Hello ~
It was great to see so many of you at Curriculum Night on Wednesday night. I know I covered a great deal of information in a very short time. If you have any questions at all about the information I presented, please do not hesitate to contact me. Please refer to the 5-2 website for the Homework Policy and Re-take/Re-do Policy I briefly presented, as well as links to the many sites we regularly visit. I would encourage you to explore these sites with your child to become familiar with them, as you will find important information about your child's progress on many of them. I do update the website and blog regularly, so please check back often :)
Safety Patrols
The students were trained on patrol positions last week, and they served as Patrols for the first time this week - they were so excited to get started! I'm impressed by their desire to be role models as 5th graders, and demonstrate the pillar of Citizenship by ensuring students remain safe at OMS! The Patrol Schedule can be found on the 5-2 website. If your child has morning duty, please be sure they arrive at school by 8:50am; and if they have a PM position, they will remain on duty until 3:45pm.
Science
We started science this year with an exploration of the Scientific Process. Students were able to put their new learning to use as they participated in our Annual 5th Grade Egg Drop! Everyone had a great time working in teams to design and build a contraption that kept their egg safe as it was dropped a distance of about 20 feet. We had EIGHT models that made it through the second round inside, and TWO were taken to the roof to be dropped by Mr. Dave and Mrs. Fitzpatrick! Congratulations to Meric and Kevin for creating the only Egg Carrier to survive the drop from the roof!! Way to go!! Ask your child which designs were most successful! Be sure to scroll down to see the pictures from the Egg Drop! We will be starting the Human Body Unit when we return to school next week.
Reading
Students set up their BLB (Book Lover's Blog) on Kidblog this week. The BLB is a place where the students and I will correspond about their independent reading, and they are encouraged to read and comment on each other entries. They are expected to write a paragraph to summarize their reading, as well one that includes their thinking. The BLB is always due the first day of the week - it will be due on Tuesday next week. Many of the students have already completed their BLB entries, so I will be responding on Kidblog to their posts this weekend. Some students chose the paper option to complete this assignment at home, and will turn it in when they return to school. We also had a chance to start our reading program, and met for the first time in small groups. As I mentioned at Curriculum Night, students are pre-tested each week, and placed in small groups based on their performance. Finally, students were given their first novel this week. We will be doing an author study of Andrew Clements. The students will have weekly reading assignments due every Friday. Please remind your child to stay current with the weekly reading assignment!
Million Words
Last week I sent home a parent assignment with your child ~ just a friendly reminder to complete this valuable assignment! Thank you to all of you who have already sent it in. If you need another copy of the assignment, please just let me know and I'll email one to you!
Have a fantastic 3-day weekend! I hope you enjoy plenty of R & R with your family :) As always, please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions!
If a child is to keep his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in.
~ Rachel Carson
