Boyers’ Business

Don’t forget about Friday’s Valentine’s Dance! The dance will be from 3:30 to 5:00. Permission slips came home last week. We’ve invited 4th and 5th graders, and for $4 students will get a pop and popcorn and can dance and socialize. We are using this as a fundraiser for our 5th Grade end of the year field trip. We really need donations of canned Pepsi products for the dance. Can you help?

Our Focus

Math - decimals and division

Social Studies – Introduction to Historical Perspectives Unit. This week has been about “The Age of Exploration”.

Writing – finishing up an On Demand practice called “Good Friend Award”. We’ve also begun talking about the K-PREP On Demand test, and have done some practice writing for that. (K-PREP is the name of our end of the year mandated assessment. As of now, the dates for K-PREP are May 7, 8, 9, 10.)

Remember
2-10 Tomorrow – Valentine’s Dance from 3:30-5:00.

2-17 Next Friday – Valentine’s Party AND the unveiling of our Valentine Boxes for our contest!

2-20 Monday – No School for President’s Day

3-5 Monday – School WILL be in session as a make-up day for students

Mid-terms came home last week. There are still 4 weeks left in the 3rd 9 weeks. Students have time to improve grades. Please contact me if you have questions or concerns.

Have we even had winter yet? Now that is is February, the “Think Snow” ninjas mysteriously removed all the signs, and we are good to go for the rest of our 5th Grade year! I’m finished with the flu and strep, and when the weather permits, I’ve got the windows open in our classroom to air out those germs!

We enjoyed our 100th Day of School. 5th Graders aren’t so much into making fruit loop necklaces, but they loved working 100 piece puzzles. What 5th graders seem to be most excited about regarding the 100th Day of School is the fact that they only have 75 days left as 5th Graders! The excitement for Middle School seems to be building!

Our Focus
Math The main unit of study is fractions. Knowing multiplication facts makes equivalent fraction studies so much easier. But, there’s more. Division, division, and more division. There are several different techniques for accomplishing long division….but none of them work unless dividers know MATH FACTS!

Reading- Immigration history – We are gearing up to learn some U.S. history, even in Reading! We’ve also worked on techniques for Constructed and Open Response Questions in Reading. We talk a lot about “restating” the question as a way to help maintain focus.

Social Studies- We are obsessed with MONOPOLY! We’ve been developing “reloaded” MONOPOLY games as a way to review Economics, because…..Friday is our Economics Common Assessment. Our next unit of study will be Historical Perspectives.

We’ve also spent some time talking and learning about Black History Month. We specifically focused on Rosa Parks and Muhammad Ali.

Remember:
Mid-terms come home today! There is still time to bring up grades. In Social Studies, students have been given some opportunities to earn extra credit throughout this 9 weeks.

Tomorrow, Friday, 2-3, is “GO RED DAY” at Southside. Wear red to support the American Heart Association, and to bring awareness to having a healthy heart.

Next Friday, 2-10, is our 4th/5th Grade VALENTINE’S DANCE. The cost is $4. The time is 3:30-5:00. Information and permission slip is in this week’s folder. This dance is not only a fun social time for Southside’s intermediate students, but it is a 5th grade fundraiser for our end of the year field trip. Can you donate canned Pepsi products for our dance??

Friday, February 17th, is our Valentine’s Party. The festivities begin at 2:00! (Since it is after the 14th, I bet we can pick up some great holiday items on clearance!!)

Information about our VALENTINE’S BOX Project and Contest is in today’s folder as well.

Our PTO Musical Program is Wednesday, February 29th. 5th Graders will be performing on their recorders!

Our Box Top Race is on! Send in those Box Tops to earn money for our school – we get 10 cents for each box top!! You can also send Campbell’s Soup labels, Snappy men, and Ken’s receipts. I also have a box to recycle used computer ink cartridges and old cell phones.

Well, when I said that I didn’t want to come to school in January, I meant missing for snow days, not missing with the flu! I did come to school when I felt bad, so I hope that none of the students caught this nuisance from me. You do need to know that our 59 Fifth Graders were so kind to me. I confessed that I really didn’t feel very well, and they took good care of me. They are always well behaved and hard working, but on Tuesday, they stepped up and really made the day easy for me. Honestly, why should I expect anything but the best from these great kids!

Our Focus:

Reading – Immigrant stories – We’ve read Shutting Out the Sky, and Homesick, My Story this week. There was a large surge of immigrants during the American Industrial Revolution after the Civil War. Understanding their stories is a part of our American story.

