The Harvest Festival was an absolute blast and a big thank you to all of you who helped to make it so great for our kids! This week, leading up to Thanksgiving break, was filled with activities surrounding having gratitude for the things we have in our lives. It was inspiring to see all of the things the middle schoolers recognized they have in their lives that they feel grateful for. Here is a short Thanksgiving quiz to get you in the holiday spirit!

(All Answers are at the bottom in bold)

1. What was missing from the first Thanksgiving feast?

2. How long did the first Thanksgiving last?

3. TRUE/FALSE   Did a city in Connecticut once cancel/postpone Thanksgiving due to a lack of pumpkin pie?

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

What’s happening in Science?

Fifth graders dove right into their biology unit this week! They learned about the transfer of energy that flows through food chains in different  ecosystems. They considered the importance of decomposers and the different ways consumers get their energy. They showed what they learned by creating their own food chains in posters or slide presentations. The fifth graders also explored how Earth is a system of subsystems including the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. 

What’s up in ELA?

Fifth graders are continuing to work on their Tackling Nonfiction Unit. They are also doing a great job on using Scholastic articles to identify the main idea and details. In grammar, they completed week eight grammar/vocabulary quizzes.  Signed papers will be sent home the Monday following Thanksgiving Break.

What’s going on in Math?

Woohooo! We have successfully wrapped our Fraction Multiplication and Division Unit! The students all had a chance to show their understanding on a final assessment. They had an opportunity to correct their mistakes for half credit on Thursday. They were very enthusiastic about making the corrections and did a great job asking questions and seeking clarification. I am optimistic about starting our new unit after Thanksgiving break. We will continue to use skills learned with multiplication and division to work with multi-digit numbers.  

What’s happening in Social Studies?

This week the students got to dive into Mesoamerican civilizations. Students not only learned about these civilizations, but also got to compare and contrast the different civilizations. Students then began to learn about the Spanish colonization of Mesoamerica. 

When the students return from break, we will have a quick little review game to refresh our minds. Students will then begin learning about the independence of the central american countries and the Caribbean. 

Important Dates:

• November 21-25 Thanksgiving Break (No School)
• December 16th: 11:30 Dismissal Pajama Day
• December 17- January 2: Winter Break

Answers: 

1. Turkey
2. Three Days
3. True