5NC Class Blog

Preparing for the balloon pop test...

choose your junk wisely

every step carefully crafted...

where should I put this?...

Mountains of recyclables, popping balloons, fits, giggles amid pandemonium! Welcome to the 5th Grade!! January’s Beyonda Box challenge was to create a Rube Goldberg machine out of junk that has as many steps as possible to pop a balloon. It’s not as easy as it sounds.  Only a handful of groups came close to executing a successful plan.   More pictures will be posted by Monday to our Croyle Kids website.

OBTW – due to the joyful chaos of the day there will be NO weekly evaluation going home this Friday – we’ll complete a double-week assessment on Feb. 5th.

Other updates:
1a). Speeches are TUESDAY, 2 FEB. – Students are expected to be prepared, properly costumed and with their invention model in hand.  Questions? Please contact me.

1b). Our class photo will be taken on Tuesday, Feb. 2. Please have your child wear our bright green class t-shirt. Photo retakes will be on Thurs. Feb. 4.

2). Remember POGS? The game consisting of little cardboard disks? You try to flip over your opponent’s pog? Well…the game is now called the Maple Story and it is consuming many of our students’ free time. It is our goal at SAS to have students be active at recess time and to get some exercise. The Maple Story game is not active, and it has been causing some problems on the playground. It has also interfered with learning in the classroom. It has not been as much of an issue at the fifth grade (more the lower grades), but we want to pass on the message to parents that the game is no longer allowed to be played at school.

3). STEP UP FOR HAITI – On Tuesday, January 12, 2010, a catastrophic earthquake registering 7.0 on the Richter scale hit the small country of Haiti.  The country is in need and our global-minded Eagle Leaders have come up with a plan to raise funds for the people of Haiti.

All students in Puxi Elementary will participate in “Step Up for Haiti” during one of their PE classes from January 29th to February 8th.  Detailed information will be coming home in the next few days – be on the look out to see how you can help.

• All students will participate in the step-a-thon as it will be the PE activity for that day, but donations are of course voluntary.

• All proceeds will be deposited into the SAS account for Haiti and donated to UNICEF.

• If you have questions please contact Ms. Anderson at Kristina.anderson@saschina.org or 6221-1445 ext. 2407

1). Invention Convention

The 5-Paragraph Essays are nearing their final revisions.  I have extended the deadline due to the fact I would rather have a quality product that just one that met our deadline.  The skill of producing a strong 5-paragraph essay will take them through Middle School and beyond.

The fun now begins with the students turning their research into a  5-7 minute speeche and preparing for their presentations. Here is what students will be working on both at school and at home:

Models – these were due today, Friday, January 22, but the will be allowed to be improved it before their presentations, if need be.  Does it look like the real invention? Does it show how the real invention works? Is it attractive?

Speeches – The TARGET DATE is Monday, February 1
[roll over to the 2nd IF we don’t complete on Monday]
Eye contact, body language, enthusiasm and expression, speaking in a clear voice, content of their speech, use of cue cards/outline

Posters – overall appearance, color scheme, use of fonts, accuracy of appropriate information, use of images

Pizazz – Dressing up, adding props, making their presentation special in some way

2). Middle School Foreign Language.
All 5th graders were treated this week with a presentation by teachers Mrs. McGuinness and Ms. Rene’ who talked about different language options for Middle School. Students were impressed by projects and activities they could be doing next year if they take French or Spanish.   Note: IF a student plans to pursue an IB Diploma in high school, they must have a foreign language OTHER THAN their native language [Mandarin counts only for non-native speakers]

If you have any questions about the Spanish program in Middle School, please email samantha.mcguinness@saschina.org
For information about the French program, please email judith.rene@saschina.org

3). MS and Grade 4/5 Musicals!
Wednesday, 27 January at 2:00 in the PAC, we will be watching the Middle School Musical
Tuesday, 8 February at 1:30 – “NIGHTINGALE”  the  Grade 4/5 Musical will be performed for upper elementary students , staff and parents.

4).  “Rube Goldberg Junkyard Wars”
The “February” Beyonda Box challenge will be presented on Friday, January 29th [to fit it in before the holiday we had to ‘fudge’ the day a bit] to the students and they will be working on it all day long – we promise to post pictures by the end of the day so you can be an ‘eye-witness’ to the enthusiasm and creativity.
It’s not too late to donate “junk” and receive raffle tickets.

Here are the updates for this week:

1). Rotations will begin again on Wednesday, January 20th. Students from 5NC will be doing the Immigration unit with Mrs. Campbell In the coming weeks, ask your child why people immigrate; how does immigration affect the host country where these people have moved.

2). Students should be in gathering materials, designing, and building their models for Phase I of Invention Convention. These models do not have to work (it’s great if the do!), but should look somewhat similar to the original invention they are studying. Students will be completing their 5-Paragraph Essays next week then turning their research notes into a speech. Presentations will be the week of January 25th.

Models will also be due next Friday, January 22nd.

For the presentation, students are encouraged to dress up like the inventor they have been studying, get into character, and wow the class with some extra pizazz.

3). Passport Check is on Thursday, January 21.

