Week of Sept. 9-13

Thank you for those of you who made it to Special Friends Day! Please see updates below:

September 20th: Texan Town starts

September 24th: Sonic Night Fundraiser

October 4th: First Sky Ranch Payment Due

October 4th: TCE's 25th Birthday Picnic

Please review the information from our 5th Grade Curriculum Night Presentation. 

Popcorn Subscription starts Friday, September 20th. Please see the flier that came home about popcorn money! Your learner can bring 50 cents each day there is Texan Town, or $2.50 all at once on September 20th in order to get popcorn delivered to the classroom. 

Your learner came home with a letter that explains Sky Ranch Payment for the year. You can view the letter here. Our Sky Ranch trip will be April 22-April 24. The first payment will be due October 4th and it will be $50. If you would like to pay online, you may visit this link. Please contact your homeroom teacher or Mrs. Ford, the assistant principal, if you would like to discuss payment plans. 

In math, we will continue our place value of decimals unit. We will begin to compare and order decimals using a variety of methods.

In reading, we will be starting Fiction Book Clubs! The learners will have a chance to read a fiction book and participate in discussions with a group of classmates. In writing, we will continue to grow as writers as we focus on Personal Narratives. This week we will focus on including story elements and elaboration that make the story more interesting. We have also finished working on our Where I'm From Projects. We are really impressed with the kids' work, and we have loved learning about your families. If you would like to see the projects, you may visit this link.

In science, we will continue our unit on matter and energy by participating in learning experiences on density and volume of irregular shapes.

In Social Studies, we will use what we've learned about each colony to write a letter declaring which colony we'd prefer to live in if we had the chance back then.

Mrs. Schaaf and her husband welcomed their baby girl, Hayden Grace Schaaf, on September 10th at 10:58pm! We are so excited for the new family of three!

Fifth grade enjoyed getting to show their Special Friends around the school today!

The Week of September 3rd

Hi everyone! Welcome back to our 5th Grade blog. Thank you for reading again. We hope that you will bookmark this link and visit this blog often, as it will be an important source of communication between our teaching team and our Town Center fifth grade families. 

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

Important Reminders: 

• As you know, we had Curriculum Night this past Thursday, August 30th. During Curriculum Night, we shared a presentation that has a lot of important information about this year. (Click here for the link.) If you were not able to make it to this event, please take a minute to read through the presentation. If you have any questions, please email your son/daughter's homeroom teacher. We are happy to answer any questions! 

What's Happening Around TCE? 

• On Thursday, September 6th, the students will take individual school pictures! The picture order form went home with the students last week. You can also view online purchasing information here. 

• Please plan on joining us Friday, September 14th for Special Friend's Day, a fun-filled day at Town Center! We have designated times throughout the day for "Special Friends" (family & family friends) to visit our learners' classrooms in order to see some of the great things they are learning and doing. The designated time for 5th grade is 8:30-9:30. Our campus book fair will also be open during this time. In order to expedite the check-in process for our Special Friend's Day visitors, please fill in the form above (click here or on the picture) BY THURSDAY, SEPT. 13TH AT 10:00AM in order for us to quickly sign in the special friend and send them to meet up with your child.

A Peek into Our Classrooms

Learners used digital apps to create a visual presentation to accompany their Where I'm From poems.

Learners used digital apps to create a visual presentation to accompany their Where I'm From poems.

Learners used digital apps to create a visual presentation to accompany their Where I'm From poems.

Learners used digital apps to create a visual presentation to accompany their Where I'm From poems.

5A students had their first guidance lesson from Ms. Matlock!

Learners in Miss Perry's class made observations about household crystals before testing their solubilities to find our unknown!

Learners in Miss Perry's class made observations about household crystals before testing their solubilities to find our unknown!

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 expanding our multiplication and division abilities! We will be working on multiplying 3 digit numbers by 2 digit number and dividing 4 digit numbers by 2 digit numbers. In multiplication we will be utilizing the Area Model and Algorithm as strategies. In division we will be utilizing Partial Quotient and Algorithm as strategies. We will begin posting weekly, optional homework on next weeks blog.

