Thome

Thank you

A big thank you to the Rockenstein's for bringing in a delicious ice cream treat. It was very much enjoyed and appreciated.

Last Chance!

Flower orders for the 5th grade walk are due this Friday. Additional order forms will be sent in the Thursday folders this week.

Fourth Nine Weeks I.M.I.'s

Today we finished taking the Fourth Nine Weeks I.M.I. Scores will be sent home in the next week's Thursday folders. Student scores will show both the pre and post test scores. There were many word problems that involved multiple steps applying the concepts taught throughout the year. Other newer taught concepts of area and circumference of a circle were also tested. All students are encouraged to keep up the difficult math concepts taught this year by trying to practice them over the summer using Study Island or other math online resources or grade level workbooks.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers. I hope you do something special with your families.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Ricky, May 1 and Nate, May 9. Thank you to both of you for the delicious birthday treats you brought for the class.

Looking Ahead...

Happy Birthday to Preston on May 14.

Our Summer birthdays...

Happy Birthday to...

Spencer    June 1

Trevor     June 13

Tanner     June 17

Allyson     July 4

Sparkles Night

Our classroom took second place for the highest attendance at Sparkles last Thursday evening. What great fun and exercise skating can be!

CRCT Scores

A few families have been wondering when the CRCT scores will be revealed. After all the make-ups and final packing of the materials were done, they have just recently been sent out for delivery. The scores should be to the schools by the end of the school year. Notification of the "Does Not Meet" status for math and reading for our grade, will be shared to those families as soon as possible so summer plans can be made.

All students worked extremely hard on all five tests. I couldn't ask for a better group of test takers!

Thinking ahead...Our Final Week

**Monday, May 18- 5th Grade Mountasia Night**

(Sponsored by 5th grade parent committee)

5:30-8:30-Entrance is free due to the 5th grade fundraisers

*No drop offs please or siblings*

**Tuesday, May 19  Volunteer Brunch**  8:00-9:30 A.M. Media Center

Parents are invited to attend the Volunteer Brunch on Tuesday, May 19th. An invitation was sent in the Thursday folders last week. Please RSVP as soon as you can if you plan to attend.

We have had so many generous and great volunteers. Thank you once again for the great leadership from our room moms, Mrs. Hutchinson and Mrs. Franks. Thank you to all of you who donated items for our class treats, our guest readers, our field trip chaperones, all who spent time raising money for our class party at Mountasia...I could go on and on. Thank you so much!!!

Wednesday, May 20

After lunch we will have our own class celebration. We will have ice cream sundaes and some other activities planned. Please watch your e-mail for an opportunity to donate items for the sundaes.

Thursday, May 21

On this day we will be practicing for our graduation ceremony. Varsity will be serving us lunch and then in the afternoon the 5th grade parent committee will plan some fun games.

Friday, May 22

Graduation Ceremony-Walk of Honor-Dismissal

What a day to remember. I hope you all can attend the Graduation Ceremony and Walk of Honor. It will be an exciting and emotional day for all. Festivities will begin at 12:00 P.M.

Have a wonderful summer!

It has been a wonderful year at Due West. Being able to teach in such a beautiful environment, with the newest technology, with so many intelligient children is any educator's dream. We worked extremely hard learning about the many concepts expected to be taught in this difficult grade level. I do believe the students are ready for their next big step-Middle School. Being a middle schooler parent and knowing what lies ahead for each student, I am excited for them to have a new beginning and great opportunites to meet new friends and teachers. I hope they choose to come back and visit from time to time. Thank you for sharing your children with me this year. I hope your families have a safe and relaxing summer together. I don't think I have to say "Keep Reading" with this class, but how about trying to challenge yourselves with a new hobby if time allows. I will miss you all!

Mrs. Thome 

Rock Eagle Details

Rock Eagle

We had a wonderful time at Rock Eagle. The bus ride to and from was great. The students all enjoyed traveling in luxury. The weather was good and our activities were filled with a lot of learning. We had three main activities that included orienteering, herpetology and team building. In addition, we visited the on-site museum and had our very own variety show. The meals that were provided were delicious and had a wide assortment of food. Lodging was adequate, but most would say very unlike home. Our final activity- hiking to see the Rock Eagle was a great way to end our adventures. The opportunity to spend all this with fellow classmates made it for a very memorable trip. Thank you to our chaperones; Mrs. Sedita, Mrs. Spurgeon and Mr. Dupaty for attending and offering their time on our class's behalf. I know all students will remember this rare experience the rest of their lives!

