Mr. Ridle's 5th Grade Class

Parents,

Happy Mother’s Day moms! If you haven’t received your gift from me, please ask your student.

I would like to say THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for all the wonderful gifts that were sent in this week. They were quite unnecessary but very much appreciated. It has been my absolute pleasure to work with this fine group all year long!

We had such a great week this week. Our field trip to Washington, DC was so much fun. I have to say thanks to all the great volunteers who chaperoned and made the trip such an awesome success. Feel free to e-mail any pictures you might have, I’d love to have them on hand at the end of the year!

This week, we will continue to prepare for the Reading and Science SOL tests, which are next Wednesday and Thursday respectively.  Also, Friday is Field Day. We would love to see you come by and will be eating lunch at 11:45 AM (a great time to come by!). In addition, we will be doing Tug-of-War in front of the school at 9:30 AM, Buddy Stations and Relays behind the school at 10:15, and then Zumba and Jolly Ball in the Gym at 12:30.  If you can stop by, that would be great. Also, if you are free that day, Mr. Rutman needs volunteers. He has assured me that it will be very easy work, so if you are interested, please e-mail myself or Mr. Rutman (rarutman@henrico.k12.va.us) to let me know.

Some important dates of interest:

• Tuesday, May 15th – Mid-Terms go home (due Thursday, May 17th)
  
• Friday, May 18th – REES Field Day
• Wednesday, May 23 – Reading SOL Test
• Thursday, May 24 – Science SOL Test
• Friday, May 25 & Monday, May 28 – NO SCHOOL (MEMORIAL DAY HOLIDAY)
• Friday, June 1 – Adventure Book Report Due
• Thursday, June 7 – Math SOL Test
• Monday, June 11 -
• 5th Grade Graduation (8:30 AM)
• REES Talent Show (12:30 PM)
• 5th Grade Party (6-8 PM)
• Friday, June 15 – Last Day of School

It feels like Friday comes quicker and quicker every week! Of course, the weekends tend to be just as quick, but oh well!

We had a fun week with our Science Fair Celebration on Wednesday afternoon and our Eagle Express folks trekking to Cedarfield for a performance on Thursday.  In between, we studied Geometry, the Midwest region, and writing to inform.  Never a spare moment in 5th grade!

This is a great weekend for students to get a good chunk of their book report done. They have no homework in Math, Science, or Social Studies and their Spelling test isn’t until next Thursday, May 10!  Have them soak up the sun by reading outside. If your student has finished reading their adventure book, encourage him or her to complete at least 1 of the 3 required elements of the book report. Better to get it out of the way early with all the happenings of spring. The report is due June 1st.

Remember, we are leaving for Washington DC this Monday at 7 AM, so be at the bus loop at 6:45 SHARP!!! We should be back to school at around 5:00 PM. Some other dates of interest:

• Friday, May 11th – PTA Spring Carnival – see the PTA website (reespta.org) for more details.
• Tuesday, May 15th – Mid-Terms go home
• Friday, May 18th – REES Field Day
• Wednesday, May 23 – Reading SOL Test
• Thursday, May 24 – Science SOL Test
• Friday, May 25 & Monday, May 28 – NO SCHOOL (MEMORIAL DAY HOLIDAY)
• Friday, June 1 – Adventure Book Report Due
• Thursday, June 7 – Math SOL Test
• Monday, June 11 -
• 5th Grade Graduation (8:30 AM)
• REES Talent Show (12:30 PM)
• 5th Grade Party (6-8 PM)
• Friday, June 15 – Last Day of School

Please forgive me for the tardiness of this post…I was enjoying the beautiful weather today!

I was so proud of the students on Thursday during our State Fair Tea. Their food was fabulous and their speeches and costumes were even better!!! Thank you to all the parents who were able to attend.

I think this week will be a “normal” week, which will be our first in a VERY long time! Report cards will go home on Monday and we will have a quiz over the Midwest States and Capitals on Friday.  Don’t forget, students should be reading an adventure book for their book report. All information can be found by clicking HERE. This book report is due June 1st.

