eNews Notes

(Eschewing paper)

Welcome to the new year!

August 22, 2025

Dear Students of Room 201,

Welcome to fifth grade and your final year of elementary school; I am very pleased to have each of you in my class! Whether you are new to Peirce this year, or have been attending since kindergarten, and whether we've not yet met, or are already acquainted, I want you each to know that I am looking forward to getting to know you. I'd love to learn what your strengths are, what you struggle with, what fascinates you, and what hopes and dreams you have for your year. I am eager to help you as you learn and grow into the fifth grade version of you. I hope you will find our classroom a welcoming, safe, and comfortable place to be yourself, and that you will feel inspired and supported as you try new things and take on some robust and meaningful challenges.

Some of you are eager for back-to-school while others of you may be feeling more anxious than excited. Know that whatever you are thinking and feeling about school, there is room for you and your experience in our class community.

This summer, I spent most of the summer in Vermont caring for my mom with my siblings. It was a wonderful family time full of great conversation, swimming, dog park trips, and cook outs. I have been spending a great deal of time with Cooper, my springer spaniel, who loves to investigate new places, play tug, and cuddle. I have also eaten my share of ice cream cones, and read lots and lots and lots of books. What have you done over the summer to relax or recreate? What thoughts and wonderings do you have for our year ahead? I am looking forward to hearing all of your stories and to meeting all of you very soon!

There is an optional “sneak peek” on Thursday afternoon from 2:15 to 3:00 when you can come check out the room and say hello. Our official start is Tuesday morning, September 2nd at 8:10 in room 201. Your lockers are located in the hallway between the auditorium and the gym. You may stop there and leave things in your locker or head directly to room 201. In the meantime, feel free to reach out by return email if you have any questions or concerns or if you would like to share some information with me.

Warmly,

Ms. Carey

How to practice your math facts:

HOW CAN I MASTER MY MATH FACTS THIS SUMMER?

Students who have control of their math facts will be better prepared for 5th grade math. Having fluency with your addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts through the 12s before the start of 5th grade will make operations with whole numbers, fractions and decimals much easier and you will be able to concentrate on developing strategies and algorithms rather than on worrying about math facts. If you are struggling with this, rest assured we are here to help you! While memorization can be a help to you, what is most important is that you are able to break numbers apart and recompose them flexibly and accurately. Keep in practice this summer and anticipate getting help with this in the fall if you need it.

Research has shown that the most efficient way to learn math facts – and the least painful – is to separate them into three categories:

• Fluent facts – “I know this one!”

These are facts that you are able to remember without hesitating.

• Developing facts – “I kind of know this one.”

These are facts that you sometimes remember or have to think about for a minute.

• Study facts – “I don’t know this one.”

These are facts that you don’t yet know or are guessing at.

Working on Developing Facts

1) Sort fact triangles or flash cards into the three piles.

2) Pick up all the fluent facts and two or three of the developing facts.

3) This is your working pile.

4) Use the working pile for math card games or for quick drills.

5) When a developing fact becomes fluent, add another developing fact to the working pile.

Working on Study Facts

Pick TWO study facts.

1) For each study fact, make a model, draw a rectangle, and figure out a number strategy (examples below.) You might want to do this each day for a few days.

2) When you can sometimes remember a study fact, move it to the developing fact pile.

Charting Progress

To keep track of progress, you might want to color in your fluent facts on the Math Fact Chart. As more facts become fluent, more of the chart will be colored in.