History piece for PBL

The History piece needs to include the following:

*Native Americans
--List some of them.
--What did the tribes do? What did they specialize in?

*Explorers/Settlers
--When did the first explorers come? Did they settle? If not who came after them?
--Who came and what did they do?

*Statehood/Capital
--When did your state become a state?
--What number is it?
--What is its Capital?
--Has it had more than one Capital? If so, what where the others and where were they located?

*3 major events that have happened in your state
--Describe what happened.

TiVo Santa Run- walk or run a 5K in downtown San Jose

Join a bunch of running/walking Santas on  Sunday, December 14, 2014 at 3:00 PM for the TiVo “Santa Run Silicon Valley”. It's a new tradition in San Jose benefiting our favorite holiday traditions; Christmas in the Park and Downtown Ice. Festivities kick off at 1:00 PM on race day with the race starting at 3:00 pm. The TiVo “Santa Run Silicon Valley” is a 5K Run/Walk that is fun for the whole family. We encourage you to dress up as your favorite holiday character or tradition; Santa, Mrs. Claus, the Grinch, reindeer, elves, dreidel, menorah, ornaments, tree, candlestick. The ideas are limitless. You can do it as a group too! Bring the whole family for a day of fun; looking at festive displays, community trees and watching live entertainment at Christmas in the Park. Or, warm up those legs before the run and skate at Downtown Ice under the lighted palm trees or warm up with some hot chocolate. Either way, grandparents, parents and kids alike will all enjoy the timeless memories these great activities have to offer.  

See ya there!

Our WATS Champs!

David won running the most laps in 5th grade (81 laps).

Baron won for most money brought in and most pledges in 5th grade.

Hip Hip Hooray!

Way to go boys!

Big Brainz Setup Instructions

*Download Big Brainz:
http://www.bigbrainz.com/Schools.php and select Windows or Mac

*After it downloads and installs, click on the Big Brainz icon on your desktop

*Selcet your student's State, District, and School, then type in student's password.

Have fun!

AT&T Park Big Event- Nov.1

http://www.bayareascience.org/festival/discovery-days-at-att-park/

The Bay Area Science Festival is holding their Discovery Days at AT&T Park on Nov 1^st(this weekend).  This event teaches kids about different science topics.  Booths are set up with hands-on projects, for example:

·         Color Chromatography Activity

·         DNA Bead Jewelry

·         pH of Chemistry with Cabbage Water

·         Strawberry DNA Extraction

I thought this might be something to share in case anyone was looking for something to do this weekend after the excitement of Halloween on Friday J  It might also give some of them ideas for the science fair.

Have a good week!

OCTOBER 31 NEWS

On October 31, we will have a Halloween Themed Day - NO COSTUMES!

Students are invited to dress in Halloween colors and wear a crazy hat or have some crazy hair.  No face paint or spraying hair at school. 

OCTOBER NEWSLETTER

Dear 5^th Grade Families,

Our school year is off to a fast and furious start. Students are settling into their busy routines and are already stepping up to their new responsibilities and expectations.  Responsibility has been a huge focus as we start the year.  Here is a look at what is happening in 5^th grade.

Science Camp: 

Thank you to the many parents who have already volunteered for Science Camp.  A lottery will be held this month to select two moms & two dads from each of our classrooms.  If you are not selected, please note that we will put your name on the alternate list.  Many times we have needed to go to that list as a back up plan.  As a reminder, the Marin Headlands Institute stipulates that parent chaperones are not to be placed with their child’s hiking group during the week.  Chaperones will be required to provide TB testing results, fingerprinting, and a $160 fee. Please contact us if you are interested.

Because of safety precautions, parents are asked not to make visitations to the camp.  As a means of communication, we update our blog daily with photos and details of the day’s events.  Of course, should there be an emergency, parents would be contacted immediately.

