Ms. Quesenberry - Over the Rainbow

We did it!!

Well...we made it!  School is out for summer and your students are on their way to Middle School!

 

The last day was busy and a lot of fun, but it flew by!  I wanted to say again: Thank you! Thank you for an amazing year, thank you for trusting me to teach your child for a year, and thank you for your support and encouragement in the classroom.  I had such great year and this group of students was such a pleasure to teach!  Please, please come back to visit and stay in touch with me: [email protected]

Have a great summer and best of luck! 

Last 4 Days!

Friday, May 19: 5th Grade Luau (10:30-1)

                        ABC Books Due (These count as a writing grade and either science OR Social Studies.  Students picked their topic based on which content                         area they wanted another grade in.)

Monday, May 22: Yearbook Signing (9-10am) 

                          5th Grade Movie Day (12-2) Each teacher will be playing a different movie in their room.  Students will sign up beforehand to go to a room                           for the movie.  I will be showing The BFG. 

Tuesday, May 23: Kickball Day (8-10:30am) Bring a water bottle

                          Early Release at 12:15.  No backpacks.

Wednesday, May 24: Awards (8:00am)

                               5th Grade Luncheon

                               Walk of Honor (11:45am)

                               Early Release at 12:15. No backpacks. 

 

Students will start bringing their things home today and tomorrow to prepare for no backpacks on the last two days.  Let us know if you have any questions about these last days! 

10 more days!

Wow!  I cannot believe that there are only 10 days left of the 2016-2017 school year!  We are still working hard on various assignments to close out the year.  We are reading The Westing Game and trying to write our own mysteries!  In math we are wrapping up our board games, and students are working hard on their ABC books about their chosen topics in Science/Social Studies.  If students are getting behind on their ABC books you may be seeing these coming home, but otherwise this work will all be done at school.  

Here are some reminders about importation days:

Thursday, May 11: Chorus Block Party in the Gym (9-10)

                             Check Thursday folders (Students will be bringing home previous writing samples from other grades as we clean out portfolios) :) 

Friday, May 12:  Career Day

                         Talent Show at 7:00pm

Tuesday, May 16: Visit from the Public Library 

Friday, May 19: 5th grade Luau 

Monday, May 22: Last day that students bring backpacks

Tuesday, May 23: Early dismissal at 12:30pm

                            5th grade Kickball Tournament

Wednesday, May 24: Early dismissal at 12:30pm

                                5th grade Awards (8:00), Lunch, and Walk of Honor (11:45)

                                Last Day of School

Wednesday, May 31: Report Cards are mailed

I think that's everything!  Let us know if you have questions! 

This Week: May 1-5

I can't believe it's already May!  This time of year is SO busy!  

Coming up this week:

Monday, May 1st: Students take the Reading Inventory in the Computer Lab

Wednesday, May 3rd: Field Trip to Palmer Middle School

Wednesday and Thursday afternoons: Talent Show Auditions

Thursday, May 4th: Last 4-H Visit and PNN students will go to CNN 

In class:

Reading/Writing: Friday we kicked off our Mystery Unit.  We will be reading The Westing Game and writing our own mysteries!  This is such a fun unit and a great way to end the year.  Students will be answering questions and completing activities related to the novel along the way.

Math: We have started a math board game project in class.  Students can work alone or in a group of 3 to show off what they learned this year.  Each group will make their own themed board game with math related questions.  These are due May 12th and we will get to play each other's games!  This project should be finished in class, but if you are interested in the requirements the directions are here:   Download Create your own math board game

Science/Social Studies: We are also working on a summative assignment in Science/Social Studies.  Since we have covered our grade level standards students now have a chance to dive into a specific topic of interest and create their own "ABC Book" on that topic.  In class, I showed them the example "P is for Peach" which is an ABC book all about the state of Georgia.  Each page covers a different topic in alphabetical order (A is for Atlanta, B is for Braves, etc).  This in another in class assignment, but the directions are here:  Download ABC book End of Year project in case someone needs more time at home. :)

As we move into the end of the year, remind your student that it is not summer quite yet.  We need to keep working hard, stay focused, and finish fifth grade strong! 

Looking ahead:

Monday, May 8th: Students take the Math Inventory in the Computer Lab

Tuesday, May 9th: Field Day

Friday, May 12th: Career Day and Talent Show 

Friday, May 19th: 5th Grade Luau

Tuesday, May 23rd: Kickball and Early Release (12:15)

Wednesday, May 24th: Awards (8:00) and Slideshow, 5th Grade Luncheon, and Walk of Honor (11:45)

                                  Early Release (12:15)

 

One. More. Day. and other updates

We have one more day of testing tomorrow!  Remind your children to keep up their stamina.  They have been working really hard, so just encourage them to keep using their time wisely and using those testing strategies. 

