ROOM 12!

APRIL & MAY 2014

NEWSLETTER
April & May Calendars
4/1: International Day 4/4: Walk Around 4/7!11: Science Camp 4/12!4/20: Spring Break 4/17: Ivys birthday! 4/23: Tanyas birthday! Theater Field Trip 4/25 Shreyas birthday! 5/2: Sreeya & Mrs. Nguyens birthdays! 5/10: Sawyers birthday! 5/12 Anant & Tejals birthdays! 5/16: Sta" Learning Day 5/20: Arhans birthday! 5/26 Memorial Day #No School$

Coming soon: A hike to the top of Marin Headlands Hawk Hi!! SPRING TESTING

As you know, this year we are moving away from STAR testing and into SBAC testing. This is a new experience for students, teachers, parents, and administrators alike. We are working towards getting comfortable with the new mode of computerized testing and free response answers that differ so greatly from the pencil & paper, multiple-choice format of STAR. Please remember that results will not be published during this trial 2014 test; not even teaches or administrators will know how the students performed. The testing window is April - May. I hope that by now you have visited: 1. CCSS Mathematics for Parents Live Binder: http://www.livebinders.com/play/play/1078576#anchor 2. SBA Practice Tests: http://sbac.portal.airast.org/ The annual middle school math placement tests have also changed this year. Please know that the second portion will be sometime between May 19-30. It will be computerized, much like the format of the SBAC. Again, this is a brand new test and we teachers will be experiencing it for the rst time too. COLONIAL DAY ! Our annual Colonial Day will take place in May. Students will arrive at school dressed in colonial attire, and spend a day in the life of a colonial American! There will be several sessions that the students will rotate through over the course of the day. From cross-stitching to quilling, dancing to woodworking, there will be much to enjoy! As always, we need parent volunteers to pull off this big event. Please keep your eyes open for a volunteer sign-up sheet that will be coming out shortly!

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ROOM 12!
How I Changed at Science Camp essay One of our last big pieces of writing centers around our science camp experience. During the days following their trip to camp, students will reect on how science camp changed them for the better. From becoming more independent to learning more about conservation, it will become clear that these fth graders learned a lot! After a quick review of the proper 5paragraph format, students will launch into their report. At Open House we put this work on display. With vivid illustrations surrounding our nished pieces, these eye-catching assignments will certainly be a treat to behold! We will soon venture through a selection of Roald Dahl books. Reading The BGF, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The Witches, and James and the Giant Peach will be great fun! These books are silly and easy to read, allowing students the processing room to think creatively and take on a variety of leadership roles in their literature circle groups. Soon, students will be working in their groups to create a newspaper from the land that the characters occupy. This newspaper will come complete with an editorial page, feature story, plot summary article, a weather section, and advertisements. I wonder if there will be ads for peach pie from the James and the Giant Peach group! HG&D As the fth grade year winds down, we take time to prepare our students for the health and wellness issues that will arise as they become middle-schoolers. During our Human Growth and Development unit, students will learn about the physical and emotional aspects of maturing into the pre-teen years. Students will also learn ways to keep themselves clean and healthy. Two of these lessons will occur as an entire fth grade, while the other two occur in girls-only and boys-only settings. Before we begin this unit we will send home a letter of notication and consent. If you choose not to have your child participate, you will notify us at that time. GEOMETRY Polyhedraville is coming soon! Students will be mastering the geometry concepts covered in Units 8 and 9. These units include surface area and volume of varying types of prisms. With all of this knowledge under their belts, Room 12 will be ready to create the amazing city of Polyhedraville. Students will show off their vast knowledge of geometry by creating an entire city! From homes to hospitals, grocery stores to schools, our Polyhedraville will have it all. Students are given a strict budget that they must abide by when constructing their polyhedron buildings. After calculating the cost of their oors, roofs, and walls they begin construction by using specic polyhedrons as building blocks to create amazing results. We are looking forward to showing off our work during our upcoming Open House! Final Push Trimester 3 is already in full swing! I am amazed at how quickly the 2013-2014 school year has own by. I think its a testament to this wonderful class of students! Their enthusiasm, curiosity, exibility, and work ethic has been truly impressive. I contribute this to their wonderful upbringing. Thank you for all you do, Parents!

APRIL & MAY 2014

THANK YOU to all of the volunteers who have helped in countless ways this year. From grading to volunteering to eld trips to baking goods, you are the reason we have so much fun and learn so much in Room 12. We appreciate all you do for us!

How I Changed at Science Camp essay

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