WEEK OF FEBRUARY 23

Too Good For Drugs
During our 8th session of T.G.F.D., Deputy Seward shared a power point presentation about marijuana. Students learned some of the myths people believe about this substance, and then learned the actual facts about it. Students received a myth/fact sheet that should be discussed with a parent.

PARCC Testing
On March 2, students will begin taking the new PARCC assessments. These are computer-based tests, and we have done some activities at school to familiarize the students with the tools and format of them. I encourage you to have your students practice this at home as well. Practice tests can be accessed through the District 66 website, under the "Students" tab.


Subject Update:

ELA (English/Language Arts)

• Spelling - The Lesson 25 pretest will be given on Monday (skipping Lesson 24). The students will be assigned homework during the week to practice their words, and a final test will be given Friday. *Students may only print 10 words "just in case" their cursive still needs work. Keep practicing correct letter formation at home!
• English - Students will review all about pronouns to prepare for the Unit 6 Pronouns Test on Wednesday, February 25. Then we will work on writing, incorporating a balance of nouns and pronouns.
• Reading -We will continue to read various non-fiction texts to help us answer our three essential questions: What are forces of nature? How does a force of nature that is far away affect me? How can a force of nature be both destructive and constructive at the same time?

Science - The students have learned that water condenses to form clouds as part of the water cycle. We will take a closer look at the types of clouds, where they form, and the kind of weather associated with each type. Then we will look at tools used to measure weather.

Social Studies - Our discussion of the French and Indian War brought us to the end of the chapter. Students will take the Chapter 7 Test on Tuesday, February 24. Study Tip: students should know the important people, the group or country they represent, and what they did. For example, Robert LaSalle was a French explorer who traveled to the mouth of the Mississippi River and claimed the Mississippi River valley for France.

Mrs. Strong's Math Class - We will continue Unit 5, working with equivalent fractions, GCF and LCM, simplest form (a.k.a. lowest terms), and comparing fractions.

Mark Your Calendar:

Feb. 25 - Too Good For Drugs (Session 9)

March 2 - 13 - PARCC Testing

March 4 - Too Good For Drugs (Session 10)