Saturday, April 26th, 2025

Happy Saturday Families!

This week we began our final cycle of the school year! Summer is just around the corner. As we progress through the final months of school, we will have many special events and dates that will be important to mark on calendars. Please pay special attention to the dates listed at the bottom of the blog updates so that you can stay informed!

Literacy

This week, we read the stories Secrets of Canyon Cave and The Two Travelers.  We read closely to understand the characters’ points of view and how their personalities and feelings impacted the choices they made. After reading, we discovered a theme and discussed the various strategies the author used to develop a theme.  Ask your child to tell you similarities and differences between the two texts.

Writing

Last week, we wrapped up our Real Life Superhero speeches. Students really enjoyed researching, working on their notecards, and presenting about their real-life superhero to the class. We learned so much about individuals, such as Ruth Bader Ginsurg and Muhammad Ali, who made a positive impact on society. The kids did a wonderful job! For the rest of the year, we will continue to work on refining our narrative writing skills.

Math

We are in our last unit of math this year! This unit teaches us multiple strategies for dividing whole numbers like partial quotients and the standard algorithm. Students have been working hard to improve their skills to divide multi-digit numbers using the strategy they feel most comfortable with. Within the unit, we will also be learning more about the powers of ten and multiplying and dividing decimals. 

Social Studies

We started our final unit of study in Social Studies- Citizens' Rights & Responsibilities. Our students are learning about democracy. They are asking many wonderful questions and having important discussions. Ask your child to explain the three branches of government  to you. In the coming weeks, our students will explore how our country’s founders established a system of federalism within the United States.

Upcoming Events

• Tuesday, April 29th - 5th Grade Music Show at 6:30 pm
• Wednesday, April 30th  - MAP Testing (Reading)
• Thursday, May 1st - MAP Testing (Math)
• Thursday, May 8th or Friday, May 9th - Field Trip to the Dunn Museum
• Wednesday, May 15th - Literacy Placement Test

Friendly Reminders

• Please remind your student to charge his/her iPad and Logitech Crayon every night.
• Please remember to send your student with a healthy snack.
• Please continue to have your student practice multiplication facts up to 12.
• Band and orchestra students should remember to be prepared with their instruments and music books on the days of lessons.

Thank you for continued support and have fantastic rest of your weekend!

Enzie Pangilinan

Sunday, April 12th, 2025

Happy Sunday Families!

It's great to be back! With Spring Break past us, it could only mean one thing...the countdown to summer has officially begun! We are looking forward to all the fun and learning that's ahead of us within the last couple months of school!  

Literacy

This week, we read and learned about the Navajo code talkers. During World War II, the code talkers played a crucial role in helping the U.S. Marines send coded messages using the complex and unwritten Navajo language. Using texts from RAZ Kids,  Newsela, and Epic, we are practicing our skill of compiling information from multiple sources together in order to demonstrate a deep understanding about a specific topic. Throughout the readings, we are also working on explaining relationships and interactions, such as cause/effect and problem/solution, while using text evidence as support.

 

Writing

Students have begun working on a research project and oral presentation. Piggybacking off the previous reading we did on real life superheroes such as Richard Martin and Raoul Wallenberg, each student will be asked to choose someone they feel embodies the qualities of a real life superhero. They will conduct research about this outstanding individual and give an oral presentation to the class explaining why they are a real-life superhero. This project incorporates many reading and writing targets for students.

Math

We are continuing to practice skills in the area of geometry in Unit 6. We've explored the hierarchy of polygons, with an emphasis on triangles and quadrilaterals. Using academic language related to angles and sides, students have classified and described shapes based on their attributes. Next week, we will review and extend our thinking on the concept of volume, which was covered in Unit 1. 

Science / Social Studies

We wrapped our last science unit about mixtures and solutions.  Our students loved testing different solutions of baking soda, borax, vinegar and milk to see if any had a chemical reaction.  Next week, we start our final Social Studies unit on Rights & Responsibilities. Students will work to understand how they can be civically engaged with their democracy…even though they can’t vote yet!  

Upcoming Events

• Tuesday, April 15th - Literacy Placement Test (Writing)

• Thursday, April 17th - Half Day- Dismissal @ 11:45

• Friday, April 18th - No School (Good Friday)

• Thursday, April 24th - Math Placement Test

Friendly Reminders

• Please remind your student to charge his/her iPad and Logitech Crayon every night

• Please remember to send your student with a healthy snack - nothing feeds the brain like a healthy snack!  

