Friday, October 20th, 2016

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 quite invested in our classroom read called 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. The kids are highly engaged with the text and we are continuing to have many valuable discussions related to topics raised within the story.

Writing

We are using The Road to Freedom as a springboard for various writing samples. Our students are practicing how to write short-constructed responses based prompts from the story.  We are also in the planning phase of our opinion essays which are based on topics/issues related to slavery from the book.

Math

Our students are currently working through division using a four-digit dividend and and a two-digit divisor.  We emphasized the partial quotients, area model, and long-division algorithms to solve these problems. Students were given a common formative assessment (CFA) in order to monitor their progress.  Next Monday, our students will move on to our next concept, which is adding and subtracting 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 Tuesday

**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 Mrs. Gluck'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) and 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 Buffalo.  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.

Classroom Parties:

*THANK YOU in advance to all of the volunteers who are sending items and/or helping at the 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 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. 

Can students go home for lunch to get into costumes?

Students are able to be picked up to go home,  it will be during their own grade level lunch period. See below for 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.  5th Grade lunch and recess runs from 12:00pm - 12:40pm.  

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

Enzie Pangilinan

Friday, Octber 7th, 2016

Happy Friday Families!

I hope you are all enjoying this beautiful weather and are looking forward to the weekend!  If you are traveling, have a safe trip. If you are staying home, I hope you are able to relax a bit.

BOOK IT! starts this week!

Reading is the heart of education, and the only way to get better at reading is to do it!  To encourage your child to “read their heart out” this year, our classroom is participating in the BOOK IT! Program. I remember participating in the BOOK IT! program as a child and it truly helped to motivate me to read more. 

Each month from October through March, I will set a reading goal for students.  This goal will be based on independent reading in class, as well as reading at home.  When their goal is met, I will celebrate the achievement by recognizing your child with a Reading Award Certificate.

Be a role model by reading yourself and reading to or with your child to show that you, too, value books and love reading.  When your child achieves their monthly goal, make it a celebration! You can redeem your child’s Reading Award Certificate for a free, one topping Personal Pan Pizza, Passport to Reading and a sticker at Pizza Hut.  So, make it a date! That special one-on-one time can make your child’s reading achievement even sweeter. “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” –Dr. Seuss

It's Party Time! Classroom Party Parent Volunteers Needed!

Each classroom's Room Parent will be organizing three parties this year, and you're invited to help! Each party needs parent volunteers to help out with crafts, games and snacks. To sign up, please click here for more info and to add your name to the list. Room Parents will make every effort to provide all interested parents the opportunity to attend at least one party this school year.

A few things to note:
-For safety reasons, only one room parent and three parent volunteers are allowed at each party. No exceptions. No siblings may attend the party with a parent volunteer.
-Because the volunteer parent positions are so popular and fun we do sometimes have waiting lists. Please consider volunteering as a Party Photographer for your child's grade as an alternative!  It's fun and there is NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY! There are other opportunities to help, including sending party supplies and snacks.
-Please sign up for ONLY ONE classroom per party if you have multiple children at Ivy Hall. You may also sign up as an alternate for another party in the classroom under the Alternate section.

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

Literacy

* 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

* 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

* Students are currently multiplying 2-digit by 2-digit numbers, as well as 3-digit by 2-digit numbers.  Students are working on solving multiplication problems using multiple strategies (Area/Box, Partial Products, Expanded, Tradition/Standard, etc.).  Take a few moments to have your child explain 1 or 2 strategies that they use to solve multiplication problems.  Next week we will begin division.  We will then move into multiplying and dividing decimals.

Social Studies

* Our discussions will start 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.

Upcoming Events

**Monday, October 10 - No School (Columbus Day)

**Tuesday, October 11- No School (District Holiday)

**Wednesday, October 12- No School (Yom Kippur-District Holiday)

**Tuesday, October 25-Early Release

**Monday, October 31-Halloween Party & Parade—more details to come

Important Links:

Math Night for Parents

October Lunch Menu

District 96 Safe Snack List

Community Events

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.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.  Thank you and enjoy the extended weekend!

Enzie Pangilinan

Friday, September 23rd, 2016

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)!  

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.

* 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.

Below is a link with more information regarding our Words Their Way spelling program:

http://www.kcsd96.org/curriculum/Elementary-Literacy.cfm

Writing

* Our students are working hard on an informational paper about an ecosystem. Ask them to show you what they have so far in their in their Google Docs. We will wrap up the paper and incorporate an introduction, conclusion, edit, and revise this week.

Math

* Our students just wrapped up learning how to round decimals to the nearest hundredths. We will have the first unit test this coming Thursday. The following targets will all be assessed:

- 5.nbt.1: Recognize 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.

- 5.nbt.2: Use patterns in the number of zeros of the product when multiplying a number by Powers of Ten, to determine the placement of the decimal point when a decimal is multiplied or divided by a Power of Ten. Use positive integer exponents to denote Powers of Ten.
- 5.nbt.3: Write and compare decimals to thousandths using base-ten numerals, number names and expanded form.
- 5.nbt.4: Use place value understanding to round decimals to any place.

