End of the Year Happenings

Students collecting solar energy data in the outdoor classroom.

The Odyssey! Fifth Grade Play
The Quest Team will be preforming The Odyssey! on June 12th from 9:00-10:00.  This month, we have been working on this play during II.  Your student has been focusing on acting, costumes, props, reflection, and group work skills.  If your child has a speaking role, please help your child to memorize lines.  Students should be "off script" by May 18th. 

SBAC Testing
May 21-25 students will be taking the SBAC test in Reading, Writing, and Math.  There will be NO HOMEWORK this week. 

Reservoir Field Trip
We have moved this trip to June 13th from 9:45-2:00.  This will be part of the last week of school. 

May Newsletter

Students work with Mr. Taylor during a Math Workshop

Math Workshops
The past few weeks students have been learning about place value and decimal numbers during their Math workshops.  This will continue throughout May and will extend to operating with decimal numbers.  If you have any questions about how to connect your strategies to strategies your students are learning at school, feel free to contact Curtis.

Writing and Reading Workshops
Your student may have been participating in an argument writing, reading strategies, a narrative writing, or A Wrinkle in Time series of workshop.  We will be wrapping up this series on Friday and will be moving to poetry, informational writing, constructive response and a book group of the students' choice.

Book Groups
We will be finishing our Greek Mythology books this week.  We will move to an independent book project for the end of the year.  Look for information about this in the next two weeks.

Problem Solving
This month we will be exploring solar energy and through our solar home design challenge.  Students will be conducting experiments and collecting data to help inform their design decisions.  They will be working in teams throughout this unit to build heat efficient model homes.  This unit will include a review of Math concepts from earlier in the year.

The Odyssey! Fifth Grade Play
The Quest Team will be preforming The Odyssey! on June 12th from 9:00-10:00.  This month, we will be working on this play during II.  Your student will be focusing on acting, costumes, props, reflection, and group work skills.  If your child has a speaking role, please help your child to memorize lines.  Students should be "off script" by May 18th.  Roles will be posted Monday, April 30th.

Cooking with Quest
The next two POWs will be dedicated to sharing recipes with our penpals in South Korea.  One of the options for this POW is to create a cooking show, the other is to write a paper / present a slide show.  If your student needs an ipad for this, they can sign one out through the library.  If you have a device that can record video, please be sure the video can then be transferred to a Google Drive (that would need to be an app on the device), or to YouTube.  This POW is two weeks long, with two weekends, so it will be due Monday, May 14th.

Testing this month
Students will be taking three standardized test this month.  They will be taking the MAP test in Reading and Math (each 45 minutes in length) the next two Fridays.  The week of March 14th will include 30 minutes of Science testing each morning.  Finally, the SBAC tests in Reading, Writing, and Math will take place May 21-25.

Brainado
Look for news from Cougar Comments for this school-wide project.

Possible end of the year Reservoir Trip
Team Quest is looking to take a field trip to the Waterbury Reservoir on June 1st (Step-up Day) to celebrate the year together and 'step-up' to 6th grade.  More information to come in May.

Communication Survey
If you have not filled this out, please do so by following this link.

A Few Ferry Beach Notes

Hello All!
Thank-you to so many of you who attended conferences.  We have a few notes about Ferry Beach based on your questions.

Departure:  Tuesday, April 3rd at 7:00 AM (note this is different than the time that was originally published).

Return: back at CBMS: Friday, April 6th at 4:15.

Snacks:  Students are welcome (and encouraged) to pack a snack for both the bus ride there, and the bus ride back.  Diane and I will keep the snacks in a safe place for the return trip.

Movies:  If your student has a PG movie on DVD your student can bring it.  It will be put in the voting for movies going to Ferry Beach and back again.

Cameras:  If your student wants to take photos on the trip, the camera needs to be a "stand alone" camera.  Cell phones and ipods are not allowed at Ferry Beach.  They are allowed on the bus.  We will collect them when we arrive, and Diane and I spend some time on Thursday charging them up for our return trip :) If your student is packing a cell phone / ipod, please have them pack it in a Ziploc bag with a charger, and with their name on the bag.

