Newsletter, January 18th

A Peek At What We are Doing in Fifth Grade

Just a reminder that there is no school on Monday in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. I apologize for not adding this to our dates to remember.

Friday was the due date for completing school of choice forms for Kinard. If your child is planning to attend Preston, there were no forms to complete. Friday, February 8th, counselors from both middle schools will be here to talk to the students about their 6th grade classes.

Wax Museum is off to a great start. The students have completed the research part by reading and taking notes on a biography and 3 additional sources. Next week we’ll be organizing our notes into categories and classifying the categories. We’ll begin flash drafting our informational books on Friday.

Edible cells are due on Friday. I can’t wait to see their amazing creations along with their informative posters that include the cell part, it’s function, and what was used to make it. We’ll also be taking a cells test and classification test that day.

You should have received a blank envelope in your child’s Friday Folder last week. As a special treat for your child, I would like you to send a personal Valentine message to your child for him or her to open with his or her other Valentines that day. To keep this a surprise, please return your note to school in this envelope on or before Friday, February 8th, and I will put the note in your child’s Valentine box right before the party.

Thursday, January 24th we are having a reunification drill. Hopefully, you’ve seen the emails from Mrs. Thomas regarding what will happen during this drill.

CMAS testing will be between April 2nd - 18th. If possible, please avoid taking time off from school during these three weeks. I’ll be sending out a detailed testing schedule the end of February.

You can find all the newsletters for the year and other fun pictures including a video of Luke J.’s “Who Knew” at our classroom blog http://khalesclass.blogspot.com/.


Dates to Remember:
Thursday, January 24th - Reunification Drill
Friday, February 8th - Middle School counselors from Preston and Kinard will come to Zach to speak to the fifth graders about their middle school.
Thursday, February 14th - Valentine’s Day Party
Monday, February 18th - No School - Teacher Collaboration Day
Thursday, February 21st - 6:00 to 7:00 - Wax Museum Night

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Luke J.!

Newsletter, January 11th

A Peek At What We are Doing in Fifth Grade

Although it was hard for all of us to get back into the routine of school again, I think we are off to a great 2019.

We started research on our people for Wax Museum by locating and reading online sources. We’ll start our biographies on Monday. Our goal is to have our biographies completed by Friday, January 17th. Although the students have 40 minutes to read in class each day, they should be reading at home too. For some students, especially those with longer biographies, I will give them the weekend to finish so that they are ready to begin planning and drafting their research paper on Thursday, January 24th.

Your child also brought home a note this week about the edible cell project. I believe students learn more from the process of making the project than what can be seen in the ultimate product. Don’t worry if the cell looks yucky! The project does involve making a poster as well so encourage your child to read the expectations carefully. The projects are due Friday, January 25th.

I realize that I’ve given the students quite a bit these first two weeks back from the break. I explained to my class that sometimes life happens this way and lots of things fall at the same time. I have asked them to use their time wisely and to communicate with me early if they need help getting everything completed.

You should have received a blank envelope in your child’s Friday Folder. As a special treat for your child, I would like you to send a personal Valentine message to your child for him or her to open with his or her other Valentines that day. To keep this a surprise, please return your note to school in this envelope on or before Friday, February 8th, and I will put the note in your child’s Valentine box right before the party.

On Thursday, January 17th, we are going to the symphony in the morning. Students are encouraged to dress appropriately - nicer than regular school clothes.

You can find all the newsletters for the year at our classroom blog http://khalesclass.blogspot.com/.

Dates to Remember:
Thursday, January 17th - Field Trip to the Symphony
Friday, January 18th - School of Choice Application deadline to attend Kinard.
Friday, February 8th - Middle School counselors from Preston and Kinard will come to Zach to speak to the fifth graders about their middle school.
Thursday, February 14th - Valentine’s Day Party
Thursday, February 21st - 6:00 to 7:00 - Wax Museum Night

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday, Phoenix.

Newsletter, December 13th

A Peek At What We are Doing in Fifth Grade

The students recognized for their “Fifth Grade Awesomeness” were our first bunch nominated by their peers.  Congrats!

For our Holiday celebration on Thursday, December 20th, we are going to have a “cozy” day. The students can wear their Pjs to school and bring a pillow and a blanket from home. After lunch, we’ll snuggle down to watch Home Alone while enjoying cookies and hot chocolate. I’ll be providing the hot chocolate. We decided in place of decorating cookies, we’d each bring in a package of cookies to share. Please avoid cookies with tree nuts as one of our friends is allergic to tree nuts.

You can find all the newsletters for the year and other fun pictures including a video of Luc's “Who Knew” at our classroom blog http://khalesclass.blogspot.com/.

Dates to Remember:
Wednesday, December 19th - Zach Spelling Bee
Tuesday, January 8th - Preston Open House - 6:30 to 8:00
Wednesday, January 9th - Kinard Middle School Open House - 6:30 to 8:30
Friday, January 18th - School of Choice Application deadline to attend Kinard.
Thursday, February 21st - 6:00 to 7:00 - Wax Museum Night

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Luc!

Newsletter, November 30th

A Peek At What We are Doing in Fifth Grade

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving Break. In the next four weeks before our Winter break, we’ll be busy writing argumentative essays and learning all about mixtures and solutions.

Between now and the end of January, you should be thinking about where your child will be attending middle school. Zach Fifth Graders have two wonderful options, Kinard Middle School and Preston Middle School. I’ve included the dates of their informational meetings and open house below. Over the years, I’ve had many parents tell me that attending the informational meetings was helpful in finding the right middle school for their child. If you choose to attend Kinard Middle School, please complete the school of choice form by the deadline.

Our blog – Our Written Word – with our completed informational books is ready for you, our audience. We’d love for you to read our work, learn something new about Westward Expansion in the United States and leave us positive comments. The link to access it is https://ourwrittenwordhale.blogspot.com/.

You can find all the newsletters for the year and other fun pictures including a video of Emerson's “Who Knew” at our classroom blog http://khalesclass.blogspot.com/.

Dates to Remember:
Wednesday, December 5th - Kinard Information Meeting at Zach - 6:30 to 7:30
Thursday, December 6th & Monday, December 1oth - Incoming 6th Grade Walk & Talk at Preston Middle School - 4:15 to 5:15
Wednesday, December 19th - Zach Spelling Bee
Tuesday, January 8th - Preston Open House - 6:30 to 8:00
Wednesday, January 9th - Kinard Middle School Open House - 6:30 to 8:30
Friday, January 18th - School of Choice Application deadline to attend Kinard.
Thursday, February 21st - 6:00 to 7:00 - Wax Museum Night