The Putney Post
West Homer Elementary--5th Grade
Dates to Remember
September 18- Wednesday Early Release 1:45
September 20- Picture Day
September 23- Constitution Day Assembly 2:10
September 23- Field Trip Medication Forms due
September 27- Ageya Field Trip Money ($50) due
September 27- Cookbook Workday---All five recipes submitted
October 3 and 4- Ageya Overnight Field Trip
Classroom Happenings
This week we brought closure to several of our units. In math we finished our place value unit and took our summative assessment. Thank you for cooperating with the parent homework assignment on Thursday. The kids were giddy about the fact that they didn’t have math homework, and that they were able to teach their parents. In writing, we finished our introduction to paragraph organization and students constructed their final products of "When I was Little, Now, and When I am 30". Their work is hanging in the hallway, and I suggest you stop by to see their finished products, if time allows. Finally, in writing we applied our understanding of visualizing and sequencing events while reading Elisa's Diary, a story about a fifth grade girl who moves to the United States after living in Puerto Rico.
What's Next?
Next week we will begin our study of double-digit multiplication. Prime factors and exponents will be our math focus for the week. In writing we will begin our narrative unit. Students will be creating "seed stories" based off of the people and places that matter most to them. In reading, we will explore cause and effect relationships while reading a non-fiction text about endangered sea turtles. Students will begin their first science unit with Mrs. Bynagle too.
Early Release this Wednesday
School ends at 1:45 this coming Wednesday, September 18th. Please make arrangements for your child's afterschool plans before sending them to school. Bus transportation will be available at the early relase time.
Early release will take place six times throughout the school year.
- September 18
- October 30
- November 20
- January 22
- February 26
- April 16
Library News
New books and great ideas are swirling around West Homer Library. The students read wonderful books over the summer and are sharing their best finds. We are having a lot of fun tracking down books and getting them processed and put on the library shelves. We are continuing to add the lexile level to all books. Now students can pick books by interest as well as choose books on their just right reading level.
The discovery table is full of fossils, rocks, and shells from the Homer beaches and we have a wide assortment of books on the flowers, berries, rocks and animals of Kachemak Bay.
What a joy it is to work in the library: your students love reading!
Stop by the library anytime to visit, label a few books, or just read a book from our vast collection.
Lisa Whip
Cheryl Illg
Mind a-Mazes 2013
-Open to any KPBSD student in grade 4-12
-Students work on teams of three to five students with an adult coach
-Teams receive a problem to solve weeks before the competition and work to complete their solution to the problem up until the day of the event
-There is also a problem presented at the competition for teams to solve within a short time period
Competition: Saturday, October 12 @ Soldotna Middle School
www.mindamazes.blogs.kpbsd.k12.ak.us
Questions? Contact Suzanne Haines at shaines@kpbsd.k12.ak.us
Cookbook Fundraiser
Our outdoor education experiences are dependent on the fifth grade families supporting the fundraising process. Together, we will be creating and selling a cookbook filled with our favorite recipes. Each student will provide five recipes for the cookbook.
Last week, it was requested that your child bring in three of their five recipes to school. We had a successful worktime in the computer lab, thanks to many hardworking parent volunteers. We will have our next cookbook workday on September 27th. Please ensure your child is ready with their last two recipes at school by the 27th.
Thank you for your support!
Ageya Field Trip- Coming soon!
Our Outdoor Education Ageya Camp is less than a month away! The theme of our trip is discovery and teamwork. Students will be challenged to become keen observers who notice and explore the natural world. The hands-on learning stations have been divided into four natural history units: animal tracking, birds, plants and orienteering. Intertwined within the natural history units will be ropes course activities that provide opportunities for students to develop teamwork and leadership skills. We are thrilled for the off-campus learning experiences students will have and are grateful for West Homer PTO and fundraiser volunteers who are financially supporting our trip.
This year camp will be October 3rd and 4th. The cost of the trip is approximately $120 per student. This includes food, lodging, instruction and transportation. Our classroom fundraisers throughout the year will help us offset the cost. However, we need to collect the family contribution of $50 per student. We need student’s $50 by Friday, September 27. If you need to pay later, or make installments, please let us know. We will be purchasing food the days prior to camp, but we are willing to adjust the payment schedule to meet your family’s financial situation. If you are able to provide more than $50, and would like to provide a partial scholarship, it would be greatly appreciated.
Taking Medication on a Field Trip
If your child needs to take medications during the Ageya field trip,the nurse and I need to be notified. There are forms that must be completed for each medication given, and these forms must be completed by Monday, September 23. Please plan on supplying just enough medication needed for the field trip in its original labeled container. Herbal medications are not allowed on overnight trips unless a parent is there to administer them to their own child.