I truly cannot believe there are only 4 more weeks of the school year! This year has flown by and I have loved every minute of it. The Frazier Squad is an incredibly special group of kids who have formed a unique classroom community this year. Every day we face challenges, learn incredible things and burst out laughing as a group at least once. I have so many memories that I will cherish from this year. Thank you for the opportunity to teach your children this year. It has been an honor.
That said, there is so much left to do! Here's a little breakdown of the curriculum that we will continue to cover in these final weeks of school:
Math
We just wrapped up Unit 5, a huge unit that focused on multiplying and dividing fractions and whole numbers. While this material is daunting, the Frazier Squad tackled it with their inquisitive nature and love of learning. I saw so much growth in their mathematical concepts during this unit. Please look for your child's end of unit assessment in their Wednesday folder this week.
We launched Unit 6 today and will finish it before the school year comes to a close. Unit 6 is a review of coordinate graphing, a look at visual patterns and an overview of 5th grade geometry concepts, including the classification of triangles and quadrilaterals.
Social Studies
We have concluded our unit on the American Colonies and begun studying the American Revolution. The kids had an amazing overview of this pivotal time in history through our Walk Through the Revolution presentation (thank you, Kiddo!) and now we get to go deeper into the important causes and events of the revolution.
Be sure to look for your child's visual representation of what they've learned in social studies this year at Open House. They have created some truly stunning comparison and perspective panels packed with information and insight. They cannot wait to show these off to you!
Science
Last week, the Frazier Squad finished their life science rotation with Mrs. Womack after having learned a lot about energy, food chains, photosynthesis, decomposition and more. They also concluded their physical science unit with me! Recent topics included what atoms are made of, how compounds are formed and what they look like on a molecular level, and the difference between physical and chemical changes. Today, students mixed calcium chloride, baking soda and water and looked for evidence of a chemical reaction. We were all abuzz with excitement!
Writing Workshop
Our last writing assignment of the year is a persuasive letter about the importance of changing plastic use in some way. We were lucky to have a presentation from the amazing Surfrider foundation last week which kicked off our study of plastic pollution and how it's affecting human and animal life around the planet, particularly in the ocean. The students took on this real issue head first and are now turning their research to convincing someone else to reduce or eliminate their plastic use in some way. Some students will be writing to friends and family members about their personal habits and environmental impact while others will approach local and national business chains or lawmakers. It's exciting to see the students embrace this important topic and look for solutions. Their ideas and passion are inspiring.
Reading Workshop
We will continue to focus on nonfiction text through the end of the year. I have an amazing collection of primary and secondary sources to supplement our study of the American Revolution. We learned through similar primary and secondary sources when studying colonial times and it was amazing to see the connections the students made between our read aloud, their reading assignments and the social studies content. Their learning was truly amplified through this approach. I look forward to a lot more learning with nonfiction texts in the next few weeks.
End of the Year Celebration
Thank you to everyone who signed up to participate in our end of the year hike and beach celebration on June 11th! If you signed up to come, be sure it's on your calendar! I will be reaching out to you this week to confirm if you are driving or hiking with us. Stay tuned!
Upcoming Events
Don't forget to come to as many end of the year events as you can! Mark your calendars for the events listed below.
Puberty and Health Education Parent Info Night- Wednesday, May 22nd, 5:30-7:00pm
District Wide Early Release Day- Wednesday, May 29th at 12:30pm
Puberty and Health Education Classes- Week of June 3rd
MVMS Tour for all 5th grade students- Tuesday, June 4th, 9:30-11:00am
Open House- Thursday, June 6th, time TBA
5th Grade Graduation Celebration- Saturday, June 8th, 5:30-8:00pm at the Mill Valley Golf Clubhouse
End of the Year Hike and Celebration at Muir Beach- Tuesday, June 11th, 10:00am-2:30pm *drivers from Muir Beach needed*
Graduation- Thursday, June 13th, 9:30-11:15am
Parent Square
FYI: Edna is switching communication platforms
Have you registered for ParentSquare yet? Register and select how you want to receive your Edna emails: by email or text, instantly or in a daily digest - or through the ParentSquare app? You choose! Click here to learn more.
