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

Friday, November 18th, 2016

Good Afternoon Families!

I hope you have all been enjoying this beautiful fall weather! It looks as if winter weather is going to be here before we know it.  Please be sure your child is wearing a coat and appropriate articles of clothing (gloves, hats, etc.) to school.  We want all students to stay warm during outdoor recess. 

Our class won the WIldcat Wow award for outstanding behavior.  Our students are constantly thinking about, not what I expect from them but, what they expect from themselves.  I am extremely proud of this group of children and the example they set for all students in our school on a daily basis.  We were awarded a trophy which is proudly displayed along the ledge just outside of our classrom door.  Please feel free to check it out at conferences...Pics to come soon!

I am excited to meet with you during Parent-Teacher Conferences. There is so much to cover, and so little time (15 minutes), so in order to stay on schedule, we want to make sure that everyone is on time. You can log onto Sign-Up Genius to check your conference time.  Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. 

School Progress Reports

***Your child’s progress report will be available online after 3:00 pm this afternoon.  

Parents, please note:
Your child’s progress report indicates his or her current progress toward an expectation. When a standard repeats in more than one trimester–as is typical in literacy instruction, for example–we do not expect students will master the knowledge and skills indicated until the completion of the last trimester in which the standard is reported on. In fact, it’s likely that many students will earn a score of Developing.

For example, we assess students using text we expect they will be able to master by the end of the school year. For a literacy course standard that repeats, we report each trimester based on your child’s progress toward those end-of-year expectations. This practice gives you consistent information regarding where your child is performing currently, compared to where he or she should be later in the school year or at the year’s end. 

What should you expect to see for a standard that repeats in more than one trimester? You should expect to see a steady progression, such as Not Mastering (1) or Developing (2) in Trimester 1; Developing (2) in Trimester 2; and Mastering (3) in Trimester 3.

Access your KCSD96 student’s progress report online next Friday, Nov. 18, after 3 p.m. Need assistance? CLICK HERE for instructions to view your student’s progress report, to switch between more than one student’s progress reports, and more.

CONNECTING…
Our District 96 community is richly diverse: We differ in race, ethnicity, culture, customs, and more. Our District 96 community is deeply committed: We share a goal as parents to equip our children to grow academically and emotionally to excel as learners and in their future careers.

Join us Mon., Dec. 5 @ 7 p.m., Twin Groves Middle School, 2600 N. Buffalo Grove Rd
We invite all interested D96 parents to the Twin Groves Learning Center to listen, learn, and participate in leader-led interactive activities with parents who want the best for their children. Learn about current efforts to build cultural awareness in teachers and administrators, talk about the new parents' group that adds access points for constructive involvement, and share expectations for our diverse community.

Your RSVP is not required, but helps us plan. Please CLICK HERE to indicate you will attend. Questions? Please call 847.459.4260, ext. 8022.

Take a peek into our class! Here are the targets we have been working on as well as what is ahead…

Literacy

This week we wrapped up two texts, Real-Life Superheroes and The Great Migration.  As students read and discussed these texts, they focused on the understanding that real historical figures made a difference in society by fighting for their beliefs.  Students continue to identify the main ideas in a text, and explain how they are related. We have had some great discussions in class. Take a moment to ask your child to reflect on what they have learned from these discussions/lessons and to share their ideas with you. 

Writing

We just finished our real-life superhero essays. Students chose a real-life superhero to research. They found facts and used details to develop an informative/explanatory essay. Throughout this process, students worked on carefully choosing quotes to support or explain their topic, writing topic sentences that hold the reader’s attention, and using specialized vocabulary to make their ideas clearer and easier to understand. During parent-teacher conferences, please take a moment to read their essays. They are located in the hallway outside of our class. 

Math

Fractions! Fractions! Fractions!  We are entering the fifth grade world of adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators, simplifying fractions, solving fraction word problems, and creating equivalent fractions.  For many students, this is a tough target to grasp.  We will continue to work on these skills for the next couple of weeks. 

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 Trimester 2. Students will be able to describe how a citizen can show patriotism, explain why liberty is an important thing, and also explain the meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Science

We have been studying 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 each other. 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. J

Upcoming Events

**Monday, November 21: Early Release--2;00 PM

**Monday, November 21 & Tuesday, November 22: Parent-Teacher Conferences

**Tuesday, November 22-Friday, November 25: No School

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.

Important Links:

November Lunch Menu

District 96 Safe Snack List


Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.  Enjoy your weekend and stay warm!

Enzie Pangilinan

Sunday, October 6th, 2016

Happy November Families! 

It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving will be upon us in just a few short weeks!  I am looking forward to meeting with all of you for our Fall conferences coming up on the 21st and 22nd!  I am excited to share all of the progress that your child has made throughout the last few months!

Here are the concepts our students are currently working to master:

Literacy

This week we wrapped up the first half of a unit with the theme of “finding courage”.  We read several books that revolved around issues such as slavery, women’s rights, and the rights of workers.  Throughout this unit we had some great discussions about injustice, equality, and the perseverance demonstrated by individuals when overcoming obstacles.

Writing

Our focus over the last several weeks has been on opinion writing. After reading The Road to Freedom, students identified an issue related to slavery that resonated with them. They went on to compose an opinion paper to express their specific evidence and views in support of their topic.  

Math

It has been all about decimals over the last few weeks!  With addition and subtraction of decimals “under our belts” we are currently working on multiplication and division of decimals.  This target requires students to use visual models as well as paper and pencil strategies to solve decimal problems.  We have learned that it is very important to estimate our answer first so that we can know whether the placement of our decimal is correct.  We will finish up this unit towards the end of next week, culminating with a unit test encompassing all four operations with decimals.

Social Studies

Last week we wrapped up our learning about indentured servitude. We are now going to shift our focus towards slavery and how it affected the growth of Colonial America.

Science

We are studying the four main systems of Earth: the biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere.  We are been learning about the attributes and characteristics of each system, as well as how they interact with each other.  We made a clay model of the earth which included a representation of each system!

Upcoming Events

**Tuesday, November 8—No School/Teacher Institute/Voting Day

**Friday, November 11—Report Period ends

**Thursday, November 17—Family Reading Night

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, 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