Week of December 15-19

And our Leader of the Week is…

 Kahelu

 Kahelu was chosen as our leader of the week for his awesome attitude and his constant perseverance!  He has been particularly positive, upbeat, and extremely hard working this whole week!  He also regularly uses the habit of putting first things first to complete assignments both in and out of class!

Good afternoon, parents!  We have a fun and festive week ahead full of both learning and holiday activities!  Please read below to see what’s coming up!

 

Festive Sweater/Shirt Day

The staff will be having a festive sweater day on Tuesday to celebrate the season.  If your child has a fun holiday shirt he/she would like to wear, please encourage them to join in the fun on Tuesday.

 

PJ Day

Next Thursday will be our school-wide pajama day!  Send your child to school in his/her most comfortable pair of pajamas!

 Holiday Party

Our class holiday party will take place on Friday from 9:00am-10:00am!  Please be sure to send your child with a special snack and drink to enjoy during the party.  Feel free to come along yourself and join in the fun!  Parents are welcome!

 

Husky Helping House

Thank you so much for your many donations!  Our child is going to have a wonderful Christmas!

 Sing-a-Long

Every year we have a special sing-a-long for students and staff.  Please send your child to school with a pair of sunglasses and a scarf. These are props we will be using for our 5^th grade performance of “Feliz Navidad.”  I will try to get some good pictures to share on our blog!

 

Our Learning Plan for the Week:

Math:  During math next week, we will be doing a holiday shopping spree!  Each child will get a pretend budget of $150 and they will each choose a Secret Santa to buy a pretend gift and create a card for.  The cards will be given at our holiday party.

 

Social Studies:  We will begin learning about the tensions leading up to the Revolutionary War and the kids will have the opportunity to experience some of them as I become “king” during social studies next week.

 

Word Study:  We will wrap our our study of plural nouns and focus on verb tense.

Reading:  We will finish our literature circle books and discussions.

Writing:  Our goal is publish our feature articles by Thursday and hopefully to share them with a couple of 3^rd grade classes so they too can learn about important Renaissance thinkers.

Week of December 8-12

Our newest Leader of the Week is…

Peyton!!!

Peyton was selected at the leader of the week for several reasons.  He has been working so hard in his literature circle group to “begin with the end in mind” so he could finish all of his responsibilities on time.  During a free moment during class, you can find Peyton reading diligently.  He also has a great sense of humor!  He helps the class to synergize by bringing everyone together through laughter.  Way to go, Peyton!!

I am so proud of your kids!!!  They have been doing a wonderful job with their literature circle books in class and literally everyone seems excited about what they're reading!  Win!  Watching my students get excited about what they read is such a pleasure! :o)

Upcoming Tests

Social studies test over Colonial Williamsburg on Friday, 12/12 (Students may begin taking the tutorial Wednesday night.)

Math test over division of whole numbers & decimals on Friday, 12/12  (A study guide will come home Wednesday evening.)

Lit Circles & Edmodo

Unfortunately, some of the kiddos have told me about some difficulties with Edmodo deleting their reflections.  I have a solution to this that I think will help a lot.  Please have your child write his/her reflection in Microsoft Word (or using the notepad on a tablet) and then copy the response into Edmodo to turn it in.  This way their work will be saved and if Edmodo won't let them submit for some reason, they can just print and turn it in to me.  I hope this helps. 

Husky Helping House

Please remember that all donations to the Husky Helping House are due no later than Thursday, December 9th.

Book Fair

Our book fair shopping day will be this coming Wednesday, December 10.  I apologize for any confusion as I had initially sent out the wrong date.

Donuts with Santa

I hope to see many of you at Donuts with Santa tomorrow!  It will take place from 9am-noon.

Here's what we're learning this week:

Habit 3:  Put first things first!

Math:  We'll finish up our unit on division of whole numbers & decimals and we will learn what to do with remainders in real life situations.

Social Studies:  What was life like in colonial Williamsburg?

Reading:  Literature circles will continue and we will also learn how to compare and contrast story elements.

Writing:  We will begin drafting feature articles about Renaissance people which we'll be sharing with 3rd grade the following week.

Word Study:  We will continue to practice the pluralization rules.

Like mike

Below you will see us painting pictures upside down to see what it was like painting like Michelangelo painting the Sistine chapel

Week of December 1-5

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  I want you to know how very grateful I am that I get to work with your sweet kiddos every day!  They truly light up my days and they are the reason I love my job so much!  Many thanks to you parents, as well, for your support as well in helping them to succeed!

