5th Grade Weekly Update
Here's what's going on at O.C. Taylor!
Week of October 7th - 11th
ANNOUNCEMENTS!!!
***** PLEASE GET YOUR CAMP THURMAN PERMISSION SLIPS AND CHECKS IN ASAP!!!***
It's PINK PUMPKIN TIME!! Each pumpkin costs $1 and all the money will go towards Breast Cancer Research. The challenge started October 1st and will continue until October 18th. The class that collects the most pink pumpkins on their "pumpkin patch" will get an hour of extra free time/recess!
CAFETERIA VISITATION EXPECTATIONS
Parents and visitors can only sit with their student during lunch. Students CANNOT invite a classmate to eat with them and their guests.
Per Mrs. Bailey, for safety reasons, only the guest and child can sit at the visitor table.
If your child has received a planner, please send your $5 as soon as possible to either their homeroom teacher or Ms. Gene in the office - thank you! We appreciate it!
TIGER TIME
We are revamping and adding more structure to our Tiger Time! The students now have menu choice boards for both Humanities and Math!! Students will be able to select activities that appeal to them from these two content areas and will present their work to the class upon completion. These menus are designed to be completed in roughly 1-2 weeks.
Students may also utilize this time to complete research for their diorama project.
This time will still be used by teachers for small-group instruction and remediation as needed.
Students who are not pulled for other services also have Tiger Time to complete unfinished work from class. Just a reminder that all students are given plenty of time in class to complete work in addition to their Tiger Time hour. There really is no reason any student should have unfinished work to complete at home if they are using their time wisely during the day.
On days when we visit the science lab, we ask that students wear closed-toe shoes and those with longer hair bring something to pull it back out of their face while we conduct our labs. Although we have aprons, we recommend not wearing brand new or favorite clothing on lab days!
Taylor Tiger Choir
All 4th and 5th graders are invited to attend!
We meet every Thursday from 2:55-4:00 p.m. in the OCT Music room.
Fifth Grade is headed to Camp Thurman!!!!
***PERMISSION SLIPS ARE DUE BACK BY OCTOBER 16TH!!!!***
Please look over the permission packet carefully (front/back) and ensure all information is completed. This is going to be so fun!
HUMANITIES (Reading, Writing, & Social Studies)
Reading: We will be comparing different characters in our books. We will be making connections between the characters and the themes of our books.
Book talk #2 will be assigned this week. This will be due on Nov. 21. We will use the same rubric as we did for the first book talk. This time, the students need to do their retell from the main character's point of view.
Spelling: We will have our spelling test this Friday.
Two different activities are due this Friday as well. Students should be using 10 different words in each activity.
Grammar: We will be reviewing verbs this week in class.
Writing: We will be reviewing editing skills using C.U.P.S. and MINTS---ask your child what these stand for!!
Social Studies: We are working through watching videos and reading out History Alive book in class. We are taking notes on Early English Settlements and will start our unit task soon.
MATH
We will have a test over UNIT 3 this Thursday! Be looking for a review coming soon! Please look over items and address concerns ahead of time with your child's math teacher so we can clarify before the assessment.
This week in math we will be looking at prime and composite numbers and problem-solving with multiplication and division multi-step problems.
Students have examples of strategies in their notebooks. They all have multiple methods to complete their multiplication and division problems.
All students also have an account on PRODIGY. They can access this through Classlink and login using their Google credentials. This is an excellent way for them to practice their math skills in a fun way!
*******Pleeeeeeeease encourage your child to practice their multiplication math facts nightly. This will tremendously benefit them in 5th grade math! Flash cards, apps, anything will help!*******
SCIENCE
UNIT PROJECTS ARE DUE THIS FRIDAY!!! Dioramas AND reports!!
All students selected their preferences for animals/habitats on Wednesday, October 2nd and have had quite a bit of time throughout the day to conduct some of their research. Please see the info sheet in the Science Google Classroom if you have further questions. The diorama is only half of their project grade - they must gather and present their information according to the bullet points on the info sheet.
This week in science we are continuing Unit 4. This unit compares the structures and functions of different species of plants and animals that help them live and survive in a specific environment.
This begins a study of a total of 5 units before our next district assessment in November. All of these units build on each other and the students really enjoy the content. We will also be adding in certain ongoing investigations such as observing a habitat of a rotting log over several weeks.
5th grade Grading Policy - Please Read!
We know that many of you are new to grades being taken. We want to make you all aware of our grading policy in 5th grade this year. This policy is also posted in our 5th grade Curriculum Night Slideshow presentation.
We are a no-homework campus. If classwork requires extra time, it will come home as unfinished classwork to be completed at home and returned the next day. Assignments scoring below a 70 can be corrected accurately and returned as soon as possible for up to a 70. Tests under 70 will be revisited in small group with a test at a later date for an improved score. Assignments turned in late will be 10 points off every day until the assignment is turned in.
We encourage both parents and students to check Skyward often to monitor student progress. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask!
IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES
Math Unit 3 Test - Oct.10th
Animal Habitat Dioramas and Reports - DUE Oct 11th!
Picture Day - October 15th
Camp Thurman permission slips and money DUE Oct 16th
COGAT Testing - all 5th graders - Oct 15-21 - all online
Camp Thurman - October 23rd - Will be returning after school hours!
October 24th - student early release - conferences
Week of Oct 27 - Red Ribbon Week
Oct 31 - Book Character Dress Up Day - must have book and be school-appropriate
*Principal Roundtable discussions regarding new dismissal procedures will be scheduled for October*
Test dates at a glance:
Map test #4: Oct. 18 (Northeast, Southeast, Midwest + Southwest States)
Map test #5: Nov. 1 (FINAL all 50 states test!)
Teacher Contact Info
sharon.fiffik@gcisd.net - 5th grade Humanities (Reading/Writing/Social Studies)
@OCTFIFFIK
morgan.epperson@gcisd.net - 5th grade Math/Science
@MsEppersonOCT
amber.fields@gcisd.net - 5th grade Math/Science
@OCTFields
michelle.watkins@gcisd.net - 5th grade Resource - all content
@OCTWatkins
tiffany.daggercummin@gcisd.net - 5th grade Humanities (Reading/Writing/Social Studies)
@OCTDagger
Location: 5300 Pool Road, Colleyville, TX, USA
Phone: 817-305-4870