This week (12/12 – 12/21):

ELA:  Spelling Unit 3, Week 3 Vowel Team Syllables; Grammar – Prepositional Phrases and Titles

Genre: Biography; we are reviewing the comprehension strategy and skill: reread and sequence, respectively.

Math:  We will be finishing Chapter 6, Add and Subtract Fractions with Unlike Denominators; Chapter 6 TEST will be next Wednesday, December 21.

Social Studies: We have analyzed all of the documents and completed our Magellan DBQ. The next step is prewriting for the Magellan essay.

Science: We completed Chapter 7, Types of Matter, and will continue with Chapter 8, Lesson 1, Chemical Reactions.

We have completed a few Google slide and documents on Google Classroom. Please have your child share with you some of their assignments.

We track off next week on Wednesday, December 21^st and return on February 6, 2017. I will send home the second, 2^nd trimester progress reports prior to tracking off.

To celebrate the end of the 2016, we will watch the movie Oliver on Monday and Tuesday afternoons. The students are asked to bring in blankets/pillows to lie/sit on during the movie. They will also be permitted to bring a snack (no colored liquids) to nibble on. I prefer “healthy” snacks be brought and shared instead of sugary snacks. We do have a few students with nut allergies, so no nut products.

Upcoming Dates:

December 19, Monday: 4-6 Music/Choir Assembly 9:15 am; movie Oliver with blankets/healthy snacks (no nut products)

December 21, Wednesday: Track Off; Minimum Day; PJ Day; Character Awards 9:40 am for 5/6

January 11, Wednesday: Parent University Night: ADD/ADHD information and Panel Discussion 6 pm – 7 pm in multipurpose room

January 15, Sunday: Sacramento Kings – Sunrise Family Night

February 6, Monday: TRACK ON

February 13, Monday: No School in honor of Lincoln’s Birthday

February 20, Monday: No School in honor of Washington’s Birthday

Thank you so much for all of the donations and volunteer hours to help make the 5th Grade Colonial a success!  We have such a wonderful and generous group of parents ~ THANK YOU!!  The parent volunteers worked non-stop for four hours, teaching 120 students!  We even had two husband and wife teams.  Also, so many other parents brought in donations and loaned us their crock pots and griddles!

The students looked precious in their colonial outfits.  It was a pleasure to watch them doing cooking, sewing, cutting, and doll creating activities.

Progress reports went home today.  It is already the middle of the 2nd trimester.

Have an enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday!

December events:

December 7th:  SHAPE field trip

December 14th:  The Habit Burger ~ PFO Fund Raiser:  present flyer to have 25% of sales donated to Sunrise

December 21st:  Character Ed Assembly; Minimum Day:  We track off!

Welcome November! Thank you to those parents who were so kind and flexible about rescheduling their conferences.  I will add an extra week to the schedule and resend it.

Jordan Zuniga was our class Spelling Bee winner! The school-wide Spelling Bee is scheduled on Thursday, November 3.

This week’s Spelling is:  Unit 2, Week 5 Closed Syllables (I accidentally skipped a week, but had taught the concept of closed syllables by the time I realized.  We’ll “jump back” to U2, W4 Contractions next week).

ELA: Genre:  Fairy Tale; comprehension strategy:  make predictions; comp skill:  compare and contrast.

Math: CHAPTER 4 MATH Test on Friday!!! – Multiply Decimals.  The Chapter 4 Review in the text book mimics the actual test, but with different numbers.

Social Studies:  Writing a 5-paragraph essay on the effects of geography and climate to the North American Indians.  The Northeast New England States and Capitals

Science: Begin Chapter 7, Types of Matter.

Please set aside Thursday, November 17^th for the 5^th Grade Colonial Day!  More info to come!

Upcoming November dates:

November 2: Scholastic Book Orders DUE!  On-line Class Code:  HZPJV

November 9:   Rendering Plant Meeting 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm (multipurpose room)

November 11: Veteren’s Day ~ Holiday (no school)

November 15: PFO Night Out @ Spaghetti Factory

November 17: 5^th Grade Colonial Day ~ in costume

November 18: Minimum Day; B Track goes off; Progress Reports go home

November 21-25: Thanksgiving Break ~ no school

Red ribbon week this week. Today was superhero day.

Wednesday: “Sock it to Drugs” ~ Crazy socks day

Thursday: “Shade Out Drugs” ~ Sunglasses day

Friday: “Put a Cap on Drugs” ~ wear a cap

This week in class:

ELA: We are analyzing the Author’s Point of View, Greek/Latin prefixes,  and types of nouns.  Spelling is Unit 2, Week 3:  Inflectional Endings.

Math: We will be midway through Chapter 4, Multiply Decimals.  Our mid chapter quiz is on Friday.  We will finish chapter 4 by the middle of next week.

Social Studies: We will be finishing up our studies on American Indians.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS: Upcoming “Colonial Day” on Thursday, November 10^th.

In fifth grade we study the colonization of North America. The fifth grade B, C, and D Tracks are having a “Colonial Day” where the students will be invited to dress as colonists as they spend the day living like colonists playing games, cooking, and doing activities.

We will need supplies and plenty of parent volunteers to help lead the stations.  I will send out a link in the near future to sign up for stations/times and to donate various supplies that we’ll need.

Our Field trip to the California Caverns is scheduled for Monday, October 17^th.  Please have your child to school by 8:05 am.  The buses are scheduled to leave promptly 8:15 am on Monday, October 17^th.

The weather forecast predicts rain, so expect muddy conditions. The students will need to be dressed in shoes for walking in the mud, warm clothes (in layers), and a rain coat.  They will also need a sack lunch.  We will not be going to the classroom on Monday.

