Join the Sunrise Elementary PFO! Visit the website: www.sunrisepfo.org.  We are so fortunate to have so many wonderful parents leading the PFO – they have really contributed a lot to our school, making it a fun, happy place to be.  Please show your support by joining!!

Progress reports and deficiency notices are being sent home tomorrow, Friday. As stated in an e-mail: “The first trimester Progress Report is always a difficult one for teachers.  We have only been in school for five weeks and two of those weeks were filled with teaching the class procedures, getting to know each other, and assessing students.  Giving you a real idea of where your student is at this point is a challenge.  I will be sending out another Progress Report before we track off that will be a little closer to reality considering the class will have had more opportunities to show me what they can do.”

I am sending home deficiency notices to students who scored low on a test. Tests are worth a higher percentage of their grade, and thus with only one test, their grades are skewed at this time.

This week:

ELA:  Spelling Unit 1, Week 4 r-controlled vowel sound-spellings; Grammar – Compound Sentences/run-on sentences

Genre: Realistic Fiction; Comprehension strategy and skill: reread and Problem/Solution, respectively. Vocabulary Strategy: idioms

Math:  Chapter 2 Divide Whole Numbers

The following weeks before we track off:

ELA:  Spelling more r-controlled vowels, diphthongs, and variant vowels sound-spellings; Grammar – sentence combining and complex sentences; then, more run-on sentences and fragments

Genre: Narrative Nonfiction; Comprehension strategy and skill: reread and Author’s Point of View, respectively. Vocabulary Strategy: Greek and Latin prefixes

Math:  finishing Chapter 2 Divide Whole Numbers and beginning Chapter 3 Add and Subtract Decimals

Upcoming Dates:

Jamba Juice sales are on Thursdays!

August

08/21, Monday: Solar Eclipse (special safety glasses will be provided to view)

08/22, Tuesday: 8:30 am – 9:30 am Coffee talk with Mr. Hock (cafeteria)

08/29, Tuesday: Chapter 2 Math test

September

09/04, Monday: Labor Day ~ no school

09/08, Friday: Track off and Minimum Day:  Dismissal at 12:45 pm

09/08, Thursday:  1st PFO General Meeting (Portable R2)

Track Back On: October 2^nd, Monday

News . . .

• Wednesday Folders/Files went home these last two weeks on Friday!   This year the upper grades (4^th through 6^th grades) were not supplied with actual folders. The students receive their “files” and are expected to put their work and notices in their Homework Planners.
• Grades for assignments are being entered into our new system, Synergy. You should be able to access the grades using the Synergy ParentVUE. The grades entered so far do not include any test grades, which are worth a higher percentage of their overall grade than classwork and homework.
• I have been e-mailing the class via our Synergy system, and I was informed that the e-mailing system has had a few “bugs”. Some parents may not have received the e-mails and updates.
• Scholastic Book Orders were in last week’s Wednesday’s (Friday’s) folders/files. The orders are due this Thursday, August 10^th. If you’d like to order on-line, our classroom Class Activation Code is: HZPJV
• The “Cold Comprehension” writing rubric with a sample writing went home today for your child to share with you how they will be graded on the twice – three times monthly tests.

This week:

ELA:  Spelling Unit 1, Week 3 /u/ sound-spellings; Grammar – Subjects and predicates

Genre: Realistic Fiction; Comprehension strategy and skill: reread and Problem/Solution, respectively.

Math:  We finished Chapter 1, Place Value, Multiplication, and Expressions; Chapter 1 TEST will be on Friday, August 11^th. We will begin Chapter 2, Divide Whole Numbers prior to the Chapter 1 test.

Upcoming Dates:

August

08/09, Wednesday: Track Change Day; B Tracks Off/ A Tracks On ~ Minimum

      Day: Dismissal at 12:45 pm

08/10, Thursday: Scholastic book orders are DUE

08/18 Deficiency Notices sent home

08/11, Friday: we will meet our Kinder buddies

08/21, Monday: Solar Eclipse (special safety glasses will be provided to view)

September

09/04, Monday: Labor Day ~ no school

09/08, Friday: Track off and minimum day

Welcome to 5^th Grade!  I will try to update the blog every couple of weeks with dates and important information.  We are in our 4^th day of school and are still learning the routines of the classroom.

