Dear Parents and Portal Students,
Where did January go? The lunar new year has arrived, and we’re ready to celebrate the Year of the Ox with all of you who partake in this holiday! We wish all our families a wonderful, happy, and prosperous start to their year. Here at Portal, there are always many ways that our families contribute to the school’s well-being- monetary donations, gifts of needed class supplies, lunch-duty volunteer work, classroom assistance for activities like literature circles, chaperones for field trips, and school organization participation in PSCO, School Site Council, Family Fun Night, etc. President Obama has set the tone for the nation by stressing the importance of community involvement; think about what you are doing locally or here at Portal to be a part of this positive change!
Current Academics:
In language arts, we continue our in-depth reading of Island of the Blue Dolphins. In addition, we are reviewing summary writing this week, and we will venture into the realms of response to literature and persuasive writing in the next two weeks.
Math for 4th graders is currently focused on understanding and using decimals. Chapter 8 in our book contains the basic concepts that we’ll be covering. 5th graders are on to customary and metric units of measurement. Keep your eyes open for their “Bedroom Project.” The kids have their assignment, so ask them to give you the details about this home remodeling dream!
Social studies is preparing our classes well for their upcoming trip to Mission San Juan Batista, one of the most well-preserved California missions available to visit. Class activities are beginning that introduce the chain of missions throughout historic California, the lifestyles of the natives and missionaries, and the cultural changes that took place in this time.
One exciting new item is our Science Fair assignment that all students will be participating in. The assignment provides students with an opportunity to choose an experimental topic from one of our six grade-level science subject areas, and to use the scientific method to properly explore the question they have about their chosen topic. Complete information on this assignment has gone home with our students; their topic is due to us on Thursday! Please note: this is not a contest; it is a terrific way for students to demonstrate a logical approach to science in a creative setting. In class, our investigations of environments suitable for a variety of living organisms continues.
Mega Skill of the Month - Common Sense!
If I’m a kid, and I need to make sure I do all my homework, what should I do first? Hey- it’s common sense...fill out your homework sheet accurately during school time, then check it as soon as you get home to plan your time well. Just a little common sense reminder from your friendly teachers in Rooms 20 & 21 :)
Important Dates to Remember:
Jan 28 PSCO Meeting @6:30pm
Jan 29 Science Fair Topic due
Jan 30 Spirit Day- Career Day
Feb 3 5th grade measurement/integer test
Feb 4 Field Trip - Mission San Juan Bautista
Feb 11 First half of Scientific Fair Write Up due
Feb 11 Social Studies Test: Missions, Pueblos, and Presidios
California Trivia
Q: Disneyland opened in what year?
Good luck!
Mr. Roels & Miss Scourkes
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