Week of October 19- October 23, 2015
Hello Families and Friends,
We had a magical and truly great experience on the water today on the O'Neill Sea Odyssey trip! Thank you to all those who drove and chaperoned. There was a lot to see and a great deal to learn about marine biology, ecology, and navigation. The water was calm and the day perfect for a sail. As homework tonight your child should get online and walk you through what they learned. Go to www.oneillseaodyssey.org. Select "Educators" on the top of the page and scroll down to the bottom of the orange drop menu. Select "View your Class Data." This will take you to the page where you can select the group your child was in--Great White Shark or Harbor Porpoise under Mountain School at the top of the page. Enjoy looking this over together. In addition, your child also took home a folder with a picture of them on the boat at the helm!
Special Announcement: there is no school on Friday Oct. 23!
Head Phones: We had a special delivery today from Amazon courtesy of Julie Thornton (Tom's mom)! Julie donated new head phones to our classroom for our computers. Wow! We used them today in the afternoon, and they were terrific. Thank you, Julie, you rock!
Report cards and parent conferences are coming up quickly--November 4-10. Please click on the SignUpGenius link below as soon as you are able so that you can get a slot that works for your schedule. Thank you to those who have signed up thus far. The emails come straight into my in box, and I can see that it is working just fine.
SignUpGenius
I will be conducting assessments over the next few weeks as we wind down the first trimester. Making sure your child is on time, well rested and fed is especially important.
ELA: We will continue with our literature circle book--The Birchbark House.
Read Aloud: We are finished Kit Carson today and will be writing a book review on it. Tomorrow we'll be starting Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech!
Math: We took our factors and multiples pretest on Friday. Monday we had our official test on this material. It is important for students to continue to review the divisibility rules which will help with division by a single digit. We will move into multi-digit multiplication and division in the coming weeks. Math facts should be practiced each night for 5 minutes. Please check your child's planner for specific math practice assignments.
Science: Now that Mrs. Dudley is back from Science Camp, 5th graders will continue with her, and the 4th will turn back to their study of magnets and circuits in the Foss Science Program.
Social Studies: We are researching our tribes for our narrative essays about Native Americans. Your child has homework to research his/her tribe this week. This could include a home library book or a bit of supervised web browsing on a particular tribe. They are welcome to bring in any information that they would like to share as they collect it. We will do this in class as well.
Writing and Grammar: We are reviewing transitions and will work on learning the process of organizing our ideas for our narratives.
Have a great week!
Warmly,
Mrs. Young
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Monday, October 19, 2015
Monday October 19, 2015
Hello Parents and Friends,
The time has arrived! We are departing tomorrow morning from the school at 7:45 a.m. sharp for our much anticipated O'Neill Sea Odyssey trip. Please have your child here by 7:30 to avoid any delays. We will have to leave the school on time to get to our destination at the harbor, park and meet our instructor downstairs at the west end of the building on the Plaza sidewalk across from the parking lot and the Crow's Nest Restaurant. I will give all drivers their maps and student forms in the morning here at the school.
Specifics:
Location: O'Neill Sea Odyssey
2222 East Cliff Drive, Suite 222
Santa Cruz, CA 95062
(East side of Santa Cruz Harbor next to the Crow's Nest. A map will be provided to each driver with permission slips for each student traveler.)
Go to the link below to see a preview of what we will see and do, maps, and more info.:
Parking: Cars and vans go to the metered parking in the launch ramp area OR the visitor's parking for up to $5.00 per hour (we are there approximately 3 hours).
Arrival/Departure: We must arrive no later than 8:15. Late arrivals result in an abbreviated program. We will wrap up at 11:30 and head back to school for recess and lunch.
Food: Please make sure your child has eaten a very good breakfast. During the 3 hour program, there is no break.
Clothing: Dress comfortably and bring a jacket, sun screen, a hat, and sunglasses.
Shoes: Sneakers or soft-soled, non-skid shoes are required!!! You will be asked to remove dress shoes, platforms, sandals, heels or thick-soled shoes.
Weather: The program is modified to accommodate all weather conditions. Therefore, rain or shine, we will plan to go.
Drivers/chaperones and carpools:
Kelley: Taylor, Mikayla, Owen, Jace
Marika: Kadin, Madi, Jon, Hannah F.
Dwayne: Anika, Maia, Micah, Isaiah
Julie: Sophie, Claire, Jack, Tom
Linda: Ruby, Hannah M., Tyler, Noah
Mary: Adrian, Hunter, Mrs. Young
Thank you for all of the support and see you tomorrow bright and early everyone! Otters, dolphins and whales await.
Warmly,
Mrs. Young
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Newsletter for Week of 10/12 - 10/16
Hello Families and Friends of the 4/5 Classroom,
We had a great time on the field trip to see Micha and company dance last Friday. Our class was very well behaved and enjoyed the show. Many of our students were up on stage participating. It was wonderful to be a part of the dance.
Reminders:
Field Trip: O'Neill Sea Odyssey. Tuesday October 20th from 7:45 -12:00. Please be sure you are here at the school with your child promptly at 7:45. Space is limited. We are allowed no more than 8 parent volunteers/ chaperones. Your child should eat a good breakfast. There are no breaks once on board. Dress comfortably, wear soft-soled sneakers only (no sandals, platforms, heels, or thick-soled shoes allowed) and a jacket (gloves and hats as necessary). This is a free event and promises to be a great adventure!
ELA: We will continue with our literature circle book--The Birchbark House.
Math: We have started learning about squares of a number and will continue that this week. It is important for students to still review the divisibility rules. Math facts should be practiced each night for 5 minutes, too. Please check your child's planner for specific math practice assignments.
Science: We are working on a STEM project about Curiosity the Mars space rover. This unit focuses on engineering. It will combine computer work, prototype/model building, literacy connections and team work/collaboration.
Social Studies: We are researching our tribes for our narrative essays about Native Americans. Your child has homework to research his/her tribe this week. This could include a home library book or a bit of supervised web browsing on a particular tribe. We will do this in class as well.
Writing and Grammar: We are continuing simile practice and did an informal drama yesterday in groups! This was very engaging and the students enjoyed it. We will work on word roots this week for vocabulary building and spelling. This will help students develop their writing as we begin writing projects like personal narrative, opinion, and expository pieces.
Have a great week!
Warmly,
Mrs. Young
Hello Families and Friends of the 4/5 Classroom,
We had a great time on the field trip to see Micha and company dance last Friday. Our class was very well behaved and enjoyed the show. Many of our students were up on stage participating. It was wonderful to be a part of the dance.
Reminders:
Field Trip: O'Neill Sea Odyssey. Tuesday October 20th from 7:45 -12:00. Please be sure you are here at the school with your child promptly at 7:45. Space is limited. We are allowed no more than 8 parent volunteers/ chaperones. Your child should eat a good breakfast. There are no breaks once on board. Dress comfortably, wear soft-soled sneakers only (no sandals, platforms, heels, or thick-soled shoes allowed) and a jacket (gloves and hats as necessary). This is a free event and promises to be a great adventure!
ELA: We will continue with our literature circle book--The Birchbark House.
Math: We have started learning about squares of a number and will continue that this week. It is important for students to still review the divisibility rules. Math facts should be practiced each night for 5 minutes, too. Please check your child's planner for specific math practice assignments.
Science: We are working on a STEM project about Curiosity the Mars space rover. This unit focuses on engineering. It will combine computer work, prototype/model building, literacy connections and team work/collaboration.
Social Studies: We are researching our tribes for our narrative essays about Native Americans. Your child has homework to research his/her tribe this week. This could include a home library book or a bit of supervised web browsing on a particular tribe. We will do this in class as well.
Writing and Grammar: We are continuing simile practice and did an informal drama yesterday in groups! This was very engaging and the students enjoyed it. We will work on word roots this week for vocabulary building and spelling. This will help students develop their writing as we begin writing projects like personal narrative, opinion, and expository pieces.
Have a great week!
Warmly,
Mrs. Young
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Newsletter for Week of 10/5 -10/9
Hello Families and Friends of the 4/5 Classroom,
I hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful fall weather that is beginning in our area. We have a great week planned which will wrap up with our field trip on Friday to see Micha Dance. Details follow.
Field Trip Announcement: The "Micha Scott Dances" show at the Mello Center is Friday October 9. The show is from 10-11. Your child should come to school at the usual time. We will leave the school at 9:00. We do need 1 more driver. If you are able to help us out, please let me know today, if possible, so that I can get all the drivers and passengers arranged. The cost is $2.00 ea. for every child and parent driver. You must have all paperwork signed in the office to be a driver.
Reminders:
Field Trip: O'Neill Sea Odyssey. Tuesday October 20th from 7:45 -12:00. Please be sure you are here at the school with your child promptly at 7:45. Space is limited. We are allowed no more than 8 parent volunteers/ chaperones. Your child should eat a good breakfast. There are no breaks once on board. Dress comfortably, wear soft-soled sneakers only (no sandals, platforms, heels, or thick-soled shoes allowed) and a jacket (gloves and hats as necessary). This is a free event and promises to be a great adventure!
ELA: We will continue with our literature circle book--The Birchbark House.