Finally, our field trip to Washington, DC will be next Monday, May 7th (more information will be sent home later this week) and the PTA Spring Carnival is Friday, May 11th. Have a great week!

Wow what a week we have had!!! Between assemblies, BAT Days, and Rallies at the River, we continue to stay extremely busy in 5th Grade.  In addition to all the extracurriculars, we are currently working hard on State Fair speeches and recipes, learning about Light in Science, and working hard in Math and Reading as well.  We have to work hard now, because there are only 8 WEEKS OF SCHOOL left!!!! Can you believe it!

If you are still interested in attending our Smithsonian field trip and did not get selected, there is still an opportunity to attend. One of my wonderful parents has graciously accepted the job of following the buses to DC on Monday, May 7th.  She has room for 7 others in her van. 2 seats have already been taken. Please e-mail me so that I can coordinate with her if you are interested in attending.

Our State Fair Tea is this Thursday, April 26th from 8:30-10 AM in our homeroom.  All parents are invited to attend. In addition, I am looking for people to help with setup (7:30 AM in cafeteria) and cleanup (immediately following). If you are able to help out, please let me know. Also, please don’t make too much food as the students will only be sampling food from their own homeroom classmates.  If you have any questions, I would be more than happy to answer them.

Finally, I just want to send a quick reminder about the HCPS dress code. As the weather gets warmer, students need to remember that they cannot wear flip-flops, must have straps on shirts that are as wide as two fingers, and must wear shorts that appropriate. Appropriate shorts are ones that are past the fingertips when students hold their hands at their sides. Please make sure your child is wearing appropriate clothes when they leave in the morning. Thanks for your help with this.

Upcoming dates of interest:

• Tuesday, April 24th – MAPS Reading Test, REES Volunteer Luncheon (11 AM-1 PM) – If you have ever helped out in the school, please come by and let us celebrate you!
• Wednesday, April 25th – MAPS Math Test
• Thursday, April 26th – State Fair Tea (8:30 – 10:00 AM) in each homeroom.
• Monday, April 30th – Report Cards go home
• Monday, May 7th – Smithsonian Field Trip to Washington, DC
• Friday, May 11th – PTA Spring Carnival

I can’t believe the 3rd 9 weeks is almost done! Only 1 more week (4-days at that!) and we are off for Spring Break! I know the kids are excited!!!

Next week will be kind of a busy week. We will take benchmark tests in Science (Monday), Reading (Tuesday), and Math (Wednesday). Don’t worry, there is no expectation of what the students are supposed to study. It is a diagnostic tool to help teachers plan for reviewing for SOLs during the 4th 9 weeks. On Thursday, students will have to complete a Science test on Sound as well as a Reading quiz. They will definitely earn their Spring Break!!!

Don’t forget that State Fair speeches and recipes are due Wednesday, April 18th (the Wednesday after Spring Break).  Students will do much of their work on their speeches in class next week. It would be great if you could help your child come up with a simple (and yummy!) recipe representative of their state that they could serve at our State Fair Tea on April 26th.

Please return the Washington DC Field Trip permission and $28.50 by Thursday. If you are interested in attending as a chaperone, I will drawing chaperones after Spring Break.

Some upcoming important dates:

• Thursday, April 5 – PTA Spring Treat Day, Litterless Lunch, Science Fair (6:00 – 8:00 PM)
• Friday, April 6 – Friday, April 13 – Spring Break
• Tuesday, April 17 – REES Around the World PTA event (6:30 – 8:00 PM)
• Wednesday, April 18 – State Fair Speech and Recipe due
• Thursday, April 19 – BAT Day (more information to follow next week)
• Thursday, April 26 – State Fair Tea (8:30 – 10 AM)
• Monday, April 30 – Report Cards Go Home
• Friday, May 4 – PTA Spring Carnival (5:30 – 8 PM)
• Monday, May 7 – Washington DC Field Trip (6:30 AM – 5:00 PM)

What a great 4-day week we had! The students did an AWESOME job of completing the Online Writing Assessment. I am happy to say that all Writing SOL tests are now complete!!! Also, everyone looked so HANDSOME on Picture Day. Picture packages should be coming home soon. Be sure to review them, keep and pay for what you want, and return the rest.

