New Year, New URL!

Welcome, 4th grade parents! This year's blog is located at http://rancho4-11.blogspot.com.

We finished STAR testing today, and now we can get back to learning! (Or maybe just more test taking.) Students have been working on practice math tests for the math we've covered recently. Instead of giving the individual chapter test for each chapter covered, I'll be giving the unit tests. We'll start with the Unit 7 test on Tuesday, probably take the Unit 8 test on Friday, and the Unit 6 test the following Tuesday. Students will also be taking a placement math test for middle school. Fifth grade teachers have not yet set the date, but the results must be sent to the middle schools by May 22, so it will be before then! And students will be taking the end-of-the-year District assessments before June 3. Positive spin: lots of great review before summer!

Students are just about finished with their rough drafts of the trout essay. They should finish the final copies next week, and then we'll start on a persuasive essay. Students are usually very good at persuasion!

Thank you for getting all the Walker Creek forms and money in. If there are any changes in your child's health status (new medications, etc.), please let me know before May 26!. The packing list went home earlier, so hopefully everyone is comfortable with what is needed. If you have any questions, please let me know. Please remember: no food, except for the bag lunch your child needs to bring for the first day and no electronics (they may bring a digital camera, but disposable cameras are recommended). Your child is not allowed to bring a cell phone, even if they were planning to use it as a camera. Students are encouraged to bring a book, cards, a board game, or other non-electronic activity for the short free time periods they have each day. Again, if you have any questions, please contact me.

Have a wonderful weekend, and Happy Mother's Day!

We have made it through our first week of STAR testing--the language portion has been completed. Students will be taking the science test on Tues. and Wed., May 5 and 6, and the math test on Thurs. and Fri., May 7 and 8.

Because of STAR testing, I have switched PE on Tuesday, May 5 from 8:30 to 1:05. Please make sure your child is prepared to participate in PE on Tuesday.

We have been learning about air pressure, convection currents, and the water cycle. There was a lot of talk after yesterday's investigations about trying some other ideas at home--if your child did some investigations on their own, try to get them to explain what they think is happening.

We have been doing a lot of math, but have not taken a math test this week. We will catch up with math tests after STAR testing.

Mrs. Adams has announced in this week's Friday Flash that I will be moving to 4th grade next year. It will be hard to leave 5th grade, but life is about change and so I'm looking forward to making the most of this new opportunity.

Happy May Day!

Many thanks to our drivers yesterday: Mrs. Dunn, Mrs. Gutierrez, Mrs. Kirby, Mrs. Mercurio, Mrs. Stevenson, and Mrs. Thomson. Students learned about the tatters on a blacksmith's apron, flux, coke, the temperature of a blacksmith's fire, and so much more. It was an interesting day.

Walker Creek Forms
If you have not yet turned in your Walker Creek forms, please do so as soon as possible. These forms must be sent to Walker Creek. If you have lost the forms, please let me know. If you have decided against sending your child to Walker Creek, please let me know. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. Walker Creek payments are due by May 1.

Family Life
Fifth grade teachers will be teaching the Family Life unit the week after Walker Creek. This is an opt-in program. You will receive a form that must be returned, letting us know if you want your child to participate or not. Students will be separated by gender (all 5th grade boys will be in one classroom with Mr. McDonald and all the 5th grade girls will be in another classroom with Mrs. Dees and me). Students will have printed material and will view a video. We'll meet for about an hour each day. There will be a parent meeting, to give parents an opportunity to see the materials used for Family Life, on Wed., May 20, at 2:00 P.M., in Mr. McDonald's classroom. If you cannot make this meeting but are interested in viewing the materials, please let me know and we can make other arrangements. If you have any questions, please let me know.

STAR Testing
STAR testing begins next week. The fifth grade schedule is:

1. Language Arts--Wed., Apr. 29 and Thurs., Apr. 30
   
2. Science--Tues., May 5 and Wed., May 6
3. Math--Thurs., May 7 and Fri., May 8.

All tests will be given in the morning, before the morning recess. Make-up tests will be given the following week. One way to help your child do their best is to make sure they are well-rested and have had a good breakfast. These tests show not only what students have learned in fifth grade, but what they can do with what they have learned up to this point in school. I encourage students to do their best (as they should with everything they do), but I do not want students to feel stressed about the tests. They know a lot; here is their chance to demonstrate that.

We will continue to work on all our usual curriculum during STAR testing. And yes, students will still have homework.

Enjoy the weekend.

It was great to see everyone at Open House; thanks for coming to see a bit of what happens in our classroom. Wasn't it great to get the DVD of Ranchoburg? Thanks, Dan Edblom!

