Reward Party!

Hello Families,

As I had mentioned on the blog earlier in the week, our class earned oodles of rewards due to significant gains in their MAPs scores. We took our spring Reading, Math, and Language Usage tests at the beginning of the month. The students made whole class point gains of 145, 134, and 242, respectively. Wowzers!

To celebrate, we are having a pizza party/movie afternoon on Thursday, May 26th. Students are allowed to bring in movie options that are G-rated and appropriate. If students would like pizza lunch, I’m asking they bring in $2.00 by Wednesday, May 25th. If they want to bring a bag lunch or get hot lunch and join us in the classroom that is fine also. Drinks and dessert will be provided by me.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

angeama@pewaukee.k12.wi.us

Thanks and have a great weekend! Enjoy this beautiful weather!

Ms. Angel

Update!

Happy Monday!

First off, please remember that camp materials are due as soon as possible! The camp fee is $49.00 for your student and an additional $49.00 if you are an overnight chaperone. We would love to have you come along and share in this experience!

Secondly, students with missing work will be bringing home a missing work slip. Please make sure you take a moment to have a conversation about keeping motivation and work ethics high as we near the end of the year. These must be signed and returned by tomorrow.

Thirdly! Our students did amazingly on the MAPs tests! Wow. They literally knocked my socks off! Okay, maybe not literally, but I was impressed. Our language usage testing went up, as a class, 242 points from the beginning of the year! WOW. Both Reading and Math also went up well over 100 points as a class. So, as a reward, we will have a pizza party, with a beverage and dessert. I am asking each student to contribute a little money towards the pizza and I will provide the drinks (soda, crystal light) and desserts. This will take place on May 26th starting at 11:50. I will send home more information about this later this week.

Now, on the subject front:

Reading:
We are starting a new unit on Biography. Please be aware of the parameters of this project. Your student will choose a biography subject of their liking, read the book, fill out a planner to organize their ideas, and finally create a final presentation to present to a small group. We will presenting these on Monday, June 6th. It would be wonderful to have parents in our small group audiences! Please let me know if you are interested.

Here is the assignment:

Biography Book Project

Choose a biography or an autobiography for your last book project. You MAY NOT choose a sports figure… find someone else that interests you – a musician, an actor or actress, an author, a president, a politician, historical figure, etc!!

You must have your book selected by WEDNESDAY, MAY 18. You will need to report your title and author Ms. Angel on that day.


Your book and the attached notes sheet must be completed by TUESDAY, MAY 31. You will use some in class time to complete the writing portion of the project using both your book and notes sheet.

The final project will be presented in small groups on Monday, June 6.

Please note that there will be classtime given to work towards the completion of this project. This is independently driven with check-ins. Also, the final project could be done in several ways:

• powerpoint, smart notebook, blogger (with parent permission)
• become the character and present as the person
• create a poster, newspaper

Spelling:
We have completed our formal Spelling units, but will continue with word work and grammar for the remainder of the year. Those of you who received word lists - we will not have anymore! However, on May 31st, we will have a Spelling Achievement test which shows the progress from the beginning of the year.

Math:
We are continuing to work on multiplication and division with whole numbers and decimals. The students are learning new strategies for both operations. Have them show you!

Writing:
Students finished our District Writing Assessment last week. I will have a substitute in on Wednesday while the 5th grade team scores the DWAs. This week, we are working on completing our citizenship papers, sharing how we helped be a good member of our community. The format for this essay is a five paragraph essay, with focus on the 6+1 traits. One of the essays will be chosen and rewarded by Mrs. Carter, based on the community involvement.

Social Studies:
As our year winds down, we are testing on the French-American war tomorrow. We will touch upon the American Revolution with our time left.

Science:
This week we are beginning our new unit on Mixtures & Solutions. It will be exciting to learn about how chemistry works!

Thanks and have a great day!

Progress Reports and Camp Materials

Hello Families!