 

Reading/Language Arts: 

Students are now in reading flex groups, based upon the skills we have seen in class that they need support in. All three of the novels have a survival theme and nightly homework; however we encourage all students to read a book of their choice at home as well.  In language arts, we are focusing on prepositions and prepositional phrases.  The District Writing Pre-Assessment was given earlier this month and will help guide our instruction for writing.  Students will be strengthening their narrative and expository writing skills utilizing the Six Traits of Writing.  Picture books are used to demonstrate a new skill that is incorporated into their writing assignments.

Math:

We have just completed our unit on Multiplication and have begun Division. Continue to encourage and assist your students in memorizing their multiplication facts! A “check-in” was given throughout the unit to see what areas each student knew already and which areas needed re-teaching. JiJi will be coming soon in the computer lab. Every student will get a chance to go on and get set up into 5^th grade JiJi and then they have the option of doing JiJi at home whenever they would like.  Each student has also been set up on Khan Academy and Miss Enrico has been assigning recommendations based on areas of need demonstrated in the classroom as well as on Khan Academy. Our class will spend most of October following the baseball playoffs and World Series, focusing on real life situations where you need to divide, graph, compare, and analyze data.

Social Studies:

Our year started with basic geography skills and a look at the land and resources of the United States. Students are now working in groups to research the ancient people and Native Americans of the U.S. Check out their Interactive Notebooks so far when you get a chance!

Science:

There are three themes to be covered in science this year: Earth Science, Life Science, and Physical Science. Miss Bustillos is currently teaching Life Science with an emphasis on cells, plant systems, and the human body system.  Reading, note-taking skills, thinking maps, and experiments/projects will be taking place in her classroom. Students will be taking periodic quizzes and tests, with their first Unit Test being scheduled for October 21^st.

Technology:

Our computer lab is set up and ready to go! This gives us a great weekly opportunity to work on typing skills, powerpoint, research, and projects as a whole class.  In addition, each of our classrooms is now up to approximately 23 devices (a mixture between laptops and chromebooks), providing us with ample opportunities to incorporate technology into the classroom and the students’ every day lives.

Instrument Lessons:

Many of our 5^th graders are involved in the music program.  Lessons will be taking place during the school day (Orchestra on Mondays, Band on Fridays).  Students have been reminded that they are responsible for making up any missed work and taking the initiative to ask for missed assignments.  They also must keep their grades up in order to continue in band or orchestra.  Remembering to bring their instruments can always be a challenge.  We have asked students to write notes in their planners or put notes on their bedroom/front doors.  In order to prepare for middle school, students will not be allowed to call home from school.

Thank you to the many families who have donated items to our classrooms.  The extra paper, tissues, paper towels and Clorox wipes will come in handy this year.

           

Should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call us or email.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Grove                        Miss Enrico                     Miss Bustillos                     Miss Smith

874-3438                           874-3440                         874-3433                             874-3425

kgrove@moreland.org       kenrico@moreland.org    nbustillos@moreland.org      esmith@moreland.org

Upcoming Dates:

Saturday, October 11^th – Walk-A-Thon (9:00-1:00)

Friday, October 17^th – No School (Staff Development Day)

Friday, November 7^th – End of the First Trimester (and AR cut off)

Monday & Tuesday, November 10^th & 11^th – No School

Calling ALL Parents......

The annual C.L. Home and School Club Membership Drive has started...It will run from Sept.3-12th.
Please return the envelopes signed. If you can't donate, WE still WANT your ENVELOPE returned and signed...
Thank You for helping out with this school drive.

~~Miss B.  ;)

Welcome Future Scholars

Welcome to the 2014-15 school year!
I'm glad you've found our classroom blog. :} Please bookmark this site on your computer because it will be full of important upcoming events during the school year and homework assignments. 5th Grade is a fun place to be, with lots of new skills to learn, new friends to meet, and exciting adventures to experience. Our year will start off by establishing our classroom rules and expectations, getting ORGANIZED, and setting up our journals. You will be excited to hear that 5th graders rotate to different teachers for Math, Science, Language Arts, and Social Studies. This will begin on Tuesday, September 2. You will stay with me for Science and then rotate subjects: to Miss Smith's class for Writing/Language Arts, to Miss Enrico for Math, and to Mrs.Grove for Social Studies. We will be creating flex groups for Reading in the next few weeks. I'm looking forward to meeting each and everyone of you. :)




 

Tips To Help Have A Successful 5th Grade Year

"Learning is an Adventure"
Be Respectful to Others
Be Kind to Others
Be Responsible
Think B4 You Act/ Actions are Louder than Words
Always Give Your Best Effort
"Excuse Limit 0"
Stay Organized
TURN IN YOUR HOMEWORK!

