A Week Full of Social Studies, Science, & Buddy Run Fun

It has been an extremely busy and productive week for the fifth graders!  Thanks for all of your help and support as students completed their first book report of the year and  their Science Expo project on top of all of their other daily responsibilities!  Below are some of the highlights of the week, as well as things to look forward to as we begin the final week of first quarter.

• Students are writing a creative writing story which they will finish, proofread, and edit next week.  For this writing assignment we are focusing on word choice.  This is one of the six traits of writing we are helping students develop this year.  They received Wordly Wise 8 on Friday, October 12.  It will be due Thursday, October, 18, and the spelling test will be Friday, October 19.

• With a lot of hard work and time management, most students were able to completely finish their Science Expo projects.  Those students who didn't finish will have time on Monday to wrap up their work.  I was extremely impressed with the lab reports and look forward to spending more time looking over each student's display board.  The displays will be set out for viewing during parent teacher conferences.  First quarter current events are almost complete.  All students have submitted their assignments, but a few students presentations were postponed until Thursday, October 18 due to the need for Science Expo work time.  Students will begin our new unit early this week which will focus on the classification of all living organisms. 

• Students submitted their first quarter book reports this week, and they did a fabulous job writing these! Mrs. Jones' class began reading their new class novel, Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio by Peg Kehret, this week.  Mrs. Nash’s class finished watching the movie version of Holes, and then began reading Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor.  Students will focus primarily on comprehension and vocabulary throughout these novels.

• This week in social studies, students wrapped up their projects on who really discovered the Americas.  It was fantastic to see the creative work students did over the course of the project, and their work was quite impressive!  Next week we will begin our second unit on the exploration and colonization of North America.

Thanks to all the parents for a wonderful Buddy Run on Friday.  The students thoroughly enjoyed themselves!

The Pet Blessing will be Friday, October 19.  Since students in grades 3-8 no longer bring their pets, students on the second floor will have the opportunity to bring a picture of their pet(s) to hang on a banner that will be used for chapel this week.

Mrs. Jones will be on an ISACS visit Monday, October 15 - Wednesday, October 17.  Mrs. Woorley will be substituting for her.  If you need immediate assistance or have a last minute carpool change, please contact Steve Darnell.  If you have any other questions or concerns, please contact Becky Nash or Gingie Watt.