WEEK OF JANUARY 3

Prairieview 5th Grade Cinemas
What a fun and relaxing way to spend our last afternoon of 2011 together! The students really enjoyed their time at the "theater." A special thanks to Mrs. Crandell for supplying us with fresh buttered popcorn and Mrs. McGlynn for bringing in water to quench our thirst!

Too Good For Drugs Program Begins Soon
On January 5, our class will begin the fifth grade "Too Good For Drugs" program. Deputy Seward from the DuPage County Sheriff's Department will be coming to our classroom on Thursdays to discuss various topics of drug prevention. A letter explaining more about the program will be sent home after our first session.

Spelling Bee
The students have all received lists of words that may be reviewed to prepare for our upcoming Spelling Bees. We will have a practice bee the first week after break, and an official "Classroom Bee" the following week. I will provide the students with precise dates/times in January!

Subject Update:

• Spelling - The Lesson 15 pretest will be on Tuesday. 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 - We will begin our study of pronouns after the break. A pronoun is a word that can replace a noun in a sentence.
  
• Reading - We will be focusing on identifying main ideas and details and using them to summarize a text. The Golden Lion Tamarin Comes Home will be our story as we practice these important skills. READING TIC-TAC-TOE: Students have their Tic-Tac-Toe sheets for 2nd trimester. Please monitor your child's progress and encourage your child to read at home to earn Tic-Tac-Toe by March 2nd!
  
• Science - We will continue to learn about the physical properties and changes of matter.
  
• Social Studies - Chapter 7 will help students understand how France, Great Britain, and Spain, along with many Native American groups, struggled for control over the continent of North America in the 1700's.
  
• Mrs. Strong's Math Class - The students will continue their work with geometry in Chapter 10. We will learn about perimeter, area, and volume in this chapter.
  

Important Dates:

Dec. 17 - Jan. 2 - WINTER BREAK

Jan. 5 - Martin Luther King Assembly

Jan. 5 - Too Good For Drugs (Session 1)

WEEK OF DECEMBER 12

Prairieview 5th Grade Cinemas
On Friday, December 16th, the fifth grade is looking forward to turning our classrooms into cinemas to celebrate the start of our holiday vacation. As you know, students will be viewing a movie of their choice, and enjoying a snack of popcorn and water as well. To make our rooms a bit cozier, we are allowing students to bring in a pillow, cushion, or small blanket to sit upon while watching the movie. We ask that the items be no larger than a normal size beach blanket to ensure we have enough room for everyone to be comfortable. Thank you!

Recycling Bin Reminders
Parents, please don't forget about our big recycling bin in the LV parking lot. We earn money with our paper! A question arose from a parent regarding shredded paper and if it's ok to put it in there. Here is the response from the recycling company: "Absolutely, you can put shredded paper in the bin. I would recommend that you put the shredded paper in a bag, so that it does not blow around when the driver services the bin. Paper or plastic bag is fine."

Subject Update:

• Spelling - The Lesson 14 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 - The students have selected the best of their "scary experience" ideas for a narrative writing piece. They have started rough draft work and will continue to develop this writing piece next week.
  
• Reading - We will continue to identify valid and invalid generalizations, distinguish between facts and opinions, and make inferences as we read, The Grizzly Bear Family Book. There will be a vocabulary quiz over the story vocabulary on Wednesday, December 14! READING TIC-TAC-TOE: Students have their Tic-Tac-Toe sheets for 2nd trimester. Please monitor your child's progress and encourage your child to read at home to earn Tic-Tac-Toe by March 2nd!
  
• Science - We will review about the structure of matter and learn about the physical properties and changes of matter.
  
• Social Studies - The students will work with maps next week to learn about latitude and longitude.
  
• Mrs. Strong's Math Class - The students explored tessellations on the computer and identified many different shapes that can tessellate a plane. I can't wait for this creative bunch to share their tessellations due on Monday! Students will also review the concepts from Chapter 7 on Monday to prepare for the test on Tuesday, December 13!
  

Important Dates:

Dec. 16 - Prairieview 5th Grade Cinemas

Dec. 17 - Jan. 2 - WINTER BREAK

WEEK OF DECEMBER 5

2nd Trimester Notes
I valued the opportunity to meet with parents for 1st Trimester conferences. I hope you discussed some of the ideas from our conferences with your students and set goals for the 2nd Trimester. Also, I want to remind parents and students that the late homework procedures change slightly for this trimester. Graded work turned in one day late results in a 15% deduction from the grade earned. (The penalty for more than one day late, as well as for ungraded work, remains the same.) Finally, please remember that you can contact me at any time with questions or concerns about your students!

5th Grade Bowling Reminders
Please remember that 5th grade students go bowling the morning of Friday, December 9th. Since many students choose to bring money for snacks (and often feel full by lunchtime), we ask that students bring sack lunches that day. Food can then be taken home and not wasted.

Subject Update:

• Spelling - The Lesson 13 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 - We will continue to work on generating IDEAS for a writing piece about things that are scary. The students are in the process of creating "idea webs" for possible writing topics. An important step in writing is narrowing down a topic and selecting one for which we can provide many interesting details.
  
• Reading - We will identify valid and invalid generalizations, distinguish between facts and opinions, and make inferences as we read a nonfiction story, The Grizzly Bear Family Book. READING TIC-TAC-TOE: Students have their Tic-Tac-Toe sheets for 2nd trimester. Please monitor your child's progress and encourage your child to read at home to earn Tic-Tac-Toe by March 2nd!
  
• Science - We have started our physical science unit about matter and energy. We are currently learning about the structure of matter. Can your student tell you the difference between mass and weight? Or the difference between an atom and a molecule?
  
• Social Studies - The students have learned all about life in the colonies. The Chapter 6 Test is scheduled for Wednesday, December 7!
  
• Mrs. Strong's Math Class - Students will be learning about symmetry and tesselations as we finish the chapter. The Chapter 7 Test is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, December 13!
  

Important Dates:

Dec. 8 - All School Concert (9:00 a.m.)

Dec. 9 - 5th Grade Bowling (a.m.)

Dec. 17 - Jan. 2 - WINTER BREAK