October 9, 2015
Dear Parents,
It has been an exhausting 2 weeks since Timber-lee. Not only have we gotten a lot of work done, but
the children’s energy has been at an all-time high. Quite frankly, I have had to stop instruction too
frequently to discuss behavior. The students are working on the Habitude of self-awareness. I want
them to become more aware of how their body is feeling and their reactions to stimuli. They need to
self-monitor their noise level and ability to focus. Many need to practice more self-control when it
comes to sharing ideas. We will talk more individually at conferences, but I hope over the weekend you
can have a talk with your child about this topic and stress that we all have to work together to create an
environment positive for learning.
We wrapped up reading Bridge to Terabithia with a short essay. Students were given feedback on their
essays and asked to revise it. Now we are diving back into Hatchet book clubs. We had a special treat
on Wednesday when we combined book clubs with Mrs. Lim’s room. The students are gathering
support for the themes they have chosen.
We have done so many follow up activities reflecting on our time at Timber-lee. We have written about
how we used the Habitudes at Timber-lee and discussed how we will continue to use the 5 Cs in class
throughout the year. Students created a Google presentation with pictures of their time there and also
a poster depicting their experiences through their drawings.
In science, we have returned to our study of microworlds. The students used the microscopes to look at
several things including live specimens! They will have a quiz over the parts of the microscope on
Monday and take a test next Friday.
Hopefully, they have shared with you some of the things they have learned about slavery and the
Underground Railroad. They have been full of questions! On Monday, students will read picture books
about the Underground Railroad and share what they learned with the class. Look for a test on chapter
5 (lessons 1-3) after conferences.
In math, most classes are learning about the order of operations. We are also working on bar modeling
and multi-step word problems with multiplication and division. My math class will have a test before
conferences.
Students took their first vocab. test yesterday on the words with bon or bene as the root. These should
come home in Fri. folders today. Next, we will have a spelling cycle and look at patterns for long and
short vowels.
Conference times should have come home yesterday. Please send these back to me by Tuesday to
confirm conferences. Also, in the Friday folder today you should find a pre-conference form for you to
fill out if you have any concerns you’d like me to address during our short time together. Please
remember, 5th grade students do come to conferences.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Melissa Atteberry