Week of January 21st

Hi everyone! We hope that you and your family will enjoy a long three day weekend. We'll look forward to seeing our awesome 5th graders on Tuesday morning!  

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

Important Reminders: 

• The learners will not have school on Monday, January 21st. 
• Sky Ranch Parent Meeting - This Wednesday, January 23rd. (See info below.) 

What's Happening Around TCE? 

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.

Yearbook Submissions
PTO would love your help as they continue the process of collecting pictures throughout the year to spotlight in the yearbook. For more information on submitting pictures, please see our previous blog post. 

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 always, if you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to ask. 

Sky Ranch Parent Meeting 
We would like for all 5th grade parents to attend an informational meeting on this Wednesday, January 23rd at 5:30. The meeting will be in the Town Center cafeteria, and it will last about an hour. We will go over basic information for the trip (sample schedules, packing list, meal options, classes, sleeping arrangements, etc.) and we will provide time for questions. Please note that this meeting is for parents. 

Want to Know More About Sky Ranch? 
In addition to holding our parent meeting, we have also gathered some pictures from our 2017 Sky Ranch trip (which is the last time this team of teachers went). We have heard from some of the kids that they are unsure about going on the trip, and we thought it might help if you could look at some pictures as a family. Click here to see the pictures! 

Spring Creek BBQ Night
We will have our annual Lewisville Spring Creek Barbecue Spirit Night Monday, January 28th from 5-9PM. Come join us for fabulous food and socializing with all your favorite TCE friends and teachers. Spring Creek will donate 20% of all the evening's proceeds to our school. Also, the class with the best attendance will win a special prizes. 

Pictures from the Winter Party 
During our Winter Party, our wonderful room moms set up a photo booth. Click here to see the pictures from our photo booth. 

A Peek into Our Classrooms

The learners in Miss Natherson's classroom worked on their One Little Word Projects on their iPads! 

The learners in Miss Natherson's classroom worked on their One Little Word Projects on their iPads!

The learners in Miss Natherson's classroom worked on their One Little Word Projects on their iPads!

Sharing our One Little Words for 2019!

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 practicing multiplying whole numbers by fractions and fractions by whole numbers. In addition, we will transition to the next portion of our operations with fractions unit by learning how to divide whole numbers by unit fractions and divide unit fractions by whole numbers. (A "unit fraction" is a fraction with 1 as the numerator. Ex: 1/2, 1/5, 1/8, 1/10, etc.)

Math Homework: Starting this week, 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 wrapping up our unit over Earth's Changing Surface. The learners will be finishing their landforms stations. They complete their review for the test in class this week. We will be going over the answers to the review in class and then the learners will bring the review home to study.

Social Studies
This week in social studies, learners will begin a new unit covering Manifest Destiny and Westward Expansion. Specifically, students will begin the unit exploring the Louisiana Purchase and Lewis and Clark.

Reading & Language Arts
This week in readers workshop, we will continue our study of nonfiction, focusing on different levels of questioning and author's viewpoint.

This week in spelling, we will be focusing on words with vowel changes from long vowel sounds to schwa.

This week in writing, learners will continue working on expository writing. Learners will focus on organizing their ideas, adding supporting details, and editing their writing.

Week of January 14th

Hi everyone! We have had a wonderful week back at school. We hope that you and your family have enjoying getting back into your routines and that you've had a happy start to the new year. 

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

Important Reminders: 

• The learners will not have school on Monday, January 21st. 
• Sky Ranch Parent Meeting - January 23rd. (See info below.) 

What's Happening Around TCE? 

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.

Friendship Friday in Fifth Grade
As many of you know, each class sits at a specific, designated table during lunch. Well, we are going to start something new with the learners next week. Every other Friday, the learners will have the chance to sit with any friend in the fifth grade at any of the designated fifth grade tables. Our hope is that they will enjoy the chance to visit with a friend they don't see as often and that this choice will help prepare them for the open seating options in middle school. We wanted to make you aware of this change because many of you come to have lunch with your learner on Fridays. 

Yearbook 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". Please see Ms. Martin's Parent Blog for information on how to submit pictures. 

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 always, if you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to ask. 

Sky Ranch Parent Meeting 
We would like for all 5th grade parents to attend an informational meeting on Wednesday, January 23rd at 5:30. The meeting will be in the Town Center cafeteria, and it will last about an hour. We will go over basic information for the trip (sample schedules, packing list, meal options, classes, sleeping arrangements, etc.) and we will provide time for questions. Please note that this meeting is for parents. 

Spring Creek BBQ Night
We will have our annual Lewisville Spring Creek Barbecue Spirit Night Monday, January 28th from 5-9PM. Come join us for fabulous food and socializing with all your favorite TCE friends and teachers. Spring Creek will donate 20% of all the evening's proceeds to our school. Also, the class with the best attendance will win a special prize!

Needing to Contact Your Child's Teacher?
We love connecting with families and being available to answer any questions or address any concerns you have! If you need to contact us, please use one of the options below.

