Oakview South Newsletter
November
Capturing Kids' Hearts and Oakview
Attendance and Sickness
We strive to have great attendance at Oakview, but we also want everyone to be free from sickness. It's a balancing act that can be hard to manage at times.
Please remember to have your child stay home if:
- they have a fever over 100 degrees
- they have vomited within the last 24 hours
- they have a contagious disease or health condition (hand, foot, and mouth cases have been reported)e.
- their doctor suggest/requires them to stay home.
They may return to school if they're:
- fever free without medicine for 24 hours
- vomit free for 24 hours
Attendance plays a key role in child's success so it is vital that you have your children at school unless they are sick.
Important Dates
11/21 Early Release @ 12:35
11/22 Early Release @ 12:35
11/23 No School
11/24 No School
12/25-1/5 No School
Title 1 Resources
If you get a chance, check out the resources we have for families on our Title page.
Family Game Night
Our next family event will be on December 11, 2023 and will be our 2nd annual family game night! Families will be able to join their students after school to play a variety of strategy and learning games together. We hope to see you there!
Math Celebration on Halloween
We had a great math celebration on Halloween with about 120 families joining us! Parents and students were able to spend time together engaged in math activities and playing games. Thank you to all who were able to join us!
Suggestion Box
If you have any feedback or suggestions for Oakview, click the box below. Thank you!
3rd Grade
We were so excited about how many third graders had a family member join them for the math celebration on October 31st! What a huge turnout!! Just a reminder that the end of the first trimester is coming up very soon and report cards will be coming home in early December.
4th Grade
Field Trip to the Michigan State Capitol Building and Impression 5 Museum:
We are thrilled about the opportunity that our 4th-grade class will be embarking on to the Michigan State Capitol Building and Impression 5 Museum on the 15th (Mr. Hengesbach and Ms. McCracken) and 16th (Mrs. Parker and Mrs. Berkhousen) of November. This trip is designed to enhance and reinforce the knowledge gained from our completed social studies unit on government as they witness the inner workings of our state government. Then, they will get to explore fascinating exhibits and even participate in a forces and motion workshop at the Impression 5 Museum, which aligns with a science unit that we will be studying later in the year. We believe this hands-on experience will greatly enrich their understanding of these subjects.
**Mathematics:**
In math, we are currently delving into strategies to multiply and divide two-digit by one-digit numbers. The students are actively engaging in various activities and problem-solving exercises to deepen their understanding of these fundamental mathematical concepts. Please encourage your child to practice these skills at home, as it will contribute significantly to their overall math proficiency.
**Reading and Writing:**
Our focus in reading and writing is currently on exploring the characteristics of traditional literature. Students are delving into classic fairy tales, fables, myths ,and legends analyzing the unique elements that make these tales timeless. We encourage you to engage with your child by discussing their reading materials and encouraging them to explore traditional literature independently.
As always, we appreciate your support in reinforcing these classroom lessons at home. The partnership between home and school is vital in ensuring the academic success and overall development of our students.
5th Grade
Science
How plants use matter and energy to grow
Students may consider soil a major contributor of matter to plant growth. Students will get an opportunity to read an article about soil that will help them conceptualize the important role of soil in plant growth, and reinforce the concept that plants get the majority of their matter from air and water. From prior learning experiences, students will likely bring ideas to the unit that plants need light to grow. This unit will help students build on those ideas, helping students conceptualize the idea that plants use the sun as energy to create food and grow.
How animals get and use matter and energy
Students will likely have ideas about food being important for animals and humans to get energy and grow. These ideas as a way for students to connect with the content. The lesson was specifically designed to broaden from focusing on humans and ways of representing how food has energy (such as calories).
Argumentation
Students may consider argumentation to be negative. They may bring ideas about everyday arguments to the classroom. The book Scientists Make Arguments in lesson 3, will introduce students to the idea of scientific argumentation. Students will have an opportunity to build on their ideas of everyday argumentation by thinking about how scientists leverage evidence to support their claims.
Systems and System Models
From prior grades and everyday experiences, students may know that systems are made of parts that work together. They can likely think of many different examples of systems, which could be leveraged when systems are introduced in Lesson 3. Students will advance their understanding of systems by identifying parts as components (Lesson 3), the ways that those components work together as interactions (Lesson 6), how matter is conserved in systems (Lesson 8), and repeated opportunities throughout the unit to create systems models of the nurse log.
Math
In math, we just finished up our unit on finding the volume of rectangular prisms. During the unit, students built models of cubic feet and cubic meters. You can see pictures of their models below.
We just started our new math unit on fractions. Students are using rectangles to help compare and order fractions.
Social Studies
In social studies, we are learning about the four main Native American regions: Pacific Northwest, Desert Southwest, Great Plains, and Eastern Woodlands. We are studying the geography of these regions, the way of life of the groups within each region, and how the Native people there adapted to and modified the environment in each region.
Three writing units will be taught during social studies class this year. We just completed our first unit on writing, which was writing personal narratives. Students studied and practiced how to effectively write and use dialogue in stories. They also studied how to write strong leads/conclusions and practiced how to use the best descriptive words and details to bring their story to life.
P.E.
In PE we have been learning to use our locomotor skills to help us with the game of basketball! We've been playing games and learning how to dribble, pass, shoot, and aim. Also, a few classes were able to participate in a Veteran's Day bootcamp. They worked hard and we talked about the Veterans that we know. Thank you for your service Veterans!
Capturing Kids' Hearts
Here is a link to our monthly newsletter from Capturing Kids' Hearts.