Just a few reminders:

• Progress reports were sent home yesterday. Please take a moment to review and sign. Students were asked to bring it back with a parent signature today.
• Camp materials were given out about a week ago. All forms are due TOMORROW. Please take a few minutes to fill it out completely. As a means of organizing coverage for cabins, activity groups, and mealtimes we need to know which parents will be in attendance. Your quick response is most appreciated! Checks can be sent at a different time, if absolutely necessary.

Thank you!

QUICK LUNCH REMINDER

Tomorrow, instead of Chicken Patty, the lunchroom will be serving Chicken Nuggets.

Thanks!

Important Papers!

Hello Families,

We have MAPs testing this week on Tuesday afternoon and Friday morning. Please help your student skyrocket past their goal with your support. Making sure to get enough sleep, eat a healthy breakfast, and keeping a postive attitude are just a few key components of your child's success.

Please note that there are important camp papers coming home in your 5th grader's folder today. Please look through all of them and read them carefully. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask! It would be most appreciated by our entire 5th grade team if you could return them sooner rather than later. It allows for us to determine groups and chaperones much more quickly.

Also, we are closing in on the halfway mark of the quarter. Please know that grades will be posted May 8th, with progress reports coming home sometime next week. In order to prepare for this, any student with missing work will be bringing home a slip to be signed by you tonight. This does need to be returned tomorrow. All missing work is due on Friday, May 6th.

Our year is winding down fast! I've been reminding our class to continue to aim high and knock my socks off in terms of motivation, determination, and overall attitude. Let's make this last quarter the best yet!

Fluency with Reader's Theatre

In Language Arts, we have been working on fluency and oral presentation. One of the most common ways to do this is through using Reader's Theatre. The students receive a script, work through the scene with their group, and determine the tone and expression they should use to make it a stellar performance.

We most recently did a script about similes and metaphors that the students really enjoyed. One of our students filmed the scene, which will be posted later today.

Watch for another update soon!

Heritage Presentations

This morning, we had the great fortune of learning about two of our classmates native homes. We learned about both Mexico and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The presenting students have worked the last few months on researching for and creating a power point presentation.

The best part was we were able to ask questions and learn a little more about their cultures. Thanks, gentlemen! Great job!!

Camp Information

Good Morning Families!

Just a quick note: Watch for camp information coming home in your student's folder today! There will be two sheets, one pink and one purple, detailing the camp experience, as well as the upcoming parent meeting.

Also, students should be bringing home corrected work. Please go through this with your student. Often they peruse and don't process. Engaging in a conversation about the work coming home can spark great conversation on what we are doing in our classroom.

Thank you and enjoy your day!

Budding Artists

Hello Families!

Quick notice! Two of our resident artists from Classroom 135 will have their masterpieces showcased at the Brookfield Barnes & Noble. There is a reception for them tonight from 6:30 to 8:00. If you have a chance, head over to check their work out! They are very deserving of this honor!

Congrats, gals!

Wish I could be there!

Clean up that Mess!

What does a messy entrance say about the room beyond that threshold? Classroom 135 did an experiment to open our new Science unit on pollution. Students collected litter off of the playground a couple of weeks ago and categorized the types of litter they found. As this was done with a sub, I wanted to discuss their findings and what they felt we could do to help be proactive.

One of the students made a very astute observation. She said, "If everyone thinks that their one piece of litter doesn't matter, what would happen if everyone felt that way about one piece of litter? We'd have a messy world!" So, we tried our hand at this. Each student took a piece of paper and imagined it was an object that we might find thrown around our playground. We gathered in the hallway and as each person crossed into the room, they left their garbage in the hallway.

We watched our doorway start as a host to one scrap piece of paper and then suddenly we had a huge pile. It was a pretty interesting experience. The most telling part of the experiment was the reaction of other 5th grade classes. We left our pile and talked about how this might impact the way people think of our class. The answers ranged from disorganized to dirty. Every time a class walked by there were at least a few students who stopped in their tracks and perused our pile. One student asked, "What's up with the trash?"