• Please continue to have your student practice their multiplication facts up to 12

• Band and orchestra students should remember to be prepared with their instruments and music books on the days of lessons

Thank you for your continued partnership and have a wonderful weekend!

Enzie Pangilinan

Sunday, March16th, 2025

Happy Sunday Families!

It's hard to believe that we've officially entered our final trimester and Spring Break is only a week away! Our students have had the opportunity to reflect upon their 5th grade year so far and are looking for finish our school year off strong!

Read below to find out what we're learning in class! 

Literacy

Our students are currently reading several non-fiction texts in order to find cause and effect relationships of events and / or people. Some cause and effect relationships included the effects of owning a wild pet, and what causes White Nose Syndrome in bats. This week, our students read about women of discovery, who accomplished great feats and helped pave the way for many young girls and women today! These magnificent women include Bessie Coleman, Katherine Johnson, Mae Jemison, and Wilma Rudolph! We are looking forward to reading about some real life superheroes next week!

Writing

Our students are in the middle of their analytical choice essays. Their for-or-against topic choices include: Celebrating Christopher Columbus, learning foreign languages in school, GMO information on food labels, and cell phones in the classroom, just to name a few. Students will utilize multiple resources to research their topic, plan their introductions, body paragraphs, and conclusions.

Math

Our students recently started Unit 6, which incorporates skills in the area of geometry. Last week, we learned about locating and labeling ordered pairs on a coordinate plane and investigated patterns within a number series. Within the coming weeks, our students will start to explore the hierarchy of polygons, which include triangles and quadrilaterals. We will work classifying shapes based on attributes using academic language related to angles and length of sides.

Science

This week we completed our study about the Conservation of Matter.  The students had a lot of fun doing various activities to learn about physical and chemical changes.  They used digital scales to weigh the mass of Skittles and legos, and created bar graphs comparing the mass of different colored candies and blocks.  We also started our last science unit about mixtures and solutions.  The kids loved testing different solutions of baking soda, borax, vinegar and milk to see if any had a chemical reaction.  We even made slime! Ask your child to explain the process to you.

Upcoming Events

• Thursday, March 20th -Early Release & Family Educator Conferences (5:00pm - 8:30pm)

• Friday, March 21st - NO SCHOOL - Family Educator Conferences (10:00am - 1:30pm)

• Monday, March 24th - SPRING BREAK BEGINS

• Monday, Mach 31st - SCHOOL RESUMES

• Tuesday, April 1st - NO SCHOOL - Teacher Institute Day

• Wednesday, April 2nd - Tuesday, April 8th - IAR TESTING 

  
  

Friendly Reminders

*Please remind your student to charge his/her iPad and Logitech Crayon every night.

*Orchestra & Band Parents: Please make sure your students have their instrument on assigned days.

*Please remember to send your student with a healthy snack - nothing feeds the brain like a healthy snack!  

*Please continue to have your student practice their multiplication facts up to 12.

Have a fantastic rest of your Sunday!

Enzie Pangilinan

Tuesday, March 4th, 2025

Happy Tuesday Families!

Believe it or not, Trimester 2 has come to an end and we are ready to kick off our third and final trimester! Throughout the last few weeks, our students completed several literacy/writing assessments to demonstrate their progress on T2 learning targets.  Students showed perseverance and stamina, and worked incredibly hard! 

Check below to see what we've covered over the last couple of weeks, as well as some of the learning we are looking forward to starting!

Literacy

We just wrapped up our exciting novel, George’s Secret Key to the Universe. The kids enjoyed the plot twists and the character development of George, Eric, and Dr. Reeper all throughout the book! They especially fell in love with George, who discovered the mysteries of the universe while he learned about various aspects such as stars, planets, and moons. This is the first in a series of several books. Students showed so much interest that they have asked for other books in the series. Now would be a great time to build on your child's interest with other books in the series!

Last week we began work on a literacy target which emphasizes finding relationships between concepts and ideas in nonfiction. We also looked at relationships among various topics, including wild pets, sharks, and the 1960’s!

Writing

Our students are in the early stages of planning their analytical choice essays. Their for-or-against topic choices include: Celebrating Christopher Columbus, Learning foreign languages in school, GMO information on food labels, and cell phones in the classroom, just to name a few. Students will utilize multiple resources to research their topic, plan their introductions, body paragraphs, and conclusions.

