I hope you are enjoying the beautiful weather this weekend - how nice to have a 3 day weekend to enjoy it :)
Important Dates:
Parent Night ~ Wednesday, 09/06 6:00-8:00 ~ Please join us on Wednesday night to learn about curriculum and classroom expectations. As mentioned in my previous email, Mrs. Tranter will present to both 5-2 and 5-3 in the LMC, from 6:00-6:30pm. Following the presentation, our classroom will be open for you to take a peek at some of the work we've been doing for the first few days in 5th grade!
5th Grade Annual Egg Drop ~ Thursday, 08/31 ~ Thank you for keeping our secret! The students were so excited when the walked in to discover it was our Annual Egg Drop Day! We don't let them know ahead of time because we don't want any research or planning to be done before the big day - it's more authentic when students have to brainstorm in the moment, and don't have any hints from older siblings ;) So, we've reminded them all to help us keep the secret as well. They were all given the same supplies and worked in teams to build Egg Carriers that would safely land a raw egg when dropped. We started by dropping them off the 5th grade ledge, then the lucky winners will had their Egg Carriers taken to the roof for a drop!! 5-2 proudly had two contestants make it to the roof - congratulations to #12 and #16!! I apologize for the final pictures never making it to post! I did post them from my phone and typically do not have problems, but when I logged on to write this blog post, I noticed they were not there! I've uploaded them below this post so you can view them :)
Bike Rodeo ~ Wednesday, 09/13 3:45-4:45pm ~ If your child would like to ride their bikes to school, it is mandatory they attend a Bike Rodeo at least once! If they have attended a Bike Rodeo in the past, they do not need to attend one this one.
What's Happening in 5-2
We spent the first week in 5-2 getting to know each other, learning routines and exploring classroom organization - they were all excited to explore our classroom library and many checked out a book today during LMC orientation. We will be establishing more reading expectations and routines when we begin our reading curriculum on Tuesday, but hopefully many of your children are already reading every night for 20 minutes. The single greatest activity that improves a child's reading comprehension and increases test scores is simply reading - your child needs to be reading every single day!
What's in the Sack? ~ It has been so much fun getting to know many of your children as they shared their 5 treasures with the class. I just love seeing pictures of families and dogs, hearing stories of favorite vacation spots, seeing medals and trophies, and learning about their favorite hobbies. And they all seem to take great pride in sharing who they are with their classmates and with me :)
5th Grade Goals ~ We've spent some time discussing our goals for 5th grade yesterday. We talked about the importance of reflecting on our past and using that to guide our decisions for the future. Not only did we set up and post our goals for the year, but we discussed the specific ways we can achieve our goals. It's difficult to accomplish anything if you don't know how you're going to get there! I was so impressed with the maturity of your students as they committed to specific ways they will improve themselves this year! Look for their goals and commitments on our Putting Our Best Foot Forward bulletin board when you visit our classroom next week!
Team Building ~ Your kiddos had a great time this as they engaged in a team building exercises, but I think their favorite by far was called "Build a Robot." One team had a robot made out of Duplo Blocks, and the other team had a pile of blocks. The communication between the two teams was made by one student with only one direction at a time. Students rotated communication roles until the robot was built. They chose to play boys against girls - ask your child how the robots turned out and what they learned about communication and working as a team :)
Edmodo ~ Your kiddos have already spent plenty of time on technology, learning how to download and complete a couple of assignments on Edmodo, then turn them back in. I have not only been impressed with their competence using technology, but also the leadership so many of your children demonstrated as they learned, then turned around and helped each other! They had fun filling out the Interest Surveys and sharing some information to help me get to know them a little better. Have them show you around Edmodo a little - they should be able to show you the documents they have completed and turned in. You can even read their assignments. As assignments are graded, you can view scores and any feedback I provide as well.
FLIPS & FLOPS ~ Your children demonstrated their writing skill in an exercise about the BEST moment of their summer, and the WORST - our FLIPS and FLOPS of summer. The students worked on these independently, and I will be using them as a baseline for their writing skills. Look for them when you visit our classroom for Parent Night :)
What's in a Name? ~ We spent the latter part of the week working on a project that allowed your child to creatively share their interests in their letters of their names. I was blown away by the creativity your children demonstrated this afternoon! They were able to research the meaning of their names and shared this information for the written portion of the project. I can't wait for you to see their hard work when you visit our classroom next week!
Patrol Training ~ On Friday afternoon, students received their Patrol Training and chose their positions. It was refreshing to see how excited all of your children are to serve as good role models this year! With the bigger building and changes in routines this year, it is especially important that we have Patrols on duty around the building keeping our community safe. Safety Patrol positions begin this week - your child has been assigned a Wednesday or Thursday position. Please help to support our patrols by helping them to arrive promptly at 8:50am. Thank you! A Safety Patrol letter was sent home via backpack earlier in the week to explain our Safety Patrol program and expectations. Please let me know if you would like an electronic copy to you, or if you have any questions about Safety Patrol!
You should have received our Homework Policy and our Re-take Policy this week as well - please let me know if you would like an electronic copy of either of these. As the year begins, please know your child should never being working for more than an hour on homework. If they are, please contact me. Students can feel overwhelmed as they transition to the quicker pace and higher expectations in 5th grade, and many need to learn organizational skills and time management skills that come naturally to others. We have discussed this in the classroom, and I have encouraged them to come to me if they feel they have more than an hour worth of homework. During this transition year, we encourage independence in our students, so we allow them to make choices during their independent work time. I typically give the students at least 30 minutes of work time in class to get started on their homework. If they are using this time wisely, they should never have more than 30 minutes of homework. Typically, I've found that spending a little additional time with the students who struggle at the beginning of the year will solve any of the problems they may be experiencing at home.
You should have received our Homework Policy and our Re-take Policy this week as well - please let me know if you would like an electronic copy of either of these. As the year begins, please know your child should never being working for more than an hour on homework. If they are, please contact me. Students can feel overwhelmed as they transition to the quicker pace and higher expectations in 5th grade, and many need to learn organizational skills and time management skills that come naturally to others. We have discussed this in the classroom, and I have encouraged them to come to me if they feel they have more than an hour worth of homework. During this transition year, we encourage independence in our students, so we allow them to make choices during their independent work time. I typically give the students at least 30 minutes of work time in class to get started on their homework. If they are using this time wisely, they should never have more than 30 minutes of homework. Typically, I've found that spending a little additional time with the students who struggle at the beginning of the year will solve any of the problems they may be experiencing at home.
Whew! What a full first we've had! I just love the energy and sense of community in our classroom this year. The students are excited for the year ahead, and look forward to taking on the challenges of 5th grade. I will share more about the upcoming year via email this week in lieu of my presentation at Curriculum Night.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns at all, please do not hesitate to send me an email or set up a time to meet. Have a fantastic weekend!
“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” Aristotle
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