| DECEMBER 11, 2015 Dear Parents This week we worked on expository and reflective writing. The children are getting much better at writing on demand and using evidence from the text they are reading. They are getting comfortable with using writing as a tool to communicate their ideas and many are developing a stronger voice. They are using different graphic organizers to help plan their writing depending on their purpose: to inform, to entertain or to persuade. In math we have just started division and currently using partial quotients to explain their thinking. However, we will be moving into using the standard algorithm so please have them check their work by multiplying and revise the errors if needed. They will be computing very large numbers so they will need to be careful to write legibly and organized. Just as a reminder, we will be having a Holiday Party on Dec 23rd and the children would like to have a gift exchange. Last week they picked out names they have an idea of what their friends might like as a small gift. We agreed to keep the spending limit to five dollars. Please encourage the children to visit my website to find links to TypingAgent, Edmodo and Mangahigh. These computer programs are used frequently in our classroom to support and extend our learning. COMING UP... Dec 11 Cookbook /coffee pick-up Dec 15 Greek Peak Lunch Dec 22 Select chorus Concert Dec 23 Holiday parties and 2:10 Dec 23 Emergency Dismissal at 3:00 Dec 24 Winter Recess Dec 4, 2015 Dear parents Last night was a great concert with holiday music from around the world. We always love celebrating the music and art that the children are learning in school. We will be having a Holiday Party on Dec 23rd and the children would like to have a gift exchange. Today they picked out names and are taking home a slip of paper so we all have an idea of what their friends might like as a small gift. We agreed to keep the spending limit to five dollars. We just started a new typing program called TypingAgent and the children will be practicing daily at least 15 minutes daily. Our goal as fifth graders is to be able to type a page and half to two pages in one sitting and about 25 words per minute. Please remind them that emphasis should always be put on form and accuracy over speed. We want to encourage them to focus on attaining a steady rhythm typing accurately. COMING UP... Dec 9 PTO meeting CANCELLED Dec 10 District band Concert Dec 11 Cookbook /coffee pick-up Dec 15 Greek Peak Lunch Dec 22 Select chorus Concert Dec 23 Holiday parties and 2:10 Dec 23 Emergency Dismissal at 3:00 Dec 24 Winter Recess. Nov. 20, 2015 Dear Parents, It was great to see many of you at parent conferences. The kids were delighted they had an opportunity to show their hard work and effort they had collected in their portfolios. I am also really proud of the courage’s kids who took a risk and presented to their parents and teacher. We have all created new math and reading goals for this new quarter so please be sure to ask them about their progress and how we can continue to support them in achieving them. Tonight we will have movie night and it is a great community event. Hope to see many of you there. Ms. Tellaeche Coming Up... Nov 20 Movie Night Nov 26-27 Thanksgiving Recess Dec 5 Winter Concert No tutoring next week 11/23 ans 11/25 Nov. 13, 2015 This week we have been looking over our work in our portfolios and reflecting on our progress to make achievable goals. At parent conferences, your child will have an opportunity to share some of their stand out work and their new goals for this next quarter based on the evidence they have been sorting through. If you had other plans for your child, and they cannot attend it will not be held against them. However, if they are able to attend, I strongly encourage you to bring them along so they are active participants in the direction of their learning. For example, many of them realize that they need to balance out their reading preferences or challenge themselves with more complex text. Others have found that they need to review work on a regular basis and some noticed a shift in their mindset. I am very proud of their attention to detail and and truly reflecting on the areas they need to improve. They are open to feedback and are to be congratulated for taking on an important role as an equal stakeholder in their learning. Nov 16 Parent Conferences Nov 26-27 Thanksgiving Recess Dec 5 Winter Concert |
| October 30, 2015
Dear Parents, We have been focusing on our writing this week and we have drafted a narrative work practicing different points of view, a reflective response to the books we are reading and an expository writing about famous New Yorkers we are learning about through Newspapers in Education. The students have improved their stamina and many can write a page or more in one sitting including details and example from the text. We also looked at our drafts carefully and judged our work to decide if it was a 1-4 on our rubric. In doing so many of the children were able to identify their weak spots and determine where they need to improve. It is very exciting to see them use writing as a means of expressing themselves and sharing their ideas. Ms. Tellaeche |
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Oct 16, 2015 It was a short but busy week. He have been getting into the UDHR and reading closely for new vocabulary words. As we understand the articles better we will be able to use them to evaluate whether or not the promises of the document are being kept around the world. We also just set up our portfolios where we will be keeping a collection of our work to guide reflective discussions around our effort and planning for personal growth. I am really excited that unprompted, one child already picked out an assignment and said, “Here’s one I could have put more effort into before turning it in.” We had a guest Jared Campbell visit our ASMM on Thursday to share some music and inspiring message. Please your child about his visit. As a reminder, the children get a spelling packet every week and have a spelling test on Friday. Please visit my website where you will see a link to Spelling City so they can practice at home.
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