Monday, December 17, 2012
Weekly Reminders 12/17/12
Rockhopper Weekly Reminders
December 17-21 2012
Mark Your Calendars:
Tuesday, December 18- Thursday, December 20: Oral Presentations
Thursday, December 20th- 4th grade math test- Chapter 7
Thursday, December 20th: Tribe Report Final Copy Due
December 24th-January 4th: Winter break!
January 7th, 2013: School resumes
Curriculum Flash!
Language Arts It’s another busy week in the Rockhopper classrooms!
Last week, we finished our Literature Circles. Thank you to our volunteer parents who worked with us throughout this valuable reading comprehension program - your help contributed greatly to the success of this activity. Ask your child if they enjoyed their first “book club” experience!
Oral presentations of 1st Trimester Reading Contract book favorites will be done in class this Tuesday, Dec. 18- Thursday, Dec. 20. Guidelines and expectations for student performances have already gone home with all classes. Your student should be well-prepared (ask them to perform their 2-3 minute presentation for you!), have a costume to wear, and be enthusiastic about their presentation book choice.
Math
4th grade: We’re starting our week by finishing up our written descriptions of mathematical scenarios and “translating” those situations into expressions that can produce an answer to the question being asked in the scenario. The end product is a three problem booklet to share and solve with other students in class. As the week goes on, we will review the order of operations in class on Wednesday and assess our understanding of the Chapter 7 concepts on Thursday. Then, we will begin our work with fractions on Friday by creating our own fraction calculation tool!
5th grade:
This week we embark on the fractions unit starting with fractions we encounter in the real world, and discussing the big idea behind the words denominator and equivalent. We will use outside resources as well as technology to meet the new common core standards.
Social Studies:
Students have been working hard on their California Native American research essays; we hope that they have learned some helpful writing tips when it comes to expository essay writing. At home, students should continue to write their essays and edit carefully. The final typed copy of the research report will be due this Thursday!
After we have “wrapped up” our Native American unit, we will begin our unit on Explorers. We will concentrate on explorers who ventured along the Pacific coast and “discovered” California. Students will learn about the motivation and forces that brought these adventurers to the California coast!
Science:
This week we continue working on Investigation 4: Making Connections. The highlight of our activities will most likely be Part 3: Making a Motor Run. It’s just plain FUN to work with electricity and motors! We’ll also have an assessed Response Sheet after Part 3 (our opening activity on Wednesday), along with the rest of the afternoon and Thursday afternoon devoted to Part 4 of the investigation. We hope that you’ve had a chance to help your child experience static electricity using the “Your Admirer is a Balloon” worksheet.
CA Trivia:
Which Native American tribe lived along the Sacramento River 200 years ago and still exists in Tuolumne today?
Monday, December 10, 2012
Weekly Reminders 12/10/12
Rockhopper Weekly Reminders
December 10-14 2012
Mark Your Calendars:
December 11th & 13th: Literature Circle Discussions #3 & #4
Wednesday, December 12: Science I-Check for Investigation 1
Thursday, December 13- Wednesday, December 19 - auditioning for play
Friday, December 14: 5th Grade Math Unit 12 Test
Tuesday, December 18- Thursday, December 20: Oral Presentations
Thursday, December 20th: Tribe Report Final Copy Due
December 24th-January 4th: Winter break!
January 7th, 2013: School resumes
Curriculum Flash!
A Quick Note:
As we all know, this is a very busy time of year, both in and out of our classes. As adults we all have different techniques for handling stress and our busy schedules, but we sometimes forget that children are also susceptible to the same stress that we experience as adults - even noticing stress in others can raise anxiety levels in children. As teachers, we find that when students are well rested and relaxed they are able to learn so much more effectively.
Language Arts It’s another busy week in the Rockhopper classrooms!
The highlight of the week is the conclusion of our first official Literature Circle meetings. Thank you to our volunteer parents who have worked with us throughout this valuable reading comprehension program. Ask your child if they enjoyed their first “book club” experience!
Also, this week in Language Arts, we will be practicing the organization of our writing, as all good writers do! First, we’re composing Occasion-Position statements and Proposed Plan (list) sentences. These formatted topic sentences are often used when introducing expository essays. Secondly, we will using the structure of accordion paragraphs to help us to “stretch”, or add, more detailed information into an outline and draft for our social studies multi-paragraph essay. Finally, we will have language arts centers focusing on our weekly vocabulary (Greek and Latin prefixes), grammar topics (subject/verb agreement and pronouns), technology (Type to Learn, iPad apps, AR quizzes), and reading-writing extensions (O/P statement practice.)
Oral presentations of 1st Trimester Reading Contract book favorites will be done in class next Tuesday, Dec. 18- Thursday, Dec. 20. Guidelines and expectations for student performances have already gone home with all classes. Your student should be well-prepared (ask them to perform their 2-3 minute presentation for you!), have a costume to wear, and be enthusiastic about their presentation book choice.
Math
4th grade: We revisit equations in more detail this week in math. Specifically, we will be presenting the order of operations to be performed in expressions and equations, we will be solving expressions, inequalities, and equations containing all four operations, and we’ll examine the effect of multiplying equal quantities by equal quantities. Our classes will wrap up the week by taking written descriptions of scenarios and “translating” those situations into expressions that can produce an answer to the question being asked in the scenario. It’s certainly a thought-provoking week!
5th grade:
This week we “tie together” several concepts we’ve learned. Students will solve linear equations that include negative numbers, and plot the points on a coordinate grid. This is the final step of our algebra unit, and will conclude on Friday. Throughout the week, students will also continue to work on explaining the process for solving equations. For additional practice with integers, students may use the following websites: www.mathgoodies.com/lessons/vol5/challenge_vol5.html
www.ezschool.com/EZsheets/numbersense/integers
Social Studies:
We are continuing to work on our first official research report of the school year. Students will be researching in pairs to learn more about different Native American tribes living in California. Since this will be the first expository research report of the year, there will be a lot of scaffolding to ensure student success. Each pair will cooperatively study a tribe in detail and gather as much information as possible. Students will then be responsible for individual written reports.
Some of the work for this report will be done at school, and other parts will be done at home. Students will use class time to do research and take notes with their partners. They will then use their notes to construct an outline on a special form. At home, students will follow the outline and put their ideas into separate paragraphs for a rough draft. Students will then write a final copy with a bibliography.
Science:
This Wednesday we have our first I-Check (Investigation Check.) This assessment will be open textbook/open notebook; students will need to apply their knowledge from their hands-on investigations and supporting reading to magnetic scenarios. The challenging aspect of these assessments is that a student must UNDERSTAND what the purpose of our investigation was and what concepts have been demonstrated by our activities. Then, a student must use appropriate terminology in their written answers to make their scientific responses clear to the reader- their teacher! The rest of the week will be devoted to review for the I-Check (on Monday) and beginning our next investigation, Investigation 4: Making Connections. This is our introduction to electricity and its connection to magnetic properties.
CA Trivia:
What was the main source of water for the Mojave Indians?
December 10-14 2012
Mark Your Calendars:
December 11th & 13th: Literature Circle Discussions #3 & #4
Wednesday, December 12: Science I-Check for Investigation 1
Thursday, December 13- Wednesday, December 19 - auditioning for play
Friday, December 14: 5th Grade Math Unit 12 Test
Tuesday, December 18- Thursday, December 20: Oral Presentations
Thursday, December 20th: Tribe Report Final Copy Due
December 24th-January 4th: Winter break!
January 7th, 2013: School resumes
Curriculum Flash!
A Quick Note:
As we all know, this is a very busy time of year, both in and out of our classes. As adults we all have different techniques for handling stress and our busy schedules, but we sometimes forget that children are also susceptible to the same stress that we experience as adults - even noticing stress in others can raise anxiety levels in children. As teachers, we find that when students are well rested and relaxed they are able to learn so much more effectively.
Language Arts It’s another busy week in the Rockhopper classrooms!
The highlight of the week is the conclusion of our first official Literature Circle meetings. Thank you to our volunteer parents who have worked with us throughout this valuable reading comprehension program. Ask your child if they enjoyed their first “book club” experience!
Also, this week in Language Arts, we will be practicing the organization of our writing, as all good writers do! First, we’re composing Occasion-Position statements and Proposed Plan (list) sentences. These formatted topic sentences are often used when introducing expository essays. Secondly, we will using the structure of accordion paragraphs to help us to “stretch”, or add, more detailed information into an outline and draft for our social studies multi-paragraph essay. Finally, we will have language arts centers focusing on our weekly vocabulary (Greek and Latin prefixes), grammar topics (subject/verb agreement and pronouns), technology (Type to Learn, iPad apps, AR quizzes), and reading-writing extensions (O/P statement practice.)
Oral presentations of 1st Trimester Reading Contract book favorites will be done in class next Tuesday, Dec. 18- Thursday, Dec. 20. Guidelines and expectations for student performances have already gone home with all classes. Your student should be well-prepared (ask them to perform their 2-3 minute presentation for you!), have a costume to wear, and be enthusiastic about their presentation book choice.
Math
4th grade: We revisit equations in more detail this week in math. Specifically, we will be presenting the order of operations to be performed in expressions and equations, we will be solving expressions, inequalities, and equations containing all four operations, and we’ll examine the effect of multiplying equal quantities by equal quantities. Our classes will wrap up the week by taking written descriptions of scenarios and “translating” those situations into expressions that can produce an answer to the question being asked in the scenario. It’s certainly a thought-provoking week!
5th grade:
This week we “tie together” several concepts we’ve learned. Students will solve linear equations that include negative numbers, and plot the points on a coordinate grid. This is the final step of our algebra unit, and will conclude on Friday. Throughout the week, students will also continue to work on explaining the process for solving equations. For additional practice with integers, students may use the following websites: www.mathgoodies.com/lessons/vol5/challenge_vol5.html
www.ezschool.com/EZsheets/numbersense/integers
Social Studies:
We are continuing to work on our first official research report of the school year. Students will be researching in pairs to learn more about different Native American tribes living in California. Since this will be the first expository research report of the year, there will be a lot of scaffolding to ensure student success. Each pair will cooperatively study a tribe in detail and gather as much information as possible. Students will then be responsible for individual written reports.
Some of the work for this report will be done at school, and other parts will be done at home. Students will use class time to do research and take notes with their partners. They will then use their notes to construct an outline on a special form. At home, students will follow the outline and put their ideas into separate paragraphs for a rough draft. Students will then write a final copy with a bibliography.
Science:
This Wednesday we have our first I-Check (Investigation Check.) This assessment will be open textbook/open notebook; students will need to apply their knowledge from their hands-on investigations and supporting reading to magnetic scenarios. The challenging aspect of these assessments is that a student must UNDERSTAND what the purpose of our investigation was and what concepts have been demonstrated by our activities. Then, a student must use appropriate terminology in their written answers to make their scientific responses clear to the reader- their teacher! The rest of the week will be devoted to review for the I-Check (on Monday) and beginning our next investigation, Investigation 4: Making Connections. This is our introduction to electricity and its connection to magnetic properties.
CA Trivia:
What was the main source of water for the Mojave Indians?
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Weekly Reminders 12/3/12
Rockhopper Weekly Reminders
December 3-7, 2012
Mark Your Calendars:
December 4th, 6th, 11th, & 13th: Literature Circle Discussions
Thursday, December 6: Fifth grade math test in unit 11 on Integers
Friday, December 7th: Report cards go home
Monday, December 10th: Fourth grade Ch. 12/13 Division Test
Wednesday, December 12: Science I-Check for Investigation 1
Thursday, December 20th: Tribe Report Final Copy Due
Curriculum Flash!
Language Arts It’s another busy week in the Rockhopper classrooms!
The highlight of the week is definitely our first official Literature Circle meetings with a new book, new friends, new skills... Thank you to our volunteer parents who will be working with us throughout this valuable reading comprehension program.
Also, this week as we begin our Social Studies Tribe Reports in Language Arts, we will be planning for the organization of our writing, as all good writers do! Firstly, we will be practicing “OPPP,” Occasion-Position Proposed Plan topic sentences. This formatted topic sentence is often used when introducing expository essays. The “OP” or Occasion Position, states the author’s purpose or “occasion” for writing and includes the author’s “position” or what will be explained or proven in the essay. The “PP” is the Proposed Plan that outlines the sub-topics of the body paragraphs of the essay. Be sure to ask your child later in the week to share with you what they’ve learned about this sophisticated format! Secondly, we will be discussing the structure of accordion paragraphs as a guideline to help us organize our notes and “stretch” more detailed information into an outline for our multi-paragraph report.
Math
4th grade: Division continues during this week’s math time. We’ll be modeling and practicing 3-digit division, placing the first digit of the quotient, and evaluating what to do when there are zeros in the quotient. We’ll end the week with a couple of game activities that review multiplication and division skills- a great way to experience math! Last, we will have a relatively short division test on Chapter 12 and 13 ideas on Monday, December 10; all students should review textbook lessons to prepare to show accurate work on the test.
5th grade:
We will conclude the unit on integers by giving students additional practice in adding and subtracting of integers and applying these operations in word problems.They will be assessed on Thursday in this unit. For additional practice with integers, students may use the following websites: www.mathgoodies.com/lessons/vol5/challenge_vol5.html or
www.ezschool.com/EZsheets/numbersense/integers
Social Studies:
We are continuing to work on our first official research report of the school year. Students will be researching in pairs to learn more about different Native American tribes living in California. Since this will be the first expository research report of the year, there will be a lot of scaffolding to ensure student success. Each pair will cooperatively study a tribe in detail and gather as much information as possible. Students will then be responsible for individual written reports.
Some of the work for this report will be done at school, and other parts will be done at home. Students will use class time to do research and take notes with their partners. They will then use their notes to construct an outline on a special form. At home, students will follow the outline and put their ideas into separate paragraphs for a rough draft. Students will then write a final copy with a bibliography.
Science:
Our three science classes have begun their study of Electricity and Magnetism. This week our classrooms will be working on Parts 3 and 4 of Investigation 1- Breaking the Force and Detecting Magnetic Fields. These activities are very beneficial to students in understanding magnetic concepts; they are not to be missed! We will have reading assignments that will complement the investigations as well. Our first I-Check (Investigation Check) will be on Wednesday, December 12. This assessment will be open textbook/open notebook; students will need to apply their knowledge from their hands-on investigations and supporting reading to magnetic scenarios.
CA Trivia:
What is CA’s deepest lake?
December 3-7, 2012
Mark Your Calendars:
December 4th, 6th, 11th, & 13th: Literature Circle Discussions
Thursday, December 6: Fifth grade math test in unit 11 on Integers
Friday, December 7th: Report cards go home
Monday, December 10th: Fourth grade Ch. 12/13 Division Test
Wednesday, December 12: Science I-Check for Investigation 1
Thursday, December 20th: Tribe Report Final Copy Due
Curriculum Flash!
Language Arts It’s another busy week in the Rockhopper classrooms!
The highlight of the week is definitely our first official Literature Circle meetings with a new book, new friends, new skills... Thank you to our volunteer parents who will be working with us throughout this valuable reading comprehension program.
Also, this week as we begin our Social Studies Tribe Reports in Language Arts, we will be planning for the organization of our writing, as all good writers do! Firstly, we will be practicing “OPPP,” Occasion-Position Proposed Plan topic sentences. This formatted topic sentence is often used when introducing expository essays. The “OP” or Occasion Position, states the author’s purpose or “occasion” for writing and includes the author’s “position” or what will be explained or proven in the essay. The “PP” is the Proposed Plan that outlines the sub-topics of the body paragraphs of the essay. Be sure to ask your child later in the week to share with you what they’ve learned about this sophisticated format! Secondly, we will be discussing the structure of accordion paragraphs as a guideline to help us organize our notes and “stretch” more detailed information into an outline for our multi-paragraph report.
Math
4th grade: Division continues during this week’s math time. We’ll be modeling and practicing 3-digit division, placing the first digit of the quotient, and evaluating what to do when there are zeros in the quotient. We’ll end the week with a couple of game activities that review multiplication and division skills- a great way to experience math! Last, we will have a relatively short division test on Chapter 12 and 13 ideas on Monday, December 10; all students should review textbook lessons to prepare to show accurate work on the test.
