WEEK OF MAY 3

Project Challenge Fundraiser
Students involved in Project Challenge have organized a fundraiser to support the ASPCA, a foundation working to stop animal cruelty. From now through May 28th, these students will be selling Smencils (scented pencils) for $1 apiece each morning in all of the grade level areas. Project Challenge students ask that you please support this worthy cause!

Goodbye Mrs. Cuzzone, Welcome Back Mrs. Swaekauski
It is bittersweet to announce that Mrs. Cuzzone's time with us has come to an end as Mrs. Swaekauski joins us again, back from her maternity leave. We thank Mrs. Cuzzone for her time and efforts in our classroom, and know that Mrs. Swaekauski will have a smooth transition back as we finish the school year.


Subject Update:

• Spelling - Lesson 32 focuses on words spelled with the prefixes in/im, sub/sup, ob/op, and ad/ap.
• English - The students will learn about some verb phrases that are often written incorrectly. They will also learn about verbs that are commonly misused, such as sit/set, let/leave, and can/may. The Unit 3 Verbs Test is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, May 11th.
• Reading - We will continue to use the reading comprehension strategies and skills taught throughout this school year as we read the novel, CRASH.
• Science - The students will review some of the cycles experienced by our Earth. Then we will investigate how craters are formed as we look to compare the Earth with the moon.
• Social Studies - We will continue to hear about our new country's government. Some Americans pushed for a stronger national government while others were happy with their stronger state governments.
• Mrs. Strong's Math Class - There is a short Chapter 23 Test over perimeter scheduled for Tuesday, May 4th. Then we will begin to explore area in Chapter 24.

Mark Your Calendar:

May 3-7 - Teacher Appreciation Week

May 11 - Bubble Wonder Assembly

May 13 - 5th Graders to LV for "Oklahoma" matinee

May 14 - Early Dismissal (11:00 a.m.)

WEEK OF APRIL 26

Student Progress Check
Parents should be reviewing grades throughout the trimester using ParentConnect. Since we are about halfway through our final grading period, it would be a good time to check your student's progress and discuss any concerns or acknowledge any accomplishments found. Student's achieving below grade level expectations should be receiving progress reports for the particular subject area(s) via U.S. mail. As always, contact me if you have any questions!

5th Grade Talent Show
Wow! A quick "shout out" to Jared for his performance on the piano keyboard during the 5th Grade Talent Show this past Friday. The class is proud to have such talent among us!


Subject Update:

• Spelling - Lesson 31 focuses on words with the prefix ex.
• English - The students will continue their study of verbs. Next week, we will have more practice of the present tense as we make verbs agree with our subjects, determine the correct forms of be and have to use with different subjects, use contractions with not, and recognize the correct way to write irregular past tense verbs.
• Reading - We will continue to review the various reading strategies taught this year using the novel CRASH. Students have had some great discussions regarding some of the central themes to be found in the book and the traits our characters have portrayed so far. Thanks to parents for helping students think about the significance of our names - it helped to build some background knowledge before reading about the names of our two main characters, Crash and Penn.
• Science - Now that we have learned about cycles on Earth, Chapter 13 will discuss cycles in space. The first lesson will tell about Earth's movement and the sun creating our different seasons.
• Social Studies - The students will take the Chapter 9 Test on Tuesday, April 27. Then we will hear about the building of our new nation.
• Mrs. Strong's Math Class - We will find the perimeter of polygons and circles in Chapter 23. Students will be reviewing some of our work with algebraic equations as we develop formulas for the perimeter of some particular shapes.

Mark Your Calendar:

May 3-7 - Teacher Appreciation Week

May 14 - Early Dismissal (11:00 a.m.)

May 17 - 5th Grade's Lakeview Parent Night

WEEK OF APRIL 19

GeoSpace Program - Thanks Volunteers!
We would like to thank Mrs. Casey, Mrs. Brackett, and Mrs. Gonzales for helping with our GeoSpace program. It really helped to have several sets of extra hands in creating our spaces.

Spring Open House and Book Fair Tidbits
I enjoyed seeing so many families at our Spring Open House. We had been working diligently on several projects to share with you that evening, and it was wonderful to receive such positive feedback about them! A special thanks to the families of Brad, Maya, Jared, and Eva for generously donating gift certificates towards the purchase of books for our classroom library. Those new titles will be on the shelves soon!

