Hey Families! Isn't this a crazy time of year.....and then you have to deal with a teacher who is the Queen of Big Projects!! :O Thanks for putting up with me though! You are awesome, but most of all your kiddos are! I am going to miss them like CRAZY! Here is a list of events coming up:
May 4th - State Floats are due
May 5th - Little Olympics (The kids can bring concession stand money that day.)
May 7th - Parent's Day (1:30) - (A formal invitation will be sent home next week.)
May 11th - Guest speaker 9:00
May 12th - Guest speaker 9:00
May 13th - Egg Drop (More info to come......another project.....but the kids want to do it and some parents encouraged me to do it.....so blame them! :))
May 14th - Leonardo's field trip 9:40-2:30, Spring Fling
May 17th - Auction 9:00, Awards Assembly 1:30
May 18th - Guest speaker 9:00, Volleyball-Teachers vs. 5th graders 1:30
May 19th - Grizzly Day (morning), Yearbook signing 2:00
One more thing to note - The last spelling enrichment test will be next Tuesday. This is list 27.5.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
One more thing.........
Could you please edit your child's story this weekend. We need to submit for publishing no later than Tuesday. These stories are absolutely fabulous! I am so proud of the kids and can't wait to get the published books back!!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Week of 4-26
Hey Families! Wow! The weeks are just zooming by! I am so going to miss your children!
Here is what's ahead for the week:
Reading: We will finish up our Tall Tale unit.
English: Poetry
Spelling: States 1st half (look for this title on spellingcity.com) Last enrichment list will be List 27.5
Math: Subtracting fractions with unlike denominators, finding the percents of numbers
Science: Plants
Here is what's ahead for the week:
Reading: We will finish up our Tall Tale unit.
English: Poetry
Spelling: States 1st half (look for this title on spellingcity.com) Last enrichment list will be List 27.5
Math: Subtracting fractions with unlike denominators, finding the percents of numbers
Science: Plants
Friday, April 16, 2010
What's ahead for the week of April 19th!
Reading - Tall Tales
Math - Reducing fractions, adding fractions with unlike denominators
Spelling - Homophones, list 26 on spellingcity.com (enriched list 26.5)
Science - Plants
English - Poetry
Social Studies - State research is due Tuesday. I am so proud of your children! This has been a big assignment.......... easy, but time consuming. They've had a month to do this assignment, and hopefully learned the all important skill of time management. I have about half the class done early! Great Job!! Most of the rest are 3/4 of the way done which is good too! A couple of kiddos have more to learn about this concept though. :0 They are going to have to really work hard over the next several days to get it done. Procastination hurts!! I totally understand life is busy. My daughter in 7th grade is still learning about procrastination and its effect, and how to balance extra curricular activities with school work. It's a tough concept to learn! They will get there with our help though! :)
The following pictures are examples of our next long term homework assignment. If your child is done with his/her state research, I will send home the directions for this project today. These are state floats! They are pretty cool to make and share! They are due on May 4th.
Thanks for those that sent extra "pop" treats for our whole class! It was so generous of you!
Thanks too, to those who have volunteered to go to Leonardo's with us and signed up to donate an item for our auction! You are greatly appreciated! I honestly could not pull off all that I do without your help and support! Parents and teachers working together make all the difference in making memorable school years for our children! They deserve it!
We will be having a Parent's Day on May 7th at 1:30. We will be presenting a poetry powerpoint presentation! Each child will be creating a slide in the presentation to share. We will also have an Art Show and serve cookies and lemonade to you. Hopefully, you can make this special day!
We are out of kleenex, PLEASE HELP! Believe me, you don't want to be in a room with 23 children and NO KLEENEX! If you can pick up a box when you're at the store this weekend, it would be AWESOME!
I need your signed book order form on Monday. Even if you don't order a book, I have to have a signed note from you in order for not only your child to receive the free book, but for the company to do this free project for all of the children. Please don't forget to send the note back!
We are missing a Because of Winn Dixie book belonging to the library. Please, check to see if you accidently have it. You might check a backpack too.