5th grade:
We will conclude the unit on integers by giving students additional practice in adding and subtracting of integers and applying these operations in word problems.They will be assessed on Thursday in this unit. For additional practice with integers, students may use the following websites: www.mathgoodies.com/lessons/vol5/challenge_vol5.html or
www.ezschool.com/EZsheets/numbersense/integers
Social Studies:
We are continuing to work on our first official research report of the school year. Students will be researching in pairs to learn more about different Native American tribes living in California. Since this will be the first expository research report of the year, there will be a lot of scaffolding to ensure student success. Each pair will cooperatively study a tribe in detail and gather as much information as possible. Students will then be responsible for individual written reports.
Some of the work for this report will be done at school, and other parts will be done at home. Students will use class time to do research and take notes with their partners. They will then use their notes to construct an outline on a special form. At home, students will follow the outline and put their ideas into separate paragraphs for a rough draft. Students will then write a final copy with a bibliography.
Science:
Our three science classes have begun their study of Electricity and Magnetism. This week our classrooms will be working on Parts 3 and 4 of Investigation 1- Breaking the Force and Detecting Magnetic Fields. These activities are very beneficial to students in understanding magnetic concepts; they are not to be missed! We will have reading assignments that will complement the investigations as well. Our first I-Check (Investigation Check) will be on Wednesday, December 12. This assessment will be open textbook/open notebook; students will need to apply their knowledge from their hands-on investigations and supporting reading to magnetic scenarios.
CA Trivia:
What is CA’s deepest lake?
Monday, November 26, 2012
Weekly Reminders 11/26/2012
Rockhopper Weekly Reminders
November 26-30, 2012
Mark Your Calendars:
•Monday, November 26th: 2nd trimester begins
•Thursday, November 29th: Island of the Blue Dolphins test
•Friday, November 30th: Spirit Day- Hat Day!
•Friday, December 7th: Report cards go home
•Thursday, December 20th: Tribe Report Final Copy Due
Volunteers:
Thank you to those parents who have volunteered to help with literature circles! We can still need volunteers, so please let us know if you can help out. Here is the letter that was sent out before the break:
Dear Parents,
It's that time of year! Literature Circles are fast approaching and we need your help to once again make them successful. Ask any parent who has done it before - they actually have fun!! It's not difficult. Your role as a parent will include listening to students discuss literature and making notes about how they do. Each student will have a form that directs their conversations, and as an adult presence you encourage and guide them. I will also send home a copy of this form once you have confirmed, so you have a better idea of the types of questions and comments the students will be discussing. There will be four sessions:
1. Tuesday, December 4th from 8:15-9:00
2. Thursday, December 6th from 8:15-9:00
3. Tuesday, December 11th from 8:15-9:00
4. Thursday, December 13th from 8:15-9:00
We need 6 parents on each of the dates to help monitor, so you will be signing up for all four dates. In order to work with students in our classroom, you will need to have proof of a negative TB test, so please be sure to check in at the front office.
Curriculum Flash!
Language Arts
It’s almost Literature Circle time in the Rockhopper Village! We’ll be demonstrating how to properly prepare and respond to literature in advance of our group meetings, we’ll introduce possible book selections to our kids, and our classes will select their literature circle books and meet with their groups to plan reading sections for their book. Our centers this week will feature ongoing vocabulary development, nonfiction work with Time for Kids, computer or iPad use/exploration, and sentence review and practice. Finally, we’ll be wrapping up Island of the Blue Dolphins with a cumulative test on Thursday.
Math
4th grade: Division takes center stage during this week’s math time. We’ll be applying our basic multiplication facts when dividing larger numbers and regrouping in division, we’ll use our mathematical reasoning skills to interpret remainders, and we’ll learn some divisibility rules that are just plain fun to know! Finally, our holiday-themed “art project” will be well done by Friday- Divisibility Turkeys will be on display!
5th grade:
This week students continue practicing the adding and subtracting of integers using a number line, manipulatives, and the integer apps we have on our i-Pads. Of course, we’ll also be teaching the vocabulary that accompanies these mathematical concepts!
Social Studies:
We are about to begin work on our first official research report of the school year. Students will be researching in pairs to learn more about different Native American tribes living in California. Since this will be the first expository research report of the year, there will be a lot of scaffolding to ensure student success. Each pair will cooperatively study a tribe in detail and gather as much information as possible. Students will then be responsible for individual written reports.
Some of the work for this report will be done at school, and other parts will be done at home. Students will use class time to do research and take notes with their partners. They will then use their notes to construct an outline on a special form. At home, students will follow the outline and put their ideas into separate paragraphs for a rough draft. Students will then write a final copy with a bibliography.
Science:
Our three science classes begin their study of Electricity and Magnetism this week. We’ll start off on Monday with a quick conversation to guage our background knowledge in our new subject area, then we’ll dive into our exploration of magnetic properties. Assessing magnetic properties of various supplied materials, exploring our classroom environment for magnetic materials, and observing the effect of polarity on other magnets will be principal topics for the week. Any assessment this week will be limited to an Investigation Response question that is given immediately following a classroom exploration; the focus of this assessment is to determine the student’s ability to apply their hands-on experience to a closely related scenario.
CA Trivia:
The largest of CA’s carnivorous plants is known as what?
November 26-30, 2012
Mark Your Calendars:
•Monday, November 26th: 2nd trimester begins
•Thursday, November 29th: Island of the Blue Dolphins test
•Friday, November 30th: Spirit Day- Hat Day!
•Friday, December 7th: Report cards go home
•Thursday, December 20th: Tribe Report Final Copy Due
Volunteers:
Thank you to those parents who have volunteered to help with literature circles! We can still need volunteers, so please let us know if you can help out. Here is the letter that was sent out before the break:
Dear Parents,
It's that time of year! Literature Circles are fast approaching and we need your help to once again make them successful. Ask any parent who has done it before - they actually have fun!! It's not difficult. Your role as a parent will include listening to students discuss literature and making notes about how they do. Each student will have a form that directs their conversations, and as an adult presence you encourage and guide them. I will also send home a copy of this form once you have confirmed, so you have a better idea of the types of questions and comments the students will be discussing. There will be four sessions:
1. Tuesday, December 4th from 8:15-9:00
2. Thursday, December 6th from 8:15-9:00
3. Tuesday, December 11th from 8:15-9:00
4. Thursday, December 13th from 8:15-9:00
We need 6 parents on each of the dates to help monitor, so you will be signing up for all four dates. In order to work with students in our classroom, you will need to have proof of a negative TB test, so please be sure to check in at the front office.
Curriculum Flash!
Language Arts
It’s almost Literature Circle time in the Rockhopper Village! We’ll be demonstrating how to properly prepare and respond to literature in advance of our group meetings, we’ll introduce possible book selections to our kids, and our classes will select their literature circle books and meet with their groups to plan reading sections for their book. Our centers this week will feature ongoing vocabulary development, nonfiction work with Time for Kids, computer or iPad use/exploration, and sentence review and practice. Finally, we’ll be wrapping up Island of the Blue Dolphins with a cumulative test on Thursday.
Math
4th grade: Division takes center stage during this week’s math time. We’ll be applying our basic multiplication facts when dividing larger numbers and regrouping in division, we’ll use our mathematical reasoning skills to interpret remainders, and we’ll learn some divisibility rules that are just plain fun to know! Finally, our holiday-themed “art project” will be well done by Friday- Divisibility Turkeys will be on display!
5th grade:
This week students continue practicing the adding and subtracting of integers using a number line, manipulatives, and the integer apps we have on our i-Pads. Of course, we’ll also be teaching the vocabulary that accompanies these mathematical concepts!
Social Studies:
We are about to begin work on our first official research report of the school year. Students will be researching in pairs to learn more about different Native American tribes living in California. Since this will be the first expository research report of the year, there will be a lot of scaffolding to ensure student success. Each pair will cooperatively study a tribe in detail and gather as much information as possible. Students will then be responsible for individual written reports.
Some of the work for this report will be done at school, and other parts will be done at home. Students will use class time to do research and take notes with their partners. They will then use their notes to construct an outline on a special form. At home, students will follow the outline and put their ideas into separate paragraphs for a rough draft. Students will then write a final copy with a bibliography.
Science:
Our three science classes begin their study of Electricity and Magnetism this week. We’ll start off on Monday with a quick conversation to guage our background knowledge in our new subject area, then we’ll dive into our exploration of magnetic properties. Assessing magnetic properties of various supplied materials, exploring our classroom environment for magnetic materials, and observing the effect of polarity on other magnets will be principal topics for the week. Any assessment this week will be limited to an Investigation Response question that is given immediately following a classroom exploration; the focus of this assessment is to determine the student’s ability to apply their hands-on experience to a closely related scenario.
CA Trivia:
The largest of CA’s carnivorous plants is known as what?
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Rockhopper Weekly Reminders
November 5th-9th, 2012
Mark Your Calendars:
•Wednesday, November 7th: Field Trip -“Time Machine” play in Sunnyvale
•Wednesday, November 7th: Barnes & Noble Night- the store on Stevens Creek (Rockhopper teachers will be reading from 6:00-7:00 p.m.)
•Monday, November 12th: Veteran’s Day - NO SCHOOL
•Friday, November 16th: Reading contract due!
•Friday, November 16th: End of 1st trimester
Volunteer Opportunities Still Available:
1. Copy parent
2. Thursday folder stuffer
If you are interested in either of these jobs, please contact your family room teacher!
Curriculum Flash!
Language Arts
It’s Election Week in the Rockhopper Village here at Portal! After a great deal of study about the election history and process, this term’s candidates and the issues at hand, Rockhoppers will be casting their votes on Tuesday with the rest of the nation! Students will visit the “polls” according to their “precincts,” be checked off class rosters, privately submit their ballots and proudly sport their “I Voted” stickers. Our centers this week are dedicated to celebrating the culmination of the campaigns along with the continued active reading and summarizing of Island of the Blue Dolphins.
Math
4th grade: Our work this week is all about relationships- number relationships! We’re working with arrays to fully comprehend the relationship between multiplication and division operations, we’re breaking down expressions into smaller factors, we’re learning the multiplication properties that deepen our understanding of what is actually happening in certain situations, and we’re finishing off the week with some dramatic artistic representations of multiple factor equations. It’s going to be lively!
5th grade:
This week students will plot points on a coordinate plane using the function tables. They will use positive and negative numbers and make shapes using all four quadrants. Later in the week, we will begin lessons in integers, finding their properties, plotting them on a number line, and doing operations using manipulatives.
Social Studies:
Students have been using teamwork and collaboration in social studies to learn about the following tribes: Cahuilla, Chumash, Hupa, Miwok, Mojave, and Yurok. Each group researched facts about their tribe in detail and became a “tribal expert.” This week, representatives from all six tribes will meet in small groups to participate in a jigsaw activity, which entails sharing and teaching others about their particular tribe.
Science:
All three science teachers are focused on completing our Solid Earth unit through Investigation Four- “Take It for Granite” during the next two weeks. This unit has so many great hands-on experiments that it is often difficult to complete every single one! We’ll also be using some combination of the various forms of assessments available (Responses, I-Checks, and Post Test) to get an accurate picture of our students’ understanding of the unit. Finally, classroom participation as reflected in their science notebook work is also evaluated to determine student performance in Science.
CA Trivia:
Which U.S. Air Force base is located in the Mojave Desert?
November 5th-9th, 2012
Mark Your Calendars:
•Wednesday, November 7th: Field Trip -“Time Machine” play in Sunnyvale
•Wednesday, November 7th: Barnes & Noble Night- the store on Stevens Creek (Rockhopper teachers will be reading from 6:00-7:00 p.m.)
•Monday, November 12th: Veteran’s Day - NO SCHOOL
•Friday, November 16th: Reading contract due!
•Friday, November 16th: End of 1st trimester
Volunteer Opportunities Still Available:
1. Copy parent
2. Thursday folder stuffer
If you are interested in either of these jobs, please contact your family room teacher!
Curriculum Flash!
Language Arts
It’s Election Week in the Rockhopper Village here at Portal! After a great deal of study about the election history and process, this term’s candidates and the issues at hand, Rockhoppers will be casting their votes on Tuesday with the rest of the nation! Students will visit the “polls” according to their “precincts,” be checked off class rosters, privately submit their ballots and proudly sport their “I Voted” stickers. Our centers this week are dedicated to celebrating the culmination of the campaigns along with the continued active reading and summarizing of Island of the Blue Dolphins.
Math
4th grade: Our work this week is all about relationships- number relationships! We’re working with arrays to fully comprehend the relationship between multiplication and division operations, we’re breaking down expressions into smaller factors, we’re learning the multiplication properties that deepen our understanding of what is actually happening in certain situations, and we’re finishing off the week with some dramatic artistic representations of multiple factor equations. It’s going to be lively!
5th grade:
This week students will plot points on a coordinate plane using the function tables. They will use positive and negative numbers and make shapes using all four quadrants. Later in the week, we will begin lessons in integers, finding their properties, plotting them on a number line, and doing operations using manipulatives.
Social Studies:
Students have been using teamwork and collaboration in social studies to learn about the following tribes: Cahuilla, Chumash, Hupa, Miwok, Mojave, and Yurok. Each group researched facts about their tribe in detail and became a “tribal expert.” This week, representatives from all six tribes will meet in small groups to participate in a jigsaw activity, which entails sharing and teaching others about their particular tribe.
Science:
All three science teachers are focused on completing our Solid Earth unit through Investigation Four- “Take It for Granite” during the next two weeks. This unit has so many great hands-on experiments that it is often difficult to complete every single one! We’ll also be using some combination of the various forms of assessments available (Responses, I-Checks, and Post Test) to get an accurate picture of our students’ understanding of the unit. Finally, classroom participation as reflected in their science notebook work is also evaluated to determine student performance in Science.
CA Trivia:
Which U.S. Air Force base is located in the Mojave Desert?
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Rockhopper Weekly Reminders
October 22nd-26th, 2012
Mark Your Calendars:
• Monday, October 22nd- Author Assembly: Danica Dinsmore
• October 22nd-26th- Red Ribbon Week
• Friday, October 26 - Island of the Blue Dolphin Quiz, Chapters 1-9
• Friday, October 26th: Wear RED day!
• Monday, 29th- Learning Day (No School)
• Tuesday, October 30th- Lunch on the Lawn @11:30
• Tuesday, October 30th- Halloween Parade @1:00
Curriculum Flash!
Language Arts
Our classes are reading through Chapter Twelve of Island of the Blue Dolphins this week. We have supporting activities that give each student the opportunity to express and demonstrate their comprehension of the story. For example, exploring the moods created by the author in their descriptions or the motives of the main character based on their actions are areas that each reader should be attempting to understand in this novel. We will continue to have literacy centers this week as well, including Red Ribbon Week activities that emphasize our communication skills. Finally, we will have a quiz on some of our early vocabulary work sometime early next week; we’ll have opportunities to review these words prior to the quiz.
Here are our Rockhopper class blogsite addresses:
Room 19 (Vogel/Dominguez): http://room19Vogel.blogspot.com/
Room 20 (Scourkes): http://rockhopperroom20.blogspot.com/
Room 21 (Roels): http://gtfroom22.blogspot.com/
Room 24 (Regosin): http://www.rockhopper24.blogspot.com/
Math
4th grade: We begin working on deepening our understanding of multiplication and practicing its application this week. During this segment, we’ll focus on concrete representations of multiplication, estimating products, multiplying larger numbers (including 2-digit by 3-digit figures), and multiplying accurately when there are zeros in the factors. As always, our goal is to attain proficiency in our problem-solving technique while also improving our ability to recognize when multiplication is a suitable strategy for calculating an answer to a real world situation.
5th grade:
We will continue teaching algebra concepts, reinforcing pattern finding, displaying data in a function table, writing and evaluating algebraic expressions, and writing and solving equations. Students will also record related vocabulary in their notebooks with examples to represent the words. They will also receive a POW this week that will be due next week. We continue to develop the ongoing progress of how students communicate mathematical thinking through the writing process.
Social Studies:
Right before the break, students took their California geography test. Students worked intently throughout the period, demonstrating the effort they had put into preparing for the test. Well done! We now move on to study the “First Americans” who inhabited our state. All classes will meet in the multi-use room on Wednesday, to be introduced to the unit and learn about the team research activity on which they’ll be working for the next week.