Progress reports went home today.  Several students had missing work that affected their grades.  They can complete this work, turn it in, and I am happy to print off a new progress report.  Just let me know if you have any questions about this work.  We, of course, will continue to add more grades, but those “0s” for missing work make a big impact! 

Finally, today we went outside and took a picture with all of 5^th grade.  A form was sent home if you would like a copy of this panoramic picture.  The form is due by this Friday, April 28^th. 

Thank you!

First Day of Testing

We have finished the first day of testing and it was a success!  Everyone was here AND everyone was working hard!  Thank you for making sure your student was on time, well rested, and ready for the day!  Encourage them to keep up the good work and keep up their stamina.  6 more days! 

Upcoming Dates and Reminders

Here are some dates and upcoming events I wanted to make you aware of.  You will be getting flyers and more information about many of these dates in Thursday folders this week, so be on the lookout! 

Friday, April 14th: Last day to submit a baby photo AND current photo for the fifth grade slideshow.  Thank you to everyone who has already done this!

Monday, April 17th: Palmer Middle School Music Open House

There is a handout about this event coming home. All rising 6th graders can come from 5:30-6:30 p.m. with their parents to learn about music in middle school (Band, Chorus, and Orchestra). The students will have a chance to meet the teachers, learn about the instruments and try the instruments for themselves. 

Tuesday, April 18th: This is the last day for parents to join their students for lunch

Wednesday, April 19th: Testing begins!  You will receive a flyer about testing this Thursday.  It also has the schedule for which subjects will be tested each day.

Looking ahead:

Wednesday, May 3rd: Palmer Middle School Field Trip

This Thursday you will receive the permission slip for this field trip.  Please return this ASAP.  There is a cost of $2 for the buses and gas to get us to Palmer Middle School.

 

Testing

This is just a reminder that End of Grade testing starts next week, April 19th.  Below are some helpful tips as you help your child be prepared and confident for each day of testing.  Please let me know if you have any questions! 

Next Week: March 27-31

One more week until Spring Break!  This school year continues to fly by!  Report cards went home today, and we have officially started the last nine weeks of fifth grade.  Here are some important dates next week:

Tuesday, March 28: Last day to send in a baby photo AND current photo for the 5th grade slideshow

                             Rising 6th grade parent night at Palmer Middle School

Wednesday, March 29: Art Show at Pitner

Thursday, March 30: Fifth Grade Field Trip to Chattanooga Aquarium and IMAX (remember to send in money for lunch and pick up at 4:30).

What will be learning next week?

Writing- We will be publishing our narrative pieces and practicing a few prompt style writing pieces to prepare for the EOG Milestones testing.  We also will be studying commas and conjunctions in sentences. 

Reading-We will continue reading Countdown by Deborah Wiles.  We are all really enjoying it.  It is a document novel which is very unique: it is a fictional story that showcases primary sources and biographies throughout from 1962.  I had the pleasure of meeting the author at the Kennesaw State University Literature Conference, and she shared some insight on writing the novel that I have shared with the class.  

Math- Our unit test on measuement, conversion, and volume will be Wednesday, March 29th.  Students were given a study guide.  If they complete it they can earn up to 15 bonus points on the test! 

Social Studies-We are starting Civil Rights (1950-1975) in Social Studies.  Students are working on a book featuring 5 key figures from this time period: Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr, John F Kennedy, Robert F Kennedy, and Thurgood Marshall.  They are using nonfiction text features to showcase their knowledge of informational writing.  Also, on Friday (March 31st) we will be viewing Remember the Titans and discussing that in class (permission slips were signed at the beginning of the year).

Science- Next week, there will be NO homework.  Students will start working on at home Cell Project instead.  The directions are here (Download Cell Model Project) and students will get a copy of these on Monday.  This project is not due until April 14th (the Friday after Spring Break) so they should have plenty of time to complete it. 

Please let me know if you have any questions about academics or the upcoming field trip.  Thanks for your continued support!

 

 

Chattanooga Updates

There are 2 letters going home in the Thursday folder tomorrow about the Chattanooga field trip:

1. Letter about the electronic device policy and transportation when we return at 4:30pm.  This needs to be returned to school before the field trip on March 30th. 
2. General Information about the field trip for you to keep at home.  This has important information about what students should bring with them on March 30th.  

I am posting both of these letters below so you can review the information if any letters get lost on the way home :). 

Download Chattanooga Electronics and transportation letter

Download Chattanooga_Trip_Info