Mrs. Hellman's Fifth Grade Class

A Few Quick Reminders

The 5th grade picnic is Tuesday.  It will be LOADS of FUN!!!  I hope to see many of you there!!  Please remind your students that they must follow the Cobb County dress code on Tuesday.  Swimsuits are not allowed!!!  Big Shanty t-shirts, shorts and sneaks are the way to go!  Students need to bring a towel to sit on.  Parents may want to bring a folding chair for yourselves.  Students will not need money.  All food and drinks will be provided. 

On Wednesday, May 20th, our fabulous cafeteria staff is preparing a super special Fiesta-themed lunch.  This would be a great day for you to join us for lunch if you can't make it to the picnic!!! 

Our class will enjoy pizza and treats for lunch on Friday, the last day of school.  We will eat about 12:45, and will make our Walk of Honor at 1:45.  The halls of Big Shanty will be crowded with well-wishers as we bid farewell to this great school!!! 

The Count Down in ON!!!

I can't believe the year is almost over!!!  Wow!!  Time flies when you are learning and having fun!!  The end of the school year is filled with many important events.  I have listed a few of them below and will keep you updated.  Please keep an eye on the Thursday Folder for up-to-date, detailed information about all that is planned.

Field Day--Friday, May 15

5th Grade Picnic--Tuesday, May 19

5th Grade Awards Day (Team 5B)--Thursday, May 21

Last day of school--Friday, May 22--5th Grade "Walk of Honor" at dismissal.

Spring Is In the Air!!!!!!!!!!

Spring has arrived!!!!  We are excited and very busy!!!  Each day of the remainder of the year will be filled with learning and preparation for middle school.  Let's make every day count!!!

Our trip to Huntsville, Alabama to visit the Space and Rocket Museum was AWESOME!!!!!  We had suprisingly great weather and were able to enjoy all of the indoor and outdoor exhibits!!  Our students enjoyed rock climbing, an IMAX movie, rocket launch and gravitational force simulators, Mission to Mars, full scale models, and many other fantastic, interactive learning experiences!!!  We had a "blast"!!  I was especially proud of the exceptional behavior displayed by our students.  They represented our school very well!!  Many thanks to all of the parents who attended as chaperones.  And finally--a HUGE "shout out" to Mrs. Janney for all of her hard work planning this great trip!!!  Please be sure to thank her the next time you see her!! 

This Tuesday night is Authors' Night at Big Shanty!!  Our Cowboys of the Chisholm Trail are looking forward to sharing their tall tales from the trails with you!!!  We will be outside by the covered play area, so join us for some great entertainment!!! 

Next week is Spring Break!!!  I hope all of you have a fun, relaxing, and safe week!!!!!!!

Thank you all so much for making Teacher Appreciation Week so special!!!  I enjoyed the flowers, gifts, goodies, and classroom supplies!!!   The notes, letters and cards were so touching and kind!!!  It is truly my great privilege to teach at Big Shanty, and to be a part of your child's life this school year!!!  THANK YOU for all you do to support and encourage the success of our students!!! 

 

SAVE THE DATE!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Our class will be participating in Author's Night on Tuesday, March 31st.  We will present our award winning production of "Cowboys of the Chisholm Trail".  I will send more detailed information home next week (3/5).  Please mark you calenders and plan to attend!!!!  It will be great fun for the whole family. 

 

The Georgia Writing Assessment will be administered to all 5th graders this Tuesday, March 4th.  We will begin promptly at 8:00, so please be on time!!  We have been working very hard preparing for this important assessment.  You can help by getting your child to bed early on Tuesday night and preparing a nutritious breakfast Wednesday morning.  Our school cafeteria is a great option for breakfast as well.  The test is a bit long and rigorous, so a good night's sleep and a healthy start to the day are essential! Thanks so much for your help with this!!!! 

 

Congratulations to all of our students who participated in the school writing fair!!!  We had several students in our class who received Honorable Mention.  There work will be published in the school anthology, which will be available for purchase later in the year.  We also have several students who have contributed drawings and illustrations that will be featured as well!!!  Super Stars--They are!!!!!!!!! 

 

I am also please to announce that our very own Andrew has been invited to attend the State Reflections reception in March.  His musical composition was a winner at the state level!!!  Way to go Andrew!!!!