Math: Our test on factors and multiples went well for most students last Friday. We will continue to practice divisibility rules and concepts this week. Your child should review the divisibility rules each night this week in his/her Blue Binder. Math facts should be practiced each night for 5 minutes, too. Please check your child's planner for specific math practice assignments.
Science: Magnets and circuits continue.
Social Studies: We will finish highlighting chapter 3--The Tribes of North America in our History Alive texts and make notes in the margins on Tuesday and Thursday. We are creating and coloring our totem projects. Students can pick out additional texts today as we will write a brief essay on a tribe of their choice to practice our writing skills. This will be a research project that can, for the most part, be done in class. This is an example of expository text with the purpose of informing the reader.
Writing and Grammar: We will continue sentence variety this week in grammar and use the strategies we learn in our journal writing over the coming weeks. Yesterday, we added similes to the mix. This will help students develop their writing as we begin writing projects like personal narratives, opinion, and expository pieces.
Have a great week!
Warmly,
Mrs. Young
Hello Families and Friends of the 4/5 Classroom,
I hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful fall weather that is beginning in our area. We have a great week planned which will wrap up with our field trip on Friday to see Micha Dance. Details follow.
Field Trip Announcement: The "Micha Scott Dances" show at the Mello Center is Friday October 9. The show is from 10-11. Your child should come to school at the usual time. We will leave the school at 9:00. We do need 1 more driver. If you are able to help us out, please let me know today, if possible, so that I can get all the drivers and passengers arranged. The cost is $2.00 ea. for every child and parent driver. You must have all paperwork signed in the office to be a driver.
Reminders:
Field Trip: O'Neill Sea Odyssey. Tuesday October 20th from 7:45 -12:00. Please be sure you are here at the school with your child promptly at 7:45. Space is limited. We are allowed no more than 8 parent volunteers/ chaperones. Your child should eat a good breakfast. There are no breaks once on board. Dress comfortably, wear soft-soled sneakers only (no sandals, platforms, heels, or thick-soled shoes allowed) and a jacket (gloves and hats as necessary). This is a free event and promises to be a great adventure!
ELA: We will continue with our literature circle book--The Birchbark House.
Math: Our test on factors and multiples went well for most students last Friday. We will continue to practice divisibility rules and concepts this week. Your child should review the divisibility rules each night this week in his/her Blue Binder. Math facts should be practiced each night for 5 minutes, too. Please check your child's planner for specific math practice assignments.
Science: Magnets and circuits continue.
Social Studies: We will finish highlighting chapter 3--The Tribes of North America in our History Alive texts and make notes in the margins on Tuesday and Thursday. We are creating and coloring our totem projects. Students can pick out additional texts today as we will write a brief essay on a tribe of their choice to practice our writing skills. This will be a research project that can, for the most part, be done in class. This is an example of expository text with the purpose of informing the reader.
Writing and Grammar: We will continue sentence variety this week in grammar and use the strategies we learn in our journal writing over the coming weeks. Yesterday, we added similes to the mix. This will help students develop their writing as we begin writing projects like personal narratives, opinion, and expository pieces.
Have a great week!
Warmly,
Mrs. Young
Monday, September 28, 2015
Newsletter for Week of 9/28-10/02
Hello Families and Friends of the 4/5 Classroom,
Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and got a chance to see the blood moon and lunar eclipse last night or simply view it with your child on you tube. The kids did an excellent job last Friday with the substitute teacher they had. To acknowledge and celebrate this good behavior, I am giving them a small popcorn party on Friday this week at 10:30 (snack time). If any parents would like to contribute, I am accepting bags of popcorn (like from Trader Joes, etc.) and juice. Thank you in advance!
New Announcements: We are going to see the "Micha Scott Dances" show at the Mello Center on Friday October 9. The show is from 10-11. Your child should come to school at the usual time and we will leave the school at 9:00. This amazing opportunity came up rather suddenly and most classrooms are going to this unique performance. We do need drivers, however, and the cost is $2.00 ea. for every child and parent driver. If you are able to drive, please let me know as soon as possible. You must have all paperwork signed in the office to do so. Permission forms will go home tomorrow with your child in the blue binder homework folder. Please sign and return this form along with $2.oo for your child.
Reminders:
Field Trip: O'Neill Sea Odyssey. Tuesday October 20th from 7:45 -12:00. Please be sure you are here at the school with your child promptly at 7:45. Space is limited. We are allowed no more than 8 parent volunteers/ chaperones. Your child should eat a good breakfast. There are no breaks once on board. Dress comfortably, wear soft-soled sneakers only (no sandals, platforms, heels, or thick-soled shoes allowed) and a jacket (gloves and hats as necessary). This is a free event. This should be a great adventure!
ELA: We will continue with our literature circle book--The Birchbark House.
Math: homework on factors, multiples and divisibility will continue each night this week as we prepare for our test on this unit this Friday. Please check your child's planner for specific page numbers. We will continue to review our concepts.
Science: Experiments with making a compass and other magnet projects continue on Wednesday.
Social Studies: We will practice highlighting chapter 3 in our History Alive texts and making notes in the margins on Tuesday and Thursday. Photocopied chapter notes went home with your child for a first-read preview last week and will be used for the purpose of developing these useful note-taking skills.
Writing and Grammar: We are working on sentence variety this week in grammar and will use the strategies we learn in our journal writing this week. Sentence variety makes writing interesting to read. This skill will help students develop their writing as we begin writing projects like personal narratives, opinion, and expository pieces.
Have a great week!
Warmly,
Mrs. Young
Hello Families and Friends of the 4/5 Classroom,
Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and got a chance to see the blood moon and lunar eclipse last night or simply view it with your child on you tube. The kids did an excellent job last Friday with the substitute teacher they had. To acknowledge and celebrate this good behavior, I am giving them a small popcorn party on Friday this week at 10:30 (snack time). If any parents would like to contribute, I am accepting bags of popcorn (like from Trader Joes, etc.) and juice. Thank you in advance!
New Announcements: We are going to see the "Micha Scott Dances" show at the Mello Center on Friday October 9. The show is from 10-11. Your child should come to school at the usual time and we will leave the school at 9:00. This amazing opportunity came up rather suddenly and most classrooms are going to this unique performance. We do need drivers, however, and the cost is $2.00 ea. for every child and parent driver. If you are able to drive, please let me know as soon as possible. You must have all paperwork signed in the office to do so. Permission forms will go home tomorrow with your child in the blue binder homework folder. Please sign and return this form along with $2.oo for your child.
Reminders:
Field Trip: O'Neill Sea Odyssey. Tuesday October 20th from 7:45 -12:00. Please be sure you are here at the school with your child promptly at 7:45. Space is limited. We are allowed no more than 8 parent volunteers/ chaperones. Your child should eat a good breakfast. There are no breaks once on board. Dress comfortably, wear soft-soled sneakers only (no sandals, platforms, heels, or thick-soled shoes allowed) and a jacket (gloves and hats as necessary). This is a free event. This should be a great adventure!
ELA: We will continue with our literature circle book--The Birchbark House.
Math: homework on factors, multiples and divisibility will continue each night this week as we prepare for our test on this unit this Friday. Please check your child's planner for specific page numbers. We will continue to review our concepts.
Science: Experiments with making a compass and other magnet projects continue on Wednesday.
Social Studies: We will practice highlighting chapter 3 in our History Alive texts and making notes in the margins on Tuesday and Thursday. Photocopied chapter notes went home with your child for a first-read preview last week and will be used for the purpose of developing these useful note-taking skills.
Writing and Grammar: We are working on sentence variety this week in grammar and will use the strategies we learn in our journal writing this week. Sentence variety makes writing interesting to read. This skill will help students develop their writing as we begin writing projects like personal narratives, opinion, and expository pieces.
Have a great week!
Warmly,
Mrs. Young
Monday, September 21, 2015
Newsletter for Week of 9/21-9/25
Hello Families and Friends of the 4/5 Classroom,
Hope you all had an enjoyable weekend. The kids shared many of the things they did, and it sounded wonderful; camping, Bird Island, Renaissance Fair, the SC County Fair, the Boardwalk, and more.
Reminders:
Field Trip: O'Neill Sea Odyssey. Tuesday October 20th from 7:45 -12:00. Please be sure you are here at the school with your child promptly at 7:45. Space is limited. We are allowed no more than 8 parent volunteers/chaperones. Your child should eat a good breakfast. There are no breaks once on board. Dress comfortably, wear soft-soled sneakers only (no sandals, platforms, heels, or thick-soled shoes allowed) and a jacket (gloves and hats as necessary). This should be a great adventure!
ELA: We will continue with in our literature circle book--The Birchbark House.
Math: homework on factors and multiples went home on Monday and will continue each night this week. Please check your child's planner for specific page numbers. We will continue to review rounding and estimating with whole numbers and using number lines. In an effort to keep all organized, your child has selected his/her favorite notes on this concept to keep on hand in the blue binder. All other papers relating to this topic where gathered together and put into their drop folders at school. We are starting a new unit on prime factorization this week. We will work on prime and composite numbers, factors and multiples.
Science: We will continue our study of magnets this week. We experimented with permanent and temporary magnets, learned about north and south poles, and how magnets attract and repel.
