Thursday, December 21st, 2017

Dear Families,

As we embark on our winter break and prepare for a few weeks off, we hope all of you have the opportunity to spend some wonderful family time together! Enjoy this time to “recharge” and cherish time with your students! We look forward to seeing students back in 2018 with a renewed energy to learn and grow!

Here is what we’ve been working on in each of our content areas:

Reading: 

This week we finished our first module of books under the theme of “finding courage”. Recently, we read two shorter stories during shared reading. The first, called Operation Clean Sweep, was a historical fiction short story that took place during women’s suffrage. The other, a nonfiction short story, detailed the life of Cesar Chavez and his life-long fight for the rights of workers. Both stories prompted some great discussions focused on the issues of injustice and inequality.

Writing: 

Students recently produced a written opinion response based on the following prompt: Should NFL and other sport teams use the names/images of Native American tribes? After reading several articles which presented support for both sides, students had to support their own opinion with text support in a well-written, cohesive response.

Math:
Our work in unit 4 and its focus on multi-digit multiplication continued. Students should now feel confident in utilizing a variety of strategies to multiply. They are getting quite proficient in being able to decide which strategy is most efficient based on the content of the particular problem.

Social Studies:

We continued to learn about the meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance, as well as how patriotism is shown in our country. After winter break, we will learn about the particular liberties we are fortunate to enjoy in the United States, and contrast these liberties with countries whose citizens suffer without such rights. 

Science:

Our recent learning in science focused on what people can do to protect the Earth’s systems. We studied the different ways individuals, engineers, communities, and governments can protect Earth's systems. In fact, last week we had a fun science investigation where we “mined” for chocolate chips in cookies! The chips represented coal and the cookies represented land in the geosphere that was being damaged by mining. Be sure to ask your student about this fun activity!

Important upcoming dates to remember:

**Thursday, Dec. 21: Last day of school before winter break, winter parties @ 2:00

**Monday, Jan. 8: School resumes

**Monday, Jan.15: No School, Martin Luther King Day


Band Classroom Performance:
Please click on the link below to see our classroom's band students perform!  What a great way to send us off into Winter Break!
Classroom Band Performance

Thank you and have a wonderful Winter Break!

Enzie Pangilinan

Friday, December 1st, 2017

Happy Friday Families!

I hope you and your family enjoyed the Thanksgiving break and the time off together!  Nothing recharges those batteries like spending quality time with family and friends!  

Here are the targets we will focus on as we work through the beginning of the second grading period:

Literacy

* Our students recently wrapped up reading our classroom read-aloud text, The Road to Freedom. The story was narrated from the point of view of a young girl who is traveling on the Underground Railroad with her mother in hopes of making it North to freedom. Our students were highly engaged throughout text and had many great discussions related to topics raised within the story.

Writing

* We are currently using The Road to Freedom as a springboard for various writing samples.  We have practiced writing short-constructed responses and we are currently planning and writing an opinion paper based on topics/issues related to slavery from the book.

Spelling

* Our students are currently working through their Words Their Way spelling program. Most weeks, your child will bring home a new set of words to sort and use for homework tasks.  Each boggle choice sheet is due on Friday with three completed activities.

Math

* We are currently working on multiplying two-digit numbers by three-digit numbers using various strategies.  We will have a check-in next week to assess what we've learned.  Our students will start division at the end of next week and emphasize the partial quotients and long division algorithms to solve these problems.

Social Studies

* Last week we wrapped up our learning about slavery and how it affected the growth of Colonial America.  We will be diving into Government/Civics in the coming weeks and our students will start to discuss the meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance.

Science

* Our students covered the four main systems of Earth: the biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere.  We’ve been learning about the attributes and characteristics of each, as well as how they interact with one another.  We are now focusing on determining which of Earth’s systems interact to produce weather and climate.  Students will be creating a diagram and giving a weather report about one of their examples.  Stay tuned for weather news you can use. 

Reminders/Upcoming Events:

** MAP Testing Next Week:

   - Monday, December 4th (Reading)
   - Wednesday, December 6th (Math)
**Please remember to send your child with a healthy snack.  Nothing feeds the brain like a healthy snack!  

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

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.  Thank you and have a fantastic weekend!

Enzie Pangilinan

October 27th, 2017

Hello Families!

Fall is in the air and Halloween is just around the corner!  Our students continue to work extremely hard to learn our target concepts and are picking up and practicing strong study skills they have learned in the classroom!  Thank you for your continued support at home.

Here are the targets / concepts we are tirelessly working to master:

Literacy

Our students are currently working on finding the theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in our classroom texts, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic.  In the coming weeks, we will start our new story,  The Road to Freedom.  It is narrated from the point of view of a young girl who is traveling on the Underground Railroad with her mother in hopes of making it North to freedom. We look forward to having many valuable discussions related to topics raised within the story.

