Weekly Reminders 5/20/09

Dear Parents and Portal Students,
Thank you for coming to Open House. We hope you enjoyed yourself and had the opportunity to learn something new! We’re very proud of our students for working so hard and doing a wonderful job! We have several new curriculum areas beginning this week, so please read below to find out more. Thanks for your patience in waiting for the Weekly Reminders this week!


Human Growth and Development for 5th Graders:

This week we will begin teaching Human Growth and Development for 5th Graders only. Boys and girls will be separated into different rooms. We will be teaching these classes on Wed, 5/20 at 12:30, Thursday, 5/21 at 8:15, Wed. 5/27 at 12:30, and Thursday, 5/28 at 8:15. During this time, 4th graders will be in math classes. The curriculum and videos that we will be using are available for parent viewing at our district resource center.

Language Arts:

We are currently reading Bridge to Terabithia and revising prior writing activities in class this week. Don’t be surprised if your student has questions about this book; set in the 1970’s, this story has historical context and deep relationships to be examined. Spelling also resumes; we will even be using our spelling words to create some “interview questions” for our future 4th graders (they’ll be visiting us soon for Move-Up Day in Rockhopper Village!)

Math:

4th grade students now turn their talents toward a better understanding of probability and fairness in game design. We’ll be introducing a fabulous Interact unit entitled “Game Factory” this week. This multiple week unit allows students to examine probability in action, and they will develop an understanding of how fairness relates to probably outcomes. Many games will be played and analyzed to prepare ourselves for the ultimate task- our own fair game design! More news on this great end of the year unit is bound to follow.....

In 5th grade math, have begun our Biz World unit, which is a simulation project. Students will be creating a company and developing a plan to ensure the success of the business they have created. They will own stock and create and sell a product, hopefully for a profit! Ask your child what they learned today!



Social Studies:

We are wrapping up our studies of the California Gold Rush. We hope you enjoyed our presentations during open house and were able to see how much students have learned!

Science:

Our investigations of electricity begin this week. We start off with static electricity (charge), then move on to work with lights and motors to develop an understanding of components, circuits, open and closed circuitry, and conductors & insulators. This is one of the favorite science areas for many of our students, so I’m sure you’ll hear more about these investigations at home.

Important Dates to Remember:

5/22 Staff Learning Day - no school for students
5/25 Memorial Day - No school.
5/27 International Festival
5/27 PSCO Meeting 6:30
5/28 SSC Meeting 3:00
5/29 School Spirit Day - Backward Day!
6/2 Volunteer Appreciation Brunch - 9:50 am
6/5 Library Closes for the year. All books due.


CALIFORNIA TRIVIA!
Q: Born in the early 1960’s, what is BART (and it’s not BART Simpson)!

Good luck!

Mr. Roels & Miss Scourkes