​
Book Fair
It's book fair time again!  If your child would like to purchase anything from the book fair, we will be shopping on Wednesday morning.


Donuts with Santa
Our annual Donuts with Santa event is this Saturday from 9am-noon!  Bring your family to enjoy donuts, crafts, a visit with Santa, and even a little shopping at the book fair!
 
Husky Helping House
Many thanks to those who've signed up to purchase items for our Husky Helping House child!  If you were assigned a Husky Helping House item, please be sure to send it to school no later than December 9th!


Food Drive
Our Harmony food drive is still going on!  If you have any non-perishable items you'd like to send in, please do so by this Friday.  Thank you!
 
Here's what we're learning next week:
Habit 2:  Begin with the end in mind.
Math: In math, we will continue learning about division including dividing with 2-digit divisors and dividing decimals!
Science: This week we will begin a new science unit on water and weather.  We'll be learning about Earth's water supply, the make up of the atmosphere, convection currents, and the affects of air pressure and air masses.
Word Study: This week's focus will be on the pluralization rules.
Reading:  During reading this week, we'll begin literature circles.  Each child has been assigned a Battle of the Books novel to read for their literature circle.  They are welcome to read this at home as well as at school, but they need to bring the book to school every day.
Writing:  Over the last couple of weeks, we've been immersed in a study of Renaissance thinkers.  This week, your child will select a Renaissance person and begin gathering research on this person for a feature article.

Week of November 24 - 28

Here’s our newest leader of the week!

         Cody was chosen as our Leader of the Week this time!  He has earned this title because he is very responsible and has a great memory!  He even helps me to remember things we need to do throughout the day!  He is also respectful, kind, and a very hard work.  Congratulations, Cody! 

Food Drive 
Wow!  Our class alone brought in 51 cans this week!  We're doing great!  Keep sending in those unused non-perishable items you have at home!

Social Studies Test

Our social studies test over the colonial regions will be on Monday.  Please help your child to study using his/her notebook which should come home again today.

Progress Report 

Please look over your child's progress report this weekend.  This is for you to keep, but please return the signed envelope on Monday.

Husky Helping House
Thank you so much to everyone who's offered to buy for our adoptee!  A letter will come home Monday with your assigned item so we can be sure he gets all he needs this Christmas.

"Squanto"

Tuesday afternoon, in honor of Thanksgiving and our study of the first colonies, we will watch the movie "Squanto."  Feel free to send a snack, a clear drink to school for your child to enjoy during the movie.

No School on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday!

  

Here’s what’s coming up next week:

Habit 1:  Put first things first!

Math:  The kids will learn more about division next week with a focus on how to divide numbers with zeroes in the quotient.  E.g., 408/4 = 102 
S.S.:  Test over colonial regions and study of Thanksgiving 
ELA:  We will finish gathering research on Renaissance thinkers.

Week of November 17-21

 

And this week's Leader of the Week is...

Tyler!!!

Tyler was selected as the Leader of the Week this week because he is very proactive in helping others!  If there is a spill or someone needs help, Tyler is there right away to lend a hand!  He works hard to use the habit of “Think Win-Win” and he loves to “sharpen the saw” by playing baseball!  Tyler is a fantastic leader!

 

    Good afternoon, parents!  I'm excited to say that I learned so much at the technology training I attended this past Monday and Tuesday!  We've already begun trying out some of the things I've learned in the classroom.  If you are interested in some of the great plans I have now, you can check out the page on my blog entitled "Technology Tools in the Classroom."  This week the kids have begun creating Padlets online to capture the vocabulary they've been learning to go with each colonial region and they've also had the opportunity to use Edmodo a little more for quiz taking and for viewing educational videos to support their learning!  If you'd like to see their Padlets, just click on the page I've added to my blog entitled "Our Padlets." 

 

Upcoming Tests

Social Studies Test over the colonial regions on Friday

Quiz over the appropriate way to add -ed and -ing to verbs on Thursday

 

Husky Helping House

Please check your child's agenda for a letter about Husky Helping House!  Our class has adopted a child and we need your help to provide him with a wonderful Christmas!

 

Food Drive

Please remember to send in canned goods and non-perishables for our Harmony Food Drive!