• CISD Email: All TCE staff have an official CISD email address that is checked each day.
• mpeccarelli@coppellisd.com
• kseifert@coppellisd.com
• mnatherson@coppellisd.com
• jltaylor@coppellisd.com
• rperry@coppellisd.com 
• CISD Phones: While our classroom phones do not push through phone calls from outside the school during the day, you may call our CISD phones and leave a message. For a more time sensitive manner, please contact the front office. They are able to relay messages to us. **We recently received new phones and our numbers will be changing. Once we have our new numbers, we will post them on the blog. 
• In Person: Our designated conference time is 9:55-10:50 on Mondays-Thursdays and 11:10-12:00 on Fridays. Please contact your teacher via their CISD phone number or CISD email to set up a conference time, if needed. We would be happy to meet with you! 

A Peek into Our Classrooms

Our Town Center Spelling Bee Champion studied really hard to be prepared for the District Spelling Bee on January 9th. She did a great job and made it through to the 6th round which is extra impressive because she was competing against students in 5th-8th grades! 

Learners created canyons and shorelines and explored the effects of erosion on their landscapes during our science lab!

Learners created canyons and shorelines and explored the effects of erosion on their landscapes during our science lab!

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 our unit over operations with fractions. We will be multiplying whole numbers by fractions and fractions by whole numbers. You can access and print the optional math homework here.

Science
This week in science, the learners will be investigating physical weather and landforms. The learners will also be participating in a practice Science STAAR on Tuesday and Wednesday.  

Social Studies
This week in social studies, the learners finish their unit on the Constitution. Students will be given an exam review at the beginning of the week, and will continue to review for the remainder of the week. Learners will have an exam over both the Constitution and the three Branches of Government at the end of the week.

Reading & Language Arts
This week in readers workshop, we will continue to work on nonfiction skills. Specifically, we will focus on the organizational structures of nonfiction texts and how recognizing these structures can help us understand what we read. We will also focus on summarizing what we've read by identifying the big ideas.

This week in spelling, we will be focusing on the Greek root, meter. Learners will learn to spell words containing graph as well as understand the meaning of the root.

This week in writing, learners will continue working on expository writing. Learners will focus on organizing their ideas, adding supporting details, and editing their writing.

Week of January 7th

Hi everyone! Happy New Year! We hope that you and your family had an enjoyable holiday break and a Happy New Year! We are so excited to start 2019 with these wonderful 5th graders! 

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

Important Reminders: 

• The learners will not have school on Monday, January 21st. 

What's Happening Around TCE? 

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.

Yearbook 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". Please see Ms. Martin's Parent Blog for information on how to submit pictures. 

December Spirit Rally 
The Spirit Rally just before the break was a lot of fun. Our very own 5th Grade Student Council Officers planned and lead the entire spirit rally. We were really proud of their hard work and bravery. Ms. Martin shared a video of the spirit rally in her parent blog. Take a look if you have a minute! 

A Peek into Our Classrooms

Just before the break, the 5th graders had the opportunity to participate in a few service learning projects. We were overwhelmed by the number of donations that you, our 5th Grade Families, sent in for both the Bridge Homeless Shelter and the Gateway House. Thank you! 

An abundance of donations came in for the Holiday Boxes for the homeless shelter!

The learners enjoyed being able to "shop" through the donations to add to the Holiday boxes. 

The learners loved getting to wrap the boxes and add a little holiday cheer to the donations! 

We ended up with 24 shoeboxes full of donations, and we had lots of leftovers to take to the shelter! 

The Gatehouse was very appreciative of our donations as well!


The Gatehouse asked us to pass along the following message: 

I’m so thankful for all the TCE families that participated, and grateful for teachers who teach our kids about service. Happy Holidays to all!

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 our unit over operations with fractions. We will review adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators, and then we will move on to multiplying whole numbers by fractions.

Science
This week in science, the learners will be investigating how fossil fuels and different landforms are made. They will be creating a foldable to showcase the different stages of the creation of fossil fuels. The learners will also be participating in different stations to understand how landforms are created using weathering, erosion, and/or deposition. 

Social Studies
This week in social studies, the learners will continue to learn about the three Branches of Government and the balance of powers.

Reading & Language Arts
This week in readers workshop, we will continue to work on nonfiction skills. Specifically, we will focus on the organizational structures of nonfiction texts and how recognizing these structures can help us understand what we read.

This week in spelling, we will be focusing on the Greek root, graph. Learners will learn to spell words containing graph as well as understand the meaning of the root.

This week in writing, learners will continue working on their expository pieces responding to the prompt: "Write about what you wish was different in the world." We hope you'll take some time to talk to your son/daughter about their chosen topic.

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.

Week of December 10th

Hello 5th Grade Families,

We cannot believe we only have 2 more weeks left until Winter Break! 5th grade has a very exciting month ahead, so thank you for taking the time to read our blog.

Whats Happening Around TCE?