Science:
This week, our focus is on healthy lifestyles and good decision-making in conjunction with Red Ribbon Week. We cover topics central to our futures as middle school and high school students: the ability to refuse unwelcome advances from our peers, avoiding the temptation to use tobacco, and the dangers of alcohol use for teens.
While many adults do not realize this fact, the truth is that many children get their initial exposure to these substances and issues while in middle school. The time to gain background knowledge on these subjects is NOW!
CA Trivia:
How many peaks in the Sierra Nevada are more than fourteen thousand feet high?
October 22nd-26th, 2012
Mark Your Calendars:
• Monday, October 22nd- Author Assembly: Danica Dinsmore
• October 22nd-26th- Red Ribbon Week
• Friday, October 26 - Island of the Blue Dolphin Quiz, Chapters 1-9
• Friday, October 26th: Wear RED day!
• Monday, 29th- Learning Day (No School)
• Tuesday, October 30th- Lunch on the Lawn @11:30
• Tuesday, October 30th- Halloween Parade @1:00
Curriculum Flash!
Language Arts
Our classes are reading through Chapter Twelve of Island of the Blue Dolphins this week. We have supporting activities that give each student the opportunity to express and demonstrate their comprehension of the story. For example, exploring the moods created by the author in their descriptions or the motives of the main character based on their actions are areas that each reader should be attempting to understand in this novel. We will continue to have literacy centers this week as well, including Red Ribbon Week activities that emphasize our communication skills. Finally, we will have a quiz on some of our early vocabulary work sometime early next week; we’ll have opportunities to review these words prior to the quiz.
Here are our Rockhopper class blogsite addresses:
Room 19 (Vogel/Dominguez): http://room19Vogel.blogspot.com/
Room 20 (Scourkes): http://rockhopperroom20.blogspot.com/
Room 21 (Roels): http://gtfroom22.blogspot.com/
Room 24 (Regosin): http://www.rockhopper24.blogspot.com/
Math
4th grade: We begin working on deepening our understanding of multiplication and practicing its application this week. During this segment, we’ll focus on concrete representations of multiplication, estimating products, multiplying larger numbers (including 2-digit by 3-digit figures), and multiplying accurately when there are zeros in the factors. As always, our goal is to attain proficiency in our problem-solving technique while also improving our ability to recognize when multiplication is a suitable strategy for calculating an answer to a real world situation.
5th grade:
We will continue teaching algebra concepts, reinforcing pattern finding, displaying data in a function table, writing and evaluating algebraic expressions, and writing and solving equations. Students will also record related vocabulary in their notebooks with examples to represent the words. They will also receive a POW this week that will be due next week. We continue to develop the ongoing progress of how students communicate mathematical thinking through the writing process.
Social Studies:
Right before the break, students took their California geography test. Students worked intently throughout the period, demonstrating the effort they had put into preparing for the test. Well done! We now move on to study the “First Americans” who inhabited our state. All classes will meet in the multi-use room on Wednesday, to be introduced to the unit and learn about the team research activity on which they’ll be working for the next week.
Science:
This week, our focus is on healthy lifestyles and good decision-making in conjunction with Red Ribbon Week. We cover topics central to our futures as middle school and high school students: the ability to refuse unwelcome advances from our peers, avoiding the temptation to use tobacco, and the dangers of alcohol use for teens.
While many adults do not realize this fact, the truth is that many children get their initial exposure to these substances and issues while in middle school. The time to gain background knowledge on these subjects is NOW!
CA Trivia:
How many peaks in the Sierra Nevada are more than fourteen thousand feet high?
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Weekly Reminders 10/1/12
Rockhopper Weekly Reminders
october 1st-5th, 2012
Mark Your Calendars:
• Tuesday, October 2nd- Lunch on the Lawn
• Wednesday, October 3rd - 4th grade math quiz
• Thursday, October 4th- Unit 1 Test in Social Studies
• Thursday, October 4th- Destination Imagination parent information meeting 6:30-8:00 p.m.
• October 8th-19th- Fall break/P.E.P
• Monday, October 22nd- School resumes
• October 22nd-26th- Red Ribbon Week
• Monday, 29th- Learning Day (No School)
• Tuesday, October 30th- Lunch on the Lawn @11:30 & Halloween Parade @1:00
Curriculum Flash!
Language Arts
Island of the Blue Dolphins remains our #1 topic for the week. We’ll continue reading together to cement our understanding of the story events, and we will use one of our chapter readings to begin our independent summary writing (after a couple of sessions of guided instruction in the writing genre, that is!). We will also dabble in a bit of research about the wildlife that surround the Island of the Blue Dolphins for some nonfiction reading and note-taking practice. In addition, now that we know our AR reading levels, we can be more selective about the fiction and nonfiction material we choose over the break for our Reading Contracts. Finally, our blogging schedule will be established for the year. Here are our Rockhopper class blogsite addresses:
Room 20 (Scourkes): http://rockhopperroom20.blogspot.com/
Room 21 (Roels): http://gtfroom22.blogspot.com/
Math:
4th grade: This week we delve deeper into identifying and evaluating expressions, equations, and inequalities. By the end of the week, our goal is to be able to take real world situations and describe them mathematically using either an expression, equation, or inequality to show the number relationships in the word problem. Also, our Unit One test is ready to be passed back to students. You will see that there is a STRONG emphasis on showing your thinking to fully demonstrate mathematical problem-solving. Last, we will have game rotations on Friday to reinforce skills learned during the past two weeks- this was postponed last week in order to make sure our classes had enough time to really grasp the math concepts being presented!
5th grade: We are now deriving rules and generalizations based on patterns we see. Students continue to look at a variety of patterns, complete afunction tables, and look for the relationships between numbers. They are then able to come to a generalization or “rule”. We will also introduce vocabulary so that students can effectively write about what they have discovered.
Social Studies:
Students will be taking their first unit test in social studies on Thursday, October 4th. Last week, students were given a significant amount of class time to study and prepare both individually and with their table group. On Wednesday, we will be playing Jeopardy as a final chance to review for the exam.
Science:
After beginning the week with our Investigation Two: Scratch Test I-Check today, we move on to other identifying properties of rocks. Investigation Three: Calcite Quest is this week’s main topic. We will use a safe chemical test to detect the presence of the mineral calcite in our rock samples. Students will be adding new vocabulary to their science notebooks to allow themselves to express their science thinking clearly on future response questions,I-Checks, and notebook work in our field of study.
CA Trivia:
What CA island is derived from the Spanish phrase for “The Island of the Pelicans”?
october 1st-5th, 2012
Mark Your Calendars:
• Tuesday, October 2nd- Lunch on the Lawn
• Wednesday, October 3rd - 4th grade math quiz
• Thursday, October 4th- Unit 1 Test in Social Studies
• Thursday, October 4th- Destination Imagination parent information meeting 6:30-8:00 p.m.
• October 8th-19th- Fall break/P.E.P
• Monday, October 22nd- School resumes
• October 22nd-26th- Red Ribbon Week
• Monday, 29th- Learning Day (No School)
• Tuesday, October 30th- Lunch on the Lawn @11:30 & Halloween Parade @1:00
Curriculum Flash!
Language Arts
Island of the Blue Dolphins remains our #1 topic for the week. We’ll continue reading together to cement our understanding of the story events, and we will use one of our chapter readings to begin our independent summary writing (after a couple of sessions of guided instruction in the writing genre, that is!). We will also dabble in a bit of research about the wildlife that surround the Island of the Blue Dolphins for some nonfiction reading and note-taking practice. In addition, now that we know our AR reading levels, we can be more selective about the fiction and nonfiction material we choose over the break for our Reading Contracts. Finally, our blogging schedule will be established for the year. Here are our Rockhopper class blogsite addresses:
Room 20 (Scourkes): http://rockhopperroom20.blogspot.com/
Room 21 (Roels): http://gtfroom22.blogspot.com/
Math:
4th grade: This week we delve deeper into identifying and evaluating expressions, equations, and inequalities. By the end of the week, our goal is to be able to take real world situations and describe them mathematically using either an expression, equation, or inequality to show the number relationships in the word problem. Also, our Unit One test is ready to be passed back to students. You will see that there is a STRONG emphasis on showing your thinking to fully demonstrate mathematical problem-solving. Last, we will have game rotations on Friday to reinforce skills learned during the past two weeks- this was postponed last week in order to make sure our classes had enough time to really grasp the math concepts being presented!
5th grade: We are now deriving rules and generalizations based on patterns we see. Students continue to look at a variety of patterns, complete afunction tables, and look for the relationships between numbers. They are then able to come to a generalization or “rule”. We will also introduce vocabulary so that students can effectively write about what they have discovered.
Social Studies:
Students will be taking their first unit test in social studies on Thursday, October 4th. Last week, students were given a significant amount of class time to study and prepare both individually and with their table group. On Wednesday, we will be playing Jeopardy as a final chance to review for the exam.
Science:
After beginning the week with our Investigation Two: Scratch Test I-Check today, we move on to other identifying properties of rocks. Investigation Three: Calcite Quest is this week’s main topic. We will use a safe chemical test to detect the presence of the mineral calcite in our rock samples. Students will be adding new vocabulary to their science notebooks to allow themselves to express their science thinking clearly on future response questions,I-Checks, and notebook work in our field of study.
CA Trivia:
What CA island is derived from the Spanish phrase for “The Island of the Pelicans”?
Monday, September 24, 2012
Weekly Reminders 9/24
Rockhopper Weekly Reminders
September 24th-28th, 2012
Mark Your Calendars:
• Monday, September 24th- Power of One- Anti-bullying Assembly
• Tuesday, September 25th - Room 21 Trip to NASA
• Thursday, September 27th - Room 20 Trip to NASA
• Friday, September 28th- Learning plans go home
• Friday, September 28th- Spirit Day: Hawaiian Day
• Saturday, September 29th- Family Fun Night!
• Monday, October 1st- Investigation 2 I-Check
• Tuesday, October 2nd- Lunch on the Lawn
• Thursday, October 4th- Unit 1 Test in Social Studies
• October 8th-19th- Fall break/P.E.P
• Monday, October 22nd- School resumes
Volunteer Opportunities!
We have some “out of the classroom” jobs that we would like the support of some parent volunteers. We need a copy parent who can come once a week on Monday after recess time and we need a parent on Friday after lunch. We also need a parent to help us laminate from time to time If you are available and interested, please email us.
Help Needed for Family Fun Night!
Dear Murdock-Portal Community,
Family Fun Night is coming soon…..Saturday, September 29, 2012 from 4:00 – 7:00 pm.
This is the annual Family Fun Night community building event. Please come and enjoy an evening with your family and friends. There will be games, bounce houses, prizes, face painting, henna tattoos and food vendors. Cash only for tickets and food.
We are in need of 160 volunteers to make Family Fun Night happen.
4th/5th graders, alumni and parent volunteers... Please consider working a short shift and then stay and enjoy the fun activities. For each volunteer, please complete the volunteer sign up survey. Signup will close on Sunday, 9/23/12.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2012FFN
Any questions, please contact psco.volunteer@gmail.com and please do consider signing up to volunteer.
Murdock-Portal School
NASA/Ames Exploration Encounter Field Trips
On Tuesday, September 25 (Roels) and Thursday, September 27 (Scourkes), our two classes will be visiting NASA/Ames for an exciting science experience! We will be leaving school at 8:30am and returning between 12:30-12:45pm on our scheduled day. Students will be eating a BAG LUNCH that you will provide upon their return to school. Please note that the Tuesday trip may return a few minutes after our usual dismissal time; please notify the person picking up your child of this circumstance. Parent chaperones should be sure to be here at 8:00, check in at the office, bring your own bag lunch, and be dressed comfortably for the day.
Curriculum Flash!
Language Arts
This week as we continue to read Island of the Blue Dolphins, students are writing informal responses to what they have read. They’re learning to use the text to support their opinions and strengthen their answers. We’ll also be establishing our AR reading levels, reading about current events in our TFK magazines and online, and continuing our sentence structure practice. This week, we also incorporate our social studies text into our centers to give additional time with nonfiction materials (creating some additional study time for our upcoming test!). Also, this week, we’re setting up our blogging schedule for the year. Here are the class blogsite addresses:
Room 20 (Scourkes): http://rockhopperroom20.blogspot.com/
Room 21 (Roels): http://gtfroom22.blogspot.com/
Math:
4th grade: Our work this week focuses on determining necessary information for problem-solving, followed by identifying and evaluating expressions, equations, and inequalities. This work will continue into next week. A priority during these lessons is showing all work neatly and clearly. Achieving this goal is a big step in fourth grade mathematics. On Friday, we will have game rotations to reinforce skills learned during the week.
5th grade: We’re refining our place value skills and number relationships as we work with decimals. Understanding patterns is crucial to our understanding of algebraic patterns, which will be our next area of focus.
Social Studies:
We hope the students enjoyed making their salt dough maps and gained a better understanding of our state’s geographical features in the process. Looking ahead, students will be taking their first unit test in social studies next Thursday, October 4th. A study guide, along with a regions chart, will be sent home with your child today. We encourage all students to study and prepare in advance by addressing all items on the study guide, reviewing notes, rereading relevant chapters, writing out sample essay responses, and asking questions in class. At this stage, it is important for students to develop positive study habits and learn to do a little bit each day to feel confident about taking the test.
Science:
Investigation Two: Scratch Test continues this week. We test for hardness (Part 2) to help differentiate between similar minerals. This follows up last week’s observation of these minerals. A Response Sheet will allow us to see if our students can apply their understanding of the investigation to a related scenario. In addition, we’ll read two articles that will reinforce our investigation knowledge- “Birthstones” and “Summary: Scratch Test.”
CA Trivia:
Where did CA’s first navel oranges come from?
September 24th-28th, 2012
Mark Your Calendars:
• Monday, September 24th- Power of One- Anti-bullying Assembly
• Tuesday, September 25th - Room 21 Trip to NASA
• Thursday, September 27th - Room 20 Trip to NASA
• Friday, September 28th- Learning plans go home
• Friday, September 28th- Spirit Day: Hawaiian Day
• Saturday, September 29th- Family Fun Night!
• Monday, October 1st- Investigation 2 I-Check
• Tuesday, October 2nd- Lunch on the Lawn
• Thursday, October 4th- Unit 1 Test in Social Studies
• October 8th-19th- Fall break/P.E.P
• Monday, October 22nd- School resumes
Volunteer Opportunities!
We have some “out of the classroom” jobs that we would like the support of some parent volunteers. We need a copy parent who can come once a week on Monday after recess time and we need a parent on Friday after lunch. We also need a parent to help us laminate from time to time If you are available and interested, please email us.
Help Needed for Family Fun Night!
Dear Murdock-Portal Community,
Family Fun Night is coming soon…..Saturday, September 29, 2012 from 4:00 – 7:00 pm.
This is the annual Family Fun Night community building event. Please come and enjoy an evening with your family and friends. There will be games, bounce houses, prizes, face painting, henna tattoos and food vendors. Cash only for tickets and food.
We are in need of 160 volunteers to make Family Fun Night happen.
4th/5th graders, alumni and parent volunteers... Please consider working a short shift and then stay and enjoy the fun activities. For each volunteer, please complete the volunteer sign up survey. Signup will close on Sunday, 9/23/12.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2012FFN
Any questions, please contact psco.volunteer@gmail.com and please do consider signing up to volunteer.
Murdock-Portal School
NASA/Ames Exploration Encounter Field Trips
On Tuesday, September 25 (Roels) and Thursday, September 27 (Scourkes), our two classes will be visiting NASA/Ames for an exciting science experience! We will be leaving school at 8:30am and returning between 12:30-12:45pm on our scheduled day. Students will be eating a BAG LUNCH that you will provide upon their return to school. Please note that the Tuesday trip may return a few minutes after our usual dismissal time; please notify the person picking up your child of this circumstance. Parent chaperones should be sure to be here at 8:00, check in at the office, bring your own bag lunch, and be dressed comfortably for the day.
Curriculum Flash!
