5th Grade Weekly Update
Here's what's going on at O.C. Taylor!
Week of May 3rd - 7th!!!
ANNOUNCEMENTS
SLIDES WITH WEBEX LINKS AND INSTRUCTIONAL SCHEDULES - ALSO IN SEESAW
Click HERE to view our WEEK-AT-A-GLANCE assignment listing for this week!
Please send some extra masks in your student's backpack as we no longer have any extras here on campus. Thank you for your support!
Sports balls and similar items may now be brought from home for use during recess.
Please use this LINK to verify your child's 6th-grade courses in skyward beginning MAY 14. (All instructions from the middle schools are included in this document.)
Please explore Mrs. Whisman's middle school link below for the most up-to-date information concerning the transition to middle school!
As a team, we are stressing continued diligence with proper fit and wearing of masks, social distancing, and proper handwashing. If anyone in your household is experiencing typical COVID symptoms (fever, headache, fatigue, sore throat, etc), please err on the side of caution and keep your child home. They can easily hop on our Remote Learning schedule and stay on top of work in a way that limits risks to others. We need all involved to help take care of all involved. One positive exposure can potentially impact multiple students and staff.
Please make sure student devices are being charged NIGHTLY!
HEADS UP!
May 7 - Social Studies notes assessment DUE - see below
May 10 - Social Studies Writing Assignment DUE - see below
May 10 - 14 Campus is closed to all visitors for STAAR testing
May 11 - STAAR Testing for In-Person - Grades 3 - 5 (Math)
May 12 - STAAR Testing for In-Person - Grades 3-5 (Reading), School Nurse Day
May 13 - STAAR Testing for In-Person - Grade 5 (Science)
May 17 - 21 Campus is closed to all visitors for STAAR testing
May 17 - STAAR Testing for Remote - Grades 3 - 5 (Math)
May 18 - STAAR Testing for Remote - Grades 3-5 (Reading)
May 19 - STAAR Testing for Remote - Grade 5 (Science)
May 27 - 5th-grade Continuation Ceremony will be held outdoors on the OCT Black Top.
May 27 - Last Day of School, Early Dismissal at 11:45 am.
When/if your in-person student needs to learn from home....
We would really appreciate you reminding them to join our remote learner WebEx (posted below). Please remember that the REMOTE times are different from when they attend that class here in the building and are listed in the table below. We appreciate your support with this and are thankful to have the capability to continually reach our learners should their situations change.
REMOTE LEARNERS
Humanities
Reading
We will be doing a STAAR review this week. We will be using past STAAR passages as a whole group, small group, and partner groups. Then we will finish the week by playing board games that review the different skills we are covering throughout the week
Patterns of Power
Same as last week so you can just leave it as it already is in the newsletter.
Writing & Social Studies
This week in social studies, we will continue our study of World War 2. Our focus will include the world dictators, the Lend-Lease Act, Pearl Harbor, life on the homefront, and the world at war. The students will receive a guided notes assignment on Monday, May 3rd that will be due on Friday, May 7th. We will end our week by discussing the Cold War.
In writing this week, students will be writing about the most influential contributors to the 19th and 20th centuries. Their writing will answer key questions about whom they would most like to meet, why they would like to meet this person, and what questions they might ask if they could travel back in time.
This assignment will be due on Monday, May 10th.
Math
This week in math will be STAAR Prep week. We will review concepts that we've learned this year such as multi-digit multiplication and long division with whole numbers and decimals. We will review the place value of whole numbers and decimals, rounding, and comparing decimals. We will also spend time reviewing adding and subtracting unlike fractions, multiplying a fraction by a whole number, and dividing unit fractions and whole numbers.
This time of year can be stressful for a 5th grader, especially with 3 "major" assessments coming up. I like to make STAAR prep enjoyable and entertaining for the students so we will play a lot of games, work in groups, and sometimes work with me in a small group. If you'd like to do some STAAR prep at home, I've posted a released STAAR test from 2019 on the 5th Grade Seesaw for students to have extra practice problems at home.
Science
This week we will refresh matter and energy, have a fun, silly STEM Day based on STAR WARS, have fun with Cinco de Mayo Science, refresh structures/functions/lifecycles of plants & animals, and review space science and nature patterns one last time! There's a lot, but we're gonna have some fun!
SPECIALS: 10:15 -11:05am
Please welcome back Mrs. Morgan!!!!
IN-PERSON
Students will attend the same Art and Music class for two weeks and have PE every week. See attached calendar
Specials teachers will be sanitizing supplies and classrooms in between classes
Students will ALWAYS need Chromebooks in Music/Art.