• 5th Grade School Spelling Bee - December 11th
• Jingle Bell Jog - December 14th at 11:10
• 5th Grade Winter Performance - December 17th 
• Winter Party - December 20th from 2:00-3:00 in the cafeteria

Don't Miss TCE's Family Movie Night!

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.

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 beginning their unit over operations with fractions. To begin the unit, the learners will learn how to add and subtract fractions with different denominaotrs. This requires them understand equivalent fractions, which we will also be reviewing. This weeks homework includes adding and subtracting fractions with the same denominator, as well as adding and subtracting fractions with different denominators.

Weekly Math Homework: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Hg-Hvq42jiAN34rVJsQnD8kgth6zlpvFWzNVKPUyKvk/edit

Science

This week in science we will be exploring sedimentary rocks. The learners will be make their own sedimentary rocks and doing several learning ports. They will be exploring the process of how sedimentary rocks are formed.

Social Studies 

Ths week in history, learners will begin learning about the three branches of government and the balance of powers.

ELAR

We have recently started a new Nonfiction Unit in reading. This next week, we will be focusing on understanding and determining complex main ideas. We will also focus on using context clues to understand the meaning of unknown words.
In grammar, we will continue to focus on adverbs. In spelling, we will continue our focus of Greek and Latin roots.
As a reminder, we will have our School Spelling Bee on Tuesday, December 11th. We are excited to see how the learners do in the spelling bee.

Week of December 3

Hello 5th Grade Families,

We cannot believe we are already moving into December! 5th grade has a very exciting month ahead, so thank you for taking the time to read our blog.

Whats Happening Around TCE?

• 5th Grade Class Spelling Bees - December 4th 
• 5th Grade School Spelling Bee - December 11th
• Jingle Ball Jog - December 14th at 11:10
• 5th Grade Winter Performance - December 17th 

Don't Miss TCE's Family Movie Night!

TCE Giving Tree

Curriculum Updates:Math: This week in math we will be wrapping up our unit over personal finance. The learners will take a post test at the beginning of the week. Next, we will begin our unit over operations with factions. The learners will be required to add and subtract fractions with unequal denominators, solve multiplication of whole numbers and fractions, and divide whole numbers by unit fractions and unit fractions by whole numbers. The homework this week will be a review of what we covered last year in fractions. We recommend all learners complete the homework as a review over fraction concepts covered last year.Optional Homework

Science: This week in science, we will be wrapping up our unit over force, motion, and energy. The learners will be taking a post test on Monday. Learners completed a review of force, motion, and energy in Schoology. Students can use this reveiw to study over the weekend. 

Language Arts: In reading, learners will continue working on analyzing nonfiction text. Learners will explore how to read nonficiton text with extra alertness. They will also learn how to use nonfiction text features and their prior knowledge to assist them in understanding text. Finally, students will explore the main idea of cmplex nonfiction text.

In writing, learnes will continue working through minilessons, covering the different parts of an expository text (introducation, conclusion, development of ideas, etc.)

In grammar, learners will continue studyng adverbs.

In spelling, learners will be able to correctly spell words with the greek root phon.

Social Studies: In History, learnes will begin exploring the importance of the Bill of Rights. In addition, students will learn about the fundamental rights guaranteed by the amendements in the Bill of Rights. These rights include the freedom of religion, speech, and press; the right to assemble and petition the government; the right to keep and bear arms; the right to trial by jury; and the right to an attorney.

 

Week of November 16

Hello 5th Grade Families,

All of the fifth grade educators would like to wish you a relaxing and wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday with your family!

What's Happening Around TCE?

NO SCHOOL NOVEMBER 19-23

As a reminder, there will be no school the week of November 19th in observance of the Thanksgiving Holiday.

5th grade lunch will begin at 12:15 on 11/30

A Look Inside Our Classrooms 

Vocabulary Review 

ADI in Science 

Curriculum Updates:

Math: After the break, we will continue our unit over personal finance. The learners will analyze financial records and learn to balance a budget. In addition, we will discuss the differences between credit cards, debit cards, and checks. We will also continue discussing the following vocabulary words: income tax, payroll tax, sales tax, property tax, gross income, net income, electronic, payment, financial records, budget, expenses, and income.

Science: This week, in science, we will be wrapping up our ADI. The learners will be finishing their reports and doing a blind peer review. After, they will write their final copy. Once we finish our ADI, we will start our unit over Earth's changing surface. The learners will start this unit by exploring how fossil fuels are made. 

Language Arts: In reading, students will begin a new unit covering nonfiction. Learners will have a chance to explore a wide range of high interest non fiction texts thanks to our fabulous PTO!

In writing, learners will begin a new unit on expository writing. Students will participate in a series of mini lessons covering the different parts of an expository text (introduction, conclusion, development of ideas, etc.)

In grammar, learners will be able to properly identify and write adverbs.

In spelling, learners will be able to properly spell base words with affixes.

Social Studies: This week in Social Studies, learners will begin a new unit over the Constitution. Students will study the Articles of Confederation, Preamble, and the Constitutional Convention.