Monday, March 18, 2019

Week 27: March 18 - 22

Image result for spring comics

Wacky Week:
Monday - Beach Day
Tuesday - Costume/Book Character Day (no weapons/scary/etc)
Wednesday - Wacky Hair Day
Thursday - Career Day
Friday - PJ and small stuffed animal day (no slippers)

Tappan Middle School:
Thank you for getting the Tappan forms in on time! It's hard to believe that it's already time to plan for middle school! If you were one of the families that did not get the form turned in, I will fill it out as best as I can with your child. You may get a call from Tappan because the form will not have a parent signature.

Scarlett Middle School/IB:
If you are interested in learning about the IB program at Scarlett, there is an informational meeting Monday, March 18th from 6-7:45pm at Scarlett (3300 Lorraine St.). You and your child will have an opportunity to meet current students, tour the building, find out about clubs and sports, and learn what an International Baccalaureate middle school is all about. 

Science: 
The students are continuing to study the impact of zebra mussels on our fresh water. We had the opportunity to have a speaker come in from the University of Michigan and speak with the students about this. They are now writing letters to a local representative about the impact and how we can work to solve the growing issue. 
Dr. Denef

Math:
We are starting Unit 6. There will be a focus on multiplying and dividing decimals, measuring volumes, and working with data in line plots. You should have gotten a parent letter about this unit. 

Spring Break:
I hope you have a great spring break! We are off March 25 - 29.

Monday, March 4, 2019

Week 25 - March 4-8

Image result for zebra mussels Science - 
Do you know what these little creatures are? Your student should! We are studying zebra mussels and how they have become an invasive species in the great lakes. On Tuesday, March 5, there will be a guest speaker coming to talk with the class. He is a specialist in this area and the students should have much to talk about at home!

Read-A-Thon - The read-a-thon has begun! We already have students who have read enough over the weekend to earn a bronze medal. Your child should be reading every night for 20-30 minutes which is enough to turn in one ticket each day. This is a class goal to have the most time recorded reading of the fifth grades (Ok, Mrs. Embry's a bit competitive!) and it would be great if everyone worked on this common goal.

Math - We are continuing to work on Unit 5 in the math journal. Students are solving "fraction of" problems. They have learned the algorithm but should also be able to explain with words or a drawing what that type of problem means. Below is an example of this type of problem.

Image result for fraction of problems

Student teacher - Ms. Walker - Just a reminder that Ms. Walker is doing her lead teaching over the next 3 weeks. I will continue to support her while also giving her more independent time with the students.

Summer Learning Institute - Some students would benefit from attending SLI during the summer in order to be prepared for middle school. I will be contacting some parents about this. If you think your child would benefit from this extra support in the summer, please contact me.