Weekly News 9/29

NEWS FROM FIFTH GRADE                                                 WEEK OF SEPT. 29-OCT. 3

Thanks for coming to parent night last week!  I appreciate your willingness to play a game, listen to what our goals are for the year, and how we “do” 5th grade!  It means a great deal to teachers to have parents informed and to be able to touch base with you all regularly.  BLUE FOLDERS are in, look for homework and notes home along with finished work to stay with you. Planners should arrive this week.

READING

Students are reading a novel of their own choosing and our class novel study book, Shiloh.

We are also doing some weekly vocabulary games called word ladders alongside a quick reading comprehension practice to keep those skills sharp.  Ask your student what they are reading- see how many titles they have read so far this year.  I will be meeting with them to see what titles they have read so far this week in lieu of listening to them read.

Homework:  Read a minimum of twenty minutes nightly (bump it up!) at home starting in October. Please assist your student in making sure this is done. Reading records (this month is a calendar to track minutes) are due Sept. 30-TOMORROW!  Please total and sign your records. New calendars come home for October.  Some students want to transition to a new format, which is fine-- but most are sticking with the minutes on a calendar. If you’d like to place a Scholastic book order, please send it tomorrow.

Classtime:  Shiloh is nearly done.  If we earn our reward of donuts and a movie as we finish, we are planning to watch it in class once we’re done and compare the movie to the book. We’ll have a comfy cozy morning with pillows and blankets, probably on a Monday.  

LANGUAGE ARTS

Spelling: Lesson 4 came home today. Students should complete the packet and write the words for practice on a separate sheet of paper, stapled to the packet.  TEST is Friday morning and lesson is due upon arrival in class. The test is moving to cursive although students still may use print alongside on the test.  It may help to practice the packet in cursive as well.  

Language arts is busy with prepositions, practicing descriptive phrases (and illustrating, very fun!) and talking about our VFW essays.  We defined an essay today, talked about the word count, and talked about the theme.  We’ll begin writing those next week after some organization review.

SCIENCE

We are  still studying rocks, crystals, and the nature of minerals this week.  We’ll have our hands on some neat rocks and minerals in class this week, learning how scientists classify minerals and rocks.  

US HISTORY and SOCIAL STUDIES

Map skills review is still taking place.  We also began our weekly studies in US History.  I will send home a code to let your student access our content for further fun. It’s a good source, and we will supplement with many faith centered materials, including A Beka US History and many trade books. This week, we are studying cartography and different types of maps.

BIBLE

James 4:7  Test Wednesday.   If your child is new to Cornerstone, they may tell the verse orally to me for the first few weeks and practice writing it; October will be an appropriate time to begin writing it for those students.

GENERAL INFORMATION

PE is Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday-- please help your fifth grade student remember athletic shoes and good clothes for running, jumping and playing fun games!

MUSIC is Monday and Wednesday.  We will start TECHNOLOGY on Fridays starting this week if all goes according to plan.

CHAPEL is every Wednesday.  Please wear chapel clothes and bring your worship voices!

GLOW RUN  October 18, RAC in Lacey.

NO SCHOOL October 17  Teacher Inservice

Parent Night Handout

Parent Night Handout  5th Grade

Information Sources

amy.steele@ccsoly.com m:  320.282.7697  h:360.706.0643

Blog http://45cornerstone.blogspot.com

Binder Calendar

Weekly newsletters via email

Service Projects

Operation Christmas Child-- Shoeboxes and Canned Food Drive

Reading

Students are reading a novel of their own choosing and our class novel study book, Shiloh.

Homework:  Read a minimum of fifteen minutes nightly at home in addition to our fifteen minute block at school and normal classroom reading. Please assist your student in making sure this is done. Reading records (this month is a calendar to track minutes) will be due Sept. 30.

Classtime:  I also listen to them read aloud from their current independent reading novel about 3-4 times per month. Your student should move through their personal choice books at a good pace for them; one student may be moving through books at one-two per week while another may be working through two-three titles per month.  Class novels are read at a good clip, usually within two weeks.  We incorporate vocabulary studies, writing activities, literary elements, and small projects.  We also tie in science and social studies skills where applicable. Novels cover several genres.  

