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: Week of March 5

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

• Open House - We would love for you and your family to come to visit our classrooms for Open House this Thursday, March 9th, from 5:30-7:00 PM. 

• The Book Fair is open all week this week. 

• Donuts with Dudes will be this Tuesday, March 7th & Wednesday, March 8th.
• As a reminder, we will have Spring Break from Monday, March 13-17th. 
• We will take the Math & Reading STAAR tests a week after we return from Spring Break on March 28 & 29th. 
• Coppell offers a great summer program called Camp Invention. Check this link to learn more about this opportunity. 

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). 
• The final payment of $50 is due Friday, March 10th. After this payment, your paid balance should be $200. 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. In addition, all paperwork is due on March 10th. Thank you for understanding! 

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, we have started our unit over geometry and measurement. We will be covering how to find the perimeter, area, and volume of 2D and 3D shapes, as well as how to convert measurement.

Science

In science, the learners have started a research project over fossil fuels and alternative energy resources (non-renewable and renewable). This project will wrap up our unit over Earth’s Changing Surface.

Reading, Writing, & Spelling

In reading, we will continue to review various genres such as drama, poetry, and nonfiction. 

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. The learners will be working on creating a digital timeline to review what they have learned and how each of the Acts & events have affected American History. 

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. 
• 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

Book Fair Updates

Please see the following invitations for our Book Fair and Donuts with Dudes! Of course if you have any questions about either event, please don't hesitate to ask!

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.

----

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: Week of February 6

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, Mrs. Martin, our PE Teacher, has an awesome community health challenge to share with our TCE families. Please read her letter explaining the challenge and then check out these linked flyers about the challenge and ways to earn points. 
• 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. 
• We will have a Friday Schedule on Tuesday, February 7th because we will be having a special assembly. The Coppell Chorale will be coming to perform for the school at 8:30 am.
• Tomorrow, February 7th, we will have a Chasing Cupid Fun Run during Move and Groove (11:10-12:00). 
• This Friday, we will also have a fantastic learning opportunity for the 5th graders. DTCC will be coming to work with our learners on coding skills. 
• Finally, we will have our annual Engineering Extravaganza on Thursday, February 16th from 5:30-7:00 pm. At this event, we will have a variety of engineering activities set up for families to participate in. We'll have more information about this event coming soon. We hope you'll be able to make it. 

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! 

Class Meetings & Life Principles
As you know, we have weekly class meetings in which we discuss a variety of topics. The learners share a bit about what is happening in their lives (often referred to as "Ups and Downs"), and we discuss the weekly life principles (such as respect, sincerity, empathy). We also discuss life lessons such as finding joy, how to have more positive self-talk and ways in which we can make others feel good about themselves. We hope you'll ask your learners about the things we discuss in our class meetings!

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 will continue learning about Personal Financial Literacy. They are expected to know:

• What income tax, payroll tax, sales tax, and property tax are.
• The difference between gross income and net income.
• The advantages and disadvantages of different methods of payment, including check, credit card, debit card, and electronic payments.
• Actions that might be taken to balance a budget when expenses exceed income.

The kids are always very interested during this unit and love hearing about how it relates to people in their everyday lives. It would be so helpful to have conversations with your child to help them make personal connections to these topics and terms.

Science

In science, we are beginning to cover our unit over Earth’s Changing Surface. The learners will have learning experiences to help them answer the questions:

• How and why is the Earth’s surface constantly changing?
• How do Earth’s systems interact?
• What processes led to the formation of sedimentary rocks, fossils, and fossil fuels?
• What can fossils tell us about the Earth’s past?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of alternative energy resources as compared with fossil fuel resources?

Reading, Writing, & Spelling

In reading, we will continue to study different genres. We will be reviewing the learners progress on reading comprehension and finding evidence in the text. 

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

Social Studies

We are wrapping up our study of the original thirteen colonies. For our final project, the learners are taking the point of view of a colonist and writing a letter to their families explaining why they've chosen to move to a particular county. Next we will begin to explore the events that led to the American Revolution. 

