What a wonderful concert tonight! Our 5th grade performed beautifully!!!!! We are so very proud of them. It's not easy to get all dressed up and perform in front of your community. Here are a couple of pictures. The geometric cities will be put together tomorrow (today!) and I will post the pictures. As we enter into the week before vacation, we want you to know how much we love working with your children.
Yesterday the students started working on Geometrocity. They are working in groups to build a city that requires them to use different geometric elements. Here are a couple of pictures and I will post more tomorrow.
Tuesday Take Home Folders were sent home yesterday! Please remember to look through your child's work, sign the bottom, and have your child return it to school!
Homework was handed out today. It is due on Friday. The reading may look a little different, but your child is to read the story and answer the questions that follow.
Tuesday Take Home Folder's will go home tomorrow. Make sure to look for this so you can sign it and send it back in!
We celebrated our November Student's of the Month this past Friday. The focus was Responsibility!
The responsible student turns in her/his assignments on time,
comes to class with required materials, and takes ownership of her/his
failings. This student knows that the only person one can change is
oneself and doesn't try to blame or change others.
Bradon LaCroix was nominated in Miss. Marino's Homeroom!
Jillian Smith was nominated from Mrs. Tully's Homeroom!
Marley Juaire was nominated by the Unified Arts Teachers!
Congratulations to these students.
The month of December is focused on being Respectful of Other's
Families: If your child is signing up for the Jay Peak ski program, forms and money are due tomorrow! Homework is also due tomorrow! Please make sure you share with your parents forms that were sent home today!
Homework:
Poem of the Week
Daily Math Problems
All due by Friday. ASK questions if you can't do a problem.
Student, parent, teacher conferences are this week. If you have not yet signed up for a conference, please go to this link to do so.
We started our spelling program, Words Their Way, this week. In September, the students took a Spelling Inventory. This inventory placed them on a spelling continuum. The list that your child started at today is where he or she falls on the continuum. I will give another inventory in February and then May. On Monday, I will go through the word sort with each group and discuss the activities for the week. These activities will be worked on each day during ELA Center Time. They are due on Friday. We will not take spelling tests. This spelling program gives students strategies to use while they write and read. It is not about memorizing words for a test.
We had another Student of the Month Assembly this morning. This month was focused around honesty. Wilder Mudgett received the award from Miss. Marino's homeroom! Nolan Howrigan received the award from Mrs. Tully's homeroom. Congratulations to these two! Next month is focused on responsibility.
The honest student, in HR3, is an advocate for him/herself and for
others who may require assistance. This student asks questions
without fear of looking "dumb" in front of the class, asks the teacher
or other students for help, and does not try to hide from challenges.
Reading will be assigned tomorrow, so there is only math homework for tonight. Please have your child read!!!!!!
Hay Day and Harvest Dinner were a success! Thank you so much for participating in the book fair. There are book orders that were sent home a couple of weeks ago. I'll wait til this Friday to send them in.
Homework:
Poem and Daily Math are due on Friday. If students don't understand something, they need to ask Miss Marino or me in the morning.
A Tuesday Take Home List and work was sent home today. You will find this in your child's Home/School Communicator. Please make sure you are checking this folder nightly for any handouts that are sent home.
We started spelling/word study this week. Students will get a list of words and activities on Monday and a quiz will be given on Friday. Students will work on these activities during ELA center time.
We will begin Math Menu this week also. I have shared a copy of this week's with you so you can see what it looks like. Students have two weeks to work on these assignments.
A conference schedule will be shared with you soon. It will be a google document where you will be able to sign up for a slot online. Students are expected to attend the conferences. We will be holding them in the mornings of November 6th, 7th, and 8th and the evenings of November 7th and 8th.
Hay Day is coming up and Miss. Marino's class is doing an activity with cardboard boxes! If you have any shoe boxes, cereal boxes, tissue boxes, etc around your house and would like to donate them, please send them in with your child!
