Week 9

Good morning,

What a splendid weekend –  fun, food, and fellowship! The Welcome Back BBQ was fantastic and it was great seeing so many families enjoying themselves.  The food was great too! Thanks for everything. This is just a reminder that if you haven’t signed up for a parent/teacher conference, please do so.  Friday, October 5, is literally just around the corner……four days to be exact!!! I look forward to meeting everyone and having meaningful conversations about your children.

Your kids continue exploring multiplicative comparisons this week, as well classify triangles and quadrilaterals by their properties.  They will end the week exploring symmetry and analyzing patterns. They will review concepts and finish their journals on Monday & Tuesday of the following week, and take the Unit 2 test on Wednesday & Thursday.  There will not be an open response question this time, but a cumulative review will be added. They continue to take “timed” tests on Monday to build fact fluency so it might be a good ideas to have them practice their facts using flash cards, practice speed tests, or even ScootPad.

In Reading & Writing Workshop your children continue to work on their fictional stories and deepening their reading lives.  In writing, your kids continue revisions. All students are on their second revision. They are busy rewriting leads and endings, as well as adding details, descriptions, transitions, and dialogue to help the story flow.  They will record their story using QuickTime Player and listen to it for continuity while making additional revisions. After a self-assessment using their checklist, they will meet with either Mrs. Bijaya or myself for feedback and then off to the final draft. In reading, you kids continue to explore realistic fiction. And as they analyze their notes and other forms of evidence, they continue to develop theories not only about the characters but other story elements as well.

In science, your children continue to study weathering.  They had a blast participating in activities centered around chemical erosion…..acid (vinegar) interactions with rocks, water erosion……rain falling on a hillside, temperature erosion….heat and cold effects on a substance, wind erosion….gust of wind on sand, and glacier erosion….or the effects of ice on a landscape. This week they will take a look at the rock cycle and plate tectonics.

That about covers this week.  The following is an updated calendar of events:

Oct. 3:         Early dismissal (11:50-no lunch)

Oct. 5:             ParentTeacher Conferences

Oct. 15-19:      Dashain Holiday

Oct. 22-26:      Spirit Week

Oct. 23-26:      MAP Testing

Oct. 25-27:      SAISA

Oct. 30:     Start of MAP Testing

Nov. 5:      Season 2 ASA’s

Nov. 7 – 9:      Tihar Holiday

As I was preparing for this week and thinking about the revisions your kids are making, I thought about something shared by Thomas Edison.  He once said, “There is no substitute for hard work,” and it made me cognizant of the effort and time your kids are willingly putting into their stories.  They always seem to amaze me…..good work guys!

Have a fantastic week!

Mr. J