Hello 5-2 Families ~
Looking forward to breaking into the 40's to begin the great thaw this week! Hoping it stays that way, so that maybe....just maybe...it might feel like spring for Spring Break :)
Please note: There seems to be some confusion among a few students about policy on winter wear, particularly in the last few days as the temperatures increased slightly. Your child is expected to put on the winter gear that they bring in from home when they go out for recess. Some students believe the winter gear is optional, but it is not. If you send it, the assumption is that you want them to wear it. I did remind them if they do not want to wear the winter gear, then they are to have a conversation with you as parents, and leave the gear at home. There is still an great deal of snow on our blacktop, and even as it melts, it will be wet and muddy mounds for quite some time. Students also may not take gear off outside and leave it anywhere - this is a policy that is consistent year round. Even in the warmer months, if students wear a jacket outside and decide they no longer need it, they must tie it around their waist. Please let me know if you have any questions about our policies. Thank you!
Important Dates
ISAT Testing ~ STUDENTS NEED CALCULATORS FOR MATH ISATS!!
Please be sure your child has a working calculator for the ISAT tests on Monday. As these are student issued materials, I do not have any classroom calculators to share with students.
- Monday, March 10th, 1:30-2:45 - Math #1
- Tuesday, March 11th, 1:30-2:45 - Math #2
- Wednesday, March 12th, 1:30-2:45 - Math #3
Please encourage your child to get a full night's sleep prior to the test dates, and please do your best to minimize absences during these times. It can be very challenging to schedule make-up tests since our window to do so is so small. Students often feel overwhelmed at missing instruction in order to makeup tests later in the week, resulting in additional homework. Thank you for your support!
Please be sure your child has several #2 pencils for the ISAT tests.
Students will also NOT be assigned homework the night before an ISAT test to minimize demands on their time and to ensure a good night's rest :) This does mean they do NOT have a BLB due on Monday.
Friday, March 14th ~ Progress Reports sent home
Thursday, March 20th & 21st ~ As you have heard, these are now student attendance days due to the number of extreme weather days we have had to take this winter. This means we will no longer meet for parent-teacher conferences. Many questions during the 5th grade spring conferences are about middle school transitions, including placement into classes. I will do my best to continue to update you via this blog about the transitions, and try to answer those questions that I am frequently asked about the transition. Several other questions are related to the end of the year 5th grade activities. Again, I will keep you posted about all those activities via this blog. If you have ANY questions at all, please do not hesistate to contact me. I fully appreciate the additional anxiety families feel during this transition, and want to make it as smooth as possible :)
If I feel it is important to still meet with you about the progress of your child, I will reach out to you individually to set up a time to meet. If I do not reach out to you, please assume your child is making progress and I have no concerns about them. Several parents have approached me about setting up a conference time because those days have been canceled. If you have pressing concerns, I would be happy to meet with you. But if you have questions that can be answered via email, please feel free to contact me this way instead. It can get challenging trying to schedule 19 parent-teacher conferences after school :) That being said, I would be happy to meet with all 19 of you if there is a need!
Looking forward to breaking into the 40's to begin the great thaw this week! Hoping it stays that way, so that maybe....just maybe...it might feel like spring for Spring Break :)
Please note: There seems to be some confusion among a few students about policy on winter wear, particularly in the last few days as the temperatures increased slightly. Your child is expected to put on the winter gear that they bring in from home when they go out for recess. Some students believe the winter gear is optional, but it is not. If you send it, the assumption is that you want them to wear it. I did remind them if they do not want to wear the winter gear, then they are to have a conversation with you as parents, and leave the gear at home. There is still an great deal of snow on our blacktop, and even as it melts, it will be wet and muddy mounds for quite some time. Students also may not take gear off outside and leave it anywhere - this is a policy that is consistent year round. Even in the warmer months, if students wear a jacket outside and decide they no longer need it, they must tie it around their waist. Please let me know if you have any questions about our policies. Thank you!
Important Dates
ISAT Testing ~ STUDENTS NEED CALCULATORS FOR MATH ISATS!!
Please be sure your child has a working calculator for the ISAT tests on Monday. As these are student issued materials, I do not have any classroom calculators to share with students.
- Monday, March 10th, 1:30-2:45 - Math #1
- Tuesday, March 11th, 1:30-2:45 - Math #2
- Wednesday, March 12th, 1:30-2:45 - Math #3
Please encourage your child to get a full night's sleep prior to the test dates, and please do your best to minimize absences during these times. It can be very challenging to schedule make-up tests since our window to do so is so small. Students often feel overwhelmed at missing instruction in order to makeup tests later in the week, resulting in additional homework. Thank you for your support!
