Well folks, we made it!  I hope you all have a wonderful winter break!  We had a lot of fun this week, creating crafts and learning a little bit about Christmas celebrations in other parts of the world.  
Thank you to everyone who contributed to our class party.  It was a messy, but enjoyable success.  
Thank you for sharing your precious children with me!  Being their teacher is a gift every day!
When we come back in January, we will be having a quick refresher course on school and class expectations.  Among these expectations  will be uniform compliance.  Please help your student to make sure they are only wearing approved clothing at school.  If a student is going to wear a  jackets or  hoodie in the classroom, it must be uniform approved.  Please make sure that they bring a warm coat and other warm gear everyday.  It can be pretty cold outside at recess or waiting for rides at the end of the day.  We also will be much stricter about badges.  Students must have their badge every day.  We have an organizer for them to store them in at the end of the day, so there really isn’t any reason to forget them.  If a student does not have his or her badge, they will be calling parents to bring it from home, or buy a replacement.  
Have a safe and happy holiday, enjoy your time together, and encourage your children to read a book or two, just for fun!  
I’ll see you all on January 6th!

Wow! I can’t believe the last school week of 2019 is here!  We have a lot of fun things planned for this week, but we still have some learning to do.  

This week in math we are learning about the coordinate plane.  We will be doing some fun Holiday themed pages to practice finding x and y coordinates.

We will be having a class party on Friday.  Please make sure you follow the link and fill in the permission form so that your child can participate.  There is also a spot on the form to sign up to bring a few party supplies.  If you are able to do so, that would be great. We have 26 students in our class. 
Christmas Party Permission Form

The students have been asking about having a gift exchange as part of our party.  In order to make sure it is enjoyable for everyone, and to give less stress to parents, we are making gifts to exchange in class.  This means your kiddos don’t need to bring anything in.  

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns, and thanks for everything you do!

Hello All!  I can’t how quickly 2019 is coming to a close.  We’ve got a lot going on the next couple of weeks.    In Math we are working on adding and subtracting fractions with different denominators.  We are getting close to having it down, but a few of us are still struggling a bit with getting all of the steps down.  The following link will send you to a video explaining how to do it.
https://www.khanacademy.org/math/arithmetic/fraction-arithmetic/arith-review-add-sub-fractions/v/subtracting-small-fractions-with-unlike-denominators

In Language Arts we are focusing on cause and effect, and finding the main idea of expositional text. A great way to practice this, would be to share news articles with your student, and discuss the  key points and main idea. Here is an outline for the week:


We will be having a class party on the 20th.  We will be having a hot cocoa bar, and cookies.  Be watching for a permission form to be posted in the next few days.

I sent home a book order last week.  Tuesday will be the last day to order.  To order online, follow this link to scholastic.  It will take you directly to our class page. 
https://orders.scholastic.com/W8P64

Thank you all for everything you do.  Let’s hang in there for a few more weeks!

Hello Quest Families,
As you gather to celebrate Thanksgiving, I want you to know that one of the things I am most grateful for is the opportunity to teach your wonderful children.  They are incredible and I love having each of them in our class!  I hope you all have a fantastic break.  Here’s what we will be doing when we come back on Monday, December 2nd:
Language Arts:

Some of you had questions about the spelling list.  We do have a spelling list each week.  The students have a chance to practice it in class, and they do a test to see for themselves, how well they have learned the words, but they do not currently receive a grade for spelling.  This is just an opportunity for them to improve themselves.  Many students and parents expressed concerns about difficulty with spelling, at parent teacher conferences, so I decided to include this in our weekly Language Arts activities.  They do not need to practice spelling at home, unless you want them to.  The best thing they can do at home, is read, read, read!  Reading books at the appropriate level, that they enjoy reading, is the best thing a child can do to become a better reader!
MATH:


This past week we worked on adding fraction with different denominators.  Next week we will be subtracting fractions with different denominators.  The most important part of both of these skills, is being able to find common denominators for all of the fractions then adding or subtracting them.   It would be very helpful for the students to have real life practice doing this.  Have them help you in the kitchen this week and talk about how you use fractions when following recipes.  Point out equivalent fractions, and how you figure out how much to use.  
Science:
We are continuing our unit on heredity and genetics.  If you have extended family coming for the holiday, take a chance to discuss family traits.  Who is left handed?  What color are everyone’s eyes and hair?  Who can curl their tongue?  It will be a lot of fun for everyone to think about the inherited traits they share!  


As always, thanks for sharing your incredible children with me!  Please let me know if you ever have any questions or concerns.  Have a great week and I’ll see you in December!

I’m sure everyone is looking forward to a nice Thanksgiving break, but we still have one more week to get through!  We’re doing a lot of fun things in school this week. The turkey disguises that students are bringing in are a lot of fun.  If your child hasn’t brought it in yet, please have him/her bring it as soon as possible.
Here’s what else we are up to:

Math:
We’re enjoying some fraction action by learning how to add fractions with different denominators.  Remember, to add fractions, the denominators must be the same.  Find the least common denominator then just add the numerators on top, and the denominators stay the same.  See the video in the optional practice tab for more information. You can also find practice pages. 


Language Arts:
We’re working on finding the theme of a story.  As you child reads, have them share details of the story, and see if they can figure out the theme.  I’ve also included a spelling list for this week’s words for all of you that were concerned about helping your child become better spellers. 


Spelling List

Don’t forget Positive Me Week. 

Quest Academy’s annual Halloween parade will be held on October 31st at 9:00. Our class will be having a Halloween Party following the parade. Please fill out the form below indicating whether or not your student can have food items.
Halloween Party Form


Parent-Teacher Conference will be held on Tuesday, November 5th and Thursday, November 7th. Each appointment is 15 minutes. Please use the following link to choose a date and time that fits your schedule. I look forward to meeting with you and your child. 
Parent-Teacher Conference Sign-up form

Wow! What a great week we’ve had, and so many things coming up!   Here’s a few highlights:                     
1. Our canned food drive is in full swing.  Our class brought in 90 items today!  We will be having another “Dress Down” day for canned goods on Tuesday, October 15th.  Be sure to keep those cans coming!  It will help our community, and our school!  The grade level that brings in the most food will win a “Dart Side” activity.
2.  Speaking of Tuesday, don’t forget about our super great field trip this coming week on Tuesday, October 15th.  We will be going to Green Acres Pumpkin Patch.  Please be sure to check the weather forecast and help your child to dress appropriately.    Also, if you haven’t filled out the permission form yet, please make sure you do it before Monday.  You can find it here:
Field Trip Permission Form
3. Fall break is next week from Wednesday, October 16th through Friday, October 18th.  Have fun, be safe, and don’t forget to cuddle up with a good book!
4. Since we only have 2 days of school next week,  we won’t cover any new material.  Students should continue practicing multiplication and division for optional practice.  
5. I’m excited about “Positive ME Week” coming up Monday, October 28 through Wednesday October 30th.  See the attached flyer for more information. 

Thanks for everything you do! Have a wonderful week!
Love, Mrs. Hales

The fifth grade will be going on a field trip to Green Acres Dairy, on Tuesday, October 15th, from 9:00-12:00. We will be experiencing the farm as well as the corn maze. We are asking for each student to donate $5 to help pay for busses and admission. We are also asking for five parent volunteers per class. The volunteers selected will be notified. Volunteers will also need to pay the $5. Please pay your donation to the front office by October 15th.