Language Arts
This week as we continue to read Island of the Blue Dolphins, students are writing informal responses to what they have read. They’re learning to use the text to support their opinions and strengthen their answers. We’ll also be establishing our AR reading levels, reading about current events in our TFK magazines and online, and continuing our sentence structure practice. This week, we also incorporate our social studies text into our centers to give additional time with nonfiction materials (creating some additional study time for our upcoming test!). Also, this week, we’re setting up our blogging schedule for the year. Here are the class blogsite addresses:
Room 20 (Scourkes): http://rockhopperroom20.blogspot.com/
Room 21 (Roels): http://gtfroom22.blogspot.com/
Math:
4th grade: Our work this week focuses on determining necessary information for problem-solving, followed by identifying and evaluating expressions, equations, and inequalities. This work will continue into next week. A priority during these lessons is showing all work neatly and clearly. Achieving this goal is a big step in fourth grade mathematics. On Friday, we will have game rotations to reinforce skills learned during the week.
5th grade: We’re refining our place value skills and number relationships as we work with decimals. Understanding patterns is crucial to our understanding of algebraic patterns, which will be our next area of focus.
Social Studies:
We hope the students enjoyed making their salt dough maps and gained a better understanding of our state’s geographical features in the process. Looking ahead, students will be taking their first unit test in social studies next Thursday, October 4th. A study guide, along with a regions chart, will be sent home with your child today. We encourage all students to study and prepare in advance by addressing all items on the study guide, reviewing notes, rereading relevant chapters, writing out sample essay responses, and asking questions in class. At this stage, it is important for students to develop positive study habits and learn to do a little bit each day to feel confident about taking the test.
Science:
Investigation Two: Scratch Test continues this week. We test for hardness (Part 2) to help differentiate between similar minerals. This follows up last week’s observation of these minerals. A Response Sheet will allow us to see if our students can apply their understanding of the investigation to a related scenario. In addition, we’ll read two articles that will reinforce our investigation knowledge- “Birthstones” and “Summary: Scratch Test.”
CA Trivia:
Where did CA’s first navel oranges come from?
Monday, September 17, 2012
Rockhopper Weekly Reminders
September 17th-21st, 2012
Mark Your Calendars:
• September 17th-20th - Parent Teacher Conferences & Book Fair, 12:30 dismissal
• Friday, September 21st- Learning Day (No School)
• Monday, September 24th- Power of One- Anti-bullying Assembly
• Tuesday, September 25 - Room 21 to NASA
• Thursday, September 27 - Room 20 to NASA
• Friday, September 28th- Learning plans go home
• Friday, September 28th- Spirit Day: Hawaiian Day
• Saturday, September 29th: Family Fun Night!
• Tuesday, October 2nd- Lunch on the Lawn
Conferences:
Conferences will continue through Thursday; please plan accordingly for 12:30 dismissal time during conferences. We’d like to remind all families to arrive promptly for their conference- most teachers will have as many as six conferences in a row on the scheduled dates! Also, students MUST attend the conference with their parents; no conferences will be conducted without the student in attendance. We are looking forward to meeting with the rest of you!
Book Fair Help Needed!
The Book Fair will be open from September 12th-20th. If you are interested in helping run the Book Fair, then please sign up with Kajal Mehta Arora kajalm@hotmail.com
Curriculum Flash!
Language Arts
This week we go more in depth in our reading of Island of the Blue Dolphins. Students will be reading Chapters 3-5 as a whole group, and we’ll be practicing our informal responses to literature during this time. We will also summarize one of the chapters to practice expository paragraph form and answer comprehension questions related to the reading. In our Language Arts Centers, we will work with prefixes, create our science Solid Earth notebook cover page, map the terrain of The Island of the Blue Dolphins, and do a little background research on the Aleutian people, natural elements and geography connected to the story.
Math
4th grade: Our work this week focuses on the operation of subtraction. We’ve been using manipulatives to connect the algorithm to the actual process of finding the difference between two quantities- very enlightening to many of our students! We have seen the true need to regroup in order to take away quantities of real items. Our classes are also continuing to develop their mathematical reasoning and communication skills with Problems of the Day connected to our current studies.
5th grade:
In math, students will continue with their problem solving skills with a new POW. We’ll also finish our One Grain of Rice exponents project, which includes creating a two column table of constant growth vs. exponential growth data. We then will create a double line graph to emphasize the differences between the two data sets. Finally, we’ll write a detailed paragraph about the graph comparison. Next, we’ll continue our pattern explorations, while looking at decimal place value.
Social Studies:
Last week, the students did such a stellar job making their salt dough maps of California! This week, we will be painting our maps and adding labels of the four main regions, bordering states, major landforms, cities, and bodies of water. A BIG thank you to our parent volunteers who have been assisting us with this project. If you are planning on coming in this week to help, please be sure to check in at the front office to pick up your volunteer badge. Thank you!
Science
Investigation Two: Scratch Test begins this week. We observe unidentified minerals (Part 1), develop our vocabulary to put our observations into words accompanying our illustrations, and test for hardness (Part 2) to help differentiate between similar minerals. A Response Sheet will allow us to see if our students can apply their understanding of the investigation to a related scenario. It should be a good week (and beyond!)
CA Trivia:
What East Coast state is parallel with San Francisco in latitude?
September 17th-21st, 2012
Mark Your Calendars:
• September 17th-20th - Parent Teacher Conferences & Book Fair, 12:30 dismissal
• Friday, September 21st- Learning Day (No School)
• Monday, September 24th- Power of One- Anti-bullying Assembly
• Tuesday, September 25 - Room 21 to NASA
• Thursday, September 27 - Room 20 to NASA
• Friday, September 28th- Learning plans go home
• Friday, September 28th- Spirit Day: Hawaiian Day
• Saturday, September 29th: Family Fun Night!
• Tuesday, October 2nd- Lunch on the Lawn
Conferences:
Conferences will continue through Thursday; please plan accordingly for 12:30 dismissal time during conferences. We’d like to remind all families to arrive promptly for their conference- most teachers will have as many as six conferences in a row on the scheduled dates! Also, students MUST attend the conference with their parents; no conferences will be conducted without the student in attendance. We are looking forward to meeting with the rest of you!
Book Fair Help Needed!
The Book Fair will be open from September 12th-20th. If you are interested in helping run the Book Fair, then please sign up with Kajal Mehta Arora kajalm@hotmail.com
Curriculum Flash!
Language Arts
This week we go more in depth in our reading of Island of the Blue Dolphins. Students will be reading Chapters 3-5 as a whole group, and we’ll be practicing our informal responses to literature during this time. We will also summarize one of the chapters to practice expository paragraph form and answer comprehension questions related to the reading. In our Language Arts Centers, we will work with prefixes, create our science Solid Earth notebook cover page, map the terrain of The Island of the Blue Dolphins, and do a little background research on the Aleutian people, natural elements and geography connected to the story.
Math
4th grade: Our work this week focuses on the operation of subtraction. We’ve been using manipulatives to connect the algorithm to the actual process of finding the difference between two quantities- very enlightening to many of our students! We have seen the true need to regroup in order to take away quantities of real items. Our classes are also continuing to develop their mathematical reasoning and communication skills with Problems of the Day connected to our current studies.
5th grade:
In math, students will continue with their problem solving skills with a new POW. We’ll also finish our One Grain of Rice exponents project, which includes creating a two column table of constant growth vs. exponential growth data. We then will create a double line graph to emphasize the differences between the two data sets. Finally, we’ll write a detailed paragraph about the graph comparison. Next, we’ll continue our pattern explorations, while looking at decimal place value.
Social Studies:
Last week, the students did such a stellar job making their salt dough maps of California! This week, we will be painting our maps and adding labels of the four main regions, bordering states, major landforms, cities, and bodies of water. A BIG thank you to our parent volunteers who have been assisting us with this project. If you are planning on coming in this week to help, please be sure to check in at the front office to pick up your volunteer badge. Thank you!
Science
Investigation Two: Scratch Test begins this week. We observe unidentified minerals (Part 1), develop our vocabulary to put our observations into words accompanying our illustrations, and test for hardness (Part 2) to help differentiate between similar minerals. A Response Sheet will allow us to see if our students can apply their understanding of the investigation to a related scenario. It should be a good week (and beyond!)
CA Trivia:
What East Coast state is parallel with San Francisco in latitude?
Monday, September 10, 2012
Rockhopper Weekly Reminders
September 10th-14th, 2012
Mark Your Calendars:
• Tuesday, September 11th- Zun Zun Watershed Assembly
• September 12th-20th - Parent Teacher Conferences & Book Fair, 12:30 dismissal
• Friday, September 21st- Learning Day (No School)
• Tuesday, September 25 - Room 21 to NASA
• Thursday, September 27 - Room 20 to NASA
• Friday, September 28th- Spirit Day: Hawaiian Day
• Saturday, September 29th: Family Fun Night!
Conferences:
Conferences start this Wednesday; please plan accordingly for 12:30 dismissal time during conferences. We’d like to remind all families to arrive promptly for their conference- most teachers will have as many as six conferences in a row on the scheduled dates! Also, students MUST attend the conference with their parents; no conferences will be conducted without the student in attendance. We are looking forward to meeting with each family!
Book Fair Help Needed!
The Book Fair will be open from September 12th-20th. If you are interested in helping run the Book Fair, then please sign up with Kajal Mehta Arora kajalm@hotmail.com
Curriculum Flash!
Language Arts
This week we begin our reading of Island of the Blue Dolphins. Students will be refining their reading comprehension skills of prediction, summary, and responding to literature with their own experiences and points of view. In our Language Arts Centers, we continue to focus on the upcoming presidential election, prefixes of “pre” and “sub”, and using our social studies and science curriculum to reinforce our non-fiction comprehension.
Math
4th grade: Unit Two, Chapter Three began with an introduction to the Associative, Commutative and Zero Properties of Addition last Friday, and the unit continues this week with a review of adding whole numbers by regrouping and estimating sums and differences. We so enjoyed our games rotation last week that we have decided to try and make it a regular Friday occurrence. The kids really enjoy putting their week’s learning to the test in game format and we teachers really enjoy the opportunity to teach to all three classes!
5th grade:
In math, students will continue their exponent and place value work. We’ll also read the story One Grain of Rice by Demi, and will do an exponents project related to the story. We’ll also continue to look for patterns in a variety of situations and our daily lives.
Social Studies:
We began note-taking last week from our textbook as we ventured into our study of the four regions of California: the coast, the valley, the mountains, and the desert. Note-taking requires that students read one paragraph at a time to determine the main idea. Identifying the main idea, theme, or author’s purpose is a very difficult concept in both fiction and non-fiction text. Students are learning that, while the first sentence does introduce us to the main idea, it may not actually be the “topic” sentence of the paragraph. We are also modeling how to differentiate the more important details to include in “notes.” We are excited today to introduce a region collage project that students will be completing as homework this week. Thank you to those parents who volunteered to make the dough for our salt maps! We have one parent who has volunteered to help us in the class with the maps. Is there anyone else who can help? Please email Miss Scourkes if you are available.
Science:
We will be continuing the first investigation which deals with finding out what rocks are made of and distinguishing between a rock versus a mineral. Students will usually have response questions to check their understanding of the material at various points in the investigations. At the end of each investigation, there is an assessment called an I-Check that will cover all class experiments and the related reading assignments. Students are to keep all science information in their yellow folders.
Project Cornerstone: Notice It! Name It! Celebrate It! ABC Corner
This month your student will hear a book titled Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon in class as part of the ABC program. Please watch for a letter from your classroom parent volunteer(s) for more information about this lesson. The goals of this lesson for our students are to identify caring adults in their lives, develop their personal power and belief that they have control over their lives, and increase self-esteem. Here are some activities that you can do at home to help achieve these goals:
1. Boost Each Other Up: Celebrate each family member's special talents and abilities. Go around the dinner table and have each family member say one thing they like about each of the other members.
2. Wall of Fame - create a special place in your house to display items that family members are proud of. Assign a space for each family member. Post items in this space that they are proud of (special drawings, an assignment they worked hard on, photos, etc.). Make sure there is a space for mom and dad, too!
3. Have your student "expert" explain the concept of "mud thoughts and clear thoughts" to the family. Have the family practice changing "mud thoughts into clear thoughts."
4. Encourage adults at home to have frequent conversations about the caring adults in the lives of youth. Identify who they are at school, in the neighborhood, in the family. Who are the caring adults for the adults?
CA Trivia:
What three crops beginning with “A” are grown almost exclusively in CA?
Students- when you find the answer to this question, please send an e-mail response to your teacher. We’ll be waiting for you!
September 10th-14th, 2012
Mark Your Calendars:
• Tuesday, September 11th- Zun Zun Watershed Assembly
• September 12th-20th - Parent Teacher Conferences & Book Fair, 12:30 dismissal
• Friday, September 21st- Learning Day (No School)
• Tuesday, September 25 - Room 21 to NASA
• Thursday, September 27 - Room 20 to NASA
• Friday, September 28th- Spirit Day: Hawaiian Day
• Saturday, September 29th: Family Fun Night!
Conferences:
Conferences start this Wednesday; please plan accordingly for 12:30 dismissal time during conferences. We’d like to remind all families to arrive promptly for their conference- most teachers will have as many as six conferences in a row on the scheduled dates! Also, students MUST attend the conference with their parents; no conferences will be conducted without the student in attendance. We are looking forward to meeting with each family!
Book Fair Help Needed!
The Book Fair will be open from September 12th-20th. If you are interested in helping run the Book Fair, then please sign up with Kajal Mehta Arora kajalm@hotmail.com
Curriculum Flash!
Language Arts
This week we begin our reading of Island of the Blue Dolphins. Students will be refining their reading comprehension skills of prediction, summary, and responding to literature with their own experiences and points of view. In our Language Arts Centers, we continue to focus on the upcoming presidential election, prefixes of “pre” and “sub”, and using our social studies and science curriculum to reinforce our non-fiction comprehension.
Math
4th grade: Unit Two, Chapter Three began with an introduction to the Associative, Commutative and Zero Properties of Addition last Friday, and the unit continues this week with a review of adding whole numbers by regrouping and estimating sums and differences. We so enjoyed our games rotation last week that we have decided to try and make it a regular Friday occurrence. The kids really enjoy putting their week’s learning to the test in game format and we teachers really enjoy the opportunity to teach to all three classes!
5th grade:
In math, students will continue their exponent and place value work. We’ll also read the story One Grain of Rice by Demi, and will do an exponents project related to the story. We’ll also continue to look for patterns in a variety of situations and our daily lives.
Social Studies:
We began note-taking last week from our textbook as we ventured into our study of the four regions of California: the coast, the valley, the mountains, and the desert. Note-taking requires that students read one paragraph at a time to determine the main idea. Identifying the main idea, theme, or author’s purpose is a very difficult concept in both fiction and non-fiction text. Students are learning that, while the first sentence does introduce us to the main idea, it may not actually be the “topic” sentence of the paragraph. We are also modeling how to differentiate the more important details to include in “notes.” We are excited today to introduce a region collage project that students will be completing as homework this week. Thank you to those parents who volunteered to make the dough for our salt maps! We have one parent who has volunteered to help us in the class with the maps. Is there anyone else who can help? Please email Miss Scourkes if you are available.
Science:
We will be continuing the first investigation which deals with finding out what rocks are made of and distinguishing between a rock versus a mineral. Students will usually have response questions to check their understanding of the material at various points in the investigations. At the end of each investigation, there is an assessment called an I-Check that will cover all class experiments and the related reading assignments. Students are to keep all science information in their yellow folders.
Project Cornerstone: Notice It! Name It! Celebrate It! ABC Corner
This month your student will hear a book titled Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon in class as part of the ABC program. Please watch for a letter from your classroom parent volunteer(s) for more information about this lesson. The goals of this lesson for our students are to identify caring adults in their lives, develop their personal power and belief that they have control over their lives, and increase self-esteem. Here are some activities that you can do at home to help achieve these goals:
1. Boost Each Other Up: Celebrate each family member's special talents and abilities. Go around the dinner table and have each family member say one thing they like about each of the other members.
2. Wall of Fame - create a special place in your house to display items that family members are proud of. Assign a space for each family member. Post items in this space that they are proud of (special drawings, an assignment they worked hard on, photos, etc.). Make sure there is a space for mom and dad, too!
3. Have your student "expert" explain the concept of "mud thoughts and clear thoughts" to the family. Have the family practice changing "mud thoughts into clear thoughts."
4. Encourage adults at home to have frequent conversations about the caring adults in the lives of youth. Identify who they are at school, in the neighborhood, in the family. Who are the caring adults for the adults?
CA Trivia:
What three crops beginning with “A” are grown almost exclusively in CA?
