Week of 2-11 Newsletter

February 11, 2014

Dear 4/5 Families,

I hope this letter finds you dry & well! Thank you so much for your support throughout the Science Fair Project process. I am so excited to hear about each child’s experiment. Please remember that the projects will be on display on Wednesday (tomorrow) from 10:30-3PM in the PAC Room. We’d love to share them with family members & friends, so come on by!

We began reading a Newbery Award winning novel called By the Great Horn Spoon! written by Sid Fleischman. It is a richly written adventure, set amidst the California Gold Rush. In an effort to continue teaching about Historical Fiction as well as just fabulous writing, we’ll be reading the novel together as a class. Occasionally, I will be sending home a copy with your child to read for homework. Please take the time to read aloud with your child and discuss the events & writing.

We are continuing to learn about fractions (5th graders are also working with their relationship with decimals). Please keep practicing multiplication & division facts NIGHTLY!

Dates to remember:

Feb. 12: Mountain School Science Fair (parents & families are welcome!)

Feb. 13: Student Council will be selling Hot Cocoa ($1/cup) before school - we encourage you to send a reusable mug!

Feb. 13: 2:30PM: Valentines’ exchange (please do not send edible treats with the cards and please remember to send one for EVERY child, if you send any at all - names on reverse

Feb. 14: NO SCHOOL - Staff Development Day

Feb. 17: NO SCHOOL - President’s Day

Mar. 17: Report Cards will be sent home

Thanks for your time and support both in the classroom and at home! If you have any questions or concerns, please send me an email at rhonig@santacruz.k12.ca.us.

Best,

Ms. Honig

Week of 2/3 Newsletter

February 3, 2014

Dear 4/5 Families,

I hope this letter finds you well! Thank you for your continued support at home practicing math facts with your child. In an effort to record progress, an update will be sent home weekly showing how your child is moving forward. I hope this will help your child continue to practice the facts as well as work on automaticity.

Valentine’s Day lands on a Staff Development day, so we’ll be planning to have some time for children to exchange valentines at the end of the day on 2/13. I ask that if your child brings Valentines to share, they bring one for every child in the class. I’ll also ask that you do not send edible treats, but rather encourage thoughtful, handmade notes.

Dates to remember:

Feb 10: NO SCHOOL - Lincoln’s Birthday

Feb 11: Science Fair PROJECT IS DUE!

Feb 12: Mountain School Science Fair (parents & families are welcome!)

Feb. 13: Valentine’s Day valentine exchange, 2:30PM

Feb 14: NO SCHOOL - Staff Development Day

Feb 17: NO SCHOOL - President’s Day

Thanks for your time and support both in the classroom and at home! If you have any questions or concerns, please send me an email at rhonig@santacruz.k12.ca.us.

Best,

Ms. Honig

Week of 1/27 Newsletter

Dear 4/5 Families,

I hope this letter finds you well! We are halfway through this school year, if you can believe it!

What we’re learning:

SCIENCE FAIR:

I hope the science fair projects are going well. I will be asking your child to bring in his/her notebook of observations to have a brief meeting on Wednesday or Thursday, during the school-day.

MATH:

4th: Fractions! We are continuing our unit on fractions and I would like to encourage you to keep up the practice with multiplication facts, nightly. We will be comparing and ordering fractions and then learning how to add & subtract fractions.

5th: Division with decimals! As part of this unit, we are encouraging students to estimate the quotient as a tool to guide them to the correct, accurate answer. It is imperative that they have their multiplication & division facts memorized to support their mathematical practice.

SOCIAL SCIENCES:

We have learned about the 13 Colonies and will work on writing an essay to compare them. Then we will be learning about the lead up to the Revolutionary War.

ELA:

Your child has been working to revise his/her Historical Fiction and I hope to publish the class book this week! If you haven’t had a chance to check out their stories, you can access them on our website.

Dates to remember:

Feb 10: NO SCHOOL - Lincoln’s Birthday

Feb 11: Science Fair PROJECT IS DUE!

Feb 12: Mountain School Science Fair (parents & families are welcome!)

