October 8th Newsletter

5^th Grade Newsletter
Mrs. Sandusky’s Class

Important Dates:

·         10/10- DARE starts

·         10/13- Old Iron Works Day (go learn some local history!)

·         10/15-10/18- Parent Teacher Conferences

·         10/19- NO SCHOOL

·         10/23-24; 5^th Grade Field Trip

Monday	Art
Tuesday	PE 1
Wednesday	Music 2
Thursday	Computers
Friday	PE 2

ELA (Sandusky)-
If you meet with me for Parent Teacher Conferences your confirmation notes with your scheduled time have been sent out! If you need another one, just shoot me an email (bsandusky@stjschools.org) or write me a note. I tried to give everyone their ‘first place’ choice, but it was on a first come, first serve basis for the popular times. J Book Orders are due tomorrow, they were sent home Friday with students. For every book purchased, we earn points that help us build our classroom library!

This week we will be working on Subject/Verb agreement, writing a story from a wordless picture book (how images play important roles in literature), and we will also be choosing a famous inventor to later be writing a research paper on. You can let your child get online at home and check out some sites to help them make their decision!
Spelling Words:
List 6
quarterbacks
set
seat
rest
back
bake
baker
truck
track
trace
skate
skater
tracer
backer
tracker
trucker
quarter
setback
backrest
backseat
***October 12^th is the last day for students to take AR tests and reach their goal.

ELA(Shultz)- We have a full week ahead of us! Students will not bring home new spelling words this week, because we will be working with the past 4 lists and with adding the prefix "re" and the suffixes "er" and "est." On Thursday, we will have a quiz to test our understanding of these prefixes and suffixes. STAR testing will continue for our ELA students as we look to see growth in students over the first quarter. 5th grade students will begin a research project on inventors during this unit, so our class will be looking at inventors throughout history and considering one to focus on for a research project (each student will choose his own). First quarter AR ends on Friday, so please help me to encourage your student to bring home reading--if she isn't already. Our new focus for grammar is verb tense, and we will continue with this focus throughout the next few weeks. There are so many things to cover! Have a great week, and as always, contact me with any questions or concerns at kshultz@stjschools.org.

 SCIENCE: Today we went to the park to compare pond ecosystems.  We will be researching schoolyard birds and making bird feeders from recycled goods, so students may bring in materials to use on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Friday we will take a quiz over Lesson 2, pages 4-9. The quiz will be the last grade for the quarter.
EXTRA CREDIT:  Students can design a poster to illustrate their home or neighborhood ecosystem.  Due by Friday.

Math: In math this week we will be starting Unit 2 which will begin with multiplication patterns and multiplying sets of numbers ending in zeros.  We will also be focusing small group instruction to meet the needs of the areas that each student missed on his/her post assessment from Friday. This will include missed items from numerical expressions (i.e. 6 less than 10 = 10 - 6), Order of Operations, and writing sequences for a given rule (i.e. rule add 3 =  0, 3, 6, 9, 12).

Students took a post-assessment on Friday, but you might notice that tests are not in your child's red folder.  We are keeping the tests for a short time so that we can use them as instructional items to help your child work through the missed problems

Order Deadline Extended

 Just wanted to let you know that book orders will be taken through Thursday! The original deadline was today, but I decided to extend if a few days in hopes of increasing our order. There are 4 great flyers to look through, and don't forget Christmas is just around the corner!

LOGS DUE!

Don't forget, Cat and Dog Reading Logs are due tomorrow! Every Friday! Happy Reading.

October 1st Newsletter

5^th Grade Newsletter
Mrs. Sandusky’s Class

Important Dates:

·         9/19- Grades went home

·         9/27- Memorial Library Visit

·         10/3- DARE starts

Monday	PE 1
Tuesday	music 2
Wednesday	Computers
Thursday	PE 2
Friday	music 1

ELA (Sandusky)-
Moving right along with Unit 2! We will be really focusing on creative thinking through our writing this week. Last week students looked at Da Vinci’s inventions and created their own in their Writer’s Notebook. We are continuing working with subject verb agreement, and will also review adjectives this week. This is the LAST full week students have to read AR and test. Please make sure that your child is reading at home. As of right now in our classroom competition, Dogs are leading the way with 45 hours 39 minutes! However, cats aren’t far behind with 36 hours 59 minutes. Whoever wins will have a special reward at the end of first quarter!
This week students will be coming home with a small award if they scored Proficient or Advanced on the ELA Benchmark we took a few weeks ago. After going to the Memorial Library last week students will also be filling out a special slip within the next few weeks on an interesting person from history (they have to choose someone different from their biopoem) and we will be displaying the cards in our room so we can each learn about each other’s.

