Happy Friday Families!

We just wrapped up another productive week of learning! Students have been adjusting well to our schedules and routines. The flow between synchronous and asynchronous learning is smooth, and students have become quite adept at submitting assignments and making use of the resources available to them.

Did you know that each day of the week we have a special routine that we incorporate into our class meeting? Today was "First Chapter Friday" where I just the first chapter of a book to the kids, hoping to entice them into wanting to read the rest on their own! Be sure to ask your student what I read today, and also have them tell you about our other daily routines!

If your students are involved in band or orchestra, please make sure that they have checked their schedule on the days they attend and are aware of their designated lesson time.

Literacy

*We finished up our first shared reading book of the year—Night of the Spadefoot Toads by Bill Harley. We’ve used this text as a springboard for several reading and writing learning targets thus far, such as summarizing text and identifying a theme in what we read. This book has also connected nicely to our study of ecosystems in science. Be sure to ask your student about what he/she has learned about vernal pools and spadefoot toads!

Writing

*Students are in the process of writing their first narrative stories of the year! After utilizing graphic organizers to plan, students have started to develop their stories through the use of a detailed sequence of events and effective character development. Encouraging students to infuse dialogue into their writing has also continued to be an emphasis. 

Math

*Our students are continuing their work with writing and evaluating numerical expressions with parentheses as well as demonstrating their understanding of how to find the volume of rectangular prisms. We have also started “dabbling” in division, although mastery is not yet expected. We also began our “Number Corner” routine during asynchronous work. Here, students practice skills in such areas as computational fluency and problem solving (in addition to several others) on a daily basis. 

Social Studies

*We started our discussion on the responsibilities and powers of government officials at various levels and branches of government and in different times and places.  Over the last several weeks, the focus of asynchronous social studies lessons has revolved around why America declared its independence from Britain. 

Science

*We are continuing our focus on ecosystems. During asynchronous learning, students will be learning more about how the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers contribute to a food chain, and ultimately, a food web. 

Upcoming Events

Sept. 28 - No School/District Holiday

Sept. 29-Picture Day (see Principal’s message for details)

Oct. 8-Family/Educator Conferences

Oct. 9-Family Educator Conferences (No school)

Oct. 12-Columbus Day (No School)

5th Grade Blog for 9/13

Happy Sunday Families!

The link you clicked on is our classroom Blogger page, which will have bi-monthly classroom updates.  Included in the updates will be our current target concepts in all academic areas, classroom events, and important upcoming dates.  An email with a link to our classroom Blogger page will be pushed out every two weeks when our Blogger page is updated.

It was an absolute pleasure seeing many of you last week at our virtual curriculum night. I hope you found it to be an informative and useful evening.  Your involvement and support are greatly appreciated!  If you were unable to attend, please refer to the presentation, which was emailed to you, or feel free to contact me with any questions!

Here are the targets we are currently / planning on working to master over the next couple of weeks:

Literacy

* Our students are currently working on summarizing fiction texts, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges.  We are also greatly enjoying our first chapter book, Night of The Spadefoot Toads. Because some of the chapters are quite lengthy, students are being required to read portions outside of school hours. They are welcome to use their print copy (which can be be picked up at the Ivy Hall office during the week from 7:45am to 4:00pm) or read the story on their iPads using either the Peaarson site, Epic, or a PDF version that can be found in Schoology .  Just a reminder, the Epic app shuts down at 3:00pm unless you have a home Epic account.

Writing

* Our students are off to a great start to learning and refining their narrative writing skills.  We are currently learning the ins and outs of how to write narrative pieces.  Soon, our students will plan their own narratives, which will include an effectively written introduction, well-developed body paragraphs, and a clear and concise conclusion. 

Math

* Our students are currently working on writing and evaluating numerical expressions with parentheses as well as demonstrating their understanding of how to find the volume of rectangular prisms. The first few weeks have also involved getting used to our remote math routines.  

Science / Social Studies

* Our students just wrapped up their first lessons utilizing our TCI online science curriculum.  Our focus was on understanding the various ecosystems around the world. This unit has tied nicely into the Night of the Spadefoot Toads chapter book we are currently reading in Literacy.

*Our students are starting their government unit in Social Studies, which focuses on the responsibilities and powers of government officials at various levels and branches of government and in different times and places.  Over the next two weeks, the focus will revolve around why America declared its independence from Britain. Be sure to ask your students about the "break up" email I read to the class!

Upcoming Events

** Monday September 14th - MAP Testing (we will begin as soon as we can in the morning)

** Tuesday, September 15th - Early Release @ 2:00
** Monday, September 28th—District Holiday—No school

Friendly Reminders

** Please remind your student to turn his or her camera on during class.  This will help your child to stay engaged at the same level they would be during in-person instruction.

** If your child is experiencing issues with his or her iPad, please email our district tech department at elearningsupport@d96.zendesk.com.

** I am available during parent office hours for communication via Zoom on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:45am - 8:15am.  If the office hours are not convenient for you, please send me an email and I will reply as soon as possible.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.  Thank you for your continued support and partnership and have a fantastic Sunday!

Julie Holzhauer