Social Studies

Map skills review is taking place over the next two-three weeks.  Then we will start with early U.S. history and move up to the Civil War.  We will also start our state projects in January as soon as we return from Christmas break.   Please help your student determine which state they’d like to study.  Each student will study a different state in depth.  Family ties often make this very meaningful.  PASSPORT is independent study.

Bible

Summit Ministries Building on the Rock Curriculum

Bible Verse Test Weekly

Science

Topical and experimental by nature at this age and graded on journal/participation/some work

Geology, cells, human body, heredity, insects, light, matter

Possible participation in JBLM Evergreen Starbase in the Spring (fifth grade program.)

Spelling

Weekly Lesson, Weekly Test

Packet 40%, Test 60%  - Packet comes home Monday and returns on Friday.

Language Arts

Meaningful writing and grammar studies

Essay and Poetry contests

At fifth grade, a finished language arts assignment should contain good vocabulary that varies throughout the paper.  It also should have correct spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and other conventions.  Complete sentences are a must.

A word about cursive: quick writes, short answer, and other assignments are not mandatory cursive.  Spelling tests, bible verse test, and final writing assignments should be written in cursive (writing assignments may also be typed).

GENERAL INFORMATION

PE is Tuesday,Thursday, Friday-- please help your fifth grade student remember athletic shoes and good clothes for running, jumping and playing fun games!

TECHNOLOGY/ART- Rotating Basis. Students will receive three quarters of art and technology.

CHAPEL is every Wednesday.  Please wear chapel clothes and bring your worship voices! MUSIC is Monday and Wednesday.

HOT LUNCH- Begins October 1.

Sign up at

Cornerstone Hot Lunch Registration

( http://www.blbcolympia.com, click on registration tab at top leftish, and choose Cornerstone Hot Lunch when it appears on the next screen. )

GLOW RUN

October 18, RAC in Lacey.

Weekly News 9/22

NEWS FROM FIFTH GRADE                                                     WEEK OF SEPT. 22-26

We had beautiful weather, great participation, and excellent student attitudes at Mt. St.Helens last Friday.  Thank you for raising such great kids. They were fantastic travelers, learners, and hikers.  We saw God’s might at work in the forces and renewal at the volcanic monument.

READING

Students are reading a novel of their own choosing and our class novel study book, Shiloh.

Homework:  Read a minimum of fifteen minutes nightly at home in addition to our fifteen minute block at school and normal classroom reading. Please assist your student in making sure this is done. Reading records (this month is a calendar to track minutes) will be due Sept. 30.

Classtime:  I also listen to them read aloud from their current independent reading novel about 3-4 times per month. Your student should move through their personal choice books at a good pace for them; one student may be moving through books at one-two per week while another may be working through two-three titles per month.

SHILOH is coming along well- we are about a fourth of the way through the book.   It’s a book about hard choices, right and wrong, and puppy love (the kind where a kid gets deeply attached to a pet!)  Students had an assignment come home tonight to build a shelter for a pet using found materials.  They can bring them to school later this week- it’s due Friday.

LANGUAGE ARTS

Spelling: Lesson 3 came home today. Students should complete the packet and write the words for practice on a separate sheet of paper, stapled to the packet.  TEST is Friday morning and lesson is due upon arrival in class.

In grammar, we are learning the most common prepositions by rote in order to identify them quickly in a sentence.  Once students see those phrases as modifiers, it helps them find the other parts quickly and with accuracy.  Additionally, we’ll be starting our first essay soon for the local VFW contest.

SCIENCE

We are studying rocks, crystals, and the nature of minerals this week.  We’ll have our hands on some neat rocks and minerals in class this week, learning how scientists classify minerals and rocks.  

US HISTORY and SOCIAL STUDIES

Map skills review is taking place over the next two-three weeks.  

BIBLE

Matthew 7:24-25  Test Wednesday

We are learning routines to journal in our Bible, memorize scripture, and pray for one another.   We’re also learning about stewardship this year.

If your child is new to Cornerstone, they may tell the verse orally to me for the first few weeks and practice writing it; October will be an appropriate time to begin writing it for those students.

