Report Card Week

A Week in Review

March 25 - 29

 

Dear Families in Room 210,

 

The "books" have been closed on the 2nd Trimester of 5th grade! REPORT CARDS were sent home with your student today!Spring Break is right around the corner, only a week away and we have lots of learning and fun planned for next week!  Here's what this week had in store for us:

 

Virtue Awards:

Audun K. has earned a Virtues Award for showing the virtues of FRIENDLINESS and KINDNESS. Audun treats everyone with kindness and respect. Thank you for making our classroom a great place to learn!

 

Isabelle E. has earned a Virtues Award for showing the virtue of ENTHUSIASM! Isabelle is friendly and an enthusiastic learner! Thank you for making our classroom a happier place!

 

 

 

 

Reading:

The DRAs (Developmental Reading Assessment) are FINISHED! The students worked with such focus and diligence to complete this challenging reading test. I will sit down with each student, go over their scores with them, and set goals for our final trimester of 5th grade.

 

 

 

Writing:

We focused our writing on grammar and "free writing" this week. We reviewed past, present, and future tense verbs, as well as helping verbs. Students also found time to return to the JOY of writing and write about topics that interest them.

 

 

 

Math:

As Unit 7: Multiplication and Division with Whole Numbers and Decimals begins to wind down, we worked hard this week on division! Students learned how to divide a decimal number and how to divide when a decimal is the divisor. We will continue to practice these strategies, so that we become more fluent with them.

 

 

 

 

Social Studies:

We finished up our colonial job presentations. The PowerPoint's that the students developed were spot-on and really provided the background knowledge that students will need in order to truly understand the link the colonies had to Britain and how the tensions built before the Revolutionary War.

 

 

 

Science:

The UW was back to help us begin our final Science Unit of 5th grade! Students took the pre-test this week for our Environments unit. We also worked through a QFT where students asked opened-ended questions about a focus picture and statement (that are related to our unit). This allows student to begin to use their critical thinking skills to generate ideas they want to explore in our unit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Missoula Children's Theater:

We were so fortunate to have the Missoula Children's Theater host an improv workshop for our class! We combined with Mrs. Bethel's class, as two actors taught both classes the essentials needed for improv. We've taken what we've learned and used that in our class presentations, tips such as: keep your toes pointed to your audience, eye contact, and speak in a loud clear voice. A special thank you to Karyn (Kate) for organizing this workshop for us (and for the entire school!).

 

Another week of 5th grade has come to an end and already I can feel the end-of-the-year creeping up on us! Maybe it's the sun reminding me that summer is right around the corner, but I just truly enjoy teaching your students and look forward to finishing out the year with just as much diligence and focus as we started with!

 

~Mrs. Hatlestad

 

Upcoming Events:

29-Mar - Missoula Children's Theatre FREE performance of Snow White, 7:00pm

30-Mar - Missoula Children's Theatre FREE performance of Snow White, 5:00pm

02-April - PTA General Assembly Meeting, 8:30am

3-April - Heritage Night, 5:45-8:30

03-April - Lego Club Applications due in the office by 12:15pm 

08-12 April - Spring Break

15-April - Spring session of Smart with Art begins

23-April - Spring session of Lego Club begins

07-June - Medina Elementary Family Night at Safeco Field

Science Week

A Week in Review

March 18 - 22

 

Dear Families in Room 210,

 

Science Week was a HUGE success!! We started the week with a Pacific Science Center assembly. Then there was a lot of buzzzzz on Thursday morning from the students about all of the neat displays and hands-on activities during Wednesday's Science Fair evening. The week ended with a splash - the all school Egg Drop! Here's what else we've been up to:

 

 

Virtues Awards:

Vincent B. has earned a Virtues Award for showing the virtue of DILIGENCE! Vincent worked hard on his in-class Reading Assessment, he was focused and put forth his best effort!

Linnea L. has earned a Virtues Award for showing the virtues of COOPERATION and CONSIDERATION! Linnea worked well in her Social Studies group to create and excellent PowerPoint Presentation on Colonial Times.


 

Reading:

Students continued taking their DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment) and while this is a challenging test, I'm continually impressed with their commitment to excellence!

 

Writing:

Final Drafts for students' "Healthy Choices" essays were turned in today! We spent the week, revising and editing, both independently and with peers. The students were diligent in creating "hooks", adding transition words, and writing in clear paragraphs and elaborating with detail.

 

 

 

Math:

We ventured over into division this week! Students divided multi-digit dividends by a single digit, then moved on to dividing decimals, and finally relating fractions to decimals. We've also changed the structure of our math block. In order to meet the needs of all learners, students receive small group instruction or work independently at their own pace on the assignment, and finish with a challenge packet. The pre-test given at the beginning of the unit, allows me to create flexible groups and better meet individual needs. A special thank you to Angie S. (Declan) who volunteered this week during Math to assist with the students working independently while I taught a small group.

