WEEK OF NOVEMBER 21 and NOVEMBER 28

Robert Crown Field Trip
Don't forget that the fifth graders will be visiting the Robert Crown Center on Tuesday, November 22. Please make sure your child brings a SACK LUNCH on this day! Also, the students will be receiving an informational booklet from the Robert Crown Center to take home. The booklets can serve as a resource for answering questions students may have after the program.

1st Trimester Grade Reports
Your student brought home a letter from the principal today regarding 1st trimester grade reports. The letter provides the steps necessary for printing your child's report. Please ask your child for this important paper since the school is not issuing hard copies of report cards until the end of the 3rd Trimester. Parents should contact the office if they are having trouble accessing their child's grades.

Subject Update:

• Spelling - There will be no spelling lesson the week of November 21. The Lesson 12 pretest will be on Monday, November 28. Based on the pretest, students will be given either the regular or challenge word lists. Homework will be assigned during the week to practice their words. Both regular and challenge word tests are on Thursday, December 1 since there is no school that Friday.
  
• English - We will focus on writing in the weeks ahead. The students will learn a little about the 6 traits of writing, and then focus on generating IDEAS for a short writing piece.
  
• Reading - The students will create a "story pyramid" as a culminating activity to our novels. This project will be completed at school. READING TIC-TAC-TOE: The students will receive the Tic-Tac-Toe board for 2nd Trimester on Monday.
  
• Science - We have completed our study of life science, and will now begin our physical science unit. Students will learn about the properties of matter in Chapter 14.
  
• Social Studies - Our trade fair was a big success! What a skilled and creative group of 5th graders I have! We will continue to learn about colonial life as we read about the cities, towns, and southern plantations of that time.
  
• Mrs. Strong's Math Class - Students will be creating a geometric design using only line segments. Then we will identify geometric patterns, recognize when figures are congruent, and make transformations of geometric shapes.
  

Important Dates:

Nov. 18 - End of 1st Trimester

Nov. 22 - Robert Crown Field Trip

Nov. 23 - Nov. 27 - Thanksgiving Break

Nov. 28 - Dec. 1 - Parent/Teacher Conference Week

Dec. 2 - No School

WEEK OF NOVEMBER 14

Junior Achievement

The students received a certificate of completion and special treat from Mr. Blocker during our last session of Junior Achievement. The students also presented Mr. Blocker with a card and gift as a token of appreciation for all of his hard work. Hopefully, students will use some of the concepts taught during Junior Achievement as they prepare for our upcoming trade fair!

Parent/Teacher Conference Schedule
I sent out an email to homeroom parents with the schedule for Parent/Teacher Conferences. Thank you to those parents who have already confirmed their date/time. If you have not replied to my email yet, please do so as soon as possible. I have a few parents who need to reschedule, and I cannot do that until I know if there are slots available.

Paper Recycling
Did you know that you can help our district earn money by recycling paper here at school? You can bring in any paper (no cardboard, please) to the green and yellow bin marked Paper Retriever located in Lakeview's parking lot to be recycled. The more paper we collect, the more money we can earn. The provider of the bin uses the paper to make newsprint, which is then sold to other companies. That is how we are paid to recycle paper.

Subject Update:

• Spelling - The Lesson 11 pretest will be on Monday. Based on the pretest, students will be given either the regular or challenge word lists. Homework will be assigned during the week to practice their words. Both regular and challenge word tests are on Friday.
  
• English - Students have learned how to identify both common and proper nouns in sentences. Next week, students will learn spelling rules for forming plural nouns correctly and how to use singular and possessive nouns. Looking ahead, the Unit 2 Nouns Test is scheduled for Tuesday, November 22!
  
• Reading - The students will continue working in their assigned novels: The Kid in the Red Jacket or Night of the Twisters. We will also continue our work on building vocabulary, summarizing, and answering the three types of questions. READING TIC-TAC-TOE: Parents should be encouraging students to read at home to help students get "tic-tac-toe" by November 18!
  
• Science - We will learn how people affect ecosystems in our final lesson of the chapter. The Chapter 6 Test is scheduled for Friday, November 18!
  
• Social Studies - Don't forget that our classroom trade fair is Tuesday, November 15! Each student must bring at least one product for the trade fair. Students will make signs for their products in class on Monday.
  
• Mrs. Strong's Math Class - We will differentiate between different types of triangles and quadrilaterals. We will also learn about different types of polygons and identify geometric patterns.
  

Important Dates:

Nov. 11 - No School (Veteran's Day)

Nov. 14 - Robert Crown Parent Meeting (6:30-7:30 p.m.)

Nov. 15 - Classroom Trade Fair

Nov. 16 - Magic Story Teller Assembly

Nov. 18 - End of 1st Trimester

Nov. 22 - Robert Crown Field Trip

Nov. 23 - Nov. 27 - Thanksgiving Break

WEEK OF NOVEMBER 7

Junior Achievement

During session 4, Mr. Blocker taught the students about finding a job. He discussed the importance of choosing a profession that you enjoy, the ability to communicate your strengths to a potential employer, and a common set of skills that employers look for when hiring. Mr. Blocker also gave each student a CD with games and activities related to this week's concepts. We will have our final Junior Achievement session on Tuesday.

Your "Power Paws" Can Make a Difference!
Did you notice the flyer sent home about a POWER PAW opportunity for the whole family? Please consider making no-sew fleece blankets for the children at the Edward Hospital Pediatric ER and the elderly at Westmont Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Details are all in the flyer!

Parent/Teacher Conference Schedule
Next week, I will send emails to parents to confirm conference dates/times. If you did not sign up for a conference at the beginning of the year, I will provide you with a date/time still available.

Subject Update:

• Spelling - The Lesson 9 pretest will be on Monday. Based on the pretest, students will be given either the regular or challenge word lists. Homework will be assigned during the week to practice their words. Both regular and challenge word tests are on Thursday since we do not have school on Friday.
  
• English - We will begin our unit on nouns. A noun names a person, place, thing, or idea.
  
• Reading - The students will continue working in their assigned novels: The Kid in the Red Jacket or Night of the Twisters. We will also continue our work on summarizing and answering the three types of questions. READING TIC-TAC-TOE: Parents should be encouraging students to read at home to help students get "tic-tac-toe" by November 18!
  
• Science - We will learn how ecosystems change over time and how these changes affect the organisms living there.
  
• Social Studies - The students are learning about life in the English colonies in Chapter 6. We started with a look at the different jobs available to colonists. Students will be given information about a classroom trade fair on Monday. This activity will allow students to experience the skills involved in making and trading goods, and the concept of supply and demand. Our trade fair will be Tuesday, November 15!
  
• Mrs. Strong's Math Class - We are learning about plane geometry in Chapter 7. Next week, the students will learn how to name, measure, classify, and draw angles, understand relationships of angles, and classify lines.
  

Important Dates:

Nov. 8 - Junior Achievement (Final Session)

Nov. 11 - No School (Veteran's Day)

Nov. 14 - Robert Crown Parent Meeting

Nov. 15 - Classroom Trade Fair

Nov. 16 - Magic Story Teller Assembly

Nov. 18 - End of 1st Trimester