Please be sure your child has several #2 pencils for the ISAT tests.
Students will also NOT be assigned homework the night before an ISAT test to minimize demands on their time and to ensure a good night's rest :) This does mean they do NOT have a BLB due on Monday.
Friday, March 14th ~ Progress Reports sent home
Thursday, March 20th & 21st ~ As you have heard, these are now student attendance days due to the number of extreme weather days we have had to take this winter. This means we will no longer meet for parent-teacher conferences. Many questions during the 5th grade spring conferences are about middle school transitions, including placement into classes. I will do my best to continue to update you via this blog about the transitions, and try to answer those questions that I am frequently asked about the transition. Several other questions are related to the end of the year 5th grade activities. Again, I will keep you posted about all those activities via this blog. If you have ANY questions at all, please do not hesistate to contact me. I fully appreciate the additional anxiety families feel during this transition, and want to make it as smooth as possible :)
If I feel it is important to still meet with you about the progress of your child, I will reach out to you individually to set up a time to meet. If I do not reach out to you, please assume your child is making progress and I have no concerns about them. Several parents have approached me about setting up a conference time because those days have been canceled. If you have pressing concerns, I would be happy to meet with you. But if you have questions that can be answered via email, please feel free to contact me this way instead. It can get challenging trying to schedule 19 parent-teacher conferences after school :) That being said, I would be happy to meet with all 19 of you if there is a need!
Math
This week was spent reviewing math concepts and problem solving skills for the ISATs this week. I sent home copies of these tests as information for both you and your child. We started Unit 8 on Friday, and will continue this week - but there will be no math homework assigned on Monday or Tuesday evening. In this unit on fractions, we will be adding and subtracting mixed numbers, then moving on to multiplying and dividing fractions. This is a challenging unit - please encourage your child to own their learning and "check in" with themselves to be sure they are understanding the concepts taught. Encourage them to practice the learned skills at home and seek support when they are struggling!
Watanuki Math
Mrs. Watanuki's math class is exploring probability and the chance of outcomes. Students have learned about random numbers, tree diagrams,the multiplication counting principal and Venn diagrams. Students have investigated how probability relates to carnival games and even created games of their own. This week we will wrap up the unit by focusing on fair and unfair games and strategies for taking multiple choice tests. We are scheduled to review for this test on Thursday and test on Friday. Next week we will complete our math ISAT testing and even hold a Probability Carnival for a very lucky second grade class.
Watanuki Math
Mrs. Watanuki's math class is exploring probability and the chance of outcomes. Students have learned about random numbers, tree diagrams,the multiplication counting principal and Venn diagrams. Students have investigated how probability relates to carnival games and even created games of their own. This week we will wrap up the unit by focusing on fair and unfair games and strategies for taking multiple choice tests. We are scheduled to review for this test on Thursday and test on Friday. Next week we will complete our math ISAT testing and even hold a Probability Carnival for a very lucky second grade class.
Social Studies
We spent this week discussing the events following the Revolutionary War, and how our government was formed. They learned about the problems with the Articles of Confederation as we read a great story, Unite or Die! This week they will have the chance to participate in a drama with the same title, as students become delegates from states and debate the problems our country encountered in its infancy. Eventually, we reached a compromise at the Constitutional Convention, where our current form of government was formed. Students learned about the Three Branches of Government, and they began work on a project detailing these branches that they will continue into next week.
Reading
Our reading unit ties in nicely with our social studies unit this week! Students learned to make generalizations based on facts presented in information text as they read more about our government. We also had an opportunity to discuss the dangers of making generalizations based on opinions. The students are reading and summarizing another text about the Constitutional Convention in their small group. They will end the week by comparing two genres of text on the same topic - the play and the non-fiction text - and evaluating the differences.
We began Unit 4 Week 3 on Thursday and Friday, but will take the majority of this week to finish it up due to the ISAT interruptions. All packet work and spelling assignments are due on Friday, 3/14. This is also the day we will have our weekly assessments.
We began Unit 4 Week 3 on Thursday and Friday, but will take the majority of this week to finish it up due to the ISAT interruptions. All packet work and spelling assignments are due on Friday, 3/14. This is also the day we will have our weekly assessments.
Writing
Students turned in their Response to Fiction Essays this weekend - I hope to have them graded and returned to them on Monday. The Essay Rubric will come home for a sign and return at the same time as the WEX Summative Rubric. If you remember from the first trimester, the Summative is a rubric for writing behaviors, while the Essay Rubric scores writing skill. Both should be returned with a signature verifying you have seen their scores.
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
- Nelson Mandela
- Nelson Mandela
Stay Warm!
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