Weekly Reminders 4/19/10

Dear Room 20 & 21 parents and students,

Welcome back to school! We're excited to begin our last two months of the 2009-2010 school year, and there are many fun, educational, and challenging events still to come. For example, STAR testing begins on Monday, April 26. We encourage all of our students to get plenty of rest, eat a good breakfast each day, exercise to stay relaxed and healthy, and come to school each morning with a positive attitude and an alert mind! In the near future, we will also be preparing for the true highlight of the year- Outdoor School!!! There is no better way to develop personal responsibility, cooperation, and knowledge and respect for nature than through the outdoor school experience. Stay tuned for more details in the next couple of weeks. Finally, regular curriculum continues, so be sure to keep yourself informed of events in the classroom through conversations with our students, reading our reminders, and checking e-mail for any urgent updates when necessary.

Just a quick reminder that our blogsite addresses are:

Room 20 (Scourkes) http://rockhopperroom20.blogspot.com
Room 21 (Roels) http://gtfroom22.blogspot.com

Outdoor School
Cabin Leader Applications:

If you know of someone who is interested in being a cabin leader at Outdoor School (an older sibling, Portal alumni, etc.), then please contact Sophia (831)332-0798 as soon as possible to let her know. Allowing more time to make preparations in advance is always greatly appreciated! For additional information about this opportunity, please refer to the dark green flier that was available at the Outdoor School presentation, or visit the website.

Curriculum:

Language Arts

Our new book is the touching story of a young woman growing up in Japan at the time of the atomic bomb, entitled Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr. We began our introduction of the story today by checking our background knowledge of Japan and discussing the Japanese involvement in World War II. This novel provides us with an interesting historical perspecitve, as well as an opportunity to participate in an eye-opening cultural study. The projects and work that accompany the book will also start in the next couple of days.

Math

In 4th grade math, we are finishing up our graphing unit this week. We will have a test Wednesday to check our understanding of bar graphs, double bar graphs, line graphs, and the coordinate plane. After this unit is complete, we will begin our study of measurement in all its forms- metric and customary.

In 5th grade math, students took the Unit 11 test right before the break, and are bringing it home tonight for parents to sign. We're finishing our algebra unit, and then will take a cumulative test on what we've learned this year. We'll be focusing on problem solving and in-depth geometry concepts next.

Social Studies

We're currently reading our second History of Us book,The Making of the Thirteen Colonies and have begun learning about early colonization of the United States.

Science

We are going to be wrapping up our technology project that was introduced before break. Students this week will be expected use their paper drafts to produce the written sections of the project, apply appropriate background music to the iPhoto book, and complete the formatting of their projects. The due date for the project will be this Friday. Next week, we will produce a research paper to accompany the technology component (using our already completed research), and then we will start our final science unit of the year- Mixtures and Solutions.

Calendar of Events:

Wed. 4/21 Earth Day! Lunch on the Lawn
Wed. 4/21 "Your Child's Education and the State Budget" talk @ Portal 6:30pm
Mon. 4/26 STAR Testing Begins
Mon. 4/26 SSC Meeting 3:00
Mon 4/26 PSCO Meeting 6:30
Tues. 4/27 "Your Child's Education and the State Budget" @ Portal 8:15 AM (Repeat of previous presentation)

Mystery State
This state has the lowest water-to-land ratio of all 50 states.
The leaves of this state flower can be used to make sandals, rope, and baskets.
Smokey the Bear, an orphaned bear cub, was found in this state.
Carlsbad Caverns, one of the largest cave systems in the world, is located in this state.
The roadrunner is this state's state bird.
Which state is it?




Sincerely,

Mr. Roels and Miss Scourkes
Rooms 20 & 21
Rockhopper Village
Portal School