4). All 5th graders are currently participating in biography literature circles. Ask your child about the book he/she is reading. Here are just a few questions to help start this conversation:

- How has the main character changed since the beginning of the book? What has caused this change?
- How does the setting (place, time, special events) affect the character in your book?
- Why do you think this book was written? What are the important messages the author wants the reader to learn?
- If you could have lunch with the main character, what would you want to talk about?

5) “Reader’s Letters” will resume this week – be sure you know which ‘day’ of the week yours must be turned in.

6) Wanted:  unusual items for our “Goldberg Junkyard Wars” being held on January 25 – ALL DAY.  Students will be challenged to build a Rube Goldberg-esque machine that performs a particular task.  We could use Styrofoam, springs, slinkies. gadgets, etc – but nothing unsafe.  Thanks for your help.

School starts up again at 8:10 Wednesday, January 6th, 2010!

Dear parents,
Sometimes we forget just how talented, hard-working, and adventurous our SAS students are, but last week helped me remember.  Starting with our Launch of Invention Convention, I saw the students jump head first into a challenging long- term project with great determination.  They spent hours researching and taking notes of a variety of inventors.  We have many more days of research to go, and I’m confident that the students are up to the challenge we have laid out for them.

On Wednesday we really got to experience 5th graders’ musical talents and dedication with our band and orchestra concert.  Parents and students should be proud of all of their hard-work practicing.  Those minutes really all add up!

Thursday was our field trip to the Science and Technology Museum.  Students explored, questioned, experimented, and had a wonderful time with classmates and our parent chaperons.  Take a look at our adventures.

The following  is a message from our counselor

Dear Puxi Elementary Parents,

The Elementary Counselors are busy talking about Kindness in the classrooms in December.  We would like to invite you to participate in our annual GIFT DRIVE for our local Childrens Home!

We will start collecting gifts on Monday, December 7th.  Here is how you can help:

Wrap up your toy or clothing item with wrapping paper, and label your present.  Indicate whom you would like to receive your present:  boy/girl and the age.  Make sure the gifts are new, or almost new.

You or your child may drop off the presents in the Elementary School.  Place them near one of the Christmas Trees in the main lobby of the ES.  The Eagle Leaders will collect and deliver the presents to the Childrens Home in mid-December.

Thanks & be sure to get your gifts in before December 16th!

Happy Holidays from the Puxi Elementary Counselors!

Just a reminder that our Lunch Share will take place on Wednesday, November 25 from 11:45 to 12:15. All parents are welcome to attend. Students will be bringing in a favorite family dish to share, and the feast is always very tasty! Students are to hand in their recipes no later than the 25th. Please remind your child to be exact with the amount of ingredients in their recipes (example: rather than write ’sugar, they should write ‘1 cup of sugar’).

Dear Parent or Guardian:

On November 23rd our school will begin to conduct a very important study on the needs, attitudes, and behaviors of our students in grades four through twelve.

The survey is titled Me and My World and is a Search Institute Survey of Developmental Assets for Grades 4 through 6. It will provide our school and community with a wide range of information, such as how students spend their time, their perceptions of school and community life, and their participation in a wide range of risky behaviors. Most important, the survey will tell us the extent to which our students are experiencing Developmental Assets. Developmental Assets are the “building blocks” of positive relationships, opportunities, skills and values that young people need to grow into healthy caring, and responsible adults.

The survey results will help all of us as we seek to address the developmental needs of our youth; This perception data will be used to inform and improve our Health, Advisory, Counseling, After-School Activities (ASA), Community Service, and Student Government programs. The data can also assist in targeting opportunities for further parent and community involvement in an effort to strengthen students’ existing assets while developing areas of need.

Additional information

•    Students will be given and hour and a half in which to complete the survey during class time. The surveys are completed anonymously. No one will know how individual students respond to the questions.
•    All students within each classroom place their completed surveys into one envelope. The envelope is then sealed. All envelopes from our school are sent directly to Search Institute (Minneapolis) for processing. No one within our school community will review any of the completed surveys.
•    The final report will present findings by the total group, by grade, and by gender. No individual student data are reported.

If you have any questions about the survey please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s school counselor Kristina Anderson at Kristina.anderson@saschina.org or by phone at 6221-1445 ext. 2407.

Dear Parents,                                     11-10-09

Counselors will be beginning their personal safety lessons with students during their guidance time next rotation November 13th-23rd. Parents are invited to attend an informational meeting with the counselors on Thursday, November 12th at 2:15 in the elementary faculty lounge. This meeting is optional and is designed for parents who have questions about the personal safety lessons. Parents are also welcome to contact their child’s grade level counselor individually about this or any other issue at any time.
Kristina Anderson (4 & 5)

Thank you for attending your child’s conference. I was impressed by how well the students can talk about their own learning and their ability to set SMART goals. It’s always a pleasure meeting with you. I hope this experience was valuable for both you and your child. Please complete the “Post-Conference Parent Reflection” form coming home Monday. This information will give me some ideas how to better structure these conferences in the future.

Coming this week…

1). Visiting author Sarah Brennan will be presenting to the 5th grade on Tuesday.

2). Literature Circles – All 5th grade classes will be participating in our first official “Risk Takers” literature circle. We just completed our practice literature circle with the book “No Talking.” As a fifth grade, we are encouraging the students to read between the lines, make strong connections with the text, and share their thoughts and opinions with others. If you get a chance, talk to your child about the book(s) he/she is reading.