Social Studies: We will continue our study of the migration routes of the Native Americans who settled North and South America. We are diving deep and will be discussing this and writing summaries in our interactive notebooks. This background information will help support our study of some of the Indian tribes and civilizations like the Hopis, Mayans, Incas and Aztecs.
Writing: We will edit and print out our preposition poems Tuesday. A pen and ink illustration drawing will accompany this work which will be finished in class this week.
Grammar: Homework on the 4 types of sentences: exclamatory, declarative, imperative, interrogative in conjunction with simple, compound, and complex sentences went home Monday night as practice. We will journal write this week and practice incorporating these into our writing.
Enjoy your week!
Warmly,
Mrs. Young
Hello Families and Friends of the 4/5 Classroom,
Hope you all had an enjoyable weekend. The kids shared many of the things they did, and it sounded wonderful; camping, Bird Island, Renaissance Fair, the SC County Fair, the Boardwalk, and more.
Reminders:
Field Trip: O'Neill Sea Odyssey. Tuesday October 20th from 7:45 -12:00. Please be sure you are here at the school with your child promptly at 7:45. Space is limited. We are allowed no more than 8 parent volunteers/chaperones. Your child should eat a good breakfast. There are no breaks once on board. Dress comfortably, wear soft-soled sneakers only (no sandals, platforms, heels, or thick-soled shoes allowed) and a jacket (gloves and hats as necessary). This should be a great adventure!
ELA: We will continue with in our literature circle book--The Birchbark House.
Math: homework on factors and multiples went home on Monday and will continue each night this week. Please check your child's planner for specific page numbers. We will continue to review rounding and estimating with whole numbers and using number lines. In an effort to keep all organized, your child has selected his/her favorite notes on this concept to keep on hand in the blue binder. All other papers relating to this topic where gathered together and put into their drop folders at school. We are starting a new unit on prime factorization this week. We will work on prime and composite numbers, factors and multiples.
Science: We will continue our study of magnets this week. We experimented with permanent and temporary magnets, learned about north and south poles, and how magnets attract and repel.
Social Studies: We will continue our study of the migration routes of the Native Americans who settled North and South America. We are diving deep and will be discussing this and writing summaries in our interactive notebooks. This background information will help support our study of some of the Indian tribes and civilizations like the Hopis, Mayans, Incas and Aztecs.
Writing: We will edit and print out our preposition poems Tuesday. A pen and ink illustration drawing will accompany this work which will be finished in class this week.
Grammar: Homework on the 4 types of sentences: exclamatory, declarative, imperative, interrogative in conjunction with simple, compound, and complex sentences went home Monday night as practice. We will journal write this week and practice incorporating these into our writing.
Enjoy your week!
Warmly,
Mrs. Young
Monday, September 14, 2015
Newsletter for the Week of 9/14- 9/18
Hello Friends and Families,
It was nice to see many of you at the spaghetti dinner and movie night on Friday. What a great event and a wonderful community! Thank you to the Parent Club and all those who made the evening possible.
Announcements and reminders: See you at Back to School Night Wednesday Sept. 16! The orientation for new families begins at 6:30 in the PAC room with Ms. M. Teachers will deliver their classroom presentations at 7 and again at 7:30.
Field Trip: O'Neill Sea Odyssey. Tuesday October 20th from 7:45 -12:00. Please be sure you are here at the school with your child promptly at 7:45. Space is limited. We are allowed no more than 8 parent volunteers/chaperones. Your child should eat a good breakfast. There are no breaks once on board. Dress comfortably, wear soft-soled sneakers only (no sandals, platforms, heels, or thick-soled shoes allowed) and a jacket (gloves and hats as necessary). This should be a great adventure!
ELA: We have read Chapter 1 in our literature circle book--The Birchbark House. We will begin the group discussions and comprehension questions this week. It is an insightful and touching story about a Native American girl and her family. This will enhance our history reading on Native Americans for the next few weeks.
Math: We will continue our work on rounding and estimating with whole numbers and using number lines. This has been tricky for many students as the numbers go into the millions for 4th graders and the billions for 5th. We will take time to practice these concepts in groups, as a class and on the computer. There are notes with guidelines that your child receives and files in his/her binder. These are to help with homework and to give them and you support with the concepts and practice.
Science: We will begin our study of magnets this week. There will be hands-on interactive lab work, and this will dove tail nicely into our unit on electricity and circuits. This is always a very interesting and fun topic for students at this level.
Social Studies: We will be reading about the migration routes of the Native Americans who settled this land. There will be some photocopied History Alive chapter reading that will come home as a "second read" on Tuesday and Thursday nights for homework. It is designed to be their nightly reading on those nights. Your child is not expected to do 20-30 additional minutes of reading, unless they love to read!
Writing: We are finishing, editing and typing our preposition poems in class this week. We will probably be able to accomplish that in class.
Grammar: We will be reviewing and practicing the 4 types of sentences and incorporating them into our writing: exclamatory, declarative, imperative, interrogative. This will be in conjunction with simple, complex and compound sentences. This stuff makes our writing so much more fun to read!!
Have a lovely week,
Mrs. Young
Hello Friends and Families,
It was nice to see many of you at the spaghetti dinner and movie night on Friday. What a great event and a wonderful community! Thank you to the Parent Club and all those who made the evening possible.
Announcements and reminders: See you at Back to School Night Wednesday Sept. 16! The orientation for new families begins at 6:30 in the PAC room with Ms. M. Teachers will deliver their classroom presentations at 7 and again at 7:30.
Field Trip: O'Neill Sea Odyssey. Tuesday October 20th from 7:45 -12:00. Please be sure you are here at the school with your child promptly at 7:45. Space is limited. We are allowed no more than 8 parent volunteers/chaperones. Your child should eat a good breakfast. There are no breaks once on board. Dress comfortably, wear soft-soled sneakers only (no sandals, platforms, heels, or thick-soled shoes allowed) and a jacket (gloves and hats as necessary). This should be a great adventure!
ELA: We have read Chapter 1 in our literature circle book--The Birchbark House. We will begin the group discussions and comprehension questions this week. It is an insightful and touching story about a Native American girl and her family. This will enhance our history reading on Native Americans for the next few weeks.
Math: We will continue our work on rounding and estimating with whole numbers and using number lines. This has been tricky for many students as the numbers go into the millions for 4th graders and the billions for 5th. We will take time to practice these concepts in groups, as a class and on the computer. There are notes with guidelines that your child receives and files in his/her binder. These are to help with homework and to give them and you support with the concepts and practice.
Science: We will begin our study of magnets this week. There will be hands-on interactive lab work, and this will dove tail nicely into our unit on electricity and circuits. This is always a very interesting and fun topic for students at this level.
Social Studies: We will be reading about the migration routes of the Native Americans who settled this land. There will be some photocopied History Alive chapter reading that will come home as a "second read" on Tuesday and Thursday nights for homework. It is designed to be their nightly reading on those nights. Your child is not expected to do 20-30 additional minutes of reading, unless they love to read!
Writing: We are finishing, editing and typing our preposition poems in class this week. We will probably be able to accomplish that in class.
Grammar: We will be reviewing and practicing the 4 types of sentences and incorporating them into our writing: exclamatory, declarative, imperative, interrogative. This will be in conjunction with simple, complex and compound sentences. This stuff makes our writing so much more fun to read!!
Have a lovely week,
Mrs. Young
Monday, September 7, 2015
Week of Sept. 7-11
Dear families,
I hope you had a happy and safe Labor Day weekend! Thank you to all those who have generously supported our classroom with donations, plants and time! We are all settling in and rolling along.
This past week, we began art, music, and P.E. In addition, on Friday at 2:15 we met with Ms. Bombaci's first graders who are our reading buddies this year! The kids were really sweet with the first graders. It was a wonderful thing to see. Happiness is a reading buddy.
Back to School Night is Next Wednesday September 16. At 6:30 Ms. M will meet new families in the PAC room and then teachers will give classroom presentations for everyone at 7:00 and again at 7:30. I look forward to greeting everyone and talking about the curriculum and our fabulous year.
This past week we worked on our organizational binders. The blue binder is the math binder which includes the planner, a purple homework pocket for each day's due assignments, and a reading log for parent signatures every night. This binder has three sections: notes; homework and classwork; and tests. This is the only binder that will travel back and forth every day between the classroom and home. Although I will try to post assignments here every afternoon, your child's planner is the best place to see what is assigned and when it is due. We fill in our planners every morning and Shauna, our wonderful aide, will be checking to see that homework, planners, and signatures are complete. This is a system to help your child manage course work and a schedule. We will practice together until everyone has it down. In addition to this binder, there is a red ELA and Social Sciences binder as well as a black science binder. These stay at school. If you have any questions regarding the binders, the planner or the reading log, please let me know.
Math: we have been reviewing whole numbers and place value up to the millions. We will continue to review math facts and begin to go forward this week with estimation, approximation and rounding. We will, as a general rule, have a test every Friday to assess the week's concepts. In addition, we are working on a POM (problem of the month) and continue to do math story problems each period to reinforce concepts.
Social Sciences: We will continue our study of maps and longitude and latitude as well as landforms and bodies of water. This will build background knowledge for our upcoming writing project Explorers: A Personal Narrative.
Science: we are completing our STEM project on domes and will move into our Foss curriculum on electricity and magnets in the next week.