Feb 14: NO SCHOOL - Staff Development Day

Feb 17: NO SCHOOL - President’s Day

Thanks for your time and support both in the classroom and at home! If you have any questions or concerns, please send me an email at rhonig@santacruz.k12.ca.us.

Best,

Ms. Honig

Week of 1/21 Newsletter

January 21, 2014

Dear 4/5 Families,

I hope you had a wonderful weekend! This weather has been just beautiful! I am writing this letter to enlist your help in the upcoming weeks in 2 major areas.

SCIENCE:

First of all, thank you for working with your child to write up the science fair proposal. I was very impressed with the high caliber of project ideas. I encourage you, while your child continues to research and set up his/her project, to ask questions and discuss with your child the process they are following. One of the most important parts of participating in the science fair is for the children to understand how the Scientific Method works. While we will continue to use the method at school, my hope is that by completing the project, the ideas will be reinforced. Please keep the packet that I sent home readily available throughout this process and use it as a guide. I will be available after school this Thursday, Friday and next Monday to meet with students to discuss their progress. This is not required, but highly recommended. If you’d like your child to meet with me, please send me a note or email and I look forward to being as involved as I can.

MATH:

Both the 4th and 5th graders are working very hard in math, using the 8 Mathematical Practices outlined in the Common Core State Standards. I would like to ask you to work with your child at home on his/her multiplication facts. It is imperative that they know them with automaticity by the end of 4th grade, through the 12s. Our 4th graders have just begun a unit on fractions and will be asked to recall factors and multiples of numbers as they learn how to compare, order, add, subtract & multiply with common fractions. Our 5th graders are learning how to multiply and divide decimals and it will benefit them immensely if they know their facts automatically. So, I’m asking you to commit to making sure your child spends a minimum of 15 minutes a night, with flash-cards, practicing his/her multiplication facts. If you are unable to get flash-cards for your child, please let me know ASAP.

Thank you for your support at home and in class. We appreciate it so much! If you have any questions or concerns, please send me an email at: rhonig@santacruz.k12.ca.us.

Warmly,

Ms. Honig

Week of 1/13 Newsletter

Dear 4/5 Families,

I hope this letter finds you well! With cold season in full swing, please remind your child to dress in layers, wash their hands a lot, and get lots of rest! I am hopeful that we can keep healthy if we remember these habits.

Thank you for taking the time over the weekend to look over the Science Fair packet. Please work with your child to write a proposal, due this Wednesday. I am available for questions or help so please don’t let your child wait until the last minute! The project should be fun, focused on a topic your child is interested in and is capable of doing in the time allotted. I have many resources to share so please contact me if needed.

Just a quick reminder: Cell phones are not allowed on campus. If you must send one with your child, please be sure they understand that it should stay in their backpack and in the off position while on Mountain School campus. Thank you for your support both in the classroom and at home! If you need to contact me, please email me at rhonig@santacruz.k12.ca.us.

Best,

Ms. Honig

Wed., January 15: Science Fair proposal is due!

Mon., January 20: No School - in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Tues., January 21: Special Board Meeting, 3PM

Thur. - Mon., January 23, 24, 27: After school one-on-one meetings with me to discuss Science Fair Projects (not required, but encouraged).

Week of 1/6/14 Newsletter

Dear 4/5 Families,

Happy New Year! I hope you had a restful, fun filled holiday season! Thank you again for all of the support during our play production practices and performances. And thank you to the Lawson family for the DVDs!

Our Mountain School Science Fair is scheduled for Wednesday, February 12! I will be sending home more information regarding the schedule next Monday. In the meantime, please mark your calendars and take a moment to look over the County Wide Science Fair website: http://science.santacruz.k12.ca.us and discuss with your child about entering his/her project to the fair.

What we’ll be learning about this week:

Math:

4th Graders will continue to learn how to multiply with multi-digit numbers using a variety of strategies.

5th Graders will also continue to practice adding and subtracting with decimals; focusing on using estimation to help guide them to the correct answers.

Social Sciences:

We’ll begin mapping out the early colonial settlements with a timeline and focus on climate & geographical characteristics of the Northeast.

Language Arts:

Students will receive their Historical Fictions back with comments and will continue to revise their writing with peer conferences.

