WEEK OF MAY 2

Robert Crown Field Trip
I will be sending home permission slips to the Robert Crown Center on Monday. A parent informational meeting will be offered on May 23rd. Parents will hear about both the Michael and Linda programs and have the opportunity to ask questions.

Life-Saving-Grams
Ask your child about this fundraiser sponsored by Project Challenge. It is for the American Red Cross to help victims in Japan. If a student would like to participate, the form(s) and donation need to be turned in before May 25th! Extra "grams" can be printed from our school website!

Prairieview Talent Show
Talent show slips need to be turned in A.S.A.P. if your child is interested in trying out. Try outs begin Monday! Your child has been given a slip with all the information. It requires a parent signature in order for your child to participate.

Subject Update:

• English - Students will learn about irregular forms of verbs in the past tense, writing verb phrases with have correctly, and using the verbs teach, learn, let, leave, sit, set, can, and may correctly.
  
• Science - We will continue Lesson 3 on weather patterns. We are learning how weather conditions are measured and how these measurements can be used to predict the weather. The Chapter 11 Test is planned for Friday, May 6.
  
• Social Studies - We will begin Chapter 11 about The Young United States. We will learn how political parties emerged in the American government system. We will also read how President Washington organized the executive branch.
• Mrs. Strong's Spelling Class - We will begin Lesson 27 on Monday. The students will be assigned homework during the week to practice their words. A final test will be given on Friday.
• Mrs. Strong's Reading Class - This week we will complete Jacob's Rescue. There will be a vocabulary quiz for chapters 17-21 on Tuesday, May 2nd. The students are making flashcards to help them prepare for the quiz. Later in the week we will introduce a fantasy novel. Skills we will be focusing on are character traits, figurative language, and story mapping.
• Mrs. Strong's Math Class - We will continue Chapter 9 on integers. There will be an open-note homework review on Tuesday. Then we will learn about adding, subtracting, and multiplying integers.
  

Mark Your Calendar:

May 12 - 5th Graders Visit Lakeview for Musical

May 13 - Early Dismissal (11:00 a.m.)

May 16 - 5th Graders Tour of Lakeview

May 16 - 5th Grade Parents Lakeview Meeting (6:30 p.m.)

WEEK OF APRIL 25

MAP Testing
Our class will be taking the MAP reading test on Monday and math test on Thursday. Students have set goals for improving their scores. Eating a healthy breakfast and getting a good night's sleep will help them do their best!

TGFD Graduation Highlights
Thank you to all the parents who were able to attend the graduation ceremony. I truly hope the students put into action the strategies they learned during this valuable program. It was inspiring to hear Mrs. Kotovsky, Deputy K's wife, share some of her personal experiences in life as she emphasized the importance of educating children about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. We also enjoyed hearing one of our own classmates share his "promise letter." Great job, Adam!


Subject Update:

• English - Students will review verb tenses on Monday. Then they will prepare for a quiz over Lessons 1-8 of the verb unit scheduled for Wednesday, April 27. This will include action verbs, direct objects, main and helping verbs, linking verbs, and the different tenses of verbs.
  
• Science - We will continue Chapter 11 on weather. Lesson three focuses on weather patterns. We will learn how weather conditions are measured and how these measurements can be used to predict the weather.
• Social Studies - We will continue to learn how the states ratified the Constitution and later the Bill of Rights. The Chapter 1o Test is scheduled for Friday, April 29!
  
• Mrs. Strong's Spelling Class - We will begin Lesson 26 on Tuesday. The students will be assigned homework during the week to practice their words. A final test will be given on Friday.
• Mrs. Strong's Reading Class - The students will continue to read their historical fiction novels, focusing on the skills of author's viewpoint and cause and effect. Those reading Jacob's Rescue have a vocabulary quiz over Ch. 9-16 on Tuesday.
  
• Mrs. Strong's Math Class - We will start Chapter 9 on integers. The first few lessons introduce positive and negative numbers, absolute value, and comparing and ordering integers.
  