You may not have heard yet, but HCPS has added two (2) holidays to the school calendar.  Please mark the following on your calendars:

• Friday, April 6th has been changed from a half-day to a holiday for students and teachers;
• Friday, May 25th has been changed to a holiday for students and teachers.

Today, students are bringing their PE Activity Logs home. Students are to log all activity from Sunday until Tuesday. They can do this on a “sloppy copy,” then transfer the information to the log (both sheets are provided).  Please contact Mr. Rutman (rarutman@henrico.k12.va.us) if you have any questions.

Some important upcoming dates:

• Thursday, March 29 – Family Life Presentation
• Friday, March 30 – State Fair Choice Project is due to Mr. Ridle
• Thursday, April 5 – PTA Spring Treat Day, Litterless Lunch, Science Fair (6:30 – 8:00 PM).
• Friday, April 6 – Friday, April 13 – Spring Break

Be on the lookout for information about a field trip coming next week.  Have a great weekend!

Sorry parents that this is so late…this beautiful weekend had me pleasantly distracted!!!

First, let me remind you that there is NO SCHOOL MONDAY!!!  Enjoy an extra day with your children in this beautiful weather.  On Tuesday, we will take the last part of the Writing SOL on-line field test. Students will craft a response to a prompt that they will be given and all work will be done on-line.  Please help students do their best by making sure they get a good night’s sleep on Monday night and a good breakfast Tuesday morning.

Wednesday is Spring Picture Day…make sure students are dressed their best! This is when the class picture will be taken, so please be sure to send in $9.50 for a class picture if you haven’t already.  Please let me know if you need an envelope and I will send one home Tuesday. Some other upcoming dates of importance are listed below. Have a great week!

• Monday, March 19 – NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS (Staff Development)
• Tuesday, March 20 – On-line SOL Writing Test – Direct Writing Prompt (Make-up on Wednesday, March 21)
• Wednesday, March 21 – Spring Picture Day – Classroom Pictures are $9 (order forms went home today)
• Friday, March 23 – Sandwich Book Reports are due to Miss Atkins
• Thursday, March 29 – Family Life Presentation
• Friday, March 30 – State Fair Choice Project is due to Mr. Ridle
• Thursday, April 5 – PTA Spring Treat Day, Litterless Lunch, Science Fair (6:30 – 8:00 PM).
• Friday, April 6 – Paperless Day, Rally at the River (9:30 – 10:30), EARLY DISMISSAL (11:15 AM).
• Monday, April 9 – Friday, April 13 – Spring Break

I want to start by saying how proud of I was of your students this week. They dealt with the adversity of a snow day on Monday to show up fresh and ready on Tuesday for the Writing SOL Test. They worked extremely hard on Tuesday and Wednesday and did a fabulous job on the Writing SOL. I can’t wait for the scores to come back because I know they did fantastic.

Today was a fun day for the students to relax, watch a movie, and go to the YMCA for Water Safety Instruction. The kids had a blast! I am pretty sure the “water scooters” were everyone’s favorites, so ask them about that. Also ask them about getting flipped in the boat.

Today, I sent home order forms for Spring Picture Day on Wednesday, March 21st. Class Pictures are $9. This year, we can order online, so please feel free to use that option if you are interested.

We have four weeks before Spring Break, so we are really going to buckle down.  Some important dates are listed below. Please e-mail me with any questions.

