Friday, February 22, 2019

Week of February 25th

Hi everyone! 

Please see the Google calendar embedded above with important dates and reminders. 


Important Reminders: 

  • The next Sky Ranch payment of $50 is due Friday, March 1st. 

What's Happening Around TCE? 

PTO Movie Night
PTO Dad's Club Movie Night will take place Friday, February 22nd from 6-8pm in the TCE Gym.


Book Fair Volunteers Needed!

Photos for the TCE Yearbook
The TCE Yearbook Committee would love your help in adding additional photos to the yearbook. The deadline to upload pictures for the yearbook is March 1st! 


For more information about things happening at TCE, please make sure to read Ms. Martin's latest Parent Newsletter by clicking the link here. 



Friendship Friday in Fifth Grade
As a reminder, we will be having "Friendship Friday" every other Friday during lunch. Our next Friendship Friday lunch will be March


Sky Ranch Updates

Sky Ranch Payments 
The final Sky Ranch payment of $50 will be due Friday, March 1st. Visit this link to pay by credit card. As of March 1st, the full balance of $200 should be paid.  If you have not yet made any payments, or your balance is less than $150, please contact your son/daughter's teacher to provide an update on your plan for payments. As always, if you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to ask. 

Important Sky Ranch Dates
  • All Sky Ranch Paperwork is due April 10th

Want to Know More About Sky Ranch? 
We thought it might help if you could look at some pictures as a family. Click here to see the pictures! 



A Peek into Our Classrooms
Using Hexagonal Thinking to see how our vocabulary words connect with each other in math.
Using Hexagonal Thinking to see how our vocabulary words connect with each other in math.
Using Hexagonal Thinking to see how our vocabulary words connect with each other in math.

Rainy weather is perfect when we're learning more about the water cycle.

Rainy weather is perfect when we're learning more about the water cycle.
 
Curriculum Updates: 

Math
The learners have begun our next unit over coordinate planes. At the end of this unit, the leaners will be able to describe the key attributes of the coordinate plane, including perpendicular number lines (x and y axes) where the intersection (origin) of the two lines meet with zero on each number line and the given point (0, 0), along with how to graph an ordered pair (with positive numbers only) on the coordinate plane. They will also be able to generate a numerical pattern when given a rule in the form y = ax or y = x + a. This unit will also reinforce information learned in our previous unit, expressions & equations.
Click this link for the weekly math homework.

Science
The weather got the best of us again last week! This week in science, we will be continuing our unit over patterns in the natural world. Exploring the earth's movements around the sun. We will be tracking our shadows outside and adding the video to our Flipgrid. We will then be investigating what causes day and night. You can continue to follow along with our learning on Flipgrid! To view the Flipgrid, visit https://flipgrid.com/tceconnect and enter the password Patterns!


Social Studies
This week in Social Studies, learners will begin reviewing Manifest Destiny and Westward Expansion. Major topics covered in this unit were identifying significant events and concepts associated with U.S. territorial expansion, including the Louisiana Purchase, the expedition of Lewis and Clark, and Manifest Destiny. 


Reading & Language Arts
This week we will finish up our poetry unit. The learners have become masters at identifying sound effects in poetry. Ask them about how alliteration, onomatopoeia, line break, and word choice can affect the way a poem sounds. We've also learned about how poets use poetic license to improve their poems. In writing, we will continue working on publishing our poetry books. This week we are rewriting popular songs. We'll also use a poem called, "If I Were in Charge of the World" to write our own versions. We will look forward to sharing our poetry books with you when we're finished! In spelling, we will continue to study Greek and Latin roots. So far we've learned about the meaning of the following word parts: tele, trans, port, script, meter, graph, and phon.

Friday, February 15, 2019

Week of Feb. 19th-22nd

Hi everyone! 
Please see the Google calendar embedded above with important dates and reminders. 

What's Happening Around TCE? 

Check out Ms. Martin's Parent Newsletter here for information about the Looping Feedback survey, the learner's Heart Challenge, and a canned food drive. 

