Dear 5K Families,

Mrs. Katnani’s Notes
It has been a while since my last Friday newsletter! These last few weeks have been a blur of hard work and MCAS! As most of you know, there was no internet today and so, we were unable to take the last day of STE MCAS. A new date has not been decided upon yet, but once it is, I am sure administration will let everyone know! It is crazy to think that there are only four more weeks of school… It feels like these last few months flew by! The end of the year for 5th graders is very exciting and I know they are ready to be done with their testing and to start enjoying all of the fun activities that are planned.

Review of these past few weeks
Math: Students took their Unit 7 test and we did a mini-unit on U.S. Traditional Division. This is an algorithm they will be required to use at the middle school, so this mini-unit will give them a little boost for next year! We then had a few days left to review for MCAS. They took their Math MCAS last week on Monday and Tuesday. 5K worked so hard and I was so proud of them. I know that they appreciated your letters on that second day of testing. There were many smiles and lots of sharing of their personalized letters!
Science: We finished Topic 8 and took our test. These tests will be coming home soon! We then jumped right into MCAS review. The STE review is a bit more intense because we have to review all concepts learned in 3rd and 4th grade, as they are also tested on the 5th grade STE MCAS. Students were great sports and (for the most part) enjoyed learning so much science! We took the first session of the MCAS yesterday and will take the second session sometime next week.
Social Studies: Students have been working on their group colony presentations. For this project, they will be working in groups to create a Google Slideshow (once the internet returns) that will convince people to settle in their colony.
Writing: Students have been working on their narratives. Most students are almost done with them and will be moving on to the editing and revising stage.
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Important Dates
Old Ordinary/Old Ship Church Field Trip – Tue 5-21
Kickball Game – Tue 5-21 2:45
Bay Colony Educators Presentations Day 1 – Wed 5-22
Move Up Day – Fri 5-24
Memorial Celebration – Fri 5-24
No School – Memorial Day – Mon 5-27
Battle of the Books Day 1– Tue 5-28
Bay Colony Educators Presentation Day 2 Thur 5-30
Battle of the Books Day 2 – Fri 5-31

Sincerely,

Today we visited energy stations and talked about the transfer of energy! Photo Cred Cate M

5K worked so hard on our Water News Reports. Each group was assigned an article addressing one of today's water issues. They had to read the article and complete a graphic organizer on it. Then they collaboratively wrote a script, practiced their scripts, and filmed their final news reports. They did such a great job! Check out the link below to  see them! 

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B9F0saI4pwr5ajRxQmRmVTc0Y1E?usp=sharing

​Dear 5K Families,

Mrs. Katnani’s Notes
             The months are flying by now! April is here and we are definitely seeing those rainy days! Phew! What an MCAS whirlwind! Two days of testing this week, but I am so proud of how hard my little 5Kers worked! They were focused and showed perseverance through even the longest testing day! Thank you to all of parents who sent in snacks. I know the students appreciated having the extra snacks, especially since our lunch gets switched to 1:15 (two hours later than they are used to!).

Review of This Week
Math – This week we began interpreting patterns and using them to help use create line graphs on coordinate grids. We will continue this skill next week.
Science – 5Kers learned all about plants and how they make and use food! We watched a Bill Nye video to help use cement these concepts.
Social Studies/Writing – We focused on finishing our Jamestown brochures this week. Students used the website Canva to create their brochures and they are coming out great! Once I have all of the brochures, I will share them on this blog.
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Important Dates
Unit 7 Math Test – Thur 4-11
April Vacation – No School – Mon 4-15 to Fri 4-19
Topic 8 Science Test – Fri 4-26
Early Release – Wed 5-1
Math MCAS – Mon 5-6
Math MCAS – Tue 5-7
STE MCAS – Thur 5-16
STE MCAS – Fri 5-17
 
Miscellaneous
The science MCAS is creeping up on us, just four school weeks away! Remember, students should know the basic tools: hammer, wrench, screwdriver, pliers, tape measure, nails, screws, nuts and bolts, etc. The Math MCAS is only three school weeks away. Now is a good time to make sure students have a good foundation in their operations. They should be able to add and subtract 4-5 digit numbers with and without decimals. For multiplication, they should be able to multiply 3 by 2 digit numbers with and without decimals. Lastly, students need to know how to divide 4 digit numbers by 1 and 2 digit numbers.