GENERAL INFORMATION

PE is Monday, Tuesday, Friday-- please help your fifth grade student remember athletic shoes and good clothes for running, jumping and playing fun games!

CHAPEL is every Wednesday.  Please wear chapel clothes and bring your worship voices!

PARENT NIGHT!

September 25, 2014 at 7:00 pm. We’ll have great information for you. I am looking forward to seeing you all and introducing you to your student’s daily school routines and upcoming learning experiences. Come early for the parent group at 6:30 if you’re interested in helping to promote the school.

HOT LUNCH- Begins October 1.

Sign up at

Cornerstone Hot Lunch Registration

( http://www.blbcolympia.com, click on registration tab at top leftish, and choose Cornerstone Hot Lunch when it appears on the next screen. )

GLOW RUN

October 18, RAC in Lacey.

News and Date 9/15 for Fifth Grade

NEWS FROM FIFTH GRADE                                                     WEEK OF SEPT. 15-19

We had an excellent first week of school! Your students are wonderful, smart people and a delight to teach. We went through the routines of a fifth grade week with flying colors, one of the smoothest first weeks I can remember. Each week we’ll build onto this good foundation with new experiences and discoveries. I will endeavor to send a newsletter every week letting you know what to expect in each subject area. This first edition will be a little long as I explain a few processes. Future newsletters will be shorter.

READING

Students are reading both novels on their own and a class novel together.

Homework:  Read a minimum fifteen minutes nightly at home in addition to our fifteen minute block at school and normal classroom reading. Please assist your student in making sure this is done. Reading records (this month is a calendar to track minutes) will be due Sept. 30.

Classtime:  I also listen to them read aloud from their current independent reading novel about 3-4 times per month. Your student should move through their personal choice books at a good pace for them; one student may be moving through books at one-two per week while another may be working through two-three titles per month.

We will be starting our first novel Shiloh this week.  We read the novel aloud together with students taking turns. Part of expected class participation will be to read aloud and to be an active listener as well. Vocabulary and writing activities are pulled from our novel as well as more kinesthetic tasks that work with many learning styles.

LANGUAGE ARTS

Spelling: Lesson 2 came home on Friday. Usually spelling lessons come home on Monday and are due the Friday of the same week. But we are going on a field trip this Friday, so the due date for Lesson 2 is Thursday.  The test will be Thursday as well.  Students complete the packet and write the words for practice on a separate sheet of paper. (They should have some paper in their binder’s spelling tab for this purpose.) They staple the practice list to their lesson and turn it in. We don’t do the paragraph or the bonus on the lower half of the last page because our reading units have plenty of both in a more meaningful context. We will begin grammar next week.

SCIENCE

We are studying earth science with a start on volcanoes! We will go to Mt. St. Helens this Friday with the middle school. I appreciate all of you who have volunteered and offered to volunteer on this trip. It will be a big undertaking but worth the experience. I will send home a note with details for both middle school and fifth grade separately. Please send payment of $8.00 by Wednesday if you haven’t done so already.

US HISTORY and SOCIAL STUDIES

We will begin working on map skills this week before we begin our unit on American History.  We have a wonderful, extensive project coming up in January where your student will become an expert on one of our states in the U.S.A. I have encourage them to begin thinking about which state they’d like to study. A good fit might be a state with some kind of connection to your family! (A tip: also check out their state flag-- they’ll be drawing it by hand!)  We’ll make a top three choice list for each child in late November.  

BIBLE

Memory verse tests begin this week.  Psalm 78:4 is our first verse.  

“We will not hide them from our descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.”

If your child is new to Cornerstone, they may tell the verse orally to me for the first few weeks and practice writing it; October will be an appropriate time to begin writing it for those students.

GENERAL INFORMATION

PE is Monday, Tuesday, Friday-- please help your fifth grade student remember athletic shoes and good clothes for running, jumping and playing fun games!

CHAPEL is every Wednesday.  Please wear chapel clothes.

PARENT NIGHT!

September 25, 2014 at 7:00 pm

GLOW RUN

October 18, RAC in Lacey.