Off to a GREAT Start!

Dear Students and Parents of Room 10,

      As the title indicates, we are off to a great start in Room 10!! The children are coming together nicely as a learning community, and it is great to see how well they work together as a team.  This week was no exception!

      We are in full swing in our writing unit. We will begin Bend II on Tuesday. We took a short (2 session) hiatus from our narrative writing to compose a letter to each child's favorite teacher.  Each year I have my students write a letter to their favorite teacher to share why she or he is so special. They may include a hand-drawn picture with the letter. I will collect the letters and mail them (or put them in mailboxes if they are still at Slingerlands) to the teachers. In the past, the recipients have been so thrilled to receive a letter from their former student.

      The crayfish unit is going well. We are in the middle of learning crayfish anatomy both by color coding the vocabulary word, definition and body part. In addition, we have a Quizlet for the children to better make the connection. I emailed them the link to Quizlet, although we haven't had time in class to use it yet. Quizlet is a commonly used website at the Middle School.

     In reading we are still in the preliminary stages of working on literacy stations while I individually assess each student. Be sure to ask your child what stations they did this week. Soon we will begin our first book clubs focusing on theme.

      The children seem to love singing around the piano. Although not every day, we try to sing as often as possible. Right now our focus is on The Sound of Music having learned "My Favorite Things," "Do-Re-Mi," and "Edelweiss." We have also sung "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid.

      Next week I will announce the fifth grade musical and send home a packet of information. An informational parent meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 16th at 7pm. Please join us if your child wants to participate in any aspect of the musical.

      There will be no Weekly Reflection this week. But I want to remind you that it is very important that you sign and your child returns the weekly reflection every Monday.

      Have a wonderful long weekend!                          Lester Betor and Class

Welcome to 5B

Good Morning!

      Welcome to fifth grade!  It has been a terrific start to the 2018-2019 school year. I am excited to work with your children this year. We are beginning to develop into a wonderful community of learners.

      The children are beginning to prepare for Open House. I am excited to have the opportunity to meet each of you Thursday evening at 7:30pm. At 8:15pm, you will meet your child's math teacher. It is a great opportunity to learn how the fifth grade team plans to prepare your child for the rigors of middle school.

     Over the first two days, we spent a great deal of time talking about the responsibilities of being a member of a learning community. Room 10 is a safe place to learn and grow; to make strides and to make mistakes.

      I am including the first photos I took this year. I plan to share photos and information on our class blog, and I will always send you an email to let you know when the blog has been updated.

     You may contact me via email anytime, and I will strive to respond as quickly as possible. My email address is:  lbetor@bethlehemschools.org.

       Enjoy a few photos that I took on Thursday and Friday.  Have a nice weekend, and I will see my students on Tuesday!!   Take care, Lester Betor

Final Post of the School Year...

Greetings Families of Room 10,

       I'd like to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for making our school year so amazing! I have enjoyed every single day with your children. I knew on that very first day of school, some ten months ago, that this would be a very special year. And I was right.

       Thank you for the thoughtful class photo book, but more importantly, for sharing 21 wonderful young ladies and gentlemen with me! I wish each of you a spectacular summer, and I look forward to hearing all about middle school. There will be an adjustment period, but you will find that the children will adjust very quickly. Soon, the unknown middle school will become their new home. (I know that's hard for you to believe right now. But trust me. It will happen!)

       The Moving-On Ceremony will take place on Tuesday evening at 7pm. When the children arrive, please send them to their homerooms, where we will line up for the processional. Hopefully, it will cool off a tad before that evening. We will rehearse for the ceremony on Tuesday morning! We have been practicing our musical selections for weeks, and the children are very excited to perform for you.

       We thoroughly enjoyed our luncheon on Thursday afternoon! It is always a pleasure to have you come in and visit with us. Special thanks to all of you who provided the watermelon and water bottles. I would also like to express my sincere appreciation to Kelly Nace and Ellen O'Malley for all of their help this year. Your hard work has not gone unnoticed. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

       I am sharing several photos that I took at the science symposium and outside our classroom.  Enjoy!  Lester Betor and class