Students- when you find the answer to this question, please send an e-mail response to your teacher. We’ll be waiting for you!
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Rockhopper Weekly Reminders
September 4th-7th, 2012
Mark Your Calendars:
• September 12th-20th - Parent Teacher Conferences, 12:30 dismissal
• Friday, September 21- Learning Day (No School)
A Back to School Night Highlight:
Parent/Student Expectations:
For the success of the child, there needs to be cooperation and communication between parents and students. Your child will have many opportunities to develop strategies to support their learning. We need you to monitor your child’s success with these new strategies.
Student Responsibilities-
monitor their learning, ask questions if they don’t understand
homework recorded and completed by assigned day
a time for students to gain independence and responsibility
work must be complete in order to participate in class
homework club
Parent Support-
time management- extra support especially at the beginning of the year
create a schedule/routine at home
quiet workspace
create a cut-off time- do not spend entire night doing homework
email teacher if unique situation arises
check to see if homework is completed
come to school on time
reasonable bedtime, good nutrition, & exercise
Common Sense Media- monitor appropriate computer usage outside the classroom
Parent/Teacher Communication Expectation-
You need to stay informed!
Read Weekly Reminders WITH your child to stay on top of classroom & school events, our main source of communication home
Conferences:
Thank you to all of our families who have promptly returned their conference forms and shared information about their children with their teachers. Your input is very valuable to us as we prepare for our meetings with you beginning next Wednesday. If you have yet to return your conference form, please do so as soon as possible. We’d like to remind all families to arrive promptly for their conference- most teachers will have as many as six conferences in a row on the scheduled dates! Also, students MUST attend the conference with their parents; no conferences will be conducted without the student in attendance.
Curriculum Flash!
Language Arts:
We’ve begun our small group center activities, and students have had the opportunity to practice, review, and learn new skills in poetry writing, vocabulary, comprehension of non-fiction materials, and grammar. Students have had a chance to decorate and design bookmarks and write in their journals, design compass roses, and sketch and label a map of California. Expository Writing is the first genre we’ll be covering during our Writer’s Workshop time. We are now beginning our study of Island of Blue Dolphins! Please do your best to have the Core Literature books as soon as possible.
Math
4th grade: This week we are wrapping up two weeks of study of our first unit in math, “Numbers Through the Millions.” This past Friday, students rotated through the three fourth grade math classrooms for a game day to practice their skills identifying Place Value and Ordering Numbers (least to greatest, greatest to least). We conclude Chapter 2 this week with Rounding Numbers and a unit review before our test at the end of the week.
5th grade: Students have looked at patterns from famous mathematicians like Gauss and Fibonacci and will apply that understanding to place value, exponents, and expanded notation in the coming week. A small quiz will be given at the end of this pattern unit in preparation to work with more patterns and functions as we move into algebra.
Social Studies:
Geography for the year has started! Students have been learning and reviewing map skills. They’ve explored their own maps, designed compass roses, and reviewed latitude and longitude and absolute location terminology. Our next venture is more specific when we will be learning about the four regions of California and designing our own salt maps of the state.
Science:
After beginning our year with an involving series of activities to introduce the Scientific Method, we now turn our attention to our Solid Earth unit. We take on the role of geologists this trimester, and we practice the field and lab work that is carried on regularly by these scientists. Investigation 1, Mock Rocks has three parts: observing the exterior properties of a rock, taking a rock apart to reveal its composition, and observing crystals that may or may not be present in a rock sample. Cooperation, sharing of ideas, and careful use of materials is emphasized. Stay tuned for more information from your student!
CA Trivia:
Where is the lowest elevation in the Western Hemisphere?
Students- when you find the answer to this question, please send an e-mail response to your teacher. We’ll be waiting for you!
Monday, June 18, 2012
Rockhopper Weekly Reminders
June 18- June 22
Mark Your Calendars:
• June 18 - June 22: 5th Grade Human Growth and Development
• Tuesday, June 19: “Move Up” Day
• Tuesday, June 19th: Family Game Night (sponsored by PSCO) 6:00-8:00
• Thursday, June 21: Band Concert 7:00 p.m.
• Friday, June 22: Field Day
• Tuesday, June 26th: Fifth Grade Recognition Ceremony 8:15 a.m.
• Tuesday, June 26th: Report cards go home
• Tuesday, June 26th: Last day of school- dismissal at 11:20!
This is our last weekly reminder of the 2011-2012 school year! It has been a real pleasure teaching all of our students this year; they’re a very talented group with real enthusiasm for learning new ideas and experiencing life to the fullest. We’ll be looking forward to seeing our 4th graders assuming their new roles as classroom leaders next year, and we wish all our outgoing 5th graders the absolute best in all their future endeavors- we want to continue to hear from you as continue on your journey!
5th Grade Families ONLY:
We are excited to invite you to our Fifth Grade Recognition Ceremony that will be held on Tuesday, June 26th, beginning PROMPTLY at 8:15am. In celebration of the big move to middle school, a potluck will immediately follow the ceremony. Please plan on bringing a potluck dish or drinks that serve 10-15 people. We also will need help with set-up and clean-up, so any parent that has a few minutes to help would be greatly appreciated.Thank you for helping us celebrate our 5th graders!
Curriculum Flash!
Language Arts:
Our anthology books are almost complete- what a wonderful way to wrap up our language arts experience! Now is a great time to remind our classes that blog articles are welcome over the summer from future 5th graders and “alumni”- it’s a great way to reminisce about your time as a Rockhopper, share your own particular areas of expertise, and keep your conversations with present or former classmates going!
Math
4th grade: We have been exchanging our Game Factory games with each other and evaluating their fairness to all players- a great application of our content understanding. We still practice our mathematical reasoning through our Problem of the Day work as well- school is still in session, after all!
5th grade:
This week in math, we “wrap up” our Biz World project. Students continue to manufacture bracelets while working on their marketing campaigns. They’re coming up with logos, slogans, and a commercial to be presented to their customers - the fourth graders! The Biz World Bazaar will be held this week and then we will do a final analysis of the profitability of each company. Good work teams!
Science:
In Rooms 20 & 21, we have delved into Investigation 5: Weather, but we will not get through the entire investigation, I’m sorry to say. This week, only 5th graders have Science- the very important and interesting Human Growth & Development unit is our focus. 4th graders will be working on language arts related material during the time allotted to the 5th graders for this curriculum.
Mystery State Clues:
The first-ever revolving restaurant opened in this state in 1961.
This state has the world's longest floating bridge.
This state is the top producer of apples in the United States.
This state is the home of Mount St. Helen's, a semi-active volcano that erupted in 1980.
This state is the only state named after a U.S. president.
Which state is it?
June 18- June 22
Mark Your Calendars:
• June 18 - June 22: 5th Grade Human Growth and Development
• Tuesday, June 19: “Move Up” Day
• Tuesday, June 19th: Family Game Night (sponsored by PSCO) 6:00-8:00
• Thursday, June 21: Band Concert 7:00 p.m.
• Friday, June 22: Field Day
• Tuesday, June 26th: Fifth Grade Recognition Ceremony 8:15 a.m.
• Tuesday, June 26th: Report cards go home
• Tuesday, June 26th: Last day of school- dismissal at 11:20!
This is our last weekly reminder of the 2011-2012 school year! It has been a real pleasure teaching all of our students this year; they’re a very talented group with real enthusiasm for learning new ideas and experiencing life to the fullest. We’ll be looking forward to seeing our 4th graders assuming their new roles as classroom leaders next year, and we wish all our outgoing 5th graders the absolute best in all their future endeavors- we want to continue to hear from you as continue on your journey!
5th Grade Families ONLY:
We are excited to invite you to our Fifth Grade Recognition Ceremony that will be held on Tuesday, June 26th, beginning PROMPTLY at 8:15am. In celebration of the big move to middle school, a potluck will immediately follow the ceremony. Please plan on bringing a potluck dish or drinks that serve 10-15 people. We also will need help with set-up and clean-up, so any parent that has a few minutes to help would be greatly appreciated.Thank you for helping us celebrate our 5th graders!
Curriculum Flash!
Language Arts:
Our anthology books are almost complete- what a wonderful way to wrap up our language arts experience! Now is a great time to remind our classes that blog articles are welcome over the summer from future 5th graders and “alumni”- it’s a great way to reminisce about your time as a Rockhopper, share your own particular areas of expertise, and keep your conversations with present or former classmates going!
Math
4th grade: We have been exchanging our Game Factory games with each other and evaluating their fairness to all players- a great application of our content understanding. We still practice our mathematical reasoning through our Problem of the Day work as well- school is still in session, after all!
5th grade:
This week in math, we “wrap up” our Biz World project. Students continue to manufacture bracelets while working on their marketing campaigns. They’re coming up with logos, slogans, and a commercial to be presented to their customers - the fourth graders! The Biz World Bazaar will be held this week and then we will do a final analysis of the profitability of each company. Good work teams!
Science:
In Rooms 20 & 21, we have delved into Investigation 5: Weather, but we will not get through the entire investigation, I’m sorry to say. This week, only 5th graders have Science- the very important and interesting Human Growth & Development unit is our focus. 4th graders will be working on language arts related material during the time allotted to the 5th graders for this curriculum.
Mystery State Clues:
The first-ever revolving restaurant opened in this state in 1961.
This state has the world's longest floating bridge.
This state is the top producer of apples in the United States.
This state is the home of Mount St. Helen's, a semi-active volcano that erupted in 1980.
This state is the only state named after a U.S. president.
Which state is it?
Monday, June 11, 2012
Rockhopper Weekly Reminders
June 11- June 15
Mark Your Calendars:
• Tuesday, June 12: Volunteer Appreciation Brunch 9:50 a.m.
• Wednesday, June 13: PSCO Meeting 6:30 p.m.
• Friday, June 15th: 4th grade cumulative math test
• Friday, June 15: Hawaiian Day - Spirit Day
• June 18 - June 22: 5th Grade Human Growth and Development
• Tuesday, June 19: “Move Up” Day
• Thursday, June 21: Band Concert 7:00 p.m.
• Friday, June 22: Field Day
• Tuesday, June 26th: Fifth Grade Recognition Ceremony 8:20am
• Tuesday, June 26th: Last day of school- Dismissal at 11:20!
5th Grade Families ONLY:
We are excited to invite you to our Fifth Grade Recognition Ceremony that will be held on Tuesday, June 26th, beginning PROMPTLY at 8:15am. In celebration of the big move to middle school, a potluck will immediately follow the ceremony. Please plan on bringing some kind of finger food to help keep things simple. We also will need help with set-up and clean-up, too. Thank you for helping us celebrate our 5th graders!
Volunteer Brunch TOMORROW, Tues., June 12:
Hooray for Portal volunteers! You give of yourselves, and you precious time, for the children at our school. Now, it's time we celebrate you and your efforts. The staff is specially going to be making homemade goodies for this event. Truly, it takes a village to raise a child. You are a very important part of that. Thanks as always for your willingness and enthusiasm to help at school!
When: Tuesday, June 12, 9:45 – 10:30am
Where: The courtyard behind the school office
Who should come: Anyone who has volunteered in any
way at school!
A Note from our Great Librarian- Books & DVDs are now PAST DUE!
All Portal library books were due back to by JUNE 8th, Friday. Please begin the search in your rooms, under your beds, behind your bookshelves, under your blankets, between your pillows, and anywhere else you think you may have left your library book, and bring it back to the library!
ALL library books and MATH DVDS must be returned by immediately. If your book is absolutely lost, please write a check to PORTAL SCHOOL in payment of a replacement for the amount that is due on your book. I've already sent out notices this past week to all students who still have books or DVDS checked out to help your student identify their errant books.
Thanks for helping us keep all Portal books safe and intact for the new school year!
Mrs. Lim
Curriculum Flash!
Language Arts:
We are currently finishing revisions of our writing projects from the year and working on our anthology covers to complete our language art experience. Now is a great time for some end-of-the-year blog submissions too from our classes- what a great way to reminisce about your time as a Rockhopper!
Math
4th grade: We will be exchanging our Game Factory games with each other and evaluating their fairness to all players- a great application of our content understanding. On Friday, we will take an End of the Year Test to assess how well we’ve retained the concepts learned this year. Any areas of our curriculum that our students are uncertain about should definitely be reexamined before our Friday test.
5th grade: In BIZ world this week, students are designing and manufacturing friendship bracelets. They will compare the benefits of raising money from the bank versus the venture capitalist. They will keep daily financial statements, pay rent and collect salaries. They will also discuss patents and consider the cost of registering their patent.
Science:
In Rooms 20 & 21, we finished up Investigation 4, Part 3: The Pressure is On today, and we’ll be involved in Investigation 5: Weather for the remainder of the week. We’ll also have a brief check of our Investigation 4 understanding on Wednesday- this will be a “response-style” page based on the work we did in class. The “response” will take no more than 10-15 minutes to complete, and it will be a rare “closed book” test of our understanding!
Social Studies:
I am so proud of the students from both classes for putting on quite a show last week at Open House! The Wax Museum was a huge success, and it made learning about the states so much fun! In class, we will focus our attention on our state posters (sandwich boards) that we didn’t have time to complete in time for Open House. Students are also typing up a bibliography to go along with their state research reports.
Mystery State Clues:
The country's first department store opened in this state in the late 1880s.
The world's largest natural-rock span is located in this state.
The 2002 Winter Olympic Games were held in this state.
Mormons were among the first settlers in this state and still make up a high percentage of the population.
This state is home to the Great Salt Lake, which covers 2,100 square miles.
June 11- June 15
Mark Your Calendars:
• Tuesday, June 12: Volunteer Appreciation Brunch 9:50 a.m.
• Wednesday, June 13: PSCO Meeting 6:30 p.m.
• Friday, June 15th: 4th grade cumulative math test
• Friday, June 15: Hawaiian Day - Spirit Day
• June 18 - June 22: 5th Grade Human Growth and Development
• Tuesday, June 19: “Move Up” Day
• Thursday, June 21: Band Concert 7:00 p.m.
• Friday, June 22: Field Day
• Tuesday, June 26th: Fifth Grade Recognition Ceremony 8:20am
• Tuesday, June 26th: Last day of school- Dismissal at 11:20!
5th Grade Families ONLY:
We are excited to invite you to our Fifth Grade Recognition Ceremony that will be held on Tuesday, June 26th, beginning PROMPTLY at 8:15am. In celebration of the big move to middle school, a potluck will immediately follow the ceremony. Please plan on bringing some kind of finger food to help keep things simple. We also will need help with set-up and clean-up, too. Thank you for helping us celebrate our 5th graders!
Volunteer Brunch TOMORROW, Tues., June 12:
Hooray for Portal volunteers! You give of yourselves, and you precious time, for the children at our school. Now, it's time we celebrate you and your efforts. The staff is specially going to be making homemade goodies for this event. Truly, it takes a village to raise a child. You are a very important part of that. Thanks as always for your willingness and enthusiasm to help at school!
When: Tuesday, June 12, 9:45 – 10:30am
Where: The courtyard behind the school office
Who should come: Anyone who has volunteered in any
way at school!
A Note from our Great Librarian- Books & DVDs are now PAST DUE!
All Portal library books were due back to by JUNE 8th, Friday. Please begin the search in your rooms, under your beds, behind your bookshelves, under your blankets, between your pillows, and anywhere else you think you may have left your library book, and bring it back to the library!
ALL library books and MATH DVDS must be returned by immediately. If your book is absolutely lost, please write a check to PORTAL SCHOOL in payment of a replacement for the amount that is due on your book. I've already sent out notices this past week to all students who still have books or DVDS checked out to help your student identify their errant books.
Thanks for helping us keep all Portal books safe and intact for the new school year!
Mrs. Lim
Curriculum Flash!
Language Arts:
We are currently finishing revisions of our writing projects from the year and working on our anthology covers to complete our language art experience. Now is a great time for some end-of-the-year blog submissions too from our classes- what a great way to reminisce about your time as a Rockhopper!
Math
4th grade: We will be exchanging our Game Factory games with each other and evaluating their fairness to all players- a great application of our content understanding. On Friday, we will take an End of the Year Test to assess how well we’ve retained the concepts learned this year. Any areas of our curriculum that our students are uncertain about should definitely be reexamined before our Friday test.
