Martin's Memos
Volume 2, Issue 17: January 11, 2019
This Week
Parents,
Please carefully read over the newsletter and let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Supply Requests!
- If anyone could donate packages of lined paper (college or wide ruled), I would greatly appreciate it!
- If anyone has large boxes laying around - we'll need them for the Detroit Dog Rescue donation drive starting Monday! Please send them in! (Read below for further information on this project!)
-Ms. Kate Martin
Upcoming Field Trips
Permission slips and information were sent home on Wednesday!
Thursday, Jan. 31 from 9-2
Bring disposable sack lunch & a disposable snack
No cameras or backpacks
Cost = $0
PERMISSION SLIP DUE BACK BY JANUARY 23!
The Cranbrook Institute of Science - Chemical Reactions
February 21 from 9:20-1:30
Bring disposable sack lunch & a disposable snack
Cost = $16 for admission
PERMISSION SLIP AND MONEY DUE BACK BY JANUARY 18!
Pictures of the Week!
Listen to 89.5!
Flyers
P2
Positivity Project
This week focused on another strength: Perseverance
For individuals, persistence can be directly connected to an individual’s ability to be successful throughout their life. Those who persevere through setbacks often reap the benefits of the success gained by refusing to give up. Sometimes, this comes with the added benefit of increased knowledge and skill as a result of the work needed to achieve. Perseverance is also connected with bravery.
Perseverance is often talked about with the idea of grit. How do we help students push through challenges no matter how hard they might be? Persisting in a task and failing, can result in depleted self-esteem. Therefore, it takes bravery to persist in a task despite the fear of failure. On a group level, perseverance can be contagious. A single group member’s ability or willingness to persevere can have a substantial impact on those working with him/her and the team. Groups that show high levels of perseverance are able to achieve goals they may not have believed possible. The results benefit both individuals and the group. They will be more likely to: enjoy the victory; persist in the future when facing challenges; improve their skills and abilities; and have a greater belief in their capacity to overcome obstacles and achieve goals.
What Did We Learn This Week?
Math: Students will continue their in their math groups.
Yellow- I can understand percents and interest.
Green-I can understand integers and the coordinate plane.
Orange- I can interpret word problems.
Social Studies (5th): The 5th graders will continue a social studies unit on Colonization. The 5th graders will present their biography projects to the class next TUESDAY. The students have had more than a month to work on this at school and at home. They will have a test on colonization next WEDNESDAY.
Reading: We finished our unit on understanding nonfiction texts and we learned our process for notice/note and answering questions.
Writing: We continued our personal narratives.
Enrichment: We will begin a new enrichment project - we will partner with all of the GT classes to benefit the Detroit Dog Rescue in honor of Ms. Scott. More information to come!
Looking Forward to Next Week...
Positivity Project (P2)/Character Education: Hope/Optimism
Yellow- I can understand percents and interest.
Green-I can understand integers and the coordinate plane.
Orange- I can interpret word problems.
Social Studies (5th): The 5th graders will present their biography projects to the class on TUESDAY. The students have had more than a month to work on this at school and at home. They will have a test on colonization on WEDNESDAY.
Science (5th): Our class is beginning a new science unit, Mixtures and Solutions on Thursday. We will be studying basic concepts in chemistry, and finding out how materials interact with each other. Students will learn what happens when simple materials, such as gravel, salt, and water, are put together. They will also learn techniques for separating the resulting mixtures and solutions. As our studies continue, we will investigate combinations of materials, such as baking soda and calcium chloride (the salt used to melt ice on roads), that react when mixed to produce new products—chalk, carbon dioxide gas, and table salt. We will engage in an engineering challenge dealing with desalination. One of the most demanding intellectual activities in the enterprise of science is developing descriptive, explanatory models to advance the understanding of complex natural phenomena. Models provide intellectual structures to important ideas that are inaccessible to direct observation.
Reading: We will start to learn about fables/myth/fairytales/legends. During some of our "Targeted Practice" days, we will continue to delve into how to understand Shakespeare.
Writing: We will publish our personal narratives.
Enrichment: We will begin a new enrichment project - we will partner with all of the GT classes to benefit the Detroit Dog Rescue in honor of Ms. Scott.
New Enrichment Project - Supporting the Detroit Dog Rescue in Memory of Ms. Scott
Please feel free to share this donation drive and the flyers below with family, friends and co-workers!
From the students:
The students in the GT classes are working together to support Detroit Dog Rescue. We are collecting donations for stray dogs who need homes. Our donation drive will be running from Monday, January 14, to Friday, January 25. If you are interested in donating, there will be boxes outside Ms. Martin’s room; Room 10. We are doing this to help our community and the poor stray dogs in Detroit. Also, we are collecting donations in honor of Ms. Scott. One of her hobbies that she enjoyed was actually helping the Detroit Dog Rescue. So, if you want to help the dogs who need a home, you can make sure that you donate and tell others about the drive!
Flyers created by Preston, Sarah, Georgie, Annabel, Blair, Henry, Kayla, John and Isaac!
Continuous Important Reminders...
FRIDAY FOLDERS
Why?
-A growth opportunity! The students can "fix" their mistakes and learn what they did wrong.
-It improves their score/grade! I'll increase their score if they return their "fixed" paper.
When should it be returned?
-Please return them within a week of receiving the paper. I can't change any scores/grades if it is returned in a different trimester than when it was originally completed.
What if they don't do it or return it?
The grade stays the same.
BOOK CLUBS
All of my students are assigned to a book club group that meet one day (Tuesday-Friday) each week. Your child is expected to read the agreed-upon amount (determined by the group members) and complete their job in a week's time PRIOR to meeting with their group on their normal day.
I have noticed an increase in the amount of students NOT completing either their reading or their job. BOTH of those must be completed and they must come prepared (book, job sheet, pencil) to their meeting. If they complete their reading and job, they receive a "3" for that week's book club score. If they don't complete any part of that, they receive a "1.5".
How can you help?
-Check in your child's agenda. Look for something written or a 1/2 sheet stapled inside with information about their job/reading.
-Don't let them wait til the day before to complete it. Pace it out! Leave time to do the job, not just the reading.
NIGHTLY READING
The BEST, most research-proven way to become a better reader is to....READ!
The students are very honest with me (for better or for worse!), and I have recently noticed that they are not consistently reading each night. Some say they just read their book club book during the week (which may only consist of 20-40 pages worth) or they're only reading "for fun" books at home.
What can you do to help?
-Make sure they are reading a book every night for a minimum of 25 minutes.
-Make sure at least every other book of their choice is near their Lexile....at least 900L or above.
Upcoming Important Dates
Normal School Hours: 8:32 - 3:39 (GT dismissal 3:34)
Half Day Hours: 8:32 - 11:45 (GT dismissal around 11:40)
Jan. 8: PTO Meeting 7-9
Jan. 21: No School
Jan. 29: SOC Information Night @ Meadows - current families welcome at 6:30
Jan. 31: DIA Field Trip with Ms. Green
Feb. 6-Mar.8: SOC Application Window
Feb. 7: Late start or early dismissal
Feb. 7: SOC Information Night @ Meadows - current families welcome at 6:30
Feb. 14: Valentines exchange @ 10:45; 1/2 day
Feb. 15-19: Mid-Winter Break
Feb.26: 4th grade concert
Mar. 14: Late start or early dismissal
Apr. 1-5: Spring Break
Contact Me
Email: kate.martin@avondale.k12.mi.us
Website: katemartingt.weebly.com
Location: 6465 Livernois Road, Troy, MI 48098, United States
Phone: (248) 537-6900
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100017787916756
Twitter: @AvondaleGATE