Friday, September 1st, 2022

Happy Friday Families!

Welcome to the first installment of our bi-monthly blog post! Our school year is off and running! 

It was an absolute pleasure meeting many of you at curriculum night last week. I hope you found it to be an informative and useful evening.  Your involvement and support is greatly appreciated! It is my goal to keep you informed and up-to-date about the learning that is taking place in the classroom, as well as making sure you know about important dates and and events.

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 fictional stories and passages. This will lead to learning about how to summarize important events and noting the reactions and responses of important characters. We are also working on “quoting accurately” within a text which involves students supplying text support for their answers. We are greatly enjoying our shared reading book, Night of The Spadefoot Toads. Because some of the chapters are quite lengthy, students are being required to read portions at home. They are able to use their print copy of the text, or read the story on their I-Pads. Students are welcome to use this reading towards their daily required reading of 20-30 minutes. Once we are finished with the book, students are expected to use their own self-selected books for at-home reading.

Writing

Our current instruction has involved “laying the groundwork” for students to plan and write an original narrative story. As we progress through this instruction, students will compose original story with the goal of including an effectively written introduction, well-developed body paragraphs, and an effective conclusion. 

Math

Our students are currently working on writing and evaluating numerical expressions with parentheses. The first few weeks have also involved getting used to our math routines. In fact, since September started yesterday, we also started our daily Number Corner routine. 

Science

Instruction utilizing our TCI science curriculum is well underway!  Our current focus is on understanding the makings of various ecosystems around the world. We’ve learned about how members of an ecosystem interact and depend on each other. Currently, we are also learning more specifically about the producers, consumers and decomposers who make up our ecosystem. We have a very engaging science investigation to look forward to at the end of our current lesson! Fortunately, our ecosystems unit in science ties nicely into the reading we are doing with The Night of the Spadefoot Toad book we are reading during our literacy block.

Upcoming Events

** Monday September 5th - No School (Labor Day)

** Friday, Sept. 16—Ivy Hall Fun Run (more details to come!)

** Wednesday, September 7— PTO sponsored ice cream Wednesday

** Tuesday, September 20th- Early Release @ 2:05

** Monday, September 26th—No School District Holiday

Stevenson Math Carnival

Hello parents! The Stevenson High School Math Team is excited to invite you to their annual Math Carnival on Thursday, October 13 from 6 - 8 pm. Students from 3rd to 5th grade will have the opportunity to play fun and engaging math games to win prizes ranging from candy to Stevenson Math Team t-shirts. Admission is FREE upon registration. For more info and to register, visit the event webpage at this link.

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.

Have a great long weekend!

Enzie Pangilinan

Friday, May 20th, 2022

Happy Friday families!

Now that the weather is finally cooperating, it actually feels like Spring, almost Summer! It’s hard to believe that we are in our final two weeks of school!

Here’s what our students working on over the last two weeks of school:

Literacy:

Our students are currently reading short, fictional stories from various genres, ranging from realistic fiction to science fiction.  Based on stories from the day's genre, students are continuing their work on comparing and contrasting how each author approached the shared theme.

Over the next couple of weeks, we will discuss the requirements for 6th grade summer reading. The project that accompanies the reading will be due during the first week your child returns to middle school in the Fall. There are a variety of great titles to choose from on the provided list, and students should have no trouble finding a book that matches their interests!

Writing:

Our students just wrapped up their informative choice essays. They chose from the following topics: a special holiday, preparing for a marathon, preparing for a new pet, and preparing for middle school. Students utilized multiple resources to research their topic, planned their introductions, body paragraphs, and conclusions. The end result of their hard work was excellent written pieces!

Math

We are very close to wrapping up Unit 7 in Math, which focused on division and decimals. During this unit we worked with powers of ten and then moved into the multiplication and division of decimals.  Our students will take the Unit 7 post assessment next week.  

We are continuing to work hard to make sure that all students are able to solve long division problems using the traditional method. Students who just recently learned this method will need to practice periodically over the summer to ensure retention heading into 6th grade.  

Social Studies

As we start to wrap up our economics unit, our students are learning about how to critique news articles. As they learn what a critique entails, they are gaining a stronger understanding of what makes a strong and effective news article.

Important Dates and Friendly Reminders:

Friday, May 27th - Half Day (Teacher Inservice)

Monday, May 30th - No School (Memorial Day)

Thursday, June 2nd- 1/2 day (Last Day of School)

Thank you for your continued partnership and have a wonderful weekend!

