Pier 25 News
January 8, 2016
Dear UMAC Parents,
We are so proud of how well our learners have kicked off the year 2016! With our goals and expectations set, we are confident in our student’s abilities! Our eagerness to learn has been apparent as we jumped back into our learning this week. With the fresh, new start, we are confident that we are going to make this the best year yet! We have a lot to look forward to from now until June!
Mrs. Kelly Horist
Shared Reading
This week in shared reading students read an informational text titled, Quest for the Tree Kangaroo. We learned many interesting facts about an unusual type of kangaroo and learned how scientists work together to collect information about this special species. While reading students analyzed cause and effect relationships and how these events often lead to the next cause/effect relationship. After reading students were able to answer the following essential question: Why is it important to research and protect endangered animals?
Math
New Friends: This week as we have started Chapter 6, students are learning the importance of their basic computational skills as they dive into this new skill. We are using the traditional method to compute their quotients. Hopefully they are using the letters: D,M,S,C,B to remember to divide, multiply, subtract, check and bring down! Please also remember, a quick five minute review of math facts 0-12 will help your child tremendously!
Old Friends: Our old friends have spent the week reviewing the rules of reading and constructing bar graphs and circle (pie) graphs. We also spent time reviewing concepts from the beginning of the chapter (prior to winter break) like computing fractions to decimals to percents. Students will take the unit 5 assessment on Monday, January 11th.
Social Studies/Writing
Our team will be taking the chapter 7 History Alive test on Monday. From this chapter, we gained a deeper understanding of the formation of the colonies. The discussions and questioning throughout this chapter has been outstanding and provided us the background knowledge as we tackled a culminating writing activity.
As a colonist leaving England, each student wrote a farewell letter on Google classroom to explain why they were leaving England and how they had chosen this colony to become a new place to live. By generating compelling reasons proving this important decision, they used the opportunity to show their knowledge from this chapter well. These fine letters will be displayed in the hallway for our school to see!
Upcoming Events
Monday, January 11- Yearbook cover entries due (5th graders only)
Friday, January 15 - No School/Institute Day
Monday, January 18-No School/Martin Luther King Day
January 22- Magic Waters/Great America reading logs due
**Mark your calendar if you have any child entering next year as a kindergartener! Registration at the Core is February 23!