 

Teacher Auction Item

The 5th grade team has come up with a really fun Carnival Night that will take place on January 23rd!  All money earned will go directly to our classrooms!  If you are interested in signing your child up, the cost is only $10.  Information about this came home in the Wednesday folder.  Please do not send in any money along with the sign up sheet if your child wishes to attend!

 

Early Release

Wednesday is Early Release!  Please make arrangements for a 12:20pm dismissal.

 

Battle of the Books

On Wednesday, Mrs. Clark will come in to explain the Battle of the Books competition to our class!  This is an awesome reading competition in which students try to read as many of the selected titles as possible and then compete to demonstrate their understanding of the books!  Students who read 7 or more books are eligible to try out in February for the district level BOB team.

 

Here’s what we’re learning next week:
Review of Habit 1:  Put first things first.
Math: In math, we will begin a new unit on division of whole numbers and decimals.
Social Studies: We will continue to explore the differences between the economy, government, and natural resources available to colonists based on where they settled.
Word Study:  We'll continue to study and practice the rules for adding -ed and -ing to verbs.
ELA: In ELA, we will begin a new unit called Renaissance Thinking in which we will work on reading and writing about great Renaissance thinkers as we explore their famous works.

Kelso Lessons:  Mrs. Hammons will also be coming to teach a bullying lesson and how to use Kelso's strategies to solve problems.

 

Week of November 10-14

And our newest Leader of the Week is...

 

 

Gigi!!!

       This week we have been learning all about "sharpening the saw," and Gigi is excellent at using this habit!  Gigi balances her life well between school, play, and extracurricular activities.  She works really hard at home and at school, but still finds time to do the things she loves such as running, reading, and attending church!  Gigi is a great all-around kid who puts her best foot forward in all she does!  Way to go, Gigi!!!  :o)

 

   Good afternoon, parents!  Your kids were such enthusiastic learners today!  We had a lot to do and they took it all on whole-heartedly with smiling faces!  We wrote a short letter for our comma quiz, made posters to show how each child sharpens the saw, completed decimal multiplication problems, practiced conclusion writing, and even took a social studies test!  Despite all of these tasks, we found ways to make them fun, and the kids were cheerful and hard working!  They've also earned 20 stars again for excellent behavior!  They've chosen to celebrate with 30 extra minutes of recess next Tuesday, and I say they deserve it!  Be sure to tell your child how awesome he/she is tonight because everyone has been working hard in here!

 

Upcoming Tests

Math Test on Friday over addition, subtraction, and multiplication of whole numbers & decimals

 

Monday & Tuesday

This coming Monday and Tuesday, I will be out due to a training I've been selected to go to for utilizing technology in the classroom.  I've very excited about all the cool techy things I'll be able to bring back to our class!  If you need to reach, please do so by email as I will not be at school until Wednesday.

 

Parents, please (if you've not already done so) take a minute to answer the following questions & email your responses to me:

 

1. Are you receiving the Harmony Newsletter? Please note, that the Harmony Newsletter is sent via email from a noreply account and includes the Principal’s notes, as well as school and community announcements.

 

2. If you are not receiving the Harmony Newsletter, what is the email address where you would like to receive the Harmony Newsletter?

 

Teacher Auction Item

The 5th grade team has come up with a really fun Carnival Night for the kids in January to earn money for our classrooms!  If you are interested in signing your child up, the cost is only $10.  Information about this will come home in the Wednesday folder.  Please do not send in any money until Thursday, so you can return it along with the sign up sheet.

 

Early Release

Wednesday is Early Release!  Please make arrangements for a 12:20pm dismissal.

 

Skate Party

Planning on going to the skate party at Champs on Wednesday night?  I will be there will 2 of my little guys!  Hope to see you there from 6-8pm!

 

Here’s what we’re learning next week:
Review of Habit 1:  Put first things first.
Math: In math, we will learn what happens when you multiply 2 decimals less than 1 and we will review whole number and decimal computation using addition, subtraction, and multiplication.  Our test will be on Friday.
Social Studies: We will continue learning about colonization as we delve into the colonial regions!  During this unit, the kids will start learning the differences between the economy, government, and natural resources available to colonists based on where they settled.
Word Study: I've noticed many kids having difficulty with appropriately adding -ed and -ing to verbs in their writing, so we will study the rules for adding -ed and -ing this week.
ELA: In ELA, we will wrap up our Clues to a Culture unit with a written response and we will also practice On Demand opinion writing.

Kelso Lessons:  Mrs. Hammons will also be coming to teach bullying lessons and how to use Kelso's strategies to solve problems.

