Week of March 19-22nd

Highlights of the week:

• In writing we are wrapping up our persuasive opinion writing pieces on Monday.  We added in a counter argument and worked on transitions to help papers flow smoothly. We will share on Monday and hang them in the hall for Mrs. Mackedon and Ms. Tisdale to hear students ideas. 
• Students did an excellent job on their book culmination projects.  There was a variety of diaries and newspapers where students wrote stories and tried to consider what it would be like in the time of their book. I enjoyed their creativity. 
• Students have been preparing this week for their research presentations around various topics related to the atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, and biosphere.  On Thursday, we planted our terrariums as a model of these four spheres interacting with one another.  Presentations will be on Monday afternoon. 
• On Tuesday, we will begin an Egg Drop project.  We will be reading After The Fall, How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again and relate it having a growth mindset to work hard through challenges. The kids will engineer a device to keep "Humpty Dumpty" (an egg) safe when dropping from different heights.  If you have the following items laying around the house or have chickens and you would like to donate, the kids will be grateful because they will be able to "practice" their drops a few more times than 2.  We need: EGGS, toilet paper rolls (empty), pipe cleaners, Popsicle sticks, Styrofoam cups, or cotton balls. Students will be given a said amount of supplies and be able to test on Tuesday and Wednesday with the final drop being Thursday afternoon. 

Important Information:

• Please try and establish a plan with your child to get their math homework signed off each night as well as bring their parent journal and weekly folder with signed reading log back to school on Monday.  Students are having to attend study hall which takes class time away and they are missing important information. They will now have to stay in at lunch and complete math facts on paper. This is their responsibility, but working with them to come up with a plan would be helpful. 
• Next week students will be working on preparing for our upcoming Parent Conferences on April 13th.  They will be leading the conference as they share their report card, a portfolio of work and some learning goals.  Sign-Up Genius notification will be sent out in the next few days. Please sign up for a time slot or contact me if needed. 
• Our Planetarium field trip to UNR will be on Friday, April 20th.  As was previously scheduled, we will meet at the school around 8:15 am and carpool for the 10 am showing, followed by a tour through the exhibition hall and a sack lunch on the grounds.  We plan to return around 1:30 pm.  Please let me know ASAP if your child still plans to attend (we will keep the same permission slips previously signed, but I need to know if there are any who plan to go this time who weren't able to before or vice versa). 
• We will need drivers for that day, so if you were planning on transporting students previously, please let me know if you are still able to do so.  
•   Only one week until Spring Break!  Spring is definitely in the air, please remind your kids to have their best behavior.  Thank you! Have a wonderful rest of your weekend.

Week of March 12-15

Highlights of our week:

In writing, students have continued working on their opinion writing pieces.  They are writing about suggestions for changes in our school.  Students have finished their rough drafts and have begun the revising process.

Students will be presenting their end of the book culmination projects from book clubs on Monday and Tuesday.  They chose from a variety of newspaper articles and diaries.  I'm excited to see their end product.

Science has been full of fun as we explored the layers of the earth with a strawberry layered dessert, attempted to put the continents together to create Pangea and had some discussion on tectonic plates.  Students also began working in groups to gain further understanding about the 4 spheres- biosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and geosphere and how they interact together.

• Thank you so much to those of you who brought in the supplies needed for terrariums.  We should have the rest of the supplies in by Thursday and will build them then.  If you did not send supplies in next week, please do so by Wednesday.  We need a large mouth jar or plastic 2 liter bottle, a small plant that will fit inside, and some small pebbles that can be gathered from outside. 
• Report cards will not be sent home prior to Parent Conferences.  Parent Conferences will be student led and held on Friday April 13th and you will receive report cards at that time. 
• Our planetarium field trip is scheduled for April 20th.  Please check your schedules and I will get a solid count in a couple of weeks.
• Spring Break is the first week of April.  We only have a couple of weeks until then!  

Week of March 5-8

Another successful week in Room 5 is over!  Kids are entertaining, excited, wonderful and full of curiosity!

In writing, we are continuing with the process of our opinion/persuasive piece.  Students chose a topic last week and started researching to back up their opinions. Topics students chose include: all classrooms should have class pets, no uniforms, more playground equipment and a few others.  I'm excited to see their final products.

This week all Book Clubs will be finishing their books and having their final meetings.  Some students took their Book Clubs seriously and worked hard to dig deeper in the book and use that to enhance and give insight in their meetings, while others didn't go the extra mile and kept it surface level.  This has been an excellent learning tool for all of us.  They will begin a culmination project of their books this week and am hoping to be done by Monday of next week to begin our next set of novels.  Students will have the choice between doing a newspaper, storyboard, timeline, diary or character portrayal of their novel.

