Monthly 5S Updates - updated with monthly newsletters

Dear 5S Parent(s)/Guardian(s), March 4, 2022

In an effort to keep you posted on what is going on in 5S, I’m happy to put together this update for you. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me 748-4695 or simacekk@ripon.k12.wi.us I also archive the monthly updates on my website. Within this newsletter, you will find links to various resources to help keep you in the loop. I hope you find them useful. You may need to have your child open his/her Google Classroom to access some of the links.

MP/Q FUNDRAISER - Your child brought home the fundraising packet this week. Orders are due March 6th with the pickup of items sold scheduled for March 22nd. Thank you to all who help fundraise for our school!!

WIN - is an acronym for What I Need. It’s a wonderful time to work more closely with the learners and watch them grow. Students not working with us are working independently on iReady. They focus on iReady Reading lessons Mondays and Tuesdays for 30 minutes each day. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, they focus on iReady Math lessons for 30 minutes each day. Students meet their weekly district goal if they have worked on both iReady Reading and iReady Math lessons for at least 45 minutes each. Class Champions are recognized on Mondays (and an award is posted in the back of the room) from the previous week’s work focusing on lessons passed and time spent during their time on iReady lessons. It was also exciting to see the Class Champions for lessons passed and time spent on iReady by month. These students are celebrated on our class door (you can see when you visit Thursday for student-led conferences).

MARCH MADNESS - Our class is challenging Miss Hartzell’s and Mrs. Baitinger’s classes to see who can complete the most iReady Math and iReady Reading lessons in the month of March. Students are welcome to bring the school Chromebook home and pass more iReady Reading and Math lessons at home. You can do it, 5S!!!

How can you help at home?

Look in the planner. If it says 36 iReady Reading lessons should have been passed, have your child show you they have passed at least the 36 lessons (or farther).

STATE TESTING - Please avoid appointments during school hours March 29-April 1, as your child will be taking the Forward Exam.

STUDENT-LED CONFERENCES This is just a reminder to use the link to sign up for a student-led conference this coming Thursday, March 10th. Students will share their progress and set goals for the remainder of 5th grade. Thanks to the eleven families who have already signed up (or made other arrangements with me),

TECHNOLOGY - We have been asked to remind families children should NOT be emailing you during the school day. Also, if your child is not using his/her device wisely (multiple occasions this week), they will lose privileges of using the device. This is not ideal, as we use them for most of the day.

How can you help at home?

Remind your child using a school device is a privilege. Remind them everything they do on the device can be viewed by the district. Remind them that abusing the privilege will result in loss of use of the device (not fun…)

READING - Students are enjoying listening to The Wild Robot by Peter Brown.

MAKING INFERENCES- Students are reading about 30 minutes per day in class and asked to read at least 20 pages at home per night. In addition to recording nightly pages read during the 30 minutes read at home, students have been writing at least 2 inferences in their online reading journal. They will continue this strategy through April. Here is the information given to your child in Google Classroom:

Read-to-Self Reading Journal

Directions: Please fill in a new row every day after completing your 20+ pages of silent reading. You can add as many rows to the table as you need to. Please refer to my sentence frames on how to complete the table (do not delete my example). Feel free to refer back to the slideshow to help you apply the making inferences strategy.

Example

3/31/21

The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown

-In paragraph ____, on page _____, I inferred this character (_________ name of character) felt ____________________.

-The story said ________________________ which made me think _____________________________________.

-From what the author wrote on page _____, I can infer…

-When I read _____________, it made me realize…

-I can tell __________ is ____________, because …

-In the ____ paragraph on page _____, I inferred that…

-How _____________ (character’s name) acted on page _____ tells me….

-How _________________ (character’s name) feels tells me _____________________.

How can you help at home?

Please assist your child in checking they have about 30-40 pages per day (including the 20-30 pages read during school and at least 20 pages per school day at home) with the date, title, pages read, two inferences written in their journal. This is a bit of a growth for a few students, and working together, they’ll get the hang of it. Thank you!

STAR READING ASSESSMENT - Your child recently brought their data binder home after taking the February STAR Reading Assessment. The data overall was AMAZING!! Many students’ hard work in 5th grade is really starting to show in the data. Keep up the GREAT work!!

AR GOALS - Students should be at 60% of their AR goal as of this coming Friday. Your child knows where s/he is, and there are many students who could use your support to catch up. Students who aren’t reading 20 pages per night in addition to the 20 pages per day in school may have fallen behind and need to catch up now while there is still four weeks in the quarter. Students know they can take quizzes at home.

BOOK CLUBS - Book Clubs were held in February. They were assigned pages to read and write post-it notes about their thoughts while reading. Book Clubs were also used towards their independent reading (AR) goal.

MISSING SCHOOL SUPPLIES - Would you please check with your child to be sure his/her headphones are still at school? MANY are not. This is a required school supply and needed multiple times per day. If you need a link to a reasonably priced pair, I found these on Amazon for $5,74. Our class extra headphones supply has dwindled to just one pair. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Also, some students have reported they are out of pencils, post-it notes, and other supplies.

How can you help at home?

Please ask your child if s/he has his/her headphones at school.
Check if they need any more supplies to finish 5th grade strong.

MATH – Students wrapped up unit 4 “Multiplying and Dividing Whole Numbers and Decimals.” Here is a family letter from the Bridges program.

Now, students are learning from Unit 5, “Multiplying and Dividing Fractions”. Here is a family letter from the Bridges program for unit 5. There is homework on Mondays-Thursdays.

How can you help from home?

Your child should know the answers to all multiplication and division basic problems through 12s as quickly as they know their name (or at least within 3 seconds).When there is an assessment coming up (as we had last week), please help your child study using the pre-assessment they took that has similar problems as the test. We had corrected the pre-assessment, so the answers should be in red pen.

Use the papers in the math folder used throughout the unit to support your child studying for the assessment.
Check their planner each night that they have completed their homework & returned it to the school side of their planner binder. If there is not a paper copy of homework, have them show you their IXL lessons or iReady Math lessons completed at home for at least 10 minutes.

NUMBER CORNER - Each day in February, students were growing as mathematicians by using the area model to multiply fractions.

Also, they had fun using a spinner that showed how much of a liter to pour into a larger container. They were converting decimal metric units, and charting the progress.

SOCIAL STUDIES - Students are learning about US History and Geography in our next unit, “Travel and Explore the Amazing United States of America”.

They have spent this past week learning about the colonies and history of the American Revolution.

All students will learn the states, capitals, and abbreviations for all 50 states by region of our country. Online tools they have found helpful include: Sheppard Software (for state locations and state capitals) and a state abbreviations website. Students will enjoy the silly book, Yo! Sacramento (and all those other state capitals you don’t know) that combines states and capitals in silly cartoons.

Your family has chosen Quest, a project-based charter school, and with that comes responsibility for your child to complete the project deadlines using given rubrics. In our current project, “Travel and Explore the Amazing United States of America,” your child will focus on persuading others to visit or move to a state of their choice. They will be taking notes from given resources IN THEIR OWN WORDS and citing them according to the APA guidelines using Citationsy. This skill will be of great help to your child in future research projects. Your child can show you all the resources in Google Classroom. They will post the notes into an online resource called lino. They will focus their online post-it notes into the four guiding questions (to really focus their notetaking). They will cite their source immediately on each note. Students will soon choose a state and a product to showcase their learning and persuade people to visit or move to the state chosen.

How can you help at home?

Help your child meet deadlines by watching the daily planner & signing it each night.
Go over the given grading sheet with him/her to make sure s/he has everything needed.

LANGUAGE ARTS - Students worked hard to publish their own creative writing story and entered the Mary Jo Nettesheim Writing Contest. Here is the project wall. Their faces when their books were put together with the binding machine and their book looked so professional was priceless.