WE ARE GOING TO HUNTSVILLE!!!!! 

The money has been counted and it is now official!!!!  The trip is March 27th, and we will be sending home lots of important information very soon about the details of the trip!!!  Thank you for your support, and for buying lots of chicken biscuits!!!!!!  A very special thank you goes out to Mrs. Janney for planning this fabulous trip!!!  It will be great fun!!!!!!!

 

 

February News

It was an absolute pleasure meeting with parents during conference week!!!  As we discussed, the second half of the year will be quite full!!! 

Our class is participating in the Six Flags Reading Club program.  Students who read and document six hours of independent reading time will receive one free admission ticket to Six Flags!!!  What a deal!!  The tracking forms were sent home in the January 29th Thursday Folder.  They are due on February 13th.  They cannot be handed in late, so please mark this date on your calender!!  I hope everyone participates.  Students are already required to read independently and track their progress.  Why not earn a free Six Flags ticket too??!!  Happy Reading!!!!

Speaking of reading, our class has read a total of 200 books so far this year!!  WOW!  That is a lot of reading!!  Keep up the good Work!!! 

Big Shanty will host CRCT Night on Tuesday, February 3rd, beginning at 6:30!  This is a great opportunity for parents and students to learn about the CRCT and how to prepare for it!!  Our fabulous Big Shanty teachers have many great ideas to share with you!!!  Don't miss this great event!!  It will be FUN and informative!! 

Human Growth and Development classes will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, February 17th and 18th.  If you did not sign a permission form at your conference, please return the form as soon as possible.  Students cannot participate without parent permission.  Thanks for your help with this!

Monday, February 16th is a student holiday.  Happy Presidents' Day!  Enjoy the long weekend!!

 

WELCOME 2009!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome Back!!!  I hope everyone had a great Holiday break!! 

 

I want to give a huge "shout out" to Ms. Ledbetter and Mrs. Sutley for planning and hosting a fabulous Holiday party!!  We had a blast!!  Each student was given a glass ornament and then collected signatures from all of their classmates.  I hope that it will always serve as a reminder of the fun they have had in 5th grade!  After lunch, we returned to the classroom and shared our gifts with each other.  Everyone took home an adorable snowman bag filled with really cool stuff!!  And of course there was great food and big smiles all around!!! It was a great finish to the first half of the school year!! 

The new year will be very exciting and full!!  Keep your calenders updated and a close eye on the Thursday Folders for important information and updates.  Here are a few dates and reminders as we get started:

• January 19th-  MLK Holiday   No School!!  Enjoy the long weekend!!

• January 26-30- Parent-Teacher Conferences :   Students dismissed early each day.  Please be sure your child knows how he/she is going home each day.
• Please return conference forms as soon as possible.  Thanks for your prompt attention to this!  I look forward to meeting with each of you and sharing information and data about your child's progress!

• Our class ALP day has changed to Tuesday of each week.  Please help your child adjust to this change in the weeks to come.

IMPORTANT FIELD TRIP UPDATE!!!!

The trip to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama is planned for Friday, March.  Please send in permission forms and payments by FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20TH!  Please let me know if your child is not going on the field trip.  This information is important for planning purposes.  A reminder that the cost of the trip is $75.00. 

Holiday News

Our class Holiday party is quickly approaching!!!  It will be Friday, December 19th.  We will make two craft projects before lunch (11:15-12:00), and will enjoy refreshments in our classroom from 12:30 until 1:15.  Students will get to deliver their "Goodie Gifts" to each other at this time!!!  Parents are welcome to join us if you wish!!  Please send in your $3.00 donation to cover the cost of the party if you have not done so already.  A very special thanks to our fabulous "Room Moms",- Mrs. Sutley and Ms. Letbetter, for planning our party!

November News

The second nine week grading period is well under way!!!!  There are many exciting things going on in our class and throughout 5th grade!!

I am happy to announce that Latrell is our class Student Council Representative!!!  The Student Council has been collecting canned goods for the Thanksgiving baskets.  Thanks to all who have participated in this worthy cause.  We will continue to collect food for the Christmas Holidays to support  families from Big Shanty who are in need. 