 

 

Social Studies:

Our Colonial Job research wrapped up this week! Students shared their research (about their StoryPath families' trade) with their groups and worked together to create a PowerPoint presentation to teach the class about their "family business". The students have been hard at work!

 

Computer Lab:

Computer Lab with the wonderful and amazing Ms. Benay was busy on Wednesday! Students finished their Colonial background and many students were able to have their photograph taken in front of the green screen. Ms. Benay will insert their backgrounds and students will record a summary of who their StoryPath character is.



Another busy week has come to an end. Look for report cards to be sent home with your student next Friday, March 29th! Next week, we look forward to the Missoula Children's Theater, they will be leading our class in a workshop Wednesday morning!!

Enjoy your weekend,

~Mrs. Hatlestad

Upcoming Events:

23 March - Queen's Quest Chess Tournament

25-30-March - Missoula Children's Theatre

29 March - Report Cards sent home with students!

3 April - Family Heritage Night

8-12 April - Spring Break

 



St. Patrick's Day and a Long Weekend

A Week in Review

March 11 - March 15

Dear Families in Room 210,

We had a short week but it was packed with lots of learning none-the-less! Read below to see what we’ve been up to:

Virtue Awards

Sarah Z. has earned a Virtues Award for showing the virtues of DILIGENCE and RESPECT. Sarah is a hard working student, she takes her learning seriously and she is always respectful to her classmates and teachers!

Graduation Project

This week, students finished their backgrounds for their graduation project. On MONDAY, March 18 and TUESDAY, March 19, students will be filming their project with Ms. Benay. They should bring their props and anything else they need for filming. They cannot wear green or white as it will make them invisible on film! Please make sure they dress accordingly on Monday and Tuesday.

 

 

MATH

In math, we continued working on multiplying decimals with whole numbers and other decimal numbers. They learned the importance of place value and location of the decimal point. They have practiced and practiced their decimal multiplication by using the short-cut method, mental math, and estimation. They can solve story problems and catch their errors by writing neatly. Next week, we will begin dividing with decimals!

 

SCIENCE

“It’s erupting!” This week in Science, we wrapped up our Mixtures and Solutions unit continuing our learning about Chemical Reactions. We learned that a formation of a precipitate occurs in some chemical reactions and that some products of a reaction are soluble and can be observed only after evaporating the solution. We also took our unit assessment with our University of Washington partners!

 

 

SOCIAL STUDIES

This week we began Episode 3 of our Colonial Story Path. Students met in families to brainstorm and begin researching their family job or “trade”. After researching over several days AND using a variety of sources; the 5^th graders will write a historical fiction account of “A Day in the Life” of a… Shipwright, Silversmith, Pub Owner, etc.  Students will also include a bibliography of the many resources used for research. Some may include Brain Pop!, Colonial Williamsburg, www.history.org!

WRITING

This week we continued our Expository Essay Writing Assessment about making healthy choices. Students worked to write their rough drafts, next week they will work in partners to revise, edit, and publish their writing.

 

READING

We continued our class read aloud of Johnny Tremain with Mrs. Bethel’s class. The details in the story tie in with our social studies unit as it helps students understand what it was like living in Colonial Boston Times.  Students also continue to work on their DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment).

 

 

 

Virtues:
Our Virtues moms were back on Wednesday, teaching students about our Virtue of the Month, ASSERTIVENESS. Karyn (Kate) and Deena (Isabelle) used the analogy of not being a 'mouse' and allowing yourself to be taken advantage of or being a 'monster' and reacting overly aggressive. Students role played using the "just right" middle between mouse and monster to practice assertiveness. Students also created a class poster, displaying our strengths. It was a great lesson, one that was very timely with middle school right around the corner.

HERITAGE PROJECT

WOW! The books and display boards that have been turned in are fabulous! It is so exciting seeing their hard work come together. The students enjoyed sharing with each other what they learned about their family and looking at each other's books. A special thank you to Deena (Isabelle) for volunteering her time on Monday to help students put their books together in class.

 

HERE ARE SOME IMPORTANT ITEMS IN REGARDS TO THE HERITAGE PROJECT:

• Heritage Night, Wednesday, April 3rd from 6-8
• Students will prepare a 1 minute speech to give on Heritage Family Night. We will discuss
• this in class and we will practice

 

 

As you can tell, even though it was a short week, we were busy! There are only 3 weeks left until our Spring Break and they are FILLED with learning, activities, and fun!

