Spring Break has come and gone. It felt like a little taste of summer break. Students came back talking about sleeping in, sun burns, vacations, and sleepovers. The needed respite provided us, teachers included, the energy and space to persevere through the rest of the school year. However, this is probably my favorite part of the year. It’s the time we get to celebrate what we have accomplished. We all get together at Pass It On and Spread the Word. We take our annual class trips, celebrate at the dance, play at Field Day, and believe it or not, even enjoy ERB testing. It’s a time of tradition, reference to the past, and time for reflection. As we get ready to start a new tradition, graduation from Middle School, I look forward to this special time of the year and relishing in the hard work up until now.
Cheers to seven more weeks!
LD


Here’s a look at what is happening in each of the classes:

What’s happening in Science?
Fifth graders started their last unit of study this week…everyone’s favorite…chemistry! They observed and explored the states of matter using dry ice! They compared how warming both the solid state of water (ice) and carbon dioxide (dry ice) affects the change of matter. They considered how the particles would look at a microscopic level, conceptualizing the proximity of the particles as the matter changes phases. Fifth graders also picked an element that they will research and become an expert about. Collectively, the fifth grade class will make an interactive Periodic Table of Elements that can be accessed by other classes for years to come.
What’s up in ELA?
Fifth graders are writing and revising their fantasy stories. They have also begun a new unit titled “Argument and Advocacy: Researching Debatable Issues.” Finally, we are working on grammar week 15 and learning about prefixes (a- and be-)/suffixes (-ent and -ant).

What’s going on in Math?

This week, fifth graders have been reviewing, reviewing, reviewing! We covered a lot in our past unit and they are getting ready for the Unit Assessment. Today, I gave them the assessment and let them begin. They were able and encouraged to write down any questions they had so that we could discuss them before they finish the assessment on Monday! Then we are moving on to the coordinate plane!

What’s happening in Social Studies?
This week, the students researched a specific African country. Students worked in groups to create a presentation on that country today. Students used primary and secondary sources to gather their data.

Students will be concluding their Africa unit with both an assessment and a mapping challenge. Students will then move into Southwest Asia. Students will look at the origins and early empires of this region and then compare some common religions.

Important Dates:


April 22nd- TCS Spring Auction
April 27th- Holocaust Survivor Speaker
May 4th- 11:30 Dismissal
May 5th- Middle School Dance