Snipes' Update
Week 8
Reminders
Early dismissal 10/15 @ 11:20 AM
No school 10/16
BoxTops Blitz ends 10/19
First Nine Weeks grading and AR period ends 10/27
Halloween Class Treats 10/30
Thinking Ahead
I will need 3 chaperons for the trip who have volunteer training. We would prefer to take individuals who even have mentor training. There will not be a fee as the teachers and chaperons are NOT participating in the actual events; we are just supervising because it is a large, open environment. Please respond if you would like to chaperon. If you do not have volunteer training, let me know and I'll ask. I will check if anyone needs to renew any portion of that as well. Payment plans are available, if needed.
Our first nine weeks grading and AR period will be coming to a close on October 27th. All missing work should be turned in by October 23rd to receive credit. Our AR party for those who meet their goal will be held at Davis Park on the morning of October 30th.
Reading
We will conclude our interactive read-aloud of Wonder, by R.J. Palacio this week. We have thoroughly enjoyed this book and will conclude the unit of study with some fun activities.
We will continue in our study of character, which goes far beyond identifying characters. We are examining characters' motives for their actions. We are teaching students to fall into the world of the book in order to imagine the characters as real people. It helps one infer why a character makes the choices they do. We look at how other characters treat our main character, at how they interact, and then we make theories about the character. What kind of "person" is this guy/gal? What were they thinking?
Writing
Math
We will have our Unit 2 Test Tuesday on volume. Next, we go into a review of adding and subtracting. Our goal isn't to teach these concepts, but to look into our methods and become more efficient and accurate. Believe it or not, most students struggle with being completely accurate with both adding and subtracting (particularly regrouping and borrowing) in 5th grade. We will work on becoming much faster doing this.
Science
We will begin studying the influences of global factors such as air and water currents on our local weather. This week, we will focus on wind, land and sea breezes, and prevailing winds.
Social Studies
Nickels 4 Neighbors
A fundraising campaign called “Nickels 4 Neighbors” will be conducted on Wednesday, October 14 at all schools. The central office departments also will participate.
We are asking students, employees, parents, and others to make a contribution of any monetary denomination – it does not have to be just nickels – on Wednesday, October 14. The goal is to have each school to collect $200.00 – the equivalent of 4,000 nickels.
As you know, our “Carolina neighbors to the south” living in areas from Columbia to Charleston and Myrtle Beach and all points in between have been affected by the devastating flood. What is even more startling – had the storm system been 100 or so miles to the north, our neighborhoods here in Gaston County would have been under water. We have reached out to the S.C. School Boards Association to help us identify which school district could use our help. We are waiting to confirm which district will be “adopted” by Gaston County Schools. From what we understand, some schools have water damage, but the most pressing need is to help the children who attend the schools. Many of the children and their families have lost everything, including the essential items they need for school. Collecting monetary donations is better than supplies – it is easier for our “adopted” school district to handle receiving a check rather than truckloads of supplies that would need to be stored and distributed. It will take a team effort to make this project a success, but we are confident that Gaston County Schools will show the true spirit of caring and giving as we try to help our neighbors in need – especially the schoolchildren of South Carolina.
GCS Mentor Training
To register, call the Business Partnership Office, (704) 866-6329.