December 17: National Treasures Museum (PBL Presentations) - 8:45 -10 am (come anytime in that timeframe)

December 17: Science Camp forms and payment DUE

December 18: Class Holiday Party (More details to come from room parents)

December 22 - January 2: Winter Break (No school)

January 19: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (No School)

January 20-23: Science Camp

Click here for the yearlong school calendar

Congratulations to Brookie for earning the November Sharks reader of the month! She read the widest variety of books, including both fiction and nonfiction titles. A new reading log for December went home last week. The award for December will go to the student who reads the most minutes.

As you may have heard, we had a wonderful buddy party on Friday with Ms. Sullivan’s Kindergarten class. The event was hosted by Lauren Drag (Brookie’s mom), along with her mother, Nancy, and her sister, Colleen, whose son is in Ms. Sullivan’s class. Our fifth graders worked in pairs and were matched with a Kindergarten pair. Together, they completed a craft, played a game, and enjoyed a delicious treat. Our fifth graders were incredibly patient and caring throughout their interactions.

A big thank-you to Lauren and her family for suggesting and hosting this event, and thank you to Kim Tsuchida for helping out as well!

Our fifth graders have already asked many times if we can do another buddy activity with Ms. Sullivan’s class. We will likely plan another one in the new year, with our class helping the Kindergarten students with math games or science activities.

The graded voting rights essays were returned in last week's Thursday envelope. Please take some time to review what was sent home.

Writing is an ongoing process, so you will see: (1) the planning sheet that was used to organize the essay; (2) a version of your child's essay that was turned in after I provided first draft feedback (which is listed at the end of your child's writing); (3) a scored rubric. Please note that students will see this second set of marked feedback this week and will be asked to make those corrections to their drafts, and that (somewhat more final) version will be what is placed in their fifth-grade writing portfolio.

This was a challenging assignment, and I was disappointed to see that many students did not respond to all of the written feedback I provided on their first draft. I will be talking with the class about how important it is to receive and respond to feedback as part of being a growth-mindset learner. I would also appreciate it if parents could take a moment to discuss the value of writing feedback with their children, especially as they prepare for middle school.

Last week, students began investigation 2, which focuses on solution concentration. We explored varying fruit punch drink solutions, and this week we will explore varying saltwater solutions. They will design an experiment to determine which of two sample pond water solutions has a higher salt concentration. To extend learning at home, try this concentration model activity where students make "sun tea."

This week, students will continue in our National Treasures PBL in which groups of 3-4 work together to answer the driving question: How can we help protect national parks and solve the challenges they face so people and nature can thrive together?  Groups will research one of America’s national parks, explore the environmental and human challenges it faces, and develop creative, real-world solutions to help people and nature thrive together—culminating in a final presentation that showcases their findings and proposed actions. Please join us on Wednesday, December 17, in the Barracuda Tank for our PBL culminating event. Students will be giving presentations in a museum-style format, so come anytime between 8:45 am and 10 am and stay as long as you would like!

This week, students will continue with the novel studies we began last month. Some are reading The Sign of the Beaver, while others are reading JoJo Makoons: The Used-to-be Best Friend. The Sign of the Beaver is a historical fiction novel set in 1768 in the Maine wilderness during the colonial era. JoJo Makoons is a modern story about a young girl growing up on her Ojibwe reservation. Both novels help students gain a deeper, more personal understanding of the resourcefulness and courage of Native American peoples. Be sure to ask your child how he or she is enjoying the new novel study! After we finish the novel, we will write either theme analysis or character analysis essays.

Mileage Club has started again!  For those of you unfamiliar with Mileage Club, it is a parent-led program that encourages children in grades 1-5 to either walk or run during their Wednesday lunch hour. On Wednesdays, students should dress in comfortable, athletic attire and sneakers if they are participating. Parents can join on the field to pass out cards and track laps every Wednesday! Sign up for that is here. Each lap brings them one step closer to reaching the next Mileage Club level. 

New this year, runners will be rewarded for achieving major club milestones at 5, 10, 15, and 20 mile intervals as well as for being the first to hit select mile markers. In addition to earning monthly running tokens for their chain, they will also be featured on the leaderboard. Last but not least, at the end of the school year, the top two runners in each grade receive gift cards to kick off their summer in style!  If you have any questions, please feel free to email parent volunteer lead Amanda Baldino at  amandapbaldino@gmail.com.

We have PE weekly on Tuesday mornings from 8:20 - 9:05 am with Miss Kelly (our new PE teacher).  On Tuesdays, please make sure your child is wearing shoes in which they can run. I also recommend a hat and an extra water bottle for hot days. 

We have Music on Friday afternoons from 1:10-1:55 pm. We have Art every other week on Tuesday mornings from 9:30 - 10:20 am beginning the week of August 18. 

Our weekly visit to the school library will be Thursdays from 8:40 to 9:00 am. 

This year, we will be managing some assignments and hand outs (such as study guides) on Google Classroom. Students will learn how to access Google Classroom this week. Please take some time to have your child login also from a home device and then please bookmark that page so that you will be to access it quickly when needed!

If you are looking for books for your family's library, please consider ordering from Scholastic Books. You can have books shipped directly to your home or to school. Every order earns points for our class, and points help us grow our classroom library. When using the Scholastic website, our class activation code is GKMNT. Place an order of $25 or more and you can pick a FREE $5 book (use code READS at checkout). Here is an online flyer.