I hope it made an impact. The more cognizant we are about putting trash where it truly belongs, the more likely our environment will be spared. Help keep our world clean!

Ask your student what they have pledged for their pollution awareness promise.

End of Quarter

Hello 5th Grade Families,


Wow! Our year is flying by! Can you believe that this week marks the end of our 3rd quarter?

I wanted to touch base to let you know that, today, your student received a list of any missing work they have at this point in the quarter. In addition to the work list, I stapled blank copies of the sheets needed. If your student doesn't have all of the sheets listed, it may be that I put them on their desk for tomorrow. All missing work is due Friday, March 25th.

Students have been getting weekly updates from me about missing work, so the missing work reports should not be surprising. I have been stressing that it is their responsibility to turn work in. I will not be keeping all of the students in from recesses, as I feel they need to make choices on how they want their quarter to end. I, of course, will strongly suggest that they stay in and complete missing work, but I will not track them down if they don't.

We have talked several times in the last few weeks about how now is the time to really claim their education. Take hold of it and aim high. I am hoping that they value their future and potential enough to decide to do all they can to make this a successful quarter.
If, as a parent, you want them to stay in to get their work done, I will respect those wishes. Some students have a long list of missing work, I have requested that they get a parent signature so that you are aware of their current status. This information is also available to you via Skyward, which I am happy to see several of you use consistently.

All 3rd quarter grades will be entered by Sunday evening, with report cards going home sometime next week.

Thank you and let's make the 4th quarter an amazing learning experience with great memories!

Ms. Angel

Electronics Reward!!

Hello Families!

I am happy to report that our class earned a reward party! The students worked hard in their specials to earn 65 excellents, resulting in a vote for a suitable reward.

Winning by a landslide: Electronics party! Please take a moment to read the flyer coming home with your student today. I have also put a copy below.

Update!

Here's an update on what's happening here in Ms. Angel's room:

Reading: Students have successfully finished their Newbery books and projects. Next up, Fantasy! Students received their new Fantasy books this past Monday. I was happy to see how jazzed the students were about their new reads. As they read, students should be filling out their flipbook as they read. Click on the image below to see the assignment that is associated with this unit. The students received a paper copy of this on Monday, along with their pacing guide for the book. The book and flipbook are due March 7th and the 2-5-8 Menu assignment is due on March 14th.



Math: Fractions, here we come! We finished up our 3rd Math unit on a high note. The class averaged 95.59% on the Math test! Congratulations, Math Wizards. We did a very short unit on Geometry that consisted of polygons and different shapes. As it was a mini-unit, we took a quiz as our final assessment. Now, it's moving on to fractions.

I've been really pleased with how well the students are picking up on fraction concepts. Those students who are struggling have been terrific at seeking out help when necessary. This is a wonderful life skill to develop!

Writing: Students have been busy working on different letter formats, such as friendly, business, and a letter of request. We will be sending our letter of requests off to the companies, requesting information or service.

In addition, students have been learning about Black History Month. One of the ways we did this was to read quotes from notable African-Americans that paved the way through history. The students took one of the quotes and formulated a story, poem, essay or account in which the quote could apply. We are still working on these drafts.

Science: We have just finished working on our Human Body unit. Our test was this past Monday. Grades for these will be posted by this weekend. Our next unit is Pollution. I can't wait for us to dive into it! Remember to THINK GREEN!

Social Studies: We have moved into the Colonial Times! We are delving into the New England, Middle, and Southern colony lifestyles. The students are actively creating persuasive posters to convince people to come to their colony.

Other news:

Students are seeing a change in seating in the lunchroom. Due to an increase in poor choices and attitudes from some of the students, it has been decided that the students will now sit by class. At this point, this arrangement will be in place indefinitely. One of the factors is that we want students to recognize that they are a part of a whole; their actions can change the course of the entire school community.