In projects, we continued with our science unit with exploration of shadows.  Students measured their shadows throughout the day on Monday, created a bar graph and reflected on reasons why their shadows changed.  We gained a better understanding of stars and constellations and finished the week with researching "I wonder..." statements.  Over the past few weeks, students have posted "I wonder..." questions.  This week, they chose one and worked independently to explore answers to their questions. We began student presentations on Thursday and will continue throughout the week.  We will begin our study of Earth's Systems on Monday by learning about the hydrosphere, geosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere.

• We took a few brain breaks with GoNoodle songs that the kids enjoyed dancing and getting some energy out. 
• Science Project supplies needed by THIS THURSDAY!  Please send in the following items with your by this Thursday:   jar (mason or sauce/pickle jar size, wide mouth) or 2 liter plastic bottle (clear if possible), a small plant for a terrarium, bag of small rocks/ pebbles.
• Second trimester ended on Thursday.  Parent Teacher conferences will be held on Friday, April 13th. The conferences will be student led. 
• Planetarium Field Trip to Reno is rescheduled for Friday, April 20th at 10:00 am. More information will be sent out a few weeks prior to the date.  
• A little side note:  Your kids are so awesome!! Love these kids! 

Week of February 26- March 1

Highlights of the Week: 

• Writing- students began working on opinion writing last week.  We will be brainstorming various topics about school for which they have an opinion and we will begin these next week. 
• Reading Book Clubs have been ongoing.  Some of the groups meetings have had to be postponed due to work not getting done or kids out because of sickness.  Please note that if students do not spend enough time on their assignments in class, they are encouraged to take it home and do for homework instead of their 20 minutes of reading.  We are working hard to be responsible and prepared for their meetings.  We will have our final meetings for their Book Clubs in the next week, hopefully!  After their final meeting, they will begin working on a culmination project about their book. 
• We are continuing our unit in Earth Sciences with an introduction to the driving question: How do ur shadows change throughout the day?  We have learned about what causes seasons and the revolution of the Sun.  We were able to explore space through Google Expeditions on Thursday.  We also have conducted experiments around gravity, seasons, an eclipse, day and night, phases of the moon and gazing at stars. 

Students have endured various assessments in preparation for 2nd trimester report cards.  They have not been overjoyed, but as a whole are doing well. We will have a few more this week and I am pulling students in small groups to review the concepts missed and re-take assessments.  Report cards will be sent home the middle of March. 

Information: 

• Planetarium Field Trip has been rescheduled for Friday, April 20th.  We will send out reminders as we get closer to the date. 
• Human Growth and Development will begin this Thursday with Mr. Lenon teaching the boys and Nurse Terry teaching the girls.  Students who are not participating will have study hall time. 
• Please feel free to contact me with an questions.  Your children are a true joy!  

Week of February 19-23

This week was another successful week in Room 5! The kids sounded like they had fun 4 day events from the long weekend and were ready to share Tuesday.  :) We celebrated a few birthdays this week also!  Taylynn, George Washington and our aide, Mrs. Tognazinni!

In writing, we finished our energy conservation Informational writing essays and started an assessment where they pull information about George Washington and write an essay.  These will be finished on Monday.  Students energy papers are up in the hall at school if you are around- stop by and read some of them!  The kids worked hard and it shows!

Students have been reading up a storm with their Book Club books and for our 40 book challenge!  I am so impressed with many students.  They are asking me almost daily what book they could read for poetry or autobiographies, the list goes on.  I love it!  Keep them reading!  Please remind your child of the importance of being prepared for their meetings and giving insightful comments to deepen their understanding of their novel as well as strategies we are working on.

We have been gaining knowledge in projects about space, most specifically stars.  We have watched some videos, done some research, made fairy glow jars (Thanks you so much to Mrs. Hernandez for the jars) to represent stars in the sky and used flashlights to determine why some stars appear brighter than others.   We will continue next week with some knowledge assimilation as well as a few activities, then go to the planetarium on Friday.  Thank you to those of you who sent in flashlights!  The kids loved using them.  If possible, we will be using them again on either Wednesday or Thursday so if you would like, please send them in again.  I am also grateful for the shoe boxes!  We just need 1-2 more if someone has any laying around, we would appreciate one!

Important Reminders: 

• Your child brought home two papers this past week, please make sure if you did not already return them to send them on Monday.  One was permission for the Human Growth and Development class and the other was for Fleischmann Planetarium.  We will meet at the school at 8:15 am Friday morning and return at approximately 1:30 pm.  Please remember to bring a sack lunch and $5.00 for the entry fee. 
• We will be doing some more assessments these next couple of weeks so, if possible, make sure your kids are well rested and healthy!  
• In a few weeks, we will be starting the science unit on matter, where students will decide which type of experiment they will do.  I am wondering if anyone has a battery type model/kit they would be willing to let us use for this?  Last year, one of the students had one so I thought I would put it out there and check!  Or anything else to help students...  (We do have some products at school) 

Week of Feb. 12-15

We had an exciting week last week!  We started the week with Mr. Gould coming in and doing a presentation to further enhance our understanding of renewable and non-renewable energy sources to help students wrap up their informational essays. We incorporated a science standard in with our writing.  Students writing pieces are looking good and will be finished on Tuesday.  On Wednesday will begin a quick informational writing piece on George Washington to assess students informational writing skills.

