2018- The Ultimate Guide to Quarter 3
Just like that, in the blink of an eye, your student is halfway through their 5th grade year! Even though we are only two weeks in, we have been extremely busy working on all types of assignments and projects. Although it may be cold/wet/snowy outside, we are pushing through these winter months; we have so much to do! Expectations of the students are rising each day as we prepare them for their 6th grade year. Please make it a habit to check your student's assignment notebook and home folder daily to stay up to date on school and classroom events as well as homework. Although homework is not inputed in eschool, it is still important that they are completing their assignments on time and returning them to school. As always, homework sent home is a review. If there is any issue, please shoot me a quick email or write a note. I will then make it a point to work closely on that assignment with your student to ensure they understand.
WE ARE IN NEED OF SUPPLIES! We are running low on dry erase markers, glue sticks, wet wipes and paper towels. If you are able to donate any of these items to the classroom, we would all appreciate it!!
AR goals have been set, and are a little bit different this quarter. Instead of having to read a certain number of books, students must reach a certain number of points. They have until the end of Quarter 3 to beat this goal! Ask your student what their goal is and encourage them to read each night!
Quarter 2 report cards are available online. Along with final grades, you can see your child's individual grades on eschool as well. If you are having a hard time logging in or navigating through the website, please let either the office staff or me know so we can assist you.
Please continue to send in box tops and plastic lids/caps. The money raised through these two fundraisers really help our school.
Scholastic book order forms are sent out each month. If you do not receive these order forms you can see the books online as well. If you wish to purchase books for your student either send the order form to school or order online. Our class code is P7R7M. Every purchase though scholastic earns our classroom free books!
Science: Thank you to all who attended the Science Fair informational meeting! We appreciate you taking the time out of your busy night to learn about this exciting project. If you were not able to attend, please take a look at the science tab on the website. The PowerPoint presentation we used is linked as well as numerous other links. Please remember that your student's planning sheet (sent home Friday if you did not attend) is due this Friday, January 26th. A parent needs to sign off on the project idea BEFORE I can look at it. The sooner the planning sheet is turned in, the sooner your child's idea can be locked in! If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me. Most of this project is done at school, so don't fret! We will continue learning about the scientific method in class. This week the students will have their final bridge busts. Let's see if they can explain what the bridge bust has to do with the scientific method ;)
Social Studies: Following the science fair, we will be learning about perseverance through the American Revolution and Civil Rights Movement.
Math: Fractions are still here! Our next unit revolves around multiplying and dividing fractions. The unit following fractions has to do with measuring. If you or your student is struggling or forgets how to solve a certain problem, the website khanacademy.com is an awesome place to watch videos about topics we are learning in class. **Please make sure your students know their math facts! I can not stress enough how important this is!!!**
Writing: Our creative writing unit has almost come to an end. The students will be starting their very last piece this week and will continue over the next 3 weeks. They will be using a picture from the book The Mysteries of Harris Burdick and creating a story from it. To complete this writing we will be following the writing process. However, I will be stepping back a bit with the editing in order to see what the students can do. These stories have potential to be amazing! Be on the lookout for them!
Reading: This quarter we are trying something different for reading! The students were able to create their own schedules for our reading block. Monday-Wednesday the students have a certain amount of minutes per topic (Words on the Vine, Reading Time, Group Discussion, Group Reading and Miss Bleidorn's choice) that they can chose when they want to work. Thursday and Friday follow my schedule that I choose. This method helps the students become more responsible and independent for their assignments. So far, they seem to enjoy it! Starting in February we will move from fiction stories to nonfiction. If this method of reading groups is successful, we may continue to let the students choose!
Again, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me! Email always is easiest, but you can also give me a call at school. Students are at specials from 10:30-11:15 and 3-3:35. These times are the best when trying to reach me.
