Welcome to the first full week of school!  We had a great first 3 days and I’m looking forward to many, many more!  Please check this blog regularly to see what’s coming up each week!

Parent E-mail Addresses

I still need e-mail addresses for several families so I can finish putting together a group listserv to send out weekly updates.  If you have not given me your e-mail address, please write it in your child’s agenda.

Time for Kids

You probably noticed a letter in the Wednesday folder regarding Time for Kids magazine.  We are requesting the every 5^th grade parent send in $4 so we can buy each child a subscription.  This magazine will support our teaching of current events, reading, and social studies skills.  I will often assign it for homework and use it for in-class activities as well.  Please return your $4 at your earliest convenience.

Parent Orientation

If at all possible I’d love for to have at least one parent from each family attend Parent Orientation next Thursday, August 30^th at 7pm.  It is a great opportunity to ask me questions and to find out just what’s coming up in 5^th grade.

Read below to find out what we’re learning about this week…

Social Studies:  We will begin studying geography and learning about how to use latitude and longitude.

Math:  The plan is to kick off the year by reviewing multiplication and division as we look at factors, arrays, and prime and composite numbers.

Word Study:  I plan to begin a Math Word Wall in the classroom this week as we work on various strategies for learning math vocabulary!

Writing:  The writer’s notebook is a phenomenal tool for collecting ideas and sharing one’s thoughts through written expression.  This week we will begin by gathering lots of entries in our writer’s notebooks.

Reading:  It is important as a 5^th grader to develop a reading stamina and to make good choices when selecting books.  Through our lessons this week we will begin developing our reading stamina.  On Friday, we will go to Library Orientation and students may begin checking out books!

*It’s going to be a busy week!  If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me:  jennifer.whitley@oldham.kyschools.us or feel free to call me at school.