Math - Reducing fractions, adding fractions with unlike denominators
Spelling - Homophones, list 26 on spellingcity.com (enriched list 26.5)
Science - Plants
English - Poetry
Social Studies - State research is due Tuesday. I am so proud of your children! This has been a big assignment.......... easy, but time consuming. They've had a month to do this assignment, and hopefully learned the all important skill of time management. I have about half the class done early! Great Job!! Most of the rest are 3/4 of the way done which is good too! A couple of kiddos have more to learn about this concept though. :0 They are going to have to really work hard over the next several days to get it done. Procastination hurts!! I totally understand life is busy. My daughter in 7th grade is still learning about procrastination and its effect, and how to balance extra curricular activities with school work. It's a tough concept to learn! They will get there with our help though! :)
The following pictures are examples of our next long term homework assignment. If your child is done with his/her state research, I will send home the directions for this project today. These are state floats! They are pretty cool to make and share! They are due on May 4th.
Thanks for those that sent extra "pop" treats for our whole class! It was so generous of you!Thanks too, to those who have volunteered to go to Leonardo's with us and signed up to donate an item for our auction! You are greatly appreciated! I honestly could not pull off all that I do without your help and support! Parents and teachers working together make all the difference in making memorable school years for our children! They deserve it!
We will be having a Parent's Day on May 7th at 1:30. We will be presenting a poetry powerpoint presentation! Each child will be creating a slide in the presentation to share. We will also have an Art Show and serve cookies and lemonade to you. Hopefully, you can make this special day!
We are out of kleenex, PLEASE HELP! Believe me, you don't want to be in a room with 23 children and NO KLEENEX! If you can pick up a box when you're at the store this weekend, it would be AWESOME!
I need your signed book order form on Monday. Even if you don't order a book, I have to have a signed note from you in order for not only your child to receive the free book, but for the company to do this free project for all of the children. Please don't forget to send the note back!
We are missing a Because of Winn Dixie book belonging to the library. Please, check to see if you accidently have it. You might check a backpack too.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
FYI
I've already had parents ask about what they could donate for our auction. :) I have 12 items purchased already ranging in price from $1 to $20. Types of items I have are: slime, poster, detective kit, and 2 "build an animal" kits. Parents in the past have sent Nerf items, balls, water play toys, craft kits, legos.......whatever your child likes, I'm sure other children will like too. If you work for a company that could donate things, that is an option too. I had a parent that was the main manager of Cato's a couple years ago, so Cato's donated lots of purses, earrings, and shoes! Feel free to donate whatever you can in the price range I listed. Don't feel like you need to spend a lot or that you even have to do it. I know it can be an expensive time of year right now.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Needing help
Here is a letter that will be going out tomorrow.
April 14th, 2010
Dear Families,
I have 2 big events coming up that I need to tell you about and request your help with.
Auction – As you know, we have had an economic system in place in our classroom this year. It has been a great and enriching experience for the kids to learn how our world works. Having job responsibilities, paying rent, or buying a home, learning how to save for the future, paying for mistakes, learning how to delay gratification and wait for things, has all been a rewarding experience for me to watch your children learn. I do have to say that some of the children, I predict, will do very well financially in their future, while others have a little more to learn. J It has been funny! Here is where I need your help. Our auction will be held around the second week of May. The auction is for the kids to spend the money they have managed to save all school year. I have been collecting items all school year for this, but it would really help if you could donate a gently used, or new item for the auction as well. I really want the auction to be fun and special for the kids.
Field Trip – We have been approved to go on a field trip to Leonardo’s! We are so excited! The field trip is Friday, May 14th. We will leave school at about 9:45 and get back about 2:30. I need some parent volunteers to go with us to help supervise a group of 5 children.
If you can help with either of these events, please fill out the bottom portion of this letter and return it to school. The end of this school year is hard for me because I have grown to love your children. They are a very special and sweet group of kids. I will miss them so much. Thank you for all your support this year and for sharing your dear children.