Thank you :)
Remind: If you have not signed up for Remind, please do. Remind is a way that we can text without exchanging cell phone numbers. Use this link to sign up for 2018 5th Grade. https://www.remind.com/join/h69f9b
There are times when I may need to get in touch with you right away and texting is the best way to do it.
Tomorrow we will watch Wall-E. This movie fits right into our recycling and composting unit.
There is no school on Friday due to a teacher in-service. Have a wonderful weekend.
Homework:
Poem and Math are due Thursday. Students should be asking for help during our morning business time.
There is a teacher in-service this Friday, so no school for students.
We had a great field trip today. Even though it was a bit chilly, the sun helped to warm things up. Here are some pictures from Northwest Solid Waste District.
One of the balers.
Another baler.
Electronics!
So. Much.Paper!!!
They make it very easy for us to recycle!
Shoes can even be dropped off!
Good Will picks them up!
They have so much and are
very organized!
Wood and concrete.
Wires
Very easy to understand.
Refrigerators and air conditioners.
How much paint do you have in your garage?
We have a lot.
We really have no excuse not to recycle and compost.
I do not yet home compost. It is my goal to be doing this by
the end of the school year.
Friday, October 12, 2018
We had a great Friday!
Please check your child's folder for our field trip form!
If work was not made up during choice time, they will know what should be done at home over the weekend.
Homework is due tomorrow.
Please sign the Tuesday Work List and send all work back to school with the list signed.
We are so proud of this class. They come together for Direct Instruction, Lunch, and Recess. They break up into small groups. They go back and forth between two rooms and start classes when they are supposed to. It is so much fun to bring them together with two teachers and then split them up according to their needs. These kids are awesome!!!
Poem and Daily Math are due by this Friday.
Tuesday Take Home folders are due back by tomorrow. (The work is in the Home-School Communicator).
Jay Peak ski/snowboard information was sent home last week.
Today was our first day of working with ELA centers. The kids did a fabulous job transitioning through 3 different centers. I also had plans for the kids to work on Khan Academy. The invite I sent them didn't work and then we found out that 1/2 the class had one set of instructions and the other 1/2 had another set. The kids were wonderful during this time. We got it figured out in the end! We go on a field trip next Tuesday to Northwest Solid Waste District and Hudak's Farm. This will help with the Public Service Announcements the students are creating. A permission slip will go home tomorrow.
Today, all students have work in their Home-School Communicator. This is work that Miss Marino and I have reviewed, scored, or looked at over the last 2 weeks. There is also a work list that has all the work included in the folder. This list is to be signed and all work is to return to school by Thursday.
If your child has a checkmark next to the assignment, then that means the assignment was turned in on time. If the assignment is circled, then that means the assignment has not been turned in, or was turned in late.
Every Friday we have catch-up time from 12:00-1:35. This is when the students can work on any assignment(s), from the week, that is/are not finished. If the assignment(s) is/are still not done by 1:35, then the students work on it/them from 2:00-2:50 while the rest of the class has choice time. If the assignment(s) are not finished by 2:50, then the student needs to bring it home over the weekend to finish it at home.
If you have any questions, please contact us by email.
New homework for this week:
Poem and Daily Math Problems. All due on Friday. I have started changing some of the assignments to fit students' levels. I will continue to do this as I find out more information about how the students learn best. Part of the homework is problem-solving. What should students be doing when they come across something they don't know? The first thing is to connect it to something they do know. Then they can decide what resources they have available to them. Asking for adult help is excellent if they can tell us what they have done first.
Last week we started using Gizmos. These are online simulations that the students use to solve problems in math and science. It is a great way to differentiate instruction. Visit the website to browse around.
5T goes gleaning tomorrow morning! Watch the weather!!!!!
Narrative Writing has started! We have spent the past two days working with strategies to help us find ideas to write about. Today we mapped out special places and shared them with the class. Yesterday we brainstormed times when we 1st realized something and the last time we realized something.
Homework:
Poem and Math are due Friday. Any extra time, up to 50 minutes max could be used for reading.
