BOOK ORDERS...Book orders are coming home today, due next Friday. You can order online (see tab to the left on this blog) or in paper form. There are a lot of quality authors selected this month including:
- Steve Jenkins (Never Smile at a Monkey)
- Lauren Tarshis (I Survived series)
- Rick Riordan
- Louis Sachar
- R.J. Palacio (Wonder and Auggie & Me)
- Chris Colfer (Land of Stories series)
- Andrew Clements and more!
SWIMMING PERMISSION SLIPS...coming home today. Please send back this form as soon as possible!
MAP TESTING...Just a reminder that MAP testing will continue next Wednesday morning (Sept 30th) and the following Tuesday morning (Oct 6th).
HOMEWORK. As we mentioned on our curriculum night, most homework will be work that was not finished in class. Some will be optional, noted in planners and the online calendar. Thank you for encouraging your child to check our online calendar each night (see tab on our blog). Please set time for your child to be reading every night at least 20 minutes, slipping in multiplication & division facts here and there to keep that brain ready to go!
NEW BOOK CHALLENGE! On Friday, your child brought home a substantial packet of information regarding 3 upcoming 5th grade book report challenges (Read, Set...Read!) due over the course of this school year. These are not your typical book reports! Book choices for our first project (due Nov. 20th) will be required by next Friday, Oct. 2nd. The initial preparation, planning and timelines for these projects (so that our procrastinators don't procrastinate) will be completed at school by Friday, Oct. 9th.
Over the course of next week, I will be conferring with each student on appropriate book choices (appropriate level/content/etc) and we will pick out a just right book together. They will be receiving more information about time requirements (not too little, not too much) and checklist of content requirements. These projects will be graded and are expected to be finished mostly at home. Each fifth grader is expected to work independently on this project with minimal help from you. They were so excited about this they wanted to take their written/oral/creative choices home this weekend (online version will be available on blog).
5th GRADE JOBS & STUDENT LEADERSHIP.
- 5th graders have the opportunity to help out and show their leadership around Wealthy Elementary! Your child has been assigned a job to fulfill at least once a week. They will change at semester break. These range from helping kindergarten and 1st grade teachers during one recess a week to raising and lowering the flag, emptying recycle bins in the classrooms and becoming a math buddy. We will begin these jobs very soon! Ask your child what special jobs are ready for them!
- Congratulations to Clare Backus and Theo Wassink. They were elected to be our official Student Leadership representatives this semester. They will join other 2nd-5th graders (led by Mrs. Allen and Mrs. Bishop) in deciding fun activity days for our students and continuing to spread a positive atmosphere in our school.
GONOODLE...Have you heard from your 5th grader about GoNoodle yet? :) We utilize a free website called GoNoodle, which is geared toward educators with the focus of movement in the classroom. Research has shown that activity and active movement activates endorphins and sparks neurons in the brain, all leading to enchanced learning . Plus, it's FUN to let loose and not care what others think (positive thinking=positive memories). We are activating our brains during hands-on activities and physical movement everyday...especially utilizing GoNoodle right before testing (i.e. sitting-for-a-long-time). I know some of those savvy 5th graders have already been using it at home. :) We have a link in our 5th Grade Links tab up on the top of our blog if you'd like to utilize it, too. Movement is so important for your child's intellectual growth...get them outside and/or moving as much as you can!
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