Week of March 2nd

Welcome! Thank you for visiting our blog and taking the time to read this communication. We appreciate you!

March 2nd-6th: Spring Book Fair

March 5th: Spring Picture Day

March 5th: Open House from 5:30-7:00 PM

March 9th-13th: Spring Break

April 3rd: All Sky Ranch Paperwork due

April 7th: 5th Grade Math STAAR Test

April 8th: 5th Grade Reading STAAR Test

March Coupon

This year, we gave the students a coupon book with a coupon for each month. The coupon for March is in the image above. We plan to let the students use this coupon on Friday, March 6.  

Spring Book Fair

Lions, and Tigers and Books Oh My! Our Spring book fair is March 2nd - 6th, and we would love to have parents volunteer.  Please sign up on the link below. If you're interested in signing up to volunteer in the book fair, visit this link.  

An Announcement from Our Counselor, Ms. Matlock

During the Spring semester, Ms. Matlock, the TCE counselor will be supporting our 5th graders with the facilitation of a tobacco prevention program, the Model Smoking Prevention Program (MSPP). This research based program helps to equip students to make healthy choices when it comes to smoking or using any tobacco product. This district mandated program will empower our learners in a way that guides and supports their decision-making. If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Matlock.

An Announcement from Our Librarian, Mrs. Mancuso

The North Texas Teen/ Tween Book Festival will be March 7th at the Irving Convention Center. Your son/daughter might enjoy this event! You can learn more about the festival here: http://www.northtexasteenbookfestival.com/.

Friendship Friday

A quick reminder that we will be having Friendship Friday every Friday for the rest of the year. 

Yearbook Pictures

Upcoming Parent Book Club

Our counselor and librarian will facilitate a parent book club this Spring in the Town Center library, and we would love for you to attend! It will be a great time to get to know and collaborate with other parents. The book study will start towards the end of March and go through April. It will be a total of five sessions, with each session lasting one hour. All participants will receive a free copy of the book, and it will be yours to keep. If you are interested in attending/learning more, please fill out this link. This will help us pick the day that works best for everyone and gauge interest in the book club. (This information is also in Ms. Martin's Principal Blog. If you complete the form on her blog, you don't have to complete it again here.) 

Our Spring Book Club Book:

Teach Your Children Well - Why Values and Coping Skills Matter More Than Grades, Trophies, or "Fat Envelopes"

Thus far, all of the 6th Grade Parent Meetings have occurred. The image below has a timeline that will be helpful for students attending any of the three middle schools. 

Next week, middle school counselors will be coming to Town Center to talk to the students about course selections for next year. 

This website explains a bit about which middle school your son/daughter will attend. In addition, if you are unsure as to which middle school your son/daughter will attend, please contact Laura Fairchild, our Principal's Secretary, or Kelly Matlock, our Counselor. 

6th Grade Parent Meeting - CMS East

Colt Camp for all incoming 6th graders and their families will be on Wednesday, April 29  6-7:30 pm at East.  More details to come! 

Photos for 5th Grade Graduation Slideshow

The 5th grade room parents have created Google photo folders where you can start uploading photos of your learners with their TCE friends to be used for the 5th Grade Slideshow at the end of the year. The ideal photos to upload are of groups of 3 or more and have Town Center 5th graders in them. Please use the links below to upload photos to your homeroom teacher's album.

5A Schaaf: https://photos.app.goo.gl/MKzHHRr5ZM539zW89

5B Foroodi: https://photos.app.goo.gl/EKppkUJuzWkkVW23A

5C Natherson: https://photos.app.goo.gl/xb4Lyjm3zVrnUhGGA

5D Taylor: https://photos.app.goo.gl/NJgD6S8Ef7JyYKh49

Please click here for a digital version of the Sky Ranch information packet. The forms that will need to be filled out are towards the back of the packet. Please ask your homeroom teacher if you have any questions!

For access to a digital Google Folder that includes all of the required forms to be filled out and returned, please click here. 

Please remember that the required Sky Ranch forms are not due until April 3rd, 2020. However the sooner you get them in the better!

In addition to completing these paper forms, we will need you to complete this Digital Form. With this form, you'll have a chance to tell us about your son/daughter's dietary needs, swimming skill level, and any other information you'd like for us to know about the trip. 

Sky Ranch Payments

As you know, we have a payment plan for our Sky Ranch trip. You can view the information letter here. The fourth & last payment of $50 is due Friday, March 6th. You may pay by cash, check, or online via this link. Please contact your homeroom teacher or Mrs. Ford, the Assistant Principal, if you would like to discuss payment plans. 