Math

It’s hard to believe, but we completed our Unit 5 assessment last week. Students worked hard to understand how to multiply and divide fractions using labeled models. Next week will begin Unit 6- Geometry! We will learn about locating and labeling ordered pairs on a coordinate plane and investigating patterns within a number series. Within the coming weeks, our students will start to explore the hierarchy of polygons, which include triangles and quadrilaterals. We will work on classifying shapes based on attributes using academic language related to angles and length of sides.

Science

We have begun our final science unit exploring the concept of conservation of matter. This week, students completed a lab where they tested liquids to see which ones would clean the tarnish off a penny. Then, when one penny changed from dark and dirty to bright and shiny, they had the chance to think about where the tarnish went. We are looking forward to many more hands-on investigations later in the unit.

Important Dates

Wed-Fri March 5th-7th- 5th Grade Illinois Science Assessment

Monday, March 10th- Band Concert

Thursday, March 13th- Ivy Hall Cat Packs

Thursday, March 20th- Early Release/Conferences 5-8:30

Friday, March 21st- No School- Conferences 10-1:30

Friendly Reminders

**Please remember to send your child with a healthy snack.  Nothing feeds the brain better than something healthy!

**Please continue to have your child practice his or her multiplication facts up to 12.

**Band and orchestra students should remember to be prepared with their instruments and music books on the days that lessons take place.

Have a wonderful week!

Enzie Pangilinan

Thursday, February 20th, 2025

 Happy Thursday!

We have had a busy couple of weeks! Students have been working hard to improve their skills and extend their thinking! As Trimester 2 wraps up, students have completed several literacy/writing assessments to demonstrate progress towards T2 targets. Students have shown great perseverance and worked incredibly hard!

Literacy

Students have enjoyed continuing our class text George's Secret Key to the Universe. They have demonstrated great stamina in reading this book both inside and outside of school. In class, we have been analyzing main characters by reflecting on characters' thoughts, feelings, and actions. We continue to work on utilizing context clues to determine challenging vocabulary within the text. The story has left us on lots of cliffhangers... Ask your child to explain what is happening in the story so far and if they have any predictions for how it will end! We appreciate your help in reminding your child to read the chapters and answer the questions assigned for homework. 

Writing

Over the last couple weeks, students have analyzed a variety of narratives in order to determine the main elements of each story so that they can improve upon their own writing! Students were tasked with continuing a narrative that already had main characters and an established setting. We spent time carefully planning in order to ensure that each element was included. Students enjoyed writing creative hooks and adding sensory details to engage their readers! Ask your child to share his/her narrative with you.  

Math

We are currently working on developing strategies to multiply and divide fractions. Most recently, we have been learning different methods and ways to model multiplying mixed numbers by a fraction using both area models and improper fractions. Students spent time this week applying these strategies to real-world problems. This week, students were also introduced to some division of fractions and how to model their thinking.

Social Studies

We are wrapping up our second unit in social studies on the Colonial Era. Students have enjoyed exploring characteristics of the New England Colonies, the Middle Colonies, and the Southern Colonies. Ask your child to explain how the geography and culture of a colony affects its economy. Students have made fantastic connections to the importance of studying our past in order to meet the challenges of the present. Next week, we will wrap up our unit by creating a quilt square project where students will engage in research about a topic they feel passionate about.

Upcoming Events

• Friday, February 21st - End of Trimester 2

Friendly Reminders

• Since winter weather is here, please make sure your student is properly dressed for recess.

• Please remind your student to charge his/her iPad and Logitech Crayon every night

• Please remember to send your student with a healthy snack - nothing feeds the brain like a healthy snack!  

• Please continue to have your student practice their multiplication facts up to 12

• If your child participates in orchestra or band, please remind him/her to bring their instrument on their lesson day.

Thank you for your continued partnership!

Enzie Pangilinan

Sunday, February 2nd, 2025

Happy Sunday Families!

January has really flown by! Your children have been very busy learning everyday! I am so impressed with their perseverance and positive attitudes!

Literacy

This week we started reading George’s Secret Key to the Universe.  Our students are very excited to read this science fiction chapter book! As we read, we will focus on many reading strategies to help our students understand unknown words, create connections, and comprehend the text.  We will read and discuss chapters in class each day and your child will be expected to read a chapter at home most nights. We appreciate your help in reminding your child to read the chapters and answer the questions assigned for homework.  This is a great opportunity to have your child read aloud to you, or read the chapters together at home. Have fun getting to know George!