Students and families will be notified by Mid-April if their story was a winning story to move on to the STATE competition. Good luck writers and illustrators!

SCIENCE - Most students did a great job following the Science Fair project deadlines. A few learned the valuable lesson of not putting off big projects until the last minute.

Other February events - see Quest Elementary Fifth Grade Facebook page for many pictures :)

CLASS WEBSITE WITH USEFUL RESOURCES

REPEATED POST BUT STILL A CONCERN-Students have continued to do well overall in our classroom. The goal is to transfer that awesome leadership to ALL areas of school - especially phy ed, art, hallways, music, and during recess. Any pep talk you can do to support their growth as leaders is welcome. Thank you AGAIN in advance.

REPEATED POST: SNOW DAYS - In the event of no in-person school due to weather, Miss Hartzell and I have prepared work for students that is stored in their planners. You will also find the information at the bottom of this newsletter. IF we know ahead of time the weather looks to be concerning, we would send the Chromebooks home in the district provided cases (see the left side labeled When I have my school computer). If however, the weather sneaks up on us (or your child is unable to get the computer onto your internet), then, the students would complete the work on the right side labeled “When I don’t have my school computer.”

Children should be monitored when using the school devices. It is REALLY important that everyone is aware that Chromebooks are for SCHOOL PURPOSES only and not for anything else - including watching videos/movies, playing games, networking with friends, watching YouTube, etc. We are blessed to have these devices available, so your support is GREATLY appreciated!

REPEATED POST: BIRTHDAYS & UN-BIRTHDAYS – Everyone deserves to be treated extra special on their birthday. So, students that have birthdays on a school recess day or summer have chosen an “un-birthday” date (ask your child when s/he is celebrating their special day). They are welcome to share individually packaged healthy treats if they like – but it is not required.

REPEATED POST: CLASS DOJO- Students have been earning points as a class and individually towards a whole class reward. Once they reach 5,000 point increments (hopefully about once a month), they will earn a reward. Let me know if you need me to send you another invitation. Pictures of the 25,000 Class Dojo Sledding Party are posted on the Facebook Page Quest Elementary Fifth Grade.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

MP/Q BOOK FAIR March 7-10
MP/Q STUDENT-LED CONFERENCES March 10
NO SCHOOL: March 11-18, March 26, April 8, April 15, May 6, May 30
END OF 3RD QUARTER March 31
EARLY DISMISSAL: April 22, May 20
FUNDRAISER PICK-UP - CURBSIDE FRONT OF SCHOOL March 22 3-5:30 PM
END of SEMESTER: June 3

Grade 5 Facebook Page

“Like” and “Follow” our Facebook Page

Quest Elementary Fifth Grade

Click on the link or search the above name.

Mrs. Simacek’s Twitter

@MrsSimacek

Finally, I wish you all a safe weekend.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Keri Simacek

5Q Snow Day Plans

Follow the Directions below.

(If you have your computer at home, but it doesn’t connect for some reason, follow the directions for no computer at home.)

When I have my school computer

When I don’t have my school computer

9:00 Morning Meeting on our classroom Meet. We will go over the daily lesson plan together. Activities will likely include:

You are accountable for learning on this day. You will be expected to show you accomplished all tasks when you return back to school.

20 + pages of read-to-self and fill out reading log

20 + pages of read-to-self

30 iReady reading minutes

Read an additional 20 + pages and fill out your reading log.

30 iReady math minutes

Complete Morning Work Packet for the day (Math & ELA)

30 minutes of IXL Lessons

Write a 5 sentence paragraph explaining what you did today including: Introductory sentence, 3 detail sentences, A conclusion sentence

Follow directions on Art, Music, or PE slides.

Do the activities for music, Phy. Ed. or Art - See the printed page in this packet.

Meet online with any special teachers you usually meet with.

Do any activities assigned by any special Teachers you usually work with.

Specialists

Snow Day Plans

When I have my school computer,

When I don’t have my school computer,

Music/Phy Ed/Art: Slide

Music/Phy Ed/Art: See Printed Sheet in Your Take Home Binder

REPEATED POST: Character Strong PurposeFULL People - Students have been going through the ten again the ten traits one week at a time to really hone in on developing these lifelong skills.

Dear 5S Parent(s)/Guardian(s), January 30, 2022

HAPPY NEW YEAR! In an effort to keep you posted on what is going on in 5S, I’m happy to put together a monthly update for you. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me 748-4695 or simacekk@ripon.k12.wi.us Within this newsletter, you will find links to various resources to help keep you in the loop. I hope you find them useful. You may need to have your child open his/her Google Classroom to access some of the links.

QUEST FUNDRAISER - This Thursday at Project Showcase, you will have the chance to buy raffle tickets for the classroom raffle baskets. Thanks so much for all the delicious donations to our chocolate basket!

IREADY WINTER DIAGNOSTICS - Students have completed both their iReady Reading and iReady Math Diagnostics. Their iReady lessons will be adjusted for their needs based on their performance (hopefully growth) on the iReady Diagnostics. They focus on iReady Reading lessons Mondays and Tuesdays for 30 minutes each day. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, they focus on iReady Math lessons for 30 minutes each day. Students meet their weekly district goal if they have worked on both iReady Reading and iReady Math lessons for at least 45 minutes each. Class Champions are recognized on Mondays from the previous week’s work focusing on lessons passed and time spent during their time on iReady lessons.

VALENTINE’S DAY WINTER CELEBRATION - Thanks in advance to our Valentine’s Day celebration committee. Our classroom celebration will be on Monday, February 14th from 1:45 PM - 2:45 PM. As you recall from the note with more information sent home previously, students who wish to give valentines to their classmates need them in our classroom by FEBRUARY 11th.

SPREADING KINDNESS LIKE CONFETTI - Last week, students created a kindness conversation heart (out of a paper heart), so the whole school will be able to spread kindness like confetti.

READING - Students enjoy listening to The Wild Robot by Peter Brown.

DETERMINING IMPORTANCE- Students are reading about 30 minutes per day in class and asked to read at least 20 pages at home per night. In addition to recording nightly pages read during the 30 minutes read at home, students have been writing at least 2 visualizations in their online reading journal. They will continue this strategy through March. Here is the information given to your child in Google Classroom: Read-to-Self Reading Journal

Directions: Please insert a new row (2 finger click on your Chromebook) above each day while or after completing your 40+ pages (20+ pages in school and 20+ pages at home)lof silent reading. The first few dates have been entered for you. If you need a book, you may check one out online using Sora or Epic (code ptz7207) See the Determining Importance poster with sentence stems for help in doing your best job on your read-to-self reading journal.

Date

Book Title & Author’s Name

Start Page

End Page

At least two complete sentences of visualizations you made while reading your book. REMEMBER to include the sarting and ending page number EVERY school day (should be around 40 pages per day). Number the Visualizations V1) and V2).

Example:

3/1/21

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown

DI1) When I read about Roz coming to the farm, I knew it was important.

DI2) When I read the farmer’s wife had passed away, I knew it was important for Roz to be learning farmwork.

How can you help at home?

Please assist your child in checking they have about 30-40 pages per day (including the 20-30 pages read during school and at least 20 pages per school day at home) with the date, title, pages read, two sentence connections written in their journal. This is a bit of a growth for a few students, and working together, they’ll get the hang of it. Thank you!

STAR READING ASSESSMENT - Your child brought their data binder home last week after taking the January STAR Reading Assessment. The data overall was AMAZING!! Many students’ hard work in 5th grade is really starting to show in the data. Congratulations, 5S! Keep up the GREAT work!!

