September
Week of : 09/14/26
Announcements:
If you have not ordered a sack lunch for your child for our Sept 22 Out & About to Hagg Lake, you need to do that before Sunday, Sept 13. Here is the link.
If you were unable to attend the Outdoor School parent presentation, you can find the slideshow here.
You can use the following link if you still need to make a payment for Outdoor School.
5th Grade Math
This week, we officially began our 5th Grade Mathematics journey! Students have been learning and practicing place value with whole numbers and developing strategies for calculating operations using mental math.
I have been especially impressed by the hard work and mathematical thinking students demonstrate every day during our 5-Minute Bell Work. We have been exploring how to compare adjacent and non-adjacent digits by using multiplication and division, understanding powers of 10 and the role of exponents, and representing numbers in both standard form and exponential form.
We ended the week with a review using a fun “Scoot” game, which gave students an opportunity to practice their skills while moving around the classroom and learning from one another.
Next week, students will complete a practice test and then begin diving into multiplication of whole numbers.
Students will also begin bringing home official math homework. Please help your child build a consistent homework routine by checking in with them each day.
A reminder: Students are expected to spend no more than 20 minutes on their math homework. If they reach 20 minutes and are still working, please have them stop and bring the work back to school. This helps me understand what skills may need additional support or practice.
Please help your student practice this routine by asking them to:
Share with you what they are taking home.
Complete any required steps, such as having a parent/guardian write their initials.
Bring the homework page back to school the next morning.
Thank you for partnering with me as we help students develop strong mathematical habits, independence, and confidence!
As always, please feel free to reach out to me at m.ilquimiche@fgcschool.org if you have any questions or would like to connect.
6th Grade Math
This past week we jumped into math. Students took homework home on Tuesday and Wednesday, and in class we have started practicing our regular routines of fluency practice, daily note taking and concept practice. On Friday we kicked off a new special incentive called Secret Student. You'll have to ask your student what this is and find out how it works. I'm happy to say our secret student rocked it in class and everyone was rewarded. Woohoo!
Next week we will have our first topic assessment, which I call "Show Me What You Know". We will also begin our next topic which is about ratio relationships.
Don't forget, Michael Klee is the YouTube channel that provides great reteatching of our lessons for anyone that could use it. Look for videos from the last three years. We are currently in Module 1.
If you have any questions, you can email me at h.sackett@fgcschool.org
Week of : 09/07/26
Welcome to our first weekly newsletter of the school year! Here you'll find important reminders for Out & Abouts, due dates, and more to keep you connected and informed. Looking forward to a wonderful year together.
Announcements:
If you are interested in helping with Out & About trips this year, please complete the district background check and email Erin, e.morgan@fgcschool.org, to sign up! If you have completed this form in the past, you need to do it again each year.
Outdoor School is coming soon! Here is the next important date to keep in mind:
A presenter from Northwest Outdoor Science School will host a family information night on Tuesday, September 8th, 6:30-7:30p. Link: google meet.
5th Grade Math
Our 5th grade math journey has started with lots of energy and enthusiasm! This week, students explored what it means to be a mathematician at this level. We took time to introduce the different activities and routines we’ll be using throughout the year. Students practiced these routines through games, bell work, flexible and creative thinking, and “get-to-know-you” activities—all with a mathematical twist!
Next week, we’ll dive into our math curriculum and practice book. We’ll officially begin our first topic: Place Value of Whole Numbers.
This coming week, students will practice our homework routine. They will take home a page of work that they completed in class and practice bringing it back and turning it in the following morning.
Please help your student practice this routine by asking them to:
Share with you what they are taking home.
Complete any required step, such as writing your initials.
Remember to bring the page back to school the next morning.
We will not begin assigning homework from our math book until Week 3.
As a reminder, students are expected to spend no more than 20 minutes on math homework. If your student needs more than 20 minutes to complete an assignment, please have them stop and add a note to the homework indicating that they worked for the full 20 minutes. This helps me know that they did their part and lets me know when an assignment may have been too challenging or time-consuming.
As always, please feel free to reach out to me at m.ilquimiche@fgcschool.org if you have any questions or would like to connect.
6th Grade Math
Welcome to 6th grade math! Next week we will dive into our first Module. Module 1 is about ratios, rates and percents. You can expect that your student will have homework most nights Monday-Thrusday. Please note that there may be some days (aside from Friday) that students do not have homework because it takes longer to get through a lesson or I simply forget to pass it out. This is rare but it can happen. On nights with homework, students are expected to spend 20 minutes a night working on their work. If students complete homework class, they will need to keep it in their agenda and turn it in the next day. This gives you the opportunity to see what they are working on.
One fabulous resource I've found for extra math support is the YouTube channel Michael Klee. These videos work through our curriculum in case your student, or you, need a refresher. Here is the link. Be sure only use the videos from the last three years. Your student's homework will list the module and lesson number.
If you have any questions, you can email me at h.sackett@fgcschool.org