Read Aloud: Kit Carson. We are mapping his journey through the Sierra Nevada Mountains from California to Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Field Trip: O'Neill Sea Odyssey. October 20 from 8:30-12:00. Drivers needed. Please be sure that you have filled out the necessary paper work with the office. You will find our field trip drivers sign up page on our blog if you are interested in driving and joining us.
Warmly,
Mrs. Young and Shauna
I hope you had a happy and safe Labor Day weekend! Thank you to all those who have generously supported our classroom with donations, plants and time! We are all settling in and rolling along.
This past week, we began art, music, and P.E. In addition, on Friday at 2:15 we met with Ms. Bombaci's first graders who are our reading buddies this year! The kids were really sweet with the first graders. It was a wonderful thing to see. Happiness is a reading buddy.
Back to School Night is Next Wednesday September 16. At 6:30 Ms. M will meet new families in the PAC room and then teachers will give classroom presentations for everyone at 7:00 and again at 7:30. I look forward to greeting everyone and talking about the curriculum and our fabulous year.
This past week we worked on our organizational binders. The blue binder is the math binder which includes the planner, a purple homework pocket for each day's due assignments, and a reading log for parent signatures every night. This binder has three sections: notes; homework and classwork; and tests. This is the only binder that will travel back and forth every day between the classroom and home. Although I will try to post assignments here every afternoon, your child's planner is the best place to see what is assigned and when it is due. We fill in our planners every morning and Shauna, our wonderful aide, will be checking to see that homework, planners, and signatures are complete. This is a system to help your child manage course work and a schedule. We will practice together until everyone has it down. In addition to this binder, there is a red ELA and Social Sciences binder as well as a black science binder. These stay at school. If you have any questions regarding the binders, the planner or the reading log, please let me know.
Math: we have been reviewing whole numbers and place value up to the millions. We will continue to review math facts and begin to go forward this week with estimation, approximation and rounding. We will, as a general rule, have a test every Friday to assess the week's concepts. In addition, we are working on a POM (problem of the month) and continue to do math story problems each period to reinforce concepts.
Social Sciences: We will continue our study of maps and longitude and latitude as well as landforms and bodies of water. This will build background knowledge for our upcoming writing project Explorers: A Personal Narrative.
Science: we are completing our STEM project on domes and will move into our Foss curriculum on electricity and magnets in the next week.
Read Aloud: Kit Carson. We are mapping his journey through the Sierra Nevada Mountains from California to Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Field Trip: O'Neill Sea Odyssey. October 20 from 8:30-12:00. Drivers needed. Please be sure that you have filled out the necessary paper work with the office. You will find our field trip drivers sign up page on our blog if you are interested in driving and joining us.
Warmly,
Mrs. Young and Shauna
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
First Newsletter
Week of August 31-Sept. 4, 2015
Dear Parents and Friends of the 4/5 Classroom,
With our first week of school off to a great start, we are looking forward to a successful second week. We will be assembling our math and planner binder tomorrow as a class. Please be sure your child has his/her blue binder so that we can get started with the process. Shauna and I will be handing out the planners and dividers and supporting each student with this task. If all goes as planned, you should notice that the blue binder begins to travel back and forth with your student on a daily basis. They will need a parent signature EVERYDAY, so please be sure to ask your child about it.
We will be diving into our math curriculum on place value this week and the planner, which is in the blue binder, will reflect the math homework assignments with page numbers should you need to reference them. The first math homework assignment is as follows:
Assigned Monday due Tuesday: Exercise 1 pp. 7-10
Tuesday math packet: due Wednesday
Wednesday math packet due Thursday
Thursday math packet due Friday
Friday: test on whole numbers
Our weekly social studies vocabulary homework is assigned Tuesday and is due on Friday. This week's terms: globe, geographic terms, latitude, longitude, geography, physical feature
There is no science homework this week
Grammar homework this week: worksheet on 4 types of sentences due Wed.
Nightly reading is 20 minutes a night for 4th graders and 30 minutes a night for 5th graders. A reading log comes home daily in the planner for parents to sign each night upon nightly reading completion.
Announcements:
Tues. Oct. 20: O'Neill Sea Odyssey field trip 8:30-12:00 (More information to follow). We will need drivers.
Fri. Sept. 11: Spaghetti Feed/Movie Night 6:30-9:30
Wed. Sept. 16: Back to School Night. Ms. M will greet new families in the PAC room at 6:30. Teachers will give presentations at 7 and 7:30. I'll share our curriculum. I look forward to seeing you all then.
Thank you for supporting our classroom and your child.
Warmly,
Mrs. Young
Dear Parents and Friends of the 4/5 Classroom,
With our first week of school off to a great start, we are looking forward to a successful second week. We will be assembling our math and planner binder tomorrow as a class. Please be sure your child has his/her blue binder so that we can get started with the process. Shauna and I will be handing out the planners and dividers and supporting each student with this task. If all goes as planned, you should notice that the blue binder begins to travel back and forth with your student on a daily basis. They will need a parent signature EVERYDAY, so please be sure to ask your child about it.
We will be diving into our math curriculum on place value this week and the planner, which is in the blue binder, will reflect the math homework assignments with page numbers should you need to reference them. The first math homework assignment is as follows:
Assigned Monday due Tuesday: Exercise 1 pp. 7-10
Tuesday math packet: due Wednesday
Wednesday math packet due Thursday
Thursday math packet due Friday
Friday: test on whole numbers
Our weekly social studies vocabulary homework is assigned Tuesday and is due on Friday. This week's terms: globe, geographic terms, latitude, longitude, geography, physical feature
There is no science homework this week
Grammar homework this week: worksheet on 4 types of sentences due Wed.
Nightly reading is 20 minutes a night for 4th graders and 30 minutes a night for 5th graders. A reading log comes home daily in the planner for parents to sign each night upon nightly reading completion.
Announcements:
Tues. Oct. 20: O'Neill Sea Odyssey field trip 8:30-12:00 (More information to follow). We will need drivers.
Fri. Sept. 11: Spaghetti Feed/Movie Night 6:30-9:30
Wed. Sept. 16: Back to School Night. Ms. M will greet new families in the PAC room at 6:30. Teachers will give presentations at 7 and 7:30. I'll share our curriculum. I look forward to seeing you all then.
Thank you for supporting our classroom and your child.
Warmly,
Mrs. Young
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Welcome Back
8/20/2015
Dear Friends and Families,
I hope you have enjoyed your summer! I would like to welcome all of you back as we embark on a new school year. My name is Heather Young, and I will be substituting for Mrs. Honig in the 4/5 classroom.
A little about myself.... I live in Scotts Valley with my husband Scott and our two sons, Casey and Wyatt. Casey just celebrated his 16th birthday and starts 10th grade at Scotts Valley High School. Now, over six feet tall (unbelievable), he plays football for the Falcons and seems very excited to be heading back to school to see his friends. Wyatt graduated from Cypress Charter High School in June and will attend Cabrillo this fall. He takes after his mom and is an amazing artist. Nonetheless, they grow up too fast!
Professionally, I have a background and education in the humanities, teaching, and the arts--one of my passions along with growing killer dahlias. I originally started my teaching experience at the community college level and found that I enjoy teaching at the elementary level most of all, as I love children. Additionally, as many of you know, I have been a long-time sub for Happy Valley Elementary--another joyful mountain community. You may have guessed that I am quite tickled to be joining your team of dedicated teachers, staff and parents. It's a privilege to have been selected for this position.
In closing, please find the supply list on the Home page under the Beginning of year business tab if you would like to get a jump on that before school begins. If you are still enjoying the last lingering moments of summer and are not so inclined, worry not. I will send home a hard copy of the list with your child on the first day of school (Wednesday August 26th) and you can gather things together next week as you are able. You may also fill out the parent interview on the same tab on the blog if you wish. Otherwise, I will send home copies of that with your child as well.
Please pop in to say hello and see our beautiful new classroom. I am eager to meet all of you and your children.
Kind Regards,
Mrs. Young
Dear Friends and Families,
I hope you have enjoyed your summer! I would like to welcome all of you back as we embark on a new school year. My name is Heather Young, and I will be substituting for Mrs. Honig in the 4/5 classroom.
A little about myself.... I live in Scotts Valley with my husband Scott and our two sons, Casey and Wyatt. Casey just celebrated his 16th birthday and starts 10th grade at Scotts Valley High School. Now, over six feet tall (unbelievable), he plays football for the Falcons and seems very excited to be heading back to school to see his friends. Wyatt graduated from Cypress Charter High School in June and will attend Cabrillo this fall. He takes after his mom and is an amazing artist. Nonetheless, they grow up too fast!
Professionally, I have a background and education in the humanities, teaching, and the arts--one of my passions along with growing killer dahlias. I originally started my teaching experience at the community college level and found that I enjoy teaching at the elementary level most of all, as I love children. Additionally, as many of you know, I have been a long-time sub for Happy Valley Elementary--another joyful mountain community. You may have guessed that I am quite tickled to be joining your team of dedicated teachers, staff and parents. It's a privilege to have been selected for this position.
