Archives

Last Three Weeks

May6

I can hardly believe we are already approaching summer at this breakneck speed.  It truly feels as if the school year has just begun.

We will continue working hard each day until the end of school.  It becomes increasingly difficult to keep student attention the closer to the end of the school year we get.  Please help your child remain engaged by maintaining a regular sleep schedule, meal schedule and arriving on time each day.

We will be taking our final SAGE exam Tuesday, May 8.

Important Dates 

May 14- Crazy Sock Day

May 15- Crazy Hat or Hair Day

May 16- Pajama Day

May 16- 5th grade meeting for Alliance Redwoods (5:30 pm MMA Library)

May 17- What do you want to be? (Dress up as your future occupation)

May 18- Field Day

May 22-25 – Early Release 1:00pm

May 22-25 – Student Led Teacher Conference (sign up here)

May 23- Upper Elementary Bridging Ceremony (10:30-12:00 MMA Gym)

May 25- Last Day of School

 

Week 32 – SAGE Testing Schedule

Mar22

Week 32!  What?  I have no idea where the time goes.  This year has absolutely flown by, faster than any of the last three years I have been in the classroom.  Even the students have commented they can’t believe the year is nearly over.   We have just ten short weeks left with so much learning in store.

SAGE Testing Schedule

Our annual summative testing begins after spring break.  With that in mind, it is important that your child rests well, eats healthy meals and comes to school on time in order to do his/her best.  These things are important for your child every day, but are particularly important during testing in order to eliminate anxiety that can come with taking an exam.  We have regular conversations in the classroom that this assessment is simply an opportunity for students to show what they know, and to demonstrate what they have been working so hard on all year.

Although SAGE is only one measure of your child’s progress, it is important to enter into the test with an attitude of working hard and doing their best.  (When would we ever encourage a child not to do their best?)  Students often reflect what has been discussed at home, if you model a positive attitude toward the test, your child is likely to do better when test time arrives.

  • Wednesday, April 12 – Writing
  • Monday, April 17 – Language
  • Tuesday, May 9 – Math
  • Monday, May 15 – Science

If you have any questions about testing, please let me know.

 

Wrapping It All Up

May6

I can hardly believe this year is coming to an end.  I blinked, and it was May.  With that being said, it’s not over yet; learning is happening everyday and students are expected to stick with it to the very end.

Please make note of the following dates:

May 9 – SAGE Math

May 12, 6:30 – Redwoods meeting for 5th grade parents and students

May 17 – SAGE Science (changed from May 16)

May 25, 10:30 – 6th grade bridging ceremony

May 24-26, 1:30-7:00 – PTC – Sign up for a time on the side bar (watch for a separate post about these final conferences)

For additional dates regarding end of year school-wide activities please read the newsletter.

With the changing weather, we are spending more time outside with lessons than we have in the past.  Please be sure your child has a water bottle, sunscreen, and even a hat to protect them from the sun.   We have been taking a daily run around the track as we transition from independent work to partner and small group work times.  The students love this activity and Ms. Kari and I benefit from the exercise as well.  We will continue this activity this year and into next year as well.  Next year we plan to join Ms. Shanan’s class for their Wednesday WOD (work out of the day), I can’t wait to include this element into our work cycle.

Our last two SAGE exams are upcoming.  Monday, May 9 we take our Math exam and Tuesday, May 17 we take our Science exam.  Please help your child be prepared by ensuring a good night rest, healthy breakfast and lunch as well as a healthy snack for test day.   Please be sure your child is on time to school on these days.  Arriving on time helps them relax and settle in prior to the assessment.

Finally, thank you for all the kindness during teacher appreciation week!  The flowers, cards, drinks and gifts are all greatly appreciated!

 

 

April 18 Update

Apr18

This morning your children were talking about there only being 6 weeks of school left.  I knew the school year was coming to an end, but I hadn’t completely wrapped my mind around it until this morning.  I am also a parent, and I know how fleeting these moments with our kids are.  One minute they are just learning how to talk, the next they are writing 5 paragraph essays for their SAGE exams.  Whew!  Time flies.

We ended our studies last week with an amazing art project that had a basis in math (photos forthcoming, I’m not the greatest at taking photos).   I want to thank Sharon Johnson for the countless hours she spent cutting thousands of 1×1 inch squares, enabling us to create this project that crossed math with art.  The artists we studied were, Ellsworth Kelly, Piet Mondrian, Victor Vasarely, Kenneth Noland, and Frank Stella.  Each of these 20th century artists utilize(d) math in their artwork.  Students created an abstract piece of art and then calculated the fraction, decimal and percent component of each color they used in their piece.  This has been my favorite project of the year.

This week we are cracking down on the following math concepts:

4th – Decimal Fractions

5th- Classifying 2D figures

6th- Percents (review), equations and equations (ongoing practice) and Statistics (just starting)

In addition to in class work, your children all have an essay due on Friday (Utah Compose) and IXL homework.  Each of them are given 20 minutes of computer time each day.  Any work not completed in this time is considered homework.

Lastly, the 6th grade students (and I) are headed to the Redwoods on Sunday, April 24.  Rachael Bush will be in our classroom with Ms. Kari during this week.

 

March 1st!!

Mar1

In like a lion, out like a lamb?  So far March as been quite sheepish.  I hope I don’t jinx this great weather.  Of course, you know what they say about weather in Utah, right?

Just a reminder that there is no IXL homework for the next several weeks.  Instead, your kids should be working on Utah Compose.  Each grade level has an assigned essay.  We have begun these in class, but students are expected to work on them at home as well. Essays are due Friday (meaning prior to the end of school).

Once child submits a draft, Utah Compose will recommend lessons to help your child improve his writing skills.  I highly recommend these lessons.  A reminder that our SAGE writing assessment is in April.  The skills your child is building now, and the time spent practicing, will directly affect his level of comfort and performance on the exam.

If your child is absent for a number of days in a row, please be sure they are looking at the essay assignment.  I understand that some illnesses do not allow for much more than lying in bed being completely miserable; however, the more your child is able to keep up at home, the less behind they will feel when they return to school.

A reminder that our 5th level students have maturation next Wednesday, March 9.