Spring Break

I hope all of you had a wonderful Spring Break with your families. We have only six weeks left of the year, but we will be covering quite a bit of material yet. Our Spring testing is approaching soon and it is my hope that all students continue to take advantage of the practice problems on Study Island. The CRCT testing is not timed and allows all students to take as long as it is needed to complete. I know each and everyone will work to their greatest potential and show what they know! I look forward to everyone's return on Monday, April 12. Have a holiday weekend!

 

 

Rock Eagle Details

Rock Eagle

We had a wonderful time at Rock Eagle. The bus ride to and from was great. The students all enjoyed traveling in luxury. The weather was good and our activities were filled with a lot of learning. We had three main activities that included orienteering, herpetology and team building. In addition, we visited the on-site museum and had our very own variety show. The meals that were provided were delicious and had a wide assortment of food. Lodging was adequate, but most would say very unlike home. Our final activity- hiking to see the Rock Eagle was a great way to end our adventures. The opportunity to spend all this with fellow classmates made it for a very memorable trip. Thank you to our chaperones; Mrs. Sedita, Mrs. Spurgeon and Mr. Dupaty for attending and offering their time on our class's behalf. I know all students will remember this rare experience the rest of their lives!

Rock Eagle Here We Come!

Rock Eagle

With only a week before we head out for our Environmental Camp trip the anticipation and excitement is beginning to build. What seemed so far off just a short while ago, will soon be here. This week I will go through the schedule with the students so that they will know what to expect. I still need a few more medical permission slips which need to be notarized. Also, a few are missing the final payment, so it would be greatly appreciated if this can be turned in by Wednesday, March 25.

Thank you to the following chaperones who have volunteered to help out. They are Mrs. Sedita, Mrs. Spugeon, Mr. Dupaty and Mr. Fox.

We will start loading the buses by 8:00 a.m. and should be on our way by 8:30 a.m. We will return Tuesday, by 4:45 p.m. Students can be picked up in the bus port at 4:45 p.m.

Students should pack for cooler weather for the early morning and later evening hours. Dressing in layers would be a good idea. I Pods and other electronic devices are acceptable on the bus rides, but will not be out throughout the camp experience. Students must take full responsibility for these and the Due West teachers will not be responsible for loss or damaged items.

Students should not bring snacks, gum or candy for the trip. The camp provides a wide assortment of foods and plenty of it.

Spring Photos

Monday, March 23 is Spring Photos. Class photos will be taken as well as individuals. No money is needed at this time.

Science

Our trip to CATO last Tuesday dealt with our last Science topic of Constructive and Destructive forces. We examined how water can be both of these. We had a beautiful day! I would like to thank Mrs. McAlpine and Mrs. Hutchinson for attending our trip as chaperons.

We are finishing up the Electricity and Magnetism unit. Mr. Huff (Tanner's dad) came to help us learn more about how electricity flows. Thank you Mr. Huff!

Social Studies

We have completed our studies with the 1920's and 1930"s. We now are learning about World War II. As a class we read the novel, Number the Stars, which is a historical fiction story that takes place in the World War II Era. As we look at our past, we sure still have a lot to be thankful for living in this time period!

Writing

Our writing assessment went well. The students worked very hard on their given prompt. When the scores come in, parents will be given a report of how their child did. This last nine weeks we will be responding to literature that we are reading.

Reading Groups

We continue to meet when we can to read in reading groups. The books have mostly been on topics that support our Science and Social Studies topics. The students are asked to summarize along the way to help with picking up the main idea. Students are encouraged to get on Study Island to practice the variety of reading questions that will be on the CRCT reading test.

Math

Our final nine weeks of instruction will consist of learning the formula for Circumference and Area of a Circle. After that, the majority of the standards have been taught and so a lot of review will be in place prior to taking the CRCT testing. As stated above, all students should be using Study Island to continue to practice the skills so that they can do their very best with the Spring Testing.

Have a super week!

Wild Weather!