Enzie Pangilinan

Sunday, May 8th, 2022

Happy Mother's Day to all of our wonderful moms! I hope you're all having a fantastic day!

It is crazy to think we have already reached our last month of the school year! Students have worked hard this week and finished our last round of MAP tests for the year. 

Read below to see what we have been working on!

Literacy

We finished reading our shared text, Jess and Layla’s Astronomical Assignment. It is a science fiction book about two girls who get a homework assignment by their teacher and they end up going back in time to understand more about astronomy and famous astronomers. We started reading another story, Mayday on the Moon of Jupiter, another science fiction story. Next week, we will compare and contrast how the authors of each approached the shared theme that they have.

Writing

We began work on our next informative writing assignment. Students had their choice from a list of topics this time: preparing for a marathon, a special holiday, a new pet, etc. Students started by using multiple resources to research their topic. They have now moved on to planning out their introductions and conclusions, and finally their body paragraphs. They are enjoying getting to pick a topic and doing their own research for it!

Math

We are in our last unit, Unit 7, already! This unit teaches us multiple strategies for dividing whole numbers and fractions. We will be learning more about how the powers of ten affect place value in numbers. Finally, we will be learning multiplication and division of decimals.

Social Studies

We have begun our final unit of study in social studies- analyzing why and how individuals, businesses, and nations around the world specialize in trade. We will be diving into why and how countries need each other for certain goods or services.

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, May 11th- 5th Grade Music Show

Thursday, May 12th- 5th graders visit Twin Groves for tours and transition presentation

Friday, May 13th- 5th Grade Spring Fling- 6:30-8:30

Tuesday, May 17th- Early Release

Have a great upcoming week!

Enzie Pangilinan

Friday, April 8th, 2022

Happy Friday Families!

We did it! We made it to the end of IAR testing! Students worked hard to show all the great things they have learned in both math and literacy. As we have tested each morning, new learning has continued each afternoon! Read below to find out how we're currently expanding our brains! 

Literacy

After returning from spring break, we spent a week reading about influential women in history who showed a sense of discovery and adventure! The women we read about included Mae Jemison, Catherine Johnson, Wilma Rudolph and Bessie Coleman. At the end of the week, we compiled the information we learned about all four women to practice writing and speaking knowledgeably about the subject. This week we continued to work on the same target but with a new topic of Navajo Code Talkers. We read a book from Reading A-Z about the code talkers, watched videos of first had accounts, listened to a picture book called Chester Nez, and started reading a book on Epic. We will continue to learn more about the code talkers next week and conclude with a compilation of the information we gathered from all sources to write and speak knowledgeably about code talkers. Throughout reading about code talkers we are also working on explaining the relationships and interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas or concepts in a historical text based on specific information in the text. Some of the relationships we have looked at so far include cause and effect relationships and problem and solution relationships. We will continue this work next week as well.

Writing

After returning from spring break we started a new writing assignment. Students were given the prompt. In your opinion, what is the best way to read and/or learn information - with a tablet or by using books? Students decided their opinion on the topic, researched to find evidence to support their thinking, wrote core 4 / topic statements, created a t-chart to plan their writing, and are now in the process of starting to draft their essays. We have also taken some time to review the components of a good conclusion, including a core 4 / topic statement, a review of their big ideas, and a lasting impact sentence. We have practiced writing conclusions to go with provided essays and shared out with others. We will continue this work next week as we prepare for our next writing assessment, which is also used for middle school placement, to take place on April 21st.

Math

We have continued our work in Unit 6, which incorporates skills in the area of geometry. Since returning from break we have been exploring the hierarchy of polygons, with an emphasis on triangles and quadrilaterals. Using academic language related to angles and sides, students have been classifying shapes based on their attributes. Next week we will review and extend our thinking of the concept of volume, which was covered in unit 1. 

Science

In science we have continued to learn about matter. We have learned about various properties of matter and this week students completed a hands on investigation where they observed the properties of several different types of matter that can be found in many homes. Students visually observed flour, baking soda, baking powder, talc powder, and salt, and recorded their observations. Then students mixed each with water to test their solubility. Next, the students mixed each substance with vinegar to see which ones produce gas / bubbles. Finally, the students mixed each powder with iodine and checked for any unusual color changes. Students really enjoyed acting like a chemist and observing the properties. As we continue in our matter unit we are going to look at chemical changes that can occur when substances are combined. We will have another great hands-on investigation in the coming weeks where students will combine various substances to see if new substances are formed or not.

