Week 27 - March 27 - 31

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Please be sure your child is prepared for the weather. Our playground can get really muddy so a change of shoes or boots is a good idea.

Lost and found - Students were instructed to remove all items that belong to them from the classroom and hallway. There were many instruments, boots, shoes, snow pants, etc. Any items left behind today will be placed in the lost and found. Please look there if your child is missing anything.

Field trip/ Lunch with a loved one - Our field trip to the UM Museum of Art happens to fall on the same day as Lunch with a Loved One. We will leave for our trip around 10:30 and return around 12:30. The students will be eating lunch in the classroom. They can bring a sack lunch or pick up hot lunch from the cafeteria and bring it back to the classroom. If you wanted to come and eat lunch with your child you can join us in the classroom on that day.

M-STEP Prep - We will be doing preparation for the M-STEP in class. There is also a link on this blog where your child can read practice questions at home to be prepared. If they have experience with this, the test may feel less daunting. In the student planner there are lists, such as the Bill of Rights, that students could look over to begin thinking about the social studies portion.

Scarlett Middle School - On Friday, March 24 a principal from Scarlett Middle School came to speak with the students. They should have papers in their backpacks explaining the IB program at Scarlett and why you might want to choose to send your child there. If you are interested, I can send home a form for you to fill out. I've already sent a few home. Scarlett is school of choice.

WACKY WEEK - It's that time! The student council is putting on Wacky Week. Below is a schedule for the week:
Monday -  PJ/Small Stuffed Animal Day (no slippers allowed)
Tuesday - Twin Day
Wednesday - Sports Day (Yup, you can finally wear that hat in school!)
Thursday - 80's/Disco Day
Friday - Movie/Book Character Day

Week 26 - March 20 - 24

It's hard to believe that the first day of spring is almost here. I was hearing the birds chirping as I was shoveling the snow last week. Let's hope that is the end of it!

Report cards - These went home last Monday. If you have not returned your envelope, please do so as soon as possible. I will need this for the end of the year report.

Math - Students will be starting Unit 6 in math. This unit covers measurement, and decimal multiplication and division. Please encourage your child to practice these concepts using Khan Academy or any other online program.

Food drive - We are in the midst of the Rotary Club Spring Canned Food Drive "Rotary Fights Summer Hunger!" It ends on Friday, March 24th, 2017. We need your help to FILL the boxes located near our main office. Please support our annual food drive.  Food collected during this food drives help ensure that our children grow healthy and strong.  The Rotary Club’s goal is to provide 75,000 meals throughout the summer.  We need your help! Food collected is available through Food Gatherers’ network.  Please contribute the following: tuna, canned meats, beans, chili, hearty soups and stews, canned fruit, baby food/formula, Ensure and other nutritional supplement drinks. To learn more about the Rotary Club, go online at www.annarborrotary.org.  To learn more about Food Gathers, go to www.foodgatherers.org. 

Snacks - I have had an unusual number of students requesting snacks from me daily. Your child is allowed to bring in a snack to eat in the morning or the afternoon. The students tend to be hungrier in the morning, it seems. If you would like to send in non-perishable snacks for the whole class I can keep these in my closet and have them available for students who need them. 

M-STEP testing - This testing for the fifth grade will begin April 10 and goes until May 5. When I am certain of our schedule I will send it out to families. 

Week 24 - March 6 - 10

Read-A-Thon - You should have received a read-a-thon packet with all of the information regarding this year's event. Please support your child in reading and filling out tickets to turn in. Students can read independently or read to a younger sibling to add to his or her time.


Math - Students are working on multiplying fraction using area models and algorithms. They will soon be working on dividing fractions. Khan Academy is a great place for your child to get extra practice and support.

Early release day - Wednesday, March 8th is an early release day for students and report writing afternoon for teachers. School is dismissed at 11:53am.

Tappan counselor visit - The counselor from Tappan Middle School will be coming to our school on Tuesday morning. Even if your child is not going to Tappan, he or she will learn a lot about middle school schedules and expectations. Please let me know if your child will not be attending Tappan.

Field Trips - Please be sure to turn in the field trip form for our music trip on March 15th. You will also see a form come home for an art field trip on March 30th. It is helpful if you can return those as soon as possible. The office staff has to make copies of all forms and make sure that they are filled out all of the way.

M-STEP practice - We will be practicing the M-STEP test in class over the next month. I have updated the M-STEP link on the right side of this page. Your child can practice this at home by choosing "grade 5" and choosing an area to practice. This will also give parents an opportunity to see what the test looks like.

Classroom needs - Paper towel and toilet paper rolls are needed for our science unit. We are continuing to study the human body systems.  We also need disinfecting wipes. We are trying to keep the classroom as clean and possible!