Dear Families,
I don't know about you, but I was super happy to see the sun this morning instead of driving to work in the dark. It also helps that Michael went to bed really early last night!
· Math: We are finishing up our division unit this week. The test will be on Thursday! They will need to spend some time Wednesday evening studying.
· Homework : Thank you to all of you that filled out the homework survey for me. Here are the results:
o 53% of the kids spend between 1-2 hours on homework a week.
o 20% spend less than 30 minutes.
o 20% spend 3-4 hours a week.
o 6.67% spend more than 4 hours a week.
o 73% of you think homework is just right.
o 20% say there should be more
o 6% say there should be less
This is about where I was thinking we should be at this point in the year. I know there are some concerns about creating a habit of homework so that next year they have that study skill. I think that using the daily math homework and reading is a great way to create this study habit. I will continue to look for ways to help the students and ensure we are learning study habits and still having some down time at night.
· Reading: I will be talking to the students about their reading test today. This didn't go nearly as well as I had hoped. Our class average was 79%. I am reflecting on this now and am thinking we are going to need more practice with a testing format. I am not a teacher that teaches to a test, but they do need to know how to attack a passage and find the answers. This will also help them with their newsela assignments. They will have a chance to correct those assignments this week. Corrections are due Wednesday.
· Mark your calendars ! We have moved our Battle of the Books competition back a few weeks. The students need some more time to read! You are welcome to attend our Battle Rounds: December 13-15th 12:00-12:45pm. The Championship will be held Friday, December 16th 12-12:45pm. The first two days are pool play. After that teams are ranked March Madness style and it is single elimination to get to the Championship round! So much fun!
Election
Day
at
SPE
On Election Day the students at SPE will be participating in Kids Vote! They will get to go to the polls and vote on which candidate they think should be president. In their classrooms they are learning what it means to vote. On Nov. 8th they will turn in their voter registration card, vote in a voting booth, and receive an I Voted sticker! Every student will also get a patriotic treat after they vote! This is a very patriotic day and everyone is invited to show off their pride in our country by wearing Red , White , and Blue !
5th Grade Musical Information:
Costume Suggestions for the 5th grade musical
A Kid's Life
Everyone needs a small, pocket-sized flashlight and an OLD cell phone if possible.
The cast members are kids so they should dress in typical student clothing, however, I would like everyone to wear SOLID shirt colors, meaning no shirts with words or graphics please.
Grandma and Grandpa should wear "old people" clothing. Some options might include bib overalls, a funny hat, glasses, white hair, a shawl, or dress like senior citizens going on a cruise ship with flowered shirts, etc.
Mom might want to have a purse and dress more like a "mom".
Dad might carry a briefcase of sorts and dress more like "dad".
If you have any questions please email me at
We look forward to performing for you on December 13th at 6:00 pm!
- Mrs. Engle
- Twitter: If you have a Twitter account please follow us at @MrsDugganSPE. I post almost daily the fun things we are up to in the classroom!
- Grade Updates: I know a lot of you have been on Parent Vue checking grades. That is great way to keep up with what we have been working on. Please know that grades are updated each week by Tuesday at 10am. If you check on Monday they won't be updated and there might be missing assignments that aren't really missing. Same thing for a Friday. If you ever have questions about grades please let me know.
- Specials Schedule: (Monday is a Day 3)
o Day 1: PE/Music
o Day 2: Computer
o Day 3: Art
o Day 4: Spanish/Music
o Day 5: PE/Spanish
Important Dates: (New dates bolded)
November 8th: Presidential Election
November 9th: Picture Retakes
November 14th: Mrs. D starts basketball at BVHS
November 23rd: No School: Happy Thanksgiving
November 24th: No School: Happy Thanksgiving
November 25th: No School: Happy Thanksgiving
Math: Topic 4- Division: TEST THURSDAY
Reading: Start Theme 1: Main idea
Writing: Revising/Publishing Memoir
Word Work: Synonym
Social Studies: none
Science: Creating News Cast about natural changes in ecosystem
Intervention: Drawing Conclusion Reading Rotation/problem solving
