Week of December 17th

Hello 5th Grade Families, 

We made it! This is our last week of school before Winter Break! We have loved every minute of the first semester with our learners. This week is going to be filled with fun activities, so please make sure you read all of the updates so you are aware of the different activities that will be going on.

What's Happening Around TCE? 

Jingle Bell Jog

The Jingle Bell Job has been rescheduled! The learners will participate in the run on Monday during specials (9:55-10:50). 

5th Grade Winter Program

The 5th grade Winter Program will be taking place Monday, December 17th at 8:00AM and 6:00PM. The learners need to wear jeans or black pants and a red, green, or silver shirt. They will need to arrive at TCE for the night time performance by 5:45PM.

TCE Giving Tree

Donations for Homeless Shelter

Our fifth graders will be participating in some service learning activities on December 19th, a day that our staff has named "Better Together Day." On this day, we will provide the learners with a handful of service learning activities with a focus on helping those experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. One such activity will be to assemble holiday boxes with important items such as toiletries, socks, flashlights, etc. In order to assemble these boxes, we will be collecting donations.

Winter Party

The 5th Grade winter party will take place on December 20th from 2:00-3:00. All of 5th grade will be together in the cafeteria for some winter fun! Your son/daughter's homeroom teacher sent home a sign up link for a service learning project for the party. Please look for that email if you haven't signed up yet and you want to! 

Early Release Schedule - Friday, December 21st

Friday, December 21st, the learners will be released from school at 12:15. Please make sure your learner is picked up from school at this time. The learners will have specials from 10:15-10:45 and will eat lunch from 11:35-12:05. We will be eating lunch in the classrooms, so no visitors will be allowed to eat lunch on Friday. 

Reminder: YEARBOOKS ON SALE NOW!

It's that time of year to purchase a yearbook for your child. Yearbook cost was not part of the Trailpass this year, so the only way to purchase is through balfour.com at a cost of $25.

You can also purchase an ad to appear in the yearbook to make this year extra special. Optional ads come in multiple sizes ranging from $15-$120.

We sold out last couple of years, so don't miss out! Yearbook sales end January 18, 2019.

Reminder: Yearbook Picture Submissions

PTO would love your help as they begin the process of collecting pictures throughout the year to spotlight in the yearbook. We'd love to send any pictures you have from school events, field trips, and spirit rallies, etc. through the platform "Imageshare".

To download Imageshare for the first time:

1. Search for Balfour Image Share in your app marketplace

2. Download the app, create your account

3. Enter your name, email, and project number 928045

4. Check your email for a confirmation code. Enter it, select username and password to complete your registration

5. Start uploading pictures - make sure to include the child's name/grade & teacher/event or caption after each upload

(Photos must be from the current school year. Photos will be selected based on quality and resolution)

Reminder: Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) Volunteering Opportunities

If you are interested in supporting our school, volunteering with the PTO is a great way to do it. Our board president, Casey Conley, is currently looking for volunteers that would be willing to help out with our school garden, spring book fair, and spring fundraiser. If you are interested in finding out more or signing up to help out, please email her at cconley24@gmail.com. Anyone is welcome!

Curriculum Updates

Math: 
This week in math, the learners are continuing their unit over operations with fractions. The learners will continue to learn how to add and subtract fractions with different denominators. This requires them understand equivalent fractions, which we will also be reviewing.

Science:
This week in science the learners will be exploring the formation of fossil fuels. They will be creating a foldable to model the stages of fossil fuel. They will also be completing different online activities that help them understand the different fossil fuels.

Social Studies:
Students will understand how the three branches of government check and balance one another.

ELAR:
This week, the learners will continue to focus on compound sentences in grammar. In reading, we will continue to understand how nonfiction texts continue to get more and more complex.