AR GOALS - Students should be at 10% of their AR goal as of January 28th. Your child knows where s/he is, and there are many students who could use your support to catch up. Students who aren’t reading 20 pages per night in addition to the 20 pages per day in school may have fallen behind and need to catch up now while it’s still early in the quarter. Students know they can take quizzes at home.

MATH – Students wrapped up Unit 3 entitled, “Place Value & Decimals”. Students usually have some math homework on each weeknight other than Fridays. Some students aren’t quite proficient YET - so they will retake portions of the test on Monday (came home this weekend to study from the corrections made on the test).

This week, they will take a break from Unit 4 “Multiplying and Dividing Whole Numbers and Decimals.” Here is a family letter from the Bridges program. How can you assist? Your child should know the answers to all multiplication and division basic problems through 12s as quickly as they know their name (or at least within 3 seconds). Any help you can give is very beneficial to success for your child in unit 4. Also, PLEASE be sure to check your child’s planner and assist them in getting it back on the right back to school side. The number of late assignments has been growing, and that is not a habit students want to continue into middle school and beyond.

NUMBER CORNER - Each day in January, students are growing as mathematicians by identifying numerical patterns and graphing the patterns.

Also, they had fun using a spinner to identify a fraction and multiplying that by a number rolled on a virtual die. They multiplied the fractions of a dollar on even days and fractions of an hour on odd days and calculated totals at the end of the week. They kept the data in a spreadsheet within Google Classroom and turned it in on Thursday.

Your family has chosen Quest, a project-based charter school, and with that comes responsibility for your child to complete the project deadlines using given rubrics. In our current project, LANGUAGE ARTS - Students are also working on a creative writing story to enter into the Mary Jo Nettesheim Writing Contest. Here is the project wall. Students have brainstormed their story on a web, should have finished their first draft, and are now in the process of revising and editing their story. Here is the grading rubric. Stories are due with illustrations by February 18th, so there is plenty of time.

Students are enjoying collaborating with a group of their choice in the Robotics and Automation project. They are working hard to have the robot ready for you Thursday, but if it is not ready, it will be a great chance for you to see their project as part of the process.

You’ll also be able to see the novel games and other projects worked on this year. We are so excited to get together in person again to celebrate your children!

PROJECT SHOWCASE is this Thursday. Your child will be presenting in the cafeteria at either 5:15-5:45, 5:45-6:15, or 6:15-6:45 (note came home last week). Let me know if you have any questions :).

Other January events - see Quest Elementary Fifth Grade Facebook page for many pictures :)

CLASS WEBSITE WITH USEFUL RESOURCES

The children should be monitored when using the school devices. It is REALLY important everyone is aware the Chromebooks are for SCHOOL PURPOSES only and not for anything else - including watching videos/movies, playing games, networking with friends, watching YouTube, etc. We are blessed to have these devices available, so your support is GREATLY appreciated!

Grade 5 Facebook Page

“Like” and “Follow” our Facebook Page

Quest Elementary Fifth Grade

Click on the link or search the above name.

Mrs. Simacek’s Twitter

@MrsSimacek

Sincerely,

Mrs. Keri Simacek

*************************************************************************

5Q Snow Day Plans

Follow the Directions below.

(If you have your computer at home, but it doesn’t connect for some reason, follow the directions for no computer at home.)

When I have my school computer

When I don’t have my school computer

9:00 Morning Meeting on our classroom Meet. We will go over the daily lesson plan together. Activities will likely include:

You are accountable for learning on this day. You will be expected to show you accomplished all tasks when you return back to school.

20 + pages of read-to-self and fill out reading log

20 + pages of read-to-self

30 iReady reading minutes

Read an additional 20 + pages and fill out your reading log.

30 iReady math minutes

Complete Morning Work Packet for the day (Math & ELA)

30 minutes of IXL Lessons

Write a 5 sentence paragraph explaining what you did today including: Introductory sentence, 3 detail sentences, A conclusion sentence

Follow directions on Art, Music, or PE slides.

Do the activities for music, Phy. Ed. or Art - See the printed page in this packet.

Meet online with any special teachers you usually meet with.

Do any activities assigned by any special Teachers you usually work with.

Specialists

Snow Day Plans

When I have my school computer,

When I don’t have my school computer,

Music/Phy Ed/Art: Slide

Music/Phy Ed/Art: See Printed Sheet in Your Take Home Binder

REPEATED POST: Character Strong PurposeFULL People - Students have been going through the ten again the ten traits one week at a time to really hone in on developing these lifelong skills.

Dear 5S Parent(s)/Guardian(s), December 13, 2021

In an effort to keep you posted on what is going on in 5S, I’m happy to put together a monthly update for you. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me 748-4695 or simacekk@ripon.k12.wi.us

Holiday Spirit Week: December 20-22

December 20- Merry Morning Monday

Wear your favorite holiday pajamas! Or any pajamas!

December 21- Tradition Tuesday

Wear clothing that celebrates holidays from around the world (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.)

December 22- Winter Wonderland Wednesday

Dress in your favorite winter gear! Hats, scarves, long sleeves, jackets, long socks! Get cozy!

WANTED: SNACKS - If you’re able to contribute a box or two of healthy snacks (fresh fruit is welcome too if you see a sale), our class is down to its last few boxes. Students eat lunch at Noon, and they enjoy a snack with their milk break.

After Holiday Shopping? Want to donate supplies to our class? Items STILL needed include: headphones (or a pair of earbuds) and pencil boxes. If you see any on sale and you’d be willing to donate any, please send them our way. Thank you in advance :)

STUDENT DISTRICT CHROMEBOOKS will be coming home in district provided cases on Wednesday, December 22. The goal is for students to continue growing as learners during the two-week break. They will be taking the iReady Reading Diagnostic and iReady Math Diagnostic after winter break. Our hope is students continue to spend time on iReady Reading and iReady Math lessons designed especially for them to grow. Also, students will be able to take AR quizzes over winter break, as the semester ends January 19th, and they won’t want to fall behind while on break.

Mrs. Bunge asked us to inform you the children should be monitored when using the school devices. It is is REALLY important everyone is aware the Chromebooks are for SCHOOL PURPOSES only and not for anything else - including watching videos/movies, playing games, networking with friends, watching YouTube, etc. We are blessed to have these devices available, so your support is GREATLY appreciated!

DECEMBER WINTER CELEBRATION - Thanks in advance to our fabulous winter celebration committee. Our classroom celebration will be on Wednesday, December 22nd from 10 AM-Noon. Thanks in advance to our committee who has planned the treats.

KINDNESS - THANK YOU for raising such wonderfully kind kids! Spread kindness like confetti :)

SNOW DAYS - In the event of no in-person school due to weather, our 5th grade team has prepared work for students that is stored in their planners. You will also find the information at the bottom of this newsletter. IF we know ahead of time the weather looks to be concerning, we would send the Chromebooks home in the district provided cases (see the left side labeled When I have my school computer). If however, the weather sneaks up on us (or your child is unable to get the computer onto your internet), then, the students would complete the work on the right side labeled “When I don’t have my school computer.”

READING - Students enjoyed listening to Six Minutes podcast. Now, in preparation for our robotics unit, they are enjoying The Wild Robot.

VISUALIZING - Students are reading about 30 minutes per day in class and asked to read at least 20 pages at home per night. In addition to recording nightly pages read during the 30 minutes read at home, students have been writing 2 visualizations in their online journal.

AR GOALS - Students should be at 60% of their AR goal by this coming Friday and 80% of their goal by the time they return from winter break. Your child knows where s/he is, and there are some students who could use your support to catch up. Students who aren’t reading 20 pages per night in addition to the 20 pages per day in school may have fallen behind and can use winter break to catch up.

