That's a Wrap! Edition II

Here are some things to talk about this weekend....

We had Wall of Fame today. Be sure to ask who was recognized & what they did to get put on the "wall!" 

Math: My math class finished up Topic 2 and had our test today. We will be starting our unit on whole number multiplication on Tuesday. Multiplication facts are very important during this topic! Your child should be doing Reflex math three times per week. A quick note about math homework: some days I assign the re-teaching page, some days the practice page, and some days I assign both! I've stressed to the kids the importance of writing down the homework exactly as it is written on the board/the blog. 

Social Studies: I gave back the quizzes on ancient civilizations on Monday. Part of HW this week was to show this to an adult at home. I was very proud of how well everyone did!

Science: What perfect timing to begin learning about the moon after a recent Super Moon! We did a demonstration to show the various phases of the moon. Be sure to ask your child about our game of "Ms. C Says." I tried to trick them, but they were too quick! 

Reading: We kicked off the Global Read Aloud this week. We are reading Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. Check out the book trailer . We will be using KidBlog to connect with a class in Canada. We read Thank you, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco and the students made connections between the two books. These two books are "goosebump" books for me. I've read it hundreds of times, but I always have to hold back the tears when reading Thank you, Mr. Falker!

Writing: We finished up our personal narratives about one moment in time at Camp Bournedale and Camp Eagle. I shared my favorite phrase about teaching writing with our class: "When you think you're done, you're probably not!" I challenged them to include similes and sensory details in their writing. The final product will be produced using Book Creator. Wait until you read them! 

Important Info: 

• No School Monday (Columbus Day)
• Please consider paying your PTO dues to help support all of the wonderful work that our PTO does! 
• Sign up for conferences at the following link OR e-mail me to schedule an appointment for December 3rd.  http://bit.ly/1VRHYfk 
• I'll be using the Remind app to send out quick reminders to parents. Be sure to sign up if you haven't yet!  Text @mconcei to 81010. You'll receive quick reminders from me right to your phone. No need to download the app. 

Enjoy the LONG weekend! 

That's a Wrap! Edition I

Here are some things to talk about this weekend....

We had Wall of Fame today. Be sure to ask who was recognized & what they did to get put on the "wall!" 

Math: All classes are working on Topic 2, which is all about adding and subtracting decimals. The students in my math class have done a wonderful job adapting to our new class format. We started doing small groups and choice board activities. They seem to be enjoying this new structure! 

Social Studies: We finished up our unit on ancient civilizations. Ask your child about the civilization that they created. They needed to include all seven characteristics of a civilization. We kicked off this little project by reading Weslandia by Paul Fleischman. We used Kahoot to review yesterday and had our quiz today. I think everyone  was well prepared! 

Reading: My reading class has been working on Questioning and Inferencing. Ask your child about the questions and inferences they had about the book The Oher Side by Jacqueline Woodson. We had Book Buddies today with Ms. McLaughlin's second grade class. We will be kicking off the Global Read Aloud on Monday! My class will be connecting with a class in Canada. 

Writing: My writing class has been working on a personal narrative about "One Moment in Time." I asked them to write about one moment from Camp Bournedale/Camp Eagle. They needed to pretend as if they were watching the moment in slow motion. Ask your child about "scaling" some words to use in their writing. Isn't "slither" much more descriptive than "walk?" 

Important Info: 

• Symphony Math & i-Ready reading reports are in homework folders today. Symphony and i-Ready are used as universal screeners are the beginning of the year. 
• Kidstuff coupon books OR payment DUE MONDAY
• Conference sign-ups still ongoing http://bit.ly/1VRHYfk 
• I'll be using the Remind app to send out quick reminders to parents. Be sure to sign up if you haven't yet!  Text @mconcei to 81010. You'll receive quick reminders from me right to your phone. No need to download the app. 

Have a great weekend! 

Camp Bournedale & Camp Eagle recap

Everyone had a great time at Camp Bournedale and Camp Eagle last week . The students who went to Camp Bournedale learned about the effects of toxins on animals in the Costal Ecology class, dissected a shark, went on a lobster boat, and used teamwork skills during project adventure. The students at Camp Eagle dissected a squid, spent some time at Fox Hill, planted mums in the garden, and did project adventure with Ms. Bannon. 

Both of these camps were successful thanks to the chaperones at Camp Bournedale, Mr. Musselman, and Ms. Bannon.

Darrin welcoming the campers

Shark dissection! 

 Spider crab

Teamwork was needed to get everyone over the wall.

Thanks for a fun couple of days! 

Squid dissection at Camp Eagle 

Expert planters with Ms. Bannon 

Camp Bournedale & Camp Eagle

Camp Bournedale & Camp Eagle will take place 

this Thursday & Friday.

Here's what you need to know:

Camp Bournedale:

• Students should arrive between 8:15-8:25. Come to the left of the school by the big tree & the play ground.
• They cannot take the bus to school in the morning.
• If your child has medication that they need to bring, please put the medication in a plastic zip lock bag labeled with your child's name. 
• LABEL EVERYTHING! 
• What to pack:
• comfortable clothes
• sneakers
• sleeping bag, pillow
• toiletries  
• What NOT to pack:
• money
• candy/gum
• cell phones, iPhones
• electronics

Camp Eagle

Students attending Camp Eagle will be receiving a permission slip today for permission to ride the B-Line to Fox Hill. They will be doing  activities at Memorial as well as Fox Hill.

Back to School Night Presentation

Here is my presentation from Back to School Night on Tuesday. 

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Back to School Night

Back to School Night for adults will take place

on Tuesday, September 15th, at 6:30pm. 

Please see Mrs. Dressler's post for details. 

This is also a night where you can sign up for parent teacher conferences on December 3rd. You can choose to sign up with any of the fifth grade teachers. I am available before school on December 1st and 2nd, and the entire day on December 3rd. If you'd like to set up a conference with me, please select an available appointment slots: http://bit.ly/1VRHYfk

Solve one problem... Create another

Scientists ask questions and define problems. We've all seen the plastic rings used to hold soda cans. That invention solved the problem of convenience, but it created another problem: safety for animals and the environment. Ask your child to tell you about what they learned about the length of time it takes for certain materials to decompose! Then, have them tell you about what they are making in these photos. Today was Day One of designing.