We're Wrapping Up a Fantastic Semester!

Hello, All!

It's very hard to believe that the end of the first semester is almost here.  Our fifth graders will be cruising the halls of the middle school before we know it!  We have been so busy this month...Below is a list of highlights to enjoy and reminders to make note of.

Highlights:

• Students published their personal narratives and shared them with their peers.  I was so pleased with their hard work and effort.  I have really enjoyed reading the one small moment each student chose that made an impact on their life.  This assignment reminds me that children can be full of wisdom and insight, 
• We have really been enjoying our literacy unit:  Nature's Network.  This theme's Big Question asks:  What is nature's network?  All of our work has revolved around this central idea, and we have enjoyed connecting to it in our work and discussions.
• In Social Studies, we have moved from early explorers to the first English settlements (Roanoke, Jamestown, and Plymouth), and beyond into the original 13 colonies. Advertisements were created encouraging others to come and settle in the New World.  Many students made sure to warn would-be settlers of Indian attacks and starvation!  Students have been very interested in learning about the earliest colonists and the hardships and challenges that they faced.  It is fascinating to listen to the connections students are making between events that happened several hundred years ago and events happening currently.  Students are really beginning to look at history through a historic lens!

Reminders:

• Parent/Student Science Fair Informational Meeting:  December 14th at 6:30 pm here at C.E.--Those interested in participating in this year's Science Fair will want to come.  See Tiger Tales for more details.
• Winter Choir Concert:  Wednesday, December 16th @ 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 pm
• Canned Food Items due:  Thursday, December 17th--Out goal is for each student to bring in at least 10 items.  If you can donate, we would be so appreciative!  
• Winter Party:  Friday, December 18th
• End of the second grading period:  Friday, December 18th
• Report Cards are available for online viewing:  Friday, January 8th 

Have a warm, wonderful Winter Break!  I am looking forward to a terrific, exciting 2016!

Ahoy! Explorers Have Been Sighted at CE!

It has been so exciting watching the kids as they have put together their explorer presentations!  I have been very impressed with the effort being put in to each facet of this project.  Parents, please be sure to come by and check out the explorer portraits and typed speeches outside our classroom. Also, be sure to carve out some time this coming Friday to stop in and see our Explorer Parade and Living Museum!  The parade throughout the hallways at CE begins at 11:30.  Museum doors will open at 11:45 and close at 12:15.

I have heard that there are some very creative explorer costumes in the works!  Please be sure to send your child's costume to school with them on Wednesday, November 11th.  They will be stored at school until Friday, November 13th.  Thanks so much, Parents, for your efforts and encouragement at home with this project!  Please be sure to click below for information regarding our Explorer Museum.

Things are Really "Fall"ing into place in Room 19!

Fall is definitely here!  I am hopeful that everyone enjoyed a wonderful, restful Fall Break!  A lot has been happening here at C.E. and in Room 19...

• Our Explorer Unit is off and running!  Last week, students were assigned an Old World Explorer to research.  Once research is completed, each student will be creating a one to two minute speech about their explorer written from the explorer's point-of-view.  Our project timeline is as follows:
• Explorer research is due Monday, October 26th
• A rough draft of the explorer speech is due Monday, November 2nd
• The memorized speech and a SIMPLE explorer costume are due Wednesday, November 11th. 
• Speeches will be performed during our Explorer Living Museum to be held on Friday, November 13th. 
• Please see the following invitation for further details:

• Students are working really hard on using strategies to generate their personal narratives.  I am very impressed with their ability to communicate emotions on paper!  
• Students went "scuba diving" in the classroom today in search of Old World artifacts.  Ask your child about the treasures they discovered and how it relates to Old World explorers!

Mark your calendars...

• Doughnuts With Dads is tomorrow and Friday!  Dads, please be sure to come and join us anytime from 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. tomorrow (last name A-L) or Friday (last name M-Z).  The Scholastic Book Fair will be open as well if you would like to stop and browse for great books!
• Red Ribbon Week is next week!  
• Wednesday, October 28^th: Spirit Day:  “Staying drug free is no sweat!”-Wear sweats or active wear
• Thursday, October 29^th:  “Give Drugs the Boot”-Wear boots to school
• Friday, October 30^th:  “Red Out”- Wear red to school
• The Ruth Lilly "Life Begins" Parent Preview Night is Tuesday, November 10th, 7 pm at Carmel Middle School for those parents interested in attending.  This is an opportunity for parents to preview the "Life Begins" program that students will be participating in this coming Spring.

Thanks, Parents, for all you do!  

               

Mark Your Calendars!

Hi, Parents,

I wanted to send a few reminders your way...