Students have been working hard focusing on Literacy genres. Readers who read from a variety of genres grow even more. They were introduced to genres and sorted books on a Google Jamboard into genres: auto-biography and biography, informative, mystery, poetry, realistic fiction, historical fiction, science fiction and fantasy, traditional fiction (myth, folktale, fairy tale).

Your family has chosen Quest, a project-based charter school, and with that comes responsibility for your child to complete the project deadlines using given rubrics. Our current project, Game On!, has been an excellent example of your child focusing on a driving question - persuading their classmates to read a variety of genres. Your child and a partner or small group (socially distant of course) is creating a game to persuade their classmates to read from a variety of genres using the given rubric. Later this week, the students will test out their game and make sure it is ready to share with their classmates. Game on! Your child can show you all the resources in Google Classroom.

Character Strong PurposeFULL People - After students discussed the ten definitions below, they have been and will continue to be focusing on one word per week. Each day, our class works through wonderful activities to really focus on what these words mean. Weeks have been focused on: empathy, responsibility, gratitude, respect, cooperation, kindness, honesty, perseverance, courage, and creativity. After break, we’ll go through the ten again one week at a time to really hone in on developing these lifelong skills.

MATH – Students have been working through Unit 3 entitled, “Place Value & Decimals”. Students usually have some math homework on each weeknight other than Fridays. The Unit 3 Post-Assessment is at the end of this week, so all students should be studying for it each night. PLEASE be sure to check your child’s planner and assist them in getting it back on the right back to school side.

Next week, students will be practicing geometry and measuring skills while creating tasty works of art, Gingerbread Houses. They will be coming home NEXT TUESDAY - so please feel free to send a brown paper bag carry them home safely in. See note sent home 12/13 (also included below).

NUMBER CORNER - Each day, students are growing as mathematicians by identifying 2-D shapes and using geometry terms as they describe the figures.

Also, they have measured their foot length and height. They finished graphing the measurements on line plot graphs in Google Classroom.

SOCIAL STUDIES

The students have wrapped up the Native American unit and did a fine job learning new vocabulary.

SCIENCE - All Quest 5th graders worked through an Infection Detection unit focusing on how to prevent the spread of germs. After winter break, they will begin the robotics unit.

ASSIGNMENT NOTEBOOK: Your child should be asking you to sign their assignment notebook EVERY SCHOOL DAY. Looking over this with your child will hopefully help prevent missing work. Thank you :)

Other December events - see Quest Elementary Fifth Grade Facebook page for many pictures :)

REPEATED POST: WIN - is an acronym for What I Need. Instructional Aide, Mrs. Schmidt, and I work with students on skills they need to help grow as learners for approximately 10-15 minutes once or twice a week. It’s a wonderful time to work more closely with the learners and watch them grow. Students not working with us are working independently on iReady. They focus on iReady Reading lessons Mondays and Tuesdays for 30 minutes each day. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, they focus on iReady Math lessons for 30 minutes each day. Students meet their weekly district goal if they have worked on both iReady Reading and iReady Math lessons for at least 45 minutes each. Class Champions are recognized on Mondays from the previous week’s work focusing on lessons passed and time spent during their time on iReady lessons.

REPEATED POST: Friday 5-4-3-2-1 - Each week on Fridays (or the last day of the school week), I ask students to reflect on their week via Google Forms. Their honest, thoughtful reflections are so sweet. They are developing into GREAT leaders.

REPEATED POST: BIRTHDAYS & UN-BIRTHDAYS – Everyone deserves to be treated extra special on their birthday. So, students that have birthdays on a school recess day or summer have chosen an “un-birthday” date (ask your child when s/he is celebrating their special day). They are welcome to share individually packaged healthy treats if they like – but it is not required.

REPEATED POST: CLASS DOJO- Students have been earning points as a class and individually towards a whole class reward. Once they reach 5,000 point increments (hopefully about once a month), they will earn a reward. Let me know if you need me to send you another invitation.

Grade 5 Facebook Page

“Like” and “Follow” our Facebook Page

Quest Elementary Fifth Grade

Click on the link or search the above name.

Mrs. Simacek’s Twitter

@MrsSimacek

Finally, I wish you all a safe and VERY happy holiday season, happy new year, and I look forward to seeing your wonderful children back safely at school on Monday, January 3, 2022.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Keri Simacek

*************************************************************************

5Q Snow Day Plans

Follow the Directions below.

(If you have your computer at home, but it doesn’t connect for some reason, follow the directions for no computer at home.)

When I have my school computer

When I don’t have my school computer

9:00 Morning Meeting on our classroom Meet. We will go over the daily lesson plan together. Activities will likely include:

You are accountable for learning on this day. You will be expected to show you accomplished all tasks when you return back to school.

20 + pages of read-to-self and fill out reading log

20 + pages of read-to-self

30 iReady reading minutes

Read an additional 20 + pages and fill out your reading log.

30 iReady math minutes

Complete Morning Work Packet for the day (Math & ELA)

30 minutes of IXL Lessons

Write a 5 sentence paragraph explaining what you did today including: Introductory sentence, 3 detail sentences, A conclusion sentence

Follow directions on Art, Music, or PE slides.

Do the activities for music, Phy. Ed. or Art - See the printed page in this packet.

Meet online with any special teachers you usually meet with.

Do any activities assigned by any special Teachers you usually work with.

Specialists

Snow Day Plans

When I have my school computer,

When I don’t have my school computer,

Music/Phy Ed/Art: Slide

Music/Phy Ed/Art: See Printed Sheet in Your Take Home Binder

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GINGERBREAD HOUSES letter sent home Monday:

Gingerbread Houses

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Next week Monday, December 20th and Tuesday, December 21st, 5th grade Quest will be applying geometry concepts while constructing and decorating gingerbread houses. The supplies your student will need to complete the activity are provided below. You are welcome to purchase and send things at any time the rest of this week, as we will put your child’s name on them. We will keep them until it’s time to create them. If purchasing supplies before Monday is too quick of a turn around, email your child’s teacher and we will make arrangements.

Supplies:

-1 box of graham crackers

-1 container of white frosting

-Candy for decorating

Suggestions: marshmallows, peppermint candies, m&ms, candy canes, gumdrops, licorice, dots, skittles, assorted hard candy, lifesavers, etc.

-Colorful cereal such as Fruit Loops or cereal such as shredded wheat or oyster crackers work well as shingles.

Supplies should be brought to school by Friday, December 17th.

The students will be able to bring home their houses on or before December 22nd.

Thanks for your help!

Miss Hartzell, Mrs. Simacek, & Mrs. Baitinger

hartzellm@ripon.k12.wi.us simacekk@ripon.k12.wi.us baitingerk@ripon.k12.wi.us

MP/Q December Newsletter:

Murray Park and Quest Elementary

December 2021

DATES TO REMEMBER

12/7 - Keeper's Store (all day)
12/8 - Keeper's Store (until noon)
12/8 - Curbside Fundraiser Pickup (3:00 - 5:30)
12/9 - Bridging Brighter Smiles
12/10 - No School
12/13 - Second Dose Flu Shot Clinic
12/17 - Holiday Concert (9:30 OR 1:30 - please choose only 1 time)
12/22 - Early Release
12/23 - 12/31 - No School, Winter Break

MPQ HOLIDAY CONCERT - FRIDAY DECEMBER 17

In order to allow public performances, we need to maintain distance in the gymnasium. To help achieve this task, there will be TWO concerts this year: 9:30 and 1:30.

Please pick only ONE concert you would like to attend.

We highly recommend attending the first concert if you can arrive to work late or you do not have to work on this performance Friday. Or perhaps the child’s grandparents could attend in the morning and a parent could attend in the afternoon.