Writing

Our students are currently conducting research on an endangered animal, and creating a brochure or Google Slide show discussing why they are endangered, and what the world can do to save them from becoming extinct. Have your child tell you some fun facts about their endangered animal!

Math

Our students are currently working through recognizing, that in a multi-digit number, a digit in one place represents ten times as much as it represents in the place to its right and one-tenth of what it represents in the place to its left using whole numbers AND decimals.

Social Studies

Our discussions continue to revolve around how indentured servitude affected the growth of the early American colonies.  

Science

We are continuing to learn more about various ecosystems. We are exploring what makes an ecosystem healthy or unhealthy, how ecosystems change, and how humans change ecosystems.

Reminders

**Completed October reading logs are due Monday.

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

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

HALLOWEEN PARADE AND CLASSROOM PARTY INFORMATION

Please be sure to read the Principal's Message for school guidelines around appropriate costume attire for our Halloween festivities.  If you are unsure about whether or not something in your child's costume is appropriate, please contact me.  Also included in Mr Hanrahan's blog are the guidelines around students going home for lunch on Halloween.  If you plan on bringing your child home for a costume change, please be sure to review the procedures.

Parade

Our Parade Route begins at 1:20pm outside of our southeast doors (near our gymnasium and the buffalo). The students will continue north on the sidewalk and then head west past the district office around the building, past the playground and end back at the southeast, Buffalo door. Please keep your fingers crossed that we have great weather! In case of inclement weather, we will have an indoor parade for teachers and students only.

Parties

• Parties will begin at approximately 2:00pm and end at 2:45pm
• Only PTO approved parent party volunteers may attend classroom parties. No siblings are able to attend.
• If you are a volunteer, it is recommended that you have your driver's license scanned into our security system prior to party day so that your badge can be ready for you upon arrival.  
• All party treats must come from the Approved Snack List (see page 3) and brought in to be checked by the nurse. These need to be at school by 9:00am on October 31st. They can be brought in prior to that and will be kept safely in the office.

Halloween Costumes

As October is here, please help us with the following costume procedures and guidelines....

• Students will change into their costumes after the lunch period.
• Costumes must be appropriate for school.
• Please no masks, blood, super scary stuff, general ickiness, or weapons
• Please no cigars or cigarette items
• Please no bare tummies
• Please keep hair coloring and make-up simple

Can students go home for lunch to get into costumes?

• Students are able to be picked up to go home during their own grade level lunch period. See below for specific times and details.
• Students will meet their parent/grandparent/family member in the foyer of the school.
• Please write a note stating that students will be going home for lunch. Students will give their “going home for lunch” note to the staff members who are supervising pick-up.
• Students need to return to school by the end of their lunch/recess period.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.  Have a fantastic weekend!

Enzie Pangilinan

Monday, October 15th, 2017

Happy Monday Families!

I apologize for the late post!  We are already halfway through October, and the year feels as if it's flying by! Please continue to read below to learn all about the exciting happenings in 5th grade! 

Literacy

*We are reading our second shared reading book of the year - Washed Up by Paval Kapadia. Also, we are continuing to work on our reading learning targets - finding theme, summarizing, and comparing/contrasting characters and settings (LIT.5.1-3)

Writing

*Students are in the process of planning and drafting their informative/expository essays. Connecting to ecosystems, students picked an environment to focus on. After utilizing graphic organizers to plan and researching information, they are writing and editing their rough drafts. Be sure to ask your student what he/she learned about while researching their chosen environment!

Math

*We are continuing to focus on fractions during our second unit in math. The students have been learning how to add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators by finding common denominators and equivalent fractions (5.NF.1). Also, they've been applying and stretching their knowledge to solve fractions story problems (5.NF.2). 

Social Studies

*We have started Social Studies this week, and our first unit includes indentured servitude and slavery. Students will be learning about the differences between the two and how indentured servitude eventually lead up to slavery during the colonial era. 

Science

*We are continuing our focus on understanding the characteristics of  various ecosystems around the world. 

Upcoming Events

Oct. 24: EARLY RELEASE DAY (Dismissal @ 2PM)

Oct. 31: Halloween Parties

Friendly Reminders

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

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

** The weather is starting to get cooler. Please send your child to school with layers, jackets, sweaters, etc. to stay warm. 

Have a great week!

Enzie Pangilinan

Friday, September 29th, 2017

Happy Sunday Families!

We've been busy with learning and completing projects in all of the subject areas, including dissecting owl pellets in science (Please see the pictures below)!  We also had a fun time at our Ivy Hall Fun Run two weeks ago!  We've got great pictures below, thanks to the camerawork of Mrs. Papageorgiou!

