Week of 10-28 Newsletter

Dear 4/5 Families,

Hello! I hope you had a wonderful time at the Harvest Festival! There will not be spelling or vocabulary this week however there will be a math test on Wednesday.

We are continuing to write our Historical Fictions, and WOW, I am really impressed with the writing abilities of the students! As part of the unit, I’d like to do an activity where we explore foods from the “New World” on Halloween. The list of foods that I’d like to have brought in for a smell & taste test is below. Please let me know if you can help out!

Halloween is Thursday! The parade begins at 8:45 AM.  If your child chooses to come to school in a costume that may be uncomfortable or make it so they cannot sit at their desk, please be sure that he/she brings clothes to change into in order to participate in our regular class schedule for the remainder of the day. Please remind your child that violent or gory costumes are not permitted - nor are weapon accessories. We will be celebrating October birthdays at the end of the day, so please contact me regarding snacks!

Important upcoming dates:

October 31: Halloween parade (8:45AM) & October birthday celebration (2:15PM)

November 1: No School for students, Staff Development Day

November 11: No School - Veteran’s Day

November 12-15: 12:35 dismissal for Parent/Teacher Conferences

Thank you all for your help and support in the classroom and at home. We really appreciate the time you take to volunteer!

Best,

Ms. Honig

Items from the New World

pineapple

sunflower seeds

chili pepper

pumpkin

blueberries

potatoes

corn

marigolds

bell peppers

vanilla bean (or extract)

tomatoes

kidney beans

peanuts

Week of 10-21 Newsletter

Hello! We are continuing to write our Historical Fiction stories about European Explorers and the students are demonstrating very creative writing skills. I can’t wait to share their published stories at conferences! As part of the unit, I’d like to do an activity where we explore foods from the “New World” this Friday. I have a list of foods that I’d like to have brought in for a smell & taste test. Please let me know if you can help out! The list is below.

Tomorrow we will have a Bully Prevention Assembly with a guest speaker named Jeff Caplan. We are looking forward to developing a common language and ways to prevent bullying from coming into our campus.

Halloween is less than 2 weeks away! We will participate in the all-school parade first thing in the morning. There are a few guidelines that I’d like to share with you regarding costumes & behavior expectations. First of all, please remind your child that violent or gory costumes are not permitted - nor are weapon accessories. If your child chooses to come to school in costume, please be sure that he/she brings clothes to change into in order to participate in our regular class schedule for the remainder of the day. We will be celebrating October birthdays at the end of the day, so please contact me regarding snacks!

Important upcoming dates:

October 25: Spirit Wear - come to school in Green &/or Gold to show school spirit!

October 27: Harvest Festival & Pajaro Valley Arts Council Reception - our art will be on display until Dec. 8

October 31: Halloween parade (8:45AM) & October birthday celebration (2:15PM)

November 1: No School for students, Staff Development Day

November 11: No School - Veteran’s Day

November 12-15: 12:35 dismissal for Parent/Teacher Conferences

Thank you all for your help and support in the classroom and at home. We really appreciate the time you take to volunteer!

Best,

Ms. Honig

Items from the New World
pineapple
sunflower seeds
chili pepper
pumpkin
blueberries
potatoes
corn
marigolds
bell peppers
vanilla bean (or extract)
tomatoes
kidney beans
peanuts

Dia de los Muertos - Santa Cruz Style

Wow! Thank you so much to Mary Beth Duncan & Summer Rhee-Pizano for the fabulous direction of the Dia de los Muertos - Santa Cruz Style art project! Check out a quick photo of it as well as the flyer for the Pajaro Valley Arts Council Receptionfor "Mi Casa Es Su Casa" (it opens 10-27 & continues until 12-8) . We are even featured as one of the participating community groups!

Newsletter for week of 10/14

Dear 4/5 Families,

I hope this letter finds you well. We had a wonderful time in San Juan Bautista. Thank you to the chaperones for driving and spending the day with our class, we couldn’t have done it without you! We learned about the sorted history of California from Ohlones to the Gold Rush! I’ll keep you posted for the next field trip.

Important upcoming dates:

October 22: Bully Prevention assembly (grades 4-6 12:45)

October 27: Harvest Festival

October 31: Halloween parade & October birthday celebration

November 1: No School for students, Staff Development Day

What we’re learning:

Language Arts/Social Sciences: We will focus on elements of a historical fiction, character & plot development and the steps of the writing process. Students have become “experts” on a specific explorer and will begin to use that information to write a historical fiction with him as the main character.

Math: 4th graders will continue learning about the Order of Operations (PEMDAS) and 5th graders will also continue learning about Prime Factorization and exponents.

Science: 4th graders will be learning about how to determine an organism’s optimum conditions and environmental preferences, using brine shrimp. 5th graders will continue to learn about plate tectonics and earthquakes.

Art: Our art project with Mary Beth & Summer Rhee-Pizano is beginning to take shape and looks amazing! Our Dia de Los Muertos exhibit that will be put on display later this month with the Pajaro Valley Arts Council (more information to follow soon)!

Thank you all for your help and support in the classroom and at home. We really appreciate the time you take to volunteer! If you have any questions or concerns please email me a rhonig@santacruz.k12.ca.us.

Best,

Ms. Honig

Week of 10/7 Newsletter

Dear 4/5 Families,

I hope this letter finds you well. We have our first field trip this Friday. We will be visiting the San Juan Bautista Mission, Plaza and the San Andreas Faultline as part of what we’re studying in Social Sciences and Science. Please plan to send your child to school on Friday with comfortable walking shoes, a snack & sack lunch, and a water bottle. We will be gone the majority of the day on Friday, leaving at 8:30 AM.

Important upcoming dates:

October 22: Bully Prevention assembly (grades 4-6 12:45)

October 27: Harvest Festival

October 31: Halloween parade & October birthday celebration

November 1: No School for students, Staff Development Day

What we’re learning about:

Language Arts/Social Sciences: We are researching European Explorers and how they led the settlements in the Americas. Students will become “experts” on a specific explorer and use that information to write a historical fiction with him as the main character.

Math: 4th graders will be learning about the Order of Operations (PEMDAS) and 5th graders will be learning about Prime Factorization and exponents.

Science: 4th graders will be learning about how to determine an organism’s optimum conditions and environmental preferences, using brine shrimp. 5th graders will continue to learn about plate tectonics and earthquakes.

Art: We began a 3 week art project with Mary Beth & Summer Rhee-Pizano last week. We will be building a Dia de Los Muertos exhibit that will be put on display later this month!

Thank you all for your help and support in the classroom and at home. We really appreciate the time you take to volunteer! If you have any questions or concerns please email me a rhonig@santacruz.k12.ca.us.

Best,

Ms. Honig