The concerts will begin promptly at 9:30 and 1:30 in the MPQ Gymnasium and will last approximately 1 hour.
The front doors will open to the public 30 minutes prior to the start of the concert.
Parking is difficult so please plan extra time for the walk into the school.
Masks are required.

If you are unable to attend, it will be live streamed and recorded.

CLUB'S CHOICE CURBSIDE FUNDRAISER PICKUP

If your child participated in the MPQ fundraiser, the pickup will be from 3:00 - 5:30 on Wednesday, December 8th in the front of MPQ. It will be curbside, so no need to come into school. Please roll your window down, give us your name, and open your trunk. The orders will be brought right out to your car.

Thank you very much for helping us raise money for our school!

CHANGES WITH COVID TESTING

In early December, RASD will be transitioning to a new Covid testing portal. All students and families who wish to utilize testing through the school MUST pre-register. Each person being tested will need their own username. We will be unable to test students who are in the school building if this pre-registration isn’t completed. Staff will continue to call for a verbal consent at each time of testing. Please complete this pre-registration for your students.

Where do I register for testing?

Select school (be specific) and enter data including your email address
Confirm/activate account with code
Log in and complete demographic information and click save

***Testing continues to be available for all RASD families on a walk-in basis at entrance E2 at the Middle School during school hours.

*** We will continue to use CovidConnect until this transition.

HELPFUL REMINDERS FOR PARENTS:

Appointments: Please remember to let the office know if your child needs to leave for an appointment so we can be sure to have them ready at the requested time.

Admittance to the Building: Please note the doors open for students at 7:45 AM. Supervision also starts at this time. We want your child to be warm and properly supervised for their safety, so please do not drop them off before this time.

MPQ to BPJ Shuttle: If your child uses the shuttle bus from school to school, please be reminded to park and wait for your child in the back parking lot.

INCLEMENT WEATHER CLOSING INFORMATION

The winter season is here and with it comes the possibility of an early dismissal, a 2-hour delay or the closure of school due to inclement weather. As a district, we understand the decision to open or close schools in bad weather has a big impact on families and that students are served best by being in school. However, our top priority is the safety of our students.

Please find our inclement weather closing information here.

TOP 10 HOMEWORK TIPS

Top 10 Homework Tips

By: KidsHealth.org

Kids are more successful in school when parents take an active interest in their homework — it shows kids that what they do is important.

Of course, helping with homework shouldn't mean spending hours hunched over a desk. Parents can be supportive by demonstrating study and organization skills, explaining a tricky problem, or just encouraging kids to take a break. And who knows? Parents might even learn a thing or two!

Here are some tips to guide the way:

Know the teachers — and what they're looking for. Attend school events, such as parent-teacher conferences, to meet your child's teachers. Ask about their homework policies and how you should be involved.
Set up a homework-friendly area. Make sure kids have a well-lit place to complete homework. Keep supplies — paper, pencils, glue, scissors — within reach.
Schedule a regular study time. Some kids work best in the afternoon, following a snack and play period; others may prefer to wait until after dinner.
Help them make a plan. On heavy homework nights or when there's an especially hefty assignment to tackle, encourage your child break up the work into manageable chunks. Create a work schedule for the night if necessary — and take time for a 15-minute break every hour, if possible.
Keep distractions to a minimum. This means no TV, loud music, or phone calls. (Occasionally, though, a phone call to a classmate about an assignment can be helpful.)
Make sure kids do their own work. They won't learn if they don't think for themselves and make their own mistakes. Parents can make suggestions and help with directions. But it's a kid's job to do the learning.
Be a motivator and monitor. Ask about assignments, quizzes, and tests. Give encouragement, check completed homework, and make yourself available for questions and concerns.
Set a good example. Do your kids ever see you diligently balancing your budget or reading a book? Kids are more likely to follow their parents' examples than their advice.
Praise their work and efforts. Post an aced test or art project on the refrigerator. Mention academic achievements to relatives.
If there are continuing problems with homework, get help. Talk about it with your child's teacher. Some kids have trouble seeing the board and may need glasses; others might need an evaluation for a learning problem or attention disorder.

Dear 5S Parent(s)/Guardian(s), November 24, 2021

As we enter the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, I wish to express my gratitude to each of you for your kindness, support, and generosity. I hope you all have a safe, happy, and relaxing holiday weekend. Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Thank you for raising such KIND students!! They are frequently throwing the kindness around like it’s confetti!

LITERACY Students are reading about 30 minutes per day in class (with the goal of at least 20 pages read) and have been asked to read AT LEAST 20 pages at home per school night.

ASKING QUESTIONS - Students are reading about 30 minutes per day in class and asked to read at least 20 pages at home per night. In addition to recording nightly pages read during the 30 minutes read at home, students have been writing at least 2 connections in their online or composition notebook journal. Starting Monday, students will be writing 2 questions (at a higher level) in their reading journals.
SCHOOLWIDE GRAMMAR UNIT - Students used this unit to review expectations of grammar in all areas of their writing.
AR - New independent reading goals were set for the second quarter.
STAR ASSESSMENT - Students took their STAR Assessment earlier this month. It is common to see a roller coaster of higher scores and lower scores, but the goal, of course, is to have the trend rising upwards through the year.

How can you help at home?

Please assist your child in checking they have about 30-40 pages per day (including the 20-30 pages read during school and at least 20 pages per school day at home) with the date, title, pages read, two higher level questions written in their journal. This is a bit of a growth for a few students, and working together, they’ll get the hang of it. Thank you!

MATH – New groups were created based on the pre-assessments for Unit 3, “Place Value & Decimals”. There should be homework most school days (except the last day of the school week), and they should be able to open IXL at home using the login information they were given and emailed. As we discussed at conferences, if there is NOT math homework from class, they should spend at least 10 minutes on iReady Math or IXL math.

How can you help at home?

When there is an assessment coming up, please help your child study using the pre-assessment they took that has similar problems as the test. We had corrected the pre-assessment, so the answers should be in red pen.
Use the papers in the math folder used throughout the unit to support your child studying for the assessment.
Check their planner each night that they have completed their homework & returned it to the school side of their planner binder. If there is not a paper copy homework, have them show you their iReady Math lessons or IXL lessons completed at home for at least 10 minutes.

PROJECTS - Students wrapped up their Infection Detection and Native American projects this week.

Next, students will be working on another literacy project called “Game On”. Students will learn about different genres of reading. Then, they will create a game with a classmate to persuade their classmates to read a variety of genres. Here is the Project Wall (the students won’t see this until returning on Monday).

How can you help at home?

Help your child meet deadlines by watching the daily planner & signing it each night.
Discuss what genre of book they are reading.

WIN - is an acronym for What I Need. They focus on iReady Reading lessons Mondays and Tuesdays for 30 minutes each day. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, they focus on iReady Math lessons for 30 minutes each day. Students meet their weekly district goal if they have worked on both iReady Reading and iReady Math lessons for at least 45 minutes each. Class Champions are recognized on Mondays from the previous week’s work focusing on lessons passed during their time on iReady lessons. iReady - The expectation at this point is that all 5S students have 17 lessons completed in both iReady Reading and iReady Math.

How can you help at home?

Have your child show you on a computer that s/he is at the number of lessons passed goal.

SPELLING - Students have taken the first high frequency spelling test. Some students have a few words to study a bit more to make sure they ALWAYS spell them correctly. We are still working on getting the spelling program to work for all 5th grade classrooms, so until the bugs are worked out, there will not be a separate spelling list/test.

How can you help at home?

Watch the Spelling portion of the planner to see if there are any high frequency words jotted down.

Class Dojo - Students have been earning points as a class and individually towards a whole class reward. Once they reach 5,000 point increments (hopefully about once a month), they will earn a reward. They are currently working towards a tech party where they will be allowed to bring their favorite game to school and play with friends (or use one of our games here).