• Reading has kept students on their toes.  Most groups finished Meeting #2 last week.  I want to let you parents know that students can bring their books home and work on their reading or assignments due for their meeting date.  Students choose their meeting date and need to have a summary with red level question, reading response, their job, and their word detective finished before their meeting day.  Last week a few students were not ready to go, so I reminded them that it is their responsibility to have everything finished and ready to go for their meeting.  They are encouraged to take it home if they are not able to get it done in class and can use that for their 20 minutes of reading.  The summary is very quick.  Students should have plenty of time to get it done in class. 
• We wrapped up our social studies unit/project on the 13 colonies.  Students presented a variety of projects about their specific colony, including skits, display boards and news discussions.  They presented to each other and the other 5th grade class Tuesday and Wednesday and on Thursday a few groups presented to Mrs. Weed's 8th grade class.  My students love to show their skills off! Following the presentations to the 8th grade, they took a quiz which will come home next week. 
• We will begin our science unit on space and stars Tuesday.  IF anyone has glass jars, shoe boxes or flashlights they are willing to donate (flashlights will be returned, please put your name on it)  I would appreciate it greatly! We need them for a couple of hands on projects we will be doing this week. 

Valentines Day was a fun time had by all.  Students earned time to play games so they passed out valentines, ate some delicious snacks thanks to many of you and enjoyed game time.  I was able to finally introduce  my granddaughter to my students and she loved dancing and visiting with the kids. 

Important Information

• Field trip to Fleischmann Planetarium will be on Friday, March 2nd.  We have plenty of drivers if something comes up.  We will be viewing the program "From Earth to the Universe" in the planetarium and touring the exhibit hall, followed by a sack lunch on the grounds. We will be leaving the school at 8:30 am and returning at approximately 1:30 pm. Permission slips will be coming home this week.  Please return by Monday, February 26th.
• As our 2nd trimester ends on March 8th, students will be participating in several language arts and reading assessments to help gauge growth of learning. Please remind your child to do their best and get lots of rest! 

Week of February 5-8

Highlights of the Week in Room 5:

• Our Informational Essays are coming along and we hope to wrap them up by the end of next week. Students are learning not only about the process of writing informational essays, but important information about various forms of energy conservation, such as hydro power, wind turbines, and solar energy.  They have also gained a greater knowledge of what renewable and non-renewable energy is. 
• Book Clubs continue to be running smooth.  I am impressed with them rising to the occasion and having insightful discussions.  Students are learning how to talk about their book, take on responsibility, ask deeper level questions and practice attentive listening to each other. 
• Colony project are well underway!  Presentations will be Monday and Tuesday of next week with the other 5th grade class.  Students have researched, collaborated and are now using their creativity to present their information.  It will be fun to see which group is the most successful at convincing others to move to their colony based on the original 13 colonies. 

Upcoming Events/ Information: 

• Valentineś Party will be on Wednesday afternoon.  If students are sharing valentines, please make sure everyone is included.  I sent a class list home with students on Monday in their Monday folders or with their work.  Students earned game time from Class Dojo points so we will be combining the two.  We will exchange valentineś, have some snacks and play board games!  Students can bring in their favorite board game if they wish.  We have a lot in class that they can play also. 
• After finishing up Colony presentations we will begin a new science unit on Earthś Place in the Universe.  We will need some supplies to help them support the argument that the apparent brightness of the sun and stars is due to their relative distance from Earth. If you have any of this around home or do not mind sending in, we will all be very appreciative! Please bring them in by next Thursday 2/15 if possible.  Thanks for your help! 
• Wide mouth glass jars with lids. 
• Shoe boxes
• Flashlights (which will be returned) * please label with name
• We have booked the field trip to the Fleischmann Planetarium for Friday, March 2nd.  We will be viewing the program ¨From Earth to the Universe¨ in the planetarium and touring the exhibit hall starting at 10:00am.  Following the exhibit hall we will have a sack lunch (bring one!) on the grounds.  We will meet in the school parking lot and leave at 8:30 am.  We do have some room for siblings.  More info to come on sibling age and specifics regarding transportation.  If you have not responded regarding your childś attendance, please let me know ASAP! Thank you!  
• We have had conversations about being attentive listeners, tracking the speaker and being respectful to our classmates and others (especially all adults).  Please support me in this endeavor to continue reinforcing happy, kind, respectful students!! 
• Please contact me if you ever have any questions and thank you for your wonderful children!