Week 31

Spring break comin up! Yay!

This week we are starting a new unit and theme of Hardship: Making a difference. We will be watching and reading stories about people who have made a difference in the face of tough times.

We also have Shakespeare on the go starting this week.


We are bumping up the homework in response to the low level of responsibility and accountability shown since the report card. I have noticed a contagious case of Spring Fever running rampant in our room. Time to buckle down for our last trimester of elementary school.
Homework:
Viva la Causa: Monday: 2 paragraphs, Tuesday: Artwork
Lit Group packet due Wed
Science: Wed: Read pg 92/93 and answer q 2,3 4 Pg 94
Social Studies: Read pg 384/5 Question Pg 385
Math: Monday 6.1.1, wed 6.1.2, Thurs 6.1.3
Reading Log due Friday
Scholastic News due Friday
Vocabulary every night:
Articulate
Addled
Strike
Hardship
Undermine
Protest
Irritation
Resounding
Insignificant
Empowerment

Have a great week!

Week 30

We are poundin our way through the weeks. Sorry I didn't post yesterday, I was out sick.

We are setting our goals for AR. I was really pleased with students last trimester. Let's get going on reading for this trimester too!

Homework this week:
Math: Big test on Friday for chapter four so this week is a lot of review. We are also assessing multiplication facts this week. So... Mon: 4.4.5, Tues: none, Wed: hundred's table and multiplication practice, Thurs: Ch 4 review
Lit Groups: Monday Tues and Friday
Reading Log: Friday
Scholastic News: Friday
**Social Studies: Research paper due Friday***
Vocab this week (focus on words borrowed from French)
Chic
Cliche
Rendezvous
Coup d'etat
Coup de grace
Creche
Decor
Deja vu
Faux pas
Gauche

Have a great week!

Math Homework Change

Math homework has changed: Wed is 4.4.3 and Thurs is 4.4.4
Thanks!

What's with all the tardiness?

Welcome back to the week after report cards! It was a pleasure hand out those reports. I saw growth and improvement in every one. Please make sure you send back the envelopes signed as soon as possible.

I am becoming increasingly concerned with the amount of students that come in late or are absent. Almost every morning there are at least 8 students missing from their desks. Can we work on this as a team. It is so disruptive to other students and your student's progress when they are absent or late for class. It is so hard to get caught up in something when there are so many missing. I may have to have some sort of consequence soon for students who are regularly late absent without excuse.

Homework this week:
Math: Mon 4.3.4, Tues 4.4.1, Wed 4.4.2, Thurs 4.4.3
Lit Groups Mon, Tues and Fri
Reading logs every night due Friday
Scholastic News due Fri
Vocab every night:
Monotony
Willingly
Embark
Inherit
Linger
Frantic
Precision
Nonchalant
Ferocious
Encounter

Have a great week!

Report Cards this week!

Yes, the time as come... REPORT CARDS! dun du daaah.

I think everyone will be pleased this trimester. These kids have been working their little tails off, especially in the AR realm.

This week is pretty chill except for the big Edible Earth project due this wednesday. Be prepared to help put together a strange food concoction on Tue night and somehow get it to school. Please have them bring it on a durable pie tin and bring a serving utensil (I will provide plates and such).

Homework:
Math: 4.3.1 Monday, 4.3.2 Tues, 4.3.3 Wed, 4.3.4 Thurs
Edible Earth due Wednesday
Reading logs due Friday
Lit Groups Tues and Friday.
Scholastic News due Friday
Vocab every night:
Ponder
Prowl
Purify
Preserve
Praise
Propagate
Persecute
Plunder
Hypothetical
Salubrious
We're still practicing multiplication!

Have a great week.
Ms McKusick

Change to homework this week...

I canceled tonight's math homework (4.3.1). I felt we needed to revisit what we did earlier in the week. So the only homework tonight is vocab, reading, practicing multiplication and starting work on their edible earths (due next Wed).

Also... We are doing our social studies skits on Monday. Students can get together supplemental costumes and bring them on Monday. We have made some in class but if they want to add to it they can.

Best wishes
MsM

Last week in the trimester! Report cards next week.

Welcome back to another full week at Rio. We are focusing and buckling down for the end of the trimester. The kids have been working so hard and I am really pleased with their progress. On a personal note, I moved into Santa Cruz this past weekend and we love our new place!

This week we are buttoning things up for the end of the trimester. This week is the student's last chance to get AR points, do any missed assignments, redo any poorly done assignments or do any extra credit that I have approved. Remind your students that anything they hand in now has to be perfect because they will have no chance to make up for it.

I am hoping to finish the Social Studies skits we have been creating and making costumes for this week and do the performance on Friday. I will be video taping it, they will edit it in technology and then show it for open house. Fun!

Make sure you take the 'Parent Budget Survey' on www.pvusd.net if you are concerned about the budget crisis in the district.

Multiplication Practice: The whole school is setting grade level goals for multiplication automaticity and fact skills. We have noticed that a lot of the kids in 6th grade still don't know their facts. We have set individual goals for each student to improve this one step at a time. I encourage you help student's to practice math facts at least 10 minutes a night.

Homework this week:
Math: 4.2.1 Monday, 4.2.2 Tuesday, 4.2.3 Wednesday, 4.3.1 Thursday
Reading Logs: Get those AR points!
Literature Groups Monday, Tuesday and Friday
Scholastic News Friday
Multiplication Practice: See above
Vocab: All vocab homework needs to be handwritten now
Proportion
Proportional
Ratio
Equivalent
Painstaking
Parched
Peculiar
Prestigious
Prosperous
Perishable

Thanks everyone for checking the blog. Have a great week!