Our weather appears to be coming in like a lion. I hope it goes out like a lamb! Providing we have school tomorrow, a reminder that it is our pajama day for Read Across America. We will be reading  throughout the majority of our day. Mr. Elliott will be joining us for a while to share some writing tips before our assessment on Wednesday. We will not be going out for recess due to the poor weather conditions.

Many thanks!

Thank you so much for the many flowers and gifts I received for teacher appreciation week. I am still enjoying the beauty of the many flowers I have received. It truly was a week to remember. Your thoughtfulness is greatly appreciated!

Writing Assessment this Wednesday, March 4th

The State Writing Assessment is this Wednesday from 8:00-10:30 a.m. Please ensure your child is at their best by seeing they have plenty of rest the night before and a nutritious breakfast before coming to school. We have written to many prompts this year, viewed previous writing samples to see how they are assessed and last week we had a "Mock Writing" activity to help ease any anxiety that they may have had. On Monday, I will meet with each student to share my thoughts on how they did on their mock assessments. I know each and everyone of them will do very well.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Happy Birthday to Mary Brittain Harden on February 25.

Third Quarter Ends

Friday, March 5, is the end of the Third Nine Weeks. Report cards will be sent home Thursday, March 19.

Have a fabulous week!

Week of February 16-20

Rock Eagle Environmental Trip Parent Meeting

The parent informational meeting is this Tuesday, February 17, at 7:00 p.m. in the cafeteria. Hope to see you there!

Valentine's Day treats

Thank you for your very generous donations. Thank you to the Huffs for providing the drinks, the Budreaus and the Aloisios for the delicious cake and cupcakes and to the Hardens for the wonderful Valentine cookies. Also thank you to the Aycocks for the freshly popped popcorn and to the Elliotts for the heart shaped jello. We enjoyed the day very much.

President's Day -Monday, February 16th

Enjoy your day off students!

 

Time is flying!

It's hard to believe that we are in the middle of February. The weeks come and go so quickly lately. Our calendar is becoming very full with activities to enrich the curriculum. It won't be long and we'll be in the final nine weeks of our fifth grade year.

Conferences

It was wonderful to visit with all of you at conferences. I hope to keep the communication open even though we are finished with the "formal" conference. Mid quarters (Progress reports) for the third nine weeks will be sent home next week in the Thursday folders. Any student receiving a grade less than 80% in any subject will receive a progress report.

Friendly reminders:

Students should be trying to take advantage of the Study Island site for math and reading support. I will be providing H.W. coupons to all students who have made a point to take some tests both in reading and in math. A H.W. coupon will be awarded for any student who has taken a total of 6 tests and have received at least 80% or higher by Thursday, February 20th.

Permission Slips for Rock Eagle

Please send in the permission slip and $50.00 deposit by Tuesday, February 17th. Thank you!

Photos for the 5th grade DVD

Please send these in by this Friday, February 13th.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Happy Birthday to Catie Fox on February 2nd!

Happy Birthday to Gavin Harrison on February 11th!

Valentine's Day

Please bring valentine's in on Friday, February 13th. Please email Sheree Franks if you would like to donate something for this day. Thank you!

GA State 5th Grade Writing Assessment-March 4

We have been working hard all year with the various types of writing. We are currently writing Personal Narratives and will move to Fictional Narratives next week. Author's chair is a great time to hear each other's thoughts in writing. On Wednesday, March 4, each student will be given a prompt to write to. They will have two 45 minute blocks of time to complete this task. They will then be sent off to the County for scoring. In the meantime, we are continuing each day to add to the style, word choice, and the beginning and end of our creations. For most, this is a favorite time of our day!

MATH

We have covered Area of a Triangle, Rectangle and Parallelogram, Volume, Capacity in Customary and Metric Units and Multiplication and Division of Fractions so far. Any review in these areas would be beneficial for all.

Science

Our next unit will be with Electricity and Magnetism. We are currently learning about good nutrition in Health.

Social Studies

We have finished our Westward Movement, Immigration and Industrial Revolution unit. The students have worked in groups to create timelines from 1850-1910. Currently we are learning about the United States part in World War I. Soon we will begin World War II studies.

Reading Groups

Thank you to Mrs. Huff, Mrs. Hutchinson and Mrs. Spurgeon for assisting with reading groups. We are beginning new novels...two that relate to our World War II unit.

