WEEK OF NOVEMBER 25 and DECEMBER 2

2nd Trimester Tidbits
As we begin our next trimester, students will be given the responsibility to check themselves out at the end of the school day. Students will remain independent as long as there is no issue with late homework. If a trend of late homework begins for a student, he/she will be put on a teacher check-out system.
Late Homework Policy for 2nd Trimester:
1 day late - minus 15 %
More than 1 day late until unit test is taken - minus 25%
After unit test is taken - 0% earned
*Ungraded work - 1 point deducted from "Homework Completion" bank of points

Community Service Opportunity - Reminder
Prairieview students have the opportunity to sponsor a therapy dog for Edwards Hospital. Students were asked to earn $3-5 by doing small jobs/chores at home or around the neighborhood. If your child chooses to participate, the deadline for coupon sheets and money was extended to November 26th!

5th Grade - Top Coupon Book Sales
The 5th graders have earned a reward for selling the most coupon books for PTO! They will be watching Monsters University and receiving a small snack. The movie will be shown in the gym, and students may bring a blanket and stuffed animal.


Subject Update:

• Spelling - The Lesson 13 pretest will be given on Monday, December 2. The students will be assigned homework during the week to practice their words, and a final test will be given that Friday. *Students will only be able to print 10 words "just in case" starting the week of November 18. Please continue to work on cursive letter formation at home!
• English - Our next grammar unit is about nouns. Nouns name a person, place, thing, or idea. 
• Reading - Students will continue working with their assigned novels. It is important that students complete the assigned reading and Literature Circle role sheets on time so they are prepared for small group discussions. 2nd Trimester Reading Project - I will provide hand-outs and formally introduce the Biography Shape Booklet the week of December 2.
• Science - We will be sharing our owl slide show presentations with some of the 3rd grade classrooms. After Thanksgiving, we will begin Chapter 6 - Ecosystems and Change. The first lesson discusses how organisms compete and survive in an ecosystem.
• Social Studies - Chapter 6 will focus on life in the colonies. In the first lesson, students will learn how people in the 13 colonies produced a variety of goods and developed trade routes.
• Mrs. Strong's Math Class - Students will take the Chapter 3 Test on Monday, November 25! Then we will move into Chapter 4 about dividing by 2-digit divisors.

Mark Your Calendar:

Nov. 22 - End of 1st Trimester

Nov. 26 - Robert Crown Field Trip

Nov. 27 - Dec. 1 - Thanksgiving Break

WEEK OF NOVEMBER 18

THINK ENERGY Program

You should have received an email from me regarding this program and the free TAKE ACTION KIT that was sent home with your child. Please make sure you read the email and let me know if you have any questions!

Community Service Opportunity - Reminder
Prairieview students have the opportunity to sponsor a therapy dog for Edwards Hospital. Students were asked to earn $3-5 by doing small jobs/chores at home or around the neighborhood. If your child chooses to participate, coupon sheets and money need to be returned by Nov. 19th!


Subject Update:

• Spelling - The Lesson 12 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. *Students will only be able to print 10 words "just in case" starting the week of November 18. Please continue to work on cursive letter formation at home!
• English - We will be doing some creative writing activities to put our capitalization and punctuation skills to good use. Our next grammar unit will be about nouns.
• Reading - Students will be doing a novel study during the next several weeks to practice various reading skills. I will introduce the books and assign groups on Monday.  I will introduce the next reading genre/project when 2nd Trimester begins.
• Science - We will learn more about owls next week. Students will work collaboratively to research and create a slide show presentation using Google Apps.
• Social Studies - The students will compare and contrast the geography and resources of the three regions of English colonies: New England, Middle, and Southern. The Chapter 5 Test is scheduled for Thursday, November 21!
• Mrs. Strong's Math Class - We will review the various methods for dividing by a 1-digit divisor, learn how to use mental math to do "short" division, and understand how to interpret remainders to solve word problems involving division. The Chapter 3 Test is tentatively scheduled for Monday, November 25!

Mark Your Calendar:

Nov. 19 - Robert Crown Parent Meeting (6:30 p.m.)

Nov. 20 - Early Dismissal (11:00 a.m.)

