Sharing the Planet and More!

Dear Families,
We had a great walk in the woods last week looking for interactions in the forest.  Our walk has been the experience that drives our inquiry in to energy transfer in ecosystems.

Mammals!

Decomposers!

Yellow Spotted Salamander

Indian Pipe

The next step in our inquiry is going to be focused on water resources on our planet.  Our trip to the Huron River will be an experience to drive this inquiry and help inform our understandings of the interaction between land and water.

Upcoming Dates:
Field Trip Thursday 9/20 12:00-3:00 Island Park, Huron River, Ann Arbor
Curriculum Night Tuesday 9/25 6:00 pm
Early Release Wednesday 9/26 Dismissal at 1:29 pm

We are off to a great start!

It's been exciting to get to know more about one another and establish routines and norms for how our group will work together this year!  We have also begun to dig into the kinds of thinking we will do this year and how we will share our thinking with others!

 In conversation about the ways in which reader's notice themselves thinking when reading we discovered as a group we have a deep understanding of a variety of text features and how those text features demonstrate a balance of student interests in reading fiction and non-fiction text!  We are a group of clever thinkers!

CAMP STORER!
Camp will be here before we know it so it's important to give as much information to families as possible sooner rather than later.  Camp Storer Parent Meeting Wednesday, 9/12, 5:30 pm in the Mitchell Library.  That's THIS WEDNESDAY!

CABIN LEADERS!
We have commitment from two parents to fulfill the role of cabin leader this year.  Thank you!  Our camp experience is not possible without cabin leaders and we need at least four more!  Please consider whether or not you could fill this vital role for our trip to camp.

NWEA
NWEA testing will begin for our class on Friday 9/14.  The beginning of the year is about building classroom community, but also collecting baseline data to monitor student growth over the year.  Students will complete two NWEA assessments--reading and math.

Looking forward to another week together!

Welcome Families!

As we begin a new school year together, please take a moment to browse through the blog to become more acquainted with the classroom and the work we will do together this year.  There are some updates that will happen over the first week of school so check back after the first few days of school.  My hope is to use the Remind app and this blog to keep you and your child updated about what's happening in the classroom.  The Remind app sends a text to your phone and requires an up to date phone number.  I will also send an email to notify families of blog updates.  If either your phone number or email is not current on your child's school records, please let me know.

I'm ready to rock out the last few days of summer vacation while also looking forward to our year together! I can't wait to meet the students and families of our classroom and learn more about each of you!

Sincerely,
Ms. Padgen

P.S.  This is a great time to talk with your child about what they are excited about in 5th grade and any worries they have as we begin the year together.  We will be talking about our hopes and dreams for 5th grade very soon!

The Slave Route Map

http://www.unesco.org/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/CLT/pdf/MapSlaveRoute.pdf

Learning the Virginia Reel

CAMP STORER!!!

It's time!  We leave for camp Monday morning between 9:15 and 9:30.  Please be on time for the start of the school day so we can get organized and make sure we have everyone.  On Friday, your child helped draft a note to send home with camp reminders.  Here it is again...

Dear Very Important Grown-up,

     I am heading off to Camp Storer on Monday, October 23, 2017.  That’s this Monday! I. Am. So. Excited!  Some things you need to know before I get on the bus on Monday:

-       I need to dress for the weather.

-       We will be gone for 3 days and 2 nights.  We will return to Mitchell at 12:45 p.m. on Wednesday October 25, 2017.

-       Please help me use my packing list to make sure I have all that I need.

-       I MAY NOT bring a cell phone or electronics.  I can bring a disposable camera.

-       I can’t ride the school bus with my luggage.  Please drop me off on Monday and pick me up on Wednesday.

-       I need all my medications labeled in the original packaging.

-       It’s helpful if I label all my belongings.

-   You can email Ms. Padgen  over the weekend with any last minute concerns or questions padgensa@aaps.k12.mi.us or call the school on Monday morning.

-       Camp Storer is located at 6941 Stony Lake Rd. Jackson, MI.  1-517-536-8607

Love,  

Week of October 9th

Greetings Families,
These first weeks of school have been busy with community building, problem-solving, and establishing routines in our classroom.  We are just finishing up our first units of math and inquiry, we've learned about sharing our thinking about reading and have started meeting in guided reading groups together.  While our new classroom is still not quite ready, your children have shown flexibility and creativity in our temporary classroom space.

-This week we will begin Unit 2 in Math.  In this unit we will build knowledge around place value, multiplication, and division. The Family Letter will go home tomorrow.
-During our Reading Workshop time we are reading together My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George, making connections with our Sharing the Planet unit.  Guided reading groups are focused on non-fiction text that have been selected to develop our inquiry into natural resources. 
-In Writing Workshop we are beginning to share what we have learned about river ecosystems through informational brochures.

Now that we have completed our NWEA testing sessions and other initial assessments, I'm excited to use what I've learned about your child to better match instruction to individual needs in the classroom.  I'm also looking forward to student conferences where we'll work together, teacher, parent, and student, to develop goals for this school year.  Please check the email address you provided to the school office--I have used this address to send a sign-up genius to schedule conferences.  I will resend this link later this afternoon.  If it doesn't show up in your inbox, also check your spam file.  Conferences begin next week!

I've had a few questions from families about homework.  The Ann Arbor Public Schools encourage 5th graders to spend 50 minutes on homework each evening.  At least 20 minutes of this time should be used for reading.  The remainder of the time can be used to practice math facts, write, continue a classroom inquiry, play a math game, etc.  Everyday Math homelinks will be sent home for the week on Thurs.  This homework packet is just one choice your child has to focus their home study period. 

Please feel free to call 997-1216 or send an email padgensa@aaps.k12.mi.us with any questions about your child's day.

Sincerely,
Aaron