Unit 2 will start as October begins. Here is a link to the parent letter for Unit 2.

parent letter Unit 2

* The district is encouraging students to spend time DreamBox and have provided the following research:

“A study was conducted by the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University to explore the effectiveness of Dreambox usage by measuring growth in NWEA MAP data.  3-5 graders who spent 14 hours on Dreambox saw a growth in their MAP results by about 4 points.  Harvard analyses suggest the observed average improvement of students using Dreambox is a linear relationship.  Therefore, it is projected that 3-5 graders who spend 40 hours on Dreambox will show a 10 point increase in their NWEA MAP data.”

Students will have opportunities to practice the DreamBox skills during school. I also encourage students to practice the skills listed on DreamBox at home.

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 picture to enlarge)

Upcoming Dates

9/26: Book Fair begins

9/28: 6:30-8:00 - Ice Cream Social and Book Fair.

10/3: NO SCHOOL – District Holiday

10/10 : NO SCHOOL – Columbus Day

10/11:NO SCHOOL – District Holiday

10/12: NO SCHOOL – District Holiday

10/25: EARLY RELEASE

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.

Girls Interested in Math and Science, Please See the Information Below

Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day – October 13, 2016

Please see the below invitation for the Siemens Healthineers “Introduce a Girl to Engineering” Day in Hoffman Estates. There are currently 50 spots available; registration information can be found below. If you are interested in volunteering at this event, watch for a message next week with information on how to get involved. We hope to see you there!

Rsvp Here

	Girls in Grades 5-12 are Invited!
	On behalf of Siemens Healthineers, we invite you to our Introduce aGirl to Engineering event at our facility on Thursday, October 13, 2016.   Did you know that engineers are changing our world every day? Participate in Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day to learn how creative and collaborative engineering is and how engineers are improving our world and quality of life. We will open our factory to girls in grades 5-12. You'll enjoy a factory tour and learn more about the reasons to love engineering!    There is no cost to attend.

Thank you and enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

Enzie Pangilinan

Friday, September 9th, 2016

Happy Friday Families!

It's the start of September and our students are working so hard in the classroom!  I love seeing the 150% effort they're giving everyday!  We are so excited to share information about what we are currently working on in the classroom!

Literacy

* During our shared reading, we just finished reading Night of the Spadefoot Toads. The students truly enjoyed the book! Throughout the novel we worked on a variety of literacy skills, but focused on finding the overall theme, as well as comparing and contrasting different elements of the story. This novel connected nicely with our current science unit on ecosystems.

Writing

* Our students are just wrapping up their second narrative story. There has been quite an emphasis on encouraging students to infuse natural dialogue between characters, as well as utilizing precise language and word usage. 

Math

* This week we finished our second place value target which involved using powers of ten. We practiced determining whether numbers were multiplied or divided by powers of ten. Today we started working on our new target which involves comparing decimals to the thousandths place using base-ten numerals, number names and expanded form. We will take a CFA on this target next week.

Science

* This week we continued our learning about ecosystems. We’ve been learning about how living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem interact. 

Reading Logs

*All students should be tracking their home reading on the reading logs that were sent home last week. The weekly reading assignments and parent signatures are due back each Monday for a “check-in” and completed logs are due on the last day of the month.

Girl’s Group

*All 5th grade girls will begin participating in Girl’s Group next week! Each session will be a half hour in duration and will focus on a particular skill. If you are interested in viewing the topics and activities, this will be possible through your child’s schoology account. After the first session, your student will be able to show you how to do this. The Boy’s Group will start after winter break.

Reminders/Upcoming Events:

**Tuesday, September 13th - Special Lunch (Culvers)

**Sunday, September 25th  - PTO/District 96 Dash

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.

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

Friday, August 26th, 2016

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 recognizing that 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

* 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 our new science curriculum!  Our current focus is on understanding the makings of a various ecosystems around the world.

Upcoming Events

** Tuesday, August 30th - Early Release

** Monday September 5th - 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.

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

Enzie Pangilinan

Friday, May 20th, 2016

Happy Sunday 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 has been happening:

Transition Day

The students really enjoyed our time at Twin Groves on Thursday. They were able to hear all about next year. There were many previous Ivy Hall students giving tours around the building. Our students left there with a lot of excitement for next year!

Orchestra and Band Concerts

Congratulations to all of our orchestra and band students. They both had concerts at Twin Groves this past week. They all did an amazing job!

Family Picnic

Our Ivy Hall picnic will be tonight, May 20th, from 6:00-8:00. Come on out for some fun family time!

Museum of Science and Industry

Our field trip is tomorrow Monday, May 23rd. Please send your child with a sack lunch. We are also asking to please not send money with your child. We are so looking forward to a day of exploring.

**If you are chaperoning the field trip, please arrive at Ivy Hall at 8:30.

Ivy Hall Fun Run

Our Fun Run will be on May 27th. Let’s all get out there and enjoy some fresh air and sunshine!

No School

May 30th (Memorial Day)

Last Day

June 1st (We will be dismissing at 2:00)

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

Enzie Pangilinan