In closing, please find the supply list on the Home page under the Beginning of year business tab if you would like to get a jump on that before school begins. If you are still enjoying the last lingering moments of summer and are not so inclined, worry not. I will send home a hard copy of the list with your child on the first day of school (Wednesday August 26th) and you can gather things together next week as you are able. You may also fill out the parent interview on the same tab on the blog if you wish. Otherwise, I will send home copies of that with your child as well.
Please pop in to say hello and see our beautiful new classroom. I am eager to meet all of you and your children.
Kind Regards,
Mrs. Young
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Week of 3/16 Newsletter
Dear Families,
With just two more weeks to go before Spring Break, I have a few important updates and reminders. Firstly, report cards will be sent home on Monday. Please sign and return the empty envelope by Friday. Next, thank you to the parents who drove and chaperoned our field trip to the Tech Museum. We had a great time and learned a lot!
Thirdly, our participation in the Young Writers Project is coming to an end this week. I cannot even begin to describe how proud I am of each and every one of my students for their incredible poetry. We will celebrate with our Writing Project Assistants on Wednesday morning (9:30-10:15) with a few snacks and poetry readings. In May, we will have a portion of a professionally published book, released at both Bookshop Santa Cruz and Crossroads Books!
Mountain School has recently been Green School Certified and the student council has been working with teachers and staff to find out what that entails. On Tuesday, March 17, they will run an assembly (at 10:30) alongside Stew Jenkins, the education coordinator, to explain to the student body the details of our certification.
We have been working on a collaborative digital project with our buddy class, the first grade, and will finish it up this week with their play on Wednesday. It has been a wonderful way to demonstrate understanding of the classroom technology we have been using this year. As your child about it!
Finally, we will be working on reviewing math concepts this week so I will not be holding Homework Club. There is no school this Friday for a Staff Development Day, so please plan accordingly.
Thank you for all of your continued support both in the classroom and at home! We are so lucky to have such involved families! If you have any questions, please email me at rhonig@mountainesd.org.
Best,
Mrs. Honig
With just two more weeks to go before Spring Break, I have a few important updates and reminders. Firstly, report cards will be sent home on Monday. Please sign and return the empty envelope by Friday. Next, thank you to the parents who drove and chaperoned our field trip to the Tech Museum. We had a great time and learned a lot!
Thirdly, our participation in the Young Writers Project is coming to an end this week. I cannot even begin to describe how proud I am of each and every one of my students for their incredible poetry. We will celebrate with our Writing Project Assistants on Wednesday morning (9:30-10:15) with a few snacks and poetry readings. In May, we will have a portion of a professionally published book, released at both Bookshop Santa Cruz and Crossroads Books!
Mountain School has recently been Green School Certified and the student council has been working with teachers and staff to find out what that entails. On Tuesday, March 17, they will run an assembly (at 10:30) alongside Stew Jenkins, the education coordinator, to explain to the student body the details of our certification.
We have been working on a collaborative digital project with our buddy class, the first grade, and will finish it up this week with their play on Wednesday. It has been a wonderful way to demonstrate understanding of the classroom technology we have been using this year. As your child about it!
Finally, we will be working on reviewing math concepts this week so I will not be holding Homework Club. There is no school this Friday for a Staff Development Day, so please plan accordingly.
Thank you for all of your continued support both in the classroom and at home! We are so lucky to have such involved families! If you have any questions, please email me at rhonig@mountainesd.org.
Best,
Mrs. Honig
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Some inspiration
Hello Students!!
I wanted to share these videos with you to help inspire the amazing poetry writing that's been happening in our class lately.
Check them out:
http://natureisspeaking.org/home.html#Home
I wanted to share these videos with you to help inspire the amazing poetry writing that's been happening in our class lately.
Check them out:
http://natureisspeaking.org/home.html#Home
Monday, March 9, 2015
Week of 3/9 Newsletter
Dear 4th and 5th Grade Families,
I hope this note finds you well! We have a fun week planned and a few reminders to share with you.
We plan to go to the Tech Museum tomorrow, Tuesday, March 10, for a lab and iMax Movie. Please plan to have your child at school by 8:10 at the latest so that we can leave in time to arrive for our 9:30 lab. We plan to return around 2:30PM. Your child should bring a sack lunch, comfortable shoes and a water bottle.
This week we will be taking the MARS Assessments in Math. If you are curious about these tests, please check out this website. These are challenging, yet very informative assessments and we will be grading them as a staff on Wednesday, March 25.
Report cards will go home next Monday. I will contact parents to schedule a conference if I feel it is necessary.
There is NO SCHOOL Friday, March 20 for a Staff Development Day.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support both in class and at home. If you have any questions, please email me at rhonig@mountainesd.org.
Best,
Mrs. Honig
I hope this note finds you well! We have a fun week planned and a few reminders to share with you.
We plan to go to the Tech Museum tomorrow, Tuesday, March 10, for a lab and iMax Movie. Please plan to have your child at school by 8:10 at the latest so that we can leave in time to arrive for our 9:30 lab. We plan to return around 2:30PM. Your child should bring a sack lunch, comfortable shoes and a water bottle.
This week we will be taking the MARS Assessments in Math. If you are curious about these tests, please check out this website. These are challenging, yet very informative assessments and we will be grading them as a staff on Wednesday, March 25.
Report cards will go home next Monday. I will contact parents to schedule a conference if I feel it is necessary.
There is NO SCHOOL Friday, March 20 for a Staff Development Day.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support both in class and at home. If you have any questions, please email me at rhonig@mountainesd.org.
Best,
Mrs. Honig
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Helpful and entertaining....
Here are a couple of videos that I thought were both helpful and entertaining. They explain and demonstrate the differences between similes and metaphors and how they are all around us!
Similes and Metaphors in Pop Culture from Mr. Wasko on Vimeo.
Similes and Metaphors in Pop Culture 2! from Mr. Wasko on Vimeo.
Similes and Metaphors in Pop Culture from Mr. Wasko on Vimeo.
Similes and Metaphors in Pop Culture 2! from Mr. Wasko on Vimeo.
Monday, March 2, 2015
Week of 3/2 Newsletter
Hello Families,
I hope this note finds you well! We had a wonderful time at the Symphony last week! We were even lucky enough to have 2 students be guest conductors and we got front row seats! Thank you so much to the parents who drove and were chaperones.
The Science Fair is this Wednesday! Please be sure that your child brings in his/her completed project board and summary report by Tuesday, March 3. We will have our projects on display in the classroom on Wednesday, March 4. Feel free to join us for the Fair or come by after dismissal - the classroom will be open from 12:35-3PM.
We will be wrapping up the Young Writers Project this week with a celebration on Wednesday, March 11. It has been a great learning experience for us all and we eagerly anticipate the published product this Spring!
If you have not already sent in your permission slip for the Tech Museum Field Trip (March 10), please do so at your earliest convenience!
Math:
In math we will continue learning how to gather and analyze data with Bar Graphs (4th) and Pie Charts (5th). We will also be taking mid-year assessments in preparation for report cards (going home March 16).
ELA:
We will continue learning about Figurative Language, Sensory Details and Sentence Variety.
Science:
4th Graders are learning about circuits and electricity.
Social Sciences:
We will be learning about the Constitution and the Three Branches of Government.
Thank you for all of your support! Please let me know if you have any concerns via email at rhonig@mountainesd.org.
Best,
Mrs. Honig
I hope this note finds you well! We had a wonderful time at the Symphony last week! We were even lucky enough to have 2 students be guest conductors and we got front row seats! Thank you so much to the parents who drove and were chaperones.
The Science Fair is this Wednesday! Please be sure that your child brings in his/her completed project board and summary report by Tuesday, March 3. We will have our projects on display in the classroom on Wednesday, March 4. Feel free to join us for the Fair or come by after dismissal - the classroom will be open from 12:35-3PM.
We will be wrapping up the Young Writers Project this week with a celebration on Wednesday, March 11. It has been a great learning experience for us all and we eagerly anticipate the published product this Spring!
If you have not already sent in your permission slip for the Tech Museum Field Trip (March 10), please do so at your earliest convenience!
Math:
In math we will continue learning how to gather and analyze data with Bar Graphs (4th) and Pie Charts (5th). We will also be taking mid-year assessments in preparation for report cards (going home March 16).
ELA:
We will continue learning about Figurative Language, Sensory Details and Sentence Variety.
Science:
4th Graders are learning about circuits and electricity.
Social Sciences:
We will be learning about the Constitution and the Three Branches of Government.
Thank you for all of your support! Please let me know if you have any concerns via email at rhonig@mountainesd.org.
Best,
Mrs. Honig
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Week of 2/23 Newsletter
Hello!
We have another busy week ahead of us!
>In your child's Monday Folder, you will find a permission slip to our upcoming field trip to the Tech Museum on March 10. Please sign and return it by Tuesday, March 4. You can send your fee directly to the office. If you'd like to drive, please complete the form on the Field Trip Information page on this site.
>Projects and reports are due on Tuesday, March 3. Students will be presenting their projects to a classmate for a video assignment.
Finding mean, median and mode: Here we give you a set of numbers and then ask you to find the mean, median, and mode. It's your first opportunity to practice with us!
We have another busy week ahead of us!