Student Holiday

Monday, February 16th, President's Day is a Student Holiday / Teacher Inservice Day.

                HAPPY VALENTINE"S DAY TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!!!

 

 

 

 

CONFERENCE WEEK!

Early Release (12:15) January 26-January 30 due to conferences

Conference week is here! I am anxious to meet with each and everyone of you this week. I hope to give you as much information as needed to let you know the things I see in the classroom with your child. Our time is short, so if there is something that may take more than twenty minutes to discuss, I'd be more than happy to follow up with a phone call at a later time.

In order to get to one conference to another in the new building, feel free to cut through the courtyard to get to the K, 1, 2 hallways. That should help you get to where you need to go on time.

You will be asked your preference of conference times for next year, so you may want to be thinking of your preference October or September?

SPARKLES NIGHT

What a fun time to see so many of our fifth graders attending Skate Night at Sparkles last Thursday. We even won the trophy for the greatest attendance!

Weekly Homework Folders

New this nine weeks is a Weekly homework folder that is given on the first day of our week. It includes the homework that was typically given, but is given at the start of the week all at one time, so students can learn time management and organization to complete work by its due date. All homework supports our many standards taught. On most occasions the work is due on Thursdays, unless we have a four day week, then it is due on Friday.

A.R. Reading Program

Students are encouraged to read as much as they can. Not all materials they read will be A.R. books. If they do read a book that is, they should be taking an A.R. test for it. Congratulations to our two top A.R. participants...

Nate A. at 150 pts!

Elizabeth M. 106 pts.

 

What's New?

Academic Training

As we continue in our new quarter it has been stressed that we are in a critical part of our year to take every advantage to build our skills in reading comprehension and in math. It is our last full quarter before our CRCT testing, so the students are encouraged to be "PROACTIVE" by taking their learning seriously.

Some ways to be best prepared for our spring assessments is to try each day to continue reading at the appropriate reading level. We have an amazing class with most students modeling the love of reading by having books on hand to read. It is clear they make reading a part of their daily routine and enjoy it. 

Due to the amount of content that is expected to be taught, silent independent reading time is limited in our school day. It is provided before school and for a few minutes occasionally throughout the day when the time allows. Daily reading at home not only will help reading levels to grow, but will help in all areas of study. Students should log what they are reading and turn in their logs at the end of each month for a grade.  

Study Island

The students brought home a login for this online practice of Reading and Math concepts that will be on the CRCT test. It is a service that is paid by our school and is an excellent and fun way for students to practice their reading and math. All students had an opportunity to try it out in our lab. One thing we learned as we used it was for the math practice, scratch paper and pencil should be on hand. Also, quality rather than quantity is important. I talked about the "Drip Method" ( a little at a time, a little throughout the week) of learning is better than waiting until the last minute. The service is only available until March 1st so the students are encouraged to begin now!

Conference Week - January 26-29

I know that everyone will be looking forward to getting the Second Nine Weeks Report Card. I am anxious to touch base with all families to give you information of your child's accomplishments and how they are taking responsibilities as fifth grade students. In our next Thursday folder I will be sending in a questionaire that you can fill in and a place to put any questions that I can address. A reminder that the students will be dismissed each day at 12:15 p.m.

Here is a recap of where we are with each subject.

Math:

GEOMETRY:Continuing to practice Area of Parallelograms, Triangles and Irregular Polygons. Volume and Capacity and Measurement Conversions of Metric and Standard Measures

Reading: Fiction

Writing: Narrative; Personal and Fictional

Science: Inherited Traits/Learned Behaviors

Health: Nutrition

S.Studies: Early 1900's-Inventions, Spanish/American War, Immigration

-Soon will be moving to WWI

Parent Surveys

Several surveys from the Cobb County have been sent home. Thank you for completing them and returning them when you can. Your comments will be used in future planning for the county.

Thank you

Thank you to the Robinson's and the Dupaty's for the delicious birthday treats sent in. Thank you to Mrs. Aycock for being our guest reader.

Winter Weather and Temperatures

We will go outside for recess as much as possible when the temperature allows us to. Students are encouraged to find their warmer clothing (hats, gloves, insulated coats) so that they can enjoy their 15 minutes of physical exercise.

See you at conferences!