Free on-line typing sites

A few new online typing sites to check out.
http://typingweb.com/tutor
http://typingclub.com

Pennies for Patients Fundraiser

Our school-wide goal this year is $7000.00....We can do this!      

Some of the fun incentives our Cornerstone kids have planned are....

Dollar Days:

Tuesday, March 11 Bring a Buck and wear your jammies (yes, teachers too!)

Monday, March 17 Tops and Bottoms for a buck...Green Hats and Silly Socks Day for St. Patty!

Friday, March 21 Bring a Buck and Swap shoes with a friend or wear two different ones from home for Mix andd Match Shoe Day

Possible  rewards if we make our school-wide goal include the following: 

Extended Recess for all

HW Free Day

Administration and Office dress up...ballerinas, clowns, Star Wars characters, etc...

School-wide treat...otter pops, popcorn, etc...

All staff wear tiaras and tutus

The Power of Our Money Helps With:
$2,000  supports one week's salary for a medical researcher at UCSF, Stanford and Berkeley who may one day discover a cure for blood cancer!

$500  Provides 10 patient's nationwide the ability to log on to a webcast and hear the latest info. in treatment for their disease from a renowned oncologist or hematologist.

$200  Funds one family support group meeting of 5-25 participants.

$150  Allows five patients to make a first connection with a trained peer volunteer.

$100  Provides the staying connected program to one classroom to help pediatric patients transition back to school after treatment.

$50  Will send patients and survivors to Sacramento to lobby for relevant blood cancer legislation.

$40  Is the cost of sending a comprehensive packet of info. for children with cancer.

$25  Provides lunch for one at Emerging Therapies, a regional blood cancer conference for patients and families.

$5  Is the cost of sending newly diagnosed patient info. about their disease and how to get support.

FAQ's on the re-opening of Latimer

Hello,

As the Board Members and District Staff continue to research neighborhood concerns and analyze boundary possibilities, we have revised our FAQ's to help address some common questions and misinformation about the re-opening of Latimer.

The FAQ's are attached and can be found here for your convenience:  http://www.moreland.org/documents/LatimerFAQsRevised03.05.14.pdf

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to email or call me.

Thank you,

Tanya

Office Manager | Superintendent’s Office

Moreland School District

P: 408.874.2901 | F: 408.374.8863 |E: tdelacruz@moreland.org

www.moreland.org

Science Camp Photos

If you'd like to see some of the group pictures from science camp please check out the links below.

Not all chaperones turned in their pictures to be downloaded...

 

Group 1

Group 2

Group 3:  https://clsciencecamp2014giffin.shutterfly.com/

Group 4:  https://clsciencecamp2014group4.shutterfly.com

Group 5

Group 6:  https://clsciencecamp2014group6.shutterfly.com

Group 7:  https://clsciencecamp2014group7.shutterfly.com

Group 8: : https://clsciencecamp2014group8.shutterfly.com/

Miss B Photos:  https://clsciencecamp2014missb.shutterfly.com/

Pennies for Patients'

I'm happy to announce our very own Country Lane Cornerstone students will be hosting Pennies for Patients' in March. Pennies for Patients is a service learning and character education program that gives students a unique experience making a difference through teamwork to aid thousands of children and adults in the fight against blood cancers like leukemia. It's a win win situation. The kids will learn what "doing good" for others can mean and feel a great sense of pride in helping others. Over the next 3 weeks starting in March, students will be collecting spare change and depositing that change in bins located in each classroom and in the library. The change will be counted daily. At the end of our 3 weeks we will turn over our donation to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Yay!!