5th Grade UPDATE!

Good Morning Parents of Room 10,

Last week, the children participated in "An Hour of Code" in Room 10.  They were very excited about this opportunity and enjoyed learning how to code a computer game. After they finished coding Minecraft, they were free to explore other coding opportunities.  It was a successful endeavor.

DATES, DATES AND MORE DATES TO REMEMBER...

Tomorrow (providing the snow doesn't cause a school closing) everyone (cast and crew) will be participating in our initial read-through of their class play, Maria's River.  Your child should bring a second snack tomorrow, which will be eaten at 3:20pm.  IF IT IS CANCELLED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER, THE SNOW DAY IS TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13TH.  Please pick up your Thespian outside the music room in the lower level of the school promptly at 5:00pm.  

      

The DARE essay is due on or before December 23rd. The essays may be hand-written or typed.  I have given the children three 45-minute time frames to work on their essay at school. Now, they should complete the essays at home. The DARE Graduation will be Friday, January 13th at 9:45am.

      

Our Holiday party will be held on Friday, December 23rd at 9:45am. We will be having breakfast again.  Feel free to join us, if you'd like. Our Room Parents will be sending out a request for both treats for the party and goodies for making Gingerbread Houses.  We will be joining our 2nd grade buddies on Tuesday, December 20th at 9:45am to build the gingerbread houses.

      

Join us for the Crayfish Learning Fair on Thursday, December 22nd at 9:45am in the cafeteria. We are showcasing the children's knowledge of crayfish.  You can stay for the full hour and walk around to see all of the projects, or stay for just a few minutes to see your child's project.  It's up to you.

When we said that 5th grade was a busy year, we weren't kidding!!!  Take care, Lester B. and class

CRAZY Hat/Hair Day

Good Morning Parents of Room 10,
      As I write this, the children are enjoying popcorn and fruit.  Thank you to the Luntz family and the Metcalf family for sending in the delicious fruit.  We are watching "Shrek's Thrilling Tales" compliments of Mrs. O'Shea.
      On Monday, you are all welcome to come to our Halloween Party.  It begins at 10:30am.  I will make sure to take pictures of the event.
      I am including photos from Crazy Hat/Hair Day!  Enjoy!  Lester B. and Class

TWIN DAY!

Dear Parents of Room 10,
      Today was Twin Day in our classroom.  In addition to having popcorn and a movie (It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown), Abby sent in apples for the children.  It was a very nice day in Room 10.  Next week we will have spelling again.  I look forward to some normalcy in our week.  Having two days off was nice, but it throws us off our pace.  Heads Up!  Our Halloween Party will be on Monday, October 31st from 10:30-11:30am.  Just a reminder, if you sign up to send in a treat, please make sure it is nut and sesame seed free.  Enjoy the photos of the children watching their movie.

The First Full Week of School!

Dear Parents of Room 10,

Our year together is off to a great start.  I have been really impressed by how well your children have settled into our routine.  Overall, it has been a very smooth transition into fifth grade.  My focus right now is to help them transition without talking. As I mentioned last evening, this is a particularly chatty group. But they are sweet, hardworking and very bright!

It was really nice to have the opportunity to meet many of you last evening at our Open House.  I always feel a tad rushed and tend to talk really fast, so if there is anything you need clarified, please let me know.  Your children worked really hard this week as we prepared to “dazzle” you last night with their self-portraits, crossword puzzles and letters.

            At this point, all of your children have been tested in reading fluency, and a base-line score has been established.  I will begin reading comprehension assessments shortly.  I also plan to administer an assessment to identify specific reading skills that need to be re-taught.  This particular assessment, which I have been using for quite some time, is fairly quick and painless. Hopefully we will begin small-group instruction very soon.

            On the science front, we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our crayfish.  The children are very excited to learn about these creatures.  Until they arrive, we are focusing on ecosystems, and the children have enjoyed getting outside to observe nature during science class.

            Here are some photos that I took this week of the kids working on Open House projects and during science class.