Friday, October 28, 2011

The Week of 10/31/11

Dear Parents,
We had a great Halloween party! Thanks to Mrs. Gibbons, Mrs. Williams, Mrs. Paskvan, and Mrs. Asta. They really out did themselves with fun activities. Thanks to Mrs. Silvestri, Mrs. Daniele, and Mrs. Peloso for providing refreshments.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Project Challenge - 2:30 to 3:45 p.m.

Thursday, November 3, 2011
Picture Retake Day -Any Student wishing to have a retake must have original picture packet with them at the time of retake.
Roller Skating Permission Slips Deadline

THIS WEEK IN MISS TREFONAS'S CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Work due Thursday and test on Friday

READING: We are continuing our novel NIGHT OF THE TWISTERS.
The students are learning new vocabulary words. The students are using the reading comprehension skills of visualizing, drawing conclusions, summarizing, predicting, questioning, and summarizing.

SCOOPer Reading : 1st trimester deadline is November 14th.

ENGLISH: We will begin some prewriting activities as we warm up our 6 Traits of Writing Skills.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 5 Test = Wednesday.
Chapter 6 "Life in the English Colonies" - Lesson 1 "Working and Trading"

SCIENCE: The students will be assessed on what they have learned during the weather unit by completing a project. They will receive directions on Tuesday and will be working on the project in class the rest of the week.
Weather project will be due on Monday, November 7th.

MATH:
Chapter 5 Decimals
Monday = Lesson 1 "Decimal Place Value"
Tuesday = Lesson 2 "Equivalent Decimals"
Wednesday = Lesson 3 "Comparing and Ordering Decimals"
Thursday = Review Decimals
Friday = Chapter 5 Decimal Test
There will be a homework sheet this week. I have not determined the day yet.
Your child should have this information in their assignment notebook early in the week.



Friday, October 21, 2011

The Week of October 24, 2011

Dear Parents,

Tuesday, Mrs. Zaboth, the multi-needs teacher, will be meeting with our 5th grade students to discuss students with disabilities so the students have a better understanding when they see these children in our building. They will then have the opportunity to volunteer to be a "peer buddy" in the multi-needs classroom. This takes places at recess and silent reading time.

PV Bingo Family Fun Night permission slips are due Wednesday, October 26, 2011.
These have been sent to you from Mrs. Smith in her weekly Prairieview reminders.

Thursday, October 27, 2011
Early Dismissal 11:00 a.m.

HALLOWEEN FESTIVITIES ON FRIDAY:
Halloween Parade Starts 1:00 p.m.
Halloween Parties - 1:30 p.m.

Please make sure your child has an appropriate costume for school.
No fake weapons or blood are allowed.
They will change into their costumes. Do not wear costumes to school!
Students have to change in the classrooms. Washrooms will not be available for costume changing. This means their costume might need to be simplified or modified.
They can bring a mirror if needed for simple makeup application!

FRIDAY = Art to Remember orders due!
Bingo Night 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Multipurpose Room

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Work due Thursday and test on Friday. Word of the Week = bonus point!

READING: We are beginning a novel study using Night of the Twisters.
The story revolves around 12-year-old Dan Hatch, his baby brother, Ryan, and Dan's best friend, Arthur, who are home alone when a devasting tornado sweeps through town. Not only does it capture the terror of a devasting natural disaster from a child's point of view. This book also touches a nerve by exploring issues of sibling rivalry, the difficulties that sometimes occur with change in a family, and the importance of friends helping friends. The overall theme in this book is that people need to have a plan of action for such disasters, and it also touches on the fact that, though we all have our disagreements, strong families can draw support from one another, and friends, and use that support to overcome the obstacles created by the disaster.

We will be learning new vocabulary words. The students will be using the reading comprehension skills of visualizing, drawing conclusions, summarizing, predicting, questioning, and summarizing.

ENGLISH: We are finishing Unit 5 Capitalization and Punctuation.
Test = Friday.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 5 Lesson 4 "The 13 English Colonies"
We are finishing this chapter this week. I would strongly recommend that your child starts studying!
Test = Wednesday, November 2nd!

SCIENCE: Chapter 11 Lesson 3 "Weather Patterns and Climates"
We are finishing the chapter this week.
The students will be doing an end of the chapter project for an assessment instead of a test.
They will get this assignment the week of October 31st!

