January 27th, 2014

5th Grade Newsletter
January 27, 2014

Upcoming Dates:

• January 31st- Unit 2 Science Packets (homeroom)
• February 3-6; Parent Teacher Conferences
• February 7; No School
• February 11- 5th Grade Science Night (info coming soon)
• March 11th- Spelling Bee
• March 12- ALL AR GOALS DUE
• March 13- DARE Field Trip

Parents:

• Students will be going outside for recess unless the temperature is 20 degrees or below. Please encourage your child to dress weather appropriate, for they will be going out unless there is a doctor’s note.
• The Science Morning Work will be covering the physical sciences, it is a large unit, so students will be taking two weeks on the packet. Packets will be given on Monday the 20th, and due Friday the 31st.

Homework: We have finished with the sections of the United States. The next three weeks we are going to work on labeling all of the states. Once a student has successfully labeled all the states they do not have to take the test.  We will be giving tests on Friday.

MATH:

Mr. Siders - This week we will begin our unit on Fractions.  This unit covers a lot of topics and should last approximately 3-4 weeks.  This week we will begin with converting from a mixed number to an improper fraction and from an improper fraction to a mixed number.  We will also start practicing how to take a fraction to a decimal (a process very close to the one used for improper fraction to mixed number conversion).  

Ms. Blankenship - This week we will begin our unit on Fractions.  This unit covers a lot of topics and should last approximately 3-4 weeks.  This week we will begin with converting from a mixed number to an improper fraction and from an improper fraction to a mixed number.  We will also start practicing how to take a fraction to a decimal (a process very close to the one used for improper fraction to mixed number conversion).

Mrs. Watson- Students will have a multiplication test on Tuesday, January 21st. It will cover whole number and decimal multiplication. We will start our unit on division at the end of the week. We will also be learning about graphs and odd and even numbers.

If you have questions or concerns please email your student’s math teacher: nsiders@stjschools.org, bblankenship@stjschools.org, or swatson@stjschools.org. You can also visit the class web pages http://stjschools.org/fifth-grade/ for games and other sites to help review.

ELA: Mrs. Kemnitzer and Mrs. Shultz: Mondays are our library days. Please help your student remember any books from home he or she has through the week so that we can have new books to read. Students should be reading at home as often as possible. Practice makes perfect! Students should be at about 33% of their AR goal in order to stay on track to reach their goal. Students finished reading Monday With a Mad Genius and took an AR test on Friday. This week, in nonfiction reading we are focusing on the author’s purpose for writing. In fiction, we are reviewing several different topics including: point of view, figurative language, and compare and contrast. Please remember, if you ever have questions or would like to contact Mrs. Kemnitzer or Mrs. Shultz you can do so by writing a note in the red folder, calling us at 265-2300 x4292 or emailing dkemnitzer@stjschools.org and kshultz@stjschools.org.

Sandusky: We are continuing this week with RL 5.1, and will be post testing on Wednesday. Students are analyzing Trickster Tales from different cultures to infer what character traits and traditions are important. We will be transitioning into non fiction, RI 5, which is inferring in informational text. If you are not getting the newsletter via email and would like to, please email me. Reading logs are due Friday! As always, you can contact me at bsandusky@stjschools.org.

Engelbrecht: In Language this week we are reviewing comma rules we will posttest on Friday. Reading logs will be due on Monday, students need to read two hours at home and have a parent sign the log. Reading logs are worth five point every week. In reading we our read aloud is  Little House on the Prairie and Walk Two Moons in literature circle groups.  Literature circle journals will be due Monday, February 3. We will be focusing on making inferences and reviewing cause and effect, chronological order, theme, comparing two characters, and summarizing  If you need anything or have any questions please email me at lengelbrecht@stjschools.org.

SCIENCE:
Mr. Siders - We will be finishing up our unit on Weather and the Water Cycle this week.  Students should be bringing home a study guide in their Monday folder today.  We will have a science test on Thursday.  

PLEASE NOTE: Students can check out a Science book to bring home if they choose.  This will help them study for the test, especially if they do not have internet access at home.  

Ms. Blankenship - This week we will be continuing our unit over Weather and the Water Cycle.

Mrs. Watson- This week we will begin our unit on weather and the water cycle.