FIELD TRIPS
>Our field trip to the Santa Cruz Symphony is on Monday from 10-1:00. Thank you in advance to all of the parents who will be driving and chaperoning. We look forward to this enriching experience!>In your child's Monday Folder, you will find a permission slip to our upcoming field trip to the Tech Museum on March 10. Please sign and return it by Tuesday, March 4. You can send your fee directly to the office. If you'd like to drive, please complete the form on the Field Trip Information page on this site.
SCIENCE FAIR
>This week your child should be analyzing the collected data from his/her experiment and writing the summary report. I will be happy to allow students time during class to type the report if they would like. Just let me know if you'd like your child to have the time and I'll make it happen.>Projects and reports are due on Tuesday, March 3. Students will be presenting their projects to a classmate for a video assignment.
WHAT WE'RE LEARNING
>MATH: The entire class is focusing on Collecting and Analyzing Data. Students are expected to find the mean, median, mode and range (video below) of specific data sets as well as organize data into a variety of different graphs and models (line plots, line plots, and bar graphs).
>SCIENCE: 4th Graders are working with circuits and making motors run with D-cell batteries.
>ELA: We are continuing to work with the Young Writer's Project, focused on writing with figurative language and sensory details using a variety of sentence types. We will learn about different forms of poetry as well.
>SOCIAL SCIENCES: Students are learning about important historical figures who participated in the American Revolution.
HW CLUB
>I'm sorry, but we will NOT be having Homework Club this week. We will resume the following week on Thursday, March 5.
Thank you, as always, for all of the tremendous support both in class and at home. Our students are very lucky to have such amazing parents/families! If you have any questions, please email me at rhonig@mountaines.org.
Take care,
Mrs. Honig
Finding mean, median and mode: Here we give you a set of numbers and then ask you to find the mean, median, and mode. It's your first opportunity to practice with us!
Monday, February 16, 2015
Week of 2/17 Newsletter
Greetings!
Wow! What a beautiful three-day weekend! I hope everyone had a nice one! Amanda Connors, thank you VERY much for organizing the fabulous Valentine's Day party. Thank you to all parents for volunteering your time and tasty snacks! We had a great time.
We have a busy next couple of weeks so please check out below the important dates and events.
Tuesday, 2/17: Student Council Speeches and Spring Election begin at 8:45AM. Mountain School is lucky enough to have a new Student Council Staff Member in charge: Shauna Sutton!
Tuesday, 2/17: Musician Visitor from the Santa Cruz Symphony. at 1:30PM, we will have a small assembly introducing the 4th & 5th grade students to the symphony and what to expect for our upcoming field trip.
Wednesday, 2/18: Young Writer's Project continues. Our class has really enjoyed the feedback and assistance received by the wonderful volunteers. The writing that is being produced in our classroom is absolutely amazing! Everyone is looking forward to the final product and what we'll be learning along the way.
Thursday, 2/19: Homework Club 2:50-3:30PM.
Friday, 2/20: "Dress Like Your Favorite Book Character" Day. As the Read-a-thon comes to a close, please help your child choose a literary character to come dressed as on Friday. We will also celebrate with popsicles. Hopefully, your child has been gathering sponsors and reading on a daily basis.
Monday, 2/23: Field Trip to Santa Cruz Symphony. We will leave at 10:30AM and bring our sack lunches to eat after the performance. If you volunteered to drive, THANK YOU, and please be sure you have completed the form online here if you haven't already.
Thank you, as always, for your support both in class and at home. We are incredibly lucky to have such amazing families! If you have any questions or concerns, please email me at rhonig@mountainesd.org.
Best,
Mrs. Honig
Wow! What a beautiful three-day weekend! I hope everyone had a nice one! Amanda Connors, thank you VERY much for organizing the fabulous Valentine's Day party. Thank you to all parents for volunteering your time and tasty snacks! We had a great time.
We have a busy next couple of weeks so please check out below the important dates and events.
Tuesday, 2/17: Student Council Speeches and Spring Election begin at 8:45AM. Mountain School is lucky enough to have a new Student Council Staff Member in charge: Shauna Sutton!
Tuesday, 2/17: Musician Visitor from the Santa Cruz Symphony. at 1:30PM, we will have a small assembly introducing the 4th & 5th grade students to the symphony and what to expect for our upcoming field trip.
Wednesday, 2/18: Young Writer's Project continues. Our class has really enjoyed the feedback and assistance received by the wonderful volunteers. The writing that is being produced in our classroom is absolutely amazing! Everyone is looking forward to the final product and what we'll be learning along the way.
Thursday, 2/19: Homework Club 2:50-3:30PM.
Friday, 2/20: "Dress Like Your Favorite Book Character" Day. As the Read-a-thon comes to a close, please help your child choose a literary character to come dressed as on Friday. We will also celebrate with popsicles. Hopefully, your child has been gathering sponsors and reading on a daily basis.
Monday, 2/23: Field Trip to Santa Cruz Symphony. We will leave at 10:30AM and bring our sack lunches to eat after the performance. If you volunteered to drive, THANK YOU, and please be sure you have completed the form online here if you haven't already.
Thank you, as always, for your support both in class and at home. We are incredibly lucky to have such amazing families! If you have any questions or concerns, please email me at rhonig@mountainesd.org.
Best,
Mrs. Honig
Monday, February 9, 2015
Week of 2/10 Newsletter
Hello 4th and 5th Grade Families,
I hope you had a safe and happy three-day weekend! We have a lot to celebrate and to look forward to in the coming weeks.
To begin, the launch of the Young Writer's Project last week was amazing! Our Writing Project Assistants (WPAs) are fantastic and so excited to begin working with the students. We are lucky enough to have 4 different volunteers who will be in our classroom on Wednesdays and Fridays to meet with students about their writing. The first writing activity resulted in some of the most creative, beautiful writing I have seen all year! Please take a moment to ask your child about his/her experience so far.
Student Council Spring Elections are a week from today! If your child is interested in running for an office, please be sure he/she has turned in the paperwork (due 2/10). I will go over speeches with the candidates on Friday. The SPCA Donations will be accepted through Friday so if you have any items to donate, please drop them by the office. Additionally, Student Council is lucky enough to begin working with Shauna Sutton this Spring! She is very excited to take on the program an work with the students.
We have a field Trip to the Santa Cruz Symphony scheduled for Monday, 3/23. Permission slips go home on 2/10 and are due 2/13. If you are interested and available to drive/chaperone, please complete the form on our Field Trip Link.
The Mountain School Read-a-thon is well under way. Your child should be collecting sponsors and reading daily. There will be an assembly with a published author this Friday.
Friday, at 1PM, we will exchange Valentines with some snacks (thank you Amanda Connors for coordinating!). If your child plans to bring valentines, please be sure he/she has one for EVERY student. Please also remember to comply with the Mountain School Wellness Policy and leave the sweets at home.
Your child should begin gathering data for his/her science fair project. We will meet next week about progress. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to email me.
Finally, Homework Club will be this Wednesday at 12:35-1:15 and Thursday, 2:50-3:30.
Thank you, as always, for your support at home and in class. We truly appreciate it!
Best,
Mrs. Honig
I hope you had a safe and happy three-day weekend! We have a lot to celebrate and to look forward to in the coming weeks.
To begin, the launch of the Young Writer's Project last week was amazing! Our Writing Project Assistants (WPAs) are fantastic and so excited to begin working with the students. We are lucky enough to have 4 different volunteers who will be in our classroom on Wednesdays and Fridays to meet with students about their writing. The first writing activity resulted in some of the most creative, beautiful writing I have seen all year! Please take a moment to ask your child about his/her experience so far.
Student Council Spring Elections are a week from today! If your child is interested in running for an office, please be sure he/she has turned in the paperwork (due 2/10). I will go over speeches with the candidates on Friday. The SPCA Donations will be accepted through Friday so if you have any items to donate, please drop them by the office. Additionally, Student Council is lucky enough to begin working with Shauna Sutton this Spring! She is very excited to take on the program an work with the students.
We have a field Trip to the Santa Cruz Symphony scheduled for Monday, 3/23. Permission slips go home on 2/10 and are due 2/13. If you are interested and available to drive/chaperone, please complete the form on our Field Trip Link.
The Mountain School Read-a-thon is well under way. Your child should be collecting sponsors and reading daily. There will be an assembly with a published author this Friday.
Friday, at 1PM, we will exchange Valentines with some snacks (thank you Amanda Connors for coordinating!). If your child plans to bring valentines, please be sure he/she has one for EVERY student. Please also remember to comply with the Mountain School Wellness Policy and leave the sweets at home.
Your child should begin gathering data for his/her science fair project. We will meet next week about progress. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to email me.
Finally, Homework Club will be this Wednesday at 12:35-1:15 and Thursday, 2:50-3:30.
Thank you, as always, for your support at home and in class. We truly appreciate it!
Best,
Mrs. Honig
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Week of 2/2 Newsletter
Dear Families,
We have some very exciting projects beginning this week!
Science Fair:
Hopefully your child has begun to work on his/her science fair project: gathering materials, finalizing plans for the experiments. I am available after school this Thursday to meet with anyone who may have questions about their project, please just email me to let me know you plan to come. If your child would like to submit his/her project to the County Science Fair (3/7) the deadline for registration is Friday, February 13.
