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Gratitude

With the Thanksgiving holiday fast approaching, we’d like to take a moment to thank you all for your support and positivity during our first trimester of Remote Learning. Even though we are separated by Zoom, it is amazing how much of a family we’ve become. The laughter and learning we’ve experienced together has brought us closer, and we’re looking forward to building even more of this community spirit into the next trimester. Thank you also to the many students who were willing to share photos and personal stories about the veterans in their family on Veterans Day, including a personal visit from Mr. McCormick over Zoom! We are grateful to all of the men and women who heroically serve – or have served – in the armed forces.
We hope you were able to use the emailed link to sign up for a time during our Fall Conference days on November 23rd and 24th. We will hold our conferences over Zoom with parents and – if desired – students. At this point, we only have enough conference times for our homeroom students. If you would like to meet with the 5th grade teacher that is not your homeroom teacher, please reach out through email. We will do our best to find a conference time that fits everyone’s schedule. Monday and Tuesday will both be Early Release days in order to accommodate these conference times.
Both classes have been working hard with Ms. Naomi to support an application for a Pollinator Garden Grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. We brainstormed ideas for plants best suited for this type of garden and now each student is working on a garden plan. These plans should be drawn on the graph paper we sent home and returned in two ways: digitally in Google Classroom or emailed to Ms. Naomi AND returned (as a paper copy) in their folder on Friday, November 20th. We are looking forward to improving the garden area behind the Carson building with the creativity and planning of our 5th grade students.
ELA NewsWe are now 2/3 of the way through both of our novels, Esperanza Rising and The Orphan of Ellis Island. Because both novels are moving quickly at this point, we welcome any student who would like to read ahead to do so. Either way, both groups should be finished reading by November 30th. Book Club Slides 4-6 will also be due at that time. On Wednesday we will have our first spelling test of the new trimester. These are the “Week 1” words that were sent home in the yellow folders at the last materials pick-up. No new spelling words will be assigned on Wednesday due to the Thanksgiving Break.

Social Studies News: Last week we started learning about the events in American History that led up to the Revolutionary War. We created a timeline and this week we will learn more about these events and how the colonists began the road to independence. Completed timelines should be returned to school on Friday, November 20th during the next materials drop-off/ pick-up.
Math News: Addition and Subtraction Fraction Test was returned to students. Thank you for printing and returning these tests. Parents, ask your child to show you their test if you haven’t seen them already. They can be viewed in the student’s Google Classroom either as the PDF of the printed copy or on the digital form. Students corrected their work and half points back are reflected in their PowerSchool test grade. We worked on scaling map problems this week in preparation to understanding the steps to make a scaled garden plan. We are wrapping up fractions this week and beginning our unit on decimals.
Accelerated Math Update: As per Mr. Zamiar’s email sent on Friday, the 5th Grade Team and the Math Committee have been working diligently to create and commence the advanced math class. A separate email to the parents of the students who are ready for the accelerated placement will be sent Monday morning. Regardless of whether or not your student is involved in the accelerated math program, we will need to make adjustments to everyone’s math and ELA class meeting time. This week each student will receive a new Trimester 2 Schedule to include Zoom links to their classes. We will walk them through the changes later this week, but please note that the accelerated math class and changes to the schedule will begin on November 30th.
Science News: In groups, students learned about different renewable energy sources. They took a vocabulary quiz on farming sustainability. Students are working in the science packets this week to discover and simulate how land usage of farm animals can be sustainable. They will continue with their mapping skills as they analyze different ranching scenarios.
Please join us in making a difference in the lives of the thousands of people in Northern Illinois who are hungry. The funds we raise and food items we collect will stay right here, in our backyard, and will fill an empty plate of a hungry neighbor. Please consider supporting our efforts with an online donation or by dropping off non expired food items donations during the next Materials Pick up day on November 20th. The classroom with the most participation will receive a special treat!
Most Needed Items Include:
  • Fruits and Vegetables: Canned Fruit in Juice, Low Sodium Canned Vegetables)
  • Proteins: Dry Whole Beans, Lentils, Canned Chicken in Water, Canned Tuna in Water, All Natural Peanut Butter
  • Grains: Whole Grain Cereal, Oatmeal, Whole Grain Pastas, Brown Rice
  • Staples: Instant Breakfast Drink Mix (No Sugar Added), Low Sodium Pasta Sauces, Low Sodium Soups, Spices & Seasonings
*Along with the staple items, please consider donating snack foods such as fruit snacks, granola bars or a savory treat. No glass containers, please.

Important Dates:  

Tuesday, November 17, 2020 – Board Meeting 6:30 pm
Thursday, November 19, 2020 – November Natural Leader’s Assembly 8:05 am
Friday, November 20, 2020 – Materials Pick-up and Food Drive for Avon Township/ Trimester 1 Report Cards emailed home
Monday, November 23, 2020 – Conferences-Early Dismissal/ 2:00-7:00 Conferences
Tuesday, November 24, 2020 – Conferences-Early Dismissal/ 2:00-4:00 Conferences
Wednesday, November 25-Friday, November 27, 2020 – Thanksgiving Break