Newsletter 8-19-11

Newsletter 8-19-11

We did it! The first week of 5^th grade is over! We have had an awesome first week! We have done many fun activities- balloon pop game, Minute to Win It, Time Capsules, school assembly, and oobleck! We have also got down to business by organizing supplies and reviewing procedures.

I send out a newsletter every weekend that reviews any exciting news from the week and previews what the week-to-come has in store. I will also be posting pictures and videos to my blog. Take a deep breath, here it goes….

We have really been working on our morning procedures. Each morning the students are asked to complete a math page in their Skills Link book. When they are finished with their math page, they are to complete the journal entry question of the day. The kids are asked to write at least ½ a page for a complete journal entry. On every Monday I will be grading the journal entries from the prior week. The kids get 5 points for every complete entry. I will grade their journals on Monday, so that will be the first grade in Power School. Please make sure that your child is getting to school on time so that they have plenty of time to complete all of their morning work.

Today I gave the kids a 100 question multiplication timed test. I had time to grade it today. The kids have the test in their binder. Please sign the test and send it back with your child on Monday. From the results on the test, you will see if your child needs a “refresher” on their multiplication facts. If they have scored low on their timed test, they really need to be practicing on Math Facts in a Flash each night. This program can be found on the St. James website (email me if you need help finding this.)Automatically knowing their multiplication tables is needed for the concepts learned in 5^th grade math.

We will start our States and Capitals unit on Monday. I will assign the first region of the US states and capitals, the Southwest Region. This is the EASIEST region because there are only 4 states in it (AZ, NM, TX, OK)! The quiz over the SW region is on Wednesday. They will need to know where the state is on a map, the capital, and also spell both the state and the capital correctly. The next region, The West, will be assigned on Wednesday. The West test will be on Friday.

Below is our special schedule. Make sure to remember when to send your child in their PE uniform:

Monday: PE

Tuesday: Computer, Art, Spanish

Wednesday: Art, Music, Library,

Thursday: Computer, Music, Spanish

Friday: PE

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The Week Ahead:

Math: On Monday, I will be giving the students a pre-test. This will help me see the math strengths and weaknesses of my students. I will send the test home to be signed so you can see the results.

We are starting our first math unit, Number Theory. Each day, webwill complete a lesson in class and it will be graded the next day. If your child does not finish the lesson in class, it is his/her responsibility to take their Student Math Journal (SMJ) home to be completed. We will complete lesson 1-1 through 1-3. They will have a Study Link for homework Tuesday-Thursday.

Writing: We will start working on creating a story in their Draft Books. We will be focusing on the trait, Ideas.

Reading: We will begin the year with the book, Bridge to Terabithia. During this book, I will be working with the kids to show them how literature circles work. The kids will be using literature circles throughout the rest of the year when reading classroom novels.  

Fifteen AR points are required for the first quarter. Bridge to Terabithia is five points!

Social Studies: The test over the Southwest Region is on Wednesday. I will assign the West Region on Wednesday as well. The test over the West will be on Friday, August 26th.

Science: We are starting our first short science unit on the brain. On Friday, we will end the unit by making playdough models of a brain. Please contact me if you would be willing to mix up a batch of playdough. That would really help me out! I will email you the recipe and color.

Vocabulary: We will start vocabulary on Monday. I will assign Unit 1 to be completed by Friday. We will trade-and-grade unit 1 on Friday. The test over the vocabulary words in unit one will be the following Friday on September 2^nd. The kids will be taking a “practice vocabulary test” so that they know what to expect.

Parent Information Night is on Tuesday, August 30^th. I hope that you all can make it! We will be providing a packet of the “how-to’s” of fifth grade and will be there to answer any questions that you have.

Please do not hesitate to come see me or email me any questions that you have. Let’s make this a GREAT year for the kiddos!

-Ms. Alley

P.S. - Don’t worry; every newsletter will not be this long. J