5th grade: In BIZ world this week, students are designing and manufacturing friendship bracelets. They will compare the benefits of raising money from the bank versus the venture capitalist. They will keep daily financial statements, pay rent and collect salaries. They will also discuss patents and consider the cost of registering their patent.
Science:
In Rooms 20 & 21, we finished up Investigation 4, Part 3: The Pressure is On today, and we’ll be involved in Investigation 5: Weather for the remainder of the week. We’ll also have a brief check of our Investigation 4 understanding on Wednesday- this will be a “response-style” page based on the work we did in class. The “response” will take no more than 10-15 minutes to complete, and it will be a rare “closed book” test of our understanding!
Social Studies:
I am so proud of the students from both classes for putting on quite a show last week at Open House! The Wax Museum was a huge success, and it made learning about the states so much fun! In class, we will focus our attention on our state posters (sandwich boards) that we didn’t have time to complete in time for Open House. Students are also typing up a bibliography to go along with their state research reports.
Mystery State Clues:
The country's first department store opened in this state in the late 1880s.
The world's largest natural-rock span is located in this state.
The 2002 Winter Olympic Games were held in this state.
Mormons were among the first settlers in this state and still make up a high percentage of the population.
This state is home to the Great Salt Lake, which covers 2,100 square miles.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Weekly Reminders 6-4-12
Rockhopper Weekly Reminders
June 4- June 8
Mark Your Calendars:
• Wednesday, June 6 Open House (see note below)
• Thursday, June 7: Field Trip to the Exploratorium in San Francisco
• Tuesday, June 12: Volunteer Appreciation Brunch 9:50 am
• Wednesday, June 13: PSCO Meeting 6:30
Open House:
We are really looking forward to seeing you on the evening of Wednesday, June 6.
Your children have prepared a special night for you beginning with an art show in the multiuse room and then oral and technology presentations in the individual classrooms.
If students have younger siblings, you can view the art show at 6:00 before visiting the primary classrooms and then head over to the Rockhopper Village at 7:00. The students have worked hard and are proud to show off their most recent activities and can’t wait to show off for you! The Rockhopper schedule is below:
Grades 4 & 5 - 7 - 7:45 pm (Individual classrooms 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, and 24)
* Art4Schools Art Show* - 6:00 - 7:30 pm (Multiuse Room)
5th Grade Families ONLY:
We are excited to invite you to our Fifth Grade Recognition Ceremony that will be held on Tuesday, June 26th, beginning PROMPTLY at 8:15am. In celebration of the big move to middle school, a potluck will immediately follow the ceremony. Please plan on bringing a potluck dish to share with others. We also will need help with set-up and clean-up, too. More information to come later! Thank you for helping us celebrate our 5th graders!
Volunteer Brunch on Tuesday, June 12
Hooray for Portal volunteers! You give of yourselves, and you precious time, for the children at our school. Now, it's time we celebrate you and your efforts. The staff is making homemade goodies for this event. Truly, it takes a village to raise a child. You are a very important part of that. Thanks as always for your willingness and enthusiasm to help at school! Please come celebrate wtih us!
When: Tuesday, June 12, 9:45 – 10:30am
Where: The courtyard behind the school office
Who should come: Anyone who has volunteered in any
way at school!
Art Show Disassembly Volunteer Opportunity- Read On!
Hello There!
I am in need of a few more volunteers to help take down the art show. Volunteers can meet me in the Multi-Purpose room on Thursday, June 7th after 10am. Please email me if you're able to help.
Thank you so much,
Judy Schulze
judy.schulze@gmail.com
408-910-3349
Exploratorium Chaperones:
The Rockhoppers will be celebrating the end of the year by visiting the Exploratorium in San Francisco on Thursday, June 7th. This will be a full-day trip; both students and chaperones will need to bring a lunch from home. Chaperones will need to check in at the front office and have a negative TB test on file in order to join us. Thanks in advance!
A Note from our Great Librarian- Books & DVDs are DUE!
All Portal library books are due back to by JUNE 8th, Friday. Please begin the search in your rooms, under your beds, behind your bookshelves, under your blankets, between your pillows, and anywhere else you think you may have left your library book, and bring it back to the library!
ALL library books and MATH DVDS must be returned by THIS Friday. If your book is absolutely lost, please write a check to PORTAL SCHOOL in payment of a replacement for the amount that is due on your book. I'll be sending notices to all students who still have books or DVDS checked out beginning Monday, June 4 to help your student identify their errant books.
Thanks for helping us keep all Portal books safe and intact for the new school year!
Mrs. Lim
Curriculum Flash!
Language Arts:
We are currently finishing writing projects and working on our anthologies for the end of the year. Thank you to all parents who assisted us during our Literature Circle activities; you were terrific helpers! Now is a great time for some end-of-the-year blog submissions too from our classes- what a great way to reminisce about the year!
Math
4th grade: We are in the process of producing our own fair game! This is taking us several days of class time, and it is certainly a good use of our time :) When we’re finished, our class members will play the games and evaluate their fairness to all players- a great application of our content understanding.
5th grade: We continue with Biz World. Students have formed companies and are now working on incorporation. They will soon be working on their “pitch” to a venture capitalist for the purpose of raising money for their company. Students also continue to finish their final geometry project, Geometry Journey. Groups of students were given a list of geometry vocabulary words and need to wander the school trying to find real life examples of them. The take pictures using the ipad, upload the pictures to a Pages document, and explain the special features of each picture in a detailed caption. This allows students to put their understanding of geometry terms to the test and pushes their creativity to find unique and interesting way to exhibit each term.
Science:
In Rooms 20 & 21, we are preparing to give our families a brief presentation of our technology project for the Water Planet unit during Open House. We’ll also continue our Investigation 4, Part 3: The Pressure is On later in the week.
Social Studies:
We’re continuing with our Geography Wax Museum preparation. Students are finishing up their presentation boards and memorizing their speeches. Please be sure to ask your child if you have any questions about the project or their progress.
Mystery State Clues:
Although this state is the driest state, its lakes are home to many rare fish.
Gold and silver discoveries drew miners to this state in the 1860s.
This state entered the Union during the Civil War.
This state gets its name from a Spanish word that means "snowcapped."
Hoover Dam is in this state.
Which state is it?
June 4- June 8
Mark Your Calendars:
• Wednesday, June 6 Open House (see note below)
• Thursday, June 7: Field Trip to the Exploratorium in San Francisco
• Tuesday, June 12: Volunteer Appreciation Brunch 9:50 am
• Wednesday, June 13: PSCO Meeting 6:30
Open House:
We are really looking forward to seeing you on the evening of Wednesday, June 6.
Your children have prepared a special night for you beginning with an art show in the multiuse room and then oral and technology presentations in the individual classrooms.
If students have younger siblings, you can view the art show at 6:00 before visiting the primary classrooms and then head over to the Rockhopper Village at 7:00. The students have worked hard and are proud to show off their most recent activities and can’t wait to show off for you! The Rockhopper schedule is below:
Grades 4 & 5 - 7 - 7:45 pm (Individual classrooms 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, and 24)
* Art4Schools Art Show* - 6:00 - 7:30 pm (Multiuse Room)
5th Grade Families ONLY:
We are excited to invite you to our Fifth Grade Recognition Ceremony that will be held on Tuesday, June 26th, beginning PROMPTLY at 8:15am. In celebration of the big move to middle school, a potluck will immediately follow the ceremony. Please plan on bringing a potluck dish to share with others. We also will need help with set-up and clean-up, too. More information to come later! Thank you for helping us celebrate our 5th graders!
Volunteer Brunch on Tuesday, June 12
Hooray for Portal volunteers! You give of yourselves, and you precious time, for the children at our school. Now, it's time we celebrate you and your efforts. The staff is making homemade goodies for this event. Truly, it takes a village to raise a child. You are a very important part of that. Thanks as always for your willingness and enthusiasm to help at school! Please come celebrate wtih us!
When: Tuesday, June 12, 9:45 – 10:30am
Where: The courtyard behind the school office
Who should come: Anyone who has volunteered in any
way at school!
Art Show Disassembly Volunteer Opportunity- Read On!
Hello There!
I am in need of a few more volunteers to help take down the art show. Volunteers can meet me in the Multi-Purpose room on Thursday, June 7th after 10am. Please email me if you're able to help.
Thank you so much,
Judy Schulze
judy.schulze@gmail.com
408-910-3349
Exploratorium Chaperones:
The Rockhoppers will be celebrating the end of the year by visiting the Exploratorium in San Francisco on Thursday, June 7th. This will be a full-day trip; both students and chaperones will need to bring a lunch from home. Chaperones will need to check in at the front office and have a negative TB test on file in order to join us. Thanks in advance!
A Note from our Great Librarian- Books & DVDs are DUE!
All Portal library books are due back to by JUNE 8th, Friday. Please begin the search in your rooms, under your beds, behind your bookshelves, under your blankets, between your pillows, and anywhere else you think you may have left your library book, and bring it back to the library!
ALL library books and MATH DVDS must be returned by THIS Friday. If your book is absolutely lost, please write a check to PORTAL SCHOOL in payment of a replacement for the amount that is due on your book. I'll be sending notices to all students who still have books or DVDS checked out beginning Monday, June 4 to help your student identify their errant books.
Thanks for helping us keep all Portal books safe and intact for the new school year!
Mrs. Lim
Curriculum Flash!
Language Arts:
We are currently finishing writing projects and working on our anthologies for the end of the year. Thank you to all parents who assisted us during our Literature Circle activities; you were terrific helpers! Now is a great time for some end-of-the-year blog submissions too from our classes- what a great way to reminisce about the year!
Math
4th grade: We are in the process of producing our own fair game! This is taking us several days of class time, and it is certainly a good use of our time :) When we’re finished, our class members will play the games and evaluate their fairness to all players- a great application of our content understanding.
5th grade: We continue with Biz World. Students have formed companies and are now working on incorporation. They will soon be working on their “pitch” to a venture capitalist for the purpose of raising money for their company. Students also continue to finish their final geometry project, Geometry Journey. Groups of students were given a list of geometry vocabulary words and need to wander the school trying to find real life examples of them. The take pictures using the ipad, upload the pictures to a Pages document, and explain the special features of each picture in a detailed caption. This allows students to put their understanding of geometry terms to the test and pushes their creativity to find unique and interesting way to exhibit each term.
Science:
In Rooms 20 & 21, we are preparing to give our families a brief presentation of our technology project for the Water Planet unit during Open House. We’ll also continue our Investigation 4, Part 3: The Pressure is On later in the week.
Social Studies:
We’re continuing with our Geography Wax Museum preparation. Students are finishing up their presentation boards and memorizing their speeches. Please be sure to ask your child if you have any questions about the project or their progress.
Mystery State Clues:
Although this state is the driest state, its lakes are home to many rare fish.
Gold and silver discoveries drew miners to this state in the 1860s.
This state entered the Union during the Civil War.
This state gets its name from a Spanish word that means "snowcapped."
Hoover Dam is in this state.
Which state is it?
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Weekly Reminders 5/29/12
Rockhopper Weekly Reminders
May 29- June 1
Mark Your Calendars:
• Friday, June 1 : Exploration field trip money and forms due
• Wednesday, June 6 Open House (see note below)
• Thursday, June 7: Field Trip to the Exploratorium in San Francisco
• Tuesday, June 12: Volunteer Appreciation Brunch 9:50 am
• Wednesday, June 13: PSCO Meeting 6:30
Open House:
We are really looking forward to seeing you on the evening of Wednesday, June 6.
Your children have prepared a special night for you beginning with an art show in the multiuse room and then oral and technology presentations in the individual classrooms.
If students have younger siblings, you can view the art show at 6:00 before visiting the primary classrooms and then head over to the Rockhopper Village at 7:00. The students have worked hard and are proud to show off their most recent activities and can’t wait to show off for you! The Rockhopper schedule is below:
Rockhopper Classrooms 7:00 - 7:45 pm
* Art4Schools Art Show* 6:00 - 7:30 pm (Multiuse Room)
Exploratorium Chaperones:
The Rockhoppers will be celebrating the end of the year by visiting the Exploratorium in San Francisco on Thursday, June 7th. This will be a full-day trip; both students and chaperones will need to bring a lunch from home. Each class will need 6 chaperones, so please email your child’s family room teacher if you are interested and available to enjoy this fun-filled day with us!
Curriculum Flash!
Language Arts:
We are currently finishing writing projects and working on our anthologies for the end of the year. Our last literature circle will be held on Friday, June 1 at 12:30.
Math
4th grade: We are now completing our Game Factory game evaluations. We now really understand what it will take to make a fair game of our own, which is our task for this week! Each partner group will be coming up with a game theme, gameboard layout in full color, and directions for their game. Before others get to try their game, the partners will evaluate the probability of each player winning to assure the game’s fairness. They’ll “test play” the game, figure out a good way to record results, and then their game will be ready for the class to evaluate. We’ll have several “game days” to get class member evaluations of our final game projects during the next two weeks.
5th grade: Today we began “Biz World”, our final unit of the year! Biz World is a business simulation where students work in teams to create a successful business - in this case, a friendship bracelet company. Students will learn how companies are created and how to design, manufacture, market, and sell their products. Success depends on each company’s “value” determined by decisions made throughout the game.
Science:
In Rooms 20 & 21, we are working on Investigation 4, Part 1 in the Water Planet unit. The investigation piece focuses our attention on the heating and cooling rates of different earth materials. We’ll also be doing some analysis of our investigation results. Finally, the are supporting book articles we’ll examine in relation to this topic to solidify our knowledge of the topic.
Social Studies:
We’re continuing with our Geography Wax Museum preparation. Students are finishing up their presentation boards and memorizing their speeches. Please be sure to ask your child if you have any questions about the project or their progress.
Surprise - no Mystery State! Stay tuned next week and thanks for reading!
Monday, May 21, 2012
Rockhopper Weekly Reminders
May 21-25
Mark Your Calendars:
Tuesday, May 22: Literature Circles- Session #1 (8:00-9:00am)
Tuesday, May 22 - 24 Book Fair (Buy One, Get One Free)
Wednesday, May 23: PSCO meeting @6:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 24 Literature Circles- Session #2 (8:00-9:00am)
Friday, May 25: Staff Learning Day - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
Monday, May 28: Memorial Day - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
Monday, May 29: Literature Circles- Session #3 (8:00-9:00am)
Friday, June 1: Literature Circles- Session #4 (note the 12:30-1:15pm time!)
A Quick “Thank You”..... to all our wonderful families for making your two village teachers feel so appreciated today- the flowers we received were a beautiful way to express your thanks for the work we do!
Sincerely,
Miss Scourkes and Mr. Roels
10th Annual Portal Field Day!!!
(only a few more spots to fill, then signups are closed!)
On Friday, June 22nd, 2012, Portal will participate in our 10th Annual Field Day! This is a very fun and exciting day that our students look forward to all year.
We need at least 20 parents and lots of responsible and energetic alumni to help with games from 7:45 am until 12 noon. We have two shifts: 7:45 – 10:00 and 9:45 – 12:00, or BOTH!!
Most schools are out for the summer on this date, so this is a wonderful opportunity for alumni to do community service. Alumni must sign up in advance. Alumni students who have not signed up will not be allowed to stay on campus.
Please, for the safety and enjoyment of the students, no cell phone use or texting during field events. They need your full attention, encouragement, and enthusiasm.
Please sign up using our online form available at the link below.
We need you to make this fun-filled day happen for our students!
Volunteer HERE!
Spots are first-come, first-served. We are only taking a limited number of volunteers,
so please sign-up soon before all spots are filled!
Curriculum Flash!
Language Arts:
Our work with Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes is almost done. Students are composing formal responses to literature about the novel, finishing previous projects, and putting together their Sadako portfolios. We begin our last set of literature circle activities this week. Group literature circles will be held Tuesday, May 22, Thursday, May 24, Tuesday May 29, (all at 8:00) and Friday, June 1 at 12:30.
*Volunteers Still Needed for Literature Circles!
We still need a few more volunteers for our literature circles- we really should have about 6 adults in the room for the best results. This is an approximately one hour commitment two times a week for two weeks (a total of 4 times). As a volunteer, you are asked to sit with a group of students and listen to them discuss what they’ve read. You’ll record how they listen and respond to each other. Parents who volunteer for this job have expressed how fun it is to hear the students discuss what they’ve read. Please email Miss Scourkes or Mr. Roels if you can help out! Thank you- and thank you to those parents who have already made plans to join us this week!
