December 3rd Update

Art Opportunity

National Art Honor Society members have planned this really great activity for students K-5  to make gifts for their family while their parents secretly shop…J.  We currently have low enrollment and would like to encourage you to think about sending your own children or  spread the word to another family that might have interest.  I have attached our flyer and will extend our due date to Thursday as we will need Friday to shop. 

The activity is only $20.00 and your child will come home with some gifts that you will treasure forever.

What: VHS students will be hosting a make and take Holiday Craft and Gift making day where VCS students grades k-5 can come and create art projects for family and friends.

When: December 8, 2012

Time:  9:00-12:00

Place: Vicksburg High School (Enter by the greenhouse)

Cost:  $20.00 per child

Mrs. Ragotzy’s classroom phone:  321-1122

NAHS President Molly Ouvry’s cell phone 532-8405

Spelling lists for this week are as follows:

  

List 1 – Square

1.      inform

2.      ornament

3.      experience

4.      pioneer

5.      ignore

6.      warmth

7.      ordinary

8.      therefore

9.      volunteer

10.  florist

11.  corporal

12.  sincere

13.  boardwalk

14.  weary

15.  pier

16.  fortune

17.  career

18.  pierce

19.  formal

20.  eerie

21.  ordinary

List 2 – Diamond.

1.      inform

2.      ornament

3.      disappear

4.      pioneer

5.      important

6.      warmth

7.      serious

8.      forever

9.      reward

10.  appear

11.  perform

12.  force

13.  peer

14.  weary

15.  pier

16.  fortune

17.  career

18.  pierce

19.  formal

20.  enormous

List 3 – Circle  

1.      sort

2.      record

3.      disappear

4.      near

5.      important

6.      forest

7.      serious

8.      forever

9.      reward

10.  appear

11.  perform

12.  force

13.  peer

14.  cheer

15.  enormous

November 27th update

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

  In student mailboxes tonight are a few papers that should come home. Two spelling tests from the last two weeks, A short writing sample. If they don't bring anything home in the next few days be SUSPICIOUS! Some of the kids had low spelling test scores that they need to retake.

Reminder that our class's \"Penguin Patch\" holiday shopping time is Thursday December 13th at 2:45 p.m. Kids who don't have money will be welcome to look.


Christmas party will once again be in the Cafeteria with all 5th grades.  I don't know what we're doing yet in regards to a gift exchange etc.... two years ago we had each child bring in a pair of socks to donate to the generous hands kids.  Let me get with Mrs. Buell and Mrs. Vandermei and see what they would like to do.



Also.... Christmas gifts for ME are NOT necessary.  My greatest gift is being able to spend time with your kids each day and seeing the world again through their eyes.  If however you really want to get something, our class can always use glue sticks, markers and clorox wipes for our desks.  Or Barnes and Noble gift cards so I can get some more books for them for our library.

Spelling lists for this week as as follows:

– List 1 Square group
1.pharmacy
2.aware
3.carpet
4.pardon
5.carnival
6.remark
7.scarce
8.solitaire
9.argue
10.harmonica
11.vary
12.aquarium
13.flair
14.wary
15.temporary
16.regard
17.scarcely
18.paragraph
19.despair
20.garage
21.carton

List 2 – Diamond group
1. repair
2.aware
3.carpet
4.pardon
5.guard
6.remark
7.scarce
8.declare
9.argue
10.department
11.vary
12.prepare
13.flair
14.article
15.farther
16.regard
17.area
18.harvest
19.despair
20.flare
List 3 – Circle
1.repair
2.unfair
3.stare
4.march
5.guard
6.compare
7.cart
8.declare
9.department
10.prepare
11.article
12.farther
13.area
14.harvest
15.flare

November 19th Update

Tomorrow November 20th is picture retake day. If your student is getting retakes, make sure they bring back the packet of pictures that they don't want, and are dressed and ready for pictures.

December 13^th the “Christmas Shoppe” is going to be set up in the science lab for your student to purchase gifts for the family. Gifts are offered at a lower cost for students who might be saving their pennies for a gift for mom, dad, or siblings for Christmas.  Our class visitation time is 2:45 – 3:15.  Items must be paid for at that time.

December 14^th we will be taking a field trip to the Kalamazoo Institute of arts (KIA) and the Kalamazoo Valley Museum.  If you would like to help chaperone on this trip please let me know. I would like to have at least two parents, but more are welcome! Email me at tsadowski@vicksburgschools.org or call me at 321-1530 if you can help out.