Our big focus right now is to complete and return all of the forms that were sent home.

New to this year Synergy ParentVue – ParentVUE helps parents/guardians stay informed and connected by providing day-to-day insight into their child’s academic experience with access to important information.

• Use a single sign-on to access all of their children’s information, regardless of school

• Access the web-based portal 24/7 from any browser

• View child’s attendance, calendars, class schedules, class websites, grade book assignments and scores, course history/graduation status, immunization information, report cards, school and district information, and more

• Parents/guardians can modify data, such as demographic, emergency contact, physician information, and opt-outs with self-service updates

• Easily communicate with teachers within the web portal

• Download free mobile apps (iOs and Android), allowing access to the portal from anywhere

If you didn’t receive an access code for ParentVue, please contact the office. The forms can only be released to parents and not sent home with the students.

Also new this year ~ the school library will only be open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  However, the library will be open until 4 pm on Wednesdays for extra help with homework or to take Accelerated Tests (AR).  Also, students will be allowed to access the computers in the library during their recess times on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to take AR tests.  Thank you to our new librarian, Mrs. Beals.

As stated in an e-mail, the students’ passwords have changed. The new passwords have been distributed.  They are a combination of the last four digits of their student ID, their 2-digit birth month, and their 2-digit birth day of the month.

Upcoming Dates:

July 18, tomorrow: Choir sign ups before school

July 21, Friday: Argonaut Park field trip form DUE (Blackhawk helicopter ~ see below)

July 28, Friday: Blackhawk helicopter landing; walking field trip to Argonaut Park

08/02, Wednesday: Excel Picture Day

08/09, Wednesday: Track Change Day; B Tracks Off/ A Tracks On ~ Minimum Day:  Dismissal at 12:45 pm

Blackhawk helicopter/Argonaut Part walking field trip: Thank you to one of our amazing parents, Major Nydegger, for helping to see this unique opportunity come to a reality for our Sunrise students and families.  Major Nydegger is coordinating a landing of a Blackhawk helicopter at Argonaut Park on Friday, July 28, to:

1) help us honor our families with veterans since we have so many folks who are serving or have served in our military,

2) help our neighborhood ramp up for the Capital Air Show which is a part of the fabric of this community, and

3)learn about aeronautics and flying of helicopters.

Thank you also to Mr. Patrick Larkin of our Recreation and Park District for allowing the helicopter to land at the park, as well as our city officials and police department for their cooperation.

Welcome back on track! We will track back on in our same classroom, E8.   I am excited to see all of the students tomorrow!  I hope that you have enjoyed the extra time with them last month.  We have a busy last 4.5 weeks left.

Prior to tracking off, and during our SBAC testing, an internet cable line was accidentally cut by a utility company and we were without internet for several days. This affected our ability to access files, e-mail, grading programs, and most importantly, SBAC testing.  Thus, we will finish our SBAC testing the second week of June.

What’s ahead our last weeks of school:

May 24^th, Wednesday:  Track on ~ school starts at 8:15 am.

May 29^th, Monday:  Memorial Day observance; no school

May 31^st, Wednesday:  Crocker Art in the classroom; water color landscape

June 1^st, Thursday:  sack lunch orders due for our Capitol field trip on June 16^th

June 8^th, Thursday: Open House 5:00 – 6:00 classrooms; 5:00 – 6:30 pm Art Show

• field trip permission slips due for our Capitol field trip

June 9^th, Friday:  Family Life video 1:30 to 2:45 pm

June 12^th – June 13^th:  SBAC ELA Performance task

June 16^th, Friday:  California State Capitol field trip, 8:30 am – 1:40 pm

June 19^th:  Monday:  Character Awards, 9:40 am

June 20^th, Tuesday:  Academic Awards and field day in Argonaut Park

June 21^st, Wednesday:  Splash in the Class: watershed protection presentation

June 23^rd, Friday:  Last day of school 🙁 ; minimum day 12:45 pm dismissal

July 13^th, Thursday:  First day of 6^th Grade!!  (for B, C, and D Tracks)

Hello Track C and D Sunrise Spartans,

The APEX team of superstars will be back next week for the APEX FUN RUN, which is a fitness, character building, and fundraising event.  Find your child’s pledge packet in the lanyard on Monday, and go online with your child’s code to pick out the FREE TEE for APEX. 

