Week of October 27th

Notes/Reminders:

**Monday is the last day I will be editing the Animal Report rough drafts. Students who have not completed their rough drafts by then will need a parent to edit for them, before moving on to the final draft. Students will be presenting their reports on November 5th, 6th, and 7th, but all reports are due on the 5th.

Presentation Schedule:

Wednesday, Nov. 5^th: Desiree, Joshua, Justin, Kyrsta, Luke, Marie, Mary A., Morgan

Thursday, Nov. 6^th:  Ben, Christopher, Daniel, Grace, Kassandra, Katie, Macie, Tessa, Tyler, Timmy

Friday, Nov. 7^th:  Alex, Dakota, Elizabeth, Jessica, Mary C., Matthew, Max, Sam, Calvin, Lauren

**Friday, October 31st, is an SBC day, so we will be celebrating Halloween this Thursday. Students are welcome to wear their costumes. The school parade will begin right around 8am, and parents are certainly welcome to join us. Michelle Chapa and Jeaneen Clayton have organized a fabulous class party, with a breakfast potluck following the parade and activity centers after recess. 

**Homework is light this week due to the short week and the Animal Reports. There will not be a spelling packet or current events. There will be math homework Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday brings a math test covering Chapter 8. Reading Logs will be due Thursday this week.

Week of October 22nd

Thank you all for attending the Parent/Teacher Conferences this past week! We are back to a regular school week, with Wednesday being a restructured day. 

Check out the links to the right!! It took a while, but I finally figured out a way to link important forms to the blog so that you can download and print them from home. 

Endangered Animal Reports:  We are continuing to work on the rough-drafts in class this week, then they will be sent home to be completed. Some students may benefit from some additional research time at home this weekend, whether it's at the public library or on the computer. Final drafts may be typed or hand-written. There is a creative component as well, or "Special Addition", that needs to be completed at home. Students will also be expected to present their project/report to the class. I will send home more information regarding presentations this week. Homework will be light next week so that students may focus on their reports. Reports are due November 5th and will NOT be accepted late. 

This week we will...

...learn about adjectives and adverbs and how they can enhance our writing. "Spooky Stories" is our next Writer's Workshop project, and I hope to have them completed by the Halloween Party for parents to read. 

...continue in our science unit, learning all about ecosystems, resources, competition in nature, and animal adaptations. 

...dive into algebra in our math curriculum.

...have a substitute Thursday and Friday (Ms. Marhenke)

Conference Week!

Parents: Please check the conference schedule to the right. Each conference is scheduled for only 20 minutes, so please be on time! 

 

Reminder: School ends at 12:05 every day this week, and there will not be Homework Club, so please remember to make other arrangements. 

This week we will...

...visit the Book Fair in the library Tuesday morning. The Book Fair will be open all week until 3:30. We will visit as a class Tuesday, at which time students can browse and purchase books. 

...wrap up Chapter 7 in our math books. The test will be given on Friday. 

...continue learning about plant and animal habitats and resources, and discover how these new concepts tie in with our animal reports. 

...research our endangered animals for our reports. Most students have been able to find a lot of information through library books and the internet. Please check with your child to see if they could benefit from a trip to the public library for some additional resources. Endangered Animal Reports are due November 5th, and will not be accepted late, to ensure that they are included in the first trimester report cards. 

Week of October 6th

Thank you to all of the parents who chaperoned the fieldtrip last Thursday - we couldn't have done it without all of your help!  The kids had a blast and everything went so smoothly! The class was given an optional extra-credit assignment - due tomorrow - to write a reflection on the fieldtrip. 

Notes/Reminders:

*Check out the "Book Wish List" on the right side of the page just above the "Class Wish List". Any donations of used or new books are greatly appreciated. I've compiled a list of desired books and will continue to update it throughout the year. Thank you!

*This Wednesday, October 8th, is NOT a restructured day. School will end at 2:05.

*Next week (October 13th - 17th) we have Parent Conferences. I will post the schedule on the blog later this week. Notes were sent home last week for you to confirm your conference time. Some parents have not returned these forms. Please do so as soon as possible. 

Every day that week is a restructured day - school will end at 12:05. There will NOT be Homework Club at all that week, so remember to make other arrangements. 

This week we will...

...be very busy! We will be starting the Endangered Animal Reports. Students were asked to think over the weekend about which animal they would like to research. Check out the list of websites to the right. These animal reports will be mostly done in class (research and rough drafts), but the final drafts will be mostly completed at home. All information regarding requirements and expectations will be given in class tomorrow. Students are encouraged to visit the public library for books about their animal. We will be visiting the school library tomorrow, as well as using the computers for research in class. 

...continue our science unit on the Energy of Living Things. We are learning all about decomposers, consumers, and producers, and how they all interact and survive together. These concepts will be incorporated into the Endangered Animal Reports. 

...read The City of Ember. Some students have brought in their own copies of the book, which is great! The first quiz will be this Friday. 

FIELDTRIP REMINDER!!

Tomorrow we are going to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for our first fieldtrip. Parent drivers/chaperones need to be in the classroom at 9:45. We will return by 1:45. 

Students must bring a lunch and comfortable walking shoes. There is no need for students to bring any money since they are not allowed to buy anything at the gift shop. 

Parent chaperones who have Memberships need to bring their Membership Card. 

Students are welcome to bring cameras.

See you tomorrow!