Welcome Back!

I have spent a lot of time this summer sitting at this table and reading while listening to the birds and gentle breezes.

Summer is winding down and it's nearly time to start back to school!  Yikes, it hardly seems possible.  Where did the summer go?  Our first day is August 26 but the good news is that we start off gently with a three day week.

This summer I have been busy organizing the classroom and developing problem based units of study for us to delve into this year. Although I hate to see the summer vacation come to an end I am getting excited about starting a new school year with my new class of fifth graders!

Be watching your mailbox for a newsletter outlining some of our units of study and offering an opportunity for extra credit!  I am looking forward to seeing you all soon, and in the meanwhile I hope that you will take a moment to write to me and tell me about your summer and your hopes and goals for your fifth grade year!

I have included a suggested supply list in the newsletter you will be receiving.  In the meanwhile, if you wish to check it right now, please click on the Summer Newsletter link to see an electronic copy.  Likewise, you can access a copy of the Suggested Classroom Supply List by clicking on this link.

See you soon!

First Day of School

Wednesday, August 29, 2012 was our first day of school.  The first day of school is probably the best day of the school year!  There is nothing more wonderful than a spanking clean school and classroom, students who are well rested and eager to start the new year, and staff who are ready and waiting!  Energy is high and everyone is ready for the next challenge.

Many of you are familiar with Wordle, a fascinating way to create word clouds from text.  To make this image I simply pasted the address of this blog into the Wordle form and pressed "submit".  This image, then, represents all that has been written on our blog.  I was thrilled to see that the word "students" is right in the center, and that it is the largest word in the image.  After all, the students are the most important - they are the center of our universe.

This year in addition to teaching math to both fifth grade classes, I will teach social studies and language arts to my "traveling group" and Mrs. Ladabouche will teach science to both fifth grade classes.  Soon, more information about Reader's Workshop and Writer's Workshop will be sent home and posted on the blog.

We have ordered a homework planner for each student.  As soon as the planners arrive students will place the planner inside the front of their three ring binder and the planner will remain there for the entire school year.  At the end of each day we stop and take some time for students to enter homework assignments, information about special activities that may come up, and reminders about other items of importance.  We would like you to get into the habit of checking your child's planner each evening.  Something new for fifth graders this year is the Reader's Notebook which will go home with students and return with the student each morning along with the novel or chapter book the student is reading at the time. 

Please note that you can now access homework assignments from this blog.  If a student is absent or forgets to write down an assignment simply check the calendar on the sidebar to your right.  Clicking on the calendar will bring up details about each assignment and when it's due.  In the fifth grade students should expect to have reading homework each evening and parents are asked to initial their child's reading log located in the students' Reader's Notebook and which will travel back and forth from school to home each day.  Students will have math homework each night spending some time in practicing the skills that we have learned in class.  Finally, students will have spelling words to study each week.

Students should get into the habit of remembering to bring their instruments each Wednesday and Friday.  Fifth grade instrumental music lessons take place on Wednesday afternoons and Fifth Grade Band practice is held on Friday at 12:30 pm each week.

First Week of School!

Wow! What a wonderful and exhausting first

"week" of school! Most students were able to get to school for the first day, even some students who live in places rendered inaccessible by all of the flooding and devastation. We collected emergency supplies, food, and water and these items were collected by the Chittenden Fire Department to be delivered to those who live on the other side of all the road breaks on the mountain.

On Thursday evening the NPR national news program, All Things Considered, broadcast an uplifting story about some of our students, the "hikers" who have been hiking out to get to school each day. If you missed the story it is archived here, Amid Flooding, Vermont Kids Hike to School. As my daughter said, "Real Vermonters hike to school!".

Last week we were only in session for three days, but we put our time to good use. We learned a bit more about each other. We learned many new routines and procedures that will help make our class run smoothly. We began setting up our notebooks, planners, and journals. We all took turns using the SmartBoard. We made windsocks that will decorate our room but also helped us learn a few new things about our classmates. We spent some time reviewing place value and its importance in our number system. Our "Magic Digit" activity was fun, and we also learned how a decahedron got its name. We began discussing maps, globes, and geography. We spent a bit of time looking at Google Earth and Google Maps.

We're looking forward to a new week when the rest of our friends will be able to join us and we will finally feel like a complete class.