Welcome Back!

Hope you had a fabulous Fall Break! Thank you, too, for all who attended family-teacher conferences. I am so grateful for your support as we continue our learning journey together this year.

Here are a few important dates coming up:

• Tuesday, October 22nd–Cookie dough and beef jerky pick up for our school fundraiser
• Friday, October 25th– Dollar Dress Down Day
• Saturday, October 26th–Graveyard Gallop 5k and Trick or Treat Trot Fun Run
• Thursday, October 31st–Halloween parade, class party, and EARLY OUT
• Friday, November 1st–No School

In math, we are expanding our number sense by learning how to read, write, compare, and round decimals. In ELA we are learning about making predictions to determine the theme of a text. In science, we are studying the interactions between Earth’s systems, including the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and the atmosphere.

Thank you for being a great team,

Mrs. Shaw

Happy Fall Families!

Family-Teacher Conferences will be Monday and Tuesday this week. Both days are early out days. Please use this link to see if you can find a time that will work for you and your student to attend together if you haven’t yet had a chance. If you are unable to make your appointment, please update your reservation or let me know via email. I look forward to seeing you and your student and talking about their progress!

We will be participating in RISE training tests this week in preparation for benchmark and end-of-year testing.

Also, there is No School this Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday for Fall Break. Have fun!

Over Fall Break, your child can practice math at home using Reflex, Frax, and IXL. Please encourage them to practice everyday for just 15-20 minutes. A little consistency will go a long way!

Please also encourage your child to READ, READ, READ…20 minutes or more everyday…and tell you all about what they are reading, too!

Wishing you an incredible Fall Break!

-Mrs. Shaw

Hello Everyone,

This week in math we will be learning about Powers of 10, and how to read, write, and evaluate expressions with exponents. This skill will prepare students for future algebra topics such as factoring and solving quadratic equations. As always, if your student could benefit from extra practice for this or other standards, you will receive an emailed invitation for after school tutoring.

In ELA, we are finishing our study of problem and solution text structure and will test on that skill on Friday. Please continue support of at-home reading for 20 minutes per day!

In science, we are learning all about Earth’s systems (the geosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere) and how they interact to produce the environments we are familiar with.

If you haven’t done so yet, please sign up here for a time to meet with me for Family-Teacher Conferences next Monday, October 14th, and Tuesday, October 15th. Please choose a time that works for both you and your student to attend together. I can’t wait to discuss their progress with you! Also, as mentioned previously, we will be participating in RISE training tests on those dates in preparation for benchmark and end-of-year testing.

Please note that Fall Break is also next week, October 16-18th, and there will be no school. I hope you enjoy that time together!

Warm Regards,

Mrs. Shaw

5th grade families,

Autumn is here…I love this season! Please make sure to send your student prepared for those cooler temperatures with a jacket/coat. We will go outside whenever possible!

Also, Family-Teacher Conferences will be held in two weeks on Monday, October 14th, and Tuesday, October 15th. Both days will be early outs. Please sign up here for a time that will work best for you and your student to attend together. We will also be doing RISE training tests on those dates in preparation for benchmark and end-of-year testing.

This week in math we will be learning all about place value in preparation for operations with decimals. Students will learn that for both whole numbers and decimals, a digit in one place has ten times the value of the place to its right, and one-tenth the value of the place to its left. We will be using the multiplication and division skills we have been learning the past few weeks to expand our knowledge of numbers.

In ELA, we are practicing rereading to compare text structures, with a special focus on problem and solution structure, while we consider the question “What do good problem solvers do?” Please help your child remember to read for 20 minutes every day at home!

In science, we are finishing our study of weathering and erosion and will get to do some hands-on experimenting with this topic. We hope it will be a lot of fun!

Thank you,

Mrs. Shaw

Hello Everyone,

Our School Cookie Dough and Jerky Fundraiser will continue through this Wednesday, September 25th. Thank you for all of your support! Also, this Friday is a Dollar Dress Down Day.

