ROOM 5 NEWS

FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL

Welcome

I am so excited to be starting a new school year with your child! My name is Margaret Ma, and this is my 19th year of teaching and my 13th year at Bagby Elementary School. Many of you already know me from having taught this class of students when they were in second grade. I also taught the 4/5 combination class last year and am delighted to have the 4th graders from that class returning for another year with me. To hear more about me, please visit this page.

Co-TEACHER: Mrs. S

This school year, our class has the wonderful opportunity to welcome Mrs. Revathy Srinivasan, aka "Mrs. S." Mrs. S is working on completing her teaching credential with the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) Teacher Residency Program. She will be in our classroom three full days a week for the whole school year. To learn more about her, please visit this page.

WE've Moved!

We've moved to Room 5! Thanks to Measure R, the new room comes with fresh paint, floor to ceiling white boards, new carpeting and vinyl flooring, and a touch screen Apple TV. Thank you to the generous Cambrian residents and voters for supporting Measure R in November 2020. Thank you also to the families (from both last year and this year) who helped with either packing up the room in May or with unpacking the room in the last week!

My TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

Over the years, I have developed several goals as an educator. First, I want students to feel cared for by me and to believe they have great potential to impact the communities of which they are a part. Second, I hope to instill a lifelong love of learning in students by providing hands-on activities, by making classroom learning relevant, by connecting learning to the lives of students and families, and by modeling lifelong learning personally. I have been trained in Project Based Learning (PBL) by the Buck Institute and love watching children thrive in the context of PBL. Third, I hope to help students develop socially and emotionally in the context of a safe classroom community. I believe that social-emotional growth is just as important as academic growth and plan to foster opportunities for students to develop empathy, perseverance, resiliency, and a growth mindset.

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CHILD

I would love it if you could take a few moments to complete this survey as a way to introduce me to you and your family. If you can please complete this by Friday, August 22, I would greatly appreciate it!

Unique to our class, I am asking students and families to please provide the following. Please bring the items below by August 22.

A set of headphones, labeled with your child’s name and placed in a ziploc bag. These headphones will be returned to you at the end of the school year.
Set of Crayola watercolor paints (will be returned at the end of the school year) - For students who were in my class last year, I have saved your watercolor sets!
Package of baby wipes
Package of disinfecting wipes (such as Seventh Generation brand)
Box of Kleenex

Please mark the date of Thursday, August 28, 2024 for Back to School Night (Time TBD). During this evening, I will share more with you about my teaching philosophy and our year-long curriculum. You will also have an opportunity to meet our co-teacher, Mrs. S. This is a night for parents only, so please find child care for your children.

THURSDAY ENVELOPES

Every Thursday (including on the first day of school), your child will take home an envelope called the “Thursday Folder.” It will contain information from the school office, as well as completed work from class. Please note that not all work from class will go home. If the envelope contains any forms that need to be completed by you, please return these forms at your earliest convenience, and please make sure you empty the envelope each Thursday evening and return it to school each Friday!

THE GREAT POSTCARD RACE

This year, all three fifth grade classes will participate in "The Great Postcard Race." If you were in my class last year, this should sound familiar! The goal of this race is to receive a postcard from each of the 50 states as a class. Postcards can be mailed to our class or to an individual student. The postcards must be dated after August 14 and include something we can learn about the state (through the photo or through a note written on the postcard). One of the fifth grade Social Studies standards is to learn about the 50 states and memorize the capitals for each. This race will help us learn and appreciate the uniqueness of each state throughout the school year. Each fifth grade class will receive a party after all 50 postcards have been received, and the class that comes in FIRST will earn something extra. I have listed specific rules and tips in this document.

GETTING IN TOUCH

Please email me at MaM@cambriansd.com if you have any questions or concerns. Please note that my ability to check email during the school day is limited since I am with the class. I look forward to this year ahead with your child and to partnering closely with you!

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