Thursday, October 26, 2017

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

Sunday, October 15, 2017

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