Science
This week in science, we will be exploring density. The learners will be participating in a whole group demonstration and then will be working on a online interactive. They will be taking a quiz over physical properties of matter, solubility, and density. They will then begin exploring the differences in mixtures and solutions.

Social Studies
This week in Social Studies, learners will continue to understand the causes and effects of European Exploration. They will explore the New England, Middle, and Southern colonies through guided activities.

Reading & Language Arts
This week in readers workshop, the learners will practice writing about reading and reading with a writer's mindset. Learners will focus on forming big ideas about their reading and finding evidence in the text to support those big ideas.

Our 5th graders wrote their own versions of "Where I'm From" poems. Learners then created visual presentations to showcase their poetry. You may access the instructions and rubrics for these assignments in this presentation. Throughout the next week, the fifth graders will be posting their finished products on this link. Please do not be alarmed if your son/daughter's product is not on this link, as we are still in the publishing phase of the writing process.

The Week of August 27th

Hi everyone! Welcome back to our 5th Grade blog. Thank you for reading again. We hope that you will bookmark this link and visit this blog often, as it will be an important source of communication between our teaching team and our Town Center fifth grade families. 

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

Important Reminders: 

• Last week, Coach Erickson talked to the 5th graders about signing up for Safety Patrol. Any 5th grader that is interested in signing up needs to complete this application by Tuesday, August 28th at 3:05 pm. (Students have already been made aware of this deadline.) 

What's Happening Around TCE? 

• Curriculum Night - You and your family are invited to join us for 5th Grade Curriculum Night on Thursday, August 30th, from 6:30-7:30. During this presentation, we will share details about our curriculum, academic goals, and grade level policies & procedures. If you are unable to make it on this night, we will be happy to share a digital copy of our presentation. 

• On Thursday, September 6th, the students will take individual school pictures! The picture order form went home with the students last week. You can also view online purchasing information here. 

A Peek into Our Classrooms

Fingerprint formulas in Miss Seifert's room! 

Paper airplanes in Miss Seifert's classroom!

Practicing our ABCDs while drawing Accurate, Big, Colorful & Detailed diagrams in the garden with Miss Perry!

Practicing coding skills with Miss Seifert!

Science group work in Miss Perry's classroom!

This week the 5th graders started running the daily announcements show. Between hosting the show, working the equipment, and stepping in as announcement helpers, the 5th graders are on top of it! 

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 begin our unit over whole number operations which includes lessons over estimation, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

Science
This week in science, we will be wrapping up our exploration of the scientific processes. We will begin our unit over Matter and Energy. The learners will be participating in hands on investigations to learn about the physical properties of matter.

Social Studies
Learners will continue understanding causes and effects of European colonization in the United States. Students will understand why groups of people settled, explored, and colonized in the United States.

Reading & Language Arts
This week we will begin getting into our reading workshop routine. The learners will set personal goals for reading and begin to explore what it means to write well about reading. In addition, learners will continue to get into the routine of updating their digital reading logs and sharing their reading with their classmates.

Our 5th graders have been writing their own versions of "Where I'm From" poems. This week, learners will finish writing their final copies which will then be turned into a class poetry anthology. Next, learners will create a video project to accompany their poems. We look forward to sharing these with our final products with our students' families!

The Week of August 20th

Hi everyone! Welcome to our 5th Grade blog. We hope that you will bookmark this link and visit this blog often, as it will be an important source of communication between our teaching team and our Town Center fifth grade families. 

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

Important Reminders: 

• If you have not already completed the online Back to School Information forms that your teacher has emailed, please complete those as quickly as possible. 
• 5th Grade Schedules - Our specials time on Mondays-Thursdays is 9:55-10:50. Our specials time on Fridays is 11:10-12:00. Our lunch time is always 12:30-1:00, and our recess is always 1:00-1:30. 

What's Happening Around TCE? 