Upcoming Events

• April 15 - No School

• April 20 - Cycle 5 CFA (Reading)

• April 21 - Cycle 5 PBA (Writing) - Used for Placement and Report Cards

• April 22 - Half Day

• April 26 - Early Release

• April 27 - 3rd Math Placement Task

• April 27 - Pizza Bingo / Book Fair 6:00-7:15pm (See PTO and Principal Messages for more details)

Friendly Reminders

• Please remind your student to charge his/her iPad and Logitech Crayon every night

• Please remember to send your student with a healthy snack - nothing feeds the brain like a healthy snack!  

• Please continue to have your student practice their multiplication facts up to 12

• Band and orchestra students should remember to be prepared with their instruments and music books on the days of lessons.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Enzie Pangilinan

Friday, March 11th, 2022

Happy Friday Families!

It is hard to believe that we have officially entered our final trimester and spring break is only a week away! Through creating their collaborative conference slideshows, the students had the opportunity to reflect upon their 5th grade year so far. They are looking forward to sharing all about their growth and progress during spring conferences next week! 

Read below to find out how we're currently expanding our brains! 

Literacy

Our current shared text, Real-Life Superheroes, highlights specific individuals who significantly and positively impacted society. Featured superheroes included Richard Martin, Thomas Barnardo, and Raoul Wallenberg. These individuals earned the title of "real-life superheroes" due to their immense amount of bravery, compassion, and selflessness. We integrated other sources, such as articles and books, to gather and organize additional information. Next week, we will be reading about Rosa Parks and her importance during the Civil Rights Movement. 

Writing

To sharpen our analytical writing skills and dive deeper into the topic of our shared text, students will be preparing and recording oral presentations about real-life superheroes. In the planning process, students gathered information from multiple sources about their superhero's biography and legacy. They also utilized index cards to outline the contents of their presentation. In the upcoming week, the students will use their gained knowledge, creativity, and FlipGrid to film a video about their chosen real-life superhero. The twist is that the students will be speaking as if they are the real-life superhero! 

Math

We have recently started Unit 6, which will incorporate skills in the area of geometry. This week, we learned about locating and labeling ordered pairs on a coordinate plane and investigating patterns within a series. We will continue our unit on geometry by exploring the hierarchy of polygons, which includes triangles and quadrilaterals. Using academic language related to angles and sides, students will classify shapes based on attributes. 

Science

Our new unit features the three states of matter (solid, liquid, and gas). We compared the particles within the states of matter based on space and movement. We also discussed that even though matter may change states, matter is neither lost or created. We will continue to investigate the properties of matter in our upcoming investigation. Using balloons, students will analyze that all matter takes up space and has weight. 

Upcoming Events

• Monday, March 14th - Early Release (Dismissal @ 2 PM)

• Monday, March 14th- Family Educator Conferences (@ 5:00-8:30 PM)

• Tuesday, March 15th - No School 

• Tuesday, March 15th - Family Educator Conferences (@ 10:00 AM-1:30 PM)

• Friday, March 18th - No School (Teacher Institute Day)

• Monday, March 21st-Friday, March 25th - No School (Spring Break)

• Monday, March 28th - Classes Resume 

• Tuesday, March 29th - Early Release (Dismissal @ 2 PM)

• Wednesday, March 30th - Literacy Placement Test

Friendly Reminders

• Please remind your student to charge his/her iPad and Logitech Crayon every night

• Please remember to send your student with a healthy snack - nothing feeds the brain like a healthy snack!  

• Please continue to have your student practice their multiplication facts up to 12

• Band and orchestra students should remember to be prepared with their instruments and music books on the days of lessons.

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

Enzie Pangilinan

Friday, February 25th, 2022

Trimester 2 has come to an end and we are ready to kick off our third and final trimester next week!  This week, our students completed several literacy/writing assessments to demonstrate their progress on T2 learning targets.  They worked so incredibly hard!

