Ross / Ellis Weekly Newsletter
September 7, 2018
"Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school."
Curriculum Night - Sept. 13th
What Are We Learning This Week?
Math
We have been busy building a "Math Community" in our classroom. Students are encouraged to maintain a 'Growth Mindset' as they approach math this year. We have discussed that, although math may be difficult at times, everyone is capable of learning math skills. Students are encouraged to persevere as they solve difficult problems knowing that the more work they do, the better they get. Working cooperatively and celebrating mistakes as learning opportunities are key to the success of our community.
Next week we will be learning about different ways to represent and interpret numerical and categorical data - Line Plots, Tally Charts, and Bar Graphs.
Reflex Math
Most students in Ms. Ellis' math class are participating in an online program called Reflex Math. This program is intended to help students learn math facts. Some students are practicing addition and subtraction, while others are practicing multiplication and division. If your child does not have a Reflex Math account it is because he/she has demonstrated mastery of math facts.
Students are expected to work on this program at least 3 days a week, but they can work on it up to 7 days in a week. Although some class time is given to students to work on Reflex, it can be accessed through the internet at home. The more they work, the faster they will master AND they enjoy it! Finally, working for about 10-15 minutes daily (ask your child what it means to GREEN LIGHT) is more effective than working for two hours on one day.
1. Go to reflexmath.com
2. All students' user names are: msellis
3. Select Block Class
4. Passwords are: student initials followed by msellis, no spaces or punctuation. So John Smith's user name is: jsellis.
HAVE FUN!
Bonus: Send Ms. Ellis a note in the planner telling her that your child showed you this program online and get a HOMEWORK PASS!
Science
Students will be looking at Science Studies Weekly next week in class. There will not be homework in science next week, as we are learning Ms. Ellis' Science Studies Weekly expectations. Our first unit of study will be Animal Adaptations.
Language Arts
We will be focusing on finding context clues in our guided reading groups.
We will continue practicing our spelling in school. We will not have spelling homework this week.
Social Studies
Students will learn about North Carolina’s coastline as the graveyard of the Atlantic due to all of the underwater shipwrecks. They will also learn about North Carolina’s rivers as the main way for transportation for early settlers. Please send your child's homeroom teacher an email with "Where'd Summer Go?" in the subject by Monday at 8:00 a.m. to earn your child a free homework pass. Students will use a map to identify eight of North Carolina’s major rivers.
In addition to our usual classwork, students will be given the opportunity to complete an enrichment project at home for extra credit by creating a relief map of North Carolina that shows its three regions and major landforms. Students who wish to complete this project will need to turn it in by Wednesday, October 10. Students who complete this project will be given a 5 point bump in their social studies grade for the first quarter, up to 100% for the overall grade for the quarter. Students who choose not to do this project will not be penalized in any way as it is an extra credit project for students who would like further enrichment in social studies.
Please click the link below for further details:
Odds and Ends
Grade Parent Needed
Upcoming Events
Monday, September 10th - Deadline to turn in Moon Pie Money
Tuesday, September 11th - Girl Scout Meeting in Cafeteria 6:30pm
Thursday, September 13th - Curriculum Night 5-5:45pm OR 6-6:45pm.
Monday, September 17th - Grandparents' Day Lunch - Mr. Ross' Block 2
Friday, September 21st - Grandparents' Day Lunch - Ms. Ellis' Block 2
Wednesday, September 26th - Progress Reports
Wednesday, September 26th - EARLY RELEASE DAY
Friday, October 12th - Blackburn Blast