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. 
• 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.

----

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: Week of January 23

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. 

• Snowman Stretch Challenge! We will be having another campus wide design challenge, and this time we are inviting the kids to design snowmen! Please see the flyer to read more about the challenge. All submissions are due February 1st. 
• Mrs. Martin, our PE Teacher, has an awesome community health challenge to share with our TCE families. Please read her letter explaining the challenge and then check out these linked flyers about the challenge and ways to earn points. 
• 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. 
• We do have a new Safety Patrol schedule! See this link for a copy of the schedule. 

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 will have an informational meeting for all 5th grade parents this Thursday, January 26, 2017 at 5:30 PM. 
• Our next payment of $50 is 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! 

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.

STAAR Updates
As we enter into the spring semester, we are getting closer to our STAAR tests. In preparation for the tests, we will be doing some practice assessments in reading, math, and science over the next few weeks, which your learners may tell you about. We will continue to engage our learners in innovative and collaborative lessons, but we want to provide them with some practice as well. You may also notice more STAAR-related homework coming home as well. As with everything we do, we have been talking to our learners about having a growth mindset when it comes to these assessments. We want them to have all the tools they need to feel successful! 

Math

In math we will be wrapping up our unit over expressions and equations. The learners will be working on a test review in class and will be taking an assessment later in the week.

Science

In science we will be continuing our unit over patterns in the natural world. This week the learners will be researching the Sun, Earth, and Moon. They will be crafting paragraphs based off their research.

Reading, Writing, & Spelling

In reading, we will continue to study different genres. This week we will be looking at two paired passages and analyzing how they compare and contrast. The learners will also be able to continue to graph their progress and set goals for themselves. 

In writing, we will continue to study expository writing. For their midyear writing assessment, the learners wrote to explain why cellphones are important in our lives. We really enjoyed reading the enlightening reasons they came up with! 

Social Studies

We are learning about the original 13 colonies and attempting to answer our essential question, "How were the three colonial regions alike and different?" We are also working to understand the big idea that where you live affects how you live.

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. 
• 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.

----

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: Week of January 9

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. 

• Snowman Stretch Challenge! We will be having another campus wide design challenge, and this time we are inviting the kids to design snowmen! Please see the flyer to read more about the challenge. All submissions are due February 1st. 
• Town Center's Annual Skate Night will take place this Thursday, January 12th! See the flyer that came home with your son/daughter for more information. 
• As a reminder, we will not have school on Monday, January 16. 

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 will have an informational meeting for all 5th grade parents on Thursday, January 26, 2017 at 5:30 PM. 
• Our next payment of $50 is 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. 

Spelling Bee

• Congratulations to our 5th Grade Spelling Bee Champion, Mihir from 5C, and our Runner Up, Parthi from 5D. Way to go 5th graders! Mihir will be competing in the District Spelling Bee this Wednesday, January 11th. Wish him luck!

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 we have started our unit over expressions and equations. We have begun by covering prime, composite, multiples, and factors. Next week we will look at multi step problems involving the 4 operations and work to solve for the unknown variable.

Science

In science we have started our unit over patterns in the natural world. The students will be investigating the physical properties of the Sun, Earth, and Moon. They will also be investigating the day and night cycle and the water cycle.

Reading, Writing, & Spelling

In reading this week, we are beginning to review our nonfiction reading skills. We are focusing on finding evidence for all of our answers and really thinking about what we are reading. Next week we will focus on reviewing poetry.

In writing, we are continuing our study of various comma patterns. As your learner about the AAAWWWUBIS comma pattern!

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. 

Social Studies

We are learning about the original 13 colonies and attempting to answer our essential question, "How were the three colonial regions alike and different?" We are also working to understand the big idea that where you live affects how you live.

Homework Tidbits

• Weekly Spelling List - Quiz on Friday
• Reflex Math
• Weekly Math Homework - Due Friday

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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