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A Restful Weekend

We hope you’ve had a restful and relaxing weekend with family. We are excited to see everyone again and get our week started tomorrow. We continue to be impressed with the commitment of our students and the support of our parents and caregivers during this Remote Learning experience. We truly feel like we’re growing as a team and a community as we get to know the learning styles and personalities of our students. Every day brings time to learn and laugh together.
We realize that connections with Zoom can be unpredictable and slow at times. Please try to log in 5 minutes ahead of class time to ensure you are ready to start with us on time. As Mrs. Psimaras and Miss King mentioned, it is often difficult to work with a student who has arrived late, and we may need to ask that student to attend Office Hours (from 3:00-3:30) that day to receive instructions on material missed. Thank you for your help with our technology challenges.
In ELA, we have recently created two Writing Notebooks – Writing Notebook #1 and Writing Notebook #Friday. In the first notebook we will be practicing Explanatory or Informative Writing while in the second notebook (hashtag Friday), we are practicing Personal Narrative. We started writing about our favorite trip or vacation memory last Friday, and we will continue to write in both notebooks each week. Our Reading Packet this week will focus on a non-fiction text detailing the Great Depression. Due to the difficulty of this text, we will use our Close Reading strategies to read through the passage multiple times. Students will be guided through this process during the week.
In social studies, we will spend some time sharing the rest of our Immigration Posters this week as well as discussing the short essays we wrote about Population Growth. A lesson with Ms. Naomi last week really got us thinking about the carrying capacity of our communities and our planet as the world population continues to grow. We’re excited to hear about any solutions your students have proposed! Finally, a short lesson on the Stock Market will pair well with the reading on the Great Depression we’re doing in ELA. This quick economic simulation will round out the week.
Speaking of economics, we are currently creating virtual “bank accounts” for all 5th graders using a website called mykidsbank.org. These accounts will keep track of Hawks Tickets earned and will allow students to make withdrawals to spend these Hawks Tickets on rewards. Hawks Tickets will be given – as in the past – to students who show responsible and respectful behavior during the school day. There may even be some “job” responsibilities offered in the near future to increase bank balances. More information will be available soon on this banking experience.
Please note that we will have another Materials Pick-Up and Drop-Off on Friday, September 11th from 3:00-4:00 pm. Also, we will hold a virtual Curriculum Night on September 17th from 6:00-7:00 for the Carson Building. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the 5th grade curriculum and bring any questions or concerns you may have regarding the upcoming year. Curriculum Night will be held on Mrs. Neil’s Zoom account for both 5th grade classes. We hope to see you there!
Future Dates:
Friday, September 11 – PCCS Spirit Day: Wear green or your PCCS gear and show your school spirit!
Friday, September 11 – Materials Pick-Up/Drop Off
  • 1:00 pm Kindergarten
  • 3:00-4:00 pm Grades 1-8

September 14 – 18 –  Attendance Week
Monday, September 14 – Comstock Curriculum Night – Virtual 6-7 pm.

Thursday, September 17 – Carson Curriculum Night – Virtual – 6-7 pm
Friday, September 18 – PCCS Spirit Day: Wear green or your PCCS gear and show your school spirit!