October 28th - Halloween Party Information

Meaps are finally done as of today. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

A few changes for our Halloween party. First! We will still be having our party in the cafeteria together with the other classes.... but we will have our party starting at 1:30 and we will go until it is time to change clothes at 2:00.

Mrs. Buell's class is bringing the food, My class is bringing the drinks, and VanderMei's class is bringing in the paper products. The kids already signed up for various drinks and a note went home on Monday. If you haven't seen it yet, ASK for it!

If you do have a treat that you really want to bring in addition to the drinks that is fine, you are more than welcome to bring them.

During our party, the kids will eat, and we will be having a ticket auction. We'll have various items the kids can bid on, or if they choose they can "bank" their tickets to save up for the bigger items that I've told them are available to our class.

After the parade the kids will return to our room and we will share scary stories. If you have some old favorites that you would like to tell, either get a copy of it for your child to read, or join us for some scary fun!

Conference times are still being finalized... I'll try to get to get the notes home by Friday... Monday at the latest.

Kids will have a Sub Thursday afternoon while I am away at math training. (I'm not quite sure why... I don't teach math but whatever!)

Anyway... that's our news!

October 25th

Wow! Four days off! I hope every one of my little peeps was enjoying their time off instead of being sick!

New hand sanitizers have now been installed in every classroom. Kids will have to wash their hands or sanitize before and after gym, before snack, before lunch and before and after computer lab.

We will also continue to disinfect desks daily as well as door knobs , pencil sharpener handles and the fountain and sink handles.

If your student is sick or has a temperature, PLEASE DO NOT send them to school. I know sometimes the places we work can be difficult when it comes to taking time off for any reason, but by sending a sick child to school, you endanger the health of everyone else in the building, let alone in our classrooms. Students can return to school no sooner than 24 hours after their fever has passed. Please remember that vaccination does not guarantee that you will not get the flu. The vaccination does however prevent the full severity of the flu symptoms from kicking in, however during this time you can still be a carrier of the virus and spread it to others even ifyou don't feel the full effects.

Halloween! We haven't even had time to talk about this in our room but we will do so tomorrow (Monday). I will have the kids sign up to bring in a treat of their choice to share with the class ( brownies, cookies, fruit, pop, juices etc) and a letter will come home to you tomorrow night. If you cannot provide this treat that is fine, just let me know so that I can get an idea of how much food is coming.

Parade is at 2:15. Kids can start putting on their costumes at 2:00. Sunset Policy prohibits them from wearing any part of their costume to school. Hair sprays in aerosol cans must be applied by a parent, not the student.

Halloween party for all fifth graders will be in the cafeteria this year. We're trying to encourage the kids to see themselves as one big team, instead of kids from individual rooms. Party will go until 3:00 ish.

Any questions? Feel free to email me. I'll repost tomorrow (or Tuesday if I forget) on the status of the party details.

Meap..... Since we were gone all last week, the state has extended the Meap deadline. As far as I know, kids will ALL be testing for math on Tuesday. Normally they would then test for sciene on Thursday..... but since the upper El teachers will be out of the building for math training that same day the kids will have subs. Therefore I will assume that the science test will be Wednesday. I won't know for sure until I get back to school on Monday. When I know... you'll know!

Spelling lists are the same as last week...since they only and them for a day. All other homework they received on the 16th will be due on the 29th.

OEC

OEC yesterday was great. I'm anxious to see what pictures they took and how they relate to the prompts they were given. Students had to find and take pictures of various objects at the OEC to fit these prompts. Some of the prompts were:

Something that doesn't belong.....

Something that has ripples

Something that is multi colored.

Everyone seeemed to have a good time working on this.

Meaps this week are Math on Tuesday and Science on Thursday. Please make sure they are well rested for this!

The Flu

As I'm sure you noticed on the news with Schoolcraft, the flu is on the move. In the last week we've had numerous children out for sore throats, fevers, and extreme tiredness.... all signs of the flu. PLEASE DO NOT send your child to school if they have any of these symptoms. We don't need an epidemic on our hands! Encourage them to wash their hands often. We are sanitizing desks and door handles daily in our room, so hopefully that will help.

Science term card tests have been returned. If your student scored less than a 2.8, they are more then welcome to retake the test. All retakes are on Wednesday at recess.

Tuesday, October 13th

We took the first of four M.E.A.P. tests today. They were in their seats a LOOOONG time taking their time, so if they have a little extra energy tonight you'll know why!

M.E.A.P. testing dates are Tuesday, and Thursday of this and next week. Please try to avoid taking your child out for an appointment during those days.

O.E.C. is this Friday. Make sure your student is either bringing a lunch or has signed up for a lunch from the cafeteria. If you have given them permission to bring a digital camera, please help them to remember it on the 16th!!