Conferences are next week Monday through Thursday. I have sent home confirmations with each student. If you are unsure of your conference time, please do not hesitate to contact me. I will gladly send home a reminder.

Thank you and enjoy this long weekend with one another.

SNOW DAY!

Hello all,

I hope that you are nestled warmly in your homes today. One look outside showcases the wonders of weather! There are some pretty amazing drifts out there. If you go out, make sure you are bundled up, as that wind is unforgiving.

A reminder: The forecast is predicting temperature drops over the course of the next few days. Please make sure that you are bringing appropriate winter wear for recess. Students without boots or snowpants will not be allowed to play in the snow. Hats, gloves, scarves, and most importantly warm, winter jackets are non-negotiables! We still have many students donning sweatshirts as their winter jacket. Please dress for the weather!

Enjoy the rest of your day!

~Ms. A

Uno, Dos, Tres!

Hello Families!

Can you believe that your fifth-grader has reached the halfway point of fifth grade? Welcoming our third quarter in is a little bittersweet, as it's evidence of how quickly this year is flying by. Final grades will be posted by Monday morning.

Today, our school had the great fortune of hosting the Ballet Folklorico Mexico performers today. It was an impressive extravaganza of traditional Mexican dancing and ropework. Students and teachers also had the opportunity to join in the fun. Thank you to Senora Swanson for bringing them to Horizon!

Here's the update:

Reading:  Today students received their Newbery books and project information. Our focused genre is not only Newbery books, but Historical Fiction. The books span from early 1400s to 1940s. That's quite a span in history. I was extremely excited to see how eager they were to finally have their books in hand. As these books are Newbery winners, they demonstrate strong writing. I hope the students fall into the reading and get lost in the worlds of the past.  Click on the thumbnail for more information and DUE DATES.



Math:  We continue on in our Unit 3 work. As we near the end of the chapter, I would highly recommend checking out our new "Math Expressions Websites" page up above. I've added some links that might help practice the different concepts we've worked on throughout this unit. As of now, the Math test will be February 4th. This is subject to change dependent on scheduling changes.

Writing:  Students just completed their first friendly letter. They will be delivering their letters to the recipients next week. We will continue practicing our friendly letter writing once we are paired up with a 5th class from another school. In addition to friendly letters, we will extend letter writing into the business realm.

Science:  We just finished learning about the heart, lungs, skin, and teeth. Ask your student to share some of their new knowledge about one of these areas of the body. Next up, testing foods for fat, protein, and carbohydrates in foods.

Social Studies:  The students took their Chapter 6/7 test on the 13th. Now that all of the students have taken the test, they will be coming home on Monday. Please sign them and send them back to school. We will start a more in-depth look at colonial life in our next chapter.

Spelling: Students took the second Achievement test in Spelling.I was thoroughly impressed with the progress the class made! Congrats, students!

Reminder:
MAPs Math Test is first thing Monday morning.
MAPs Reading Test is Tuesday, February 8th.

Points of Business

Good Morning Families!

• Students received a list of missing work yesterday morning. Copies are available if students are unable to locate items in their folder. It is up to the students, with parental guidance, to complete any missing work by Friday. As this is their responsibility to want to achieve, I have been prompting the option to complete work, but will not force it. The only case in which I will be making makeup work mandatory is in the case of a test retake. After Friday, I can no longer accept missing work to apply towards the second quarter grades. I do hope students will take this opportunity seriously and work towards their best 5th grade self.
• If your child is doing the Bango Bucks fundraiser, all materials are due TOMORROW (1/19).
• Social Studies tests will be coming home tonight. Please sign it and send it back with your student as quickly as conveniently possible.
• MAPs Math testing is next Monday. Over the weekend, please make sure plenty your child gets plenty of sleep. We are doing them first thing in the morning. A MAPs Reading test may be following the week after, depending on times. I will update you on the date and time of that as soon as it is determined.
• Book Orders are due this Friday 1/21 and will be placed that afternoon.
• As always, please make sure students have the proper winter gear for our snowy weather. Again, we've had many students out in this cold weather with nothing more than a sweatshirt on or without hats, gloves, boots, etc.! Our afternoons get long when they have to sit in wet clothes!!

