Assignment Sheet 8/30-9/3

GET BUSY THIS WEEK!!!!
FIFTH GRADE NEWS
*Barrier Island News: A $35 non-refundable deposit is due. Please send this in to your child's homeroom teacher!

ELA NEWS
We will continue reading our first novel, Forty Acres and Maybe a Mule. We'll also begin studying nouns.


MATH NEWS
We will continue place value with decimal numbers, and end the week with "Place Value Pirates."


SCIENCE NEWS
We will continue learning the inquiry process and begin studying the parts of a cell.


SOCIAL STUDIES NEWS
We will continue to delve into the world of Reconstruction. We'll take a closer look at the political, social, and economic effects caused by Reconstruction.


SPELLING
1. tomorrow
2. impression
3. beginning
4. appreciate
5. embarrass
6. extra-beyond
7. inter-between
8. semi-half
9. co-together
10. en-into
11. extraordinary
12. interstate
13. semicircle
14. cooperate
15. entangle


Quote
"Don't coast through life without a passion." John Piper

Parent Update

August 27, 2010

Attention Parents!!!

First, let us take a second to tell you how wonderful the start to the school year has been. We have enjoyed meeting and getting to know your children even though we don’t know all of you, yet! We were really unsure if this year was going to get started on time, but now we are in full swing.

We have a few things on the agenda for 5th grade and for the school as a whole that we need for you to know. Please take a minute to look over the following:

• Back to School Night – It will happen. We are just not sure when. The crews are finishing up the Library and minor details. We want to unveil our WHOLE school to you on that night. Please be on the lookout for information concerning this.
• Materials Fees – Please hold your materials fee until we ask for it. We must locate all of the receipt books from this summer’s temporary office.
• Signed Papers – Please return the medical, internet, lunch, All-Star, and bus papers if you have not done so already. If you would like to sign up for Parent Portal please do so.
• Barrier Island – The first payment is scheduled for Monday, August 30th. Your child received a sheet with payment dates/amounts and a small envelope for Barrier Island in 4th grade. If you have misplaced your copy, or are new, here are some dates with amounts to help make the $200.00 total easier.

Nonrefundable Deposit $35.00 Monday, August 30th
September Payment $45.00 Monday, September 27th
October Payment $40.00 Monday, October 25th
November Payment $40.00 Monday, November 29th
December Payment $40.00 Monday, December 13th

The first payment is non-refundable and reserves the busses to travel to Barrier Island. We must know early how many students are going so we can get the busses we need. As always, feel free to pay what you can at any other time. The schedule is just a helpful guideline. You may pay the whole $200.00 if you would like. Please make checks payable to Calhoun Academy of the Arts and place “Barrier Island” in the memo line. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your child’s homeroom teacher.

Thank you for allowing us to teach your child. We hope to make this an awesome year!

Fifth Grade Teachers

Sentences

Sentences
Written by Robin Bracken
Calhoun Academy of the Arts
Anderson, SC
Sing to: Love Shack by The B52’s

If you see a lot of words when it’s time to write
Put them all together and make a SENTENCE, Sentence yeah!

I'm writing down the words in the right way,
lookin' for the words’ pathway
Heading for the sentence getaway
I got my pencil and I’m ready to write
You can’t stop me now
My grip is too tight
My teacher is ready, to help me learn
So hurry up and get your grammar face on!

A sentence is a group of words
That express a complete thought
A Sentence baby, A Sentence bay-bee.
A Sentence, Baby sentence
A Sentence, Baby Sentence

Start with a Captial letter
'cause that’s what you’re just supposed to do

Now don’t forget to put the right end mark:
Period, question or exclamatory, too

There’s always 2 parts
Subject and a predicate
Subject tells what or whom
Predicate tells what they do

A sentence is a group of words
That express a complete thought
A Sentence baby, A Sentence bay-bee.
A Sentence, not a fragment
A Sentence, not a fragment

Tell’n and a ask’n, giv’n and express’n
Four types are workin
You better keep it goin’
The whole class shimmies when everybody's
Movin' around and around and around and around!
Everybody's movin', everybody's groovin' baby!
Declarative- tell ‘em with a period
Everybody's movin', everybody's groovin' baby
Imperative- ORDER with a period
Music Break-

Interrogative- no question there
Exclamatory- exclamation YEAH!!
My teacher is ready, to help me learn
So hurry up and get your grammar face on!

A sentence is a group of words
That express a complete thought
A Sentence baby, A Sentence bay-bee.
A Sentence, Baby sentence
A Sentence, Baby Sentence

-Music Break-

Write, Write, Write on your paper children!
Write a little longer students!
Write, Write, Write on your paper children!
Are you ready?

Period- at the end baby!
Question Mark- that’s not all y’all
Exclamation Mark
You got it now!
Sentences? Wipe ‘em down!

Sentences, baby Sentences!
Sentences, baby Sentences!
Sentences baby, Sentences!
Sentences baby, Sentences!

All- Star Behavior

Dear Fifth Grade Parent,

Welcome!! We are so excited about this school year. We have amazing students and many awesome opportunities in store for them! Fifth graders will no longer use the tally/clip behavior system. In fifth grade, the behavior system is done using STARS. EVERY student starts every week with 15 stars. Stars will be removed for breaking rules and procedures which include Calhoun’s Toolbox for Success and Ron Clark’s Essential 55 as well as not turning in homework and not having supplies and materials. Students can earn bonus stars for good behavior and going over and beyond teacher’s expectations. Students who have had stars removed and show improvement and good behavior may earn back stars. All-STAR Behavior is based on positive reinforcement. Students earn weekly, monthly and nine week incentives.

