Week of January 8th-12th

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.

What we are learning...

This week in Reading, we focused on making text codes while we are reading. We have discussed how good readers ask questions while they read, and how they use their comprehension strategies to help them. 

This week in math we have been continuing to practice strategies for operations with fractions. The learners have participated in many learning experiences such as allocating the hours in their day into fractions. Please see an example below!

In science this week, we have been exploring our new unit, Earth's Changing Surface. Learners went on a gallery walk where they asked questions and made observations about different landforms. They wrote acrostic poems about erosion and different types of landforms as well.

This week in Social Studies, we have learned about The United States' first documents, such as The Articles of Confederation, The Declaration of Independence, and the U.S. Constitution. 

Reminders

MLK Jr. Day is Monday, January 15th (no school)

The PTO would like us to remind you to please purchase a yearbook if you are interested. The link to purchase a yearbook or put in an ad can be found here: Purchase a yearbook

There will be a Sky Ranch Parent Meeting on Jan. 23rd at 5:30pm. Please attend to receive detailed information about the trip as well as get info about volunteering to be a chaperone.

The 3rd Sky Ranch payment is due Friday, Jan. 26th ($50 cash or check made out to TCE, please put Sky Ranch and your student's name on the memo line)

Examples of learner work from this week:

Welcome Back!

Welcome back Town Center families! We are so excited to start off 2018, celebrating old and new memories. Please continue to check the blog frequently as it will be a busy spring. We will continue to update the calendar with important announcements.

Announcements

***We will have a Sky Ranch informational meeting for all 5th grade parents on Tuesday, January 23, 2018 at 5:30 PM.

Our next payment of $50 is due on Friday, January 26th. 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. 

There is no school on January 15th, 2018.

Week of December 11th-15th

Time flies! We can't believe that it is already time for Winter Break! Thank you for taking the time to stop by our blog and read about what's going on in 5th Grade.

First, we want to say a huge thank you to our PTO and our room moms who put on an amazing Holiday Party for our 5th graders yesterday. It was a blast! Also, thank you to all of the parents who were able to come and celebrate the season with us. We are looking forward to an amazing 2018 with your learners. We also wanted to thank everyone for the wonderful gifts and treats we got this holiday season. We are so fortune to have such amazing support from you and your families. We hope everyone has a restful holiday break, and we will see you in the new year! Happy holidays!

*Please note that school will resume January 3rd, 2018.

Week of December 4th-8th

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.

What we are learning...

This week in reading we continued our unit in poetry and drama. Learners explored how poets use poetic devices to communicate messages. Moreover, we learned the importance of evaluating structure and elements of specific genres to better understand the text.

This week in writing we revisited figurative language using our mentor sentence. We wrote sentences that included similes and alliteration.

This week in social studies we continued learning about the causes of the revolution. We will begin to explore the effects of the war on America.

In science this week, we continued our investigation on the different forms of energy, force, and motion. The learners completed an engineering design project where they answered the question "How can I re-design the sole of a shoe to increase its grip?" Learners tested their sole designs on ramps to see how they did.

In math this week, we continued our fractions unit. We looked at finding the least common denominator to help us add and subtract fractions. We also used pattern blocks to create mixed numbers. Moreover, we were able to design our own picture using pattern blocks and found the simplified form of the fractional parts. 

Announcements

5th Grade Program
Our 5th grade program will be on Tuesday, December 12th. The morning performance will be at 8:15 AM, and the evening performance will be at 6:00 PM. They will both be held in the cafeteria.
***Please make sure that learners wear their grade-level shirts, jeans, and a holiday hat or headband if they have one to school on Tuesday.***

Spelling Bee
The school spelling bee will be on December 12th from 1:00-3:00 PM. Learners have been given lists to study, and they will need to do this on their own time. They should be practicing the words orally as this is not something that they are used to. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Schaaf or Ms. Lim.
*Please note that lunch will be at noon on this day.

Holiday Toy Drive: November 27-December 14

Holiday Parties: December 14th
Our 5th grade holiday party will be from 2:00-3:00. Our theme is the Polar Express. Learners are allowed to wear pajamas on this day. The party will be held in the cafeteria for the whole 5th grade. Everyone is invited!

Early Dismissal: December 15th 
We will have early dismissal at 12:15 PM on Friday, December 15th. You can find the district Early Release Information here.

Sky Ranch Payment: Friday, January 26th
Please make sure that you have submitted your third payment for Sky Ranch.

We really appreciate you taking time to read our blog post.

Week of November 27th-December 1st

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.

What we are learning...

This week in reading we started the week off making personal connections to the characters in Wonder. We continued to talk about poetry and the importance of inferring information based on pictures.

This week in writing learners wrote different types of poems. Learners used the forms of concrete poems and Haikus to write poems that are related to their interests.

This week in math we began talking about fractions and how we can find equivalent fractions and the common denominator of fractions to add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators.

In science this week, we finished up our investigation on the different types of energy.  We will start our next unit on force and motion. Please check your learner's digital portfolio and Seesaw account for the amazing learning happening in the classroom.

This week in social studies, learners continued exploring the causes of the American Revolution including the French and Indian War, The Boston Tea Party, and The Boston Massacre.

Thank you to everyone who came out to see Wonder with us! We had such a good time, and we are so glad that we were able to spend this special time with our learners!

Announcements

5th Grade Program

Our 5th grade program will be on Tuesday, December 12th. The morning performance will be at 8:15 AM, and the evening performance will be at 6:00 PM. They will both be held in the cafeteria. 