Math
We will continue our unit over 2D Figures and will explore types of triangles, lines, and angles. Be sure to check out the math practice sheet in the "homework" section of the blog for ways you can support your learner's skills!

Science

The learners will continue exploring Patterns of the Natural World. We will focus on rotation vs revolution and how this affects us on earth. We will end the week by taking a post test over this unit.

Language Arts & Reading
In reading, learners will finish Unit 4 by studying perspective and analyzing writer's craft in their nonfiction research. Learners will also focus on annotating texts. In writing, learners will write an argumentative essay about the debatable issue they have been researching in reading. In Spelling, we have just started a brief study of Greek roots. Ask your son or daughter to tell you about the Greek roots phon, graph, photo, & geo.

Social Studies
In social studies next week, we will continue to learn about the effects of Westward Expansion. The learners will create an Animal Journal, taking on the perspective of Lewis & Clark as they explored the west. Learners will also participate in a fun Pack Your Wagon activity as they learn about the Oregon Trail.

As a reminder, all of the activities listed below are optional resources for you and your family. 

Math

With our state assessment quickly approaching on April 7th, we would like to begin providing some optional homework opportunities for the learners to practice the format and question set up they will see on the end of the year state assessment. Please click here to access a collection of mini-assessments on a variety of topics. For this upcoming week, we recommend learners work on pages 15-18. You will also find an answer key. Please let us know if you have any questions!

Reading & Language Arts

We would love for your son/daughter to spend time reading at home! They can read any text that catches their interest. We are currently in our Argument & Advocacy Unit, so persuasive texts, debates, or nonfiction articles would be advised. You can check out some interesting debate topics here.

Here are a couple of websites that offer current event articles targeted towards preteens and teens. With your guidance, they could choose articles of interest to read.

• NewsELA
• Dogo News
• Time for Kids

The 5th Graders in the Best Buddies Texan Town Club helped some of the younger kiddos in Mrs. Beecher's club during the Book Fair Preview. We love seeing our bigger kids helping out the younger kids! 

The 5th Graders in the Best Buddies Texan Town Club helped some of the younger kiddos in Mrs. Beecher's club during the Book Fair Preview. We love seeing our bigger kids helping out the younger kids!

The 5th Graders in the Best Buddies Texan Town Club helped some of the younger kiddos in Mrs. Beecher's club during the Book Fair Preview. We love seeing our bigger kids helping out the younger kids!

Week of March 18th

Hi everyone! 

Thank you for taking the time to read our blog! 

What's Happening Around TCE? 
On Friday 3/8, the learners learned about the exciting 5th grade Talent Show later this Spring! They were given an informational letter, as well as application forms for those who are interested. Both are linked below. 
Talent Show Letter
Application Form 


Getting Ready for Middle School

A message Mr. Miller, the music teacher:
On the Tuesday we get back from spring break, during their Specials time, the Middle School North band director will be coming to the gym to talk about band with the 5th grade. We look forward to learning about this opportunity during Middle School. 

The Coppell Middle School North counselors will be coming to talk to our 5th graders about 6th grade course selection on Wednesday, March 27th. 

For students attending CMS North, the Rising 6th Grade Parent Registration Meeting will be on Monday, March 25, at 6pm at Coppell Middle School North.

For students attending CMS East, (Residents of Townlake Apartments):

Rising 6th Grade Parent Registration Meeting will be on Monday, March 25, at 6pm at Coppell Middle School East.

Mark Your Calendars

• Math STAAR Test - April 9th
• Reading STAAR Test - April 10th

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

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 after Spring Break on March 22nd.

Sky Ranch Updates

Sky Ranch Payments 

• The final Sky Ranch payment of $50 was due Friday, March 1st. At this point, you should have paid a total of $200 toward Sky Ranch. If there is an issue making the final payment, please reach out to your child's teacher.

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

Diving into our Coordinate Planes vocabulary with some hexagonal thinking.

Diving into our Coordinate Planes vocabulary with some hexagonal thinking.

Working on Westward Expansion Thought Portraits.

Working on Westward Expansion Thought Portraits.

So fun showing our Kinder friends around the book fair :)

So fun showing our Kinder friends around the book fair :)

 
Curriculum Updates:

Math
The learners next unit in math will be over two dimensional figures. They will use the Numbers App to explore the different ways to classify 2d shapes by attributes and properties, including scalene, isosceles, and equilateral triangles, in addition to other shapes.