TCE Cultural Night 

We are excited to have our 2nd annual Culture Night at TCE.  Last year was such a great success with all the dishes you shared with our TCE community.  If you would like to share an appetizer, main dish or dessert on March 28th please sign up below. We will get back with you with more specific details as the event grows near. TCE will provide sample cups to share the dish you bring.  This event was successful because of all of our families' contributions. Thank you for making our school so great! SIGN UP BY CLICKING HERE Be on the lookout for more information about this event including performances and interactive stations!



Friendship Friday in Fifth Grade

As a reminder, we will be having "Friendship Friday" every other Friday during lunch. This Friday, February 22nd, will be a "Friendship Friday" for our 5th graders! 



Sky Ranch Updates


Sky Ranch Payments 


As a reminder, the third Sky Ranch payment of $50 was due Friday, February 1st. You may pay by check (payable to Town Center Elementary), cash, or credit card. Visit this link to pay by credit card. As of February 1st, your balance should be $150. If you have not yet made any payments, or your balance is less than $150, please contact your son/daughter's teacher to provide an update on your plan for payments.  The final payment of $50 is due March 1st. As always, if you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to ask. 



Important Sky Ranch Dates


All Sky Ranch Paperwork is due April 10th. 

Want to Know More About Sky Ranch? 

We thought it might help if you could look at some pictures as a family. Click here to see the pictures! 



5th grade Valentine's Day Party

Enjoying football at our Valentine's Day party.
Enjoying football at our Valentine's Day party.
Fun outdoor activities at the party!


Fun outdoor activities at the party!



A Peek into Our Classrooms


The wonderful author, Aisha Saeed, sharing about her book "Amal Unbound".
Planting radishes, spinach, and beets in our garden!
Science lessons taking place in our TCE garden to find examples of the water cycle.


Learners using their digital tools to help create their thought portraits in social studies.
Science lessons taking place in our TCE garden to find examples of the water cycle.

You can always follow the hashtag #tce5th on Twitter to see more pictures from our classrooms. 




Curriculum Updates: 


Math

This week in math, we will continue to practice expressions and equations through the understanding of the order of operations (PEMDAS), as well as the use of a letter in place as an unknown number. Then, we will move on to our next unit, Coordinate Planes.
Math Homework: As a reminder, the homework will include a STAAR Prep section and a section to practice the concepts currently being taught in class. You can find the link to the homework here.  


Science

This week in science, we will be continuing our unit over patterns in the natural world.  Due to changes in the weather, we were not able to study our shadows last week. We changed course and started our investigation of the water cycle! The learners will be finishing their investigation of the water cycle this week. They will also begin their investigation of the movement of the earth around the sun and their shadows. You can continue to follow along with our learning on Flipgrid! (Password: Patterns!)



Social Studies
This week in Social Studies, learners will will finish exploring their unit on Westward Expansion and Manifest Destiny. They will spend the week reviewing what we covered, in the past month, during class. 

Reading & Language Arts 

This week in reading, we will continue our study of sound effects in poetry. We will also start to focus on comparing and contrasting poetry and other genres. 

In writing, our poets will continue writing poetry for their poetry books. We'll finalize our sound bits, made in Garage Band, to accompany our haikus. Then we'll use popular songs as inspiration for new poems. 

Friday, February 8, 2019

Hi everyone! 

Please see the Google calendar embedded above with important dates and reminders. 

What's Happening Around TCE? 
Check out Ms. Martin's Parent Newsletter here for information about the Looping Feedback survey, the learner's Heart Challenge in PE, and Cultural Celebration Night. 

Valentine's Parties
  • Our 5th Grade Valentine’s Day party will be this Thursday, February 14th at 2:00 in the cafeteria
  • We are still looking for volunteers to help out during the party. Click this link to view the sign up! We'd love to have you join us.
  • We will exchange Valentine’s before our party. Your child may make or bring Valentines cards for each person in the class.  The names of the students in each class have been sent home (as a paper copy). In addition, students may decorate and bring their own bag or box from home to hold their valentines.  They may decorate it however they would like! Please be sure that their box/bag will fit inside their cubby. We can’t wait to see how creative they get!