Social Studies – US Economic History – We’ve delved into some of our economic history, especially the Industrial Revolution. We’ve tried to follow this pattern of learning all year long. We combine the specifics of a Social Studies Concept study with the US History that applies to us! When the way that we live is all that we know, it is hard to understand why it is such a big deal! Learning the history that has made us what we live today seems to give 5th graders a frame of reference to remember the concepts.

Writing – How To Guides

Remember:
School will be in session on Monday, January 30th. We are making up a snow day.
Mid-Term reports will come home next Thursday, February 2nd. I think I had the date a day ahead last week!
The Box Top Race is going on NOW! Send those box tops in!!

That’s all, time for more medicine….

Well, whenever we "THINK SNOW" here at Southside, we get a snow day!  I get so excited about January snow days, but let me warn you, I am ready to be in school in February!!

I appreciate that even with the snow days and holidays, our 5th Graders are proving themselves to be very responsible in keeping up with assignments.  We've continued our regular schedule – especially with Spelling homework and Spelling tests.

Our Focus

Math – Polygons and the Polygon City Project.  Students should be practicing math facts and should be practicing the procedures for 2 and 3 digit multiplication.  This is all going to come in handy later on!

Social Studies – America's Industrial Revolution.  Understanding our economic history will give us a framework for actually understanding the concepts of Economics.  America's Industrial Revolution began right after our Civil War.

Reading – We are continuing our work on deconstructing key vocabulary as a basis for improving comprehension.  We read about Martin Luther King, Jr. this week.

Health – "Making Healthy Food Choices".  We talked about the "My Plate" plan for choosing foods, and the "5-2-1-Zero" healthy choice plan.  Ask your 5th Grader about his/her health goals.

Remember:

School WILL BE in session on Monday, January 30th as a make-up for one of our snow days.

Mid-term reports will come home on February 1st.  It is never too early or too late to begin improving work and grades!

Be gearing up for our Valentine's Party.  Even though Valentine's Day is Tuesday, February 14th, we wanted to extend the fun and have our actual party on Friday, February 17th.  The festivities will begin at 2:00.

Confession time:  I LOVE school, but I DO NOT like to come to school in January!!  I've been noticing some wonderful signs up all around Southside that say "Think Snow".  No one knows quite where they come from, but apparently some wonderful "Think Snow" ninjas mysteriously post these signs, so that we can all put our mental energies toward good thoughts!  When we are here, we are working, but…..THINK SNOW!

Our Focus:

Math – Geometry.  Students are studying polygons, and are doing projects to apply their knowledge of these shapes.  Work on math facts!

Social Studies – Our Economics Unit continues.  This week, we've knocked out a huge list of content specific vocabulary, and have boosted our knowledge through videos that focus on various themes.  As we watch, we hone in on our new vocabulary.  Students have a vocab. list with definitions, and will have a quiz on Friday….or the next day that we are school (THINK SNOW!).

Reading – Most of our reading this week has been Economics related.  We are continuing to practice "deconstructing words" to get at the meaning.  Deconstructing means to search the words for root or base words whose meaning is easier to understand.  For example, in the word "deconstructing", students usually see the part of the word "construct".  They know that this means build, so the prefix "de-" makes this word mean something like "unbuild" or really, "take apart".  We are working hard to not just skip over difficult words in our reading!

Science – Matter, you know, solids, liquids, and gasses.

Remember

There will be no school on Monday - it is Martin Luther King Day.  (We are mandated by law to be out of school on this day.)

We will be IN SCHOOL on Monday, January 30th to make up the snow day that we missed earlier.  (THINK SNOW)

Report cards went home last week, if you have questions or concerns please contact me.

This is the season for snow days (THINK SNOW), so it is important for 5th graders to keep up with assignments.  The days that we are in school are work days, and being responsible for assignments is critical to keeping work going smoothly.  A good rule of thumb is to keep homework in the homework pocket of binders.  Keep binders in backpacks.  That way, when it is time to leave for home or school, students can "grab and go"!

End of Elementary Thought:

As of now, our 5th graders are closer to being 6th graders – MIDDLE SCHOOLERS – than they are to the 4th graders that they used to be!  It is important for our students to be prepared for the next phase of their education, so they need to take more and more responsibility.  One example of being more responsible is taking care of assignments.  While they were closer to 4th grade, I provided some "safety nets" for forgotten assignments.  I provided extra copies of missing work, and extra time to complete that missing work.  Now that we are closer to 6th grade, I need to take some of the safety nets away.  I will always be happy to provide extra copies whenever I have them available, but students will now need to come to me for that work instead of me approaching students with make-up work.  Students will need to turn in late work on their own when they complete it, or when they are absent, instead of waiting for me to track them down to get things turned in.