• Curriculum Night - You and your family are invited to join us for 5th Grade Curriculum Night on Thursday, August 30th, from 6:30-7:30. During this presentation, we will share details about our curriculum, academic goals, and grade level policies & procedures. If you are unable to make it on this night, we will be happy to share a digital copy of our presentation. 

A Peek into Our Classrooms

 

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 exploring math norms in the classroom. The learners will be creating a math goal that they want to achieve by the end of the year. They will also be taking a beginning of the year assessment. On Friday, they will be taking their first pre-assessment over multiplication and division.

Science
This week in science, we will be exploring the Scientific Processes. The learners will be participating in a hands on investigation and discussing when they use certain processes throughout the investigation.

Social Studies
Learners will begin understanding causes and effects of European colonization in the United States. Students will understand why groups of people, settled, explored and colonized the United States.

Reading & Language Arts
This week we will focus on setting up our classroom reading communities. Learners will set goals for their independent reading, learn the ways in which they can share about their reading with their classmates, and begin to rebuild their independent reading stamina.

Curriculum Night Information

First, thank you so much to those of you that were able to come to Curriculum Night this year. We appreciate the time that you took to come and participate in our evening. We also understand that some of you may not have been able to make it, and we want to be sure everyone has access to the information we shared.

Click here for a PDF copy of our Curriculum Night Presentation. You can also find these on our teacher websites.

Last week, Dr. Applegate included an informational video on her blog, Town Center Elementary Principal News. If you have not already done so, please check her blog for that important piece of communication. If you'd like to bookmark this blog for the future, the link is: http://tceprincipalnews.blogspot.com/.

Updates: Week 2

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

• 3rd-5th Grade Curriculum Night will be this Thursday, September 2, from 6:30-7:30. (Each grade will be in a different room. We will email later this week about which room we will be in.) During this evening, we will share a presentation with important details, guidelines, and procedures for 5th grade. We will share our presentation after Curriculum Night, so if you aren't able to make it, you'll still be able to access the information. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. 
• If you have not yet done so, please take a few minutes to complete your child's Student Information Form online. Your teacher has emailed this link out to you, but if you do not have it, please email them for it. This is a very important document and we really appreciate you completing it. 
• This Tuesday, the 5th graders will have the opportunity to attend an information meeting to learn more about Safety Patrol. Once we have the meeting, Mr. Shelby will begin to create a schedule for all those participating. We will share that schedule on this blog once we have it. Thank you, in advance, to all of the 5th graders (and their families) that have volunteered to participate. If you have not yet seen the letter that went home regarding safety patrol, you may access it here. 

Classroom Communities

• We have worked hard to foster safe and comfortable learning communities in our classrooms through various activities during the first week. One of the activities we did was to invite the learners to create their own class code. Ask your learner about his/her class code! 
• Last Friday, the learners participated in Growth Mindset stations. During this activity, they learned about a growth mindset vs. a fixed mindset. Ask your learner if he/she can tell you the difference! 
• We have emphasized that at TCE, we are one big family. In keeping with that theme, we will be showcasing family pictures in our classrooms again this year. If you have not already done so, please send a picture of your family to your child's teacher. You may email the picture or send in a printed picture. Thank you for your help with this! 

Curriculum Tidbits

Math

This week in Math we will be focusing on Whole Number Operations. The learners will be reviewing multiplication and division concepts.

Science

This week in Science we will be continuing our discussion of science writing, the scientific method, and the Engineering Design Process.

Reading

In reading, we will take the data from our genre pretest to create self-paced blended learning opportunities based on learner needs. Once the learners have learned about each of the genres, they will be able to create a small project to share what they've learned.

Writing

Last week the learners started the year with two writing assignments! They wrote about the legacy they want to leave at TCE, and their personal hopes and dreams. Be on the look out for these displayed in your learner's classrooms. This next week we will begin our narrative writing unit. We are excited to dive back into the narrative writing process and watch as our learners get creative with their writing.

Social Studies

Last week we started our first unit of the year: Geography. This week we will begin to dive into our study of map tools and the physical geography of the United States!

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