Mr. Cook's News

Fifth Grade News

My how fast this year has gone by! I’m sure it seems like just yesterday you were putting your cute little kindergartener on the bus for their first day of school. Now that cute kindergartner has turned into a big fifth grader, anxious and ready to go to middle school!

The CRCT has come and gone! You should all be very proud of how well your students applied their testing strategies and all that they learned throughout the year. They were focused and ready to soar!

The last few weeks of school hold many exciting things for fifth graders to look forward to… here are just a few of the important dates of upcoming events:

Tuesday, May 20th – Fifth Grade End of the Year Celebration – This will include various activities to enjoy – jumping machines, games, prizes, cook out and much more!

Wednesday/Thursday May 21-22nd – Honors Day – Parents of students receiving an award will receive and invitation to this special day.

Friday, May 23rd – Last day of School! – Walk of Honor- Fifth grade will take  their last walk through the hallways as students of Big Shanty Intermediate.

That just about wraps up the school year! Keep informed of what’s happening in your child ’s classroom by visiting their teacher’s blog and be sure to check Thursday folders for last minute reminders!

By now you must be asking yourselves, what can I do to keep my child entertained during the summer? Here are a few ideas from your teachers…

Get a combination lock and practice opening it

Get a library card and check out some good books.

Practice those math facts!

Keep a diary of all the things you do over the summer

Start a new hobby.

Go to a camp.

Hang out by the pool or at the beach – but take a book too!

Relax, middle school will be here before you know it!

CRCT TESTING

This is the most important testing of the year.  We have been working toward this all year.  We are ready, and we will do a great job.  Everyone needs to be rested, ready, and on time for each of these tests.  The testing schdule is as follows: 

Wednesday, 4/23/08          Reading                         8:00-11:00

Thursday, 4/24/08             Englnish/Lag. Arts          8:00-11:00

Friday, 4/25/08                 Math                               8:00-11:00

Monday, 4/28/08               Science                           8:00-11:00

Tuesday, 4/28/08              Social Studies                  8:00-11:00

Class News

Hope everyone has a great spring  break.  This is a time of the year when kids start to lose focus on school, but it is the most important part of the year for testing.  The CRCT will start on April 23 and every student needs to be ready, willing, and able to do their best.  So, have a good time over spring break,  but let's come back ready to score our best on the CRCT.

Writing Assessment

      

            The writing assessment will be given on March 5.  There will be three different kinds of prompts.  One will be informational writing (report, procedures, correspondence).  It should enhance the reader’s understanding of a topic by instructing, explaining, clarifying, describing, or examining a subject or concept.  The second is persuasive writing.  Persuasive writing is for the purpose of convincing others to accept the writer’s position as valid, adopt a certain view, or take some action.  The third is narrative writing.  It is writing that tells a story or gives an account of something that has happened.  The purpose is to recount a story grounded in personal experience or the writer’s imagination.

            We are practicing these kinds of writing and how to improve their ideas, organization, style, and conventions. 

 

Important Dates

January 29                  CiCi's Pizza Night

February 5                    PTA meeting @ 6:30

February 6                    Early Release

February 11                  4H

February 12                  Fifth Grade to Atlanta Symphony

February 18                  President's Day holiday for students and staff

February 19                  Professional Learning Day for teachers: holiday for students

February 20&21            Human Growth and Development

March 4                        Early Release

March 5                        Fifth Grade Writing Assessment

March 11                      Picture Day

March 17                      4H

March 20                      Report cards go home

March 26                      Fifth grade visits Awtrey Middle School

April 1                          PTA @ 6:30

April 7-11                     Spring Break

April 23-May 2               CRCT

April 24                          Academic Alerts go home

May 12                           4H

May 23                           Last day of school for students

Don't forget that yearbooks are on sell for $40, and dedications for yearbooks must be in by February.

January Classroom News

We hope all of you had a joyous holiday season. The students should be rested and ready to begin the second semester of fifth grade. We have a lot going on in the next few weeks.

Our new Math classes begin today with the study of fractions. Please be sure to reinforce the basic multiplication and division facts at home with your children. This will help them to be successful in this unit. We’ll continue with our current Science units for a few more weeks. Our work with vocabulary and spelling will be the same as before the holiday. Reading will incorporate work both with the reading book and with novel studies. Some short-term projects will be done during the next two months.

Please make sure that your child has adequate school supplies. Each student needs a pack of wide-ruled notebook paper, a few pencils, colored pencils or crayons,and a pair of scissors.

The students should dress in layers for school. Our hallways can be chilly and a sweater or sweatshirt is recommended. It may be left here at school for the week and then taken home to be laundered on the weekends. The specials calendar is posted so the students will know when to dress appropriately for PE.

Remember that the school is using a new website for lunch payments. Please check with our school website to obtain that information if you don’t have the letter sent out before the holiday. We look forward to a wonderful semester at school!

January events:

Conference letters sent home Jan. 8

School Spelling Bee Jan. 11

Report Cards sent home Jan. 11

School Geography Bee Jan. 18

MLK holiday Jan. 21

Conference Week (students dismissed at 12:00) Jan. 22-28

Season of Sharing

To celebrate this season of sharing, students have been asked to bring in a stocking to hang in the room during the week of December 17th-21st and enough of a special treat to share with everyone in the class (currently we have 26 students). By the end of that week, each student's stocking will be filled with small treats from his/her classmates. You can send in any treat of your choice. Some past examples include pencils, erasers, snack-size candy bars, Rice Krispie treats, etc. It's always tons of fun to sort through all the goodies and go home with a stocking-size goody bag!

To celebrate this season of sharing, students have been asked to bring in a stocking to hang in the room during the week of December 17th-21st and enough of a special treat to share with everyone in the class (currently we have 26 students). By the end of that week, each student's stocking will be filled with small treats from his/her classmates. You can send in any treat of your choice. Some past examples include pencils, erasers, snack-size candy bars, Rice Krispie treats, etc. It's always tons of fun to sort through all the goodies and go home with a stocking-size goody bag!

Class News

• 4H Nov. 19 on Nutrition
• Thanksgiving Holidays Nov. 21-23
• Progress Reports distribution Nov. 27
• Thanksgiving Feast for 3rd grade on Nov. 13, 4th grade on Nov. 14, and 5th grade Nov.  15

Heading for the Holidays

We just got report cards and before we know it we will be getting them again.  There are many days off school and lots of distractions during this grading period.  We must not lose our focus.  Division of whole numbers and decimals, writing about things around us, adjectives, nouns, verbs, beyond Reconstruction, and many other items must be learned.  It is the fun time of the year, but it still has lots of serious stuff to accomplish.   

Testing

Testing is taking a front seat in our classroom this week.  Students need to get plenty of rest, eat a good breakfast, and come to school with a good attitude.  These test results are important this year, as well as, next year.  They help to determine some of the classes students can take in the future.