2/28/13 Class update

    With the month of March upon us, I have a TON to let you know is going on or coming up.

1st….  The first annual “Sunset Lake Literacy Night is gong to take place on Thursday March 21st  from 6—7:30 p.m.

             What is a Reading Night?  It’s a fun event to encourage kids to read of course!”

At the Reading Night, you can…..

Visit the book fair!

Take an A.R. Test!

Read a Tumblebook online!

Test your skills on the obstacle course

Read stories with your family and friends!

Meet “Bear” our reading education assistant dog!

** light snacks will be provided!

  2nd… On March 6th the middle school will host “science night”

The ninth annual Vicksburg Middle School Science Night is being held on March 6^th from 6-8pm.  We have a wide variety of presenters coming to share their careers and hobbies that are Science related.  Just a few are :  Bronson Hospital, Stryker, Pfizer, Bridge Organics, Critchlow’s Alligator Sanctuary, The Kalamazoo Astronomical Society, The Kalamazoo Sheriff’s Department Forensic Science Lab, our own FFA Club, and Robotics team. 

We will be holding our book fair from 6-8 as well. 

To make it a night where you don’t have to cook we will be selling pizza and pop – 2 slices and a pop for $4 .  All proceeds are going to our sixth grade camp fund.  If you are interested in dinner please email

alamers@vicksburgschools.org .

3rd ……...Recorder Orders. 

Your kids received a flyer today from Mrs. Heintzleman regarding recorders.  Any student who wishes to order a recorder, may do so for $5.00. This includes neck strap and case. $ needs to be to Mrs. Heintzleman by March 8th. Checks can be made out to Sunset Lake.

4th … March 1st begins “March is Reading Month”  Students are encouraged to compete against each other to see who can read the most minutes for the month of March. The theme for this year is “book camp”…. Or a version of a military “boot camp”.  See the front board in the lobby to see who has achieved what “rank” in reading.

Students who read at home each night need to have a parent sign their reading minutes to verify that they have indeed read the amount of minutes they are stating each night. If you don’t have the official time slips a piece of paper with their name, the number of minutes read, and your signature is fine. 

And finally… Spelling lists for this week are as follows:

List 1—Square group

1. background

2. campfire

3. full-time

4. cross-country

5. peanut butter

6. thunderstorm

7. Make-believe

8. Wristwatch

9. eyeglasses

10. Merry-go-round

11. Field goal

12. Parts of speech

13. Sweatshirt

14. Underline

15. Decimal point

16. cheerleader

17. Double-header

18. Time zone

19. Twenty-seven

20. Parcel post

Group 2—Diamond group

1. outline

2. Home run

3. Full-time

4. Up-to-date

5. Homework

6. Peanut butte

7. Waterproof

8. Make-believe

9. Downstairs

10. Themselves

11. Merry-go-round

12. Underline

13. Part of speech

14. Sweatshirt

15. Forty-four

16. Good-bye

17. Double-header

18. Itself

19. Twenty-seven

20. Parcel post

List 3 Circle group

1. outline

2. Home run

3. Basketball

4. Up-to-date

5. Homework

6. Flashlight

7. Waterproof

8. Mailbox

9. Downstairs

10. Themselves

11. Newspaper

12. Weekend

13. Forty-four

14. Goodbye

15. itself

Week of February 18th

4th and 5th grade students will be presenting "Heart of America" at the Performing arts center tomorrow night at 7:00.  Students are asked to be at the high school music room between 6:30 and 6:45 for warming up.  Performance starts at 7:00.

Students are asked to wear patriotic clothing. Reds, whites, blues etc.  Dress pants are suggested, but honestly at their age I think my best pants was a pair of blue jeans. As long as there are not holes, that is fine. (After all... they ARE blue!)

May field trips
We have two field trips scheduled for May. The first is to the Kalamazoo County fairgrounds for the rock and mineral show on May 3rd.  Parents, this is a GREAT place for the kids to get some phenomenal rock specimens for 10 cents to a few dollars  And its a great opportunity for you to buy beautifully cut sapphires, emeralds, ruby's, citrine, topaz, amethyst and other stones for a 1/4 - 1/2 the cost of a store. 
Parents who are interested in going are asked to meet us at the location. We will leave Sunset around noon and most likely arrive around 12:30. We'll stay for about an hour before we have to head back.
The Wolf Lake Fish Hatchery and South Haven Trip is currently scheduled for Friday , May 17th.  We will go rain or shine..... as the date approaches I will send more details regarding how long we're gong to be at each location etc.  Due to the soaring cost of paying for the busses (Last year cost  us $432.00) this is the one trip that we allow kids to ride with their parents to and from our locations. So please start thinking about if you would like to go on this trip. Its usually the best!