Their Monday homework was assigned and provided today, Friday, to complete Monday evening.

We have finished Math Chapter 3, Add and Subtract Decimals, and will test on it Friday, October 21^st.  In Social Studies, we began studying about the North American Native Americans.  We won’t have a spelling list next week, due to the field trip.

Welcome back!  We are tracking back on October 3rd in the same room, Rm E8.  I hope that everyone had a restful break that was full of enjoyable reading.

We have been scheduled for a field trip to the CA Caverns on Monday, October 17th, from 8:15 am to 2:45 pm.  Please notify me ASAP if your child will need a sack lunch prepared by the cafeteria.  Also, the field trip is scheduled until 2:45 pm, so if your child is a bus rider, please make an alternate plan for them to be picked up from school that afternoon.

October Dates:

October 5th, Wednesday:  National Walk-to-School Day

October 12th, Wednesday:  Excel Picture Make-up Day (C Track)

October 13th, Thursday:  Coffee Talk with Hock, 8:30 am to 9:30 am

October 17th, Monday:  California Caverns field trip, 8:15 am to 2:45 pm (will need a sack lunch)

October 19th, Wednesday:  City of Rancho Cordova Community Meeting, 5 pm in multi-purpose room

October 20th, Thursday:  PFO FUNdraiser Event at Pieology Pizzeria, 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm

October 24th, Monday:  Academic Awards

October 25th, Tuesday:  MINIMUM DAY, 12:45 pm dismissal; Character Awards (Responsibility); Super heroes Spirit Day; Report Cards go home (A and C Tracks)

October 31st, Halloween:  NO costumes, and please no candy.

We are tracking off tomorrow, September 9th!  It is a minimum day (dismissal is at 12:45 pm).  Our track-on date is Monday, October 3rd.

Updated Progress Reports will be sent home tomorrow, as well.  Final report cards will be sent  home on Tuesday, October 25th.

I’m not preparing an off-track packet nor project.  Instead, please take your child to the public library, read a book(s) together, and discuss it.  Share with them your favorite parts, your predictions, and what you visualized and were thinking while reading the book.  Ask them to reciprocate and share their thoughts and opinions about the book.  The Think Central (GoMath!) and Wonders website will be available to practice or peruse while we are off-track.

Please enjoy the next few weeks.

School events occurring while we are off-track:

Wednesday, September 14:  Community Art Night with Art Ark

Tuesday, September:  PFO Dinner Out at clubhouse from 5 pm to 8 pm

Wednesday, September 21:  PFO General Board Meeting 3:00 pm

Quick report:

Week of August 29^th:

ELA:  Spelling Unit 1, Week 5 r-controlled Vowels; Grammar – Run-on Sentences and Fragments

Math:  Chapter 2, Divide Whole Numbers Test on Friday; we will begin Chapter 3, Add and Subtract Decimals

Social Studies: chapter 1 Test on Early Civilizations will be on Wednesday. MidWest Plain States and their capitals (along with the correct spelling) will be quizzed on Friday.

Upcoming Dates:

Wednesday, August 31^st: Social Studies Chapter 1 test

Thursday, September 1^st: Wizard of Oz Musical Audition Workshop

Friday, September 2^nd: Math Chapter 2 Test

Monday, September 5^th: Labor Day Holiday – no school

Thursday, September 8^th: Watch Dogs Kick-Off Pizza Party

Friday, September 9^th: Minimum Day and we Track-off (we track back on October 3^rd )

Wednesday, September 14^th: Community Art Night with the Art Ark

Thursday, September 15^th: PFO Board Meeting

Announcing This Year’s Musical

Wed/Thurs, January 25/26, 2016

6:30 PM – 8:00 PM

 Produced by: Mr. Harding
Directed by: Mr. Fox & Mr. Harding

 OPEN TO 4^th, 5^th and 6^th Grades

 AUDITION APPLICATIONS ARE READY IN MR. T HARDING’S ROOM E6

FEEL FREE TO SEND STUDENTS TO CLASSROOM OR HAVE THEM PICK UP AFTER SCHOOL.

 Audition Workshop

This is optional but highly recommended if you want to audition.

Topics Covered during the workshop: Learn how to Audition, Character Development,
Learn the Audition Song, How to be comfortable on stage, and Meet Mr. Harding and Mr. Fox

ACD Tracks

September 1 (Thur)  4^th/5^th/6^th   2:45 PM – 3:15 PM (Room E6)

 Auditions

 ACD Tracks

September 6   (Tues)   4^th Grade  2:45 PM – 4:00 PM (Room E6)
September 7  (Wed)   5^th Grade  2:45 PM – 4:00 PM (Room E6)

September 8   (Thurs) 6^th  Grade 2:45 PM – 4:00 PM (Room E6)

CALLBACKS September 12-14  2:45 PM – 4:00 PM (Room E6)

Not everyone gets a call back. You will be told if you get a callback.

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.

Progress Reports reflect only a few grades recorded to date. The reading grades are skewed due to few reading grades recorded thus far; therefore, I have not included them on this report.  Moreover, the class focused on Science the first weeks of school and has only recently transitioned into Social Studies.  Consequently, a Social Studies grade is not included.

Next week:

ELA:  Spelling Unit 1, Week 4 r-controlled Vowels; Grammar – Complex Sentences

Math:  We will be finishing Chapter 2, Divide Whole Numbers

Social Studies: We will continue studying Early Civilizations in the US. Mountain States and their capitals (along with the correct spelling) will be quizzed on Thursday.