Week 5

	PE 1	Art	Music1	PE 2	Computers	Music 2
Monday	Siders	Shultz	Sandusky	Engelbrecht	Watson	Blankenship
Tuesday	Shultz	Sandusky	Engelbrecht	Watson	Blankenship	Siders
Wednesday	Sandusky	Engelbrecht	Watson	Blankenship	Siders	Shultz
Thursday	Engelbrecht	Watson	Blankenship	Siders	Shultz	Sandusky
Friday	Watson	Blankenship	Siders	Shultz	Sandusky	Engelbrecht

January 20th, 2014

5th Grade Newsletter
January 20, 2014

Upcoming Dates:

• January 31st- Unit 2 Science Packets (homeroom)
• February 3-6; Parent Teacher Conferences
• February 7; No School
• February 11- 5th Grade Science Night (info coming soon)
• March 11th- Spelling Bee
• March 12- ALL AR GOALS DUE
• March 13- DARE Field Trip

Parents:

• Students will be going outside for recess unless the temperature is 20 degrees or below. Please encourage your child to dress weather appropriate, for they will be going out unless there is a doctor’s note.
• The Science Morning Work will be covering the physical sciences, it is a large unit, so students will be taking two weeks on the packet. Packets will be given on Monday the 20th, and due Friday the 31st.

Homework: Identify these states Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, and  drawing a dot and labeling Washington DC.

MATH:

Mr. Siders - We will be finishing up our division unit this week.  Students will take their division test on Wednesday.  The test will cover dividing with 1 and 2 digit divisors (i.e. 346 divided by 8 and 476 divided by 38) as well as dividing a decimal by a whole number (i.e. 85.2 divided by 6).

Students should be bringing homework home today over dividing decimals.  Homework is due back by Thursday.  Late work will be marked off 1 point for each day it is late. Students who fail to turn in their homework assignment will receive a zero.

On Friday, students will take a pre-test over fractions, which will guide our instruction for the next several weeks.  Working with your child at home throughout this next unit would be extremely beneficial.

Ms. Blankenship - We are wrapping up our division unit. Students will take their test on Tuesday. The test will cover dividing with 1 and 2 digit divisors (346 divided by 8 and 476 divided by 38) as well as dividing a decimal by a whole number (85.2 divided by 6). Please go over your child’s study guide with them and help them prepare for this test.

On Friday, students will take a pre-test over fractions, which will guide our instruction for the next several weeks.  Working with your child at home throughout this next unit would be extremely beneficial.

Mrs. Watson- Students will have a multiplication test on Tuesday, January 21st. It will cover whole number and decimal multiplication. We will start our unit on division at the end of the week. We will also be learning about graphs and odd and even numbers.

If you have questions or concerns please email your student’s math teacher: nsiders@stjschools.org, bblankenship@stjschools.org, or swatson@stjschools.org. You can also visit the class web pages http://stjschools.org/fifth-grade/ for games and other sites to help review.

ELA: Mrs. Kemnitzer and Mrs. Shultz: Mondays are our library days. Please help your student remember any books from home he or she has through the week so that we can have new books to read. Students should be reading at home as often as possible. Practice makes perfect! Students should be at about 22% of their AR goal in order to stay on track to reach their goal. We have wrapped up our review of nonfiction text features (pictures, captions, sidebar stories, glossary).  This week, we will be reviewing context clues and cause and effect. Students will be finishing up the book Monday with a Mad Genius by Friday.  We will be taking a computer and written quiz on this book either Friday or next Monday. Please remember, if you ever have questions or would like to contact Mrs. Kemnitzer or Mrs. Shultz you can do so by writing a note in the red folder, calling us at 265-2300 x4292 or emailing dkemnitzer@stjschools.org and kshultz@stjschools.org.

Sandusky: If you are not receiving our newsletter via email, and would like to, please send me an email so I can add you to my list! This week we are working diligently on our Data Binders. It is important for students to have an idea of their current reality in the pursuit of their own education. They will be filling out goals for what they want to achieve in 3rd quarter. We are beginning Unit 3, and the first standard we will be working on is RL 5.1, inferences with fiction. Reading logs are due Friday! As always, you can contact me at bsandusky@stjschools.org.

Engelbrecht: In Language this week we are reviewing figurative language and focusing on personification.   We are also reviewing comma rules. Reading logs will be due on Monday, students need to read two hours at home and have a parent sign the log. Reading logs are worth five point every week. In reading we our read aloud is  Little House on the Prairie and Walk Two Moons in literature circle groups.  We will be focusing on making inferences and reviewing author’s purpose, making connections, and types of conflict.   We are also updating our Data Binders and writing goals for third quarter. If you need anything or have any questions please email me at lengelbrecht@stjschools.org.

SCIENCE:
Mr. Siders - This week we will continue our unit over Weather and the Water Cycle.  We have been tracking weather by identifying cloud types, types of precipitation, and whether their is large amounts of evaporation occurring.  We will be doing a water cycle expiriment this week and start discussing the different types of weather instruments.  Students will be taking a science quiz on Friday.

Ms. Blankenship - This week we will be starting our unit over Weather and the Water Cycle.

Mrs. Watson- This week we will begin our unit on weather and the water cycle.