Author's Visit
We are excited for author Aisha Saeed to visit our Town Center Elementary 4th and 5th graders on February 12! Ms. Saeed is the author of Amal Unbound, which was the 2018 Global Read Aloud Upper Elementary/Middle Grade selection. 

Friendship Friday in Fifth Grade
As a reminder, we will be having "Friendship Friday" every other Friday during lunch, starting this week. You can read more about this in a previous post. 

Sky Ranch Updates

Sky Ranch Payments 
As a reminder, the third Sky Ranch payment of $50 was due Friday, February 1st. You may pay by check (payable to Town Center Elementary), cash, or credit card. Visit this link to pay by credit card. As of February 1st, your balance should be $150. If you have not yet made any payments, or your balance is less than $150, please contact your son/daughter's teacher to provide an update on your plan for payments.  The final payment of $50 is due March 1st. As always, if you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to ask. 

Important Sky Ranch Dates
  • Chaperone Interest Forms were due Feb. 8th. We will reach out to parents this week to let them know who will be attending as a chaperone.
  • All Sky Ranch Paperwork is due April 10th. 
Want to Know More About Sky Ranch? 
We thought it might help if you could look at some pictures as a family. Click here to see the pictures! 

A Peek into Our Classrooms

5A & 5B learners enjoying their shared learning space.
"Building" the Transcontinental Railroad in Social Studies with Miss Perry

Learners working hard to find prime numbers in Miss Seifert's class!


You can always follow the hashtag #tce5th on Twitter to see more pictures from our classrooms. 


Curriculum Updates: 

Math
This week in math, we will be continuing our unit over expressions and equations. The learners will be exploring the order of operations (PEMDAS). They will also be exploring how to solve equations involving variables.
Math Homework: As a reminder, the homework will include a STAAR Prep section and a section to practice the concepts currently being taught in class. You can find the link to the homework here.

Science
This week in science, we will be continuing our unit over patterns in the natural world.  Exploring the earth's movements around the sun. We will be tracking our shadows outside and adding the video to our Flipgrid (password is Patterns!). We will then be investigating what causes day and night. 

Social Studies
This week, learners will continue to understand the impact of the Gold Rush, Trail of Tears, and Oregon Trail.

Reading & Language Arts
We have just started a new poetry unit in both reading and writing! The learners will be analyzing the techniques poets use to write poetry, including poetic devices and figurative language. In reading, learners will also analyze the mood of poems. In writing, learners will create a book of poetry using the Apple app Pages. Learners will also use Garage Band to compose music to accompany their poems.
In spelling, we will focus on the Latin roots scribe & script and port.


Friday, February 1, 2019

Week of February 4th

Hi everyone! 

Please see the Google calendar embedded above with important dates and reminders. 


Important Reminders: 

  • The next Sky Ranch payment of $50 is due Friday, February 1st. 

What's Happening Around TCE? 



PTO Meeting
Our TCE staff and PTO Board would love to have you all join us for our next PTO meeting. It gives you a chance to give input on school events and hear about all the great things happening at TCE. The following items are on the agenda:


  • Budget Update
  • Upcoming process for parents, staff, and learners to give feedback on the looping process
  • Color Run Spring Fundraiser Updates
  • Survey for parents to give input on future PTO meeting topics that would be informative and timely (Ex. Social emotional issues, Keeping your kids safe while using technology, How to best support your child's learning at home, etc.)
  • Upcoming Movie Night
  • Update on programs
  • Book Fair
  • Teacher Grant Celebrations



Valentine's Parties
  • Our 5th Grade Valentine’s Day party will be on Thursday, February 14th at 2:00 in the cafeteria. We would love to have you join us for the party if you are able! 
  • We will exchange Valentine’s before our party. Your child may make or bring Valentines cards for each person in the class.  The names of the students in each class have been sent home (as a paper copy). In addition, students may decorate and bring their own bag or box from home to hold their valentines.  They may decorate it however they would like! Please be sure that their box/bag will fit inside their cubby. We can’t wait to see how creative they get!