Students who show good behavior and follow the rules will be rewarded with Friday Fun, a monthly incentive, and the Nine Week’s Incentive. Students need to earn 13 out of the 15 stars to participate in the Friday Fun activity. Students need to earn 90% of the stars for the month incentive, as well as 90% for the nine weeks award. Students will have to earn the privilege to participate in any of these activities. Students who do not earn the privilege will have an alternate assignment to complete during the activity. The ultimate incentive for the first semester is the trip to Barrier Island.

Daily Consequences for losing stars are:

Lose 1 star- Warning

Lose 2 stars- Silent lunch

Lose 3 stars- Silent lunch/No recess

Lose 4 stars- Silent lunch/No recess and Afterschool Detention

Lose 5 stars- Previous and Parent/Teacher Conference about Behavior

Lose 6 stars- Principal’s Office

All of this information is kept on the teacher’s clipboard and is passed from class to class.

Afterschool detention will be scheduled after school on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:30-3:30. If the student loses 4 stars, the detention notice will be served with a 24 hour notice. For example, if a student loses four stars on Tuesday afternoon, a detention slip will be sent home on Tuesday, but the detention will not be served until the next Monday because Wednesday’s detention was not in the 24 hour notice time frame unless the next day is approved by the parent. Another example, if a student loses four stars on Monday, a detention slip will be sent home on Monday and the student will serve detention on Wednesday. Parents will be responsible for picking up the student at 3:30 on the day the student serves detention.

As in the past, a weekly report will be sent home and must be signed by the parent. If the student brings the sheet back signed, he/she will automatically receive a bonus star for the next week. If it is not returned signed on the next school day, he/she will have a star removed. This behavior plan will run from Friday to Thursday, so we can record information on Thursday evening to give out on Fridays in the Friday folder.

Aug. 23-27 Assignment Sheet

FIFTH GRADE NEWS
*Make sure you have all of your required materials! *Please send in rinsed-out clear plastic 2-liter bottles!

ELA NEWS
We will be reading our first novel, Forty Acres and Maybe a Mule. We'll also start our grammar study with an in-depth look at sentences.


MATH NEWS
We will be taking a Math Pre-Test, then we'll begin working on Place Value.


SCIENCE NEWS
We'll be setting up our science journals and introducing the inquiry process.


SOCIAL STUDIES NEWS
We will review the end of the Civil War and begin our first unit, Reconstruction.

SPELLING
1. unpleasant
2. irresponsible
3. rearrange
4. disapprove
5. misunderstanding
6. re-to do again
7. un-not
8. pre-before
9. dis-not
10. mis - bad
11. replaced
12.uneventful
13. prehistoric
14. disqualify
15. misspell


Quote
What I need is someone who will make me do what I can. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

First Week of School

We had a very successful first week of school. We have learned 1-50 of the Essential 55. We only have 5 more rules to learn. The fifth graders are already showing the rules at school. I am loving my class, and I'm so excited to have all of them in my room. We are going to have a back to school night soon when all the dust settles. The school looks amazing, and I cannot wait for it to all be finished.

We will start FULL FORCE this coming week. We changed classes on Friday to get the students ready for what to expect this week. We have done a lot of "get to know you" games this week. We even had a "SNOW BALL FIGHT" on Friday to learn some things about each other. We had a blast! We are currently learning the Essential 55 rap to help us remember the rules. The kids are doing great considering it is a VERY fast song! We had a little dance party Friday to end such a FABULOUS WEEK! My class has GOT SOME MOVES! :)

Parents, please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments or concerns. We are so excited about this school year!!! Let the GOOD TIMES ROLL!

It's Showtime 2010-2011

It’s Showtime! Welcome to Fifth Grade!! I am Robin Bracken, and I am your child’s fifth grade homeroom teacher this year. I will teach your child ELA (reading and writing) and Social Studies. Mr. Pearson will teach him/her Math and Mrs. Koch will teach him/her Science. This is going to be an excellent year as we have a newly renovated school and an auditorium that will soon be unveiled. I am very excited about this school year. I am eager to get to know you and your child. Many things are going to take place this year, and I am glad that we get to work together.

Let me start by telling you a little bit about myself. I am married to Travis Bracken and we have a three-year-old little girl, Marla, and we are expecting Baby #2 in March. I graduated from Anderson College with a Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education and completed my Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction: Integrated Teaching through the Arts with Lesley University. I enjoy singing, dancing and acting and spending time with my family and friends.

This year you will notice that we do things a little differently on the 5^th grade hall. We use our own creative teaching styles and model techniques after Ron Clark. You will hear a lot about him and the Ron Clark Academy and the Essential 55. We just enjoy being passionate, innovative, creative, and enthusiastic when teaching our students. We dance, sing and act A LOT! WE believe that every student can succeed, and we take pride in helping students truly enjoy learning.

If there is ever anything that I can do to help you, please do not hesitate to ask. Please feel free to contact me either by note, phone or email. Also, don’t forget to become a follower of my school blog. You will find out what our class is doing as well as any homework assignments and any other school information here. http://mrsbracken.blogspot.com/

Once again, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to work with you and your child this year. We will work together as a team to make sure we achieve success. We are going to have a fun and exciting year. Please keep in touch and check my website frequently.

Love,

Robin Bracken

robinbracken@anderson5.net