Full moon yesterday…While walking my dog in the morning, gawking at the moon, I contemplated how crazy it is that there is this whole other side of the moon that we have never seen here on Earth…ever! This “dark side” of the moon is not visible to us due to a phenomenon known as Tidal Locking. The Moon and Earth have altered their orbits through their gravitational interactions over millions of years. Because the Earth is much larger than the Moon, the Moon’s rotation has slowed to a balance point. The time for the Moon to have a full rotation around its axis is the same time for the Moon to fully orbit around the Earth. WILD…RIGHT?!
Many people use the phrase “the dark side of the moon” to describe things that are unknown and mysterious. With Franci leaving, Merle stepping up as the interim Head of School, and starting the 2025-2026 school year with Jason, there’s a lot of unknowns. We all know that change is inevitable. Maybe instead of thinking about the unknown side of the moon as the “dark side,” we could consider it as the “far side.” It’s there, we know it, but we just don’t know what it looks like.
-LD
Math:
This week, we began to explore fraction division of unit fraction/whole numbers, whole numbers/unit fractions, and unit fractions/unit fractions. Next week, we’ll apply this skill to real-life scenarios and then learn how to differentiate between multiplication and division problems.
ELA:
This week in ELA, 5th grade readers began their Where the Red Fern Grows novel study. Diving into chapters 1-3 as they studied similes and metaphors. We also began grammar study as we looked at sentence types.
Next week, 5th grade will begin their figurative language chart project (due 11/6) and continue to study more figurative language styles as they read their novels. We will have a grammar test on 10/23 of next week.
Social Studies:
The fifth grade class did a wonderful job on their state projects. They researched a state and were able to find interesting facts and statistics. If any student would like to still make a food or dish that is from their state they are welcome to! Going forward we will begin state capitals and start preparing for our next quiz on the fifty states. Once that is finished we will start working on geographical features of our country.
**Also, students were allowed to buy or make a dish that is from their state they researched. If they would like to do that, we will be having a potluck style sharing of the food on Friday, the 25th. Please no nuts of any kind to be respectful to allergies.
Science:
Fifth graders explored erosion and deposition this week. They designed mountain villages in sand tables and then released water over them to see how water and gravity impact our Earth’s surface. They also started working on their National Park slideshows, coming up with the name of their park, main attractions, overall vibe, and more. They will continue to work on their parks next week.
Important Dates:
October 22: Picture Day
October 28: LeAnn Gardner Parent Presentation (5:30)
October 31: Halloween Carnival (11:30 Dismissal)
November 1: Teacher Work Day (No Students)
November 11&12: Parent Teacher Conferences
November 22: Harvest Feast
November 25-29: Thanksgiving Break
