Week of 10/27 Newsletter

Dear Families,

I hope this letter finds you well! We are so grateful that the rain gave way for a beautiful Harvest Festival. Our play is this week so please read the list below to be sure your child is ready for the big performance. And, Halloween is Friday!

Play Checklist:

• Practice lines, cues, songs
• Bring pants to school for the performances
• Get lots of rest before Wednesday
• Plan for the school-wide performance at 11 AM Wednesday
• Arrive at 6:40 on Wednesday to prepare for the 7PM performance

Halloween:

• Halloween Parade is at 8:45AM. Please feel free to join us for the festivities in the morning.
• If your child chooses to come to school in a costume that may be uncomfortable or makes it difficult to sit at his/her desk, please be sure to send clothes to change into for participation 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.
• Our Cast & Halloween Party will be after lunch on Friday. If you haven't already signed up for a snack please check in with Amanda Connors.

Thank you for all of your help and cooperation through this play process! It will be fun to celebrate your child's success on Friday.

If you haven't bookmarked our class calendar, please check it out here to find out about the upcoming restructured days, holidays and Homework Club schedule.

Best,

Mrs. Honig

Week of 10/20 Newsletter

Hello 4th & 5th Grade Families,

I hope this letter finds you well! We are in play-mode FULL SWING! So this week, homework will be math and reading so that your child can spend time practicing lines and singing the songs. Please work with your child to practice their cues and speaking their lines with volume and expression! We are gathering costumes this week as well as working on the set. Unless I contact you this week, your child has a costume already. We are looking forward to our performances, Wednesday, 10/29!

I hope you have all had a chance to check out your child's progress on Jupiter Grades. The purpose of giving you access is to allow you and your child to monitor assignments as they get turned in. If you have any questions about it, please email me.

Study Hall & Homework Club:
If your child earns less than 80% on any math test, he or she has the opportunity to improve upon their grade by coming to Study Hall (Thursday at lunch). I will also be available on most Thursdays after school for Homework Club when your child can stay after school until 3:30 to work on homework in preparation for Friday's quiz. Please check our classroom calendar to see when we will meet.

Thank you so much for all of your support at home and in class! We couldn't do it without you! If you have any questions or concerns, please email me and I will respond within 48 hours - unless it's on the weekends.

Best,

Mrs. Honig

Week of 10/13 Newsletter

Hello 4th and 5th Grade Families,

I hope this letter finds you all well! I want to thank you for your help with the play! We will continue with rehearsals this week. I have sent home a script and CD with your child to practice lines and songs. Please make a point to practice every night with your child. Our play is scheduled for Wednesday, October 29, 2014.

We have launched a few technological practices in our classroom that I'd like to introduce you to.

mountainesd.typingclub.com
A website to help your child learn to type accurately. Every child had an account where their progress is tracked. If you are interested in checking it out at home, please check it out at mountainesd.typingclub.com.

www.discoveryeducation.com
Another is Discovery Education "Techbooks". This is a great resource that students can use independently to learn about Social Studies and Science topics. I can assign chapters and videos for your child to read and watch and there is even a feature for the text to be read to the students. There are some interactive features to reinforce learning. Students can also create "Boards" to summarize the reading.
Your child will bring home his/her login information, for both sites, on Monday.

www.jupitergrades.com/login
I use an online grading system called Jupiter Grades. I keep record of assignments, grades and a running record of your child's progress on this site. It is secure, and I would like you to be able to view your child's account, so I have included directions for parent access in your Monday Folder. I strive to be up to date on grades each week, so don't panic if you don't see certain assignments, immediately.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at rhonig@mountainesd.org, I try to respond within 48 hours unless it's the weekend.

Best,
Mrs. Honig

Week of 10/6 Newsletter

Dear 4th & 5th Grade Families,

Well, it sounds like the kids had a BLAST on their trip to Coloma! Thanks to ALL of the families that helped by chaperoning, gathering supplies, and helping kids prepare. What a wonderful learning experience for the students! While there, the students created bandanas to remember their experience and we would love to display them before sending them home. If anyone is willing to iron them to set the ink for us, please let me know!

We are beginning our play this week! It is called "Great Americans of the 20th Century". Thanks to the Parents' Club, we will begin working with Micha as well! Enclosed in the Monday Folder, there is a Volunteer Sign-up Sheet for any parent or guardian who is able to help out with the rehearsals and set. Please fill it out and return it by this Thursday.

The Drive for Schools has begun! You will find all of the information needed in your child's Monday folder. For more details, please visit this website.


What We're Learning:

Math: Students will be expected to explain what a factor and multiple is, as well as the difference between Prime & Composite Numbers. 5th Graders will extend this concept with Prime Factorization. It is IMPERATIVE that your child practice multiplication facts on a daily basis to memorize the facts from zeros to twelves. This will help them immensely with fractions and more complicated computation with larger numbers.

Social Sciences & ELA: Students will continue their novel study on The Sign of the Beaver focusing on inference, a character study as well as looking for figurative language and complex sentences.

Science: 4th Graders will begin a unit on Ecosystems. 5th Graders will continue with Mixtures & Solutions.

Thank you so much for all of your support both in the classroom and at home. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me via email: rhonig@mountainesd.org.