Nov. 22 - End of 1st Trimester

Nov. 26 - Robert Crown Field Trip

Nov. 27 - Dec. 1 - Thanksgiving Break

WEEK OF NOVEMBER 11

THINK ENERGY Program

Our 5th grade will be participating in an activity provided by Nicor Gas and Com Ed called

THINK ENERGY.  The goal of this program is to help students and their families learn about energy and how to use it more wisely. Your child will be bringing home a "Take Action Kit" on November 15th, and parents are encouraged to review the contents with their child. You will get to keep all of the items for energy efficiency in your kit!

Community Service Opportunity
Prairieview students have the opportunity to sponsor a therapy dog for Edwards Hospital. Students attended an assembly to learn about this special program, and were asked to earn $3-5 by doing small jobs/chores at home or around the neighborhood. A flyer went home on Tuesday with more specific information. If you choose to participate, coupon sheets and money need to be returned by Nov. 19th!


Subject Update:

• Spelling - The Lesson 11 pretest will be given on Tuesday. The students will be assigned homework during the week to practice their words, and a final test will be given Friday. *Students will only be able to print 10 words "just in case" starting the week of November 18. Please continue to work on cursive letter formation at home!
• English - We have reviewed all the ways to write quotations correctly: when the speaker is at the beginning, the end, or in the middle of a sentence. Students will complete a "review" of quotation marks on Tuesday, then begin preparing for the Unit 5 Capitalization and Punctuation Test on Thursday, November 14!
• Reading - We will continue our word work with homophones. 1st Trimester Reading Project: The students did a nice job presenting their Memory Bag projects to the class. I will not introduce the next reading genre/project until 2nd Trimester begins.
• Science - We will preview some of the key concepts from Chapter 6 by learning about the barn owl.
• Social Studies - The students will read about the English establishing 13 colonies by 1733, and how these colonies were divided into three regions. We will compare and contrast the geography and resources of these regions: New England, Middle, and Southern.
• Mrs. Strong's Math Class - We will estimate quotients using rounding and compatible numbers, and learn two other methods of dividing larger numbers: Distributive Property and partial quotients.

Mark Your Calendar:

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

Nov. 15 - "Think Energy" Program

Nov. 20 - Early Dismissal (11:00 a.m.)

WEEK OF NOVEMBER 4

Halloween Party Thanks
Thank you to the parents who helped make our Halloween Party a success! Mrs. Surdyk, Mrs. Morrison, and Mr. Rabig put together some great games and activities. Mr. Rabig, Mrs. Morrison, Mrs. Daly, Mrs. Garcia, and Mrs. Panico provided drinks and tasty treats. Thank you to Mrs. Flynn for coordinating these efforts. The students had a "spooktacular" time!

Conferences
I look forward to meeting with parents during conferences. Please be mindful that conferences are scheduled as 15 minute time slots and most of my conferences are back to back. It is important to arrive on time so that I can stay on schedule with other parents later that day. Thank you in advance for your help.


Subject Update:

• Spelling - The Lesson 10 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 Thursday. *Students will only be able to print 10 words "just in case" starting the week of November 18. Please continue to work on cursive letter formation at home!
• English - I introduced quotation marks using the book The Mystery of the Missing Socks. A reporter had to write down the exact words of people he interviewed using quotation marks correctly. Next week, we will learn how to write quotes when the speaker is given at the beginning, when the speaker is given at the end, and when the speaker is given in the middle of a sentence. Students will also be challenged to find other words to use in place of "said" when writing dialogue.
• Reading - We will continue our unit working with non-fiction/informational texts with a focus on text features and organization. We will also do some word work with homophones. 1st Trimester Reading Project: The worksheet and Memory Bag is due November 5!
• Science - We will continue to learn how energy passes through an ecosystem. We will review food chains and webs, and do an activity to better understand the energy pyramid. The Chapter 5 Test is now scheduled for Wednesday, November 6! *I am giving the students one more study day so that the test is not the same day that the reading project is due.
• Social Studies - The students are now reading about more English colonies being founded. These colonies were established because people were trying to escape religious persecution in England.
• Mrs. Strong's Math Class - We have been using base-10 blocks to model the division of larger numbers. Next, the students will use the standard algorithm for long division. You should have received an email with a video link the students need to complete this weekend's homework. This will provide the foundation for upcoming class work.

Mark Your Calendar:

Nov. 4 - Chicago Bears Spirit Day!

Nov. 4-7 - Fall Conferences

Nov. 8 - No School (End of Conference Week)

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