Week 4

	PE 1	Art	Music1	PE 2	Computers	Music 2
Monday	Shultz	Sandusky	Engelbrecht	Watson	Blankenship	Siders
Tuesday	Sandusky	Engelbrecht	Watson	Blankenship	Siders	Shultz
Wednesday	Engelbrecht	Watson	Blankenship	Siders	Shultz	Sandusky
Thursday	Watson	Blankenship	Siders	Shultz	Sandusky	Engelbrecht
Friday	Blankenship	Siders	Shultz	Sandusky	Engelbrecht	Watson

January 13, 2014

5th Grade Newsletter
January 13, 2014

Upcoming Dates:

• January 20-Martin Luther King Jr Day we will be in session

• Students will be going outside for recess unless the temperature is 20 degrees or below. Please encourage your child to dress weather appropriate, for they will be going out unless there is a doctor’s note.
• Morning Work will be supplementing the Science Curriculum, students are allowed to enter the classroom as early as 7:50, for those who do not have enough time in the morning, it may be taken home. All morning work is due the Friday of the week that it was handed out.

Homework: Identify the states in the Northeastern area in United States.

MATH:

Mr. Siders - We will begin our next section over division.  This week we will be working with dividing with 2 digit divisors (i.e 476 divided by 38).  Within the next week or two we will begin introducing and practicing dividing a decimal by a whole number (i.e. 85.2 divided by 6).

Students should be bringing homework home today over multiplying decimals, a skill we worked on before Christmas.  Homework is due back by Thursday.  Late work will be marked off 5% for each day it is late.

Ms. Blankenship - We will begin our next section over division.  This week we will be working with dividing with 2 digit divisors (i.e 476 divided by 38).  Within the next week or two we will begin introducing and practicing dividing a decimal by a whole number (i.e. 85.2 divided by 6).

Homework will be coming home today over multiplying decimals. This is due back on Thursday. Students returning homework on time will receive their payment from our classroom economy system.

Be looking for information to come home over our new classroom economy system. Thank you to the students who turned in their job applications!

Mrs. Watson- Students will be reviewing rounding, estimation, types of graphs, and decimal multiplication. Students will have a geometry quiz on Wednesday, January 15. Students will receive a homework pack on Tuesday and it is due ON FRIDAY!

If you have questions or concerns please email your student’s math teacher: nsiders@stjschools.org, bblankenship@stjschools.org, or swatson@stjschools.org. You can also visit the class web pages http://stjschools.org/fifth-grade/ for games and other sites to help review.

ELA: Mrs. Kemnitzer and Mrs. Shultz: 3rd quarter AR goals have been set! Mondays are our library days. Please help your student remember any books from home he or she has through the week so that we can have new books to read. Students should be reading at home as often as possible. Practice makes perfect! Please remember, if you ever have questions or would like to contact Mrs. Kemnitzer or Mrs. Shultz you can do so by writing a note in the red folder, calling us at 265-2300 x4292 or emailing dkemnitzer@stjschools.org and kshultz@stjschools.org.

Sandusky: Reading logs have started again! Please make sure your child documents 2 hours they read over the week, logs are due on Friday with a parent signature. Remember these are not for extra credit, they are an assignment. This week we will be going over a few whole group lessons based on questions that the majority of students missed on the Benchmark Assessment, we will be focusing on story elements this week. During AR time I will be meeting with each child to discuss their reading goals for this quarter, students will have a minimum of 20 points, and will not be allowed to read below a 5.0, unless with permission. Students have started book clubs (literature circles) this week, so it’s important if your child is absent to get their work for the day so they won’t be behind with their group. As always, you can contact me at bsandusky@stjschools.org.

Engelbrecht: Reading logs will be due on Monday, students need to read two hours at home and have a parent sign the log. We will be focusing on story elements this week. During AR time I will be meeting with each child to discuss their reading goals for this quarter, In reading we have started Walk Two Moons students are keeping a daily journal and using the book to answer questions related to story elements (predicting, setting, foreshadowing, flashback, problem and solution, and mood). We are reading Little House on the Prairie as our read aloud. If you need anything please email me at lengelbrecht@stjschools.org.

SCIENCE:
Mr. Siders - This week we are starting our next science unit over Weather and the Water Cycle.  On Tuesday we will be talking about what makes up our atmosphere including the ozone layer, and all layers of the atmosphere.  Wednesday we will be talking about the process of the Water Cycle including what the steps are and what they all mean.  On Friday, students will take a quiz over the Water Cycle.Ms. Blankenship - This week we will be starting our unit over Weather and the Water Cycle. Mrs. Watson- Students will be completing a webquest on simple machines this week.

Week 3

	PE 1	Art	Music1	PE 2	Computers	Music 2
Tuesday	Engelbrecht	Watson	Blankenship	Siders	Shultz	Sandusky
Wednesday	Watson	Blankenship	Siders	Shultz	Sandusky	Engelbrecht
Thursday	Blankenship	Siders	Shultz	Sandusky	Engelbrecht	Watson
Friday	Siders	Shultz	Sandusky	Engelbrecht	Watson	Blankenship