Click this link for the weekly math homework.

Science
After finishing Unit 4, the learners will be moving onto Unit 5: Organisms and the Environment. We will begin with unpacking our essential questions and enduring understandings, and then move onto relationships, systems and cycles within ecosystems.

Social Studies
As the learners are continuing to learn about slavery and the Civil War, students will learn about the impact of states' rights, reconstruction and the change that Abraham Lincoln brought during this time.

Reading & Language Arts
In reading, we will be starting our fourth unit of the year, Testing as a Genre, which focuses on reviewing everything that we've learned so far to help prepare us for the upcoming STAAR test next month. During this unit, we will continue with our reading workshop framework as the learners practice reading skills independently and in small group. The learners have access to a reading review packet in Schoology, and we've linked it here as well. There is not a need for learners to study at home as the review we will do in class will be sufficient. However, we know that many of our families like to have something extra to work on at home.

Reading STAAR Review Packet

6th Grade Information

We have lots of information to share regarding CMS North, 6th grade registration, and parent meetings. For more information about 6th Grade Registration, please visit the CMS North website. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask! 

Course Selection

• Coppell Middle School North counselors will be coming to visit our 5th graders on the morning of April 5th to talk about the transition to middle school and course selection. Learners will receive their course selection sheet on this day. These course selection sheets will be due back to your son/daughter's teacher on April 12th. 

• Once you begin the process of completing your learner's course selection form, please feel free to reach out to us with any questions you might have. 
• 6th Grade Course Selection Sheet
• Coppell Middle School Course Selection Catalog
• Originally, we shared that we would be going to North for the Elective Showcase. However, North has had to cancel, so we will not be going. 

Incoming 6th Grader Registration Parent Meeting

• There will be a meeting for the parents of incoming 6th graders on Thursday, April 6th from 6:00-7:00 in North's cafeteria. 
• The presentation for that meeting can be found here. The counselors and administration will plan to record that meeting for any parents that are unable to attend.  

CMS North Guest Speaker 

• Parent University 2.0 will be hosting a parent workshop on April 5th at Coppell Middle School North.  There will be two sessions (1:15 & 6:00).  The topic is Middle School Makeover and targets parents who will have students transitioning from 5th grade to middle school.
• You can learn more about the speaker, Michelle Icard, here and here. 
• The following is a short blurb about the event: 
• Every child needs to develop three things to become an adult, and the process of building this trifecta begins in middle school. I quiz the audience on what they think every kid needs to become an adult and surprise them when the three things aren’t quite what they expect. We cover brain, body and identity development in what I refer to as the “middle school construction project” and I use it to explain why kids this age are often perceived as judgmental or exclusive, though often their behavior stems from nervousness about where they fall on the "normal" scale in terms of their development. I cover the unique pressures facing kids in middle school and ways parents can help or hinder the process.
  
  Along these lines, I coach the audience on the importance of being “assistant managers” not “micromanagers” during the teen years. This part is also interactive as we brainstorm do’s and don’ts for managing risky behavior. I highlight the research of Laurence Steinberg at Temple University and teen risk taking.
  
  One of the biggest obstacles to staying connected with kids through the middle school years is understanding how they like to communicate. I offer concrete tips, based on recent neurological research out of Harvard for easy, practical ways to avoid conflict and get kids to open up about their peer experiences. 
  Finally, we walk through a six-step problem solving process every parent can begin to implement with their tween to teach kids creative and thoughtful problem solving, rather than being impulsive or relying on peers or parents to solve problems for them.
  Overall, the audience will leave feeling more confident, and less flustered, about parenting through middle school. 

Updates: Week of March 27 and STAAR Testing

Thank you for taking the time to stop by our blog and read about what's going on in 5th Grade. Please be sure to check the Google Calendar that is linked at the top of the blog for important updates. 

STAAR Testing

• The 5th graders will be taking STAAR this week. They will take the Math STAAR test on Tuesday, March 28th and the Reading STAAR test on Wednesday, March 29th. 
• We will begin testing first thing in the morning, so it is essential that all learners arrive on time. 
• The learners will be provided with a snack from PTO, so they do not need to bring one. They may bring a water bottle. 
• Because of the security of the testing atmosphere, we will not be able to have any visitors in the building on the days of the STAAR test.
• Your son/daughter may ask to bring a "fidget" to school for the test. Please know that we may decide that fidgets are a distraction and ask them to keep them in their backpacks. We have let the learners know that they may not bring any kind of "putty" or stress balls that are liquid filled.
• During the test, we will need to take up all cell phones. Learners will get their cell phones back at the end of the day. In addition, we as teachers will not have access to our phones or emails during testing. So, if you have a message you need to get to your son/daughter, please call the front office at 214-496-7800. 
• Because of STAAR testing, we will not have any homework or tutoring this week. 

