As the 3rd trimester begins this week, this is a good time to reflect on the growth your students have made in 5th grade. All students have been working on creating digital portfolios to share with you at our Student Led Conferences on March 14th. Please sign up for a convenient time to visit your child’s homeroom classroom and see the many accomplishments your students will be highlighting!
This may also be a good time to adopt some new routines going forward. As the workload increases in 5th grade, it is crucial that students stay on top of assignments. We set aside class time each day to record all homework in assignment notebooks and homework assignments are also written into the Google Calendar each afternoon. If your student has been consistently telling you (s)he doesn’t have homework, please consider double checkingtheir assignment notebook. There are many long term assignments that should be broken down and completed in a manageable time frame before they become overwhelming.
In ELA, we have started our Literature Circles. Each student has been assigned a book to read and all groups have met to map out their reading assignments and “jobs” for each week. Packets were passed out last Monday as well. Since these assignments are not in digital format, it is important for all students to find a reliable place to keep their packets such as an ELA folder or Case-It binder. These packets will be collected at the end of our six week unit and students will be given credit at that time for work completed. Spelling tests will continue this Tuesday for Disney, Squishy Bananas, Australian Hawks, and Yellow Submarine. Two spelling activities demonstrating mastery of the words are also due on Tuesday.
In social studies, we will have a quiz on the Midwest states on Thursday. This quiz, of course, hits close to home and should be familiar territory for the students. We are proud of the work many students have been doing at home to prepare for these quizzes. Some have even memorized a rap that details all 50 states and capitals. Any student who would like to perform that rap in front of the class will receive extra credit in social studies!! We will have our final two quizzes on the regions of the United States before Spring Break.
Please note that all students will take the Illinois Assessment of Readiness during the week of April 8th. This state wide assessment will cover both ELA and math. Please try to avoid scheduling any appointments for your child during this time. Thank you!
And finally (phew), please plan to attend our camping meeting on Tuesday, March 19th at 6:00. We will give you important paperwork for the trip as well as go over information and details. To ensure the safety and enjoyment of all students while camping, we strongly urge you to attend this important session. The 5th grade will be camping from May 29-31.
Upcoming Events:
Monday, March 4th- PCCS Lottery 7-9:00pm
Friday, March 8th- Fun Fair 4:00-7:30pm Gaylord Nelson Gym
Wednesday, March 13th- Festival of Colors (Holi) Celebration and potluck
Thursday, March 14th-15th- Scholastic Book Fair during conferences
Friday, March 15th-City BBQ fundraiser for Dylan