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

Friday, May 26th, 2017

Happy Friday Families!

It is so hard to believe that this will be our final blog for the year. It has been an amazing year with your children. Thank you for all you have done to make it such a success. Here is what's happening the last few days of school:

Transition Day

The students really enjoyed our time at Twin Groves on Wednesday. They were able to hear all about next year and everything Twin Groves has to offer. They were given quite an informative presentation by Twin's principal, assistant principal, and teachers. They were also given a tour of the building by former Ivy Hall Students. Our students left Twin Groves with a lot of excitement for next year!

Trade Fair
Students used their negotiation skills and their knowledge of supply and demand to trade items at our trade fair! See our students in action below:

 



 





 

 





 


Museum of Science and Industry

Our field trip is next Wednesday, May 31st. Please send your child with a sack lunch. Please not send money with your child and we are also asking that they do not bring any electronics on the trip. We are so looking forward to a day of exploring!

A Note From Our Tech Department Regarding iPad Collection

As the end of the year is quickly approaching, we are beginning to prepare collection of learning tools and materials.  Collection this year for 4th and 5th graders includes the iPads, iPad cases, the charging brick, and the lightning/charging cable.

Each grade level is scheduled for an "iPad Collection Day."  4th Grade is scheduled for June 2 and 5th grade is scheduled for June 1.  Please make sure your child has their iPad, iPad case, charging brick, and lightning/charging cable on the appropriate day.  If a student is missing an item or it's damaged, this will result in a fine.  If there is a fine, parents will be notified with a note that is sent home.  Checks can be made out to Kildeer Countryside CCSD 96 and sent to the Business Office at Ivy Hall or returned to your teacher before the end of the school year.   Please see below for more specific information regarding fines.

Damage to Hardware

• Students WILL NOT be charged for damage to iPads.
• Students WILL NOT be charged for missing or damaged lightning/charging cables. 
• Students WILL BE charged for missing or damaged charging bricks. The fine is $19.00.
• Students WILL BE charged for missing or damaged (beyond normal wear and tear) cases.  Tearing, chunks missing, etc, are pretty good examples of beyond normal wear and tear.  The fine is $35.00.

A Note From Our P.E. Teachers

Fifth grade students participated in fitness testing this Spring. The following tests were given:

Pacer Test, Curl-ups, Push-ups , and Sit and Reach. FitnessGram Student results will be handed out to the students to bring home on Tuesday, May, 30. 

Important Dates:
**Monday, May 29th - No School (Memorial Day)
**Thursday, June 1st - 5th Grade Celebration (More info to come)
**Friday, June 2nd - Field Day / Spring Fling
**Tuesday, June 6th - Last Day of School (Students will be dismissed at 2:00)

Enjoy a wonderful, restful, fun-filled summer!! Again, thank you for such a wonderful school year with your children.

Enzie Pangilinan

Friday, April 7th, 2017

Happy Friday Families!

We are refreshed from Spring Break and are using our renewed energy to work hard on our Trimester 3 learning targets!  Here are the current concepts we will focus on over the next couple of weeks as well as a couple messages regarding PARCC testing and our classroom project next week:

***Please Note: PARCC testing for 5th grade takes place Monday through Thursday of next week. All testing will take place in the morning.  Please avoid taking your student out of school for doctor’s appointments if at all possible.  Also, please be sure that your child gets a good night’s sleep and eats a good breakfast each day!  And finally, please remind your child to charge his or her iPad each night - all testing will be done on their iPads.  The two week schedule for PARCC testing, as well as two English / LA placement tests, are listed at the bottom of the blog.

***If possible, please send the Sunday paper comics with your child on Monday.  We will start to introduce proportions by creating proportional drawings of the comics.

Literature

We finished reading Explorers: Triumphs and Troubles  and Pedro’s Journal which both focused on the theme of exploration.  We compared and contrasted each book's text structure, as well as the information contained in both texts.   In writing, we completed an opinion essay about Christopher Columbus.  Through our extensive research, we learned that although Columbus's impact on America was significant,  his explorations and discoveries came with many negatives as well.  The students argued whether they thought Columbus was the hero we grew up learning about or if he was a villain based on some of his actions and other opinions.  

Math

Today we ended Unit 5 with a post test which encompassed three learning targets.  Students were required to demonstrate their skills in the areas of measurement conversions, finding volume of rectangular prisms and finding volume of composite shapes where rectangular prisms have been joined together.  Students who do not demonstrate mastery of the targets on the post test will continue to receive small group instruction next week.

Science

We will continue to discuss changes in the different states of matter.

Social Studies

Our conversations continue to revolve around supply and demand and its impact on trade.