• Tomorrow is our Chapter 3 Social Studies Test.  Students did a great job reviewing in class today!  They can use their journal, book, and study guide to help them prepare.  Also, each student should have their TCI Social Studies login information stapled into their assignment notebook.  This gives them access to the textbook online as well as a review activity/game for each chapter.

•    Walk to School Day is tomorrow!  Each student who participates is invited to sign a banner in the front hallway.  What a great way to practice Habit #7, "Sharpen the Saw"!

• In an effort to work on Habit #7, "Sharpen the Saw", we decided as a class to see how many of us could catch at least 10 hours of sleep each night this week.  Several students today came in today excited that they met the challenge last night.  Please encourage your child to head to bed and catch some zzzzz's...The "rest" is up to them! :)

• Fall Picture Day is coming up on Thursday, October 8th!  Online ordering is available.

• Students who are running for Student Council need to have posters prepared and turned in by October 12th.  Speeches are due and will be given on October 15th.  

Thanks so much for all of your support!  Have a terrific evening!

So Long, September! Hello, October!

Wow!  September has flown by, and it's hard to believe that the first grading period is almost over!  The end of the nine weeks is next Friday, October 9th.  Report cards will be available online on Friday, October 16th.  Students have been working so hard this grading period, and I am really pleased with the academic progress and leadership I have seen in our classroom!

If you had been in Room 19 these last few weeks you might have seen/heard...

• Students creating posters highlighting a particular Native American Cultural Region.  Students have been working hard at researching via classroom computers and iPads a certain tribe found in several different cultural regions.  I have been thrilled with their enthusiasm and eagerness to learn as they have put their own creative spin on their group poster.  Thank you, in particular, to Mrs. Nickless who brought in Hopi and Zuni artifacts to share with our class.  We have all enjoyed looking at the beautiful jewelry, pottery, and weavings that she has shared!
• Students complimenting other students in the classroom during our Friday Leadership Meeting on demonstrating Habit 6:  Synergize--Together is Better.  Our classroom is full of kids who know how to work together to make great things happen!
• Students walking with and talking to their Kinder Buddies as we walked together to the CHS Homecoming Parade.  It was great to see our fifth graders synergizing with their buddy as they walked together and worked together to make this year's parade an enjoyable event for all.
• Students cheering as they found out the our school surpassed the PTO's fundraiser goal.  Great job, everyone!  Thanks for supporting our CE PTO, kids and staff!
• Students in Mrs. Thiel's math class creating obtuse, acute, right, and straight angles using protractors.
• Students writing about a small moment in their life as we kicked off our narrative writing unit.
• Students making final connections to our Unit 1 Literacy Unit  BIG Question,"How does where you are affect who you are?"
• Students getting pumped up about our new Literacy Unit BIG Question, "What is the power of the sun?", and coming up with some pretty fantastic connections and observations about the sun (i.e. The sun is 93 million miles away from Earth! and "All living things depend on the sun.").

Thanks for all of your continued support!  I continue to be so grateful for all of you for all that you do!  Have a fantastic weekend!!

We Are on a Roll!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful, restful Labor Day weekend!  Several amazing weeks have flown by and...if you had been in Room 19, this is what you would have seen/heard...

• Students learning about Habit #2:  Begin with the End in Mind--Have a Plan...Students have been working very hard to establish goals and take steps to reach them.  Our current class goal (and grade level goal) is that 100% of students will turn in their homework on time each day homework is due.  In an effort to encourage students and keep track of our success, giant rocket posters have put up in the fifth grade hall.  Each time our class meets our goal, a star and stripe are colored in on our rocket.  Currently, we have two stripes colored in out of ten.  When we color in all ten, we will have a special celebration to honor our success in reaching our goal!

• Students learning about Habit #3:  Put First Things First--Work, Then Play...We decided as a class that this was a hard habit to put in to action.  Spending time on what is important and staying focused before having fun can sometimes be a challenge.  It has been great to see the students work on this habit each day as they work on using time wisely to get things done.  Keep an eye out for times your child demonstrates this trait at home as well! :)

• Students making connections to our BIG Question in literacy as they read about immigrants coming to Ellis Island:  How can where you are change who you are?  
• Students learning how to think about their thinking (metacognition) while reading and recording thoughts as they read using "secret codes".

• Students creating factor trees to find the prime factorization of numbers.