 

Have a wonderful three-day weekend! J

~Mrs. Hatlestad

Upcoming Events:

18-19-March-Filming Graduation Projects with Ms. Benay (in class)

18-22-March-Science Week
20-March-Science Fair 5:30-7:30pm
22-March-Egg Drop (Optional) 8:30-12pm
22-March-Spirit Day!
23-March-Queen’s Quest Chess Tournament
29-March-Report Cards sent home
25-30 March-Missoula Children’s Theater
03-April-Heritage Project Family Night 6-8:30, gym

Daylight Savings Weekend!

A Week in Review

March 4 - 8

 

 

It's hard to believe that we are more than half-way through the school year, but it is true!! We enjoyed another productive week of learning and fun in Room 210. Here's what we have been up to:

 

Virtues Awards:

Khushaal K. for showing the virtues of DILIGENCE and EXCELLENCE. Khushaal completed his Heritage Project Book BEFORE the deadline with quality work and thoughtful writing.

 

Rose H. for showing the virtues HELPFULNESS and ORDERLINESS. Rose is always willing to put in the extra effort needed to keep our classroom clean and organized!

Chinook Registration:
Chinook teachers descended upon Medina today! They brought with them a registration for EACH student! In our classroom, one of the Chinook guidance counselors, Ms. Gallison, went over the forms with the students. She guided them through registration and emphasized the importance of returning the forms to me by Thursday, March 14th. Please let me know if you have any questions!


 

Graduation Project:
The Medina 5th Grade Graduation Video tradition CONTINUES! This project would not be made possible without the talents and hard work of our amazing Art teacher, Ms. Bena, and the amazing Ms. Benay (our tech coordinator)! On March 18th, 5th graders will begin filming their spot for the graduation video. They've already designed their backgrounds, they only need to REMEMBER THEIR PROPS and FILM!




Reading:

This trimester is almost over! As we near the end, students are taking the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) to show their growth and reading development. This is the same test they took in the Fall, however, students use different texts to demonstrate their comprehension.

 

Writing:

We began our Expository Essays this week! Students worked to brainstorm (as a class) ways that we can make healthy choices mentally, physically, and emotionally. They were given an assessment packet with graphic organizers to help them organize their ideas. We'll begin the rough drafts next week!

 

Math:

There are so many different methods that teach students how to multiply multi-digit numbers! We explored these methods, as they teach the foundational understanding needed for students to effectively use the algorithms. Our goal is for students to become familiar with the algorithm and use this as their preferred method. We ended the week learning how to multiply decimals!

 

Social Studies:

We have met our Colonial Boston families. Family groups introduced themselves and shared interesting facts about their character. Students also worked on writing friendly letters to an "old friend" of their character. The letters serve as an avenue for me to assess students understanding of the colonial way of life.

 

Science:

Mystery SOLVED! Students worked in Science groups to determine how to identify the most concentrated solution when "taste" was not an option. Students were given three solutions: red, blue, and green. Students used the balance to weigh each solution and determined which was the most concentrated based on weight. We also investigated chemical reactions and learned that sometimes when two chemicals are mixed, changes take place and a new materials form (precipitate).

 

Nutrition:

The Beechers Flagship Foundation joined us on Tuesday for their "Pure Foods Presentation". Jonathan and Kristin guided the students to through several activities: 1) Students were given several different food products (Gushers, Froot Loops, etc) and they needed to identify who the product was being marketed towards, 2) Students were asked to be food label detectives and read ingredient labels and identify the ingredients. Students learned that the ingredient list is in order from greatest to least, and 3)Students read an ingredient list from canned chili and worked together to make homemade chili, that was much healthier and tastier. We ended the week with the state nutrition assessment, also called the CBA (Classroom Based Assessment).





As you can tell from our review, it was a jam-packed week! There are only 4 weeks left until our Spring Break and they are already FILLED with learning, activities, and fun!

Thank you for all that you do to support your child's education! I'm proud to be a Medina Tiger. Don't forget to turn your clocks forward this weekend!

Enjoy your weekend,

~Mrs. Hatlestad

Upcoming Events:
11-March - IMT2 Math Test (in class)
11-March - Heritage Book Making Party (in class)
12-March – Chinook Parent Night (optional) 6:30pm

15-March - Elementary Professional Day - No School

18-March - Graduation Project Filming (11:05)

18-22-March - Science Week

22-March - SPIRIT DAY!

23-March - Queen's Quest Chess Tournament

25-30-March - Missoula Children's Theater

02-April - Second Annual Medina Elementary Spelling Bee

03-April - Hatlestad Heritage Family Night, 6-8:30

08-12 April - SPRING BREAK

 

 

We have dates for next school year! I wanted to pass them along to you!