APEX challenges students to get pledges for laps they will run on Thursday, April 6^th.  Two Cheer Squad Leaders from our class (parent volunteers) are invited and needed on Thursday, April 6th to cheer student runners and mark the laps that are run.  PROFITS FROM THE APEX FUN RUN WILL BE SPLIT EQUALLY BETWEEN SUNRISE ELEMENTARY AND MCGARVEY ELEMENTARY.

The APEX campaign kicks off with high-energy, fun-filled kick off assemblies next week in the Multipurpose Room. Each day, students will participate in lessons which build LEGENDARY character:  Learn, Engage, Give, Empower, Never Quit, Do

Join us to cheer on Thursday, April 6^th

Fun Run Schedule on the Track & Playground

8:30 – 9:15        2^nd & 3^rd grade

9:30 – 10:15      AM Kinder, 1^st, 4^th grade

11:30 – 12:15     PM Kinder, 5^th, 6^th grade

Please check out the pledge kit that your student will bring home soon with all of the details.  If you have questions please contact the Sunrise PFO at sunriseelementarypfo@gmail.com.

Thanks for your support!

We appreciate your support of this profitable and fun program!

Thanks,

Sam Dougherty, PFO President

Sunrise Elementary PFO 2016-2017 General Board

Mrs. Aboukhadijeh (Teacher Liaison)

Kristi Brovelli (Marketing/Communications)

Mrs. Caston-Conner (Teacher Liaison)

Jen Corcoran (Events)

Sam Dougherty (President)

Ms. Freeman (Vice Principal)

Mr. Hock (Principal)

Lindsay King (Secretary)

Jen Larson (Box Tops Coordinator)

Jaci McAleer (Treasurer)

Erin Seymour (Administrative)

Mrs. Stanger (Teacher Liaison)

Lisa Swanson (Yearbook)

Messina Whalen (Vice President)

Sheree Wheeler (Events)

Anjeleeca Wood (Events)

We are going to the Exploratorium in San Francisco on April 11^th!  Due to a grant by the City of Rancho Cordova, students will only have to pay approximately $10 each.

• We will be departing the school at 7:45 am and returning at approximately 4:00 pm
• Students will need to bring a sack lunch (or order one from the cafeteria)
• Students will need to wear “walking shoes” to walk over the Golden Gate Bridge.
• Parent Chaperones are needed!
• More information is coming soon.

This past week we conquered graphing. The Math Chapter 9 test will be next Friday, March 24^th. We also studied Chapter 4, Earth’s Water, in Science. We will begin Chapter 5, Earth’s Weather, next week. We practiced and identified perfect verb tenses. We completed and typed the Magellan essay. Students will be editing and submitting next week, so please read through on their Google Classroom J.

Next week (week of 03/06):

March 22, Tuesday: C/D Tracks STEM Challenges Family Night

March 24, Friday: Kaiser “Best of Me” presentation

ELA:  Spelling Unit 5, Week 3 Prefixes (jumping ahead); ELC: Linking Verbs;

Genre: Poetry: Narrative and Free Verse; Literary elements: Repetition and Rhyme; Comprehension skill: theme; and Vocabulary strategy: homographs. (finishing)

Writing: we will finalize our Magellan essay.

Math:  We will be finishing Chapter 9, Algebra: Patterns and Graphing; Chapter 9 TEST will be next Friday, March 24. We preview/preteach Chapter 11, Lessons 5 and 6, Volume on Wednesday.

