Thanksgiving Lunch Information

Information about the Thanksgiving Lunch will go home this week.  For those of you who have not participated in the Thanksgiving Lunch before, families are invited to join their children for lunch and pie.  We enjoy lunch together in our classroom.  It's a lot of fun, and I hope to see all families there.

The Thanksgiving Lunch will be on Wednesday, November 20.  Fifth graders will have recess from 11:50 to 12:10, then lunch from 12:10 to 12:40 (though lunch generally runs later on this day).  Please mark the date and time on your calendars.  Information on how to RSVP will come home this week.

A Busy Week!

This week was very packed!  We finished the first math unit, we filmed bullying videos for the assembly, we engaged in literature circles, we read and discussed current events, we typed on our Digital Classroom site, and we finished the week with ECO in which we reviewed the themes of geography and went deeper with the theme of human-environment interaction.  Many students, however, came unprepared for ECO and, as a result, we uncomfortably cold.  We ended up having to come back to school earlier than planned.  Ask your child about our busy week!

Bullying Awareness in Current Events: Please Read

As you know, our class is studying current events and bullying prevention.  Recently, bullying has been saturating the news because of events in Florida.  Today's CNN Student News talks about the charges filed against the two girls who cyber bullied Rebecca Sedwick.  On Monday we will watch today's (Thursday, October 17) CNN Student News which includes information about this situation.  Please feel free to pre-watch it by going to cnnstudentnews.com.  We will follow up with discussions with our school counselor.  If you are uncomfortable with your child watching the video or would like to discuss this, please contact me at wendym@mpsvt.org or Shannon Baker at shannonb@mpsvt.org.

Thank you,

Wendy

Bullying Prevention Assemblies

Our class is planning the October assemblies for our school.  The theme that we will explore is bullying prevention.  Our class is working on researching, writing, and acting to teach others about bullying.  We will lead an assembly for K-2 at 8:30am on the Wednesday, October 23rd, and for grades 3-5 at 2:00pm later that day.  Families are welcome to come and participate!

NECAP Update and ECO This Week

Students worked hard on NECAPs yesterday, completing 2/3 of the Reading test.  Today we will finish the Reading portion and begin Math.  Tomorrow (Thursday) we will finish the Math portion.  Next week 5th Graders will take the Writing NECAPs on Wednesday and Thursday mornings.

We will have a nice break from NECAPs on Friday.  On that day we have ECO, so please remember to send your child prepared for the weather, and to pack a lunch unless he/she is getting school lunch.  PLEASE NOTE:  Students that require NECAP make-up sessions will remain at school for testing and will be unable to attend ECO this week.

Christopher Columbus, A Critical Analysis

We have been learning about Christopher Columbus in our classroom.  We read Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendek with our first grade buddies and explored point of view.  We looked at different points of view regarding his arrival in Cuba and Hispaniola (now Haiti and Dominican Republic) by reading, comparing, and contrasting Encounter by Jane Yolen and Follow the Dream The Story of Christopher Columbus by Peter Sis.  We also read from Where do you Think You're Going, Christopher Columbus? by Jean Fritz for more background information.  In addition, we read primary and secondary historical documents to analyze the treatment of the native people.  We will conclude our study with a trial for the mass genocide of the native people.  Ask your child about this mini-unit.  Who is to blame and why?