2013-2014 School Year Important Dates:

First Student Day:         September 3, 2013

Winter Break:                December 23, 2013 – January 3, 2014

Mid-Winter Break:          February 17 – 21, 2014

Spring Break:                April 7 – 11, 2014

 

 



March is here!

A Week in Review

February 25 - March 1

 

Welcome to March! We jumped back into school, after our week off, with ease and focus! We worked hard, learned lots, and had fun. Here is what we were up to this week:

 

Virtues Awards:

Elizabeth C. has earned a Virtues Award for showing the virtues of DILIGENCE and RESPONSIBILITY. Elizabeth is always focused and attentive. Her commitment to academics is impressive!

 

Jack Dev. has earned a Virtues Award for showing the virtues of CREATIVITY and JOYFULNESS. Jack worked tirelessly on his Social Studies 'character', creating one that was realistic to the colonial time period and he did it all with a smile!

 

 

 

Reading:

We used an excerpt from Peg Kehret's book Five Pages a Day: The Dog Newspaper to work on our target skill of identifying fact and opinion. Students independently read the given passage and identified facts and opinions. We used the strategies of analyzing and evaluating to make our judgements about the text.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Writing:Students wrote paragraphs this week on their mid-winter break, focusing on staying on topic, narrowing their topic, and adding descriptive detail. We also integrated writing in to Social Studies as student wrote character biographies about their colonial Boston person. Students brainstormed traits, hobbies, chores, and invented an "interesting life experience" in order to bring our Story Path simulation to life.

 

 

 

Math:

We started Unit 7: Multiplication and Division with Whole Numbers and Decimals this week. The units began with students multiplying two-digit by two-digit numbers. We used the "Rectangle Sections" method to build a foundation of WHY the algorithm works. Our goal is to use the algorithm, as it is more efficient and provides less opportunity for errors. We then moved into three-digit by three-digit problems. The students will definitely need to practice, practice, practice!!

 

 

Social Studies:

Episode 2 is coming to a close, as students finish creating their characters and their personal backgrounds. Students were so creative and cooperative this week as they used different materials to design a historically accurate character.

 

 

 

Science:

The UW grad students were back in our classroom this week as we investigated concentration. We started the week using Gatorade powder to mix different solutions and test their concentration. We used that learning to understand how some solutions' concentrations cannot be measured by sight (darkness) or taste (sweet versus bland) when we made salt solutions. Since our salt solutions were clear, we learned that using a balance to weigh them, allowed us to determine which one was more concentrated.

 

 

 

Computer Lab:

Once again we are coordinating with the fabulous Ms. Benay to integrate technology into our learning! In Lab this week, student began designing a "background" using the program Pixie. The background the students chose to design had to be from the Colonial Boston time period and from somewhere their character might be (a place in their house, their business, on the docks, etc). Ms. Benay will then snap a photograph of each student in front of the green screen, insert the background, and use sepia tone to make the photograph look dated. Students will then use information from our Social Studies unit to narrate an interesting fact that they have learned. Our end product will be a class slide show of our Colonial Boston characters with a narration of our learning throughout this unit.

 

Heritage Project:

Our Heritage Project deadline is fast approaching! The students have worked diligently on their writing and reading their stories has been fascinating! We worked today on the rough drafts of our Coat of Arms. We used the website http://www.fleurdelis.com/meanings.htm to give us a starting point for what colors, symbols, and images to use. Students will be finishing these individual Coat of Arms at home. This one is for their BOOK. For the display board, students need to find a family crest or use a flag from a country of origin. We spent a lot of time going over the difference between the two.

 

Here are some important items in regards to the Heritage Project:

• ALL items for the BOOK are due MARCH 7 the book does not have to be put together at this point
• We will have a  "book making party" on March 11 and 12
• Any books not finished in class will need to be completed OUTSIDE of CLASS
• The final BOOK and DISPLAY BOARD are DUE THURSDAY, MARCH 14th

 

Thanks for another great week!

 

Have a wonderful weekend,

 

~Mrs. Hatlestad

 

Upcoming Events:

01-March - Spelling Club begins

02-March - Seattle Metro Regional Destination Imagination Tournament at Pacific Cascade Middle School, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

05-March - Beecher's Cheese Presentation (8:10-10:25)

08-March - Chinook Teachers visit Medina for 6th grade registration

11-March-6th Grade (IMT2) Math test (given in class)

15-March- NO SCHOOL - Elementary Professional Day

18-22-March - Science Week

23-March - Queen's Quest Chess Tournament

25-30 March - Missoula Children's Theater

03-April - Heritage Project Family Night 6-8:30, gym