Hello 5-2 Parents ~
A great big THANK YOU!! to our room moms (Mrs. Bilfaqi, Mrs. Koroulis, and Mrs. Klinkenborg) and volunteers for making our Halloween Party such a delight! Despite Mother Nature's insistence on an indoor parade, the kiddos had a ton of fun in the room playing games and making crafts :) Thank you!!
Important Dates
Class Picture Re-take ~ Monday, 11/4 at 9:15am.
Veteran's Day ~ Monday, 11/11 ~ We are encouraging the students to wear red, white, and blue to honor veterans of our armed forces. We will be having an all-school assembly to teach students about our armed forces and Veteran's Day.
Progress Reports ~ Friday, 11/15. Report cards will be issued and sent electronically. Please don't hesitate to reach out should you have any questions after you receive your child's progress report.
Family Reading Night ~ Thursday, November 21st from 6:30pm-8:00pm. Come and hear presentations from two illustrators: Jacqueline Alcantara, a picture book illustrator, and Sean Dove, a graphic novel illustrator. We have some great activities planned, as well as plenty of story times!
Thanksgiving Break ~ Monday, 11/25 to Friday, 11/29. Enjoy the time with your family!
Family Reading Night ~ Thursday, November 21st from 6:30pm-8:00pm. Come and hear presentations from two illustrators: Jacqueline Alcantara, a picture book illustrator, and Sean Dove, a graphic novel illustrator. We have some great activities planned, as well as plenty of story times!
Thanksgiving Break ~ Monday, 11/25 to Friday, 11/29. Enjoy the time with your family!
Math
Our math class has been working on adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators, and converting fractions into decimals. The Chapter 3 Assessment is currently planned for Tuesday, 11/12. If your child needs some additional practice, have them log on to Khan Academy to complete the assignments on fractions.
Science - Earth & Space
Last week, we finished exploring the daily patterns of the sun and switched our focus to the stars. This week, we'll continue learning about and modeling the sun and other stars that appear in the night sky. We'll look at 8 different constellations in detail, studying when these star patterns appear throughout the year. At the end of week, your children will begin researching a constellation of their choice. Their final product will be a drawing of their constellation and a paragraph written to include the facts they discovered about their constellation.
Social-Emotional Learning
Your children were introduced to Headspace this week - a meditation time intended to quiet their minds, reduce anxiety, and improve focus. Educational research shows us teaching students mindfulness techniques can help them to calm their thoughts and regulate their emotions. I've been surprised with how they embraced meditation, and how much they look forward to the quiet time each day!
We also started our discussion this week on our new character trait - gratitude. When people acknowledge the goodness in their lives, research shows us people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, more easily deal with adversity, and build strong relationships. We discussed ways to increase the gratitude in our lives, and I challenged your children to genuinely say thank you to people in their lives this week.
Social-Emotional Learning
Your children were introduced to Headspace this week - a meditation time intended to quiet their minds, reduce anxiety, and improve focus. Educational research shows us teaching students mindfulness techniques can help them to calm their thoughts and regulate their emotions. I've been surprised with how they embraced meditation, and how much they look forward to the quiet time each day!
We also started our discussion this week on our new character trait - gratitude. When people acknowledge the goodness in their lives, research shows us people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, more easily deal with adversity, and build strong relationships. We discussed ways to increase the gratitude in our lives, and I challenged your children to genuinely say thank you to people in their lives this week.
Reading
Your children really seem to be enjoying the stories we're reading in our Fiction Unit! Ask them which one has been their favorite :) We've spent time inferring character traits in our stories by looking at their actions, thoughts and dialogue, and using those story elements as evidence. This week, we'll learn how to use the context clues to unlock the meaning of challenging words in fictional text, and we'll identify the theme of the stories we're reading.
Your child has also been participating in a Book Club - this is an opportunity for students to read a book of their choice with a group of friends. Book Clubs set their own schedule and discussion points. We meet in our Book Clubs at least 3 times a week - your child should be prepared for the discussion by having the book with them and reading the book according to their schedule. Please ask your child which book they are reading for Book Club, and ensure they are choosing to read it for their 20 minutes of reading homework.
Your children really seem to be enjoying the stories we're reading in our Fiction Unit! Ask them which one has been their favorite :) We've spent time inferring character traits in our stories by looking at their actions, thoughts and dialogue, and using those story elements as evidence. This week, we'll learn how to use the context clues to unlock the meaning of challenging words in fictional text, and we'll identify the theme of the stories we're reading.
Your child has also been participating in a Book Club - this is an opportunity for students to read a book of their choice with a group of friends. Book Clubs set their own schedule and discussion points. We meet in our Book Clubs at least 3 times a week - your child should be prepared for the discussion by having the book with them and reading the book according to their schedule. Please ask your child which book they are reading for Book Club, and ensure they are choosing to read it for their 20 minutes of reading homework.
Writing
We continue to work on personal narratives during our writing time, using Jerry Spinelli's stories in Knots in My Yo-Yo String as inspiration. I've been so impressed with the enthusiasm your children demonstrate during writing time - they've really enjoyed the opportunity to write and share stories about their lives!
LMC
Your children were given time to finish up their research during their LMC time this week. This research will be used to prepare for the upcoming science debate. If they didn't finish, they should be completing their research at home before Thursday. They will begin writing their debates and creating presentation during their LMC time this week.
LMC
Your children were given time to finish up their research during their LMC time this week. This research will be used to prepare for the upcoming science debate. If they didn't finish, they should be completing their research at home before Thursday. They will begin writing their debates and creating presentation during their LMC time this week.
As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Our task is to help children communicate with the world,
using all their potential, strengths, and languages
to overcome any obstacle presented by our culture.
~ Loris Malaguzzi
Cheers ~
using all their potential, strengths, and languages
to overcome any obstacle presented by our culture.
~ Loris Malaguzzi
Cheers ~
Theresa Fowler
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