Spelling Bee

The school spelling bee will be on December 12th from 1:00-3:00 PM. Learners have been given lists to study, and they will need to do this on their own time. They should be practicing the words orally as this is not something that they are used to. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Schaaf or Ms. Lim.

*Please note that lunch will be at noon on this day.

Holiday Toy Drive: November 27-December 14

Holiday Parties: December 14th

Our 5th grade holiday party will be from 2:00-3:00. Our theme is the Polar Express. Learners are allowed to wear pajamas on this day. The party will be held in the cafeteria for the whole 5th grade. Everyone is invited!

Early Dismissal: December 15th 

We will have early dismissal at 12:15 PM on Friday, December 15th. You can find the district Early Release Information here. 

Raz Kids

Parents, we are working on getting our Raz Kids subscription renewed for this year.  At this time there will be a delay in accessing it online. Our hope is to have it up and running for K-5 by the first week of December. We will send an email when it is ready to go. Thank you so much.

We really appreciate you taking time to read our blog post.

Week of 13th-17th

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.

What we are learning...

This week in reading, learners explored the structural elements of poetry. Learners were exposed to rhyming and free verse poems to apply what they learned to writing their own poems. 

This week in writing, we talked about prepositions using our mentor sentence. Learners also wrote their own poems to express their thoughts and/or entertain their readers. In light of the season, learners reflected on the various things they were thankful for. 

In Socials Studies, we finished our Colonial Billboard.  Please check your learner's Seesaw to see their advertisement encouraging colonists to settle in their colony.  We also began our unit on the American Revolution focusing on the causes that lead up to it.

In Science, learners explored the different forms of energy through an energy scavenger hunt and ports. Ask your learner to show them some of the activities they have been creating in ports. Pictures are below!

This week in math, the learners completed financial literacy by showing mastery of their vocabulary words for this unit. We also began practicing and review fractions through Gizmos activities to prepare for our upcoming fractions unit after the break.

Announcements

Practice Over the Breaks
Please make sure to remind your learners to be reading, playing Reflex math, and Moby Max over the holiday break. 

5th Grade Program
Our 5th grade program will be on Monday, December 11th. We do not have the time yet, but there will be more information to come soon. There will be a morning performance and an evening performance that day. 

STAAR Practice Dates
We will be taking a practice STAAR exam for reading and math the Tuesday and Wednesday after the holiday break. This is not anything your learners will be graded on or need to study for. We want to use this assessment to determine our next steps for each learners individual instruction in small groups. 

Spelling Bee
The learners will participate in a class spelling bee on November 30th. We will take the top 8 performers from each class where they will participate in the school spelling bee on December 12th from 1:00-3:00. Learners have been given lists to study, and they will need to do this on their own time. They should be practicing spelling orally as this is not something that they are used to. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Schaaf or Ms. Lim!
*Please note that lunch will be at noon on this day.

Razz Kids
Parents, we are working on getting our Razz Kids subscription renewed for this year.  At this time there will be a delay in accessing it online.  Our hope is to have it up and running for K-5 by the first week of December. We will send an email when it is ready to go. Thank you so much.

Movie Outing
The movie Wonder is coming out, and most of the kids have read the book. We would love to have a movie outing where we could watch this movie with our kids. If you would like your child to attend, we recommend buying movie tickets in advance! We will let you know a time and movie theater as soon as possible!

Canned Food Drive
Second grade is holding their annual canned food drive this week! Please send in canned goods like green beans, dried beans, canned corn, packaged stuffing, instant potatoes, and more to help out families in need!

Science Ports!

Week of 6-10th

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.

What we are learning...

This week in reading, we continued to explore the elements and different types of poetry. Learners reviewed and learned about the various examples of figurative language in poetry. 

This week in writing, we wrote an acrostic poem as a class. Our mentor sentence this week focused on relative adverbs. Learners imitated the mentor sentence while also applying what they knew about relative adverbs. We also learned and practiced final syllable sounds.

In Socials Studies, learners began exploring the causes of the American Revolution. We learned about taxation without representation and the Stamp Act.

In Science, learners explored the different forms of energy through an energy scavenger hunt and ports.

This week in math, the learners continued to work on their financial literacy unit. We got into teams and decided how to spend our monthly income with enough money left to be able to have some money in our savings for the "unexpected moments" that life could bring our way. Learners have been looking at the differences between a gross and net income as well as the different types of taxes. We also began the discussion on the best method of payment to use when making purchases. 

Announcements

Spelling Bee
The learners will participate in a class spelling bee on November 30th. We will take the top 8 performers from each class where they will participate in the school spelling bee on December 12th from 1:00-3:00. Learners have been given lists to study, and they will need to do this on their own time. They should be practicing spelling orally as this is not something that they are used to. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Schaaf or Ms. Lim!
*Please note that lunch will be at noon on this day.

Movie Outing
The movie Wonder is coming out, and most of the kids have read the book. We would love to have a movie outing where we could watch this movie with our kids. If you would like your child to attend, we recommend buying movie tickets in advance! We will let you know a time and movie theater as soon as possible!

Canned Food Drive
Second grade is holding their annual canned food drive this week! Please send in canned goods like green beans, dried beans, canned corn, packaged stuffing, instant potatoes, and more to help out families in need!

Spring Creek BBQ Spirit Night is Monday, November 13th!