Science:

4th Graders will use their knowledge of electrical circuits to build simple motors.

5th Graders will continue working with Mrs. Dudley.

We’d like to schedule a few more field trips in the next couple of months, so if you are available to help with organizing, please contact me. Thank you for your support at home and in class!

Best,

Ms. Honig

Week of 12-16 Newsletter

Dear ⅘ Families,

Congratulations to all of our students for two AMAZING performances of “America’s Tallest Tales”! Thank you, again, parents, for your time, support and encouragement. We could not have done it without you.

There will be a math test on Wednesday, and regular homework Monday & Tuesday nights.

As we wrap up the last few Tall Tales projects before winter break, I’d like to invite you to check out your child’s Tall Tale story in presentation form on www.prezi.com. Your child will have the login information in their comp books today. They worked collaboratively with partners to create these presentations of tall tales that they wrote this month.

We hope you can make it to the Holiday Night, Wednesday, 12-18-13 at 5:30-8:30PM. The students will also be performing on their ukeleles on Thursday, for the Holiday Sing, 12-19-13 at 1PM.

Have a restful week & let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Best,

Ms. Honig

Week of 12-9 Newsletter

Dear 4/5 Families,

I hope this letter finds you all well and warm! With less than 2 weeks left before Winter Break, please do what you can to ensure your child arrives at school on time. The holiday season can be a busy one for everyone but it is important to retain as regular of a schedule as possible during the week. I appreciate your help with this in getting your child to school on time, well rested and prepared.

We are counting down to our performance of “America’s Tallest Tales” and appreciate the time you’ve taken to go over lines and practice songs with your child. Our first dress rehearsal is Monday and we are just about ready for the Thursday evening performance. Here are some final details to take note of before then.

• If you haven’t already looked over the costumes & props sign-up, please do so here. Every student needs a checkered or plaid shirt and pants.
• I would like students to be at school Thursday evening and in costume by 6:45PM. The “curtains open” at 7PM.
• We would like to give Micha a bouquet or plant in thank you so if you can help with that, please contact me (phone or email).
• We will also hold a performance for Mountain School students on Friday, at 11AM. So, if you cannot make it to the evening performance, please come on Friday. Please take note that there will be limited seating, but we always do our best to make sure there’s room for all to see.
• Immediately following the Friday performance, we’d like to have a cast party to celebrate the hard work of all of our students! I’d like for the kids to have some healthy options so please be mindful of our District adopted Wellness Policy. We ask that each family contribute $3.00 per student to cover the cost of pizza. A volunteer sign-up is posted at our classroom. Please give your $3 contribution to Ms. Honig or to Amanda Connors by Wednesday.
  
  

We will have homework each night except for Thursday so please work with your child to take the time each evening to work on the assignments. If you have any questions or concerns, please email me or call me.

Upcoming Dates:

Holiday Night, 12-18-13 at 5:30-8:30PM

Holiday Sing, 12-19-13 at 1PM

Warmly,

Ms. Honig

Week of 12/2 Newsletter

Hello Families,

I hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I am very grateful for so many things this year, especially that I have the opportunity to be your child's teacher! 

We are full swing into practicing for our play and thanks again to the Parents' Club for funding Micha's time with us. We really could not put on a production without her. Please take a moment to look at the list of needs for the play by next week. Here's a link: play.

We will have regular homework this week, and I've uploaded the spelling and vocabulary words to our website on the Homework Links page. Students also have the words in their homework folders. I chose words from our play script so that the students have a deeper understanding of what they are singing and speaking about. If you have a moment, please work with your child to locate the words in his/her "Home Script" and discuss them.

Please mark your calendars for the Winter Holiday Night, Wednesday, December 18th. If you haven't already contacted Amanda Connors regarding volunteering, please give her a call. The event is a great opportunity to spend quality time with your family and the Mountain School community celebrating the winter holidays. The following day the students will be playing ukelele at the Holiday Sing. It is scheduled to begin at 1PM behind the Kindergarten classroom. Remember, there is no school Friday, December 20, 2013 through January 3, 2014.