I think that's about it.  We are looking forward to our trip! Curtis will be here with the Audubon students, and he is looking forward to that trip as well.

Winter Notes

The Quest Team enjoying skating and sledding during recess... even as the first day of spring approaches....

Thank-you to Ms. Clymer and Ms. Flynn!
Ms. Clymer and Ms. Flynn joined team Quest for the months of January and February.  During this time, they helped out with instruction in math, science, reading, writing, and engineering.  Their last day was March 13th.  Mr. Taylor has returned as of March 15.

Ms. Clymer teaching a whole class lesson on Geometry

Ms. Flynn helped out with Project Lead the Way - Design and Modeling

Winter studies on Quest - This winter, Quest students studied geography, astronomy, measurement, and engineering.  When we first returned from break, we studied geography by Skyping with "mystery classrooms" asking students yes and no questions to find out where they were in the world.  Students from these mystery locations asked us yes and no question to try to find out where we were located.  We Skyped with classrooms in the United States, Brazil, Canada, and Croatia.  Students showed excellent collaboration skills throughout this unit.

Students working to solve a Mystery Skype with a class in Croatia.

In the middle of January, we began Project Lead the Way, Design and Modeling.  In the spirit of integration, we focused on the mathematical components of this unit, going more in depth with volume and measuring with rulers and dial calipers.  Students tried their hand at isometric drawings and multiview sketches, and we finished the unit using Geogebra to draw geometric figures.  In Integrated Inquiry, we studied astronomy, and included lessons on measuring the angle of light and how it affects shadow length.  We read about space, and wrote about space.  Most of our days were spent studying math, science, and engineering.  For the rest of March, we will have the majority of our day focused on mathematical concepts.  Students will be learning about data analysis, decimals, geometry, and coordinates for the majority of their day.

Students timing each other for solving their puzzle cubes.  We will use this data to best "market" our product.

This week we will begin our study of Greek Mythology.  Your student will be reading one of the following books:  D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths, The Adventures of Greek Heroes by Wiseman, or Greek Myths by Cynthia Coolidge.  We will be focusing on comparing and contrasting myths and also focusing on how these myths are referenced in modern speech and literature.

Parent / Student / Teacher Conferences are this week!  If you have not signed up for a conference, and would still like to, please sign up on the CBMS home page.  We will have conferences Tuesday and Thursday nights from 3 - 8 pm.


Recess - Recess has been going very well on Quest. Students have been sledding, skating, and building forts in the snow.  Students are able to borrow skates from bins in the gym lobby.  Thank-you to all who have contributed skates, helped their student remember snow equipment, or have contributed box tops so we can have this experience each day.  It looks like students will need to keep bringing snow pants, mittens and boots for a while.

Ecology Week - Last week, Jennie Hempey came to our classrooms to talk about Ferry Beach and encouraged students to take good educational risks regardless of the field trip they chose.  Students took a survey to recommend students with whom they would like to room.  We will be looking over these lists, and will accommodate as many requests as possible.

The girls and boys will be in two different dorms this year.  Our boys will have Mr. Drake as their dorm parent, and Mrs. LaRock and I (Melissa Williams) will be the dorm parents for the girls.  Students will be separated by teams, and by floors.  Quest girls will dorm with Quest girls, and Quest boys will room with Quest boys.  Mr. Taylor will be in Waterbury with the students attending the Audubon trip.  We are all looking forward to these field trips! Students went home with permission slips and additional information.  Please send this paperwork in before March 26th.  Thank-you!

Happy New Year!!

Problem Solving: Geography and Mystery Skype

Your student has been participating in geography studies in anticipation of two events: Mystery Skype and the GeoBee.

During the months of January, February and March, our class will be participating in Mystery Skype.  Mystery Skype is an activity where our class will be Skyping with other students around the country and the world.  It is a mystery as to where they are though.  During a Mystery Skype, the students will collaborate with each other to ask and answer yes or no questions of the other classroom to figure out where they are in the world. These Mystery Skypes will help reinforce academic skills, build our classroom community, and allow students to see and learn from other students around the world. They will get exposed to other cultures in an authentic way. Please let me know if you have any questions or need more information. I am excited about this experience for your students. Students will be working on the following proficiencies for these Skype experiences:

MS.06.03 Create or identify strategies to solve a problem, adjusting approach as needed.
MS.10.07 Collaborate effectively and respectfully.

