Collins & Co. Room 204
Week 20 update: January 25th-January 29th
Welcome!
Hi Families,
We had a busy week in room 204. It was a full week of school and we had a lot of learning to do. There are many announcements in the boxes below including upcoming dates about The Valentine's Day Party, Pizza Day, Read to Succeed, and Parent-Teacher Conferences.
It would be helpful for me if you could please fill out the survey below. If you have anything specific you would like to discuss at conferences, this would be a great place to let me know!
Please remind your child that it is still Winter, which means that they should be wearing a coat (along with a hat and gloves) to school each day, even We never know what the day will bring and we should all be prepared for inclement weather.
Have a great weekend,
Ms. Collins and Mrs. Cucco
Math
Students also practiced converting decimals to fractions. They remembered that they need to convert fractions to have a denominator of 10, 100, or 1,000. Students used pictures and place value to determine their denominator.
We will review Chapter 8 concepts on Monday and take our test next Tuesday.
Reader's Workshop
We continued looking at different text structures this week. Students focused on the description text structure. They were surprised at how much information can be packed into one single paragraph. Students realized that if they can make a map about the main idea, the text structure is most likely description.
It is getting close to the time to vote for a favorite Rebecca Caudill nominee. The voting will take place in school during the month of February. The students are encouraged to submit a vote after reading at least three of the nominees. (See list below) If you are looking for a new book to read, these all come highly recommended!
Writer's Workshop
Mrs. Kowalke also visited to help teach about a hook versus a promise in an introduction. She brought many different magazines with her that students looked at and were encouraged to find an introduction that they didn't like and re-write it. They loved this activity!
Social Studies
To wrap up our Social Studies unit, we discussed the Mexican-American War and the Annexation of Texas. We watched a BrainPop video to learn about General Santa Anna. Ask your student how chewing gum is related to The Alamo.
Students became experts on one topic from our timeline and presented the facts they thought were most important to each event. Students took their tests on Thursday. These will go home next week for you to sign and return.
Our next Social Studies unit will begin in March when we will learn about The Civil War!
Science Lab
The fifth graders began our six week Science Lab rotation this week. They began to explore ideas involving gravity. This is the first concept we will learn in our Space unit. On Thursday, students got to play with Mr. Toop's toys and think about how the forces of gravity affect each one.
On Friday, students explored the idea of weight. Weight is a measure of how strongly gravity is pulling down on an object. Since more massive objects produce more gravity, the weight of an object changes depending on the size of the planet it is on. Students weighed different tubs of sand to explore what each tub would weigh on a different planet!Ask your Student about:
• The Westward Expansion test
• Science Lab
• Roses and Thorns
• Mr. Toop's science toys
• "Michael's Game" in P.E.
• Class Meeting
• Patagonia
• Pencil Challenge
Other Important News / Valentine's Info:
If your child is participating in the "Read To Succeed" program, the forms are due next Friday, February 5th. Feel free to turn them in earlier if you are finished!
It's time for Parent/ Teacher conferences! Did you get the information about online registration? Registration is currently open. If you do not see a time that fits in your schedule please contact me and we can find another time on the designated days or choose a different day.
Our Valentine's Day party will be on Tuesday, February 9th at 2:45pm. Students are welcome to bring in a bag or box to collect their valentines. We will not be creating anything at school, so this should be done at home if they would like to make a Valentine's collection box. While students do not need to pass out valentines, please remember that it is school policy to include all students in the classroom if you choose to give out any valentines. A class list of students came home with your students on Friday.
Pizza Day
Things to come:
- Thursday, February 4th
- PTO sponsored Pizza Day
- Friday, February 5th
- GB Spirit Day
- Tuesday, February 9th
- Valentine's Day Party (2:45)
- Wednesday, February 10th
- Parent/Teacher Conferences (4:30-7:30)
- Thursday, February 11th
- 12:00 Dismissal
- Parent/Teacher Conferences (1:00-8:00)
- Friday, February 12th
- NO SCHOOL
- Sunday, February 14th
- Valentine's Day
- Monday, February 15th
- NO SCHOOL - President's Day
Collins & Co.
Greenbriar Elementary School
Email: ecollins@northbrook28.net
Website: http://fs.greenbriar28.net/~elisabethcollins/Ms._Collins_Class_Webpage/Welcome_to_Collins_%26_Co..html
Location: 1225 Greenbriar Lane, Northbrook, IL, United States
Phone: 847-504-3711