November News - Vol.2

Important Information


  • Parent Conferences - coming soon! 😁 Plan to review your child's progress in the first trimester. We will look at the report card together, iReady results, a few work samples, go over student strengths and areas that can be improved, and cover any questions that may be lingering. The week of November 18-22 are all early release days (12:30) to allow time for the conferences. I look forward to spending time with you all!
  • iReady - Only about half of our students are meeting their weekly iReady minutes. This is part of their weekly homework. To get the most out of what iReady offers, your child needs to spend 40 minutes a week completing iReady lessons in both math and reading (so 80 minutes total), with a lesson passing rate of 80% or higher. We cannot do all of these minutes in the classroom, but we try to get very close. Your child will need to do 25 minutes on average at home sometime during the week to meet their weekly requirement. The cut-off time for the week's minutes is Sunday at 8:00 pm. The iReady website shows your child's progress in each subject area. Just ask your child to show you the progress screen, or see me after school, and I can show you.
  • Multiplication - We are nearing the end of our multiplication stretch! We have one more short topic to go (topic 8)! Starting the end of this week, students will be learning the standard algorithm for 2-digit by 2-digit multiplication. I know you have seen some interesting math strategies and homework problems these last several weeks; thank you for staying positive and supporting your child. They have enjoyed most of these multiplication lessons and have been very successful on their tests.


Celebrations!

  • A big THANK YOU to our room moms and volunteers who put on a wonderful Halloween party in room 308! We had carnival games, prizes, treats, music, photos, and lots of laughter. Thank you Misty, April, Victoria, Vesta, Gen, Leah, Mandy, Kelly, Danelle, Charlene, and Kelli for your creativity, time, and donations! The kids had a ball!
  • Our first field trip was a success. The play was silly and entertaining with a great message. I love our tradition of dressing up-- the 4th and 5th graders looked so sharp! Thank you for getting your child to school a little early-- the day went off without a hitch! A special thank you to our field trip chaperones, Debbie, Victoria, Kelli, Gen, and Kacia for keeping our kiddos safe and happy.

What We're Learning

    • Language Arts ~ We have been tackling a tough reading skill, making inferences. We use this skill when we read between the lines and make meaning using our own prior knowledge along with clues from the text. We work with the frame, "I can infer that ...because the text says... and I know that...". We have also been revisiting context clues which goes along with making inferences. This week, we will begin some pre-reading assignments that will help us understand the setting of Old Yeller, which we will begin reading next week. The students took a book test on Island of the Blue Dolphins, and wrote an opinion piece on what they felt was an important theme in the novel. We will continue to develop our writing skills using the RACE strategy that will help students craft a complete, thoughtful written response to questions about their reading.


    • Math ~ We will test on Topic 7 on Wednesday and then finish up our last multiplication topic next week. Our last days before break will be spent on 2-digit by 2-digit multiplication strategies, with a focus on the standard algorithm. Long division will be next, after the break!

    • Social Studies ~ Students have submitted notes on their assigned tribe and are currently typing up the pages for their books. Students who received less than a 3 on their notes may re-submit their improved work to bring up their grade. All notes were returned with detailed feedback. We will focus on artwork and book assembly next week. To celebrate Native American Heritage Month, students will prepare special crafts and artwork on Wednesday, November 20th, in room 308.


    • PE ~ Team games, football drills.


    • Art ~ Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary colors; radial symmetry.


  • PLEASE help your child meet their 20+ minute reading requirement each night. This is part of their NIGHTLY homework.

Important Upcoming Dates:

Week of November 12th:

  • Wed., 11/14, 7:00 pm: Parent/coach meeting at TBMS for 3rd-5th grade students interested in wrestling with the TBMS team (see attached form in Middleton's Monday Message)

Beyond:

  • Mon., 11/18 - Fri., 11/22: Parent-Teacher Conferences, 12:30 early release
  • Wed., 11/20: National Native American Heritage Month celebration in room 308
  • Mon., 11/25 - Fri., 11/29: Thanksgiving Break, NO SCHOOL
  • Mon., 12/9-Fri., 12/13: Book Fair
  • Tue., 12/17: Family Paint Night, two sessions 4:00 pm & 6:00 pm