Latest and Greatest...

Moms and Muffins is Thursday this week.  We are excited to share our expert research with you.  Moms, please note that we have moved back the start time to 9:30 a.m.  This is to accommodate all the late buses (including the orchestra bus) that our students ride.  Our event should last about one hour.

Harbor Lights

Today we toured Harbor Light Middle School.  We met many of the 6th grade teachers and other building staff, saw classes in action, and learned more about a typical day at Harbor Lights.  The tour was informative and answered many of the "what if..." questions.  What if I'm late for class?  What if I can't get into my locker?  What if I get lost?

Many of us were surprised to find out that the 6th grade hallway is actually smaller than the main hallway at Waukazoo!

Upcoming Events

Field trip--next week we are heading to Windmill Island for the Dutch Trade Fair.  Connor B.'s and Olivia R.'s dads both had their names drawn from a pool of 8 interested parents.  Students will need to dress for the weather that day--rain, sun, warm, or cold.  I recommend that students layer their clothing!  More information will be sent home on Monday regarding our field trip.

Talent Show

5th graders interested in trying out for the 5th grade show will have auditions on May 16th or May 17th.  An application form and explanation of talent show policies and procedures will be sent home next Monday.  In the meantime if students are considering an act that uses music (other than classical music for an instrument) they will need to print a copy of the song lyrics and bring these to school for approval.  Songs MAY NOT have suggestive lyrics or inappropriate words of any kind.  Songlyrics.com is a free site of downloadable song lyrics.  Without song lyrics in the teacher's hand a song WILL NOT be approved for the talent show.  Songs are first come, first served.  Once is a song is taken by an act it is not available for another group or individual. 

Watch for more talent show information next Monday!

5th Grade Trip

Parents,

Tomorrow the 5th graders will spend part of their morning on a tour of Harbor Lights.  We will leave as soon as everyone has arrived and checked in tomorrow morning.

Students will return to the zoo before lunch.

Thanks!

Mrs. Perrien

Student's Work--Interactive

Students will need to answer in the comments section of this post..

What is story grammar?

The Montessori Mafia!

An excellent article about the Montessori method.  No longer will anyone ask me why I spent a year driving 25 miles out of my way to send my daughter to a Montessori preschool!

Johnny Tremain

Today students experienced a little of what it felt like to have an injured hand such as Johnny Tremain's.  Their writing hand was made largely unusable and students experienced working in the same way that Johnny had to work and get through his day.  Seemingly simple tasks, such as carrying a binder, book, and a pencil were made much more difficult without the use of their dominant hand.  Students also had to complete at least one writing activity without the use of their dominant hand.  What an eye-opening experience!

Report Cards

Report cards are coming home this week.  Please note that the layout of the card is different.  In fact, you'll probably remember the "new" layout as one we used a few years ago.

The Montessori teachers are now printing their own report cards.  As a result, we are going back to the original elementary report card layout.  The cards themselves are not different, just the way they look.

Classroom Updates

Our first week back from Spring Break was incredibly busy!  Students are preparing their "expert" topics and will be sharing their research at moms and muffins.  Each student has chosen a topic to research and become an expert in by the end of April.  Hearing them share ideas on a day-to-day basis has been fun!

In science students have been studying force and motion.  They are currently exploring what motion is and isn't, and also how we can prove that objects are in motion.  Ask you son or daughter to define for you, "point of reference."

I'm sure you've seen many students bringing home their bound fiction book.  I was thrilled to see how many of our class chose to bind and print their book.  A big thank you to Mrs. Kibler in the publishing center for her many hours of typing and binding books!  :)  Our current unit in writer's workshop is essay.  I've been challenging students to write essays about topics they don't agree with, in order to get them to think like an essay writer.  Your son or daughter has prepared an excellent argument on why students in America need year round schools!

When spelling lists come home, please take time each week to review not only the spelling of the weekly word list with your child, but also the meaning of the individual words. Students may know how to spell a word, but not have a clue as to it's meaning, part of speech, or etymology.  (5th graders are, of course, doing their weekly word origins as a way to get to know words better.)  If the spelling of the word is going well, focus study time on these other areas!


Please note that Moms and Muffins is scheduled for April 28 at 9:30 a.m.  We are going to move back our start time by 1/2 hour because of the 5th graders coming in on the orchestra bus.

Have a wonderful week!
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Please read through the following garage sale wish list:

Garage Sale Wish List

This is my favorite time of year to go check out Garage Sales! People are always getting rid of great "stuff!" If you go garage sale-ing please be on the lookout for items that would be of help in the classroom. Please be on the lookout for the following:

• Young adult novels and other books--multiple copes of novels (in good condition) are welcome.
• Storage containers
• Baskets--any size, really
• Other organizers