• Mrs. Nickless and Mrs. Thiel debating during math class which is better:  prime or composite numbers. :)

• Students continuing to add amazing questions to our Wonder Wall...A few examples are:  
• What are the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn for? -Mackenzie
• Why is it when you go to higher altitudes you get colder even though you are closer to the sun? -Justin
• How thick is our atmosphere? -Gavin
• Why do Inuit people hang seal skins on their door frames? -Madeline
• Students creating posters during Social Studies on:  The Top 10 Ways to survive as an Inuit in the Arctic Ice Fields
• Students attending their first Tuesday morning choir rehearsal of the year.
• Amazing 5th graders who come to school each day enthusiastic and ready to learn!

Thanks, Parents, for helping your child be the best they can be!

Wrapping Up the Perfect Week!

Thank you to all who attended this year's Meet-the-Teacher Night!  I enjoyed seeing all of you and sharing my plans for your child this year!  We have wrapped up another terrific week and...if you had been in Room 19 this week, you would have seen/heard...

• Students learning about Habit #1:  Be Proactive and incorporating it into their daily conversations and routines.
• Students writing sentences based on silly pictures in an effort to practice writing complete sentences and complete subjects and predicates.
• Students checking out YHBA books in the Media Center and signing up for reading conferences with Mrs. Thiel!
• Students analyzing text and looking for ways that characters change throughout a passage/story.
• Margy being the first student to post a question on the "Wonder Wall"!  WAHOO!!
• Students learning about factors and playing "Factor Captor" in Mrs. Thiel's math class.
• Lilly M. and Sam being "in the brain" for showing amazing higher-level thinking during Math class!
• The entire class using latitude and longitude to find a location on a map (and all showing mastery of this very tough skill)!
• Student-writers analyzing writing samples and looking for points of strength and areas needing improvement.
• Students offering help and words of encouragement to each other while working on tasks.
• Happy students making their way to buses on Friday, already asking, "What are we doing next week?!" 

Thanks, everyone, for all that you do!  Talk to you soon!

Wrapping Up An Exciting Week!

Wow!  What an exciting week we had here in Room 19!  I have really enjoyed getting to know each of my students this week.  They truly are a great group of kids and get along well with each other.  I am confident this will be an amazing year!  If you had been in Room 19 this week, you would have seen...

• assistance letters going home to parents from Mrs. Douce in each student's V.I.P. (Very Important Papers) pocket in the 8-pocket organizer.
• a reminder going home from Mrs. Klinginsmith about Meet-the-Teacher night next Wednesday evening, August 19th 6:00-7:00 pm for Kindergarten - 2nd Grade and 2/3 GT and 7:00-8:00 pm for 3rd Grade-5th Grade and 4/5 GT.  This year, child care will be provided here at CE!
  The link for student care is https://carmelelementarypto.formstack.com/forms/meet_the_teacher.
• students talking about Paw Pride and what it takes to be respectful, responsible, and ready to learn.
• an all-school assembly introducing CE's "Follow Me, I'll Lead" initiative.
• students filling out job applications for first semester classroom jobs.
• students working together during a scavenger hunt through their brand new Social Studies textbooks.
• Mrs. Nickless and I wearing tiaras during math class. (We wear them on "special occasions!)
• Students checking out chapter books in Media and getting excited about this year's Young Hoosier Book Award (YHBA) nominees.
• numerous students showing off their best dance moves during a classroom brain break.
• the class reviewing the different types of book genres and then playing "Name That Genre" (insert dramatic music).
• classmates enjoying 15 minutes of independent reading each day. (This is a group of READERS!)
• students watching me run through the doorway of our classroom and then falling to the floor in an effort to demonstrate how NOT to enter a classroom.  (This was a hit!)
• grateful students when snack time and lunch time rolled around. 
• writing binder covers being decorated in anticipation of all of the wonderful writing pieces that will be constructed this year!
• happy students strolling to buses on Friday afternoon ready and excited for another week of fifth grade!  

Thanks so much, everyone, for making this first week such a success!  

Getting Ready & Getting Excited!

Hello, Everyone!

I hope that this post finds you rested and ready to begin a new school year!  These last few weeks, I have been working away in my classroom, anxiously awaiting the first day of school (one of my favorite days of the year)... If you are visiting this page, perhaps you have a child in my class this coming year!  If so, please take a moment to submit your email address over to the right side of the page where it says, "Follow by Email".  That way, when I post a new update to the blog, you will get an email notifying you of a new post.  This will be a great way to stay on top of all the great and exciting things that are happening in our classroom throughout the school year!  Feel free to take a look around to familiarize yourself with all the information displayed on the blog.  It's hard to believe that we are already beginning another year of school and that summer break has come to an end.  I am looking forward to meeting all of my students and  getting to know them over the next several weeks!  This year is going to be a terrific adventure!  Welcome back, everyone!  See you soon!