This week in math we will work to master using the standard algorithm for both long division and multi-digit multiplication. We build on these skills all year long and welcome at-home practice with IXL or a good old fashioned sheet of paper and two-three digit numbers for both operations. If tutoring for these skills will be helpful for your child, you will receive an email from me with more information.

In ELA, we are investigating the question “What are the positive and negative effects of new technology?” while learning more about an author’s claims and discerning their purpose in writing. At home, please encourage your child to read for 20 minutes every night and ask them about their book. It all adds up!

In science, we are learning about weathering and erosion and evidence of those processes in Earth’s features all around us. They may even point out some of that evidence to you!

Warm Regards,

Mrs. Shaw

Hello Families,

This week in math we will try to master the standard algorithm for multi-digit multiplication and begin learning how to carry out long division using the standard algorithm. These are complex skills, and can be challenging, but your student will use them all year long and into 6th grade and beyond. I can’t wait to do this hard work with them and see their growth! I would love for you to practice these skills at home with them!

In ELA, we will be finishing our study of plot development in fictional stories and the chronological structure of informational texts and we will be taking our first ELA assessment. Daily W.I.N. (What I Need) groups specifically geared to your child’s reading development have also begun.

In science, we are learning about water quality, and the distribution of water on Earth. Did you know that over 97% of the Earth’s water is found in the oceans as salt water, 2% is stored as fresh water in glaciers, ice caps, and snowy mountain ranges, and just 1% is available to us for our daily water supply needs? Hope your student will be able to tell you all about it!

Also, our School Cookie Dough Fundraiser begins today, Monday, September 16th, and runs through Wednesday, September 25th. Thank you in advance for your support!

-Mrs. Shaw

Hello again,

Our first full week of learning is ahead! It’s going to be a great one!

This week in math we will begin learning how to multiply multi-digit numbers using partial products as well as the standard algorithm. Tutoring sessions will also begin this week by invitation only. If your child could benefit from this extra time, you will receive an email from me with more details.

In ELA, we will be considering the question, “How do we get the things we need?” while we explore the plot of fictional stories and the chronological structure of informational texts.

In science, we are learning about the water cycle.

Also, another kind request to please pay $30 for your student’s supplies in the office or online here if you are able to contribute but haven’t yet done so.

Thank you for your support!

Mrs. Shaw

Families,

Hope everyone had a great long weekend! We’re jumping right back in!

This week in math we will master calculating the volume of rectangular prisms using the formulas volume=length x width x height and volume=area of the base x height. Students will test on this power standard on Friday. Tutoring sessions will be offered by invitation only beginning next week. If your child could benefit from this extra time, you will receive an email from me with more details.

In ELA, we will continue reading texts that focus on the question, “How can experiencing nature change the way you think about it?” I have encouraged the students to spend time outdoors reflecting on this question and enjoying fresh air and sunshine wherever possible.

In science, we are learning all about patterns in Earth’s features: exploring how earthquakes and volcanoes occur in bands that are often along the boundaries between continents and oceans while major mountain chains may be found inside continents or near their edges.

As a reminder, if you haven’t done so, please pay $30 for your student’s supplies in the office or online here. Thank you!

Looking forward to a great week,

Mrs. Shaw

Here we go TEAM! What a wonderful first 3 days of school! I have loved getting to know your child a little more and seeing our class interact and come together. It’s going to be a great year!

A quick reminder for this week – Friday is a teacher-only work day, with NO SCHOOL for students.

This week we will complete our beginning of the year iReady diagnostics and Dibels testing. We will also jump into our 5th grade curriculum and start our first math and ELA lessons. Please contact me with any questions at all.

If you haven’t done so yet, and it’s feasible at this time, please pay your child’s $30 supply donation here.

Please also be sure you have completed the Family Survey and Food Permission Slip.

**Mark your calendar**

Picture Day – Wednesday, August 28th (uniforms required)

No School – Friday, August 30th (teacher-only work day)

No School – Monday, September 2nd (Labor Day)

Thank you,

Mrs. Shaw