First and foremost, thank you, thank you for all the special treats this week! I can't tell you how much those little surprises mean to me. I know it is Teacher Appreciation week but I want you all to know how much I appreciate each and every one of our Sun Bears (and parents, of course). Thank you again.
Highlights
In Language Arts we are doing so many neat things. We are reading and writing lots of different styles of poems -- from acrostic and cinquain to free verse, and rhyming. We will continue writing poetry intermittently throughout the remainder of the year. Ask your child about Shel Silverstein. I am confident each has a favorite poem by now.
We are also in the midst of a historical fiction unit. We will be finishing up The Orphan of Ellis Island this week. It has been a great novel for the kids to read independently, especially with the tie in to their road trip up to New York in Social Studies where they have been focusing on immigration. On Friday, we will begin an end-of-novel project which, for the most part, will be completed in class. Our current read aloud is Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse, a historical fiction novel which takes place in the midwest in the 1930's during the Dust Bowl. This is a great but heavy book that is teaching the kids quite a bit about that time period in the South Central region. It is also written in free verse poems as opposed to chapters which connects with our poetry unit. They are really enjoying the book. Next week, we will read some non-fiction stories and books. Following that, we will end the year with a great mystery unit and novel, which I am in the process of choosing. I will keep you posted.
For writing, the class is working on historical fiction stories from the perspective of an immigrant. They are working on these pieces in Social Studies and Language Arts. We also continue to work on being poets.
In Math, we are still working on Geometry while tying in decimals and measurement. We have been practicing with perimeter and area of rectangles and circles. We have also visited line symmetry and rotational symmetry. From here, we will move into volume and fractions and continue wiht decimals and number operations.
In Social Studies, their road trip has stopped in New York and the Northeast. Not only are they learning about the region's geography and topography but about the culture and history as well. Specifically, they are focusing on immigration and Ellis Island. From there, they will move on to the Middle Western and South Central regions.
In Science, the periodic table is being dusted off and brought to life for the kids. As an intro to a mini unit on Chemistry, they are exploring the different elements and looking at simple compounds. They also built molecules out of marshmallows and toothpicks! We will share these things and more with other CDS kids during our upcoming Science Day. We will also be working on constructing a VA Field Guide of some of the animals we find here in our beautiful state before we head to Cape Charles for our field trip!
End-of-Year Trip to Cape Charles
So, the kids are so excited about our end-of-year trip to the Chesapeake Bay. We talked about the details of the trip and about earning money towards the cost of the trip. Here are some important updates:
1) THE DATES OF THE TRIP HAVE CHANGED -- We will now be going on the 29th and returning on the 30th. Please accept my apologies for this change. My son is graduating from 8th grade and his ceremony is on Thursday, May 31st as opposed to Friday, June 1st as I originally thought. All of the details of the trip will remain the same.
2) We are planning to have our carwash on Sunday, May 20th, in the afternoon. Exact time and loctation TBD. Please save the date on your calendar.
3) We are planning to host a Kids Night Out on Saturday, May 26th (yes, I know it is Memorial Day weekend). Exact time TBD. Please save the date on your calendar.
4) As of right now, we have plenty of parent drivers/chaperones for this trip. I know that many more of you would like to go, and it is great that we have so many back-ups. This is going to be a amazing educational and bonding experience for this class. Thank you all for making it possible.
5) We are encouraging each child to EARN part of the cost of the trip. While we have the two above-mentioned fundraising opportunities, I hope they take on the challenge of working for part of the cost at home or in their neighborhoods. I have told them that I do not want them emptying their piggy banks but only want them to bring in money they have earned specifically for this trip. It would be great if we can raise enough per child to offset the cost of the kayaking trip.
I will continue to send out updates about the trip and our fundraising events.
SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reminders
- Please send your child to school with water every day. It is getting warmer and they definitely drink more throughout the day.
- We will be going to the library tomorrow afternoon. Please make sure your child has his/her library card and any library books that need to be renewed or returned.
- On Mondays, I help with our theatre production of Annie which begins right at 3:30. Any child not picked up at 3:30 will be sent to Extended Day. Thank you for your understanding.
-Please read all of the Weekly Updates sent out by Senora B for upcoming dates and events.
I hope you all enjoy the rest of the week.
All the best,
Annelise
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