October Updates

Greetings Wizard Families, 

It has been a great start to the school year. Our team is settling into the rhythm of the school year.  We have enjoyed supporting your students through this transition and milestone as they venture into young adolescence.  

Homeroom Switches

As we mentioned when we met many of you back in August, we will be switching up homerooms (traveling groups) throughout the year.  Primarily, this is to allow students and teachers alike to get to work with each other in different groupings.  In addition, it allows the teachers to create balanced classes based on a variety of academic and social criteria.  We switched homerooms last Monday and will be planning on a couple more switches throughout the year.  Ask your child who their new homeroom teacher is, since many of the kids switched homerooms.

Binders 

This year, we are trying out a new organizational system with the students, which also serves as a means of keeping guardians "in the know."  Here are a few things you should know about the binder:

• The pocket in the back has the papers that should stay at home. Please take the time to help your student clean it out once a week. 
• The pocket in the front has the items that need to be returned. (Example: Incomplete homework ends up in the front pocket as a reminder to do it/finish it.)
• They write down their homework on the purple planning sheet, so you know what they should be working on for the week.
• Students are supposed to read each night and are expected to fill out which book they are reading, including the page numbers. We do this part in class so that they commit in the morning to what they hope/expect to read that evening. This tends to be a more effective strategy than "read 20 minutes."  It also helps Ms. Michael know what books they are reading at home. 

Team Time 

From our weekly tradition of Friday Funnies when we meet as a whole team to share jokes and laugh together, to creating a Wizard Constitution, to participating in Fat Bear Week, we work hard to make sure that your student feels like they are an important member of our community.  You may not believe it, but at least once a week, all 67 students and teachers gather together for a morning meeting, team time, celebrations, and more.  

Communicating with Teachers

If you have general learning questions, concerns, or insights you'd like to communicate, please include all three of us when you send an email. If you are communicating about a specific subject or class, please email the teacher who teaches that subject.  If you have a specific question that does not relate to your child's academic or social/emotional learning, please contact your child's homeroom teacher.  For example, if you have a question about picture day or an upcoming absence, email the homeroom teacher.  If in doubt, include all of us.  

Melinda Anderman - Math - manderman@huusd.org

Tiffany Michael - Language Arts - tfmichael@huusd.org

Aimee Smith - Social Studies / Science - asmith@huusd.org

Wizard Shirt Design

We had over 30 students submit designs for our team shirts.  Last Friday, all submissions were displayed, and students were able to vote.  Stay tuned for upcoming information about shirt orders.

Math

Students are in the homestretch of our first unit, where they have been exploring concepts of volume. Students began the unit by describing and finding the volume of a rectangular prism using its layered structure.  In other words, students were asked to find the number of layers and the number of cubes in each layer within a rectangular prism.  This led to students developing a conjecture about how they could find the volume of any rectangular prism using the formulas V = ℓ × w × h and V = B × h.  This week, we have been exploring how we can apply this learning to find the volume of a figure composed of rectangular prisms.  You can check out the unit progression here.  

Caregivers often ask "What can we do at home?".  This year, students are working on two online programs that support their math learning.  In this post, I will introduce Math Fact Lab.  Math Fact Lab is designed to support the learning of math facts.  Most 5th graders are working on their multiplication facts.  The program builds conceptual understanding before students memorize the facts.  In addition, it differentiates based on a diagnostic test and individual practice.  Students can access their Math Fact Lab account from any device.  Each practice session is timed so that students practice for 8 minutes and then the session is over.  If possible, I encourage you to ask your student to give you a "tour" of Math Fact Lab, show you the different ways they can practice, and explain the Level Lifter.  Math Fact Lab here and students will use their school google address and password to sign in.  Please contact Curtis Taylor at ctaylor@huusd.org with any questions related to logging in to Math Fact Lab from home.  

Students working at vertical whiteboards

Science Update 

We have been busy in science learning a new way of thinking about the world around us. This has included a lot of discussions in class. We are currently doing a unit about ecosystems and matter with a nurse log as our anchor. A nurse log is a fallen tree that helps other things live and grow. So many Wizards have brought their own knowledge to the conversation and have asked some great scientific questions, such as, "How long does it [nurse log] take to decompose?" and "What does moss do?" We were able to get outside and explore nurse logs in different stages of decomposition and make observation notes about what was growing on and around the logs. You can help to support this learning at home by talking about how different things get energy, taking a walk and wondering aloud about what you are noticing in the natural world, or simply by asking your Wizard what their questions are about the natural world around them! 

Language Arts Class

We've been learning about what things your brain might be thinking about while you are reading. Ask to see the "Reading is Thinking" chart in their binder. We've been referring to this in class and using it to guide our discussions. 

I've been reading the first chapters of high-quality, engaging books to aid in foundational comprehension concepts I will build on throughout the year. This also builds interest in books most students haven't read. After each read aloud, I hold a lottery for the book since so many kids want to read it. 

We've also started what I call "Feral" writing. It's basically just creative writing, but it's a time to unleash their choice in what they want to write in a low-stress manner. This isn't when I'm teaching sentence construction or grading spelling. This is a time when we learn about how writers work. They find their own process and learn strategies to enhance their writing.  It's a favored time in my class, and kids learn to love writing instead of the many who typically loathe it. Ask them about some of the picture prompts they've had or what they think about feral writing. 

When you come to CBMS's open house on October 16th, you'll be able to see evidence of what we're learning on the walls of the classrooms. We hope to see you then!