WEEK OF OCTOBER 1

Checking Grades on ParentConnect
If you haven't already done so, please check grades via ParentConnect. Checking on a regular basis is a great way to keep track of progress with your child, as well as set goals with him/her for improvement. Please remember that you may contact me at any time with questions or concerns!


Subject Update:

• Spelling - The Lesson 5 pretest will be given on Monday. The students will be assigned homework during the week to practice their words, and a final test will be given Friday.
• English - Students received a review packet to help them prepare for the Unit 1 Test scheduled for Tuesday, October 2. Then we will be creating pyramid poems, incorporating our work with subjects and predicates.
• Reading - We will continue to focus on the organization of non-fiction text. We will also continue to develop "thin" and "thick" questions before, during, and after reading a text. Reminder...1st Quarter "Memory Bag" Project is due Tuesday, October 16th - your student should currently be reading his/her chosen realistic fiction book.
• Science - The students will learn more about photosynthesis and how plants are the producers in a food chain. We will also discuss how energy is passed through an ecosystem.
• Social Studies - We will begin chapter 5 "The Struggle to Found Colonies." We will learn about the lost colony of Roanoke and Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America.
• Mrs. Strong's Math Class -The students are learning about the multiplication of whole numbers and decimals in Chapter 2. We are learning how to multiply by powers of 10, estimate products, and multiply multi-digit numbers.

Mark Your Calendar:

Oct. 8 - No School (Columbus Day)

Oct. 25 - Early Dismissal (11:00 a.m.)

Oct. 26 - End of 1st Quarter

WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 24

Fall Pictures
Picture Day is coming - Thursday, September 27! Order forms were sent home with the students.  If you wish to order fall pictures, your student should have a completed order form with payment in hand that day. Please note that all students, whether ordering or not, will be pictured for the yearbook.


Subject Update:

• Spelling - The Lesson 4 pretest will be given on Monday. The students will be assigned homework during the week to practice their words, and a final test will be given Friday.
• English - Students will learn about subjects in imperatives, conjunctions, and ways to fix run-on sentences. 
• Reading - We will be focusing on the organization of non-fiction text in the weeks ahead. We will also finish up the typing of our Tall Tales. Reminder...1st Quarter "Memory Bag" Project is due Tuesday, October 16th - your student should currently be reading his/her chosen realistic fiction book.
• Science - The students will begin chapter 5: Energy and Ecosystems. We will read and learn about different plant structures and how they help a plant make its own food.
• Social Studies - We will finish Lesson 3 about life in New Spain early next week. Then students will prepare for the Chapter 4 Test scheduled for Thursday, September 27. Students will receive a "How to Study" sheet that may be completed for a free point! 
• Mrs. Strong's Math Class - The students are learning how to write equations that will help them solve word problems. The Chapter 1 Test is scheduled for Wednesday, September 26!

Mark Your Calendar:

Sept.27 - Fall Pictures

Sept. 28 - Early Dismissal (11:00 a.m.)

Oct. 8 - No School (Columbus Day)

WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 17

Peer Buddies Opportunity
Mrs. Zaboth, our multi-needs teacher, will be doing a presentation to our 5th grade students. This informative talk will help the children better understand the students in her classroom who have various disabilities. In 5th grade, the students have an opportunity to be Peer Buddies with these students.  This is voluntary and the students participate in this activity during recess. Most students find this very rewarding and enjoy being able to interact with these students.


Subject Update:

• Spelling - The Lesson 3 pretest will be given on Monday. The students will be assigned homework during the week to practice their words, and a final test will be given Friday.
• English - Students are learning about subjects and predicates. The subject tells who or what a sentence is about. The predicate tells what is or what happens.
• Reading - We will complete our work with Tall Tales. We will also work with prefixes, roots, and suffixes to help us determine the meaning of unfamiliar words.
• Science - The students were introduced to the steps of the scientific method as we performed a  "Ziploc Bag vs. Pencil" experiment. Ask your child to duplicate the experiment for you and share whether or not their hypothesis was correct. We will do more work with the scientific method next week.
• Social Studies - We are learning how the Spanish conquistadors established new colonies in North and South America. One group defeated by the Spanish on their conquest for new land was the Aztecs. The students will be creating Aztec masks to learn more about the culture of these once powerful people.
• Mrs. Strong's Math Class - The students will continue to work with adding and subtracting whole numbers and decimals. They will also learn about numerical and algebraic expressions.

Mark Your Calendar:

Sept.28 - Early Dismissal (11:00 a.m.)

Oct. 8 - No School (Columbus Day)

WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 10

Curriculum Night Tidbits
Thank you to all of the parents who were able to attend 5th Grade Curriculum Night. I really appreciated the opportunity to share a little about myself, the curriculum, and some of our classroom routines and expectations. I look forward to the rest of our year together!
*Please return the "Information Sheet" and "5th Grade Policies" slip to me as soon as possible if you haven't already done so.


Subject Update:

• Spelling - The Lesson 2 pretest will be given on Monday. The students will be assigned homework during the week to practice their words, and a final test will be given Friday.
• English - Students will learn about the four types of sentences: declarative, imperative, interrogative, and exclamatory. They will also learn how to identify the subjects and predicates of sentences.
• Reading - We will continue our study of Tall Tales- identifying story structure, distinguishing between exaggerated and realistic details, and visualizing details. Students will also learn to use context clues to determine the meaning of unknown words.
• Science - The students will review what they have learned about tools of scientific inquiry and safety in the lab. Then they will learn about the scientific method.
• Social Studies - The students are imagining themselves as Christopher Columbus, writing a letter to the king and queen of Spain to persuade them to fund another voyage to the New World. I can't wait to hear how students have incorporated the information they have learned!
• Mrs. Strong's Math Class - We will do some enrichment activities with comparing and ordering numbers before learning how to round whole numbers and decimals correctly. Then students will take an open-note "Homework Review" over lessons 1-5. We will get into different ways to estimate sums and differences later in the week.

Mark Your Calendar:

Sept. 11 - Wear Red, White, & Blue in Observance of 9-11

Sept. 11 - Magazine Drive Kick-Off

Sept.28 - Early Dismissal (11:00 a.m.)