Math
4th grade: We are nearing completion of our various Game Factory game evaluations. Each time we’ve tried a new game, we made predictions about its fairness, we played the game, and then we discussed the probability of each player’s success and the overall fairness of the game. We’ll be using our understanding of fairness later in the week to begin the production of our own fair game! This will take us several days of class time, and it is certainly a good use of our time :) Then, our class members will play the games and evaluate their fairness to all players- a great application of our content understanding.
5th grade: Students are working on their final geometry project, Geometry Journey. Groups of students were given a list of geometry vocabulary words and need to wander the school trying to find real life examples of them. The take pictures using the ipad, upload the pictures to a Pages document, and explain the special features of each picture in a detailed caption. This allows students to put their understanding of geometry terms to the test and pushes their creativity to find unique and interesting way to exhibit each term. We will start BizWorld on Wednesday, May 30th.
Science:
In Rooms 20 & 21, we took our first Investigation Checks (I-Checks) today. These two I-Checks were conducted as open book/open note assessments. On Wednesday and Thursday, we’ll present our technology Water Planet projects, and we’ll also self-evaluate our efforts on this group project. Mr. Roels will also evaluate the technology portion of the project.
Social Studies:
We have started our Open House “Wax Museum” preparation. Students have written their essays and are beginning work on their project boards. They will be working on their speeches and “sandwich boards next. Please be sure to ask your child if you have any questions about the project or their progress.
Name that State!
The first public school in the United States was established in this state in 1635.
The first World Series was played in this state.
Cod is this state's official state fish.
This state was the home state of four U.S. presidents: John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Calvin Coolidge, and John F. Kennedy.
In 1620, the Mayflower landed in this state.
Which state is it?
Monday, May 14, 2012
Rockhopper Weekly Reminders
May 14th - 18th
Mark Your Calendars:
Monday- Friday, May 14 - 16: STAR testing makeup
Wednesday, May 16: Sadako Final Test
Thursday, May 17: Family Science Night 6:00 p.m. (ticket required)
Friday, May 18 Spirit Day: “Black and White” Day
Tuesday, May 22: Literature Circles 1
Tuesday, May 22 - 24 Book Fair (Buy One, Get One)
Wednesday, May 23: PSCO 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 24 Literature Circles 2
Friday, May 25: Staff Learning Day - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
Monday, May 28: Memorial Day - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
Monday, May 29: Literature Circles 3
Friday, June 1: Literature Circles 4 (12:30 pm)
10th Annual Portal Field Day!!!
Field Day Help Needed!
On Friday, June 22nd, 2012, Portal will participate in our 10th Annual Field Day! This is a very fun and exciting day that our students look forward to all year.
We need at least 20 parents and lots of responsible and energetic alumni to help with games from 7:45 am until 12 noon. We have two shifts: 7:45 – 10:00 and 9:45 – 12:00, or BOTH!!
Most schools are out for the summer on this date, so this is a wonderful opportunity for alumni to do community service. Alumni must sign up in advance. Alumni students who have not signed up will not be allowed to stay on campus.
Please, for the safety and enjoyment of the students, no cell phone use or texting during field events. They need your full attention, encouragement, and enthusiasm.
Please sign up using our online form available at the link below.
We need you to make this fun-filled day happen for our students!
Volunteer HERE!
Spots are first-come, first-served. We are only taking a limited number of volunteers,
so please sign-up soon before all spots are filled!
Curriculum Flash!
Language Arts:
We’ve finished our reading of the novel Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, and we are going to work on creative connections like our bio-poem poetry compositions, poetry comparisons, vocabulary cards, hirakana character words, and Hiroshima landmark watercolors. Students will have their AR Quiz on Tuesday and their written test on Wednesday. We will begin our last set of literature circle activities this week. Group literature circles will be held Tuesday, May 22, Thursday, May 24, Tuesday May 29, (all at 8:00) and Friday, June 1 at 12:30.
Volunteers Still Needed!
We still need volunteers for our literature circles. This is an approximately one hour commitment two times a week for two weeks (a total of 4 times). As a volunteer, you are asked to sit with a group of students and listen to them discuss what they’ve read. You’ll record how they listen and respond to each other. Parents who volunteer for this job have expressed how fun it is to hear the students discuss what they’ve read. Please consider helping us with this activity. We really need about 6 adults in the room for the best results. Please email Miss Scourkes or Mr. Roels if you can help out! Thank you- and thank you to those parents who have already responded!
Math
4th grade: We are now in progress on our various Game Factory game evaluations. Each time we try a new game, we make predictions about its fairness, we play the game, and then we discuss the probability of each player’s success and the overall fairness of the game. In this manner, we’ll be able to really understand what it will take to make a fair game of our own. We’ll have an evaluation of our final game project at the conclusion of the unit.
5th grade: This week we finish our study geometry and will have a unit test toward the end of the week. We will also work on wrapping-up some unfinished graphing projects and extensions.
Science:
In Rooms 20 & 21, we are working on Investigation 3, Part 3 in the Water Planet unit. The investigation piece focuses our attention on surface area and its effect on evaporation. Half of our time this week will continue to be used to get Water Planet tech projects ready for our May 21 due date (most of our groups are already pretty far along in their work.) Finally, we’ll have our first Investigation Checks (I-Checks) on May 21 as well. These two I-Checks will be conducted as open book/open note asssessments, but review of reading assignments and investigation details is recommended prior to this date.
Social Studies:
We have started our Open House “Wax Museum” preparation. Students have been researching, taking notes, and organizing their information. This week they will begin writing their essays. This end of the year project requires researching, writing an expository essay, an oral presentation, a costume, and a backboard, which will be presented to you at Open House! Please be sure to ask your child if you have any questions about the project or their progress.
Name that State!
The world's largest silver nugget was found in this state in 1894.
The highest suspension bridge in the world is in this state.
Members of the Utes, a Native American tribe, have lived in this state continuously since the 1500s.
On average, this state has the highest altitude in the United States.
U.S. Air Force Academy cadets attend school in this state.
Which state is it?
Monday, May 7, 2012
Rockhopper Weekly Reminders
May 7th - 11th
Mark Your Calendars:
PSCO Survey is live and ready to be completed: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PSCO
May 7-11 STAR testing for Rockhopper students- no parent volunteers during testing time (8-10:50am M-Th, 8-11:45am F)
Monday- Friday, May 14-16 STAR testing makeup
Tuesday, May 22 8:00-9:00am Literature Circle #1
Thursday, May 24 8:00-9:00am Literature Circle #2
Tuesday, May 29 8:00-9:00am Literature Circle #3
Friday, June 1 12:30-1:15pm Literature Circle #4
10th Annual Portal Field Day!!!
Field Day Help Needed!
On Friday, June 22nd, 2012, Portal will participate in our 10th Annual Field Day! This is a very fun and exciting day that our students look forward to all year.
We need at least 20 parents and lots of responsible and energetic alumni to help with games from 7:45 am until 12 noon. We have two shifts: 7:45 – 10:00 and 9:45 – 12:00, or BOTH!!
Most schools are out for the summer on this date, so this is a wonderful opportunity for alumni to do community service. Alumni must sign up in advance. Alumni students who have not signed up will not be allowed to stay on campus.
Please, for the safety and enjoyment of the students, no cell phone use or texting during field events. They need your full attention, encouragement, and enthusiasm.
Please sign up using our online form available at the link below.
We need you to make this fun-filled day happen for our students!
Volunteer HERE!
Spots are first-come, first-served. We are only taking a limited number of volunteers,
so please sign-up soon before all spots are filled!
Art Show Help Still Needed!
Judy Schulze, our great Rockhopper art teacher, needs our parent support! She says, “I still need a few volunteers who can take artwork home to staple a colored paper backing and label on each piece of art (about 60 per classroom). So far, I have helpers for rooms 19, 22, and possibly 24.”
The art show set-up date is Tuesday, June 5th from 8:00am-1:30pm. At present, we have NO volunteers for our two classrooms- please help do our share of the art set-up work by volunteering today! You can notify either Mr. Roels or Miss Scourkes if you would be able to help in this rewarding activity.Thank you!
Additional Rockhopper Donations:
We are in need of tissues (Kleenex) for our classes. Any donations would be appreciated! Thank you!
PSCO Survey:
Last week there was a link in your Weekly Reminders to complete the PSCO survey, which relates to PSCO specific questions (this is not the SSC/School survey that you took earlier this year). We would appreciate it if you were to take a few minutes (approx. 3) to answer this short survey, so that PSCO can get your feedback. Please use this link https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PSCO to access the survey. Thank you.
Science Night:
The flyer for Science night was sent home last week. If you are interested, please be sure to sign up right away as it is on a first come, first serve basis. The deadline to sign up is this Friday, May 11th. We hope to see you there!
Curriculum Flash!
STAR Testing:
STAR testing begins today, so please be sure that your child gets enough sleep, eats a healthy breakfast, and arrives to school on time! Testing will take place in the morning, and we will continue to teach curriculum in the afternoon. Please try not to schedule appointments for your child, if at all possible, during the testing period. If your child is ill, STAR make-ups will take place next week. So if your child is ill, please keep them at home for that day. Also, be sure to tell your child not to worry about the test. Reassure your child that he or she will do just fine, communicating in a way to reduce anxiety rather than to increase it.
Language Arts:
We’ve finished our reading of the novel Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, and we are going to work on creative connections like our bio-poem poetry compositions, poetry comparisons, vocabulary cards, hirakana character words, and Hiroshima landmark watercolors. We will begin our last set of literature circle activities on the following dates:
Tuesday, May 22 8:00-9:00am Literature Circle #1
Thursday, May 24 8:00-9:00am Literature Circle #2
Tuesday, May 29 8:00-9:00am Literature Circle #3
Friday, June 1 12:30-1:15pm Literature Circle #4
Both rooms are truly in need of volunteers for this activity, so please email your child’s teacher if you are interested in helping out. Please try to sign up for all four days. If you are not available on all days, let us know which days you ARE available, so we can assign you to different groups.
Math
4th grade: Our focus for the rest of this month is our exciting Game Factory probability unit. Concepts that we review and explore include the basic terminology of probability, making predictions, determining the probability of particular events in games by using fractions, grids, and tree diagrams, and eventually developing our own fair game for others to play and enjoy. We’ll have an evaluation of our final game project at the conclusion of the unit.
5th grade: (20) This week in math, we continue our study of geometry. We’re learning about calculating the area of parallelograms, triangles, and complex figures. We’ll also review “circle” concepts.
Science:
In Rooms 20 & 21, we are going to learn more about the water cycle through our work on Investigation 3 in the Water Planet unit. The investigation focus this week is on the effect of location, temperature, and surface area on evaporation. Half of our time this week will also be used to get Water Planet tech projects ready for our May 21 due date. We’ll be reviewing rubrics to determine whether our research information, oral presentation component, and our technology work in progress meet the grade level standards for this type of work.
Social Studies:
This week we will continue to move forward in A History of Us. Students will also be introduced to the Wax Museum project later on in the week, so please ask your child for the details. This end of the year project requires researching, writing an expository essay, an oral presentation, a costume, and a backboard, which will be presented to you at Open House!
Name that State!
This state has the tallest state capital in the United States.
At different points in its history, this state was owned by France and Spain.
This state's counties are called "parishes."
Ninety-eight percent of the world's crayfish are in this state.
This state hosts a huge Mardi Gras celebration every year.
Which state is it?
Monday, April 30, 2012
Weekly Reminders 4/30/12
Rockhopper Weekly Reminders
April 30 - May 4
Mark Your Calendars:
PSCO Survey is live and ready to be completed (here is the link):
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PSCO
Monday, May 7- STAR testing begins for Rockhopper students
Friday, May 11 - STAR testing is completed for Rockhopper students
Monday- Friday, May 14-18 STAR testing makeup
Volunteers Needed
Dear Parents,
Below is a letter from Judy Shultz our Rockhopper Art Teacher. She is asking for volunteers to help get student art ready for Open House. If you are able to help, please email your family room teacher as soon as possible.
We are quickly wrapping up our art lessons and getting ready for our Open House art show. I'm really looking forward to seeing your students artwork on display in the multi-purpose room!
I'm emailing to ask for your help. I'd like to find one or two parent volunteers from each classroom who can help me in one of the following two ways:
1.My biggest need is for one parent from each class to take artwork home to mount and label before the art show. I will choose 2 pieces of art per student and provide instructions, labels, and mounting paper. I would have the artwork ready to go home with a parent shortly after your next lesson. (Scourkes/Roels 5/11, Domingues/Regosin 5/18, and Lu/Gokhale 6/1).
My second biggest need is for volunteers who can drop in for 30 minutes or more on Monday 6/4 to help me hang the art show. We will be stapling all the work to the black display boards and setting out the clay on display tables.
As for taking down the show, I would love to have one class come and help me for about 20-30 minutes on Thursday or Friday afternoon 6/7 or 6/8. Students would be carefully taking out staples and sorting the artwork with me.
If you send me names and emails of available parents, I will follow up with each of them. Thanks so much for your help!
PSCO Survey:
Last week there was a link in your Weekly Reminders to complete the PSCO survey, which relates to PSCO specific questions (this is not the SSC/School survey that you took earlier this year). We would appreciate it if you were to take a few minutes to answer this short survey, so that PSCO can get your feedback. The link is at the top of this reminder under the “Mark Your Calendar” section.
Science Night:
The flyer for Science night was sent home last week. If you are interested, please be sure to sign up right away as it is on a first come, first serve basis. We hope to see you there!
Curriculum Flash!
Language Arts:
Our reading of the novel Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes will be completed this week. Class discussions are emphasized in order for students to share opinions, predictions, background knowledge, and character analysis. We also practice deeper thinking in our written response questions, research skills with our “About Japan” study sheet, and creative connections through poetry composition and poetry comparisons, vocabulary cards, and hirakana character formation.
Math
4th grade: Our focus for this week is probability. We’ll be covering the written material in our textbooks to prepare for our exciting Game Factory unit. Concepts that we review and explore include the basic terminology of probability, determining the probability of particular events, making predictions, and representing outcomes using grids, tree diagrams, charts, and fractional terms. We’ll have a Chapter Review/Test at the end of the week to assess our understanding.
5th grade: This week we finish our graphing unit and begin our study of geometry. We’ll be classifying and adding angles, working with lines and line segments, and classifying and measuring triangles and quadrilaterals.
Science:
In Rooms 20 & 21, we continue our investigation of the factors that influence our planet. We will also use half of our time this week to get planning and research done on our Water Planet tech projects. We’ll be working both inside and outside of the classroom to have research done and a sensible plan for our groups to share the information with our peers. The investigation focus this week is on understanding the importance of controlling variables in experimental circumstances, using graphing to record results accurately, and getting more exposure to the force of gravity.
As a reminder, fifth graders can prepare to take their STAR science test by reviewing concepts they have learned over the past two years. Science textbooks and student notebooks for the past two years are available for this purpose.
Social Studies:
This week we will continue to read and discuss the early New England settlers. We’ll be focusing on the events in Europe that lead to the voyage of the Mayflower and the development of both the Pilgrims and the Puritans. We’ll be reading about how these early settlers worked with and interacted with the Native Americans with both positive and negative consequences.
Name that State!
This state used to be an independent nation.
The state's name comes from a native word that means "homeland."
Two active volcanoes can be found in this state.
It was the last state to join the United States.
This state is made up of eight islands.
Which state is it?
Monday, April 23, 2012
Outdoor School Reminders!
Good Afternoon Rockhopper Families,
We are so looking forward to our week with the kids at Outdoor School! A few reminders about tomorrow:
•Please arrive at school with luggage promptly at 7:30am. Any later and you will be caught in our busy morning traffic at Portal and delay our loading of the buses. If parking, please park in our neighborhood area and not in the school parking lot.
•Make sure pillow and sleeping gear are tied together in a large sack or garbage bag. Students, after dropping off your luggage (and sack lunch) at the designated area assigned to your family room, please make sure to go directly out to the playground where there will be adult supervision.
•Buses will arrive at 8:30am and we are needing a few parent volunteers to help load luggage. Buses will be departing at 9:15 a.m. If you are on campus at the time of departure, you must sign in at the office and wear your visitor's badge.
•Medication- If you are bringing medication, please drop it off in the office with Mrs. Fong to be placed in the appropriate classroom bin.