Mark Your Calendar:

April 25 - MAP Reading Test

April 28 - MAP Math Test and Wheel of Wisdom Assembly

WEEK OF APRIL 18

Spring Open House and Book Fair - Big Success
Thank you to all the families who were able to attend the Spring Open House and Book Fair. The students enjoyed sharing their many activities and projects with you! Also, I enjoyed the opportunity to visit with so many of you again.

Center Cass District 66 Eat Out - Panda Express
http://www.ccsd66.org/PTO/FundRaisers/Panda.pdf
Fifth graders made many decorations during our China unit. Maria Davilla of Panda Express will have many of them on display Thursday, April 21 for the District Eat Out. Stop by and check them out!


Subject Update:

• English - Students will be learning about the present, past, and future tenses of verbs and how to spell present and past tense verbs correctly.
  
• Science - Lesson two focuses on what conditions affect the water cycle. We will describe the changes in the water cycle and learn how the water cycle relates to weather.
  
• Social Studies - The students are busy learning the Preamble (the introduction) to the Constitution. Students who can recite this to me before the test will receive a special token of their accomplishment. All students will need to know it for the test. This week we will read how after a long debate the states ratified the Constitution and later the Bill of Rights.
• Mrs. Strong's Spelling Class - No spelling lesson this week.
  
• Mrs. Strong's Reading Class - The students have been assigned one of two historical fiction novels about the Holocaust: Jacob's Rescue or Goodnight, Maman. This week we are focusing on the skills of author's viewpoint and cause and effect.
  
• Mrs. Strong's Math Class - The Chapter 8 Test on ratios, proportions, and percents is scheduled for Tuesday, April 19! Due to TGFD Graduation, an early dismissal day on Thursday, and no school Friday, we will not start Chapter 9 on integers until the next week.
  

Mark Your Calendar:

April 20 - T.G.F.D. Graduation (8:30 a.m.)

April 21 - Early Dismissal (11:00 a.m.)

April 22 - No School

WEEK OF APRIL 11

Geospace Thank Yous
Thank you to Mrs. Rosignal and Mrs. Repole for helping during our Geospace program. The program brought to our school by the DuPage Children's Museum enriched our knowledge of geometric shapes and solids. Students received a coupon for one free adult admission to the museum in Naperville as a thank you for participating in the program.

Spring Open House and Book Fair
I look forward to seeing everyone at the Spring Open House and Book Fair on Thursday, April 14 from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. Student work and projects will be on display for your to view, and there will be a great selection of books at the Book Fair.

Looking Ahead... Robert Crown Center
A field trip to the Robert Crown Center has been scheduled for June 3rd. There will be an informational meeting for parents the evening of May 23rd. Parents who attend this meeting will get an overview of the program and have an opportunity to ask questions. Permission slips and more information will be sent home in a few weeks.

Subject Update:

• English - Students will put the finishing touches on their "Me Front Page" special edition newspaper and begin learning about verbs.
  
• Science - Students will review the causes of weather and learn about the water cycle.
  
• Social Studies - At the end of Lesson 1, we learned that Congress had asked for representatives from all the states to meet for the sole purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation. Lesson 2 will teach us how these delegates ended up replacing it with a new Constitution instead.
  
• Mrs. Strong's Spelling Class - We will begin Lesson 25 on Monday. The students will be assigned homework during the week to practice their words. A final test will be given on Friday.
  
• Mrs. Strong's Reading Class - The students have been assigned one of two historical fiction novels about the Holocaust: Jacob's Rescue or Goodnight, Maman. We are focusing on the skills of drawing conclusions, author's viewpoint, and cause and effect as we read these novels.
  
• Mrs. Strong's Math Class - We will continue to apply our knowledge of proportions by calculating indirect measurements and using map scales and scale drawings.

Mark Your Calendar:

April 14 - Spring Open House and Book Fair (6:30 - 8:00 p.m.)

April 20 - T.G.F.D. Graduation (8:30 a.m.)

April 21 - Early Dismissal (11:00 a.m.)

April 22 - No School