RoqueStars’ Newsletter
Fourth/Fifth Grade
October 1, 2009
Parents are asked to read, sign, and return the top portion of each week’s update along with the Thursday Folder on Friday morning. Please have your child return this section with your signature Friday mornings with their Thursday Folder.
______Grade ____
Parent Signature Student Name
______
Please sign your child’s planner daily and check for any listed missing work.
Students are having a difficult time stopping one activity and moving on to the next. I usually have to repeat “what to take out” next more than a few times. Please discuss this with your child.
Focus Groups
Starting October 7, we are will be having Focus Groups. The focal point is fluency and comprehension. Students will be placed according to their needs. Attached to this newsletter will be your child’s progress report from beginning of school til now. It will also mention the focus “group” your child will have been placed in. This is for this trimester. I will reassess in December, and in January focus groups will start up again using that last assessment as a basis of where students will be placed.
My email is
Scholastic Books
I now have parent ordering online through Scholastic.
Username: roqueF5
Password: star
5th Grade
We have been going over how to budget our time concerning all aspects of class work, homework, and projects. This will essential when they go to junior high.
Reading
Our next novel will be Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech, which we will start October 5. We will continue to discuss all aspects of the novel which will include:
5th: fact and opinion, story structure, topic-main idea- supporting details, and predicting outcomes
4th: sequence of events, main ideas and details, making inferences, making generalizations
Book Report: 5th is due Sept. 29 as well as 4th grade.
Accelerated Reading (AR)
All students will be required to read at least one book a week at school and then take a comprehension test via the computer. I have an AR library in my classroom (these books are not allowed to leave the classroom.) The majority of these books are anywhere from 25-100 pages and the levels are based on vocabulary.
Writing
· Descriptive
· Personal Narrative
· Reading Response
· Summarizing
Math
5th Grade: Fractions: comparing writing as decimals, ordered pairs and functions
4th Grade: Algebra: expressions/equations, and find a rule
4th Grade: On Friday, 4th graders take a 2 minute timed math facts test. Any problem that was not done or incorrect needs to be written three times each and turn in on Monday.
5th Grade: Any problem missed, the student must explain on the back of their paper why they got it wrong as well as writing that problem 3 times each in its entirety. This is due Monday morning in the homework box with a parent’s signature.
Science
Our first unit will be Physical Science.
Social Studies
The next unit is on Native Americans:
4th Grade: of California
5th: of the United States
Fourth grade: in the coming weeks, your child will be getting a requirement sheet on the Open House Project. This is so you can begin thinking about, researching, visiting (if possible) the California Historical Landmark your child would like to choose.
Native American Report will be completed in class.
Fifth Grade: Native American report will be completed at home/assigned at later date.
Homework
4th Grade:
Every night: Handwriting/math facts
Monday Spiral Math
Tuesday Science Worksheet
Wednesday Reading comprehension or
Greek/Latin affixes
Thursday Editing
Friday Sign Planner/Math Facts-
Any fact that is missed on Friday’s
test must be written 3 times each
and turned in on Monday.
Homework
5th Grade: We go over how to budget our time every day.
Monday Spiral Math
Tuesday Science Worksheet
Wednesday Reading Comprehension or
Greek/Latin affixes
Thursday Newsletter/Test practice
Friday Sign Planner/Big 4: write any
missed problem 3 times each.
Future Dates:
Oct. 3 MEF Run
Oct. 12 No school/Teacher work day
Oct. 17 Carnoween:
5th grade fundraiser-Buy a pumpkin
Oct. 23 AHS Homecoming
Nov. 11 Veterans’ Day No school
Nov. 23-27 Thanksgiving Break
Dec. 4 No school/Teacher work day
Dec. 7-11 Conferences-Book Fair
Minimum days 8:15-12:00
Dec. 11 Trimester I Awards Assembly
Dec. 18 Minimum Day 8:15-12:00
Dec. 21-Jan. 1 Winter Break
Jan. 4 Return to school
VIP (Very Important Person)
Each week a different student will be chosen to be the VIP for the entire week. There will be a bulletin board set up for photos and a shelf for items that he/she would like to share. If it is your child’s week coming up, the VIP envelope will be in Thursday’s envelope for the following Monday.
Oct. 5 Brianna Edwards
Oct. 12 Kayla Armosino
Oct. 19 Marina Perez
Oct. 26 Keoni Gavieres
Trekkers
4th Grade:
Garrett Swartz 17 miles
MacKenzie Canton 8.6 miles
5th Grade:
Jason Frost 18 miles
Oliver Wells 24 miles
Joshua Lipman 13.4 miles
Jake Fahy 3 miles
Michelle Collins 5 miles
Blue Ribbon Winners
Weekending 9-25-09
Noah Cantwell Zoe Damon
Robert Detjens Brianna Atz Nicolo DelBonta
MacKenzie Canton Kieara Rios Sarah Exner Oliver Wells
Jason Frost Keoni Gavieres
Suraj Kumar Joshua Lipman Maria Pain Garrett Swartz
Brianna Edwards Nick Berry
Marina Perez Michelle Collins
Jacob Fahy
Savannah Vanderzwan Michelle Collins