Twas the week before the break, when all through the school,
Every creature was stirring, not following the rules (J/K)
The backpacks were hung on the hooks with care,
In hopes that the students soon won’t be there!


The students were all nestled all snug in their coats
With visions of video games and root beer floats.
Ms. Lindsay in her scarf and Kevin in his sweater
The students settled down for their last week endeavor.


The halls were filled with cheer and pleasant chatter
Knowing that for two weeks, school wouldn’t matter.
Maggie with her book and Allison in her hat,
The middle schoolers kept learning, in their desks which they sat.


When the last test is taken and presentation done,
All will pack up, ready for festive fun.
The students will pack up and ride out of sight
“HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT.”




-LD


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



What’s happening in Science?
Fifth graders explored cells this week using the microscopes! They looked at aquatic plants, human cheek cells, and even microorganisms found in stagnant water outside. They learned about the organelles that make up the cells of living things. They also compared and contrasted the cells of plants and animals. The fifth graders also learned about photosynthesis and how water and sap are transported through plants through their veins. When we return from break, the fifth graders will start their study on microbiology and will investigate where in the school there is the most bacteria and fungi.


What’s happening in Math?
This week, 5th grade mathematicians took their end of unit assessment from unit 4, which covered all things multiplication and division. Afterwards, we moved into studying decimals and place value, along with their relation to fractions. When we return from break, we will dive deeper into decimal operations which include adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing them.


What’s happening in ELA?
5th graders began an exciting new unit in non-fiction this week. We are pushing ourselves to move into more complex non-fiction texts, including non-fiction chapter books. Readers tracked texts that might contain more challenging words and multiple main ideas about history, science, or public figures.


Next week before break, 5th grade will do a write-a-thon day in which we work on writing for longer lengths of time at higher volumes. As we write creatively about fun winter topics, we will refine our foundational skills of punctuation, capitalization, and sentence structure.


What’s happening in Social Studies?
The fifth graders dove into the Byzantine Empire this week. Students then compared the different empires in a Venn Diagram before beginning our comparison projects.


Next week, and upon returning, the students will be working towards completion of these projects. Students will be asked to revisit their content as they create persuasive advertisements trying to “sell” their empires for a vacation!


Important Dates:
December 19: PJ Day (½ day)- Holiday Extravaganza 10:30-11:30
December 20 – January 3: Winter Break