Sincerely,

ELA MCAS is complete! Each day after testing was complete, students received a 10-15 minute movement break during which they could get up, chat, move around, etc. Yesterday, unprompted, they started this movement train! 😀😀

Dear 5K Families,

Mrs. Katnani’s Notes
5K had quite an exciting week! On Tuesday, the Museum of Science visited and did a presentation on states of matter. Students saw liquid nitrogen, popping cans, and learned all about the three states! On Wednesday, we had a meteorologist visit. Students learned about the behind-the-scenes action that goes into creating a weather forecast. They also learned a lot about weather! These two presentations were great reviews for the science MCAS, which will be in May.   

Review of This Week
Math – 5Kers dove into geometry this week. We learned the properties of different triangles and quadrilaterals. We also created hierarchies to help us see how these polygons are related.
Science – This week we learned how plants and animals get their energy and how everything can be traced back to the sun.
Social Studies – Students read about their colonies with their groups. They filled in a graphic organizer about their group’s colony.
Writing – Students continued working on their Famous Failures and finished their research for their Jamestown brochure.
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Important Dates
Foster Talent Show – Sat 3-30 4:30-6:30
5K visits the Book Fair! – Tue 4-2 1:00
Early Release – Wed 4-3 11:30 – No lunch
ELA MCAS 1 – Thur  4-4
ELA MCAS 2 – Fri 4-5
April Vacation – No School – Mon 4-15 to Fri 4-19
 
Miscellaneous
            The science MCAS is six weeks away. If students have little experience with tools, now is the time to introduce them to your tool box! They should know the basic tools: hammer, wrench, screwdriver, pliers, tape measure, nails, screws, nuts and bolts, etc. Working with these tools will give them an even better understanding of their purpose. If you have any building projects going on, I highly recommend involving your 5th grader!

Sincerely,

Yesterday, we had a visit from CBS Boston’s own Sarah Wroblewski! The kids loved learning about weather and all the behind-the-scenes action that goes on when reporting on the weather!

Dear 5K Families,

Mrs. Katnani’s Notes
Welcome to spring! Fingers crossed for warm weather for the remainder of the school year! This week, 5Kers have been working hard. We took the practice ELA MCAS on Wednesday so students could see what the 5th grade test would be like. They also learned where they will sit and take the test as well as our testing procedures. This will hopefully alleviate some of those test-day jitters! Students created their March Madness brackets on Monday with Mr. D. I know they are all very excited to follow the tournament. The 5th grade winner’s class gets to play the staff in the 5th grade kickball game! Let’s hope it’s one of our 5Kers!!

Review of This Week
Math – This week we continued to practice multiplying mixed numbers. We also reviewed dividing fractions – the two strategies students should know are drawing a picture and keep, change, flip.

Science – 5Kers took their science test on Thursday. Today we did the first activity for our next unit, which will be all about Energy in Ecosystems!
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Writing – Students continued working on their Famous Failure essays and their Jamestown Brochures.

Important Dates
Report Cards Home today! – Fri 3-22
Pizzapalooza – Wed 3-27 HHS 5:00-7:00
Foster Talent Show – Sat 3-30 4:30-6:30
5K visits the Book Fair! – Tue 4-2 1:00
Early Release – Wed 4-3 11:30 – No lunch
ELA MCAS 1 – Thur  4-4
ELA MCAS 2 – Fri 4-5
April Vacation – No School – Mon 4-15 to Fri 4-19
 
Miscellaneous
If anyone is feeling overly anxious about the upcoming ELA MCAS, please let us know. They have been prepared and should know exactly what to expect, but sometimes our nerves get the best of us! A state test should not be something that causes extreme anxiety. Yes, a little nervousness is normal, but anything more than that, please let us know so we can give them some assurances that will hopefully relieve any anxiety. 

Sincerely,

Today 5Kers learned about the phases of the moon in a hands-on activity! Students rotating were the Earth, the styrofoam balls were the moon, and the flashlight was the sun!