Weekly Reminders 5/16/2011

Weekly Reminders: Rooms 20 & 21

Dear Room 20 & 21 Parents,

It's hard to believe we're nearing the end of our school year- our 5th graders our preparing for their transition to middle school while our 4th graders brace themselves for the responsibility of being classroom mentors and leaders. Teachers and students are definitely putting in extra time to make sure that all projects, classwork, and activities represent our best work. Speaking of demonstrations of great work, Open House is also looming- it's now less than two weeks away! I know the evening of May 25th will be an eye-opening experience for one and all. In the meantime, let's all keep our attention on what needs to be done, let's conduct ourselves with dignity, courtesy, and respect for others, and let's keep a smile and a positive attitude with us at all times; it's bound to be a spectacular finish with that approach!

Our blogsite addresses are:

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


**** A PARENTS ONLY Special Event! ****

Penguins, mark your calendars!

Would you like more ideas on how to help your child in positive ways regarding schoolwork, homework and life? Come to our Portal Parent Education Evening:

"An Evening with Rick Morris"
Tuesday, May 17th
6:30 - 8:00 PM
Portal Multi-Purpose Room
Parents-Only

Mr. Morris, a dynamic, entertaining and informative speaker on classroom management and parenting, brings over 31 years of teaching experience to Murdock-Portal! (Mr. Morris is also an “experienced parent” – with two grown daughters and a son in high school.) The starting point of the evening will be "Discipline is Teaching, Not Punishment." Then you will take a look at the big picture of parent-child interactions covering the basics of what works and what doesn't! Mr. Morris talks about “the Parent Trap--being permissive or punitive--and how to avoid it.” He will also present ideas and suggestions from Robert MacKenzie's book, Setting Limits. You will find the evening lots of fun and enlightening!

If both parents cannot attend, I suggest the parent who works most with your student and homework attend.

I hope to see you there! - Julie Ales


Curriculum Notes:

Language Arts- We've reached the pivotal section in our novel Bridge to Terabithia. Understanding the emotions that accompany the climax of a story for the characters will be a key element of our learning. Developing a vocabulary that allows us to express these ideas clearly will be emphasized as well. Spelling continues until the end of the year; our root words are thought-provoking and advanced- perfect for the conclusion of our year in Rockhopper Village!
Math- 4th graders are working on graphing, including data analysis and plotting data on a coordinate plane. We'll also learn how functions and equations can be represented using this same plotting technique for ordered pairs.
Math - Biz World Begins this week! Biz World is an interactive math unit, where students form companies, create, market and sell a product. After all sales are complete, students discover their margin of profit to see how successful their companies were.
Science- Investigation 3 of our Solid Earth unit is wrapping up this week. We are using observational techniques and methods like evaporation to determine if common rocks contain calcite. We are also taking time to read several articles related to our investigation in order to reinforce the concepts we've been practicing in class. We'll have an open book/note abbreviated I-Check for Investigations 2 & 3 later in the week.
Social Studies- We are finishing our essays and getting ready for our Waxed Museum oral presentations.

Literature Circles -Volunteers Still Needed!

We will be having our last literature circle groups of the year on the following dates, all times from 8:15 - 9:10am:

Monday, May 23
Wednesday, May 25
Tuesday, May 31
Thursday, June 2

Would you be willing to come in and listen to a small group or two? Ask any parent who has volunteered for this job before - it's lots of fun, easy to do, and a tremendous help to ensure success for our groups! It's best if you can attend all 4 sessions so there is consistency, but if that's not possible, please let us know the dates you're available, and we will work with your schedule as best as we can. Please email your family room teacher as soon as possible if you're able to help- we are definitely STILL in need of parent support!


Calendar of Events:

Wed. 5/18 Costume, prop and speech due for waxed museum
Fri. 5/20: 5th Bedroom Project Due
Mon. 5/23: Wax Museum Boards Due
Scientific Method- Part Two Due
1st Literature Circle @8:15am
Tues. 5/24 Bridge to Terabithia test
Wed. 5/25: Open House (Rockhopper time 7-7:45pm)
2nd Literature Circle @8:15am
Fri. 5/27: Learning Day
Mon. 5/30: No SCHOOL
Tues. 5/31 3rd Literature Circle @8:15am
Thurs. 6/2 4th Literature Circle @8:15am
Mon. 6/6: Last day of P.E.
Science Fair Project Board due
Tues. 6/7 Volunteer Brunch
Thurs. 6/9: Academy of Sciences Field Trip
Fri. 6/10: Field Day
Tues. 6/14: Recognition Ceremony/Last Day of School!!!


California Trivia Clue (student responses are REQUIRED):

The Sierra Nevada, the state’s primary geological feature, is composed mostly of what rock?

Sincerely,

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