How can you help at home?

Something you as a parent can help with is talking to your child about the importance of showing respect to all - especially our specialist teachers (art-sub Mrs. Schram for Mrs. VandeBerg, music-Mrs. Muenchow, and phy ed-Mr. Nelson). Though things have improved, they are occasionally locations where some of our learners have not shown leadership/respect and lost Dojo points. Your support is greatly appreciated

IMPORTANCE OF REFLECTION - Each week on the last day of the week, I ask students to reflect on their week, and we moved to doing it via Google Forms. Their honest, thoughtful reflections are appreciated. On a 3-day week, we have Wednesday 3-2-1, and 4-day weeks, we have Thursday 4-3-2-1.

COMING HOME TODAY: A NOTE ABOUT OUR WINTER CELEBRATION - 5S Winter Celebration

Wednesday, December 22, 2021 - 10:15-11:45 AM

Mrs. Simacek’s class will be having a Winter Celebration on Wednesday, December 22nd from 10:30 am - 11:45 am.

A committee is all set to bring treats that are pre-packaged for the celebration. The students will participate in various winter crafts and games.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Mrs. Simacek

simacekk@ripon.k12.wi.us

(920)748-4695

Breakfasts and lunches are served for FREE each day. The FREE breakfasts and lunches program will continue this year. .

REPEATED POST: CLASSROOM RULES - At the beginning of the year, 5S created their Classroom Constitution. As we’re now entering our 9th week of school, I invite you as part of our “triangle of communication” to ask your child to reflect on the rules and mission statement components they have created and signed. There are growth areas - especially in other areas of our school (art, music, phy ed, cafeteria, hallway, and/or recess). Thanks for your support!

We the students of 5S in order to form a more perfect learning environment do establish this Classroom Constitution…

We will…

Be honest and fair.
Always show kindness and be considerate to the teachers and students of this room and anywhere.
Show respect: in the classroom to all people, in the hallways, and to all the materials.
Always be careful of the words you use, so they are not hurtful.
Always work together as a team while being respectful to each other.

MP/Q MISSION STATEMENT:

Building community, exploring solutions, learning for life. Our class created descriptions to follow for each of the components of our School’s mission statement (shown below).

BIRTHDAYS & UN-BIRTHDAYS – Everyone deserves to be treated extra special on their birthday. So, students that have birthdays on a school recess day or summer have chosen an “un-birthday” date (ask your child when s/he is celebrating their special day). The only way treats can be shared is if they are store-purchased and individually wrapped. This is up to each family; it is not required.

KEEPERS STORE SHOPPING - The RHS FBLA team will be here running the Keepers Store where students will be able to shop for holiday gifts on December 7th and 8th. All students are asked to return the pink Keepers slip by December 3rd.

From Mrs. Muenchow: Click here to view the Veteran’s Day Program recorded by The Ripon Channel.

3rd, 4th and 5th Grade Music Holiday Concert

MPQ Holiday Concert for 3-5 Grade Students - December 17, 2021 (Friday)

In order to allow public performances, we need to maintain distance in the gymnasium. To help achieve this task, there will be TWO concerts this year. Please pick ONE concert you would like to attend. We highly recommend attending the first concert if you can arrive to work late or you do not have to work on this performance Friday. Perhaps the child’s grandparents could attend in the morning and a parent could attend in the afternoon.

The concerts will begin promptly at 8:45 and 1:30 in the MP/Q Gymnasium
Only attend ONE performance
Doors will open to the public 30 minutes prior to the start of the concert.
Parking is difficult so please plan extra time for the walk into the school.
The concert will be approximately one hour in length.

PLEASE READ: The performance will begin promptly in the gymnasium and will last one hour. The public may enter 30 minutes before performance time. Please plan on arriving early as parking will be extremely difficult and seating will be to capacity.

Other November news and pictures - see Quest Elementary Fifth Grade Facebook page for many pictures.

CLASS WEBSITE WITH USEFUL RESOURCES

Grade 5 Facebook Page

“Like” and “Follow” our Facebook Page

Quest Elementary Fifth Grade

Click on the link or search the above name.

Mrs. Simacek’s Twitter

@MrsSimacek

I hope you and your family have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Keri Simacek

Dear 5S Parent(s)/Guardian(s), October 27, 2021

In an effort to keep you posted on what is going on in 5S, I’m happy to put together the second monthly update for you. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me 748-4695 or simacekk@ripon.k12.wi.us.

GARDEN HARVEST - Thank you to the many families who donated for our garden harvest last week. You should be very proud of the hard work your child did harvesting the radishes out of our raised bed, cleaning them, and even cutting them (CAREFULLY). The students enjoyed the tasty salads from all 8 Quest raised bed gardens. There was some leftovers for a tasty afternoon snack this week too. The extra salad makings were donated to the Ripon Senior Center, and they appreciated the donation very much.

MASKS - While we are in the “requested to wear” phase, please have your child pack an extra mask or two into their backpacks if possible. We have had many students come to school unprepared, and though we have masks available, they don’t always fit each child well. Students wear their masks every time they leave their seat - called “masks on the move” - which is a growth area for some students to remember to keep their mouth and nose covered.

HOW YOU CAN HELP: please have your child pack an extra mask or two into their backpacks that covers their nose and stays up

CONFERENCES - Just a reminder, I will be meeting with those of you I didn’t see at the October 14th conferences. Here is the link to view the time you signed up for.

Please note if you chose a virtual conference: this meeting link is the same for each conference, so I ask we stick to the fifteen minutes and are timely to begin our conference. If you hop on early, out of respect for the previous family, please logout and return on time. I will send the meeting link to families who signed up again prior to the conference.

LITERACY Students are reading about 30 minutes per day in class (with the goal of at least 20 pages read) and have been asked to read AT LEAST 20 pages at home per school night.

CONFERRING CONFERENCES - I meet with your child regularly about their reading progress. We discuss what they need to do to continue to grow as readers.
ASKING QUESTIONS - In addition to recording nightly pages read during the 30 minutes read at home, students have been writing at least 2 connections in their online or composition notebook journal. Starting Monday, students will be writing 2 questions (at a higher level starting with How or Why) in their reading journals. Here are some examples of asking questions sentence starters:
How Questions
How did…..?
How…?
How do/does…?
How was/will…?
How is it possible that…?
Why Questions
Why did…?
Why do you think…?
Why did (character’s name)____________________…?
Why….?

HOW YOU CAN HELP: You could have your child show you the reading have about 30-40 pages per day (including the 20-30 pages read during school and at least 20 pages per school day at home) with the date, title, pages read, two sentence connections written in their journal. This is a bit of a growth for a few students, and working together, they’ll get the hang of it. Thank you!

SCHOOLWIDE LAUNCH UNIT - Students have done a great job using their Reading/Writing Workshop journals (composition notebooks) to grow as readers. The first unit, “Launching” used short interactive read-alouds and mini lessons to guide students through the balanced literacy launch process.
SCHOOLWIDE GRAMMAR UNIT - Students are building knowledge for using proper grammar with this awesome unit. They have a lot of resources to grow as writers which they add continuously to their Workshop journals.
AR - Students have been taking AR quizzes on their independent reading books. They should meet their goal by Wednesday, November 3rd, as it is the end of the first quarter. If the book our child is reading is NOT AR, then we can conference on the book, and I give AR credit points to the student. New goals will be set for the second quarter.
STAR ASSESSMENT - Students took their second STAR Assessment in early October, and in our conferring conference, we discussed the results, as your child reflected how to continue to grow as a reader. They will take the STAR Assessment at the beginning of each month.

