5th Graders

Lansing Field Trip Photos

Year End Photos

First Day of Summer

Parents,

I'll occasionally post articles or items of interest throughout the summer.  I thought you'd find the following of interest today!

Today is the longest day of the year and the first "official" day of summer.  The following link has some interesting news about the first day of summer:  http://www.almanac.com/content/first-day-summer-summer-solstice.

Talking to Your Kids 

• Another link of interest:  http://leeloublogs.blogspot.com/2012/06/4-questions-to-ask-your-kids-every-day.html

Instructional Video

Learn the Electric Slide (the dance we learned on the last day of school):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86oajgI1L8o

Garage Sale Wishlist

Hello everyone!  I have been working with Mrs. Gallagher, the new Montessori kindergarten teacher.  As we assemble the materials order for her classroom we are asking for your help!  If you are a GARAGE SALE DIVA please be on the lookout for the following:

• Baskets
• Plastic, wooden, or wicker trays
• Small glass dishes or jars
• Small, low bookshelves that are in good condition
• Picture books (that are not movie or TV show related)
• Small realistic-looking objects (such as animals, farm animals, household objects)
• Puzzles or games for indoor recess (for the kindergarten age)

Any help is appreciated!  If you find things please send me an email or let me know.  Mrs. Gallagher is very excited and leaves for training next week.

Leftovers in the Classroom...

A few things have turned up in the classroom.  I found a guitar, 2 shovels, and a stuffed animal.  I will be in the classroom working on Monday; please let me know if you can stop in on Monday to pick up the forgotten items.  After the classroom is checked out for the summer, the cleaning crews take over and I cannot guarantee you things will still be here in the fall!

Thanks-

Mrs. Perrien

Transit of Venus 2012

A cool science event is happening this week!  Check out the following:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/06/120604-transit-of-venus-2012-sun-planet-hubble-space-science-how-when/

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/2012-venus-transit.html

http://www.transitofvenus.org/june2012/where-to-be

Tonight's Homework: Opinion Writing

Letter Writing to the Holland Sentinel, the assignment is as follows:  

Homework: Write a letter to the editor of the Holland Sentinel about the bill to require all students to say the Pledge of Allegiance in school each day.  Express your opinion in the letterand tell why you feel the way you do.  Give support or examples.  Please have mom or dad email Mrs. Perrien if you would like your letter submitted to the Holland Sentinel.

The bill in question is HB 4934.  The specifics of the bill can be found here:  http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2011-2012/billintroduced/House/pdf/2011-HIB-4934.pdf.

The link to the article on mlive about the bill is here:  http://www.mlive.com/education/index.ssf/2012/05/michigan_house_bill_would_requ.html.

Important Information

Missing Books and Classroom Materials

This is an important item; I am missing a lot of chapter books from the classroom and also math cards/language assignments!  I know that kids sometimes take books home for reading and they certainly have permission, I mean THEY ARE READING!  However, it’s now time for everything to be returned.  Math and language assignment cards should not be at home but are occasionally taken by accident.

Please look under beds, in backpacks, the car, bookshelves at home, etc.  Most of these items will have to be replaced and are expensive!  While looking, please also keep an eye out for school library books, they were due last week.

5th Grade Luncheon

On Wednesday, June 6, I will be treating the 5th graders to a special luncheon. They do not to bring a lunch or order a lunch that day.

Biome Dioramas and Reports

The classroom will be open on Thursday morning for parents and grandparents to stop in and view our dioramas and reports!  This is a “stop-in-and-visit” time with the classroom open first thing in the morning at 9 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. and again from 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.  We hope you’ll be able to stop in for a few minutes to view our work.  

This Week’s Schedule

• Monday—5^th Grade Celebration Dinner, 6 p.m. at The Curragh
• Wednesday—Discovery Days, students should dress for their activities
• Thursday—See above for news on our diorama open house
• Friday—Last day of school, ½ day

o    Please send 2-3 plastic or other type of bag for locker/cubby cleaning

o    Mr. de takes donations of old gym shoes for his shoe cupboard—they are shoes given to families in need in the fall.  Please consider donating your child’s gym shoes if they are no longer needed!

Have a great week!

--Mrs. Perrien

Summer Fun!

Summer--what to do?

During the summer vacation my kids are allowed to be "school work free" for the first week of the break. After that...mom has a plan!

My girls each work on their handwriting (cursive for both) skills over the summer. This is done through thank you letters (or other types of written correspondence) to family and friends. They also will be keeping a summer journal.

They will also be working on their math skills. I have chosen a [current] grade level workbook from Barnes and Noble for Abby.  Given Evelyn's current middle school placement I contacted her math teacher and was given several skills she should practice over the summer.  My goal is for them to practice the skills they learned during the last school year (not to introduce something new and potentially frustrating) so they don't appear "rusty" in the fall. They work on this for about 30 minutes per day. (They will be quick to remind you that they don't work on the weekends!)

Abby will practice her math facts every day on her iPod and we READ EVERY DAY. Reading in our home is usually done before bedtime, but both will also pick up a book at odd times throughout the day.  Abby is again signed up for our local library reading program as well as Barnes and Nobles' Summer Reading Program.  (Evelyn is now too old for most programs but she no longer needs to be incentivized.) We have found that reading is a great way for our girls to wind down and relax before it's lights out!

Other Summer Activities:

• Go to the beach!
• Get outside and play
• Turn OFF the TV
• Visit with family and friends
• Go to the zoo (the John Ball Zoo is Grand Rapids is inexpensive), the Grand Rapids Museum, The Holland Museum...)
• The weekly Farmer's Market in Holland hosts kid's activities every week, they are pretty fun!
• Spend time together as a family!

Mrs. Perrien