•Remember, prepare a sack lunch, labeled with the student's name!
•No binders, no backpacks needed at school this week.
•We expect to be returning to Portal on Friday at approximately 12:30 p.m. Please make arrangements to have your child picked up at that time. Lunch will not be provided on Friday.
Remember to get a good night's rest and a solid breakfast!
We'll see everyone in the morning!
-Your Rockhopper Teachers
Monday, April 2, 2012
Weekly Reminders 4/2/12
Rockhopper Weekly Reminders
April 2 - April 6
Mark Your Calendars:
Wednesday, April 4th: 5th grade Math Placement Test #2 for middle school
Thursday, April 5 - Field Trip to see the play “Ben Franklin”
Thursday, April 5 - Final Geography Test
Friday, April 6- Report cards go home
Monday, April 9 - Spring Recess Begins
Monday, April 23 - School Resumes
April 24-April 27- Outdoor School
OUTDOOR SCHOOL REMINDERS!
• On April 24th, students are to arrive at school at 7:45 and drop their luggage off in front of the office right away.
• Put all luggage, with special tags, out in front of the office in your child's designated room area.
• We will send home special luggage tags.
• Make sure both sleeping bag/pillow and luggage have the tags attached before you arrive.
• Medication needs to be in its original container and then placed in a Ziploc bag with the child's name and room number written on the outside. Be sure to drop medications off in the office in your family room teacher’s medicine box. If your medication is already at school, Mrs. Fong will pull it out of the cabinet and put it in the boxes before we leave.
• All students must have a bag lunch with their name on it. Place the lunch in the family room teacher's class lunch container.
• We have designated special parents to help load the buses to avoid confusion. After dropping off your child’s luggage, medication, and lunch, please clear the bus loading area.
• The buses will be leaving at 9:00 sharp!
•Please check your outdoor school packet for the checklist of what is to be packed and what NOT to bring. Make sure that ALL personal items are labeled with a Sharpie permanent marker.
• On April 27 we will arrive back at school between 12:30 and 1:00. We would like to encourage you to pick up your child at this time for early dismissal!
• Also, it is FUN for kids to get mail while they’re at camp. Please feel free to send a letter or two during the first couple of days. The address is in your packet.
Portal Enrichment Program = P.E.P.
Spring Break is coming- we will have no classes during the weeks of April 9-13 and April 16-20 at Portal. What we DO have for those of you who are in town and looking for a good way to spend your days is the Portal Enrichment Program- this is a program of fun and interesting classes for K-5 students taught by members of the Portal staff during our break. Electronic registration forms are still available for you to sign up for the second week that P.E.P. is offered at our school- see our last Portal Press for more information!
Additional Rockhopper Donations:
We are in need of tissues (Kleenex) for our classes. Any donations would be appreciated! Thank you!
Curriculum Flash!
Language Arts:
This continue to get deeper into our novel Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. Class discussions are an important place for our students to share opinions, predictions, background knowledge, and character analysis. Oral language is key to developing the ability to respond in writing, so let’s just DO IT!
Math
4th grade: Our focus for this week is graphing using a coordinate plane. Students have been plotting points, calculating the length of line segments, and graphing functions. On Friday, we will be involved in hands-on measuring stations known as the “Measurement Extravaganza!” Students will rotate through three different centers to use real-life skills involving capacity, weight, and measurement. In order for our Extravaganza to be successful, we need students to bring in clean (rinsed out) empty containers (gallon, liters, pints, etc.) by Friday! Thank you in advance!
5th grade: This week we continue our data, statistics and graphing unit. We’re currently using data to create line plots. We will look at different ways to display and interpret data throughout the week.
Science:
In Rooms 20 & 21, we begin our investigation of the solar system. Understanding the classification of solar system components and the forces that work on the solar system is our goal for the week. We will also use half of our time this week to get planning and research done on our Water Planet tech projects. We’ll be working both inside and outside of the classroom to have research done and a sensible plan for our groups to share the information with our peers.
Social Studies:
We have begun reading The History of US (volume 2). Discussions, worksheets, and short quizzes will be given periodically to check for understanding. As a reminder, the final geography test will be given on Thursday, April 5, and will include all 50 states. Be sure to prepare in advance!
Name that State!
This state used to be an independent nation.
The state's name comes from a native word that means "homeland."
Two active volcanoes can be found in this state.
It was the last state to join the United States.
This state is made up of eight islands.
Which state is it?
April 2 - April 6
Mark Your Calendars:
Wednesday, April 4th: 5th grade Math Placement Test #2 for middle school
Thursday, April 5 - Field Trip to see the play “Ben Franklin”
Thursday, April 5 - Final Geography Test
Friday, April 6- Report cards go home
Monday, April 9 - Spring Recess Begins
Monday, April 23 - School Resumes
April 24-April 27- Outdoor School
OUTDOOR SCHOOL REMINDERS!
• On April 24th, students are to arrive at school at 7:45 and drop their luggage off in front of the office right away.
• Put all luggage, with special tags, out in front of the office in your child's designated room area.
• We will send home special luggage tags.
• Make sure both sleeping bag/pillow and luggage have the tags attached before you arrive.
• Medication needs to be in its original container and then placed in a Ziploc bag with the child's name and room number written on the outside. Be sure to drop medications off in the office in your family room teacher’s medicine box. If your medication is already at school, Mrs. Fong will pull it out of the cabinet and put it in the boxes before we leave.
• All students must have a bag lunch with their name on it. Place the lunch in the family room teacher's class lunch container.
• We have designated special parents to help load the buses to avoid confusion. After dropping off your child’s luggage, medication, and lunch, please clear the bus loading area.
• The buses will be leaving at 9:00 sharp!
•Please check your outdoor school packet for the checklist of what is to be packed and what NOT to bring. Make sure that ALL personal items are labeled with a Sharpie permanent marker.
• On April 27 we will arrive back at school between 12:30 and 1:00. We would like to encourage you to pick up your child at this time for early dismissal!
• Also, it is FUN for kids to get mail while they’re at camp. Please feel free to send a letter or two during the first couple of days. The address is in your packet.
Portal Enrichment Program = P.E.P.
Spring Break is coming- we will have no classes during the weeks of April 9-13 and April 16-20 at Portal. What we DO have for those of you who are in town and looking for a good way to spend your days is the Portal Enrichment Program- this is a program of fun and interesting classes for K-5 students taught by members of the Portal staff during our break. Electronic registration forms are still available for you to sign up for the second week that P.E.P. is offered at our school- see our last Portal Press for more information!
Additional Rockhopper Donations:
We are in need of tissues (Kleenex) for our classes. Any donations would be appreciated! Thank you!
Curriculum Flash!
Language Arts:
This continue to get deeper into our novel Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. Class discussions are an important place for our students to share opinions, predictions, background knowledge, and character analysis. Oral language is key to developing the ability to respond in writing, so let’s just DO IT!
Math
4th grade: Our focus for this week is graphing using a coordinate plane. Students have been plotting points, calculating the length of line segments, and graphing functions. On Friday, we will be involved in hands-on measuring stations known as the “Measurement Extravaganza!” Students will rotate through three different centers to use real-life skills involving capacity, weight, and measurement. In order for our Extravaganza to be successful, we need students to bring in clean (rinsed out) empty containers (gallon, liters, pints, etc.) by Friday! Thank you in advance!
5th grade: This week we continue our data, statistics and graphing unit. We’re currently using data to create line plots. We will look at different ways to display and interpret data throughout the week.
Science:
In Rooms 20 & 21, we begin our investigation of the solar system. Understanding the classification of solar system components and the forces that work on the solar system is our goal for the week. We will also use half of our time this week to get planning and research done on our Water Planet tech projects. We’ll be working both inside and outside of the classroom to have research done and a sensible plan for our groups to share the information with our peers.
Social Studies:
We have begun reading The History of US (volume 2). Discussions, worksheets, and short quizzes will be given periodically to check for understanding. As a reminder, the final geography test will be given on Thursday, April 5, and will include all 50 states. Be sure to prepare in advance!
Name that State!
This state used to be an independent nation.
The state's name comes from a native word that means "homeland."
Two active volcanoes can be found in this state.
It was the last state to join the United States.
This state is made up of eight islands.
Which state is it?
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Weekly Reminders 3/26/12
Rockhopper Weekly Reminders
March 26-30
Mark Your Calendars:
Monday, March 26 - Friday, March 30: Early Dismissal 12:30 pm all week
Monday, March 26 - Wednesday, March 28: Scholastic Book Fair 12:30-2:00pm
Friday, March 30 - 5th grade Bedroom Projects are due
Thursday, April 5 - Field Trip to see the play “Ben Franklin”
Thursday, April 5 - Final Geography Test
Monday, April 9 - Spring Recess Begins
Monday, April 23 - School Resumes
Spring Conferences and Technology Showcase
Parent-Teacher Conferences are coming up this month, beginning on Thursday, March 22 and running through Friday, March 30. This year’s conferences will feature a “Technology Showcase” in grades 2-5. In addition to the normal 20 minute meeting between parents, teachers, and students, there will be an additional 20 minute time slot which students will facilitate with their parents either in our computer lab, or in another designated spot on campus where our laptop carts will be set up. This session is available for drop-ins between 12:40-2:40pm. If your conference runs later, please plan on attending the TDC prior to your conference during its scheduled hours. Students will showcase all of their awesome technology work in progress, projects that they have completed, as well as demonstrate their skills in using various applications. We hope you enjoy checking out the great strides our techy penguins have been making!
Spring Conferences Note:
Due to our very tight schedule with 30 -31 students per room, we would greatly appreciate it if you arrive at your scheduled conference on time, as our conferences are generally back to back and each child’s time slot cannot be extended into the next conference. Thank you!
Book Fair:
The Book Fair is open after school during conferences (12:30-2:40). Please be sure to swing by and check out the latest and greatest reads. Rockhopper students are able to visit the Book Fair during lunchtime on Wednesday only if they have money to purchase.
Portal Enrichment Program = P.E.P.
Spring Break is coming- we will have no classes during the weeks of April 9-13 and April 16-20 at Portal. What we DO have for those of you who are in town and looking for a good way to spend your days is the Portal Enrichment Program- this is a program of fun and interesting classes for K-5 students taught by members of the Portal staff during our break. Electronic registration forms are available for you to sign up for either week (or both) that P.E.P. is offered at our school- see our last Portal Press for more information!
Additional Rockhopper Donations:
We are in need of tissues (Kleenex) for our classes. Any donations would be appreciated! Thank you!
Curriculum Flash!
Language Arts:
This week we are moving along with our work with Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. We will be testing our comprehension of the story through specific responses to each chapter, and our class discussions will focus on increasing our cultural awareness of Sadako’s family life and the circumstances of her illness.
Math
4th grade: We are working on statistics and graphing this week, and our classes have completed data collection to use for single and double bar graph creation and statistical analysis of data (mean, median, mode, and range.) We’ll even question each other about graphical data- what can you learn from this graph? Since the survey topic was our classroom’s personal characteristics, our interest level is high! By the end of the week, we will begin work on coordinate graphing principles and applications.
5th grade: This week we begin our unit on statistics and data collection. We started today by collecting data on the amount of raisins in individual sized boxes. We’ll sort, organize, and interpret our data this week. We’ll review statistical vocabulary terms such as sample size, median, mode, mean, variance, frequency tables and outlier. We’ll also look at different methods of displaying data for interpretation and the specific vocabulary that accompanies different displays. Students will also have a chance to practice some of their statistical skills online throughout the week.
Science:
In Rooms 20 & 21, we will use our two morning sessions this week to get some initial planning and research done on our Water Planet tech projects. We’ll focus on looking for good online information for us as elementary school students, and we’ll talk more about our presentation approach for the finished product.
Social Studies:
Students have received their new and final set of states for the year! The geography test will be given on Thursday, April 5 and will include all 50 states. It should be great fun to see how many states and capitals they have learned - we know many students will be going for the “perfect score”! Also this week, students’ Explorer Tests will be returned and sent home for parent signatures. Please take a moment to review the test with your child. Many students did exceptionally well!
Name that State!
This state was an independent nation from 1836 to 1845.
More wool comes from this state than any other state in the country.
This state's official mammal is the armadillo.
This state is the second-largest state in the United States.
President George W. Bush was governor of this state before he was elected president
Which state is it?
March 26-30
Mark Your Calendars:
Monday, March 26 - Friday, March 30: Early Dismissal 12:30 pm all week
Monday, March 26 - Wednesday, March 28: Scholastic Book Fair 12:30-2:00pm
Friday, March 30 - 5th grade Bedroom Projects are due
Thursday, April 5 - Field Trip to see the play “Ben Franklin”
Thursday, April 5 - Final Geography Test
Monday, April 9 - Spring Recess Begins
Monday, April 23 - School Resumes
Spring Conferences and Technology Showcase
Parent-Teacher Conferences are coming up this month, beginning on Thursday, March 22 and running through Friday, March 30. This year’s conferences will feature a “Technology Showcase” in grades 2-5. In addition to the normal 20 minute meeting between parents, teachers, and students, there will be an additional 20 minute time slot which students will facilitate with their parents either in our computer lab, or in another designated spot on campus where our laptop carts will be set up. This session is available for drop-ins between 12:40-2:40pm. If your conference runs later, please plan on attending the TDC prior to your conference during its scheduled hours. Students will showcase all of their awesome technology work in progress, projects that they have completed, as well as demonstrate their skills in using various applications. We hope you enjoy checking out the great strides our techy penguins have been making!
Spring Conferences Note:
Due to our very tight schedule with 30 -31 students per room, we would greatly appreciate it if you arrive at your scheduled conference on time, as our conferences are generally back to back and each child’s time slot cannot be extended into the next conference. Thank you!
Book Fair:
The Book Fair is open after school during conferences (12:30-2:40). Please be sure to swing by and check out the latest and greatest reads. Rockhopper students are able to visit the Book Fair during lunchtime on Wednesday only if they have money to purchase.
Portal Enrichment Program = P.E.P.
Spring Break is coming- we will have no classes during the weeks of April 9-13 and April 16-20 at Portal. What we DO have for those of you who are in town and looking for a good way to spend your days is the Portal Enrichment Program- this is a program of fun and interesting classes for K-5 students taught by members of the Portal staff during our break. Electronic registration forms are available for you to sign up for either week (or both) that P.E.P. is offered at our school- see our last Portal Press for more information!
Additional Rockhopper Donations:
We are in need of tissues (Kleenex) for our classes. Any donations would be appreciated! Thank you!
Curriculum Flash!
Language Arts:
This week we are moving along with our work with Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. We will be testing our comprehension of the story through specific responses to each chapter, and our class discussions will focus on increasing our cultural awareness of Sadako’s family life and the circumstances of her illness.
Math
4th grade: We are working on statistics and graphing this week, and our classes have completed data collection to use for single and double bar graph creation and statistical analysis of data (mean, median, mode, and range.) We’ll even question each other about graphical data- what can you learn from this graph? Since the survey topic was our classroom’s personal characteristics, our interest level is high! By the end of the week, we will begin work on coordinate graphing principles and applications.
5th grade: This week we begin our unit on statistics and data collection. We started today by collecting data on the amount of raisins in individual sized boxes. We’ll sort, organize, and interpret our data this week. We’ll review statistical vocabulary terms such as sample size, median, mode, mean, variance, frequency tables and outlier. We’ll also look at different methods of displaying data for interpretation and the specific vocabulary that accompanies different displays. Students will also have a chance to practice some of their statistical skills online throughout the week.
Science:
In Rooms 20 & 21, we will use our two morning sessions this week to get some initial planning and research done on our Water Planet tech projects. We’ll focus on looking for good online information for us as elementary school students, and we’ll talk more about our presentation approach for the finished product.
Social Studies:
Students have received their new and final set of states for the year! The geography test will be given on Thursday, April 5 and will include all 50 states. It should be great fun to see how many states and capitals they have learned - we know many students will be going for the “perfect score”! Also this week, students’ Explorer Tests will be returned and sent home for parent signatures. Please take a moment to review the test with your child. Many students did exceptionally well!
Name that State!
This state was an independent nation from 1836 to 1845.
More wool comes from this state than any other state in the country.
This state's official mammal is the armadillo.
This state is the second-largest state in the United States.
President George W. Bush was governor of this state before he was elected president
Which state is it?
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