Thank you and have a great, warm day!

Update!

Good Evening Families,

A few updates for you:

*Reading: We've completed our Mystery unit. Students are currently working on their final project. They have spent upwards of four hours in the computer lab designing their own glog, a multimedia book review about their mystery book. As they've been glogging, I've been privy to all sorts of creativity! It's fantastic.

*Math: In Math, we're continuing our third unit which focuses on Addition and Subtraction of decimals. We have been working hard at reviewing place value. Not only have students been working on new addition and subtraction methods ~ ask them to show you the Groups Below Addition method or the Subtotal method ~ but we've also been working on finding numbers that work together when paired to make mental math easier. This week, we're tapping back into our brains to find out what we remember about rounding.

*Social Studies: Well, we are just about done with our Chapter 6/7 studies. Students have learned about the first two colonies that survived in North America. Jamestown and Plymouth colonies have many similarities, yet many differences. Our test is this Thursday. Students received the review sheet last Friday. It is due Wednesday afternoon, at which time, we will go over the entire sheet.
In addition to our text work, we are also continuing to build mapping skills.

*Science: Our new unit "You and Your Body" is a hit. So far, we've learned about the human skeleton, reaction time, and most recently, the heart. Ask your students to share some of the facts they've learned about the body so far. Tomorrow we will discuss the lungs.

I've asked students to begin bringing in clean food labels. However, I reminded them not peel off labels from cans in the pantry; otherwise, it's mystery dinner every night!

*Writing: We will begin working on letter formats this week. Our focus will be friendly first and then followed by business letters. My hope is to connect with an area school and set up penpals to practice our friendly writing skills.

*FOLDER CLEANOUT. Please watch for information coming home regarding the Six Flags Reading Incentive program. Students will receive information after a short presentation on Wednesday morning. You also received information regarding selling Bucks tickets. This is due January 19th. Keep selling!
Please remember to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

angeama@pewaukee.k12.wi.us

Enjoy your day!

Beaming Ear to Ear

Good Evening Families!

I have to share some news. Today, we welcomed a new student from Congo into our classroom. As this student does not speak English confidently, I had asked our class to be friendly, as usual,  but careful not to overwhelm him. My, oh, my! Not only was I impressed by our class, I am so proud of them. So many students went out of their way today to welcome Michel (Me-Shell) and show him the 5th grade ropes. He seemed to have a great day and, I know, he appreciated all of the effort everyone put in.

Not only that, but we might have community members, as well as parents at the ready to work with Michel. Reading with him, working on vocabulary, and just showing him that he is a part of our school is going to be an amazing opportunity. This is a testament to the giving spirit of the Pewaukee family - rallying to help others. I love it.

You guys are awesome!

To many more successful days. Hooray!

~Ms. Angel

What a talented crew!

During the afternoon of our last day before break, many students signed up to share some talents. We had a gymnast, artists, musicians, basketball players, magicians, dancers, and yo-yoers! I was extremely impressed with how brave everyone was to get up and show their peers their special talents. Thanks for sharing,everyone!

Snowflakes and Songs

The day before our Winter Break began, we had a lovely day together. Mrs. Keefe's class came down and taught us to make snowflakes. We were impressed by their direction-giving. They even used words like hypotenuse, angle, and parallel lines to help us make the snowflakes accurately.

Click here for a fun internet-based snowflake maker. 

After our snowflake-making, we headed into the gym to listen to some live music. Ms. Booker's friend brought his guitar and led us in some fun songs. He even got some students up to help him sing.