Busy Week Ahead!

.......... and ironically its already half over!

Tomorrow night at 7:00, don't forget the 4th and 5th grade students will be performing their annual spring musical at the PAC. Kids need to start arriving at 6:30 for warm up. There is an order form going home in mailboxes today for any parent who would like to order a DVD of the program.

Friday Field Trip

Friday moring we will leaving for our KIA/Kalamazoo Valley Museum field trip. Those who expressed interest in chaperoning should have received a chaperone info slip via your child. If you didn't...just be here at 9:00 and I'll fill you in. If you could ride the bus that would be great as we will have room. If you want to drive separately so that you won't have the echoing of little voices in your head all day from the bus ride that is also fine! Please remember to pack a lunch! Weather permitting we'll be eating in the park. If its raining, we'll eat in the bottom floor of the Kalamazoo Valley Museum.

A.R. Reading Goals

75% day is tomorrow, or Thursday. Most of the students have already reached this goal. 100% goal day is April 15th.... the day before records day.

Science

Science classes are all wrapping up the Forces and Motion unit this week. Groups A and C finished last week and turned in their orange books. The following pages will individually be receiving a grade:

pgs 1 - 4

pgs 5 - 6

pg 7

pg 8 -9

pg 12 - 13

pg 20 - 25

pg 26 - 31

pg 42 - 45

Groups B & D Will not have to do pages 20 - 25.... due to the program and the field trip in the same week, they did not have time to do these pages.

Grades are given based on completeness and restatement of answers, correctness of reporting investigation findings, spelling and neatness. Especially when the word they are misspelling is ON THE PAGE it should not be misspelled. Students were aware of these grading standards before books were turned in. They also had several opportunities to have others proof read their books for errors before turning them in. Grades will be located at the beginning of each page section. Group A's books will most likely be returned at the end of this week. Group C, B and D will be returned following spring break. Any pages receiving a low grade may be redone for a higher grade. All reworked pages MUST be turned in to me before April 16th.

Field Trip 3/26/10 KIA + Museum

I still have four more permission slips that I need back for our KIA field trip. Please ask your child if they turned theirs in. Intials of the students whose slips I haven't received are as follows:

A.B.

M.C.

T.D.

B.F.

Ad.H.

H.L.

H.S.

If you requested to be a chaperone, I have a letter to go home to you via your childs mailbox tomorrow confirming your request as well as chaperone responsibilities. Bus will leave at 9:10 on the 26th... let me know if you do not get this paper!

Science Books

We are finishing up our forces and motion books this week and next week. If you child has science this week they are DUE on Friday. Please make sure they go through the books and complete any homework pages they might have forgotten. We went over this in class today with the group I have now, so they should know. I will do the same for the group I have next week.

When we come back from spring break we will begin a new and our final science unit for the year... Systems and Survival! We'll be getting Hermit Crabs and Tree Frogs to observe. Eventually these will need homes. If you are interested, let me know!

Middle School Registration/Visitation

I just received an email from Greg Tibbetts the middle school principal this morning regarding middle school registration and visitation. 5th grade registration session will be April 19th and 21st. Sessions start at 4:30. There will only be two this year and they will only be doing class registration and discussion... no tours. Tours will be during give and take in August.

That's it! Enjoy the gift of beautiful sunshine this week!

March 4th, 2010

No new dates to report as far as field trips. We're waiting on the bus garage for confirmation of our trip to Kalamazoo Valley Art museum and reg. museum.

Science

Students in science are back to working with motion, velocity, speed and distance. We've done two experiments this week. Have them share with you what they did and what they learned!

Special Days

Friday's in March are Read a T-Shirt Day. There is NO COST for spirit days. However in an effort to help the PTA make money to fill in the gaps, any child who wishes to wear their shirt BACKWARDS can do so if they want to pay $1.

Food Opportunity ( Dinner!)

Two of our classroom students are in boy scouts. Saturday March 13th, their troop will be putting on a "Spaghetti Dinner" for anyone who wishes to come at the Vicksburg United Methodist Church. Dinner runs from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Children under 5 eat for free. Families ( no matter how many family members you have ) can buy a ticket for $25.00 Individual tickets I THINK are $5.00. I'm just going by what the kids told me. There is Spaghetti, garlic bread, "other stuff" as well as an auction. Local businesses who have donated gift certificates, services etc, will have their items there for you to bid on.

Recess

As the weather gets warmer and the snow is melting, many of the kids are coming inside with SOAKED feet and socks! I don't mind if they leave their shoes in the hall... but I can't allow bare feet in my class no matter how soaked their socks! Might be a good idea to send a dry pair of socks for the next month or so just in case!

March is Reading Month!

Our class is currently in competition with every other class in the building now to achieve all three of our reading minute goals before any other class! In our room, I will be tracking individual student reading amounts. At the end of the month, the two students who have read the most amount of minutes will be able to have a Pizza lunch with 2 - 3 of their friends during their regular lunch time. AND if we WIN and beat all the other classes, a parent who makes PHENOMENAL desserts has offered to bake us something extra special to be shared by everyone! All at home reading slips must be signed however, or the minutes do not count. We will also be counting our in class reading minutes. These minutes are verified by me, so these do not have to be signed by a parent. So please encourage your kids to read read read!