Ms. Palucki's Classroom News
November 2018
Lights, Camera, Action!
Click HERE to see the first episode filled with interviews, reports and more! You can also find it on Apollo's webpage!
PALS
Congratulations to Zuzanna and Tayisiya for being chosen as Room 204's PALS!
The Great Potato!
The students worked with a small group to brainstorm their character for the potatoes! The groups came up with: Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Spiderman, Where's Waldo? and Shrek! Each student was given a different role to help create the characters!
Many other classrooms participated in decorating potatoes! Some of the potatoes included: The Lorax, Harry Potter, and Fly Guy! It was fun to see all the different ideas and creativity that went into the potatoes!
Student-Led Conferences
In mid-October, conference forms were sent home. We are continuing using the Meet the Teacher online program for conferences. The students will be preparing to share their academic progress with you and set goals for future learning. I look forward to seeing you soon!! The last day to schedule a conference is November 9th!
To book your 15-minute appointment today, click here!
November 13th @ 5:00 - 8:00 PM
November 15th @ 5:00 - 8:00 PM
November 16th @ 8:00 - 11:30 AM; 1:00 - 3:30 PM
Student attendance is mandatory for conferences!
*On November 13th, there will be a fundraiser at Panera Bread in Niles in the evening. You can help support our school by eating dinner at Panera. You can also help support our school by shopping at Five Below anytime that week! Flyers will be sent home soon! If you are planning on attending Panera Bread November 13th and/or Five Below the week of November 12th, bring the flyer and say you are supporting Apollo! Thank you for everything you do!
Access ClassLink at Home!
Students will then need to log into their school Gmail account with the tag @s.emsd63.org. Click, "Sign-in with Google" and add the school account! The site will redirect students to the EMSD63 ClassLink app page. That's all!
The EMSD63 ClassLink Portal will quickly log students into sites like Zearn, RazKids, Newsela, Seesaw, and Gmail! If you are having troubles logging in, please reach out! :)
Halloween Celebration!
Coggle!
First, students chose an animal they saw at the zoo and researched a food chain that included that animal. After researching, Mr. Tombs came in and taught the students a new tech tool called Coggle! They used Coggle to create a food chain model showing how energy gets passed from one organism to another.
It was wonderful to see the kids work so hard on their models! It was a great way to show what they had learned from the bundle.
Thank you Mr. Tombs for coming in and teaching the students all about Coggle!
We BROKE OUT!
Another month, another Breakout EDU challenge! Mr. Tombs came back to our classroom to facilitate another challenge with the students. The 5th graders completed a challenge in which they had to discover the passcode to the Dungeon so they can Breakout! This Monster-Mash Halloween-themed Breakout EDU was a great way to not only celebrate Halloween, but also to continue to build our communication, collaboration, and critical thinking skills.
Awesome job, Room 204!
Thank you, Mr. Tombs!
5th Grade Role Models!
Thank you, Miss Soike!
We Love Technology!
Preschool Buddies!
Halloween Celebration!
Field Trip Fun!
Students had the opportunity to apply what they have learned, walk around Brookfield to observe other animals' habitats, and see the dolphin show!
A huge THANK YOU to Mr. Slaven, Ms. Nembhard, and Miss Biju for chaperoning the field trip and helping to make the field trip successful!
Spirit Week!
Monday, November 12th - Crazy Hair/Hat Day!
Tuesday, November 13th - Twin Day!
Wednesday, November 14th - Pajama Day!
Thursday, November 15th - Chicago Bears/Orange and Blue Day! Staley Da Bear will be coming to Apollo for our PBIS assembly!
What have we been learning in Room 204?
Reading...
- Students have learned and practiced answering explicit and implicit questions with informational and literary text.
- Students learned and practiced how to find main ideas/supporting details within 5th-grade informational text.
- We have done a lot of practice finding evidence to support claims, which ties into our Science Bundle.
Writing...
- Students published their personal narrative by learning how to write good introductions/conclusions, writing in sequential order with transition words, adding meaningful dialogue, and adding sensory details.
- Students went through the editing and revising process to make sure their personal narrative was the best that it could be!
Be sure to check out Room 204's personal narrative
stories when you come to conferences!
Math...
- We took a Mid-Module 2 Assessment. Module 2 focuses on Multi-Digit Whole Number and Decimal Fraction Operations.
Science...
- We finished our first bundle in STEMscopes which was: Matter and Energy Flow in an Ecosystem.
- During the bundle, students completed many different activities, explorations, and CERs (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning) to answer the following questions:
Other than for heat, how do animals depend on the Sun?
How do plants keep growing bigger?
Why would an organism eat the waste from another organism?
Can the plant in the jar survive if it stays sealed?
Why would adding a new fish to an aquarium cause problems for the other fish?
Social Studies...
- We began our 1st inquiry unit on Early Colonies to answer the compelling question "Was colonial America truly a land of opportunity?"
- Students read and learned about the first English Settlements in North America: Roanoke, Jamestown, and Plymouth.
- While learning about the first English Settlements, students are answering the questions: "Why come to America?" and "What hardships did the colonists face?
- Students have also been working on their presentations to teach the class!
Important November Dates!
November 7th - Apollo Ambassador Meeting
November 8th - Community Service Project
November 11th - Veterans Day
November 12th - Responsible Tech Presentation
November 12th - 15th - Spirit Week!
November 12th - 16th - Five Below Fundraiser
November 13th - Evening Conferences 5-8 PM
November 13th - Panera Bread Fundraiser
November 15th - Evening Conferences 5-8 PM
November 16th - No School for Students
November 16th - Morning/Afternoon Conferences
November 19th - 23rd - Thanksgiving Break
November 26th - School Resumes
November 28th - Apollo Ambassador Meeting
November 30th - Report Cards go home
Join us for Family Fridays! Every Friday, come to Apollo and eat lunch with your child! 5th grade lunch is @ 11:45 - 12:15!
Tip of the Month
Building Vocabulary Knowledge
It doesn't matter what language you use - a rich language environment creates better readers.
"You can increase your child's vocabulary and background knowledge - two important pieces of the reading puzzle - by having conversations with them. Giving children a rich language environment is one of the best ways to build a foundation for reading success!"
Here are for some ways to help!!
English Version: Talking Counts!
Spanish Version: La Importancia de Hablar con Los Ninos
Don't forget to follow Room 204 on Twitter!
Room 204 is on Twitter!
Follow us at @_MsPalucki
Students tweet about what they are learning and all the fun that goes on in room 204!
Don't forget to also check out the hashtags:
#ApolloPride63 #63Success #63Impact
Stay Connected!
Stay connected with what's going on in Room 204!
Remind is a way for me to communicate with you by sending updates, questions, and reminders to your phone as a text, on the app and by email!
To sign up, text @palucki5th to 81010 or sign up online by clicking here!
Email: apalucki@emsd63.org
Website: https://www.emsd63.org/Domain/677
Location: Apollo Elementary School, Dee Road, Des Plaines, IL, United States
Phone: 847.493.8380
Twitter: @_MsPalucki