Writing

We are taking a break from analytical writing and working on narrative for the next few weeks.  After reviewing the characteristics of a strong narrative, our students had the opportunity to rewrite the rubric so that it was written in kid friendly language.  This activity helped our students understand what is expected in their writing. Currently, they are writing a continuation piece. After reading a picture book, our students wrote “the next chapter” of the story.  Ask your child to tell you about his/her writing.   

Math

Our students are doing a wonderful job multiplying fractions and using labeled models to explain their thinking! We have practiced multiplying whole numbers by fractions, fractions by fractions, and even solved fraction word problems. In addition, we focused on understanding many math vocabulary words. Ask your child to explain the difference between an improper fraction and a mixed number.

Social Studies

In Social Studies, we continued learning about the Colonial Era.  See if your child can tell you what motivated the colonists to settle in the “New World.” We also focused on the early settlements and the impacts of cooperation and conflict within a community.  Our students had the opportunity to research Jamestown or Plymouth by analyzing primary and secondary sources.  The children are really enjoying learning about the history of the United States.

Upcoming Events

• Friday, February 14th - Half Day and Valentine’s Day party 

   School dismissed at 11:45

• Monday, February 17th - No School

Friendly Reminders

• Since winter weather is here, please make sure your student is properly dressed for recess.

• Please remind your student to charge his/her iPad and Logitech Crayon every night

• Please remember to send your student with a healthy snack - nothing feeds the brain like a healthy snack!  

• Please continue to have your student practice their multiplication facts up to 12

• If your child participates in orchestra or band, please remind him/her to bring their instrument on their lesson day.

Thank you for your continued partnership and enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

Enzie Pangilinan

Friday, January 17th, 2025

Happy Friday Families!

What an eventful couple of weeks we have had since returning from winter break with our cold weather. It’s hard to believe, but Valentine parties are just around the corner and we are looking forward to many other engaging learning experiences throughout the rest of January and beginning in February.

Literacy

These last two weeks, we continued to practice analyzing multiple perspectives using nonfiction texts. With various reading passages, we compared and contrasted different author's points of view regarding topics such as school uniforms, video games, and rescuing penguin populations. While we read these texts, we continued to practice identifying the author’s main point, and the reasons and evidence that the author uses to support it. 

In the next couple of weeks, we will be shifting back to fiction to read George’s Secret Key to the Universe. This text will help us prepare for our next writing unit as well, science fiction! As we read the novel we will be working on a variety of reading skills such as comparing characters, analyzing the point of view, and determining the theme. Please note that Monday - Thursday, our students will have reading homework sent home, which will include reading chapter(s) and answering a comprehension question. This is a great opportunity to check in with your child and ask them about the book!

Writing

This week, we shifter our focus from analytic writing to narrative writing, where we've asked students to finish a story from a given introduction, rising action, and climax.  Over the next few weeks, our students will shift their narrative focus with a science fiction based prompt. This will tie in nicely with our upcoming novel, George's Secret Key to the Universe!

Math

This week we began Unit 5: Multiplying and Dividing Fractions.  Our students will start to create concrete models to represent numerical calculations. The goal is to help them create and visualize the multiplication problems they were presented with. The models our students will learn will help provide them with a deeper understanding of these concepts.

Social Studies

In this unit, we are focusing on the Colonial Era. We are starting to discuss the motivations behind why European countries had a strong desire to expand their empires into the "New World" during the age of exploration. Over the next few weeks, we will also analyze the effects and impacts of colonization in North and South America during this time in history. 

Winter Break Party Pictures!

Upcoming Events

• Monday, January 20 - No School (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day)

• Friday, February 14th - Half Day (School Improvement Day). WE WILL STILL HAVE THE VALENTINE'S DAY PARTY. TIMING TBD.

Friendly Reminders

• Since winter weather is here, please make sure your student is properly dressed for recess.

• Please remind your student to charge his/her iPad and Logitech Crayon every night

• Please remember to send your student with a healthy snack - nothing feeds the brain like a healthy snack!  

• Please continue to have your student practice their multiplication facts up to 12

• If your child participates in orchestra or band, please remind him/her to bring their instrument on their lesson day

Thank you for your continued partnership and have a wonderful week!