Week of November 3-7

Happy Halloween!! We've had a fun and busy week in 5th grade learning about the early colonists, developing an opinion on Chief Joseph's actions as the leader of the Nez Perce, reviewing comma uses, and reviewing how to add and subtract decimals. The kids have been working really hard and it's great to have them back after Fall Break! This week we've been learning the importance of synergizing (working together) and I have to say, they are great at this!

 

This week’s Leader of the Week is…

 

Jake!!!

Jake was selected as the Leader of the Week this week in honor of his awesome ability to synergize with his classmates!  He does an amazing job bringing his teammates together when working in a group and helping to ensure that everyone is on task.  Jake is a hard worker and a leader!   Keep it up, Jake!

 

Last Week's Leader of the Week was not posted to the blog!  Oops!  Here he is...
 

Last week’s Leader of the Week was…
 

 

Matthew W!!!

Matthew does an amazing job using the habit of “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”  He listens carefully to others, and he is a particularly active listener during mini-lessons. He is curious, thoughtful, and his questions are always on topic.  Matthew is an excellent leader in our classroom as he is always prepared and listening quietly with his “paw” up at the very start of a lesson!  Good job, Matthew!!

Upcoming Tests-

Social Studies Test over the Early Colonies on Friday, 11/7 ~ Kids can review using the chapter 6 tutorial at www.tutorial.historyalive.com.

Comma Quiz on Friday

Election Day

No school on Tuesday due to Election Day

Parents, please take a minute to answer the following questions & email your responses to me:

1. Are you receiving the Harmony Newsletter? Please note, that the Harmony Newsletter is sent via email from a noreply account and includes the Principal’s notes, as well as school and community announcements.

2. If you are not receiving the Harmony Newsletter, what is the email address where you would like to receive the Harmony Newsletter?

Here’s what we’re learning next week:
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw This habit encourages children to find a balance and make time not only for work, but also for fun.
Math: In math, we will begin learning about multiplication with a focus on estimation strategies, extended facts and multiplying multi-digit whole numbers and decimals. Kids will be asked to use the standard algorithm for solving multiplication problems.
Social Studies: We will continue learning about the early colonies of Roanoke, Jamestown, and Plymouth. Our focus it to determine why Jamestown and Plymouth were successful.
Word Study: We will continue studying the various uses of the comma and I will ask the kids to apply those uses in their own writing.
ELA: In ELA, we will continue with our Clues to a Culture unit. This week's focus will be on understanding the characteristics of opinion pieces and learning how to most effective communicate your opinion.

Reading The Giver during read aloud!

Debating about the Native Americans and the settlers!

Learning about the Native American tribes!

Native American Cultural Regions Flipped Classroom

Native American Cultural Regions Readings

 

Click on the links below to listen to your teachers read to you about each cultural region.  You need to take good notes on 2 regions Monday, 1 region Tuesday, 1 region Wednesday, and 1 region Thursday.  Make sure your notes are in the correct place on your graphic organizer so you don't get confused!

Great Plains

Southwest

 
California-Intermountain Region

Northwest Coast

Plateau

Eastern Woodlands

Southeast

Week of October 13-17

...And our newest Leader of the Week is...

Blake W!!!

Blake was chosen as our Leader of the Week this week due to his proactive attitude and his hard work in class!  Blake definitely does a good job of putting first things first to ensure that he completes and turns in his best work.  He also seeks first to understand any lesson or assignment before he begins his work.  Way to go, Blake!

 

Good afternoon, parents! I have to brag on your kiddos! They earned three stars today alone!! They have been so respectful, pleasant, and hard-working, and people are taking notice. You have some awesome kids and I'm glad I get to work with them every day!

Though we only have 1 week left until Fall Break, there's a lot coming up so please read below.

Upcoming Tests-

Math Test over Place ValueThursday, 10/16
Word Study quiz over Homophones postponed until next Friday, 10/17 ~ A list of homophones to study was taped into your child's agenda Monday morning.

 

Harmony HarvestPlease join us for the Harmony Harvest this Saturday from 5-8pm. It is such a fun, exciting fundraiser for our school! I will be there with my children as well.

Parent- Teacher Conferences

I've had so many of you sign up for conferences and I'm looking forward to meeting with you during your scheduled time this Tuesday or Wednesday! Please be sure to be on time (or even a couple minutes early) for your scheduled conference. I want to be sure to meet with each of you for the alotted time so we can discuss your child's progress thoroughly. If you did not sign up for a conference, but would still like to discuss your child's progress, please write me a note about the best times to reach you by phone, preferably before 5:00pm.