List 5
fingerprints
tip
spin
sift
fine
sting
print
finer
finest
sprint
sifter
finger
spinner
stinger
printer
sprinter
fingertips

ELA(Shultz)- This week in Mrs. Shultz's ELA we will begin working more in our stations and in small groups with teachers. Most of us have completed our Diagnostic Reading Assessments and I have had time to review student results from the first Acuity/Benchmark test. As we work within our new unit of study, we will also focus on skills that each student in weak in. Many students have begun working in literature circles and reading examples of historical fiction with other students. Word study this week is a review of the er/est:meaning more and most, er: meaning person or thing that does something, and re: meaning to do again. At the end of next week, we will have a word study review over how these prefixes and suffixes are used in language. In writing, students are now responsible for using correct capitalization, end punctuation, and adding conjunctions, interjections, and prepositions in their writing. Students should be at 78% of their AR goal by the end of this week. We will be finishing our first read aloud and all students will review and test on the book. We are also beginning the process of comparing and contrasting different works of historical fiction.

 SCIENCE: This week we will begin Section 2 of Nature Unleashed.  We will be outside everyday this week.

Math: In math this week we will wrap up Unit One from Buckle Down: Operations and Algebraic Thinking.  Students will test over writing numerical expressions and order of operations on Friday

Week 2 Reading Log Totals!

So far Dogs are in the lead!! Cats need to step it up this week! :)

Dogs: 45 hours, 39 minutes
Cats: 36 hours, 59 minutes

September 24th Newsletter

5^th Grade Newsletter
Mrs. Sandusky’s Class

Important Dates:

·         9/19- Grades went home

·         9/27- Memorial Library Visit

·         9/27-Kindergarten Fall Fling (5^th grade selling concession items for DARE)

·         9/28- No school/ PD Day

·         10/3- DARE starts

10/12- 1st quarter ends

Monday	music 2
Tuesday	Computers
Wednesday	PE 2
Thursday	music 1
Friday	art

ELA (Sandusky)- Reading groups are going great! Students are doing a fabulous job about managing their time and activities that go along with their books. Each group has chosen a historical fiction, so ask your child about the time frame that their book takes place in. Each group will be getting a presentation shortly from a retired history teacher, or our cadet teacher about the historical context of their book. We are beginning Unit 2 this week, and it will continue for the next 6-7 weeks. Our essential question is ‘How does creativity change the word?’. Later in this unit students will be choosing an inventor, doing research on this inventor, and create a paper and presentation on him/her.
This week we will be focusing on verb tense, our read aloud; The Phantom Tollbooth, and our critical thinking questions in our reading groups. Spelling words will stay the same, because last week I forgot to give the kids their list on Wednesday! An extra week of practice!
Spelling Words:
List 4
earthquakes
eat
use
user
heat
seat
take
shake
quake
skate
reuse
earth
eater
heater
reseat
retake
skater
shaker

ELA(Shultz)- This week is a 4 day week for students--don't forget! We are wrapping up our Diagnostic Reading Assessments (DRAs) and beginning a new ELA unit. This unit is called Renaissance Thinking and asks the essential question "How does creativity change the world?" We will be reading about some of the Renaissance thinkers and studying historical fiction. New word study letters are coming home in the red folders. We are still looking at the re and er. As we wrap up the week, we will be completing the grading of our opinion paragraphs and sending those home in next week's red folders to officially wrap up Unit 1. Students should be at 65% of their AR goal by the end of this week. 

 SCIENCE: This week we will begin our Nature Unleashed unit. We will be outside almost everyday for the next few weeks, weather permitting, so make sure your child is dressed for the weather each day. Students should be bringing home their results from the Body Systems Test in the Red Folders today.

Math: We are only here for FOUR days this week- we are going to be busy, busy in math! We are going to continue working with Order of Operations!

Cats vs. Dogs

Parents,

In effort to encourage children to read at home I will now be sending home a Reading Log every Monday that must be completed AND signed by Friday.  I expect students to read at least one hour each week at home (ideally it would be about 30-40 minutes a night), however, I understand how busy schedules are. Once your child completes their required hour they can bring their form back to school and turn into me. There is an incentive to read more though. Both of my classes have been put into either the ‘Dog Team’ or the ‘Cat Team’. 

At the end of each week the total amount for each team will be tallied and I will let them know on the following Monday which team won for the previous week. Every child has to contribute at least 1 hour per week for their team, however, students can choose to read at home more to add more time to their side. Whichever team wins at the end of 1^st quarter will receive a special prize from Mrs. Sandusky. We will be keeping a chart of our time in our classroom.

In efforts to keep students honest, they must fill out the form as the example shows. Students MUST have the date, book read, pages, and times all listed with your signature next to it. I will also be checking at school to see what page they are on in their chapter books to keep the competition fair. Also, if for some reason your child does not bring back their form filled out, completed, AND signed they will be spending Fun Friday in Study Hall. Hopefully this will encourage students to be taking AR tests as well!

Why cats and dogs do you ask? Scholastic currently has a program called ‘Paws for Reading’ going on right now that inspires students to read in efforts to help donate books to students in need. For every 20 minutes that our students read a book is donated to a child in need through Scholastic and their literacy partners. So not only are our students getting to read great books, improve their comprehension and fluency, up their AR scores, but they are also learning how to help others. For more information check out www.scholastic.com/paws.

Thank you for your ongoing support,

Becky Sandusky