They will have several practices with feedback on how they have done.

GeoBee
Your student will participate in classroom Geobees.  These will happen opposite the Mystery Skype classes.  We will have two representatives from Quest go to the school competition on January 22.  This is an annual event at CBMS.  For more information, click here.

Also, during the month of January - March, students will be starting Project Lead the Way, Design and Modeling. This is an engineering program for the Washington West Supervisory Union.  We will begin this during the week of January 15th.

Book Groups and II

During the months of January and February, students will be focusing on Astronomy for their book groups and for II.  The assignments for book groups will be done during the school day.  The book group assignment will be for students to find a passage from their reading, draw a visual model of what they read, and select evidence from the text to explain the visual model.  Students will have 25 minutes on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday to complete this, so they should not have to do this at home.  They may bring their books home to read the required pages.  Please help them to bring them back to school the next day.

Recess

Outdoor recess resumes this week.  Please help your student to remember appropriate gear which includes boots, jacket, hat and mittens.  To go sledding, your student also needs to bring snowpants.  Please let us know if any of this is a hardship, as we have extras at school.

POWs

Will continue :)  #16 is for this week.  It is about the sun.  Our Scholastic password is kiteduck2

December 8

Students practicing using atlatls as a part of our early human unit.

Friday Folders
These are coming home today.  Please review them with your student and return them on Monday.  Any work that is in the folder can be kept at home.

PenPals
Some students are writing letters to their PenPals in South Korea.  Students will be including a small gift with their letters.  If your student has a South Korean PenPal, please send in $3 or a small, light gift that can be mailed with their letters.

Holiday Feast
Flyers for the Holiday Feast went home in Friday Folders.  Please respond with who will be attending the feast along with what dish your student will be bringing.

Mr. Taylor's Leave
Mr. Taylor will be going on paternity leave for the months of January and February.  During that time, Stefi Clymer will be working on Team Quest.  Stefi teaches one block of Math on Team Wizards, but will be spending the rest of her time with us.  Molly Flynn, who has been interning on Team Titan, will join our team for the time when Stefi is unavailable (Recess and Integrated Inquiry). 

November 30

Welcome December

Anna presents her Critter of the Past project to Heidi.  Students researches organisms from the geologic time scale and created dioramas of their organism in its environment.  Students then sat in order of geologic time period, and we had a little walk through time.  

Wonder Field Trip  We had a very nice trip to the movies today to see the movie Wonder.  At this point every student in the school has seen it.  It may be a good discussion topic for you and your student.

Holiday Feast   Be sure to RSVP for the feast!  Contact Mrs. Williams, Mrs. LaRock, or Mr. Taylor with the number of people who will be attending, and the dish you can bring.

II  In Integrated Inquiry, we are working on a five paragraph essay about how early hominids evolved over time.  This five paragraph essay will be done in school with other hands on activities to supplement students' knowledge.

Friday Folders  These came home today.  Please look over the student's work, sign the workshop schedule, have your student take their Mr. Weekly from it, and return the folder with the signed workshop schedule.  This folder provides personalized feedback about your student. 

JumpRope

JumpRope scores have been updated.  Students were formally assessed on their progress in Math (multiplication, division, and volume).  These assessments can be found in their Friday Folders.  Here are a list of ways students can continue to make progress on these skills.

1.  Ninja Math - Students can use this site at home (if they are logged into their school google account) or during our workshop time.  Many students are still working to complete Ninja Math assignments in these skill areas and will continue to make progress as they complete the assignments.  This is self-paced, so students are allowed to work on these at home.

2.  Mr. Weekly - These skills will be reviewed each week on Mr. Weekly assignments.  If students are struggling with some of these skills, please refer to the practice videos and questions on the Ninja Math website.

3.  Study Hall / After-school - Students are welcome to stay after school to get help.  If they have a study hall, they can get help at that time as well.