Our classroom library grew during the book fair. Not only did the PTA give each teacher $75 to spend, but several families purchased books for our classroom. Thank you very much! Your generosity is greatly appreciated, and I know the books will be read repeatedly in the years to come. Thank you.

Callling parent drivers! We need parent drivers for our April 23 field trip to the Petaluma Fairgrounds to see blacksmithing demonstrations. We will leave Rancho about 9 A.M and return by 2:30 P.M. All three 5th grade classes will be going. So far we have one confirmed driver. Please let Marianne Hill know if you can drive. Because one other school is joining us for the morning demonstration (1 or 2 classes from a Petaluma charter school) and the space in the bleachers is limited, we won't be able to bring extra parents on this field trip, beyond the drivers.

Even though Open House is over, we still have lots of work to do. We finished the math chapter about fractions, decimals, and percents, as well as the chapter about solid figures: nets, surface area, and volume. We have been using the concept of surface area to help us understand some science concepts as well. Students did well on the Unit 2 science test, and we have been working on Unit 3--water, weather, and the solar system. We did an exploration of pendulums yesterday to get a handle on the scientific method and the difference between the independent variable and the dependent variable in an investigation. Ask them what they tested!

Students finished their first literature circle books today. It has been very interesting to listen to their discussions each time they meet. We will begin new literature circles when we get back from vacation.

Students have started working on a 5-paragraph essay (yes, still a form taught and hopefully learned) about their trout experience. So far they have only worked on their introductory paragraph--still a long way to go.

Thanks for sending in the Walker Creek forms! For those who have not yet done so, please return the forms--the travel form (the smaller piece of paper), the 2-page Student Health form, and the Dietary form--as soon as possible. I know the packing list is on the back of one of the pages of the health form, so I will provide a copy of the packing list for anyone who needs it in the weeks before we go. If you have chosen to purchase something from Walker Creek (water bottle, sweatshirt, etc.), please send that form in as well. If you have any questions, please let me know. Walker Creek payments are due by May 1.

State STAR testing will begin the final week in April and end during the first week of May. A good breakfast and a good night's sleep will help them do their best each day.

Enjoy the week off!

It was great to see so many folks at Ranchoburg. The students did a wonderful job, and learned a lot in the process. It was very interesting to hear their reflections on the activity--always like to hear new ideas to tweak the curriculum!

We will be releasing our trout on Monday, March 30, from 8:45-10:35 A.M. We'll walk to Scottsdale Pond. Please feel free to join us!

Open House is Wed., April 1, 6-7:00 P.M. Student dismissal time is 12:30 P.M. I hope to see everyone on Wed. evening!

Fifth graders will be going to Walker Creek Ranch for outdoor education Tuesday, May 26 - Friday, May 29. The Walker Creek information packet and forms are in this week's Friday folder. PLEASE DO NOT THROW THE INFORMATION AWAY. Even after you have turned in the forms, you will need the information in the packet (what to bring, how to contact Walker Creek Ranch, the address to use when sending your child a letter--please send a letter!)
Every child must return:
1) Student Health form (2 pages)--please be as specific and complete as possible,
2) Dietary Information form--again, please be as specific and complete as possible (Does your child have any food allergies? Is your child a vegetarian? Is there some food your child does not eat for religious reasons?...), and
3) the Travel Emergency Care form (your child will be traveling to Walker Creek and back on a school bus). Please return these forms to the classroom by Friday, April 10. If you have any questions, please contact me.

You also have your Walker Creek bill in the Friday folder. Please send in your payment no later than May 1. If you have any questions, please contact Tia Sanford.

Your child should be working on their explorer newspaper project; it is due on Wed., Apr. 1. They will be presenting their work to the class.

We have finished our second science unit; the test will be on Tues., March 31. We have reviewed and every student has a completed I-Check review, along with the science book and their science journal, to help them study. Please have your child spend at least some time this weekend reviewing and preparing for the test.

We are working on percents, and will be reviewing and expanding our knowledge of geometry. Students have also begun working in literature circle groups. We keep busy!

Have a great weekend.

Ranchoburg is here! The students have worked very hard on their scripts, and I'm looking forward to a day of being transported back to pre-Revolutionary colonial Virginia. Many thanks to all the parents who have helped make this activity possible!

Second trimester report cards will be in the Friday folder today. Please return the report card envelope, signed, by Wed., March 25.

We will be finishing our "Living Systems" science unit next week and students will take a unit science test on Tuesday, March 31. The test will cover body systems (things covered on the last science test) as well as plants (the material we have covered since the last test). Students will work on a study guide next week.

Next week will be our last week with the trout. We'll be releasing them into Scottsdale Pond on Monday, March 30. Please feel free to join us.

Happy first day of spring!