Author's Visit
We are excited for author Aisha Saeed to visit our Town Center Elementary 4th and 5th graders on February 12! Ms. Saeed is the author of Amal Unbound, which was the 2018 Global Read Aloud Upper Elementary/Middle Grade selection. If you would like to order a book for your 4th/5th grader, please look for the order form in your child's backpack or print it from this link. The order form AND complete payment must be turned in to our librarian, Mrs. Keene-Carlson, no later than Friday, February 1. Families are also welcome to purchase their own copy of Amal Unbound from Amazon or another bookseller. Those copies of Amal Unbound should be brought to Mrs. Keene-Carlson before the date of Ms. Saeed's visit so that we can get the books prepared for her to sign. If you have questions, please email Alena Keene-Carlson at acarlson@coppellisd.com. 







    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! 


    Friendship Friday in Fifth Grade
    As a reminder, we will be having "Friendship Friday" every other Friday during lunch, starting this week. You can read more about this in our previous post. 


    Sky Ranch Updates



    Sky Ranch Payments 

    As a reminder, the third Sky Ranch payment of $50 is due Friday, Feburary 1st. You may pay by check (payable to Town Center Elementary), cash, or credit card. Visit this link to pay by credit card. As of February 1st, your balance should be $150. If you have not yet made any payments, or your balance is less than $150, please contact your son/daughter's teacher to provide an update on your plan for payments. As always, if you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to ask. 

    Important Sky Ranch Dates

    • Chaperone Interest Forms are due Feb. 8th
    • All Sky Ranch Paperwork is due April 10th


    Want to Know More About Sky Ranch? 
    We thought it might help if you could look at some pictures as a family. Click here to see the pictures! 





    A Peek into Our Classrooms
    Learners in Miss Peccarelli's room used their iPads to annotate a nonfiction text during their Unit 2 Assessment. 

    Learners in Miss Perry's room lead the class in a Mad Libs activity for "Chat Chair" at the end of the day. 



    Learners in Miss Seifert's room participated in Glow Day to review for their fractions test! They played lots of games in the dark using black lights and neons. 


    Learners in Miss Seifert's room participated in Glow Day to review for their fractions test! They played lots of games in the dark using black lights and neons.
    Learners in Miss Seifert's room participated in Glow Day to review for their fractions test! They played lots of games in the dark using black lights and neons. 
    Learners in Miss Perry's room used Keynote (an Apple app) to create models of the solar system.

    The 5th graders had the awesome opportunity to help the kindergarteners set up their Bulb accounts! It was so great seeing the big kids helping the little kids. We've shared some photos below. 





















    You can always follow the hashtag #tce5th on Twitter to see more pictures from our classrooms. 


    Curriculum Updates: 

    Math
    This week in math, we will be starting our unit over expressions and equations. The learners will be exploring prime and composite numbers and learning the order of operations. 

    Math Homework: As a reminder, the homework will include a STAAR Prep section and a section to practice the concepts currently being taught in class. You can find the link to the homework here.

    Science
    This week in science, we will be continuing our unit over patterns in the natural world. The learners will finish their model of the solar system on Keynote. We will then move on to exploring the characteristics of the sun, earth, and moon.

    If you would like to see your learner's reflections from the Flipgrid from last week, please visit https://flipgrid.com/tceconnect and enter the password Patterns!


    Social Studies
    This week, learners will begin understanding the impact of the Gold Rush, Trail of Tears, and Oregon Trail. 


    Reading & Language Arts
    This week we will be starting a new weekly homework assignment called Article of the Week. The learners will receive a new article each Friday, and they will have four activities to complete during the week. For the homework, learners may need to access Schoology from home. They can access Schoology from this link: https://schoology.coppellisd.com/.






    This week in spelling, we will be focusing on the latin root, rupt. The learners will spell words with rupt in them and will learn the meaning of the word

    This week in writing, learners will be finishing up two expository essays. We hope you'll ask them to share them with you! Then, we'll be starting a new poetry unit in which the learners will write different types of poetry using poetic devices.