MATH – Students are working hard daily using the Bridges Math program. Unit 2 is called, “Adding and Subtracting Fractions”. Ask them about Number Corner (especially the carrots), the River Trail activity, and the Unit 2 Workplaces. There should be homework most school days (except Fridays), and they should be able to open IXL at home using the login information they were given.

HOW CAN YOU HELP? Have your child show you their completed homework. If there are done or there is NOT math homework from class, they should spend at least 10 minutes on iReady Math or IXL math.

SCHOOL T-SHIRT DAYS ARE WEDNESDAYS - Please help promote school spirit each week by wearing any of the Quest t-shirts your child has. Thanks so much :)

PROJECTS - Students are deep in the heart of a science unit called “Infection Detection” with Mrs. Baitinger and Mrs. Schmidt. They are also working hard learning about Native Americans with Miss Hartzell and myself. Group projects were shared today and will continue until they are done on 9 Cultural Areas.

HOW CAN YOU HELP? Students have vocabulary cards in Social Studies they could ask you to help them review occasionally.

SPELLING - We are having some technical difficulties with the program, so until the bugs are worked out, there won’t be a separate spelling list to study.

iReady GOAL - As of 10/28/21, your child should have a minimum of 10 iReady lessons completed in BOTH iReady Reading and iReady Math. For each 100% on an iReady lesson a student earns, they receive a prize and place their initials on the ONE HUNDRED 100%s chart! Today, they earned their first class celebration earning ONE HUNDRED 100s as a class already on iReady Reading lessons!! They chose to dress as their favorite book character, so we’ll choose tomorrow which day to have the celebration. They’re almost at earning ONE HUNDRED 100%s on iReady Math lessons.

HOW CAN YOU HELP? Your child could show you on a device if possible s/he is on track or ahead in this goal. In addition, students are well aware they are to spend at least 45 minutes for iReady Reading and iReady Math each week as well as pass at least TWO lessons for both. Students will be asked to miss their recess if they fall behind. They can bring their device home if s/he doesn’t have access to iReady at home to stay on track.

IMPORTANCE OF REFLECTION - Each week on Fridays, I ask students to reflect on their week, and we moved to doing it via Google Forms. Their honest, thoughtful reflections are appreciated. On a 3-day week, we have Wednesday 3-2-1, and 4-day weeks, we have Thursday 4-3-2-1.

Breakfasts and lunches are served for FREE each day.

FUNDRAISER - Congratulations 5S for selling over 60 items so far! The deadline has been extended to November 2nd.

CLASS DOJO - Students have been earning points as a class and individually towards a whole class reward. Once they reach increments of 5,000 points (hopefully about once a month), they will earn a reward. If you haven’t signed in to view your child’s Dojo points, et me know if you need me to send you another invitation. Their first celebration was an additional recess. Then, they earned a 10,000 point celebration with an ice cream party.

HOW CAN YOU HELP? Talk with your child about the importance of showing respect to all - especially our specialist teachers (art substitute-Mrs. Shram, music-Mrs. Muenchow, and phy ed-Mr. Nelson). In addition, the cafeteria, halls, and recess are a great spot to show leadership. These have already been locations where some of our learners have not shown leadership/respect. We have also discussed the meaning of integrity as doing what is right - especially when nobody is watching.

We are using the Character Strong Purposeful People curriculum. Since students have been introduced to all ten character traits, we have transitioned to focusing on and completing activities with discussions on:

CLASSROOM RULES - At the beginning of the year, 5S created their Classroom Constitution. As we’re now entering our 9th week of school, I invite you as part of our “triangle of communication” to ask your child to reflect on the rules and mission statement components they have created and signed. There are growth areas - especially in other areas of our school (art, music, phy ed, cafeteria, hallway, and/or recess). Thanks for your support!

We the students of 5S in order to form a more perfect learning environment do establish this Classroom Constitution…

We will…

Be honest and fair.
Always show kindness and be considerate to the teachers and students of this room and anywhere.
Show respect: in the classroom to all people, in the hallways, and to all the materials.
Always be careful of the words you use, so they are not hurtful.
Always work together as a team while being respectful to each other.

MP/Q MISSION STATEMENT:

Building community, exploring solutions, learning for life. Our class created descriptions to follow for each of the components of our School’s mission statement (shown below).

FALL HARVEST CELEBRATION Tomorrow will be a lot of fun! Thank you in advance to the Fall Harvest Celebration Committee for providing the treats and decorations. Remember, students are to wear their costumes to school (no blood, guts, gore, weapons, etc. will be allowed).

Other October news and pictures - see Quest Elementary Fifth Grade Facebook page for many pictures.

CLASS WEBSITE WITH USEFUL RESOURCES

Grade 5 Facebook Page

“Like” and “Follow” our Facebook Page

Quest Elementary Fifth Grade

Click on the link or search the above name.

Mrs. Simacek’s Twitter

@MrsSimacek

Dear 5S Parent(s)/Guardian(s), September 24, 2021

Happy Ripon Homecoming!!!

First of all, I’d like to share what an awesome group of kids you have raised. It is my pleasure to work with them and help them grow into awesome leaders. We are lucky to have amazing staff assisting our learners: Mrs. Schmidt, Mrs. Edinger, Mrs. Weiske, Mrs. Hobart, Mrs. Scott, Miss Eake, Miss Hackney, Mrs. Denk, Mrs. Huser, and of course our fabulous 5th grade team (Miss Hartzell, Mrs. Baitinger and myself).

BEGINNING OF YEAR BASICS

We have set our guidelines and procedures for attending in-person school as well as expectations and communications with our virtual learners.
We recite the Pledge of Allegiance each day.
We sing a patriotic song each Friday.
They have had art, music, and phy ed.
Students are working hard to show the Tiger Way in all areas of the building – especially a zero voice (no talking) in the hallway.

CLASSROOM RULES - 5S created their Classroom Constitution. They all signed the constitution. :)

We the students of 5S in order to have an AWESOME year in 5th grade hereby agree to:

Be honest and fair.
Always show kindness and be considerate to the teachers and students of this room and anywhere.
Show respect: in the classroom to all people, in the hallways, and to all the materials.
Always be careful of the words you use, so they are not hurtful.
Always work together as a team while being respectful to each other.

Breakfasts and lunches are served for FREE each day.

MP/Q MISSION STATEMENT: Building community, exploring solutions, learning for life

Our class broke down each part of the school mission statement shown below:

LITERACY- Students enjoyed The Man Who Walked Between the Towers and September 12th We Knew Everything Would Be Alrigth and the podcast, “Six Minutes” during read-aloud.

They have also been using Literacy to learn about nine Habits of Mind.

Next week, we will use the Schoolwide Launch Unit to focus in on the goals of Reading Workshop. Students will be able to define what a reading workshop is, what their strengths and growth areas as readers are, and fine tune their ability to choose a good fit book as well as increase their reading stamina.

Next week, students will also begin a short project on when to use commas properly. It is called “Comma Corral”. Students will learn eight rules when to use commas correctly. Then, they’ll write an example sentence using that rule. Finally, they will create a four slide presentation with another student (or two) with a jingle to help their classmates remember the rule using a tune everyone would be familiar with.

Students are able to improve their non-fiction reading skills using Time for Kids magazine. Students get to keep the magazines. Sometimes, we’ll work through them as a class, while other times students will be able to enjoy them independently.

Twenty-five friends and family members of mine have donated money for your child to receive their own book each month this school year! They’re so excited for the first one to arrive soon. This week, they wrote a thank you letter to their book sponsor using proper friendly letter writing skills.

Students are reading about 30 minutes per day in class (with the goal of at least 20 pages read) and have been asked to read at least 20 pages at home per night.