Young Writers Project:
We will be launching the Young Writers Project this Wednesday with a brief introduction at 10:30 AM, Wednesday morning. Then we will meet our Writing Project Assistants (WPAs) who will be with our class on Wednesdays and Fridays for the upcoming 6 weeks. Our project will revolve around Social and Environmental Justice topics and we will learn to write poetry. The completed selections will be published in an anthology with the other small schools' 4th-6th graders. Mrs. Dudley and I are VERY excited about this opportunity!
Upcoming Holidays/Events:
Thank you for your continued support both at home and in our classroom. Please email me with questions at rhonig@mountainesd.org.
Best,
Mrs. Honig
We have some very exciting projects beginning this week!
Science Fair:
Hopefully your child has begun to work on his/her science fair project: gathering materials, finalizing plans for the experiments. I am available after school this Thursday to meet with anyone who may have questions about their project, please just email me to let me know you plan to come. If your child would like to submit his/her project to the County Science Fair (3/7) the deadline for registration is Friday, February 13.
Young Writers Project:
We will be launching the Young Writers Project this Wednesday with a brief introduction at 10:30 AM, Wednesday morning. Then we will meet our Writing Project Assistants (WPAs) who will be with our class on Wednesdays and Fridays for the upcoming 6 weeks. Our project will revolve around Social and Environmental Justice topics and we will learn to write poetry. The completed selections will be published in an anthology with the other small schools' 4th-6th graders. Mrs. Dudley and I are VERY excited about this opportunity!
Upcoming Holidays/Events:
- No School for Lincoln's Birthday on Monday, February 9
- No School for Presidents' Day on Monday, February 16
- Read-A-Thon: Please look for the Read-a-thon packets in the Monday Folders. Here is more information from the Parents' Club: It's time to start the 2015 Readathon! The students will receive their Readathon packets on Monday, Feb. 2, and will try to find sponsors that first week. The goal for each student is to raise $100. The Readathon will run for 12 days (Feb. 9-20), and the students will read for 15-30 minutes daily depending on their grade level. The final week will be Feb. 23-27, when they will collect their pledges and turn them in. We are working on having a local author come to do an assembly on Feb.13, and we will celebrate the end of the Readathon with popsicles and a "Dress as your favorite book character day" on the 20th. Thank you in advance for your participation in this fundraiser. Mountain School kids are incredibly lucky to art, music and drama, and it is all funded by fundraisers like this one!
- Student Council Spring Elections: Packets will go home on February 10, with 4th-6th Graders interested in running for an office for the Spring. Elections and speeches will be held Tuesday, February 17 at 11:00AM.
Thank you for your continued support both at home and in our classroom. Please email me with questions at rhonig@mountainesd.org.
Best,
Mrs. Honig
Monday, January 26, 2015
Week of 1/26/15 Newsletter
Hello!
I can't believe we are officially over the halfway point of the school year! We have accomplished so much so far and have so many more adventures and new things to learn!
Mrs. Dudley and I are participating with the Young Writer's Program this year and are very excited about the project! We will meet with our mentor team in the coming week and launch a project to write a poetry anthology that will be published this Spring! We are working alongside the other small schools and are really looking forward to this opportunity for our students. If you would like more information, please don't hesitate to email me!
Thank you for working with your child over the weekend on his/her science fair proposal. I really enjoyed reading through them and am very excited to see all of the projects in March. Please make note that I'll be available after school Monday, February 2 and Thursday, February 5 to meet with your child (you're welcome to join us too) about the projects. It is not required but highly encouraged. Please let me know if you would like your child to attend a brief meeting.
We will have a lice check on Tuesday morning (1/27) as a precautionary action since there have been a few incidents of lice in some other classes. Thank you 2nd Grade parent volunteers!
I will be holding HW Club on Wednesday, 1/28 12:35-1:15 and Thursday 2:50-3:30.
Upcoming Field Trips:
Monday, 10/23 We will be attending the Santa Cruz Symphony performance at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium.
Tuesday, 3/10: We'll be participating in a Magnetism and Electricity Lab at the Tech Museum in San Jose, followed by an I-Max Movie.
If you're available to drive for either or both, please let me know! Stay tuned for the sign up information in Field Trip Information Link to the right.
Thank you for all of your help both in the classroom and at home! If you have any questions, please email me at rhonig@mountainesd.org.
Best,
Mrs. Honig
I can't believe we are officially over the halfway point of the school year! We have accomplished so much so far and have so many more adventures and new things to learn!
Mrs. Dudley and I are participating with the Young Writer's Program this year and are very excited about the project! We will meet with our mentor team in the coming week and launch a project to write a poetry anthology that will be published this Spring! We are working alongside the other small schools and are really looking forward to this opportunity for our students. If you would like more information, please don't hesitate to email me!
Thank you for working with your child over the weekend on his/her science fair proposal. I really enjoyed reading through them and am very excited to see all of the projects in March. Please make note that I'll be available after school Monday, February 2 and Thursday, February 5 to meet with your child (you're welcome to join us too) about the projects. It is not required but highly encouraged. Please let me know if you would like your child to attend a brief meeting.
We will have a lice check on Tuesday morning (1/27) as a precautionary action since there have been a few incidents of lice in some other classes. Thank you 2nd Grade parent volunteers!
I will be holding HW Club on Wednesday, 1/28 12:35-1:15 and Thursday 2:50-3:30.
Upcoming Field Trips:
Monday, 10/23 We will be attending the Santa Cruz Symphony performance at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium.
Tuesday, 3/10: We'll be participating in a Magnetism and Electricity Lab at the Tech Museum in San Jose, followed by an I-Max Movie.
If you're available to drive for either or both, please let me know! Stay tuned for the sign up information in Field Trip Information Link to the right.
Thank you for all of your help both in the classroom and at home! If you have any questions, please email me at rhonig@mountainesd.org.
Best,
Mrs. Honig
Monday, January 19, 2015
Week of 1/20 Newsletter
Dear Families,
Please see the latest updates below of the ongoings in our classroom. For starters, THANK YOU to the parents who helped with our baking and fractions lessons this week: Marcia, Claudia, Linda and Elliana. We couldn't have done it without you!
Science Fair
I hope you were able to go through the Science Fair information packet over the long weekend. I'd like to receive the signature page at the back of the packet, signed by you and your child, by Wednesday, 1/21/15. All of the children were given the opportunity to visit a great website to gather ideas for a project (here it is if you'd like to check it out at home). Your child's proposal is due on Monday, 1/26/15.
Math
We are continuing to work with fractions this week. I know that it's a difficult content area but I am seeing a lot of progress and look forward to the continued work in the coming weeks. If you haven't had a chance to check out my blog post with fractions guides, please take a moment to see what your children are learning. We also set up Khan Academy accounts for all of the students and have been using it to practice newly learned concepts. I highly recommend you have your child show you around the site at home. If you have any questions about it, please contact me.
Writing
Your children worked very hard to write Book Reviews and they turned out fantastic! They are displayed in our classroom and I've made some of them available here for you to look at here.
HW Club
I will only be able to hold Homework Club on Wednesday from 12:35-1:30 PM due to after school meetings on the rest of the afternoons.
Classroom Wishlist
*cleaning wipes
*binder paper
*staples
Thank you for your support at home and in our classroom. If you have any questions or concerns, please email me at rhonig@mountainesd.org.
Warmly,
Mrs. Honig
Please see the latest updates below of the ongoings in our classroom. For starters, THANK YOU to the parents who helped with our baking and fractions lessons this week: Marcia, Claudia, Linda and Elliana. We couldn't have done it without you!
Science Fair
I hope you were able to go through the Science Fair information packet over the long weekend. I'd like to receive the signature page at the back of the packet, signed by you and your child, by Wednesday, 1/21/15. All of the children were given the opportunity to visit a great website to gather ideas for a project (here it is if you'd like to check it out at home). Your child's proposal is due on Monday, 1/26/15.
Math
We are continuing to work with fractions this week. I know that it's a difficult content area but I am seeing a lot of progress and look forward to the continued work in the coming weeks. If you haven't had a chance to check out my blog post with fractions guides, please take a moment to see what your children are learning. We also set up Khan Academy accounts for all of the students and have been using it to practice newly learned concepts. I highly recommend you have your child show you around the site at home. If you have any questions about it, please contact me.
Writing
Your children worked very hard to write Book Reviews and they turned out fantastic! They are displayed in our classroom and I've made some of them available here for you to look at here.
HW Club
I will only be able to hold Homework Club on Wednesday from 12:35-1:30 PM due to after school meetings on the rest of the afternoons.
Classroom Wishlist
*cleaning wipes
*binder paper
*staples
Thank you for your support at home and in our classroom. If you have any questions or concerns, please email me at rhonig@mountainesd.org.
Warmly,
Mrs. Honig
Fraction Concepts & Steps
These posters will be hanging in our classroom to help guide your children when working with fractions.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Week of 1/12 Newsletter
Greetings!
I hope this note finds you well! We had a fantastic first week back last week. The majority of students are finished with their book reviews and they are turning out to be fantastic writing samples! Since we typed the final draft, I'll put up a link to them on our website next week. I encourage you to have your child read through them since it's a great way to find out about books their classmates are reading and enjoying!