Oh, THINK SNOW!

Happy New Year!  I made it all the way to Thursday before I accidentally wrote 2011.  I told the students to have my back, and their eagle eyes' were sharper than my fast eraser!  Be sure to "Think Snow" so that poor Mrs. Boyers doesn't have to come to school in January.  Do be sure to dress for the weather.  We went outside on Wednesday and the 5th graders gathered enough snow to make a snowman for our playground!

Our Focus

Math – Geometry

Reading - Literature genres, specifically dealing with Economics and Winter.  We are working on summarizing skills.

Social Studies – Economics Unit.  We've started out learning content specific vocabulary.

Spelling - We are back in to our regular routine.  We have 3 groups working with 3 different lists.  Packets will come home on Mondays (or whatever our first day is with snow days!) and are due on Thursdays (even if we have snow days!).  Spelling tests will be on Fridays like usual.

Science – Heat

Remember:

1.6 – This Friday, report cards come home for the 2nd nine weeks.  If you have questions or concerns, please contact me.

1.16 – Two Mondays away is Martin Luther King Day.  There will be no school.  (No word yet on January 30th.  I suspect that we will use that to make up for the snow day we had on Tuesday.)

Start gearing up for Valentine's Day.  Students will get more information later, but a headstart on Valentine Cards is always a great idea for SNOW DAYS!  Additionally, students will be making their own Valentine holders – it will be a grade for Arts and Humanities AND part of a contest!

Start sending in Box Tops – The PTO usually starts that competition at the beginning of the 2nd semester.  Don't forget:  We also collect Campbell's Labels, Ken's Receipts, Snappy Men, and used ink jet cartridges.  

Oh, and THINK SNOW!

Today is party day!  We've really kept our noses to the grindstone, AND we've had a lot of fun activities too!  Don't forget, that tomorrow is our sing-a-long.  We will not be serving breakfast, but will serve brunch, then move right to our assembly.

Our Focus

Math – coordinate grids

Reading/Social Studies – completed our Culture and Societies and Folklore units of study

No Spelling this week, but we did review spelling and grammar skills.

Remember

Tomorrow is a half day.  We will dismiss at 11:30.

Holiday break is December 17th – January 1st.

We return to school on Monday, January 2nd.

Thank you so much for sending in all of the treats and stocking stuffers for our holiday celebration.  We have really enjoyed your generosity.

 We took a brief break from our Culture studies to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.  We viewed a Primary Source video of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt addressing congress on December 8th.  He made a speech to actually request that Congress declare war on Japan.  This really helped us to keep the responsibilities of the branches of government correct – the executive branch can SEND troops, but the legislative branch is actually who can DECLARE war.  Sometimes, that can be confusing, but if we remember seeing FDR's famous speech, I bet we'll always know this division of responsibility!  We also watched a Discovery Education presentation on the attack that included some actual footage.  This really does relate to our Culture studies, in a way.  Sometimes events like this, color our view of other cultures, and whenever soldiers go to foreign countries, they bring back some of that country's culture with them.  Oh, the way we can connect knowledge!

Our Focus:

Math – Long Division!

Social Studies/Reading – Cultures and Folktale; We are really focusing on "deconstructing" words – taking them apart to find the root or base words, and then "reconstructing" them to find the meaning.  We are also continuing our "Text Look Back" skill.  Most of the activities that the students do for a grade in Reading or Social Studies allow them to actually look back into a reading passage for the correct answer!

Spelling – Holiday words

Remember:

Thursday, December 15th, at 2:00 – Christmas Party.  Come join us as we enjoy opening our stockings and have snacks.  Any goodies that you want to send will be welcomed!  

Friday, December 16th – Dismissal at 11:30.  We will be serving brunch in the cafeteria, and we'll have a school wide sing-along afterward.

Subway is sponsoring a food drive.  Bring in non-perishable foods if you'd like to help.

Recycle & Save:  Boxtops for Education, Ken's Receipts, Campbell's Labels, Snappy Men, small computer ink cartridges, old cell phones.  If you have nightlight sized bulbs that are "shot", send those in – we save those for a craft.

We are still having homework.  The busier that we stay, the less trouble we get into!

The stockings are beautiful!!

December is here and that means 10 1/2 days of school before Christmas Break!!  Don't forget, students will NOT be in school on Monday, December 5th – teachers have a work day.  School will be dismissed at 11:30 on the 16th.  

Now don't get all excited!  Even though there's all of this talk of NO school, we DO have 10 more great learning days ahead of us. The busier that we stay, the smarter we'll get, and the less trouble we'll have to worry about!

