This is the last school week of 2019!  We have lots of fun things planned!  Here’s to the best week ever!  🙂

Thank you for donating to our SCA Toy Drive for kids at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond.

Congratulations to our spelling bee winner. We were so proud of how you represented our class during the school spelling bee! Alex Nguyen did a great job for Team Dawe!

The 5th Grade Room Parents are planning a wonderful Winter Party for the students. If you would like your child to have a pizza lunch on this day, please be sure to  send in your $1.00 donation. Students who do not want to purchase pizza are welcome to buy lunch from the cafeteria or bring in a lunch from home.

The students did a great job at the Tree Lighting last Saturday and they are already gearing up for the 5th Grade Chorus performance, “Gotta Be Jazz.” Mr. Mills has supplied the music for students to practice at home: Gotta Be Jazz. Enjoy!

MATH

The Fraction Computation Test will be given on Wednesday, December 18th.  Your student has notes in their math notebooks to help prepare for this test.  Please remind them to use their notes while completing homework.  The resources on the portaportal also has great resources for review.  (https://guest.portaportal.com/gaes5thgrade)  The students will also participate in a mathematical Holiday Open House.  This activity allows students to choose from several problem solving activities that review skills and practice critical thinking strategies.  This is always fun!  Weekly Math (blue logic problem) is due on Wednesday, December 18th.

LANGUAGE ARTS

We will not have Word Trek this week!  We will return to Word Trek in 2020!  This week the students will work on comparing and contrasting using holiday traditions, solve holiday themed word puzzles, and continue using comprehension skills with holiday traditions around the world.  We will continue reading Esperanza Rising.  The students will also continue writing about gifts that can be given that don’t cost anything.

SCIENCE

The Cells and Kingdoms Test is Tuesday, December 17th.  Your student has lots of notes in their notebook and a study guide in the back of their purple folder.  They will continue working on their Kingdom projects this week.

Information regarding the Glen Allen Science Fair went home last week.  Participation is required for our class, so please sign your student up on the PTA website by Friday, December 20th.  In an effort to allow more creativity, I will not be requiring students to conduct a traditional experiment.  If your student would like to build a volcano or invent something that solves a problem please have them share their plan with me.  Innovation is a great way to approach this assignment.  Because of this, I will not be giving students guidelines regarding specific  steps of the scientific method.  I am excited to see their creativity!  Please let me know if you have questions about this assignment.

SOCIAL STUDIES
The students are working hard on researching their holidays for our Holidays Around the World presentations.  Last week they began creating a postcard that highlights an important object for their assigned holiday.  They will also be writing about this object as well as other traditions observed for their holiday on their postcard.  The students will also create a digital presentation to present to the class on Friday, December 20th.  This is always such a great learning experience!

IMPORTANT DATES

12/17 – Cells and Five Kingdoms Test

12/18 – Fraction Computation Test

12/19 – Book Reports due

12/20 – Winter Party

12/23 – 1/3 – Winter Break

1/16 – Glen Allen Science Fair

We had a great time on our field trip to the Virginia Science Museum! We learned so much while having a blast exploring and taking part in some awesome hands on learning. A special thank you to all the chaperones who assisted on the trip. We couldn’t have done it without you!

The Glen Allen Book Fair is here!

Come shop from 2:30-3:30 pm on December 6, 10, 11, 12

Extended hours: 11:30 am-3:30 pm on December 9th.

Can’t shop in person?  Just fill in the book form and we will try to complete your request-but remember to add tax!

Books make a great holiday idea for students and teachers.

SCA Toy Drive

The Glen Allen SCA is collecting toys for The Children’s Hospital of Richmond once again this year!  We will collect from Monday, December 9^th until Friday, December 13^th.   Please see the attached flyer for suggestions for donations SCA Toy Drive.  Thanks so much for your generosity!

MATH

This week we will continue working with ratios and start multiplying fractions.  There will be a test on fraction computation on Wednesday, December 18th.  This test will include adding, subtracting, and multiplying fractions.  Working with fractions always include simplifying, converting improper fractions and mixed numbers, as well as lowest common denominator and least common multiple.  Please encourage your student to use their notes while completing homework as well as the resources on the Math page of the blog as well as the portaportal (https://guest.portaportal.com/gaes5thgrade).  Weekly Math (green logic puzzle) is due on Wednesday, December 11th.

LANGUAGE ARTS

Word Trek is a review unit this week.  Your student already has all of the words and definitions needed to complete the homework.  Biography/autobiography book reports are due on Thursday, December 19th.  Please encourage your student to bring their book report information to school with them.  They may be able to work on their response questions in class when they have finished all ongoing assignments.  This is a great opportunity for them to get ahead of the game.  Please let me know if you have questions about this assignment.  We will continue working with Esperanza Rising as well as the history of holidays around the world using a variety of comprehension skills.  The students will begin their next essay.  This one will be about gifts that they can give that don’t require money.

SCIENCE
We will continue exploring the animal kingdom this week.  Invertebrates will be our focus.  The students will also begin a five kingdoms project that will include all five kingdoms and subcategories with characteristics and examples as well as binomial nomenclature.  The final test for this unit will be given on Tuesday, December 17th.  Please encourage your student to use their notes while completing their homework.  They can also use the games and resources on our fifth grade portaportal (https://guest.portaportal.com/gaes5thgrade) to review.  The students also have lots of notes in their notebooks and a study guide in their purple folder.

The students have been working on designing and building a package that will allow the successful mailing of a Pringle’s chip.  In order to be totally successful the chip must arrive completely intact without chips or cracks.  We will mail them to Holman Middle School for judging and scoring this week.  This has been one of the students’ favorite activities!

SOCIAL STUDIES

We are going to put the Southeast Region on hold until January as we delve into a research project for the next two weeks.  The students will work in partner groups to research and create a project about a holiday celebrated around the world.  The partner groups will randomly draw from a hat.  The celebrations include Kwaanza, Hanukkah, Chinese New Year, Diwali, Eid al-Fitr, and Christmas.  The students will  create a postcard and a digital presentation to present to the class.  In reading, the students will be learning about holidays and cultures through reading comprehension passages and activities.  It’s going to be an exciting two weeks as we explore the world with geography skills, reading, and art!

IMPORTANT DATES

12/6 – 12/12  –  Glen Allen Book Fair

12/6 – 12/13  –  SCA Toy Drive for Children’s Hospital of Richmond

12/9 – Picture Retakes

12/17 – Cells and Five Kingdoms Test

12/18 – Fraction Computation Test

12/19 – Book Reports due

12/20 – Winter Party

12/23 – 1/3 – Winter Break