Earth Day Celebration
Due to our early dismissal on Thursday, we will be celebrating Earth Day on Friday, April 23. Students might choose to wear their Earth Day t-shirts or pack a "no-trash" lunch to celebrate this special day.


Subject Update:

• Spelling - Lesson 30 focuses on words ending with -or.
• English - The students will continue to learn about verbs. We will apply spelling rules to help us form the present and past tenses, and use the helping verb "will" to write verbs in the future tense.
• Reading - We will continue to reinforce the reading strategies taught throughout the year as we begin the novel, CRASH, by Jerry Spinelli.
• Science - The students will review about the Earth's oceans to prepare for the Chapter 12 Test scheduled for Wednesday, April 21!
• Social Studies - The next lesson will discuss how other nations helped the Americans in their fight against the British. We will also discover how this war finally came to an end.
• Mrs. Strong's Math Class - The students will learn about customary and metric units for measuring temperature. A test over Chapter 22 is scheduled for Thursday, April 22!

Mark Your Calendar:

April 20 - Check Student Progress on ParentConnect

April 22 - Early Dismissal (11:00 a.m.)

April 23 - Celebrate Earth Day!

WEEK OF APRIL 12

Spring Open House and Book Fair
Please visit our classroom Thursday, April 15 between 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. during Prairieview's annual Spring Open House and Book Fair. The students will have several recent activities and projects on display for you to view.

Final Thoughts about T.G.F.D. Graduation
Thank you to all of the parents who were able to join us at the T.G.F.D. graduation ceremony. I think it is important to remember the advice given by Dr. Tiede and Deputy K that day. They said that the program should be a foundation - a starting point for family conversations about the value of making good decisions and staying drug-free. Deputy K certainly laid a firm foundation of facts and strategies, and I know with your continued guidance our students will do well in the future.


Subject Update:

• Spelling - Lesson 29 focuses on contractions and compound words.
• English - The students will be putting the final publishing touches on their Me Front Pages and starting our next grammar unit on verbs. A verb is a word that tells an action or state of being.
• Reading - We will be reviewing all of the reading strategies taught this year as we read a short story about Yo Yo Ma, a world-renown cellist who has an interesting cultural background. We will also be finishing up our "Postcards from the Far East" projects by Thursday.
• Science - The students will read about the forces that shape shorelines.
• Social Studies - We will review the events, people, and harsh conditions during the Revolutionary War. We will read a picture book about Washington crossing the Delaware to help students really visualize the conditions for the American soldiers. This will help them with an assignment later in the week.
• Mrs. Strong's Math Class -We will continue with customary and metric measurement. Math class will only meet Thursday and Friday due to the GeoSpace program schedule.

Mark Your Calendar:

April 13 - Mrs. Strong's GeoSpace Program (8:15 - 10:15)

April 15 - Prairieview Spring Open House and Book Fair

WEEK OF APRIL 5

T.G.F.D. Graduation
Please remember that parents are invited to the Too Good For Drugs graduation ceremony on Friday, April 9 at 9:00 a.m. I am very proud of the students and their efforts during the T.G.F.D. program. I sincerely hope the students will keep the promises they have made to make good decisions and stay drug-free in the future!

Help Needed!
I need a few volunteers to help with our GeoSpace program scheduled for Tuesday, April 13 in our classroom from 8:15 - 9:15 a.m. No special skills are needed! Please email or call as soon as possible if you are interested.


Subject Update:

• Spelling - Lesson 28 focuses on combining Greek word parts to form words. Knowing the meaning of the word parts helps you understand the meaning of the words created from them.
• English - The students will continue working on their "Me Front Page" articles. The students will be visiting the computer lab to begin the publishing process as well.
• Reading - We will focus primarily on summarizing, and touch on the other reading strategies, as we continue our unit on China. Students will be given instructions about a final project - "Postcards from the Far East." This activity will be in place of the monthly reading project for April.
• Science - The students will continue to learn about the movement of the ocean.
• Social Studies - We will read about Washington taking command and some of his victories. This will include the famous story of Washington crossing the Delaware to lead a surprise attack on the Hessians in Trenton.
• Mrs. Strong's Math Class - We will learn about customary and metric units of measurement as we begin Chapter 22.

Mark Your Calendar:

April 5 - School Resumes

April 9 - T.G.F.D. Graduation

April 13 - GeoSpace Program

April 15 - Prairieview Spring Open House and Book Fair