Here are the targets we are currently / planning on working to master over the next couple of weeks:

Literacy

* Our students are currently working on finding the theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic. We are also preparing for our first unit assessments next week. 

* Next week, we will start our new Words Their Way spelling program. Most weeks, your child will bring home a new set of words to sort and use for homework tasks.  Each boggle choice sheet is due on Friday with three completed activities.

Writing

* Our students are continuing to work on narrative writing.  After utilizing graphic organizers to plan, students developed their stories through the use of a detailed sequence of events and effective character development. Encouraging students to infuse dialogue into their writing was also an emphasis.  We are working on elevating their writing by adding higher level transitional words and figurative language. 

Math

* Our students started Unit 2 and are currently working adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators. We will apply the concept to help us solve word problems which involve adding and subtracting fractions. A Unit 2 parent letter will be sent home with your child's Friday update this weekend.

Social Studies

* We are currently practicing locating states and countries based on relative location.

Science

* Our current focus is on understanding the makings of various ecosystems around the world. We just wrapped up dissecting owl pellets and will continue to discuss the transfer of energy from one organism to another.

(Click on the pictures to enlarge)

 

 

 

 

 

Fun Run Pics!
Click on the pictures below to enlarge
   

 

 

 

Upcoming Dates

10/2: Book Fair begins

10/9 – NO SCHOOL – Columbus Day 

10/24 – EARLY RELEASE DAY  dismiss @ 2 PM

Friendly Reminders

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

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

Thank you for your continued support and enjoy your weekend!

Enzie Pangilinan

Friday, September 8th, 2017

Happy Friday!

It’s hard to believe that we’ve been back in school for several weeks! Please read below to find out about all of the wonderful learning that is going on in 5th grade at Ivy Hall!

Literacy

*We are finishing up our first shared reading book of the year—Night of the Spadefoot Toad by Bill Harley. We’ve used this text as a springboard for many reading and writing learning targets thus far.  This book has also connected nicely to our study of ecosystems in science. Be sure to ask your student about what he/she has learned about vernal pools and spade foot toads!

Writing

*Students are in the process of finishing their first narrative stories of the year! After utilizing graphic organizers to plan, students developed their stories through the use of a detailed sequence of events and effective character development. Encouraging students to infuse dialogue into their writing was also an emphasis.  We will be writing yet another narrative in order to apply what we’ve learned and produce an even higher quality sample.

Math

*Our students are continuing their work with writing and evaluating numerical expressions with parentheses as well as demonstrating their understanding of how find the volume of rectangular prisms. We also began our “Number Corner” routine which takes place each day for about 20 minutes outside of our regular math block. Here, students practice skills in such areas as computational fluency and problem solving (in addition to several others) on a daily basis. 

Social Studies

*We plan on starting geography in the coming days.  We will start with locating states and countries based on relative location.

Science

*We are continuing our focus on understanding the characteristics of  various ecosystems around the world. Our first science investigation involved “traveling” to virtual ecosystems and studying the interactions between living and nonliving organisms.

Upcoming Events

Sept. 12- PTO Special Lunch

Sept. 15- Ivy Hall Fun Run

Sept. 21 & 22-No School/District Holiday

Friendly Reminders

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

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

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.  Thank you for your continued partnership and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Enzie Pangilinan

Friday, August 25th, 2017

Good Afternoon Families!

It was an absolute pleasure seeing you last night!  I hope you found curriculum night to be informative.  Your involvement and support are greatly appreciated!  

The link you clicked on is our classroom Blogger page, which will have bi-monthly classroom updates.  Included in the updates will be our current target concepts in all academic areas, classroom events, and important upcoming dates.  An email with a link to our classroom Blogger page will be pushed out every two weeks when our Blogger page is updated.

Here are the targets we are currently / planning on working to master over the next couple of weeks:

Literacy

* Our students are currently working on finding the theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic.

Writing

* Our students are off to a great start writing narrative pieces. We are currently working on planning our baseline free-topic narrative piece.

Math

* Our students are currently working on writing and evaluating numerical expressions with parentheses as well as demonstrating their understanding of how find the volume of rectagular prisms.

Social Studies

* We plan on starting geography in the coming days.  We will start with locating states and countries based on relative location.

Science

* We started instruction of TCI science curriculum!  Our current focus is on understanding the makings of a various ecosystems around the world.

Upcoming Events

** Monday September 4th - No School (Labor Day)

Friendly Reminders

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

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

First Day, Classroom, and Solar Eclipse Pictures

A huge thank you to Mrs. Papageorgiou for capturing these precious moments!  Click on each picture to enlarge.

 





 

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.  Thank you and have a fantastic weekend!

Enzie Pangilinan