MATH:
Your child was given a step by step direction sheet for long division.
If they are having difficulty, please review this sheet with them.
This should also help you explain the process the same way it was explained in class!
Monday = No math due to an assembly!
Tuesday = Lesson 3.9 Practicing long division
Wednesday = Chapter 3 Review
Thursday = Chapter 3 Test
Friday = Homework sheet



Friday, October 14, 2011

The Week of October 17, 2011

Dear Parents,

Thanks to all of you who have sent in "goodies" for our classroom goblins! I appreciate your donations. Those of you wondering what we can use at this time.....the students are hoping for
these snacks:
~Teddy Grahams
~Rice Krispie Treats
~Cheese and cracker Ritz "handi-snacks"

SCHOOL PICTURES:
Our picture packets should arrive on Tuesday, October 18th
Our retake day is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 3rd

Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Project Challenge - 2:30 to 3:45 p.m.
PV Fall Cheer Clinic - 5th Grade - 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. - 3rd Grade Open Area

Wednesday, October 19, 2011
PV Fall Cheer Clinic - 5th Grade - 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. - 3rd Grade Open Area

Thursday, October 20, 2011
PV Fall Cheer Clinic - 5th Grade - 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. - 3rd Grade Open Area
Book Fair - 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Gym & Multipurpose Room

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THE OFFICE SENDS HOME WEEKLY REMINDERS WITH "FLYERS" OF UPCOMING EVENTS LIKE MOVIE NIGHTS, SKATING PARTIES etc.....

THIS WEEK IN OUR CLASSROOM:

JR. ACHIEVEMENT= Week 2!!!

SPELLING: Pretest on Monday, work due on Thursday, and final test on Friday.
Word of the Week and definition = bonus point!

READING: We are continuing to learn about different types of analogies. This week we will be learning about cause/effect, part to whole, and part to part relationships. We continue to have our timed analogy contests.
We will be starting a realistic genre literature study later this week.....

ENGLISH:
The students have a comma project due on Monday. We read a fun book Eats, Shoots and Leaves which modeled how commas really do make a difference. Have your child show you the pair of sentences they created and what a difference the comma placement makes in what the sentence means!
This week we will be learning about proper usage of quotations, abbreviations, and titles.

SCIENCE: Chapter 11 Lesson 3 Observing Patterns in Weather
We will be recording daily forecasts using the internet, learning about tools used to measure weather, and air masses and fronts.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 3 continued
We will learn about the Puritans and the 13 English Colonies

MATH:
MONDAY= LAST DAY FOR TIMED MULTIPLICATION TESTS
TUESDAY = Chapter 3 Lesson 5 Patterns in division
WEDNESDAY = practice and review lessons 1-5
THURSDAY = HOMEWORK SHEET and QUIZ over Lessons 1-5
FRIDAY = have not decided yet....... : )

Thursday, October 6, 2011

The Week of October 10, 2011

Dear Parents,

*Monday - No School = Columbus Day
*Tuesday - No School = Teacher Inservice
*Friday, October 14th = Movie Night

I hope your child shared something they learned with you from our "Farming for Fuel" program that was facilitated by the DuPage Children's Museum. We learned a lot about bio-fuels!

Has your child found a scarecrow in their locker? See what they say about this!

Here's What's Happening In Miss Trefonas's Classroom:

SPELLING: None this week due to a three day school week!

READING: We will be learning about different types of analogies.
Each day we will have an analogy contest and have an analogy assignment.
This week the different reading skills learned during this first half of the trimester will be assessed.

SCOOPer Reading: Many avid readers in this classroom! I don't have to do much encouraging to read!! I continue to enjoy the book discussions I have with the students.

ENGLISH: We will be doing a creative activity with comma usage based on the book, Eats, Shoots, and Leaves by Lynn Truss. The students will be able to see why commas really do make a difference!
Also, we will learn about interjections! School House Rocks will be used during this lesson!!

JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT: We have our first session this Thursday!
Jr. Achievement is a not-for-profit organization financed by businesses. The purpose of Jr. Achievement is to educate and inspire students to value free enterprise, business, and economics to improve the quality of their lives. Our volunteers, Ms. and Mr. Paleka, will be visiting our classroom once a week for the next 6 weeks. Ms. Paleka works for Harley Davidson Financial, and Mr. Paleka works for Tellalabs. They have been the volunteers for my classroom for the past 9 years! I'm sure your student will be sharing some of their experiences with this program during the next few weeks!

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 5 continued.....We will be learning more about the first colonies!

SCIENCE: WEATHER - Lesson 3 Patterns in Weather

MATH: LAST DAY FOR TIMED MULTIPLICATION FACT TESTS IS FRIDAY, 10/14.
Many students have passed all their timed test through their 12's and have started "Mad Minutes"

Wednesday = Chapter 3 Lesson 3 "Interpreting the Remainder"
Thursday = Reviewing Lessons 1-3
Friday = QUIZ and HOMEWORK SHEET
(The assignment board in Miss Trefonas's classroom lists exactly what homework will
be on the HOMEWORK SHEET)