Sky Ranch Updates

• Please see our Sky Ranch flyer for updates and details about our trip. Within this flyer, we have included a link to our payment letter and a place for you to ask questions about the trip (should you feel the need). 
• We changed the date of the Parent Chaperone Meeting to Monday, April 10th. 
• If your son/daughter has any dietary restrictions (vegetarian, gluten free, etc.), please email your son/daughter's teacher. 
• If you have not yet completed your final payment and/or returned the required paperwork, please do so A.S.A.P. If you are unable to pay or complete the paperwork, please reach out to your son/daughter's teacher. 
• We sent permission slips for the zip line home on Friday. These are due back on Friday, April 21st. 

Coppell Middle School North Visits

• Coppell Middle School North counselors will be coming to visit our 5th graders on the morning of April 5th to talk about the transition to middle school and course selection. Learners will receive their course selection forms on this day. These course selection forms will be due back to us. (We will let you know once we know when they are due back.)  
• CMS North is having a parent meeting about course selection on April 6th. For more information about this, please reach out to CMS North. 
• Once you begin the process of completing your learner's course selection form, please free to reach out to us with any questions you might have. 
• Originally, we shared that we would be going to North for the Elective Showcase. However, North has had to cancel, so we will not be going. 
• Finally, please see the following flyer about a guest speaker at Coppell Middle School North. You can learn more about the speaker, Michelle Icard, here and here. 

Other Announcements

• Holiday Coupons 
• In December, the learners received a coupon book as our Holiday Gift to them. Within this coupon book, they received a coupon for each month. We are a  little behind on these, but will be redeeming these coupons on Friday, March 31st and Monday April 3rd. 
• Friday, March 31st - February Coupon - Board Games  Learners will have 30 minutes to play non-electronic games such as card games, board games, charades, etc. Your son/daughter may bring games from home if they would like, so long as they are not electronic in nature. 
• Monday, April 3rd - March Coupon - Electronics Time  Learners will have 30 minutes to play electronic games such as games on the computer or iPad. They will NOT be allowed to play on cell phones at this time, and their game play will still be limited to games that are deemed appropriate. 
• Our Community Partners from DTCC will be here again on Friday, March 31st. 
• We will not have school on Friday, April 14th. 

Curriculum Tidbits
*We hope that you will periodically check our Twitter accounts as we tweet glimpses of what we're learning in class. You can find our tweets by searching the hashtag #tce5th or by going to our individual pages.

This week the learners will take the Math STAAR on Tuesday. The learners have worked so hard this year and are fully prepared to do their absolute best! On Monday we will be finishing up our review by playing Math STAAR Jeopardy.

In Reading, we will spend Monday reviewing reading vocabulary with a variety of games.

If your learner is feeling uneasy about any topic, please encourage them to ask questions! We know that they are ready!

**We will not have any homework or tutoring this week.** 
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Finally, thank you again for taking the time to read our blog. We know how important it is for our TCE families to know what is happening at school! If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to ask. Our contact information is linked below for your convenience.

5A Morgan Peccarelli - mpeccarelli@coppellisd.com

5B Kate Seifert - kseifert@coppellisd.com

5C Marly Natherson - mnatherson@coppellisd.com

5D Jenna Taylor - jltaylor@coppellisd.com

Updates: February 20

Thank you for taking the time to stop by our blog and read about what's going on in 5th Grade. Please be sure to check the Google Calendar that is linked at the top of the blog for important updates. 

Announcements

• Town Center Cookbook - We wanted to have the opportunity to create a TCE Family Traditions cookbook this year since our theme is all about family and celebrating the diversity within our community.  We would love to have you share one of your favorite family recipes to go into our cookbook this year.  If you are interested in participating, please send in your recipe to Casey Wagner, cwagner@coppellisd.com, or you may send in a paper copy of your recipe to the front office. 

