Snow Day Science!

Check out this snow day activity 

from Mr. Musselman and Ms. Pavlicek! 

Here is a link to their blog for more information.

Enjoy :)

Stuck inside without much to do?

snow problem!

Burlington Science Center has two great science-packed suggestions to make the most of your snow day.

SNOW SCIENCE FUN #1: LIVE CHICK HATCHING!

The chicks were supposed to hatch on Tuesday and Wednesday in the first and fourth grade classrooms at the Francis Wyman and Pine Glen schools.  Due to the storm, we decided to set up a live webcam at the Science Center in one of the incubators.  Watch them from the comfort of your home by tuning in to our live chick incubator feed on the Burlington Science Center blog!  

**Note to parents: Sometimes, during the chick hatching process, unforeseen circumstances can occur.

The Science Center may choose to stop the live feed at any time.  Thanks for your understanding.

SNOW SCIENCE FUN #2: HOW MUCH WATER IN A FOOT OF SNOW?

How many inches of water does it take to make a foot of snow? The answer  might surprise you!

Make a prediction, then watch Mr. Musselman’s “Blizzard Science” video posted on the Burlington Science Center blog and perform the experiment for yourself!

You can use our step-by-step directions or design a similar experiment for yourself. Whatever your results, be sure to write them down so you can compare them with Mr. Musselman or a friend!

Find both these experiments at

          www.bsciencecenter.wordpress.com

Fellow Stonehill graduate on Ellen!

A fellow Stonehill graduate, Nikki Bollerman teaches at Up Academy in Dorchester. She entered a contest through Capital One in hopes to get a book for each of her students to bring home. She ended up winning $150,000- and donated it all to her school.  Check out her appearance on the Ellen Show! 

Celebrating friendship

Valentine’s Day is a month away and we will be using this day to celebrate friendship. Rather than bringing in valentines, each student will receive a compliment book filled with kind words from classmates. These “inside compliments” should be thoughtful and specific (more than “you are nice.”)

Here are some examples:

“I like the way you participate in class.”

“You always try your best in P.E.”

“I like that you have a positive attitude toward school.”

“It’s great that you make sure others feel included.”

“You make people laugh, but you also know when it’s  time to be serious.”

Please work with your child to brainstorm compliments for classmates. The rough draft for the compliments is due Tues. Jan. 27th. All words should be spelled correctly. These can be worked on during morning work and at home. Keep the copy that was sent home today at home.

Thank you for your help and support! Please let me know if you have any questions.

-Ms. Conceison

Go Pats!

Exploring patterns in science

We are lucky to have the science center provide 

awesome exhibits like this one!  

Ice Skating

The first day of the ice skating program at the Burlington Ice Palace. Fifth graders at Memorial are lucky enough to participate in this four week program. Ms. Bannon and Mr. Peterson do a great job organizing and running this. Here is what students need to bring tomorrow and every Thursday in January:

* Warm clothes: the Ice Palace is extremely cold and with the record low temperatures expected for tomorrow, warm clothes will be very important! 
*Helmet
* A bag: No plastic bags. A backpack, duffle or canvas bag will be best. 

Happy New Year and Welcome Back

Welcome to 2015! 

I hope that everyone had a wonderful break filled with family and friends. I look forward to seeing all of the students tomorrow! Now that it's time to get back to work, here's an update on what will be happening in Room 235:

* Ice skating begins on Thursday. This is a special event that Ms. Bannon and Mr. Peterson coordinate. It's important that everyone has warm clothes and a helmet.

* ELA: DRA tests  (Developmental Reading Assessment) were administered in December and i-Ready assessments will be given this week. My reading class will be taking i-Ready on Friday. We will be starting to read the book Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. We will focus on theme, point of view, and author's purpose as we read this book. We will be working on persuasive writing as well. 

* Math: We will be working on multiplying and dividing decimals. There will continue to be a focus on fact fluency, and Reflex will be weekly homework. 

* Science: We will be starting our unit on space. We will review facts about the planets, but there will be large focus on the phases of the moon. Mr. Musselman will be in to do an activity with us.