Weekly Update
Mrs. Keely Aman 4/4/2016
Classroom Updates
Welcome back! I hope spring break was good to everyone and you all enjoyed some great family time. We are rolling into our busy time at school and the next 11 weeks are going to fly by! Be sure to check our calendar updates at the end of the news to see what's on the agenda.
Academics
In Reading we are near the end of our Historical Fiction book club unit. We will complete Number the Stars this week and will take another look at our time line to see what events crossed those in history. As we wrap up this unit in reading we will start to focus on strategies for reading, identifying types of texts, and making meaning in what we read. We will be working to make sense of pieces we read regularly, including our text books and news. In writing we are jumping right in with persuasive. In Math, Chapter 8 focuses on geometry. We will be in Chapter 8 for quite some time. It is an extensive chapter and it begins as we begin the MSTEP (more on that in a bit). Students continue to progress on the body systems as well. We have the muscular and nervous systems left before moving on to Earth and its relationship to the sun. Finally, Social Studies has the students learning about the issues that led up to the Revolutionary War. We will continue our work on Patriots and Loyalists before jumping into the Declaration of Independence.
Our middle school visits are this Thursday; April 7, 2016. All students have brought home information and permission slips for our middle school visits. Students will tour the schools, visit some classes, and receive information from the middle schools. These visits coincide with the parent information nights. If you have not turned in the permission slip, please do so quickly; we don't want anyone to miss out on this great opportunity.
Michigan Summative Test of Educational Progress (M-STEP) for the fifth graders begins next week. We are planning to test two days per week for the next three weeks; typically Tuesday and Wednesday or Wednesday and Thursday. You can expect students to have reduced homework during our testing window. This annual assessment is mandated for all children in Michigan public schools and is one of the tools used to measure a student’s proficiency in specific subject areas. The M-STEP, which replaced the MEAP, is an online assessment and is based on the Michigan Academic Standards. The state has provided specific windows for our students to participate in these assessments and we will spread the assessments over several days to best support teaching and learning.
Testing calendar for grade 5 (this is the same for all students in Michigan) is April 11 to
April 29 (ELA, Math and Social Studies).
We would very much appreciate it if you could do everything possible to have your child in attendance during these testing windows. Additionally, we encourage you to view the preview test and sample items that are available online at https://wbte.drcedirect.com/MI/portals/mi/ott1. The page can only be opened using a Google browser.
You can assist your child in having a good test experience by making sure he/she:
*arrives on time to school
*eats a nutritious breakfast
*brings headphones/earbuds
*gets good night’s sleep
*brings a book to read when done with the test
If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.
Happenings
April 4 - School Resumes
April 7 - Middle School visits
April 11- April 29 - Grad 5 M-STEP
April 22 - half day for students; professional development
Thanks again for all your support!
Keely