I've set up a Khan Academy account for each child using their mountainesd accounts. Feel free to encourage your child log in at home to practice. I'll be "coaching" them by recommending assignments that are related to what we are learning about in class, this week: fractions. I've selected a few videos for you to watch with your child at home to help with understanding the concepts.
4th Grade Parents:
Please watch the first 4 minutes of this video with your child to help understand how and why to find equivalent fractions before we can compare them.
5th Grade Parents:
Please watch this video with your child to help understand how and why converting improper fractions into mixed numbers is actually division.
I will be holding Homework Club this week on MONDAY afternoon, not Thursday (due to a meeting). If your child plans to attend, please plan pick them up around 3:30. It's a great way to collaborate with classmates as well as get a little extra help!
Please mark your calendar for Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday next Monday, 1/19. There will be no school.
Thank you, as always for your continued support both in the classroom and at home! We all benefit from your commitment to the learning environment. If you have any questions or comments, please email me at rhonig@mountainesd.org.
Best,
Mrs. Honig
I hope this note finds you well! We had a fantastic first week back last week. The majority of students are finished with their book reviews and they are turning out to be fantastic writing samples! Since we typed the final draft, I'll put up a link to them on our website next week. I encourage you to have your child read through them since it's a great way to find out about books their classmates are reading and enjoying!
I've set up a Khan Academy account for each child using their mountainesd accounts. Feel free to encourage your child log in at home to practice. I'll be "coaching" them by recommending assignments that are related to what we are learning about in class, this week: fractions. I've selected a few videos for you to watch with your child at home to help with understanding the concepts.
4th Grade Parents:
Please watch the first 4 minutes of this video with your child to help understand how and why to find equivalent fractions before we can compare them.
5th Grade Parents:
Please watch this video with your child to help understand how and why converting improper fractions into mixed numbers is actually division.
I will be holding Homework Club this week on MONDAY afternoon, not Thursday (due to a meeting). If your child plans to attend, please plan pick them up around 3:30. It's a great way to collaborate with classmates as well as get a little extra help!
Please mark your calendar for Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday next Monday, 1/19. There will be no school.
Thank you, as always for your continued support both in the classroom and at home! We all benefit from your commitment to the learning environment. If you have any questions or comments, please email me at rhonig@mountainesd.org.
Best,
Mrs. Honig
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Week of 1/5/15 Newsletter
Happy New Year!
I hope this note finds you all well after the Holiday Break! Let me begin by thanking you all for the extremely generous gift! My husband and I are looking forward to a delicious dinner out!
Thank you for working with your child over the break to read a novel. Your child is working hard at writing a book review this week based on the book (due Friday). I am excited to see the progress in writing that each student is making, and look forward to the continued growth throughout the year.
We are beginning a new class novel, entitled True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, by Avi. It is an exciting story about a young girl who travels across the Atlantic Ocean on a brig in 1832. We will study the use of language, imagery, and how the author creates an intriguing plot with twists and turns.
In math, we are beginning a unit on fractions. 4th graders will learn how to compare, add and subtract fractions. 5th graders will learn to add, subtract, multiply and divide fractions. It is very important for your child to gain a deep understanding of fractions with a number sense in which they can construct and deconstruct fractions. There are many helpful videos on Khan Academy.
Finally, in Social Sciences, we will continue to learn about US Colonies and early development of the US Government.
I will be holding Homework Club this Thursday from 2:50-3:30; all students are welcome.
Thank you of for your help both at home and in the classroom, we couldn't do it without you! If you have any questions please email me at rhonig@mountainesd.org.
Best,
Mrs. Honig
I hope this note finds you all well after the Holiday Break! Let me begin by thanking you all for the extremely generous gift! My husband and I are looking forward to a delicious dinner out!
Thank you for working with your child over the break to read a novel. Your child is working hard at writing a book review this week based on the book (due Friday). I am excited to see the progress in writing that each student is making, and look forward to the continued growth throughout the year.
We are beginning a new class novel, entitled True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, by Avi. It is an exciting story about a young girl who travels across the Atlantic Ocean on a brig in 1832. We will study the use of language, imagery, and how the author creates an intriguing plot with twists and turns.
In math, we are beginning a unit on fractions. 4th graders will learn how to compare, add and subtract fractions. 5th graders will learn to add, subtract, multiply and divide fractions. It is very important for your child to gain a deep understanding of fractions with a number sense in which they can construct and deconstruct fractions. There are many helpful videos on Khan Academy.
Finally, in Social Sciences, we will continue to learn about US Colonies and early development of the US Government.
I will be holding Homework Club this Thursday from 2:50-3:30; all students are welcome.
Thank you of for your help both at home and in the classroom, we couldn't do it without you! If you have any questions please email me at rhonig@mountainesd.org.
Best,
Mrs. Honig
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Week of 12/15 Newsletter
Dear 4th & 5th Grade Families,
Winter break is right around the corner! I wish you all a very happy holiday season!
Just a reminder, there will be no school this Friday, 12/18. On Thursday, parents and family are welcome to join us for the Holiday Sing at 11AM to enjoy the songs and ukulele playing by our students!
We will be celebrating the November and December birthdays at the end of the day, Thursday, with hot cocoa and a treat or two. If you're able to donate a box of hot cocoa, please do so by Wednesday morning.
This week we will be finishing up Sign of the Beaver and (hopefully) writing a book review. We will also be launching Accelerated Reader (please see the attached letter here with details).
In math, we finished up a unit on pre-algebra called "Changes in Quantities." It was very challenging and everyone worked very hard to understand it. I am so impressed by the perseverance and dedication to problem solving in our class! We will begin to work with fraction this week to prepare for a fractions unit in January. Please check out the standards if you are curious about what your child will be learning (4th Grade Standards or 5th Grade Standards). I hope to make it fun and hands on, as much as possible, to give your child a solid foundation in understanding and computing with fractions.
Thank you, as always, for your support both in class and at home! The weekly parent volunteers and incredibly invaluable and I truly appreciate the time taken to work with our students! If you have any questions or concerns, please email me at rhonig@mountainesd.org.
Warmly,
Mrs. Honig
PS: My husband and I are very excited to share with you that we will be expecting a baby boy in early June, 2015! More details will follow in the coming months regarding this happy news.
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Week of 12/8 Newsletter
Dear Families,
We have several upcoming events scheduled before Winter Break:
Holiday Night, Wednesday, 12/10 from 6-8:30PM
Banana Slug String Quartet - Watershed Education, Tuesday, 12/16 at 11:15AM
Holiday Sing, Thursday, 12/18 at 11AM
4/5 Hot Cocoa Winter Birthday Celebration, Thursday, 12/18 at 2:00 Please send your child to school with a reusable mug and we'll have hot cocoa with marshmallows and celebrate the November and December Birthdays. If you're able to donate a box of hot cocoa mix, please send it in by the end of the week.
We have begun to learn about the Colonies and will focus on the geographical features that affected settlements. Students will focus on fine-tuning essay writing. We will also be launching Accelerated Reader: a program that will help your child track his/her reading by creating a virtual bookshelf, taking quizzes to monitor comprehension and vocabulary development. We are very excited about this new addition to the intermediate classes!
Math:
The whole class will learn to look at number patterns to determine the function of the change in quantity. Please look for more information in your child's Monday Folder. We will learn to create "Function Tables" and graph them onto coordinate grids. It is a great introduction to algebra.
Science:
4th Graders are working on a Brine Shrimp experiment. They are looking for the optimal salinity that will garner the best living conditions for brine shrimp survival. They will also determine the range of tolerance. It is a fun, hand's on investigation!
Thank you for your help both in the classroom and at home! If you have any questions please feel free to email me at rhonig@mountainesd.org.
Warmly,
Mrs. Honig
We have several upcoming events scheduled before Winter Break:
Holiday Night, Wednesday, 12/10 from 6-8:30PM
Banana Slug String Quartet - Watershed Education, Tuesday, 12/16 at 11:15AM
Holiday Sing, Thursday, 12/18 at 11AM
4/5 Hot Cocoa Winter Birthday Celebration, Thursday, 12/18 at 2:00 Please send your child to school with a reusable mug and we'll have hot cocoa with marshmallows and celebrate the November and December Birthdays. If you're able to donate a box of hot cocoa mix, please send it in by the end of the week.
What We're Learning This Week:
ELA/Social Sciences:We have begun to learn about the Colonies and will focus on the geographical features that affected settlements. Students will focus on fine-tuning essay writing. We will also be launching Accelerated Reader: a program that will help your child track his/her reading by creating a virtual bookshelf, taking quizzes to monitor comprehension and vocabulary development. We are very excited about this new addition to the intermediate classes!
Math:
The whole class will learn to look at number patterns to determine the function of the change in quantity. Please look for more information in your child's Monday Folder. We will learn to create "Function Tables" and graph them onto coordinate grids. It is a great introduction to algebra.
Science:
4th Graders are working on a Brine Shrimp experiment. They are looking for the optimal salinity that will garner the best living conditions for brine shrimp survival. They will also determine the range of tolerance. It is a fun, hand's on investigation!
Thank you for your help both in the classroom and at home! If you have any questions please feel free to email me at rhonig@mountainesd.org.
Warmly,
Mrs. Honig
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