MANY THANKS:

For all of your help with the Pow Wow on the 22nd.  We had plenty of food, plenty of helpers, and plenty of fun!  Thanks for coming through for us.

For supporting our Conservation Poster Projects.  Everyone had their project in right on time, and now we are having them judged to see which one is the school winner for the District Poster Contest.

For encouraging your young "Stocking Decorators"!  The stockings have been coming in steadily all week, and some of Santa's helpers have even brought in stocking stuffers so that we won't have empty socks.  I am SO impressed by the creativity.  (And I am so appreciative of our families adding this project to their already busy schedules!)

For everyone who is selling DVD's!  I know that fundraising can be a burden, but this will benefit us this spring when we can take the money that we've earned and pay for our 5th Grade End-of-the-Year Field Trip.  The deadline is TOMORROW, Friday, December 2nd….please try to push the product!!  (They would make great Christmas gifts!)

Our Focus:

We've finished up the 2nd round of Diebels and DEA testing!  This information gives teachers a good idea of what our students already know, what they need to know more about, and what we get to teach them that's brand new!!  I am very proud of the effort shown by these mature 5th Graders.

Math – Correcting tests for even better scores.  PRACTICE MATH FACTS!  Your math life will be so much better!

Reading/Social Studies – We've begun a combined unit on "Culture and Society".  This is so fun:  we get to study who we are, how we got this way, and how everyone else's cultures influence our own!  Part of this unit is a study of Folklore.  One of the best things we did this week was (ssh, don't spread it around) reading Nursery Rhymes!!

Arts & Humanities - Guess who's got the holiday spirit?!?  We've got a tree up, and are making like the pioneers – we are handcrafting our decorations.  We are also following the spirit of the "Depression Era" – we are recycling items to be used for our crafts!!  We think you'll like the results!

Remember:

All fundraiser money and orders are due TOMORROW!

No School on Monday for students

Christmas Party on Thursday, December 16th at 2:00

Students have nightly homework….BUT we also have homework time every afternoon.  Students who use their time wisely will only need to study spelling words, notes, and math facts….

Mid-term reports came home yesterday.  That means that we are half way through the 2nd 9-weeks.  We've learned a lot, and still have much to go!  If your grades are not as high as you want them to be, you still have time to make improvements!

We had a wonderful Fall Festival, and are now on to our next adventure – our 5th Grade Pow Wow!  Each year, all of the 5th grades in Harrison County come together to learn about and celebrate the culture of the Native inhabitants of our continent of North America.  In this week's Thursday folder, there is more information about our Pow Wow, and the ways that you can help us!

DVD fundraiser – In order to start earning money for our 5th Grade end of the year field trip, we are selling DVD's.  The packet is in this week's folder with all of the information.  SELL, SELL, SELL!  Orders with payment are due Friday, December 2nd.

Our Focus

Math-long division.  Learn.facts.  (What more is there to say!?)

Reading-We read Dear Benjamin Banneker and worked on summarizing skills.  (We learned a little history along the way too!)

Social Studies-We are finishing up our Government and Civics unit.  This week, we've worked on a study guide and will be taking our unit assessment this Friday.

Art & Humanities-Students should be working on their Conservation Poster projects, which are due on Monday, November 28th.  We've also studied totem poles as art work, and have created some special totem discs to use as decorations for our Pow Wow.

Remember

Mid Terms-Parents:  If you sign mid-terms and return them, I'll check them off my list and send them back to you!

Don't forget our regular homework and tests.  Expect Spelling packets each Monday, and Open Response homework most weeks.  There is also daily math work.  Spelling tests are each Friday.  This week is our Social Studies unit assessment, and part one of a Math unit assessment.  Students should be studying notes for both Social Studies and Math assessments

Tuesday, November 22 – Pow Wow at Southside

Wednesday, November 23 – Beginning of Thanksgiving Break.  If you are out shopping during the holidays, we will open stockings at our December Holiday party!  Pick up some stocking stuffers for our 29 students.  Each child should bring one stocking stuffer for each person in our class. There is no need to wrap items, we'll just put them in stockings for safe keeping!  (I will take care of getting stockings, and the kids will take care of decorating them and filling them!)

Monday, November 28th – Conservation Poster projects are due.  This is a grade! 

Question Corner:

If our folders or binders are torn or worn out, can we get new ones?  Answer:  Yes, but I do not have any more to give out.  If you want to replace your torn folders or binders, you are welcome to take care of that.  I do not have a preference about colors.  I do request that binders be similar to those that we already use – with the inside and outside pockets.