This week is the 6th week of school. The students are settling into the routines and schedule and learning what 5th grade is about. Our focus is on preparing the students for middle school. I taught 6th grade for many years, so I know what they need for next year. We will push them out of their comfort zones, as this is how they become better learners.
We are so proud of the students! We will do amazing things this year with the motivation these students have!
Today's circle was, at first, split in two. Mrs. Tully worked with students interested in football and Miss Marino worked with students and checked in with them to see how things were going.
Football: These expectations came out of our discussion.
Teams will be decided by dealing name cards that have been shuffled, names will be face down.
Those who are playing at the beginning are the students playing. No one may join once the game has started.
Flag football will start next time we go outside. Initial stickers were placed on the belt so the same students have the same belt when they play.
Students need to listen to one another instead of arguing.
Check-In Circle:
Using the information we gathered at the beginning of the school year; what do we need from ourselves, our teachers, and our classmates to have the best year, students shared how things were going. Students were very, very honest about how they were doing in response to what others said were needed in the classroom.
Here is a picture of the information gathered today.
September's Student of the Month was "Ready to Learn." The ready to learn student comes to class with all required materials, obeys teacher requests, takes notes, and completes all required work. This is the student who is looking at the teacher when the teacher is ready to begin instruction, even when others are fooling around. Honorra Farr received this award from Miss. Marino's Homeroom and Lexie Lemieux received it from Mrs. Tully's Homeroom. Congratulations to these two!
The month of October is "Honest."
The honest student, in HR3, is an advocate for him/herself and for
others who may require assistance. This student asks questions
without fear of looking "dumb" in front of the class, asks the teacher
or other students for help, and does not try to hide from challenges.
Homework: Due Friday
Poem-Read every night, silently and aloud to an adult. Multiple choice and short answer.
Math- 5 Daily problems
Divide work as schedules allow. Read with any extra time you have.
Last week we started a closing circle. It's not as intense as our weekly Tuesday circles but is showing to be as effective. It's called Triple A. Right before dismissal, when we are all packed up and ready to go home we spend about 5 minutes sharing appreciations, aha's, and apologies. We do not use a talking piece but throw a ball to the person who wants to share. It's a great way to wrap up the day and end on a positive note.
From today: I appreciate being in this class, I appreciate how we worked together to play football, I appreciate how my partner in Social Studies helped me when I didn't understand how to answer the question.
Pretty powerful! 6th week of school is this week. It takes about 6-8 weeks to set up routines so they happen consistently.
On Fridays, we have catch-up day. This is an opportunity to let kids finish assignments that were started during the week. At 2:00, if this work is not finished, the students will go to one of our rooms to finish and the other students will have choice time. Choice time is not Free Time! There are a few activities they may choose to work on during this time. The students will always have the choice to play chess or read. Crossword puzzles, boggle, yahtzee, scrabble, bananagrams, math 24, kiva planks, rummy 500, or jigsaw puzzles are some of the choices.
If work is not finished by 2:55, then it will need to be brought home to be finished over the weekend. If your child has worked on the assignment diligently and brought it home, then we want you to decide how much time it should be worked on over the weekend. Work brought back on Monday can always be finished at lunchtime or during the morning business time.
Please let us know if you have any questions. We want all students to start fresh each Monday. We want to set high expectations, but also want to meet the needs of each student in the best way possible.
Every Friday morning we have Problem Solving during math time. I will write another post this weekend to share some pictures and video from today.
Miss. Marino's Homeroom had a FANTASTIC time on our field trip, this past Tuesday. We "gleaned" vegetables and fruits at a local farm. These are all fruits and vegetables that most likely won't get bought at a store and they donate all of these to local food shelves, or to others in need!
We gathered multiple boxes, but here are two boxes of the peppers!
Homework:
Weekly Poem and Daily Math Practice. Students are to touch base with us if they have a question about the homework.
Last week's homework should be reviewed with your child and signed by you. Your child is to return it to Mrs. Tully.
