused on adding strong verbs to our writing, and practiced properly punctuating dialogue in our personal narrative writing unit. We're getting close to the end of the unit, and will be taking one journal entry to final publication as an assessment grade.
We took a break from our WEX curriculum today to have Mrs. Watanuki in our room to present a lesson on formally publishing our writing in an online or printed publication. Since this class is full of advanced learners who are eager to have their writing formally published, Mrs. Watanuki and I brainstormed ways to get interested students published. I was blown away by the excitement in the class during the intro lesson!! This is NOT a mandatory assignment - but if your child is interested in this opportunity, please have them complete the organizer by Friday, 10/16.
We took a break from our WEX curriculum today to have Mrs. Watanuki in our room to present a lesson on formally publishing our writing in an online or printed publication. Since this class is full of advanced learners who are eager to have their writing formally published, Mrs. Watanuki and I brainstormed ways to get interested students published. I was blown away by the excitement in the class during the intro lesson!! This is NOT a mandatory assignment - but if your child is interested in this opportunity, please have them complete the organizer by Friday, 10/16.
“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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