Check below to see what we've covered over the last two weeks:

Reading

We just wrapped up our exciting novel, George’s Secret Key to the Universe. The kids enjoyed the plot twists and the character development of George, Eric, and Dr. Reeper all throughout the book! They especially fell in love with George, who discovered the mysteries of the universe while he learned about various aspects such as stars, planets, and moons. This is the first in a series of books.  Students showed so much interest that they have asked for other books in the series.  Unfortunately our library does not have any copies of the other books, but your local library should have a few copies available!

Writing

Connecting to the theme of the universe, the students just finished their own science fiction narratives. They brainstormed characters, events, and others ideas to include within their stories. It was so neat to see their creative juices flow! Remember to ask your student all about the sci-fi narrative he/she wrote!

Math

We're currently strengthening our abilities to multiply fractions while utilizing the area model and the traditional method. Most recently, we started to learn how to divide by fractions by understanding whether or not division word problems are sharing or grouping division problems.  We're also learning how to solve these problems utilizing models, as well as more traditional strategies.  We will finish up Unit 5 next week!

**Please note: Students will take the second math placement test on Wednesday, March 2nd.

Social Studies

Students wrapped up their discussions about probable causes and effects of events and developments in U.S. history, with a focus on the exploration of the Arctic.  We read about a British explorer, Robert Scott, who historically competed with a team of Norwegians, in a quest to be the first  to arrive in the South Pole. We learned skills in note-taking and research, and put such skills to use on their project, which asked them to describe the causes and effects of a key event in U.S. history.  

Science   

In the coming weeks, we will start to explore the states of matter. The students will learn about identifying the changes in matter and substances. We will also discuss matter by learning how changes in substances affect their weight and how engineers improve materials people use on a daily basis.

Family-Educator Conferences

Please make sure to sign up for a conference.  An email was sent by the district yesterday.  If you did not receive the email, please contact the Ivy Hall front office at 847-459-0022.  Conferences this year will be student-centered, so we ask that your child be present during the conference.

Important Dates

March 4th - Report Cards Issued

March 7th - No School (Pulaski Day) 

March 14th - Early Release / Family-Educator Conferences

March 15th - No School / Family-Educator Conferences

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.

**If students want to play in the snow outside, they must have the appropriate snow gear in order to do so. Please make sure to send your student with snow pants, snow boots, jacket, gloves, and hat. 

**Band and orchestra students should remember to be prepared with their instruments and music books on the days that lessons take place. 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Enzie Pangilinan

Monday, February 14th, 2022

Happy Valentine's Day Families! 

I hope you enjoyed watching the exciting game last night!  Valentine's Day is here and we are looking forward to many other engaging learning experiences during the month!  We ended a busy January last week and have hit the ground running into February! 

Literacy 

The excitement for reading our current science fiction novel George’s Secret Key to the Universe has continued! The enthusiasm on the part of students to read each chapter has been evident! Throughout the story we have been working on a variety of literacy targets, such as how the narrator’s point of view affects how the story is told. Because this story, written by Stephen and Lucy Hawking, is the first in a series of books, we strongly encourage students to read others in this wonderful collection. Your local library and book store are sure to have copies available!

Writing
Students are in the final stages of writing their science fiction narrative stories. They’ve been inspired by the “George” book we’ve been reading, and have put their creativity and vivid imaginations to work! We have a vast array of storylines—everything from time travel to  space adventures!

Math

We are currently  in the middle of our unit on multiplying and dividing fractions with models. Students are becoming quite proficient in identifying and constructing multiplication models. Next week we will begin working with division of fractions. The models that students have been learning have given them a deeper understanding of these concepts.

*Please Note: We have our first math placement test this Wednesday, February 16th.

Social Studies
We have  spent the last few weeks learning about some important events in history and identifying the causes and effects of these events. We learned about Westward expansion and what motivated pioneers to head West. We also examined the effects of this migration West. In addition, we looked at the causes and effects of exploration in the South Pole. In preparation for a research project next week where students will choose an event in American history to independently research, students have been learning how to conduct a safe and effective internet search.

Upcoming Events 

*Monday 2/14- Valentine’s Day Parties in afternoon

*Monday 2/21- No School
*Tuesday 2/22- Early Release @ 2:00

*Tuesday 2/22-Orchestra Concert @ 7:30

Friendly Reminders 

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

**Please remind your child to charge his/her iPad every night. We use the iPad throughout the day.
**Please remember to send your child with a healthy snack. Nothing feeds the brain like a healthy snack! 

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.