Week of November 17th

**Tuesday Update: The class has one small additional social studies homework assignment tonight that was not completed in class today. Also, the Biography Book Report packets were sent home today. Students need to choose a book by Thursday, and they must be approved by me.**

Notes/Reminders:

* Report Cards were sent home Friday the 14th. Please sign and return the envelopes as soon as possible. 

* We are in the second trimester now! Just as in the first trimester, I will accept late work (unless otherwise noted), but it will be marked down a full letter grade. 

* Check the Links section on the right side of the page. There are new links to helpful and fun sites that your kids can use at home to practice their math facts, language skills, and typing skills.

This week we will...

...begin the next unit in our social studies curriculum. We'll be learning all about the explorers and early settlers in California, as well as the mission system. February 3rd we'll be taking a fieldtrip to the San Juan Bautista mission. 

...start a Biography Book Report. Students will choose a biography to read and will complete an accompanying book report packet with a variety of activities. This will be done at home, and is due December 17th. Look for the packet Tuesday of this week. 

...learn about compound words and verbs in language arts, and multi-digit multiplication in math. 

...write a Thanksgiving story from the point-of-view of the turkey! 

Week of November 10th

Notes/Reminders:

* Monday and Tuesday are holidays.

* Wednesday and Thursday students will be taking the Language Arts district assessment. 

* The Current Events and Reading Log links have been moved further down the right side of the page. 

* Check the Links section on the right side of the page. There are new links to helpful and fun sites that your kids can use at home to practice their math facts and language skills.

* This week we begin the second trimester. Report Cards will be sent home this Friday. Please return the envelopes with a parent signature. Students will have new AR goals for the trimester. They will bring home their goal sheet for you to review, sign, and return. 

* Jogging for the Arts is this Friday the 14th. Our class is scheduled to jog at 9:30. Parents are welcome to cheer on students. If you would like to help with this event, please contact one of our room parents - Michelle Chapa or Jeaneen Clayton. 

Week of November 3rd

A huge thank you to Jeaneen and Michelle for organizing such a great Halloween party, and thank you to all of the parents who donated food and supplies, and who helped out during the day. 

** Animal Reports are due Wednesday!! Again, they WILL NOT be accepted late. 

Animal Report 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

** This Friday, November 7th, is the last day of the first trimester. Any late work must be turned in by Friday. Report Cards will be sent home the following Friday, November 14th. 

** The annual Jogging for the Arts fundraiser will be held on Friday, November 14th. Forms will be sent home with students this Monday. 

This week we will...

...review/study for the district assessments. There will be a math assessment later this week (most likely Thursday), and a language arts assessment next week. 

...study for a science test. We'll be combining Units 2 and 3 (Energy of Living Things and Ecosystems) for a test this Friday. Because of the animal reports, the test will be pretty mellow, nothing to stress about! 

...elect our classroom representatives for Student Leadership on Tuesday.

...give our animal report presentations Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. 

...complete The City of Ember by Thurday. All students will take the AR test by the end of the trimester. The next book we'll be reading is James and the Giant Peach, and we do have a full class set, so students do not need to bring their own copy unless they want to. 

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.