Mrs. Tully's homeroom received a permission slip for next week's field trip.
Students may have received their copy of Fish in a Tree, the novel we are going to read as a class. All the chapters will have the audio version available to the students on the class blog. fairfieldteamtst.blogspot.com
I did have the youtube site where the chapters are available shared on safetv.com. This site made youtube videos available without the other videos showing up on the side of the page. I don't think safeshare is available anymore because today the links wouldn't work. I revised the links to the direct youtube site. There is a teacher who has recorded all the chapters. Please check out the page where the chapters are available in audio form. Let me know if you do not want your child accessing youtube to listen to the book. The books are kept at school, but you can listen to the story on youtube if you want.
Every Tuesday, the 5th grade has a full Circle in the library. At the end of every day, 5th grade will join together in Mrs. Tully's room (it's larger) and have a Triple A time. Triple A stands for Appreciations, Apologies, and Ahas. This is a time when students can share an appreciation for someone, apologize for something that happened during the day, or share an Aha moment, (I learned this today, or I noticed this today). Students do not have to share. This is an opportunity to end the day as a whole class, sharing, and valuing one another.
Here is a video showing a teacher and his class doing this. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=appreciation+apology+aha
Homework:
Poem and Math are due on Friday.
Students are to get a parent signature on last week's homework assignments.
5M goes gleaning tomorrow!!!!! Dress for the weather! Bring your permission slip!
5M Homeroom!!!!! Please remember to send in the signed field trip form tomorrow morning. The weather looks like rain, so please send boots and rain jacket!
Friday, September 21, 2018
Hi!
For my homeroom (5M), your child has received three field trip forms. The first two need to be signed and returned, the other is information for you. 5M will be going this coming Tuesday, September 25th. Please try and get the forms in on Monday!!!! Mrs. Tully's homeroom (5T) will be going on October 2nd. We will be home in time for lunch and please be aware of what the weather is supposed to be... we will be outside!
We had a lot of fun this week delivering/emptying compost buckets and recycling bins for the whole school! This will be our grade's job for the whole year :)
Homework is due tomorrow.
When students come in at 8:15, there is a morning message. After they read the message they empty their backpacks, get their materials ready for the day, bring notes to Brenda, look for a DEAR book if needed, and work on their morning work. Morning work is 5 grammar questions. 8:15-8:30 is the time for all of this to happen. It's important to start the day organized and ready to learn.
Homework is due on Friday. Questions will be answered in the morning or through the day when students have time. Please, no frustration. If your child is experiencing frustration, let us know. Book Orders were sent home today. The easiest way to order is online at Scholastic. Our class code isNXBYL If you are unable to order and pay online, then send in the order form with a check made payable to Scholastic. I cannot take checks made out to me. I will submit your order and send the check to Scholastic. I will send in the order on Friday, September 28th.
Homework:
You should have received a letter explaining our homework routine. By October, homework will be at your child's independent level, with a bit of a challenge. Poem and math are due this Friday.
Today's circle focused on "Making things right." We identified different harms/hurts that can happen. Then we read a scenario where we had to identify who was harmed and what kind of harm happened. Then we decided what should be done to fix the hurt. We are very aware of physical and emotional harm, but we often forget educational harm. When students are unable to access their education due to students being disruptive in class, then educational harm is happening. We will work on identifying these harms when they happen and finding ways to make it right.
Homework:
Poem-Students should be re-reading the poem every night. It would be great if your child read it to you every night. This helps with fluency. Math problems: 5 per night. The reason the homework is due on Friday is so students can learn time management. The assignments can be divided up in any way that best fits the student's schedule. If they have a question about one of the questions, they can come in and talk to me about it in the morning. Many students have done this. 8:15-8:30 is our business time. Students get notes signed by Miss Brenda, get breakfast, read, ask me about homework, choose a DEAR book-if needed-, and generally get ready for their day.
