Weekly Update, Sunday, March 6th, 2016

Is it actually going to hit 70 degrees on Tuesday?!?!  I look forward to five consecutive days of outdoor recess!!!

THREE REMINDERS FOR THIS WEEK:

• This is the last money for students to raise money for the Read-a-Thon, our class is doing SO WELL, but Ms. Davis' class is right behind us!!  I typically do not advocate for competition against other students but this is for such a good cause!  (and a pizza party)  Thank you to all of you who have already donated, reached out to your relatives, coworkers, and friends and asked them to donate, and for your overall support!
• Come back to Pinebrook on Tuesday after school for the Scholastic Book Fair Family Night from 3-6 pm AND Fine Arts Night!  (Seriously, she's asking us to come back on Tuesday to spend even more money for reading?)  Sorry.  If you want to skip the book fair, please come to Fine Arts Night, I'll be there, and it is GOING. TO. BE. SPECTACULAR!  6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
• Wednesday, March 9th is Spring Picture Day!  In your child's Thursday folder was a payment flyer/ envelope.  This is the only time students will have an opportunity to purchase the class photo! Your child must bring back their picture enveopes for a CLASS picture with payment inside or online payment information.  Your child will not receive a class photo if he or she does not return the envelope.  You may pay online, but the photographers will still need the payment envelopes. 

This week in academia...

Science: Electricity Test Part II will be on Thursday, March 10th.  This part of the test will cover different types of energy (mechanical, light, and heat), the three famous dudes who made contributions (Ben Franklin, Michael Faraday, and Thomas Edison), and electromagnets.  Students should use their science notebooks, solpass.org, and their study guides to review for the test.

VA Studies: Our Civil War Unit will begin tomorrow!  Students will receive their VA Studies Weekly tomorrow, and will have time to work on the crossword puzzle and read it in class.  The open-note quiz on the VA Studies Weekly will be on Wednesday, March 9th.  

Writing: Students will complete their American Revolution research paper this week!  Students have worked hard over the last two weeks to collaborate with teammates to write a cohesive five-paragraph essay on their given topic.  The Word Study Test will be on Friday, March 11th, and all assignments are due Friday as well.

Reading: We will begin historical fiction book clubs this week and begin reading Number the Stars.  Students are loving Absolutely Almost, a read-aloud I started two weeks ago.  As always, homework in reading includes reading for 20-30 minutes nightly, and logging minutes and pages read on both the Read-a-Thon webpage AND the reading log.  

Math: If your child is 100% fluent in Reflex Math, he or she should go on Dreambox at least once a week.  This program allows students to practice different math concepts, and adapts the activities and lessons based on what your child needs. The program may even start showing students 5th grade math concepts if it determines they are ready for it!  It is a great resource in addition to Reflex Math, as it does not solely focus on math facts.

We have not had time to use this program much in class this year, but students may have been exposed to it last year. The program is built so that it teaches your children what to do every step of the way. It is an engaging and fun way to review and practice important math skills!

Students can go to the link here Dreambox Math and scroll down to find my name from the list of teachers. They will then be prompted to enter a user ID and password. Their user ID is their school lunch number and their password is their birthday (mmdd).

I hope you find this resource useful to use at home. I am not making it mandatory to use this program as of right now, but I encourage you to allow your child sometime to explore it. 

OTHER STUFF:

STEAM EXPO!

WE NEED PARENTS to volunteer for STEAM Expo!

The STEAM Expo will be on Saturday, April 9th. Volunteer slots run from 9:30-12:00 and 11:30-:2:00. Any slot that you could fill would be appreciated! 

If you'd like to volunteer, please sign up at:
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090a44a8ae2ba46-steam2

Camp STEAM-TACULAR Is Coming!

This summer, Pinebrook will host Camp STEAM-tacular.  This is a fun-filled week of STEAM related learning and exploration which takes place June 20th - 24th from 9 am to 3 pm here at school.  For more information and to register, click  HERE.