• Tuesday, March 13 – On-line SOL Writing Test – Multiple Choice (Make-up on Wednesday, March 14)
• Thursday, March 15 – PTA Meeting/2nd Grade Performance (6:30 PM)
• Friday, March 16 – Theater IV – “The Wonderful World of Simple Machines” (9:45 AM)
• Monday, March 19 – NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS (Staff Development)
• Tuesday, March 20 – On-line SOL Writing Test – Direct Writing Prompt (Make-up on Wednesday, March 21)
• Wednesday, March 21 – Spring Picture Day – Classroom Pictures are $9 (order forms went home today)
• Friday, March 23 – Sandwich Book Reports are due to Miss Atkins
• Thursday, March 29 – Family Life Presentation
• Thursday, April 5 – PTA Spring Treat Day, Litterless Lunch, Science Fair (6:30 – 8:00 PM).
• Friday, April 6 – Paperless Day, Rally at the River (9:30 – 10:30), EARLY DISMISSAL (11:15 AM).
• Monday, April 9 – Friday, April 13 – Spring Break

What a great week we have had at the Edge! The students have been finishing novel studies, starting Northeast Region projects, and learning about algebraic expressions. All while preparing for their Writing SOL tests.

Next week, we will take the Writing SOL test. This two part test will consist of Multiple Choice (Monday) and Direct Writing Prompt (Wednesday). Please encourage your students to get plenty of rest, eat healthy, and do their very best on these very important tests. From what I have seen to this point, these students are going to BUST THIS TEST!

Some upcoming dates of interest:

• Monday, March 5 – SOL Writing Test – Multiple Choice (Make-up on Tuesday, March 6)
• Wednesday, March 7 – SOL Writing Test – Direct Writing Prompt (Make-up on Thursday, March 7)
• Tuesday, March 13 – On-line SOL Writing Test – Multiple Choice (Make-up on Wednesday, March 14)
• Thursday, March 15 – PTA Meeting/2nd Grade Performance (6:30 PM)
• Tuesday, March 20 – On-line SOL Writing Test – Direct Writing Prompt (Make-up on Wednesday, March 21)
• Thursday, March 29 – Family Life Presentation
• Thursday, April 5 – PTA Spring Treat Day, Litterless Lunch, Science Fair (6:30 – 8:00 PM).
• Friday, April 6 – Paperless Day, Rally at the River (9:30 – 10:30), EARLY DISMISSAL (11:15 AM).
• Monday, April 9 – Friday, April 13 – Spring Break

How about this crazy weather!? Four inches of snow at the beginning of the week and 80 degree weather at the end. Hope everyone had a chance to enjoy some of the warm weather this week because unfortunately, it looks to be leaving us. Hopefully it will be back soon!

We had a great week at the Edge. We had a chance to meet with the Superintendent, Dr. Russo, and ask him questions about his life and job.  We had a great Rally at the River on Thursday and an AWESOME Sock Hop Thursday night. Thanks to all the parents who attended, volunteered, and supported our PTA.

Most importantly, we took a practice Writing SOL Test. We did the Direct Writing prompt on Tuesday and the Multiple Choice test on Thursday. I continue to be so proud of the efforts put forth.  The results I have seen have given me every reason to be ultra-confidant in how our class will do on the real thing in a couple weeks. I know the kids will do great, so keep giving them the awesome support and confidence you instill in them every day!

Some upcoming dates of interest:

• Monday, March 5 – SOL Writing Test – Multiple Choice (Make-up on Tuesday, March 6)
• Wednesday, March 7 – SOL Writing Test – Direct Writing Prompt (Make-up on Thursday, March 7)
• Tuesday, March 13 – On-line SOL Writing Test – Multiple Choice (Make-up on Wednesday, March 14)
• Thursday, March 15 – PTA Meeting/2nd Grade Performance (6:30 PM)
• Tuesday, March 20 – On-line SOL Writing Test – Direct Writing Prompt (Make-up on Wednesday, March 21)
• Thursday, March 29 – Family Life Presentation
• Thursday, April 5 – PTA Spring Treat Day, Litterless Lunch, Science Fair (6:30 – 8:00 PM).
• Friday, April 6 – Paperless Day, Rally at the River (9:30 – 10:30), EARLY DISMISSAL (11:15 AM).
• Monday, April 9 – Friday, April 13 – Spring Break

Please let me know if you have any questions. Have a great weekend!