Students received their first Storyworks magazine this week. These will be kept in the misc. section of their homework binders. If your child has some homework time left (remember the 50-minute rule?) then I encourage you to read a story or article together. We keep these all month and the students know they are to reread the pieces many times. They can also go to scholastic.storyworks.com the password is frogjar5. Articles and stories have audio and the students can follow along while they hear it.
Below is the information gathered from our Orientation Circle and the follow-up circle we had with the kids.
Today the students were assigned their computers.
This is what our organized computer cart looks like!!!!!
We talked about brain states and showed the kids a video that explains what is going on in their brain when frustration occurs. Here is the video. Dr. Bailey's brain model using your hand.
Open House is Thursday night. Pizza starts at 5:00 and Classroom visits start at 6:00. Mrs. Tully will be about 15 minutes late and arrive by 5:20.
Homework was handed out today. Poem and Daily 5 Math Problems: all due by Friday. Picture day is tomorrow. Please remember to send the picture form in with your child. A Classroom Reminder: Both of the fifth grade classrooms are peanut and tree nut free, so make sure you are not sending in home snacks containing these!
Homework:
Return any forms. Poem Activity and Math Problems due tomorrow. *Name needs to be on the assignment!!!!!:)
Our caterpillar turned into a pupa! We found another caterpillar on the basketball court and moved it to the tree and it went down to the grass. Love exploring nature during recess!
Our tray carts came in today. The fun of dividing the class into 4 groups, giving them a box of parts, having them read the directions, and assembling the cart....with no directions from me! PERFECT!!
Homework:
Return any emergency forms, etc.
Poem and Daily 5 Math Problems: all due by Friday.
Homework is not about what happened in the classroom that day. It is to have practice with reading and math, as well as time management and problem-solving. There should NEVER be frustration with homework. EVER! If a question causes confusion, and your child has tried to figure it out, but can't, then he or she should come to talk to me the next day. I will never, ever get mad at them. If they cry remind them of this. No more than 50 minutes should be spent on homework, including the reading of their DEAR books if there is time. I sent home a LONG email about this yesterday!!!!!!!!
I got a video of the caterpillar crawling!
We will begin our Class Read, Fish In A Tree, next week. We have been reading it aloud to the students, but expect them to start at the beginning once they have their own copies. All of the chapters are read aloud on youtube and I will be posting the links on the blog. It is a WONDERFUL book!
We also use books to teach and reteach expectations. A few that we will be reading are: My Mouth is a Volcano; Decibella and her 6 Inch Voice; and What if Everybody Did That?
The titles are links to see what the books are about.
We spent a lot of time today practicing voice levels like Decibella. Some students need more practice than others, and Ms. Marino and I will be having lunch with those students who need practice with voice levels. Example: We will eat lunch at a voice level 0, or voice level 1, or voice level 2. All students understand voice levels 3 & 4!!!!!!!! Maybe we should write a play about voice levels!
Next Thursday, 9/13 is Open House! Can't wait to see you there!
Found this little (big) cutie outside today. Anyone know what kind of caterpillar it is?
Homework starts this week. There will be a poem, with questions, and some math. The poem should be read every night silently and aloud. All of it is due on Friday. This format will stay the same all year. By October, I will have different levels for different students, but it will stay independent. Students may need help with some of it, but I have asked them to not become frustrated and ask for help the next day. No more than 50 minutes should be spent on homework. Students do read during the day, but I expect them to read at home for a bit when time allows. Example: Your child read the poem and did the 5 questions, did 4 of the math problems, but got stuck on #5. He or she will as me about the math problem in the morning. This took 20 minutes. He or she should read for 20-30 minutes depending on your family activities for the afternoon and evening.
Recess: Today, we talked about recess being a fun activity. If any game or activity becomes so serious that name calling and physical contact becomes involved, then that activity may be canceled and students showing that behavior will be asked to sit out for a couple of minutes. Discussion about the behavior will be attempted, but sometimes students aren't available to have a productive conversation at that point. The student may be able to go back to the activity if s/he can discuss what happened. If not, then the student will need to find another activity. Discussion and reteaching will happen at another time. It is a Maple Run policy that recess cannot be withheld, but an alternative recess may be provided if needed.
