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