Conference sign up sheets went home tonight. They are mint green. Please sign up as soon as possible so that I can get my schedule set way ahead of time in case i need to make switches. I DO offer conferences after school for those parents that routinely pick up their children, or for anyone else who can't make it to an evening conferences. Email me and let me know what dates and times work for you. I will hold conferences in the afternoons at 3:45, 4:00, and 4:15.

We worked on similes in writing today. Ask your student what simile they wrote about a member of your family. Many of them were awesome!

Science term card test #2 is graded, but I am still waiting for a few students to finish, make up the test, etc. I'd like to pass them back tomorrow if I get the other two tests back. If they don't come home with your student tomorrow night, its because I don't have them all back yet. In the past I've handed them back as I got each class graded and answers were passed to the students who were not yet finished. :(

Question for you: In regards to test grades, would you like being able to log onto here and see your child's test grades? The only thing that concerns me is anonymity. I don't want the kids logging and comparing scores. I wouldn't do it by their names, I was thinking of listing their grades by their student numbers? Or perhaps I could list them by a code word or number that you give me? Email me and share your thoughts on this please!......

Thanks so much for all the supplies you keep donating! We received a HUGE package of tissues today as well as some clorox cleanup for our desks. Thank you so much!

Tuesday, October 6th

Wow! We've been crazy busy over the last week!

Homework this week went home on Friday. A social studies sheet as well as a Math sheet should have come home with Friday mail. I had a substitute on Friday and I totally forgot to lay a literacy sheet out for her to stick in their mailboxes, so no literacy sheet this week.

New spelling lists went home yesterday. Please make sure they are bringing their spelling journals home to study their words.

Science term card test over sets 5 - 8 for groups B and D is on Friday. Groups A and C will have their test Monday.

Friday October 16th, all fifth grade students will be heading out to the OEC for the day. A letter will come home with students tomorrow detailing appropriate outdoor attire etc. Students will either need to pack a lunch, or sign up to have a lunch made for them from the cafeteria.

We will also be working on a project that will require the use of a digital camera. Students will be divided into groups of 3 or 4 students and each group needs to have a digital camera to take pictures of various things at the OEC. If you choose to allow your child to bring a camera, they will be the only ones in their group allowed to use it. Cameras need to have their name written on a piece of tape and stuck to the camera so that in case it is put down we know who each camera belongs to. Phones that take pictures won't work as they don't have a removable disk that can be easily downloaded.

Cameras will be left with Mrs. VanderMei for the weekend and she will download the photos into a file that can be accessed by all of the students in the group.

Meaps start next week on the 13th! Please make sure that your child has no dentist, or doctor's appts. on any Tuesday and Thursday for the next 3 weeks of testing. The state is very rigid on the exact days and times for testing. A healthy breakfast on these days is a MUST!

Thanks! Hope you all have a great week!

Monday, September 28th

Lots to share today!

For My class... homework for the week is as follows:

Math Sheet - Due Thursday

Literacy Sheet- Due Thursday

New Spelling List - Test Friday ( Ask to see their red spelling notebook!)

Study term cards - Test over sets 5 - 8 is October 9th for groups B and D

October 12th for groups A and C

Read for A.R. 50% goal must be met by October 6th.

For Science:

Science warmup sheets should have been returned to all three classes today. Grading is based on four criteria:

1. The question is copied down correctly from the T.V. This includes correct spelling.

2. The question is answered completely with a RESTATED sentence.

3. Both questions and answers need capitilization and punctuation in its proper spot. Just because this is science, doesn't mean that proper rules of writing don't apply.

4. There should be few if any spelling errors. Not only is the question of the day written in huge letters on the computer T.V., but we then also write the answer out together on the board after discussion. There is no excuse for misspelled words by 5th graders when the word is right in front of them to copy.

In science it isn't enough for a student to just have the right or wrong answer. Answers must be able to be communicated clearly to other scientists.

Science term tests over sets 1 - 4 have also been graded and pending the return of a few AWOL tests from absent students, will be returned tomorrow or Wednesday.

Any student who received below a 2.8 (a B-) on the test may study and retake the test for a higher grade. I would rather have them learn the cards than just to give them a bad grade.

HOWEVER! It is the student's responsibility to tell me that they would like to retake the test, I will not be chasing them down. Test retakes are always on Wednesday during recess. If they forget one week, they can come in the next. Once report cards are marked for the semester, retakes are no longer permitted.

Warm Kids

Times are tight for MANY of us right now! If you're struggling and would like to NOT have to worry about whether or not you can afford a warm coat and boots for you student this year, call the office or send me a note! The Warm Kids Program is currently taking the names of students who will be needing a coat and boots. The program is well run and anonymous. Only the office, and myself will know who among us has a need for coats or boots. Unless your student chooses to share with others, no one needs to know where their new stuff came from.

Kids Hope

Mentoring for kids hope will begin during the first week of October. If you have a student in my class who is currently enrolled please have your student ask me for a permission slip to fill out to remain eligible this year. Parents interested in beginning participation in this program need to concat Vicki Ackerman at vajoy2u@aol.com or the Sunset Lake office for her phone number.