If you haven't already submitted a response to my survey about the report cards, please do so by Friday, December 6 at this link. I really appreciate your feedback!

Thank you again for your support in the classroom at at home! Please contact me if you have any questions at rhonig@santacruz.k12.ca.us.

Warmly,

Ms. Honig

Week of 11/18 Newsletter

Dear 4/5 Families,

Thank you for taking the time to meet with me during Parent-Teacher conferences. It was wonderful to share your child’s successes and progress with you and I look forward to our continued partnership supporting your child's academic success!

Thank you to the Parent’s Club for continuing to fund the arts, allowing Micha to work with us beginning this week! Our class play is called “America’s Tallest Tales” and is scheduled for December 12 at 7 PM and December 13 at 11 AM. If you are available to help with any of the items below, please let me know:

• donating 30 blank cds
• creating a cd for each child with the songs for the play (this can be done at school on my computer or at home if you have a cd-burner)
• reading through scenes with students
• working with students to design & decorate the set
• organizing costumes & props

WHAT WE'RE LEARNING ABOUT:

4th Grade Math: Multi-digit multiplication & division.

5th Grade Math: Operations with decimals.

Language Arts: Genre study on Tall Tales. We will look for elements of the genre in several texts, and begin a tall tales writing project.

Social Sciences: We'll continue reading about early American Colonies and taking Cornell Notes.

4th Grade Science: We are learning about Magnetism & Electricity; specifically static electricity.

We'll have regular homework this week. There will be math, spelling and vocabulary tests on Friday. Please remind your child to take the time to read & complete the reading log and practice multiplication & division facts every night! Thank you for your help both at home and in class!

Smiles,

Ms. Honig

Week of 11/11 Newsletter

Dear 4/5 Families,

I hope you had a safe and restful Veteran's Day weekend! This week students will be dismissed at 12:35 everyday for Parent-Teacher Conferences. I am looking forward to meeting with each of you to discuss your child's academic progress! If you haven't scheduled a conference, please contact me immediately.

Bravo to Second Grade for a fabulous production of "Geology Rocks!" Our play, "America's Tallest Tales," is scheduled for December 12. This week, we'll be reading through our play and assigning roles. We will begin to work with Micha next week. I would appreciate parent help with the play production, so please let me know if you would like to help with sets, costumes, reading lines, etc.

WHAT WE'RE LEARNING ABOUT:

4th Grade Math: Multi-digit multiplication & division.

5th Grade Math: Operations with decimals.

Language Arts: Finishing up writing an Historical Fiction about Explorers and beginning a genre study on Tall Tales. We will look for elements of the genre in several texts, and begin a writing project writing our own tall tales.

Social Sciences: We'll be reading about early American Colonies and taking Cornell Notes.

4th Grade Science: We'll begin the Magnetism & Electricity Unit.

We'll have regular homework this week but no spelling or vocabulary tests. Please remind your child to take the time to read & complete the reading log every night! Thank you for your help both at home and in class, we couldn't do it without your support!

Best,

Ms. Honig

Week of 11/4 Newsletter

Dear 4/5 Families,

I hope this letter finds you all well! We had a fabulous Halloween, I loved everyone’s costumes. I want to thank everyone who donated foods for the Smells & Tastes of the New World. It was a wonderful experience for our class! A special thank-you to Jennifer, Andrew & Nichole for preparing and organizing. I couldn’t have done it without you!

We will have a spelling & vocabulary test this Friday. Please check out the list on the Homework Links page. Students also have it in their homework folders.

There is no school next Monday, 11-11, in honor of Veteran’s Day. The remainder of the week, students will be dismissed at 12:35 for Fall Conferences. I will be scheduling 20 minute conferences with each family during those afternoons and some mornings. Please stop by our classroom and sign up for a time that works for you. Please discuss with your child if you’d like him/her to attend the conference; I’d like it to be a decision made by you & your child. I am looking forward to meeting with each of you to share your child’s progress this year. I’ll contact you this Friday to confirm your day & time for the conference.

If you have any questions, I can be reached via email or phone, 475-6812 extension 22,  rhonig@santacruz.k12.ca.us.

Best,

Ms. Honig