     Also… at the beginning of the year you signed and sent in permission slips stating whether or not you wanted your student to bring their own lunch or get a school sack lunch. Please check that list (I sent home a copy) to review where your student is getting their lunch on that day. If you didn’t  get a copy… contact me… I have the master in my binder.

 Due to the shortened week, the spelling list for this week is the same as the list for next week. 

List 1 –Square

1.       pharmacy

2.       aware

3.       carpet

4.       pardon

5.       carnival

6.       remark

7.       scarce

8.       solitaire

9.       argue

10.   harmonica

11.   vary

12.   aquarium

13.   flair

14.   wary

15.   temporary

16.   regard

17.   scarcely

18.   paragraph

19.   despair

20.   garbage

List 2 – Diamond

1.       repair

2.       aware

3.       carpet

4.       pardon

5.       guard

6.       remark

7.       scarce

8.       declare

9.       argue

10.   department

11.   vary

12.   prepare

13.   flair

14.   article

15.   farther

16.   regard

17.   area

18.   harvest

19.   despair

20.   flare

List 3 – Circle

1.       Repair

2.       unfair

3.       stare

4.       march

5.       guard

6.       compare

7.       cart

8.       declare

9.       department

10.   prepare

11.   article

12.   farther

13.   area

14.   harvest

15.   flare

November Update

Due to technical difficulties ( My school computer is known for this....) the blog is just NOW being updated!

Conferences are half over!  This Thursday I have round 2 starting at 5:30.  For security reasons conferences are listed by student initials only.


5:30 T.G.
5:45 N.B.
6:00 C.R.
6:15 M. H.
6:30  C. K.
6:45  N.H.
7:00 K.E.
7:30 A.L.
7:45 F.W.
8:00 A.W.
8:15  M.B.

    5th graders are currently working on memorizing the 50 states via song.... as well as doing the Pledge of Allegiance in sign language.  We've only learned the first 8 states.... but they should have down the pledge.

Math - The kids are working on number operations ( math facts) geometry/measurement and problem solving. (Story problems)   Make sure they are getting those math facts down first!

Social Studies - Groups B and D are now in Social Studies.... Students will be learning about Government.

Science - Groups A and C are now in Science.  By Friday all students in ALL groups should have science term card sets 1 - 8 completed.  The next test on term cards will be on December 7th.

I have a sheet that breaks down all the term cards by set if you would like it to be able to organize the cards by set for practice.  This next test will be over sets 1 - 6.

All students now have an orange science workbook. This is to come to class with them daily.  If they lose it, they will need to buy another with their tickets.   In the books we are working on Motion and Forces....gravity, friction, speed and distance, and of course term cards.

Remember no School 11/22 and 11/23.  Unlike last year we DO have school the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

Girls on the Run

Girls on the Run - If your young lady is interested in signing up for Girls on the Run, forms went home yesterday. They are due back November 20th (Tuesday of next week)

Christmas

Christmas party will be with all 5th grades again in the Cafeteria.  We'll have the buffet again and some crafts and games for the kids to rotate between.  The date is usually the Thursday before break, which is December 20th this year.  Friday the 21st (Winter Solstice... shortest day light hours of the year for the northern hemisphere) is typically the school pajama day. That hasn't been confirmed yet however... I"ll let you know for sure as the date approaches.

Ski Trip

Forms / permission slips for the ski trip will be going out immediately following Thanksgiving break.  Look for these forms to come home. The ski trip is currently scheduled for January 18th. We'd love to have you join us! This is one of our best trips!

9/28/12

Term Cards!

The meap is approaching!  And by now all students in all 5th grade classes have been making and SHOULD be studying those term cards! (See revious blog entry as to "why" we do these)

  

     Groups B and D should have all 8 sets done and be learning them.  Groups A and C should have sets

1 - 2 done and be working on sets 3 and 4.  Please encourage them to study these, and help them to study these.  90% of what they understand in science this year, in middle school and beyond is going to be based on what they comprehend.  If they can't understand a teacher's question because they don't know the words the teacher's are using, they're going to fall behind.

                                           Field Trips!

    The only trip scheduled so far is the October 18th trip to the outdoor education center.  All 5th grade  classes will be attending all day.  I've copied and sent home your signed permission slips so that you have a copy of what lunch choices you signed up for at the beginning of this year. (home or school lunch.)  If you signed up for home lunch, PLEASE make sure that you provide  a lunch for your child on our OEC trip day.  If you checked school lunch, we will makes sure they pick up their sack lunch from the cafeteria first thing in the morning.