That said, there is so much left to do! Here's a little breakdown of the curriculum that we will continue to cover in these final weeks of school:
Math
We just wrapped up Unit 5, a huge unit that focused on multiplying and dividing fractions and whole numbers. While this material is daunting, the Frazier Squad tackled it with their inquisitive nature and love of learning. I saw so much growth in their mathematical concepts during this unit. Please look for your child's end of unit assessment in their Wednesday folder this week.
We launched Unit 6 today and will finish it before the school year comes to a close. Unit 6 is a review of coordinate graphing, a look at visual patterns and an overview of 5th grade geometry concepts, including the classification of triangles and quadrilaterals.
Social Studies
We have concluded our unit on the American Colonies and begun studying the American Revolution. The kids had an amazing overview of this pivotal time in history through our Walk Through the Revolution presentation (thank you, Kiddo!) and now we get to go deeper into the important causes and events of the revolution.
Be sure to look for your child's visual representation of what they've learned in social studies this year at Open House. They have created some truly stunning comparison and perspective panels packed with information and insight. They cannot wait to show these off to you!
Science
Last week, the Frazier Squad finished their life science rotation with Mrs. Womack after having learned a lot about energy, food chains, photosynthesis, decomposition and more. They also concluded their physical science unit with me! Recent topics included what atoms are made of, how compounds are formed and what they look like on a molecular level, and the difference between physical and chemical changes. Today, students mixed calcium chloride, baking soda and water and looked for evidence of a chemical reaction. We were all abuzz with excitement!
Writing Workshop
Our last writing assignment of the year is a persuasive letter about the importance of changing plastic use in some way. We were lucky to have a presentation from the amazing Surfrider foundation last week which kicked off our study of plastic pollution and how it's affecting human and animal life around the planet, particularly in the ocean. The students took on this real issue head first and are now turning their research to convincing someone else to reduce or eliminate their plastic use in some way. Some students will be writing to friends and family members about their personal habits and environmental impact while others will approach local and national business chains or lawmakers. It's exciting to see the students embrace this important topic and look for solutions. Their ideas and passion are inspiring.
Reading Workshop
We will continue to focus on nonfiction text through the end of the year. I have an amazing collection of primary and secondary sources to supplement our study of the American Revolution. We learned through similar primary and secondary sources when studying colonial times and it was amazing to see the connections the students made between our read aloud, their reading assignments and the social studies content. Their learning was truly amplified through this approach. I look forward to a lot more learning with nonfiction texts in the next few weeks.
End of the Year Celebration
Thank you to everyone who signed up to participate in our end of the year hike and beach celebration on June 11th! If you signed up to come, be sure it's on your calendar! I will be reaching out to you this week to confirm if you are driving or hiking with us. Stay tuned!
Upcoming Events
Don't forget to come to as many end of the year events as you can! Mark your calendars for the events listed below.
Puberty and Health Education Parent Info Night- Wednesday, May 22nd, 5:30-7:00pm
District Wide Early Release Day- Wednesday, May 29th at 12:30pm
Puberty and Health Education Classes- Week of June 3rd
MVMS Tour for all 5th grade students- Tuesday, June 4th, 9:30-11:00am
Open House- Thursday, June 6th, time TBA
5th Grade Graduation Celebration- Saturday, June 8th, 5:30-8:00pm at the Mill Valley Golf Clubhouse
End of the Year Hike and Celebration at Muir Beach- Tuesday, June 11th, 10:00am-2:30pm *drivers from Muir Beach needed*
Graduation- Thursday, June 13th, 9:30-11:15am
Parent Square
FYI: Edna is switching communication platforms
Have you registered for ParentSquare yet? Register and select how you want to receive your Edna emails: by email or text, instantly or in a daily digest - or through the ParentSquare app? You choose! Click here to learn more.