 

Pennies for Patients

We had an exciting kick off to our Pennies for Patients fundraiser this afternoon! Kids may begin collecting money for Pennies for Patients now. Please be sure that any money sent in is counted, and bagged with the total indicated on a note inside the bag. This will make totaling the donations much smoother. Thanks!

 

 

Red Ribbon Week

This year's theme is "Love Yourself--Be Drug Free!" We already began talking about the importance of saying no to drugs and tobacco today, and we already have an amazingly well-decorated door to support our message of being drug free thanks to Wendy Rose! To actively participate in Red Ribbon Week, here are the daily themes.

Monday: Wear red.

Tuesday: Wear jeans and a college, military, or university sweatshirt.

Wednesday: Dress for success.

Thursday: Twin Day

Friday: School Spirit Day

 

 

 

 

Fall Break

October 20-24...Enjoy!!

Here’s what we’re learning next week:
Habit 5: Seek first to understand, then to be understood.
Math: In math, we will wrap up our unit on place value. A study guide will come home early next week and we will also review in class. On Friday, we'll begin reviewing how to add decimals.
Social Studies: This week we will continue studying Native Americans using the flipped classroom model (look for a letter about this on Monday). The kids will read and learn about the various Native American culture regions and have the opportunity to create a mural and a miniature Native American dwelling in class, followed by a transfer task on Friday.
Word Study: We will continue to explore the world of homophones with a special focus on to, too, two, their, there, they're, your, and you're.ELA:In ELA, we will continue with our Clues to a Culture unit. This week's focus will be on writing trickster tales, considering differing perspectives between cultures, and building an opinion.

Week of October 6-10

And our current Leader of the Week is...

 

Isabelle!!!

 

She was chosen by her peers as our leader of the week for many reasons, but most specifically because she is awesome at using the 4^th habit, Think Win-Win!  Isabelle is recognized for her positive attitude, her kindness towards others and her listening skills. Her peers describe her as a problem solver who does well in groups and always listens to others' ideas. Way to go, Isabelle!

 

Good evening, parents! I hope you've enjoyed the cool weather this weekend! I'm looking forward to a fun fall week with your kiddos! It was great to see some of them this past weekend at the Creasey-Mahan Haunted Hike! Here's what you need to know about what's happening in our classroom this week!

 

Upcoming Test-Word Study quiz over Homophones ~ A list of homophones to study will be taped into your child's agenda Monday morning.

Book Fair!!!

I don't know about you, but few things were more exciting for me as an elementary student than the book fair! Our fall book fair has arrived and we will be shopping on Wednesday. I will send home catalogs Monday afternoon. Check them out and if your child would like to make a purchase, please send money with him/her on Wednesday.

Early Release

This Wednesday is another Early Release Day. Please make plans for your child to be dismissed at 12:20pm. If his/her transportation will change, please be sure to send a note that day.

Harmony Harvest

Please join us for the Harmony Harvest this Saturday from 6-9pm. It is such a fun, exciting fundraiser for our school! I will be there with my children as well.

Last Call for Fall Conferences!!-Don’t forget to sign up!

Here's how it works in 3 easy steps:
1. Click this link to go to our invitation page on VolunteerSpot: http://vols.pt/84htm4
2. Enter your email address: (You will NOT need to register an account on VolunteerSpot)
3. Sign up! Choose your spots - VolunteerSpot will send you an automated confirmation and reminders. Easy!

Note: VolunteerSpot does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact me and I can sign you up manually.

Here’s what we’re learning next week:
Habit 5: Seek first to understand, then to be understood.
Math: In math, we will continue our new unit of study on place value as we delve into decimals. The kids will be learning about equivalence, comparing, ordering, and rounding decimals.
Social Studies: This week we will continue to study the first Native Americans with a focus on how the Inuit adapted to their harsh Arctic environment. There will be an extended response on Friday to assess understanding.
Word Study: We will explore the world of homophones with a special focus on to, too, two, their, there, they're, your, and you're.

ELA: In ELA, we will begin a new unit entitled Clues to a Culture. Within this unit, your child will learn to examine how photographs and reading can help to unlock clues to a culture otherwise unknown to him/her. This week's focus will mostly be on reading about a Native American tribe and creating an informative essay. We will also examine and write our own trickster tales.