        Have your student dress for the weather please!  Layers is always best, and sturdy shoes are recommended as I'm going to have them off the deck and tramping through the woods for our various activities. Gloves and hats might be necessary.... this is Michigan and we never know what's going to happen temperature wise one week to the next.

5th grade graduation

5th grade graduation this year is going to be 9:00 on Monday, June 3rd.  Mark your calendars for this important event!

   Spelling lists

 New spelling lists are handed out each Monday.  The kids take their final test Friday morning, and then take a pretest for the next week's words in the afternoon.  Unlike "Words their Way" that kept your child at one level of words for an entire marking period, the new program "Spelling Connections" allows them to move up or down on a list each week depending on how they do on the pretest.  This upcoming week's lists will cover the long o sound... the ou combination, the oa combination and the ow combination.

The Hedgehog

By now I"m sure you've heard that in addition to our bunny "Thumper" and the "Bear's" visits Wednesday and Friday, that we now also have a hedgehog named "Quilliam" (As in William with Quills... and he came with that name!)   I checked thoroughly with my local vet regarding and possibly transmissible diseases etc from him to the kids and with hedgehogs (other than getting poked by the quills) there aren't any issues.  Still... as he hasn't been handled in 4 months and because right now he resembles an angry cactus any time we approach his cage, he is going to be a "look only" pet.  He doesn't bite... I've held him numerous times.... but he is a prickly little sucker and when he gets riled his quills stand right on end.  So for the kid's safety it's going to be hands off until he is much better socialized. 

I've also decided that a bunny a dog, and two horses are at home are quite enough to take care of... so if the original owner doesn't want him back at the end of the school year, I'm going to be looking for a home for him.  I have NOT told the kids this.... I wanted you to be the first to know so that you can strategize an answer should the topic come up.

 Hedgehogs are not like porcupines.... their quills don't stick in you or leave their body. They remain fixed in their skin at all times.  For more information on Hedgehogs, I suggest google. The amount of info on them is truly astounding!

9/6/12

  Homework!

So far students in Mrs. Sadowski's class have had two assignments.  1.... they were supposed to finish their creative name tags.  And 2..... They were supposed to show you and explain their schedule book.  Please make sure that this schedule books is shown to you nightly so that you can keep up with what they did in class each day.

We have students divided into four groups for science and social studies.... A....B.....C... and D.  I had them write what group they are in inside the cover of their schedule books.  For the next month I have groups B and D.  If you have  student in group B, or D, they have homework tonight! They need to finish and start studying term card set number one.  Please have them do this on their own..... part of putting them together is matching up the terms and the definitions which helps them learn these terms faster.

The point of term cards?

A Question on the science meap test (back 7 years ago when we were allowed to read the questions) stated the following:

   "In a temperate region ecosystem, how are the consumers and producers affected by an over population of predators?"

   If the kids don't know "Temperate regions" "ecosystem" "consumer" "producer" "population" or "predators" they don't have a prayer of getting this question right.  (Yes... they really ask the kids questions like this)

So!  Thats where science term cards came in.  They work so well that last year Sunset Lake 5th graders scored 1st on the science meap in kalamazoo county.  Yay us!  That and the middle school and highschool science teachers can always tell who my science students are because they know their terminology.

There are 8 sets total.  Number one is by far the biggest one.   We will take test over the first four sets in three weeks.  Studying is pretty easy as it is set up like flash cards.  I read the definition on the back and have the kids guess the word. We play "around the world " with them... "term card swat" and a few other games to make learning them fun.  Students in groups B and D should be studying these at least four nights a week.

Thanks so much for being so quick getting the permission slips and all the other paperwork turned in!  I'll make a copy of the permission slips so that as time gets closer to each event, you remember whether you picked "pack a lunch" or "school lunch" for those trips that require a lunch.

9/4/12

Welcome back !

Coming home with your students today will be a pile of papers!

The first is the yearly, required registration papers.  Please make sure you sign all areas that need signing and return those asap.

The second is a permission slip for ALL the 5th grade field trips for this year. We like to get it all out of the way rather than send random notes home throughout the year. Please initial each box and pick a lunch choice for our all day trips. Please sign that asap as well.

There is also a book fair announcement, as well as two brochures ragarding policies in our classroom as well as the reading education assistance dog program. (Bear doesn't just come in randomly, he actually has a function!)

Looking forward to meeting you all at open house on Thursday night!