Science:  We will begin Chapter 6, Earth’s Weather

Report cards were sent home today!  Ask your child to share their “3 Truths and a Lie” slide show presentation with you. Also, as a reminder, please check your child’s homework and sign their agenda. If you have not paid the $6 for the American Revolution presentation, we are still accepting donations.  🙂  We are also in need of more facial tissue (Kleenex). We have some additional activities added to our March/April calendar:

March 13, Monday: Picture Make up day

March 10, Friday: STEM Challenges Family Night forms DUE

March 22, Tuesday: C/D Tracks STEM Challenges Family Night; forms DUE Friday, March 10

April 7, Friday: DUE: ACD Tracks FIVE STAR Families Volunteer Passport with at least 5 volunteer times logged

Next week (week of 03/06):

ELA:  Spelling Unit 4, Week 2 Prefixes; ELC: Progressive verb tenses

Genre: Poetry: Narrative and Free Verse; Literary elements: Repetition and Rhyme; Comprehension skill: theme; and Vocabulary strategy: homographs.

Writing: We will begin drafting our Magellan essay.

Math:  We will be finishing Chapter 8, Divide Fractions; Chapter 8 TEST will be next Friday, March 10. We will begin Chapter 9, Algebra: Patterns and Graphing on Wednesday.

Social Studies: The Chapter 4 test will be Tuesday, March 7^th.

PE: Mrs. Davis is getting the 5^th grade students ready for their State of California fitness test in a couple of months.

These past two weeks we have conquered subject/verb agreement, modeling fraction multiplication, chemical reactions, the Age of Exploration, Google slide shows (still a work in progress), dog safety, and much more.

Today was the end of the 2^nd trimester grading period. Report cards will be sent home on Friday, March 3^rd.

Next week (week of 02/20):

ELA:  Spelling Unit 3, Week 5 r-controlled vowel syllables

Genre: Fables; Comprehension strategy: making predictions; Comprehension skill: theme; and Vocabulary strategy: personification.

Writing: We have begun prewriting (graphic organizer) our Magellan essay, answering the question of whether or not we would defend him. We are searching for and documenting evidence to support our reasons.

Math:  We will be finishing Chapter 7, Multiply Fractions; Chapter 7 TEST will be next Friday, February 24.

Social Studies: We are studying Chapter 4, Building the First Colonies. The Chapter 4 test will be the week of February 27^th.

Additional dates (not listed prior):

Read Across America Week 2017:

02/27 Monday: Fox in Socks Day – wear your craziest socks

02/28 Tuesday: Thing 1 and Thing 2 Day – dress like a thing or a twin

03/01 Wednesday: Cat in the Hat Day – wear a crazy hat

03/02 Thursday: Green Eggs and Ham Day – wear green

03/03 Friday: Book Character Day – dress like a book character

02/28 Tuesday: Last day to order yearbooks (order on-line):

Order your yearbook by February 28^th for only $20.

Online only:  https://excelphotographers.simplephoto.com/prepay/32214932

*This website is updated and verified twice, so I hope it works for you too!

Submit yearbook photos to SunriseElemYearbook@gmail.com

Happy Friday! Sunrise PFO

Happy New Year! We’re tracking back on next Monday, February 6^th in our same classroom, E8.  I hope that you have had a restful and enjoyable break.  We have an eventful 3rd trimester planned.  I’ve listed activities and dates below.

2017 Dates:

• February 13^th: Lincoln’s Birthday – no school
• February 20^th: Washington’s Birthday – no school
• February 17^th: SPCA Presentation (in classroom) Live dog in classroom
• March 3^rd: 2^nd Trimester Report Cards go home
• March 14^th: Ancient Artifacts Presentation – (in classroom)
• March 16^th: Paper book exchange – bring books (exchange on the 17^th)
• March 27^th: APEX Fun Run Kick Off
• April 6^th: APEX Fun Run (we will need 2 parent volunteers)
• April 28^th: Community Carnival
• June 6^th: Exploratorium field trip
• June 8^th: Open House
• June 16^th: California State Capitol field trip
• June 21^st: Splash in the Class (in classroom)