September 15-19: Book Fair

September 19: Ice Cream Social (after school hours)

October 6-14: Goal Setting Conferences

October 25: Halloween Fun Night

Click here for the yearlong school calendar

Last week students started research for their state report and learned about the states in the Midwest region (12 states). Some students are choosing to bring home their flashcards each night to practice. This week, we will play another Jeopardy game to review what we learned. On Wednesday, students will take a short quiz to see if they can identify the states, capitals, and state abbreviations in the Midwest. After the Midwest, students will learn about the states in the Northeast region. 

Great Postcard Race Update: We are now up to 14 states: California, Nevada, Washington, Montana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Florida, Vermont, and Maine. Thank you to all the students (and families) who have participated: Jackson, Mira, Hugh, Joanna, Tara, and Brookie.

Standings update: Ms. Wickemeyer's class has received postcards from 28 states, and Ms. Rodrigues's class has received cards from 11 states, so we are in second place! Let's see if we can take first place!

Last week we began Investigation 2 of the Earth Science unit. Students learned that only 3% of the Earth's total water is fresh water and that ... This week we will continue in Investigation 2 with an activity in which we track the sun's shadow during the course of the day. If you would like to extend student learning at home, consider trying this home school connection activity.

We are continuing in the novel Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea. Last week we read the January and February sections and took a quiz on these sections. The novel took a dramatic turn in these chapters -- be sure to ask your child what is happening!

In case you missed a summary of the book from a previous newsletter -- Because of Mr. Terupt is the story of a new fifth-grade teacher and seven of his students. Each section focuses on a different month of the school year, and each chapter is told through the voice of one of the seven students. It's a wonderful story about friendship, mentorship, overcoming adversity, and more. 

Thank you to those of you who have already completed this form. If you haven't already, please 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!

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 12:05 to 12:30 pm. 

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.