Week of Valentines Day!

Valentines Day Festivities

The last class party is upon us! Tomorrow at 2:00 the kids will have their last group party together in the Cafeteria at 2:00.  After snacks and treats we will return to our classrooms to open and enjoy our valentines.  Kids were told to get a list of their classmates last week, Monday and again today.  Just in case, I have attached a list here… last names not included.

Cyrus B

Spencer B

Megan B

Noah B

Riannon CT

Kelcey C

Keagan E

Drew F

Jared G

Olivia G

Tanner G

Drake H

Noah H

Alex H

Maya H

Leah J

Kora K

Calli K

Antonio L

Kassie L

Kayla M

Connor R

Dawnara R

Amanda W

Faith W

Science

This is the last week of science for groups B and D.  Starting Monday groups A and C will have science. They will be beginning a unit called “Objects in the Sky” that deals with the tilt of the earth and how it affects the seasons, The dates of the solstice and equinoxes and why they are important, the moon, its orbit around the earth and its phases, The rotation and revolution of the earth around the sun, the other planets and other celestial bodies (stars, comets, dwarf planets)

Spelling test results from last week’s test were pretty bad!  They went home in mailboxes today.  Please remember that tests can be retaken.  Repeated failed tests will result in recess in to practice writing the words correctly with me.

This week’s lists are as follows:

List 1- Square

1.      indifference

2.      incomplete

3.      imperfect

4.      nonfat

5.      unequal

6.      incorrect

7.      nonproductive

8.      nonstop

9.      nonprofit

10.  nonreturnable

11.  inactive

12.  nonviolent

13.  unbutton

14.  impolite

15.  unlikely

16.  immature

17.  nondairy

18.  uncommon

19.  insincere

20.  informal

21.  discontinue

List 2 – Diamond

1.      dishonest

2.      incomplete

3.      imperfect

4.       nonfiction

5.      unequal

6.      incorrect

7.      dislike

8.      nonstop

9.      unsure

10.  disagree

11.  inactive

12.  nonviolent

13.  unbutton

14.  impolite

15.  disobey

16.  impatient

17.  nonsense

18.  unknown

19.  impossible

20.  informal

List 3- Circle Group

1.      dishonest

2.      discover

3.      uncover

4.      nonfiction

5.      unpack

6.      untie

7.      dislike

8.      unhappy

9.      unsure

10.  disagree

11.  disobey

12.  impatient

13.  nonsense

14.  unknown

15.  impossible

2/06/13

A.R. goals for third marking period are as follows:
25% day Feb. 11th
50% day - Feb 25th
75% day March 12
100% day March 27th

IN SOCIAL STUDIES The kids are studying and learning the placement of all the states in the United States. Mrs. Buell has broken this down into a series of tests in which students learn one region of the country at a time. For instance, the midwest states, the northeastern states, etc. Students who are in groups A and C had some of these tests last marking period. Their test results are in their conference folders.Those of you who have had conferences you have already received these. Those whose conferences are on Thursday night will get theirs then. All worksheets with the labeled maps went home with your student weeks ago. So if they test low, they need to study and retake the test. Their FINAL of the entire united states is on March 22nd for ALL 5th grade students.Please make sure that even if they are not studying social studies right now (meaning they are in science with me) they NEED to be studying these maps for that big test!

Attached below is a link to a great online game for the kids to learn their states. They have to click on the shape of the state at the top and it tells them the name of the state and whether or not they have placed it in the correct spot.

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/states_experiment_drag-drop_Intermed_State15s_500.html

Spelling for this week:

This is a review week so everyone has the same list.

1. important
2. perform
3.disappear
4. reward
5. mountain
6. avoid
7. appoint
8. ounce
9. cooperate
10. reappear
11. postscript
12. prehistoric
13. interesting
14. denied
15. supplying
16. sunnier
17. exercise
18. company
19. create
20. grocery