With much appreciation,
___ I can donate an item for the auction.
___ I can be a volunteer for the field trip to Leonardo’s
_________________ ______________________
Child’s name Parent’s name
April 14th, 2010
Dear Families,
I have 2 big events coming up that I need to tell you about and request your help with.
Auction – As you know, we have had an economic system in place in our classroom this year. It has been a great and enriching experience for the kids to learn how our world works. Having job responsibilities, paying rent, or buying a home, learning how to save for the future, paying for mistakes, learning how to delay gratification and wait for things, has all been a rewarding experience for me to watch your children learn. I do have to say that some of the children, I predict, will do very well financially in their future, while others have a little more to learn. J It has been funny! Here is where I need your help. Our auction will be held around the second week of May. The auction is for the kids to spend the money they have managed to save all school year. I have been collecting items all school year for this, but it would really help if you could donate a gently used, or new item for the auction as well. I really want the auction to be fun and special for the kids.
Field Trip – We have been approved to go on a field trip to Leonardo’s! We are so excited! The field trip is Friday, May 14th. We will leave school at about 9:45 and get back about 2:30. I need some parent volunteers to go with us to help supervise a group of 5 children.
If you can help with either of these events, please fill out the bottom portion of this letter and return it to school. The end of this school year is hard for me because I have grown to love your children. They are a very special and sweet group of kids. I will miss them so much. Thank you for all your support this year and for sharing your dear children.
With much appreciation,
___ I can donate an item for the auction.
___ I can be a volunteer for the field trip to Leonardo’s
_________________ ______________________
Child’s name Parent’s name
Friday, April 9, 2010
Week of April 12th
This week will be testing week! Yeah! It's finally here and we can get it over with! I am so proud of your kiddos! They have been working so hard preparing! They are going to do great! We will take the reading test on Tuesday and Wednesday and the math test on Thursday. I am so thankful they agreed to break up the reading test into 2 days this year. It is very long and grueling for a one day test. Two days will be much, much better! Please make sure your child gets adequate rest and a nutritious breakfast! You may send a special snack with your child on testing days as well as a juice.
The other things we will be doing during testing week are 2 big projects. We will be constructing a marble maze! Fun! This project covers both math and science objectives including, but not limited to: measurement, angles, line relationships, and forces at work! The second project is our writing project! The kids are so excited about this! We are busy writing stories to get published! Your child has a code to access a website to begin the process of publishing his/her story. On this website, your child can type the story, design the cover and illustrations, and even scan photos from home. Check it out! You might want to get involved with this process to help your child make the best story ever! Every child will get a free paperback book of their story, but I will send order forms home in case you want to order more paperbacks or a hardback book. I will be sending that form home next week sometime. Please make sure you sign the form regardless of whether you are purchasing more copies. I have to have it back in order for your child to get the free one. Our publication date is April 27th, but I'm encouraging the children to get their story done sooner, so that we won't risk not getting the books back before school is out. After testing, I will be taking the kids to the computer lab 2 times a day, so that one time can be spent completely on the story. I encourage working on it at home when there is time as well.
Our 50 state research assignment due date is fast approaching! Next week, we will begin working everyday in computer lab on this assignment, but please continue to work on it at home as well. Yesterday, the children averaged about one state every 10 minutes. Next week, I will be sending home the big assignment for their chosen state to the children who are done early. This assignment will not be due until May sometime. As we get closer, I will give you the due date. I have 3 students already done and they have chosen New York, Florida, and Colorado.
In celebration of testing being over and your children's awesome work ethic, we will be having a "pop" party next Friday. Your child may bring any food that has the word "pop" in it, such as pop tarts, pop, popcorn, popsicles, pop rocks, etc.. :) They may also bring games from home.
That's about all for now!