• As a reminder, we did add headphones to the learners' supply kits this year. We invite the learners to watch videos, use online learning tools, and play educational games in class often, and it is really important that they have headphones for these tasks. If your learner does not have a pair of headphones at school, please help them locate a pair so that they can be prepared for class. 
• Thank you so much to everyone that was able to come to the Engineering Extravaganza! We loved seeing our #tce5th families!
• Coppell offers a great summer program called Camp Invention. Check this link to learn more about this opportunity. 
• We are pleased to announce that we will have another Field Trip opportunity for the learners in the spring! We will be visiting the Coppell Biodiversity Center. This trip is tentatively scheduled for May 12th. 
• Our lovely Room Moms set up a photo booth at our Valentine's Party, and they created a video montage from all of the pictures. Click here to see the video! Thank you to all of our parent volunteers that helped make the party a success!

Sky Ranch Updates

• Please see our Sky Ranch flyer for updates and details about our trip. Within this flyer, we have included a link to our payment letter and a place for you to ask questions about the trip (should you feel the need). 
• We had an informational meeting for all 5th grade parents on Thursday, January 26, 2017 at 5:30 PM. If you were not able to make it to the meeting, you should have received a copy of the paperwork in your learner's take home folder. 
• Our third payment of $50 was due on Friday, January 27th. After this payment, your paid balance should be at least $150. If you are unable to make these payments, please reach out to your son/daughter's homeroom teacher.  Of course, we understand that sometimes budgets can be tight and it may be hard to make the payment by that date, and we are happy to help if we can, but we do need for you to communicate with us rather than just not pay. Thank you for understanding! 
• All payments (a total of $200) and all paperwork is due March 10th. 
• We had many parents volunteer to come along on our trip as chaperones! Thank you to everyone that offered to come along. 

Coppell Middle School North Visits

• Coppell Middle School North counselors will be coming to visit our 5th graders on the morning of April 5th to talk about the transition to middle school and course selection. 
• In addition, we will be taking the fifth graders to North for an elective showcase on April 3rd. We will have more information about this trip in the weeks to follow. 
• Finally, please see the following flyer about a guest speaker at Coppell Middle School North. You can learn more about the speaker, Michelle Icard, here and here. 

Curriculum Tidbits
*We hope that you will periodically check our Twitter accounts as we tweet glimpses of what we're learning in class. You can find our tweets by searching the hashtag #tce5th or by going to our individual pages.

Math

In math the learners have begun learning about the key attributes of coordinate planes. The learners are expected to graph  an ordered pair on a coordinate plane. In addition, learners will be expected to generate a numerical pattern when given a rule in the form of y=ax or y= x + a and graph.

Science

In science, we are continuing to explore Earth’s changing surface. We will be focusing on what fossils can tell us about the Earth’s past and the advantages and disadvantages of alternative energy resources (renewable energy) as compared with fossil fuel resources (nonrenewable energy).

Reading, Writing, & Spelling

In reading, we will continue to analyze text and find text evidence to defend our thinking. We will also continue to review key vocabulary words to support our learning! 

In writing, we will continue to explore persuasive writing by researching both sides of an issue and developing arguments. 

Social Studies

We are learning about the various events that angered the colonists and eventually lead to the American Revolution. Ask the learners about the Stamp Act, the Quartering Act, and the Sons of Liberty! 

Homework Tidbits

• Reading Homework: 
• We are counting down the weeks until STAAR! Starting this week we will have your learners studying STAAR Reading vocabulary words for homework. They will also be exposed to these words during the school days and will be assessed on Fridays. 
• In addition, we will be starting our weekly Article of the Week (AOW) homework this week. If you were here last year, this homework will look similar to last year's homework. The learners will be provided with a current events article, and they will have specific tasks to accomplish each night. 
• ***We will not have an AOW for the shortened week of February 20th. 
• Weekly Spelling List - Quiz on Friday: As a note, the learners do have a weekly spelling list that they are expected to study throughout the week. We include "Study for Spelling Quiz" in the homework section of our daily agendas, so if every your learner says they don't have homework, they do. While we do cover spelling in class, it is important for them to take the time to study at home as well. 
• Math/Science Homework: The weekly homework packet will be including Math practice and Science practice. The learners will have up to 5 Math questions and 5 Science questions a week. The learners also need to be completing their Reflex Math time. If their Reflex Math is not completed for the week, they will be required to spend that time in Homework Club during Texan Town. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact your learner’s Math/Science teacher.

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Finally, thank you again for taking the time to read our blog. We know how important it is for our TCE families to know what is happening at school! If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to ask. Our contact information is linked below for your convenience.

5A Morgan Peccarelli - mpeccarelli@coppellisd.com

5B Kate Seifert - kseifert@coppellisd.com

5C Marly Natherson - mnatherson@coppellisd.com

5D Jenna Taylor - jltaylor@coppellisd.com