Happy New Year!!

                                                                                                                   January 1, 2014

Happy New Year!

          As we say goodbye to the year 2013, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what we have accomplished so far this school year.  We have published several writing pieces, learned about crayfish, performed many readers’ theatre plays, learned many new vocabulary words, completed Jeff’s Journey, focused on the geography of the Western Hemisphere, enjoyed four read-alouds and graduated from DARE.

          We also participated in philanthropic endeavors by making and selling Rainbow Loom bracelets to support breast cancers, collecting toiletries for our local food bank and Grassroots Givers and collecting donations for the people of the Philippines.  And we accomplished all of this and MORE in a mere four months.  Pretty impressive, right!

READING

          Moving into 2014 gives us all the opportunity for a fresh start and to renew our academic focus.  Establishing a nightly reading routine is very important.  In September we decided as a class that students must read a minimum of 30 minutes nightly in order to be able to finish at least 25 books this year.  For Betor’s Bulls-Eye, that includes a brief summary (2-3 sentences) of each book.  At his point, the children should have read and documented between 10-12 books.  During a recent Betor’s Bulls-Eye “state-of-the-class” I discovered that many students are NOT keeping up with this reading requirement; that is, not completing their nightly homework.  In looking over their Betor’s Bulls-Eye packets, I have found that far too many students are NOT keeping up with their nightly reading assignment.  When school resumes, please take a peek at your child’s Betor’s Bulls-Eye packet to get an idea of where he or she stands.  More importantly, please ensure that your child is reading at least 30 minutes every evening.

WRITING

          Starting this month, your child will be assigned writing homework a few nights each week.  This is based on a new writing program developed by author Lucy Calkins.  Our first unit is a research-based argument essay. Beginning the week of January 6^th we will be doing four preliminary writing exercises, and the children will be completing a writing pre-assessment.  The following week we will begin the new unit.  I am excited to get started with this program, and I am anxious to see the essays the children write.

REPORT CARDS

          As you recall, students will be receiving two report cards this year;  one in January and one in June.  I shared the format of the new report cards during our parent-teacher conference in the Fall.  They have been updated to reflect the Common Core curriculum.  I will let you know when the report cards may be viewed on BC@Home. 

         

          I am looking forward to the exciting times I will share with your children as we move through the remainder of their 5^th grade experience.  Next up…MUSICAL AUDITIONS!

                                                                                                Happy 2014!  Lester Betor