The other things we will be doing during testing week are 2 big projects. We will be constructing a marble maze! Fun! This project covers both math and science objectives including, but not limited to: measurement, angles, line relationships, and forces at work! The second project is our writing project! The kids are so excited about this! We are busy writing stories to get published! Your child has a code to access a website to begin the process of publishing his/her story. On this website, your child can type the story, design the cover and illustrations, and even scan photos from home. Check it out! You might want to get involved with this process to help your child make the best story ever! Every child will get a free paperback book of their story, but I will send order forms home in case you want to order more paperbacks or a hardback book. I will be sending that form home next week sometime. Please make sure you sign the form regardless of whether you are purchasing more copies. I have to have it back in order for your child to get the free one. Our publication date is April 27th, but I'm encouraging the children to get their story done sooner, so that we won't risk not getting the books back before school is out. After testing, I will be taking the kids to the computer lab 2 times a day, so that one time can be spent completely on the story. I encourage working on it at home when there is time as well.
Our 50 state research assignment due date is fast approaching! Next week, we will begin working everyday in computer lab on this assignment, but please continue to work on it at home as well. Yesterday, the children averaged about one state every 10 minutes. Next week, I will be sending home the big assignment for their chosen state to the children who are done early. This assignment will not be due until May sometime. As we get closer, I will give you the due date. I have 3 students already done and they have chosen New York, Florida, and Colorado.
In celebration of testing being over and your children's awesome work ethic, we will be having a "pop" party next Friday. Your child may bring any food that has the word "pop" in it, such as pop tarts, pop, popcorn, popsicles, pop rocks, etc.. :) They may also bring games from home.
That's about all for now!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Projects and due dates!
Wow! Your children are so fun to work with! They have such great work ethic and tons of creativity! I assigned a project last Monday that I intended to make a 2, maybe 3 day assignment, but your kiddos got so into it that I decided to give them more time. Their job was to design their own zoo with a partner. I gave them poster board and graph paper. We then brainstormed things that would be found at a zoo. Then they went to town! They are doing a spectacular job! I told them they could use animal stickers if they wanted, but to NOT tell their parents they HAD to have them. :) Talk about competitive! They are so competitive with their posters, but it really sets the standards for all of the kids when they are turning out SO terrific! The objective in all of this is to understand area and perimeter. They have to find the area and perimeter of each enclosure in the their zoo. Hopefully, they will remember these concepts after this project! :O This poster project is due Wednesday morning. They will have 2 more class times to work on it. Many have chosen to take the posters home. You should be very proud of them. You are raising great kids! Next year may be hard for me because I will always want to compare this class and their work ethic! They will be great future leaders of tomorrow!
I wanted to mention a couple more things that are coming up:
50 state research - due April 20th This seems like a lot, but it really isn't that hard, and I'm giving them plenty of time. A very important concept for them to learn for future success is time management. We talked about procrastinating and how that causes unnecessary stress. Through this project, I want them to get familiar with each state and choose one to dive further into for a special project. I hope they will choose a state that they want to learn more about, not one they already know a lot about. :)
I will be sending home a math homework assignment today that is due on Friday. It is constructing 3 dimensional objects. This assignment will give them a better understanding of what shapes make 3 dimensional objects. Example: To make a square pyramid, you would need 4 triangles and 1 square. Please talk to your children about this concept as they are constructing.
We will have 2 more homework assignments before the end of the year, one that will be due at the end of April and one that will be due in May. One assignment is the state assignment that I mentioned before. The other one is for a very fun day coming up after testing!! I will let you know more specifics later.
I wanted to mention a couple more things that are coming up:
50 state research - due April 20th This seems like a lot, but it really isn't that hard, and I'm giving them plenty of time. A very important concept for them to learn for future success is time management. We talked about procrastinating and how that causes unnecessary stress. Through this project, I want them to get familiar with each state and choose one to dive further into for a special project. I hope they will choose a state that they want to learn more about, not one they already know a lot about. :)
I will be sending home a math homework assignment today that is due on Friday. It is constructing 3 dimensional objects. This assignment will give them a better understanding of what shapes make 3 dimensional objects. Example: To make a square pyramid, you would need 4 triangles and 1 square. Please talk to your children about this concept as they are constructing.
We will have 2 more homework assignments before the end of the year, one that will be due at the end of April and one that will be due in May. One assignment is the state assignment that I mentioned before. The other one is for a very fun day coming up after testing!! I will let you know more specifics later.
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