Students will ALWAYS need to bring a pencil, art supplies, and their plexiglass divider to Art.
REMOTE
Remote learners may connect with Specials teachers one day a week through LIVE Webex meetings for the first 15-20 minutes of their Specials time. These Webex meetings are not mandatory.
Tuesdays - Mrs. Morgan (Art) https://gcisd.webex.com/meet/cristie.morgan.
Wednesdays-Coach Mester(PE) https://gcisd.webex.com/meet/jason.mester
Thursdays-Mrs. Vencill(Music) https://gcisd.webex.com/meet/bethany.vencill
CONTACT INFO
- Mrs. Morgan - Art - cristie.morgan@gcisd.net
- Mrs. Vencill - Music - bethany.vencill@gcisd.net
- Coach Mester - PE - jason.mester@gcisd.net
ATTENTION PARENTS! INFORMATION CONCERNING 6TH GRADE!!!
This message has a lot of information from the different middle schools that will help you to understand how course selection is done in order to get all of our students scheduled for next year. Please take some time to go to the links that are specific to the school your child is zoned for. If you are unsure which school that is, here is a link that takes you to the district website to get that information. If you are considering asking for a transfer to a school your child is NOT zoned for, the district will be adding this year’s dates to this page soon. You will still need to choose courses at your child’s zoned campus as transfers are not usually decided upon until the summer.
5th Grade Continuation!
On the evening of Thursday, May 27th from 7-11 p.m., we will hold an outdoor event for 5th-grade students only at the Hall Pumpkin Farm. This is a non-GCISD, non-OCT, non-PTA sponsored event and will rely solely on parent donations to fund this event. Thank you in advance to the Huffman family for generously donating this space for us to host such a fun event! We have plans for a glow-in-the-dark nerf gun war, outdoor movie, ice cream truck, and more!
MATH TELESCOPING INFORMATION
Please send any questions to Kathy Griffin at kathy.griffin@gcisd.net. Remember that Telescoping is open to anyone!
MATH TELESCOPING DATES &. MATH TELESCOPING WEBSITE
JUNE Testing: Online June 7-17 & Paper June 7-10.
Registration Opens: March 22
Registration Closes; April 1st
JULY Testing: Online July 19-29 & Paper July 19-22
Registration Opens: June 14
Registration Closes: June 22
PTA Food Drive
The grade that collects the most donations each month will win an extra recess! Donation basket is in the lobby.
May - Mac & Cheese(Packages of everyone's favorite!)
5th Grade Grading Policy & Late Work Acceptance
*LATE-WORK* - Students will have ONE WEEK from when an assignment is assigned to complete/submit their work. After that point, a ZERO will be entered into the grade book and will NOT be changed.
Here are some tips for students that will help to develop these habits:
- Check grades and missing assignments daily in Skyward.
- Check email for reminders from your teacher(s)
- Be sure to send your teachers an email if you have any questions about your grades or assignments.
- Check on your Seesaw progress, StemScopes, Readworks, IXL accounts, weekly learning checklist, and update your student planner.
If classwork requires extra time, it will come home as unfinished classwork. Assignments scored under 70 can be corrected and returned to be a 70. Tests under 70 will be revisited in small-group with an opportunity 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.
Please click HERE to see how each teacher will submit grading feedback by their content area.
Fifth Grade Feedback
Our Focus
Our 5th-grade teachers are so excited to work with you this year and we look forward to teaming with our wonderful 5th-grade families in order to provide the best educational experience possible for our amazing students. There will be times of joy, excitement, and growth as well as moments of frustration. It is during these rougher times that we ask for all to proceed with patience and understanding as we all learn to navigate an entirely new approach to instructional delivery. We are all learning and doing our absolute best and we are confident that all involved will grow through this experience and be ready for the challenges of middle school and beyond. We value our community and welcome all feedback to help us shape this experience into an intentional and successful model of instruction for our students and encourage open communication throughout our time together.
Teacher Contact Info
sharon.fiffik@gcisd.net - 5th grade Humanities (Reading) and Team Leader
@OCTFiffik
morgan.epperson@gcisd.net - 5th grade Math
@OCTEpperson
amber.fields@gcisd.net - 5th grade Science
@OCTFields
angela.vaughan@gcisd.net - 5th grade Humanities (Writing & Social Studies)
@OCTVaughan
Website: https://oct.gcisd.net/
Location: 5300 Pool Rd. Colleyville, TX, USA
Phone: 817-305-4870
Connect With Us!
Follow our campus on Twitter @OCTaylorTigers and follow #OCT4U!