PARCC / Placement Schedule:

Week of 4/10

**4/10 - Monday: English / LA 1 (10:00-12:00)

**4/11 - Tuesday: MATH 1 (10:30-:12:00)

**4/12 - Wednesday: MATH 2 (10:30 - 12:00)

**4/13 - Thursday: MATH 3

(10:30 - 12:00)

Week of 4/17

**4/17 - Monday: English / LA 2

(10:00 - 12:00)

**4/18 - Tuesday: English / LA 3

(10:00 - 12:00)

**4/19 - Wednesday: MATH 4 (10:00 - 11:30)

**4/20 - Thursday: English / LA Placement Writing Assessment

**4/21 - Friday: English / LA Placement Comprehension Assessment

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you and have a wonderful weekend!

Enzie Pangilinan

Sunday, February 26th, 2017

Happy Sunday Families!

We enjoyed studying the topic of space in science, as well as exploring science fiction in literature!  The students were truly interested in space exploration and wrote science journal articles to go along with the topic. We learned that there are new discoveries everyday!

Here are the targets we will focus on as we start the third grading period as well as a note regarding 5th GRADE GUYS NIGHT OUT:

Literacy

We finished our last book, Our Mysterious Universe, in this unit and will start to turn our focus to explorers and the effects and historical implications of early of early exploration.

Writing

Students will turn their focus to opinion writing.  Students' strong opinions typically lead to many interesting discussions and debates!

Math

The focus of Unit 5 is Measurement Conversions and Volume.   We will start to work on three main targets:

** 5MD.1:   Convert among different-sized standard measurement units within a given measurement system, and use these conversions in solving multi-step real world problems.

** 5.MD.4   Measure volumes by counting unit cubes, using cubic cm, cubic in, cubic ft, and improvised units.

** MD.5  Relate volume to the operations of multiplication and addition and solve real world and mathematical problems involving volume.

**Please click on the parent letter link to see a more detailed description of the Unit 5: Unit 5 Parent Letter

Social Studies

We will begin the third trimester studying supply & demand and trade. We will be looking at the difference between goods and services and the importance in our lives. 

Science

We will start to study matter and work on investigations to help us determine what causes substances to change. 

Friendly Reminders and Upcoming Events

** 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 Six Flags reading program has been extended to Monday. The forms are available on the Ivy Website. 

5th Grade Guys Night Out

This is a great event to get to know their incoming peers from Prairie and learn more about Twin Groves.  Please click on the Guys Night Out link to find out more: 5th Grade Guys Night Out Flyer

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

Enzie Pangilinan

Friday, January 27th, 2017

Happy Friday Families!

Our students are continuing to settle back into their routines and have their batteries recharged!  Here are the targets and concepts we will focus on as we move on to the month of February:

Literacy* Next week, we will start to read a science fiction story called Jess and Layla’s Astronomical Adventure.  The two main characters of the story travel back in time and meet many of history’s famous philosophers and scientists!  Throughout the reading we will work on skills such as understanding text structure, using context clues to understand word meaning, compare and contrast characters—-just to name a few.

Writing* This week, our students completed a writing assessment which required students to plan and compose a science fiction story in one session.  It was especially good practice for the PARCC assessments in the Spring!  Next week, we will start to conduct research for a new informative essay.  Students will be asked to select a historical discovery in the area of space and write a their version of a science journal entry.  The essay will include facts presented in an organized format, as well as visuals to support their topic.  Students will also be asked to evaluate and cite their sources.  

Spelling* We are continuing our work with the Words Their Way program.  New homework boggle sheets were sent home on Monday.  Just a friendly reminder that each boggle choice sheet is due on Friday with three completed activities.  Please encourage your child to start working on these assignments earlier in the week rather than waiting until the night before they are due.

Math* Last week we finished a short math target that involved interpreting the size of a product of a fractional multiplication problem based on the size of each factor.  We are currently working on solving real-world problems involving the multiplication of fractions.

Social Studies* This week we started to discuss and read about the liberties that we are fortunate to have, living in our country.  Throughout the unit, we will also contrast our liberties with various countries who may not have some of the same freedoms that we are fortunate to have.

Science* This week we continued to learn about how a star's brightness correlates to a star's distance from the earth.

Friendly Reminders and Upcoming Events
** Valentine's Day Parties - From Mrs. Gluck's Newsletter:

If you choose to include an item with your child's Valentines, please note that only non-food items are permissible.  Candy, snacks, or any sort of food item will be sent back home with your child on Valentine's day if sent to school.  Non-food items are permitted, and there are many pre-packaged Valentines that can be purchased that include a trinket (i.e., pencil, erasers, book mark, etc.). Card and party stores are a great place to look for these types of items.  Here are some ideas of non-food items if you choose to include something:  pencils, erasers, stickers, plastic or rubber figurines, mini deck of cards, spinning top, or crazy straws to name a few.

Many of our students have medically based dietary restrictions and this does not include students on specific diets of family choice such as vegetarian, low cal/sugar, religious, and so on.  Monitoring the individual needs and requests is not feasible, thus not safe. In addition it is frequently reported that several children eat Valentine's treats on the bus, as evidenced by an abundance of wrappers found.  This poses a choking risk, as well as exposure for students with specific health restrictions. Thank you for your assistance in helping us maintain the health, safety, and personal family preferences of our students.

** 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