It was so lovely to see families in the building this week as your students conducted their Self-Assessment Conferences. I know they are super proud of their work and their growth. I also know they are relieved they have made it through the conferences with you all! Thank you for showing support and encouragement. It makes a huge impact on them and their attitudes and performance in school! 

We are all excited to be back into the swing of things. As you all know that we have been deep in the editing and publishing process of self-assessments, so it has been very nice to teach our content areas again! I am hopeful that the students are happy to learn new content as well. 

With Trimester 3 at its start, we are going into a lot of changes. We have piloted a new advisory program this week in which all advisory classes are now mixed grades. We have introduced new Learning Lab groups and Trimester 3 Electives that will start today. Students are excited for hip-hop, watercolor art, and jazz band! 

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

What’s happening in Social Studies:

Fifth Grade began their mini-unit on the relationship between Ukraine and Russia this week. To launch the unit, they first had to study the pros and cons of different forms of government. They did not get to choose their topic or stance, but had to pull from a hat and research the pros or cons of democracy, socialism, monarchy, or communism. Of course, they all put their own creative flare into their presentations…we had a news show, a cartoon, a hilarious google slide, a very serious google slide, a skit, and a poster! Next week, we will get into the types of governments Ukraine and Russia have had in the past and what they have now.

What’s up in Math? 

Mathematicians have re-entered their decimal unit with eagerness. We reviewed place value, comparing decimals, and rounding decimals yesterday. We reviewed and corrected a checkpoint assessment to make sure we were starting back on the right foot. Today, we looked at the addition of decimals and discussed strategies for doing so successfully. Students are getting back into the hang of things as far as classroom routines and procedures. I’m excited to make it through the rest of the curriculum in Trimester 3. 

What’s happening in ELA:

Parents, I hope you were impressed with what your Fifth Graders were able to accomplish in their second trimester of ELA class. 

They have begun their new unit in reading and I hope they are as excited as I am. Your fifth graders have begun with their Fantasy Book Clubs unit. I think we are going to have an enjoyable time. Please ask them about the stories they are reading. We will also start a new vocabulary lesson next week.

Important Dates:

March 28 – April 1: Spring Break