MAKING CONNECTIONS - In addition to recording nightly pages read during the 30 minutes read at home, students have been writing two connections they’ve made with that day’s reading in their reading journal stored online in Google Classroom (TT=text-to-text connection; TS=text-to-self; TW=text-to-world. Usually, students are able to record the connections in their journal during school reading. It may be a good conversation piece to ask your child what connection they made that day.

WHAT YOU CAN HELP WITH AT HOME: Please assist your child in checking they have about 30-40 pages per day (including the 20-30 pages read during school and at least 20 pages per school day at home) with the date, title, pages read, two sentence connections written in their journal. This is a bit of a growth for a few students, and working together, they’ll get the hang of it. Thank you!

SAMPLE DAILY MAKING CONNECTIONS READING ENTRY::

10/4/18 Hatchet - When I read Brian was bitten by many mosquitoes, it

Pgs. 24-80 reminded me of the bad mosquitoes this fall.

MATH – Students are enjoying the Bridges Math program we’re using. Unit 1 is called, “Expressions, Equations, and Volume”. Ask them about Number Corner, the Product Game, and the Baseball Box Forum. There should be homework most school days (other than Friday homework), and they should be able to open IXL and iReady at home. If there is NOT math homework, they should spend at least 10 minutes on iReady Math or IXL math. We will be finishing unit 1 next week.

WHAT YOU CAN HELP WITH AT HOME: Please check the daily planner, and have your child show you his/her finished homework. If there is no math homework, please remind them to hop on iReady Math or IXL Math for at least 10 minutes.

HABITS OF MIND – Quest students are reviewing nine of the Habits of Mind to better learn how we can become a community of learners. Each lesson, students write the definition of the habit of mind, reflect when they have demonstrated that habit of mind, and they set a goal to use that habit of mind in school this year. They have together an electronic book (aka: e-book) using Book Creator on their school Chromebooks. They will share the e-books with you later. They are presenting their projects today.

WHAT YOU CAN HELP WITH AT HOME: Please have them share the nine Habits of Mind and why it’s important we learn about them.

SPELLING - Students will be divided into groups, and they will be given a list with lesson on Mondays starting October 4th. Vocabulary A-Z assignments are due by Thursday. Tests on Vocabulary A-Z are on Fridays.

WHAT YOU CAN HELP WITH AT HOME: Please have them show you they are done with their assignments by Thursday, and they may ask you to help them study during the week.

From Mrs. Bunge’s newsletter: End of Day Routines

Your child will always follow their typical end-of-day routines for going home unless parents make a phone call or a written note is sent to school by the parent stating that your child has permission to go home in an

alternate way. Our purpose for this is to ensure that parents know where their children are at all times.

We will not be able to take a child’s word on how they think they should go home for a particular day, because sometimes there is confusion which could result in children not getting home safely or not having supervision when they get home.

Keep in mind that starting this year students are not allowed to join a bus route for a day, unless this is an assigned route for this child/family. (Ex. If your child is going home with a friend for a day, your child would not be able to get on the bus for that one day to get a ride to his/her friend’s house, un-

less this is their regularly assigned bus.) Please note that this is a change in the bus company’s protocols.

Masks - Most students are doing an awesome job of keeping their masks over their nose and mouth. Unfortunately, some are having difficulty - especially when it comes to students using the gators. When we are off the required mask phase (October 4th), students will then return to “masks on the move” where they mask up whenever they are moving (and eating).

WHAT YOU CAN HELP WITH AT HOME: Please make sure your child’s mask fits well covering their nose and mouth and that they are able to keep it on during the day (not too loose).

Class Dojo - Students have been earning points as a class and individually towards a whole class reward. Once they reach increments of 5,000 points (hopefully about once a month), they will earn a reward. If you haven’t signed in to view your child’s Dojo points, you may using the form given at Open House. Let me know if you need me to send you another invitation.

Something you as a parent can help with is talking to your child about the importance of showing respect to all - especially our specialist teachers (art-Mrs. VandeBerg’s sub (she had a beautiful baby girl this month), Mrs. Shram, music-Mrs. Muenchow, and phy ed-Mr. Neslon). These have already been locations where some of our learners have not shown leadership/respect.

Also, afternoons have been a growth area for some learners.

WHAT YOU CAN HELP WITH AT HOME: Would you have a heart-to-heart with your child and ask if they are following the rules they created in an honest conversation? If they are, AWESOME! Ask them how they can spread the leadership. If they are not, how can they grow each day?

Water Bottles - Students are to have their own water bottles. They can fill them at the water station (not drink out of it). We have a few water bottles if your child forgets his/her water bottle, but it’s best if they have their own each day.

WHAT YOU CAN HELP WITH AT HOME: Please encourage your child to be responsible in bringing his/her water bottle each day. Also, some students when washing the water bottle on loan used WAY too much dish soap. They may need a refresher on how to wash a water bottle with just a dab of dish soap. :)

Friday 5-4-3-2-1 - Each week on Fridays, I ask students to reflect on their week, and we moved to doing it via Google Forms. Their honest, thoughtful reflections are so sweet. They are developing into GREAT leaders.

This is the third year we are using the Character Strong Purposeful People curriculum. This month, students were introduced to empathy, responsibility, gratitude, respect, and cooperation.

WHAT YOU CAN HELP WITH AT HOME: Ask your child the kindness activity we did this month that brought Mrs. Vande Berg to tears, as she needed that kindness so much this morning :) Also, we encourage families to read through the family letter sent at the beginning of each week starting Monday.

PICTURE MAKE-UP & RETAKE DAY: Set your calendars for School Picture Make-up Day if your child didn't get his/her picture taken OR if your child needs a retake picture taken this Monday, September 27th 8-9:15 AM.

Other September events -Also, see Quest Elementary Fifth Grade Facebook page for pictures:

Student Council officer election this week
Maker Space is open in the Library/Media Center
All about Me slideshows and sharing

Dates to Remember

Sept. 24—Early release district wide MPQ 12:35 dismissal
Sept. 27—Picture Retake Day in the a.m.
Oct. 1—26—MPQ Fundraiser

CLASS WEBSITE WITH USEFUL RESOURCES

Grade 5 Facebook Page

“Like” and “Follow” our Facebook Page

Quest Elementary Fifth Grade

Mrs. Simacek’s Twitter

@MrsSimacek

WANTED:

Missing supplies include: 3-ring binders with clear cover pocket, composition notebooks, and headphones (or the four pair of earbuds). If you see any on sale and you’d be willing to donate any, please send them our way. Thank you in advance :)

Hello Fabulous 5S (5th grade Simacek) Families!!!

I'm SOOOO excited to meet you and your child tomorrow afternoon. Remember, students with last names A-L are welcome 4-5 PM and students with last names M-Z are welcome from 5-6 PM.

Please consider bringing all of the school supplies with your child. You will put the school supplies in the locker below your child's nametag, and the community supplies (tissues, snacks, etc.) will come inside the classroom. Since Open House is different than the previous years' back-to-school conferences, I encourage you to tour the classroom, write your child a letter s/he will read on the first day of school, and meet me along with other MPQ staff.

I also look forward to seeing the students with last names A-L at "Orientation" on Monday, August 30th and students with last names M-Z on Tuesday, August 31st. The students attend the entire school day. Then, on Wednesday, September 1st, school begins for all students.

Next week, your child will be making an AWESOME new tie-dye shirt to show their school spirit as our beginning of the year whole school Quest project. So, next Thursday and Friday, students wouldn't want to wear their best clothing.

Finally, if you haven't yet had a chance to "like" the Quest Elementary Fifth Grade Facebook page, please feel free to do so. You'll see important reminders and some great pictures of your child learning and having fun!!

I look forward to seeing you tomorrow!!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Keri Simacek

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