5th Grade News
January 2025
IMPORTANT DATES
- 1/13 - 1/24: APEX Fun Run (more info to come via e-mail each day)
- 1/13: school-wide pep rally!
- 1/14 - 1/23: hype days!
- 1/24: 2025 Fun Run Event Day! (during Specials)
- Tip: If possible, have your child eat breakfast at home on this day, to avoid them getting sick... 5th Grade's event starts at 8:45 a.m.!)
- 1/14: Kona Ice @ recess (Grades 1-6)
- 1/15: Club Pictures
- 1/17: E.R. Friday (2 p.m. dismissal)
- 1/20: NO SCHOOL (MLK Jr. Day)
- 1/24: E.R. Friday (2 p.m. dismissal)
- 1/27 - 1/31: AZELLA Testing for EL students
- 1/31: E.R. Friday (2 p.m. dismissal)
- 2/4: Kona Ice @ recess (Grades 1-6)
- 2/7: E.R. Friday (2 p.m. dismissal)
- 2/7: Volunteer Training @ 9:30 a.m. (at Park Meadows)
- 2/10 - 2/14: Parent/Teacher Conferences (more info to come)
- 2/10 - 2/14: Spring Book Fair
- 2/13 & 2/14: Half Days (12:05 dismissal)
- 2/13: Kona Ice for families (during conferences)
- 2/17: NO SCHOOL (President's Day)
- 2/19: Spring Pictures
- 2/21: E.R. Friday (2 p.m. dismissal)
- 2/27: Field Day (more info to come)
- 2/28: E.R. Friday (2 p.m. dismissal)
**NWEA Map - End of February - 1 full week
P.A.R.K. Cards & Expectations
How are students rewarded for displaying positive P.A.R.K. character?
Throughout each quarter, we like to randomly reward all 5th grade students who:
are passing all of their classes
have no missing assignments
have received more positives than infractions on their P.A.R.K. Cards
have not received two or more reflections
have had no on-campus or off-campus suspensions
have not been assigned a “structured day”
have not lost their P.A.R.K. Card more than once or have an orange or red P.A.R.K. Card
Students who meet the above criteria will be able to enjoy any planned or spontaneous P.A.R.K. Card rewards. The 5th Grade teachers will plan spontaneous rewards to recognize those who are on top of their grades and behavior. Students will not know until the morning of, and teachers will not adjust the outcome of students on the day of the reward. Students who do not meet the criteria will simply not receive or participate in that particular reward.
⚠️ IMPORTANT CHANGE: Starting in 3rd Quarter, we will be requiring that parents/guardians sign P.A.R.K. Cards on a weekly basis.
Each quarter, students start fresh!
E.L.A. with Ms. Weber!
This month we have started to explore our new myBooks, beginning with our All About Art module! We have read about French artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Louis Armstrong (as well as listen to his music), and Phillis Wheatley (poet).
For writing we have written a multiparagraph Personal Narrative. District writing tests do not specify the number of paragraphs students must write, so I am using some of their directions in class for our regular assignments, to get students used to that wording. “Multiparagraph” is one of those words.
To end our writing module, we’ll do some poetry, if our Personal Narratives are complete. We’re going through this writing module quicker than I expected, which is great, because that means students are enjoying their writing!
When everyone has finished their Personal Narratives, we will take the DIstrict Opinion Writing Assessment. There is no specific date I have to give it on, so we will see when that occurs! It just has to be completed before the end of February.
Math with Ms. Simpson!
Click the links below to access the i-Ready letters for Unit 3. Lessons 18, 19, and 20:
Science with Mrs. Comeau!
We are starting our unit on the Earth & Moon!
This month, we will:
- use a model to demonstrate how the Earth rotates.
- create a model to show the change of the Sun's position in the sky throughout the day.
- explain how the Sun is a star, and all stars move in the same direction in the sky.
- explain that Earth's revolution causes the sun to be higher or lower in the sky at different times of the year, and causes the daytime to be longer or shorter.
- analyze patterns that the Earth's movement causes.
- use data to determine how the hours of daylight change throughout the seasons.
- create & use a graph to show hours of daylight throughout the seasons.
- analyze patterns created on a sundial due to the Earth's rotation.
- describe the difference between rotation & revolution of the Earth.
- describe the position of the Earth & Sun when it's daytime/nighttime.
- explain why days and nights aren't always equal.
- understand the connection between the movements of the Earth, and the cycle of day & night.
"Take chances! Make mistakes! Get messy!" - Ms. Frizzle 🦎
Social Studies with Mrs. Comeau!
Now that we have learned about the U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights, the 3 branches of government, and the duties and responsibilities of being a United States citizen, we will explore the Federalist Era, and answer these questions:
- How did the federal government develop under the leadership of George Washington?
- How did the new government respond to internal & external threats?
- How did the two-party political system develop in America?
Then, we will move on through history to the Jefferson Era, and answer these questions:
- How did Jefferson win the election of 1800?
- What were the political & geographical changes that took place during Jefferson's presidency?
- Why did the United States enter the War of 1812?
- How did the United States fare in the War of 1812?
- How did the War of 1812 affect the nation?
Notes From the Teachers:
REMINDERS:
- Retake requests: It is the students' responsibility to request to retake assessments from their subject area teachers, if needed.
NOTE: In Reading class, they will have to do a worksheet to prove that their skills have grown, and they are able to take a similar test to get better results, since the correct results are written on their original tests.
***The purpose of retakes is to show mastery of skills. Students cannot retake a retake. That is a sign for the teacher to give more one-on-one support to that child, should the need occur. Thank you for understanding.
- Please be sure to check your child's P.A.R.K. Card daily. Once your child reaches 5 infractions, he/she will need to serve a Reflection. Reflections are scheduled on Tuesdays at 3:45 - 4:30 p.m., or Thursdays at 7:45 - 8:30 a.m. The teacher who marks the 5th infraction will contact you to set this up, if needed. Thank you for your support with this.
- NOTE: Starting 3rd Quarter, we will be requiring that PARK Cards are signed WEEKLY by parents/guardians. ⚠️
pencils!
tissues
cap erasers