12/17

We have had a great day today! Thank you so very, very much for your generosity today, from snacks at our party to goodies for the kids and for the teachers! We love each and every one of you!

First Baptist Church gave each student a black toboggan hat with a panther paw! We asked students to write their names in the tags in the top so that they will be able to keep up with them.

A few updates:
*Students who brought their biography projects and presented today earned five bonus points.
*Students who did not present today need to present on Monday 1/3/11 (no late penalty).
*We have rescheduled the movie for Wed. 1/5/11. A new permission slip will be sent home 1/3/11 to be signed and returned. The cost is $5 if not already paid.

We wish you all a very happy holiday season! Stay warm and stay safe.

11/23

Historical fiction genre brochure due by NEXT Mon.

Extra credit WOW due tomorrow.

Most students need to work on AM.

Tomorrow is our craft day. Please bring in empty paper towel and/or toilet paper rolls. Thanks!

11/19

We tried persimmons for today's fresh fruit snack! They received mixed reviews.

We also went over this month's historical fiction genre project. Students are to create a "time travel brochure" and they each received a handout explaining the requirements. Their genre brochure is due no later than Monday, 11/30. Unfortunately that is the Monday following the Thanksgiving holiday, so we encourage you to turn them in early!

Study for spelling & vocab. tests tomorrow. Finish 3x each if you had to write them.
Complete the "Gobble Squabble" prefix/suffix fun sheet.

The back side, "Turkey Trouble," is an extra credit math assignment due tomorrow.

11/5

Copy vocabulary words and definitions onto your own paper.
Study spelling & vocab!
Read your AR book at least 20 pages.
Your prefixes and suffixes list is also due tomorrow.

*Don't forget that The Energized Guys booklet is due tomorrow for extra credit in science!

11/2

Sp. in ABC order in agenda
AR prefix/suffix hunt is due by Fri. (at least 10 words with prefixes and suffixes from AR book; if a word has both write it in both columns).

We saw a great presentation today, called The Energized Guys, about saving energy. Each child was given a fun book to complete. It can be turned in by Friday for EXTRA CREDIT! This is a great opportunity to help your science grade, whether you need it or not. You never know when that extra good grade will come in handy. ;)

All $$ from the Literacy Walk needs to be turned in tomorrow. Thanks!

10/29

Finish mystery genre (candy corn book report).
Finish copying vocab. words & definitions onto your own paper.
Finish AR Wonderful Words list.
Study for sp. & voc. tests!

Fri. is Book Character Dress Up Day! You can earn extra credit for dressing up, bringing the book, and writing a book report about your character and the book.

Don't forget about the bake sale Fri. to benefit our local food pantry ($0.50 or a canned/boxed good per item).

If you'd like to send in treats for the class tomorrow, you are more than welcome to do so! Thanks.

SS Extra Credit

Many of the students know that I (Mrs. Dyer) am working on my reading endorsement certification. As part of that class, I had to research webquests online. Here are some of the cool webquests I found. You may complete one of the quests for EXTRA CREDIT in social studies. Though many of them are set up for group work, you will have to work independently to complete the tasks. Check them out if you'd like to learn more about the Civil War, and you can earn extra credit in the process! Just click on the links below to learn more.

http://www.milforded.org/schools/simonlake/sherwood/cw/civilwar.htm

http://www1.bellevuepublicschools.org/curriculum/k6web/fifthgrade/civwarQuest/CvWrQstS.htm

http://www1.bellevuepublicschools.org/curriculum/k6web/fifthgrade/civwarQuest/CivilWarScavengerHunt.htm

http://chalk.richmond.edu/education/projects/webquests/civilwarlife/

http://www.fcps.edu/LondonTowneES/Webquests/civwarwbq/civwarwbq.htm

http://www.e2t2c2.net/castlehills/maloney/WebQuest/CivilWar/teachpg.htm

Math & Science Extra Credit

When progress reports go home (tomorrow) we sometimes have parents and students asking about extra credit. Extra credit is generally available until the week before the end of the term. We do ask that students do their REGULAR work before they ask for EXTRA work. Before beginning extra credit, be sure to get approval from one of us so that your hard work is not in vain.

One project that we talked about today is called "Design an Airplane" on p. 30 of the science book. This project uses both science and math skills, so this one project could earn extra credit in both science and math. Check it out!

Book Character Day

We had some interesting visitors at school last week! From left to right, top to bottom: Daphne Grimm from "The Sisters Grimm," Roderick from "Diary of a Wimpy Boy," Olivia from "Midnight for Charlie Bone," the Wicked Witch of the West and a flying monkey from "The Wizard of Oz," the Dad from "Miss Small Is Off the Wall," and Batman;
Shiloh, Woody, and Kakshi from "Naruto."

Extra Credit: Take Your Child to Vote!

Your child can earn extra credit in social studies if s/he goes with you (or another adult) to vote! To receive credit, your child must write a paragraph about his/her experience, including where you went to vote and describing the process. This paragraph is due no later than 11/5/08.

Reading Extra Credit

Students may choose a word (any word that is appropriate for school and appropriate for fifth grade- not "boat" or something that simple) and dress up as that word on Friday. They must have the word approved no later than Thursday. (I read aloud a book today called Miss Alaineus that had students participating in a vocabulary parade so they should know what to do.)

Welcome back!

Hope you had a great fall break! Today marks the beginning of the 2nd nine weeks and a fresh start for each student. Everyone is back to a 100 in conduct. AR & AM goals also start over, though some may be "tweaked" a bit as needed.

Tonight's homework is to write spelling words in ABC order in the agenda. Also, a few students needed to finish the language arts unit 1 review. Their mystery genre (project coming soon) is due by the 31st. Please check your child's agenda for any other assignments.

This Thursday is Papa's Pizza "Dough Raiser" night. Present your "ticket" when you order, and 10% of the proceeds come back to our school! Also, the class with the most participants will get a pizza party. Mrs. Lewis & Ms. Holt's class enjoyed theirs today, so we're hoping we're next! Help us out if you can! Thanks in advance.

Friday is our Book Character Dress Up Day. Students may come in costume as long as they also have the book their character is from. They will give a brief talk about their book and their character to earn extra credit in reading.

Finally, Friday is a half day for parent/teacher conferences (students dimiss about 11:30; lunch will be served at school). If you did not receive a conference request notice and would like one, please let us know and we can schedule one. Report cards will go home Friday to be signed & returned ASAP.