Fortnite, disco, The Waltz, The Tango, Tap, Ballet, etc: Students are more than welcome to dance the night away at recess! Any dancing in the classroom/hallway, unless we have a dance party, causes students to focus more on the dancing than the instruction. We appreciate your help with this, really...........we do!!! Not kidding, we really do!
All About Me Poster: Miscommunication on my part!!!!! We sent home a sheet explaining this at our Orientation. I was to send it home via email and it just didn't happen. No excuse except my overloaded brain! Students may bring in pictures to add to their posters. We can also take a picture of your child and print it if needed. Let us know if we can help. Here is the letter. All About Me Poster We did not get to it on Friday. Today was the first day and they will have time to work on it tomorrow and Friday.
Parent-Student Handbook: Please read the handbook. Here is the link. Parent-Student Handbook Let me know if you have any questions.
Please send in paperwork if you haven't done so already.
Remember notes for change of plans.
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Sign up for Remind.
This week we have been focusing on community building activities and activities that allow us to experience how we will learn in the classroom. Personalized learning and differentiated instruction require the students to be able to navigate their learning environment. The classroom needs to run smoothly with everyone understanding the expectations. It takes time at the beginning of the year to set this up, but we get that time back when the learning takes off!! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to give me a call, text me, or email me!
Homework:
If you did not send paperwork in with your child, please send it in as soon as possible!
No other homework. Homework-general grammar and math, will start next week. More information on that will have its own blog post.
SUPER IMPORTANT!!!!!!
Your child has a normal end of the day routine that they will do on most days. That routine might be different for some days, but for the most part, it is the normal end of day dismissal routine. If that routine changes, we MUST have a note. For sports, we encourage parents to send in a forever note for that season. Example: Any time there is soccer, Joey can stay after school. If the practice doesn't start right after school, then he will go to the BNML. Mrs. Fournier is organizing an after-school program, so if you need information on that, please email her at jfournier@maplerun.org
If we don't have a note, and we cannot contact you due to time issues, then your child will have to go with his or her normal routine that you shared with us on the form you filled out. You can always email us and copy Brenda on the email. We can't guarantee that we can check emails after 11:45 am because we are teaching Core subjects and out for recess duty.
Unified Arts Schedule
Monday: Music 5T PE 5M Tuesday: Art 5T PE 5M Wednesday: PE 5T Art 5M Thursday: PE 5T Library 5M Friday: Library 5TMusic 5M Please send in pictures/drawings/maps, etc for your child's All About Me poster. We will start working on these this Friday, or next Tuesday, depending on what we get done tomorrow! We always over plan the first week!!!! Subscribe to the Blog! Sign up for the Remind app so we can text!
Hi everyone! I got back yesterday from our annual visit to Long Island. We had a wonderful time in the city shoe shopping, seeing family, and eating at our favorite Japanese Steak House!!!!
Now it's time to think about this school year, which isn't hard for me since I taught summer school and am working on a writing committee this week! Ms. Hathaway and I will be at City School organizing our On Demand Writing Prompts for our Common Local Assessments.
I sent out more information on the August 27th 5th Grade Orientation.
the following problem.
I was honest and said, "hmm, I'm not quite sure, I haven't done a problem like that in many years. But, I do know that in math, you find out what you know and start with that."
So----- we knew that "is" can be "=" and "of" can be multiplication (x). We then knew we could change the way the problem was read by substituting smaller numbers.
Example:
10 = 5 x ___ can be written as 5 x ______ = 10
We know this answer is 2, but how? We divided... 10 divided by 2 is 5.
So........ 84 divided by 21% = the missing number.
We remembered how to change %s back to decimals and how to divide with decimals and got our answer of 400.
We did the problem without really knowing how.
Lesson? ALWAYS start with what you know, NOT with what you don't know.
I love teaching math and am excited to be back at it this year!
