Friday, December 5, 2014

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!

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

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!

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

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!

Monday, October 27, 2014

AT&T Park Big Event- Nov.1


The Bay Area Science Festival is holding their Discovery Days at AT&T Park on Nov 1st(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!

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

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. 

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

OCTOBER NEWSLETTER

Dear 5th 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 5th 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 5th 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 21st.

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 5th 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

Upcoming Dates:
Saturday, October 11thWalk-A-Thon (9:00-1:00)
Friday, October 17thNo School (Staff Development Day)
Friday, November 7thEnd of the First Trimester (and AR cut off)
Monday & Tuesday, November 10th & 11thNo School


Monday, September 8, 2014

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.  ;)