5th Grade News

• 2/10 - 2/14: Parent/Teacher Conferences
• 2/10 - 2/14: Spring Book Fair (open until 7 p.m. on Thursday!)
• 2/13 & 2/14: Half Days (12:05 dismissal)
• 2/13: Kona Ice for families @ 4 - 7 p.m.
• 2/17: NO SCHOOL (President's Day)
• 2/19: Spring Pictures
• 2/21: E.R. Friday (2 p.m. dismissal)
• 2/26: Panda Express fundraising @ 9 a.m. - 10 p.m.
• 2/27: Field Day (more info to come)
• Team colors: Comeau (blue), Simpson (black), Weber (red)
• 2/28: E.R. Friday (2 p.m. dismissal)
• 3/6: Battle of the Books: Battle 3
• 3/7: E.R. Friday (2 p.m. dismissal)
• 3/11: Kona Ice @ Recess (Grades 1-6)
• 3/11: Reading & Math Family Night @ 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
• 3/17 - 21: Spring Break
• 3/25: AzSci State Assessment (5th Grade only, REQUIRED)
• 3/25: AzSci State Assessment (5th Grade only, REQUIRED)
• 3/28: E.R. Friday (2 p.m. dismissal)

**NWEA Map - End of February - 1 full week

**AASA State Testing: 4/1 - 4/2, 4/7 - 4/10 (tentative)

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:

1. are passing all of their classes

2. have no missing assignments

3. have received more positives than infractions on their P.A.R.K. Cards

4. have not received two or more reflections

5. have had no on-campus or off-campus suspensions

6. have not been assigned a “structured day”

7. 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 require that parents/guardians sign P.A.R.K. Cards on a weekly basis.

Each quarter, students start fresh!

We will be continuing & completing our unit on the Earth & Moon!

This month, we will answer these questions:

• Why does the Moon change shape?
• What are the wandering stars?
• Why is gravity different on other planets?
• How can you tell time at night?

We will:

• create models to show how the interaction between the Earth & Sun are responsible for the Moon's phases.
• use a model to show the distance from the planets to the Sun.
• explain why not all objects in the night sky move in the same pattern.
• collect & analyze data to show that the larger an object is, the more gravity it will have.
• explain that the gravitational force pulls objects to the center of the Earth.
• create a model that shows the direction of force on different parts of the planet.

We will be taking the DV Earth & Moon Assessment the Week of 3/3.

"Take chances! Make mistakes! Get messy!" - Ms. Frizzle 🦎

We have been busy! Since the last newsletter, we wrapped up the Federalist, Jefferson, & Jackson Eras. We have learned about Manifest Destiny, and Westward Expansion.

Next, we will be discussing how economic systems shape relationships in society, and answer these questions:

• How does technology change the way people live?
• How do people adapt to their environment?
• Why do people make economic choices?

By the end of our next chapter, the students will know:

• the causes and consequences of the nineteenth-century transportation revolution
• the impact of technological advancements on the agricultural economy and slave labor
• the various immigrant groups that came to the United States during the early 1800s and their contributions
• the reasons various urban centers developed during the 1800s
• the differences between the economies of the North and South
• the influence of individuals on social and political developments in the South
• the role of slavery in the development of sectional conflict

Then, we will discover how people, places, and ideas change over time, and answer these questions:

• Why do societies change?
• What motivates people to act?
• How do new ideas change the way people live?

By the end of Chapter 11, the students will know:

• the influence of various individuals on social and political developments in the United States
• the growth of social reform movements between 1820 and 1860
• the development of the abolitionist movement and its impact
• what the women's movement fought for and what the results were

We will be completing our Spring D.B.Q. Assessment for the district during the week of 2/17.

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, it is required that PARK Cards are signed WEEKLY by parents/guardians. ⚠️

• pencils!

• tissues

• cap erasers

• hand sanitizer

• Mrs. Comeau: Karissa.Comeau@dvusd.org
• Ms. Simpson: Kristi.Simpson@dvusd.org
• Ms. Weber: Grace.Weber@dvusd.org