Speaking of Thanksgiving.......We would like to invite parents and grandparents to our annual Thanksgiving lunch on Thursday, November 20th from 12:00-12:30.  This is always a special treat!!!  We appreciate our fantastic cafeteria staff for making this event possible.

Our class reading list is growing by leaps and bounds!!!  I am proud to announce that our class read a total of 65 books during the month of October!!!!  WOW!!!!  Keep up the GREAT WORK!!!  We also have several students in our class who have earned more than 50 AR points!!! 

Please continue to encourage your child to read at home.  Remember, Reading Logs are due every Friday, and must be signed by a parent. Independent Reading is critical to improving reading skills  and increasing reading level.

Keep practicing those multiplication facts!!!!  We are wrapping up multiplication and division with decimals, and will begin working with fractions in math.  Memorization of multiplication facts is so important for success with fractions. 

We continue our focus on non-fiction text in reading and writing workshop!  Our "Expert Book" projects are in the revision stage.  We are working on developing engaging leads and using powerful, descriptive language to inform our audience.  We are reading non-fiction mentor texts to analyze the techniques and strategies of published authors.  Our Expert Books will include some of the graphic aids that we are learning about in reading workshop.  We can't wait for you to see our finished products!!

Students are very interested in our study of the Civil War.  We are currently learning about the leaders and major battles of the war.  The students are reading about the life of soldiers and civilians during the Civil War.  As 5th graders, we also have a unique interest in the lives of the children who lived during the Civil War.  I hope you will have an opportunity to visit some of the historic sights right here in our own community!!!  It is exciting to learn about historic events that took place right here in Kennesaw!! 

A FEW DATES FOR YOUR CALENDAR:

November 24-28---Thanksgiving Break!

December 9th--- Field Trip to Symphony Orchestra at the Cobb Energy Center (This is part of the Performing Arts program)

December 10th---Field trip to Southern Museum of Civil War  and Locomotive History in Kennesaw (Information and permission slips will be coming home soon!!)

September Highlights and October News

September was a very busy month!!!  We started our first math and science units and both are going well.  Reading and Writing/Grammar Workshop are underway.  Our first writing project is currently on display in the hall. Many of our students have completed more than one independent reading books and are already taking Accelerated Reader tests.  Be sure to ask your student about their point earnings so far.  They each have a frog on the back door that will "leap" from one lilly pad to another as they earn more and more points!!! 

We have also started our classroom 4-H program.  The monthly programs provide exciting, hands-on activities that support our science standards for 5th grade.  The kids love it!!!  I'm sure you will hear all about it when the instructors visit our classroom!

Many after school activities have started and others will begin soon.  I am thrilled that so many of our students are taking part in the extra-curricular clubs and programs here at Big Shanty!!!  Please make sure you send transportation notes on days that your child stays after school.  Thanks for you help with this!!! 

Thanks to all who attended our PTA Open House on September 4th!!!  We had quite a crowd!  The kids loved showing off some of our early class activities and projects! 

October is almost here, and it will be just as busy and exciting!!!  Please continue to keep a close eye on the Thursday Folders.  They keep you informed about your child's progress and updated on all that is happening here at Big Shanty!!! 

A couple of reminders:

Wednesday, October 15th is an Early Release Day.

Friday, October 17th--Report cards go home

***** Don't forget to send in those field trip permission forms and money as soon as possible!!!  You may send in partial payments if you wish.  The deadline is Friday, February 20th. 

5th grade will continue to sell Chick-Fil-A  chicken biscuits on Friday mornings. 

September Highlights and October News

September was a very busy month!!!  We started our first math and science units and both are going well.  Reading and Writing/Grammar Workshop are underway.  Our first writing project is currently on display in the hall. Many of our students have completed more than one independent reading books and are already taking Accelerated Reader tests.  Be sure to ask your student about their point earnings so far.  They each have a frog on the back door that will "leap" from one lilly pad to another as they earn more and more points!!! 

We have also started our classroom 4-H program.  The monthly programs provide exciting, hands-on activities that support our science standards for 5th grade.  The kids love it!!!  I'm sure you will hear all about it when the instructors visit our classroom!

Many after school activities have started and others will begin soon.  I am thrilled that so many of our students are taking part in the extra-curricular clubs and programs here at Big Shanty!!!  Please make sure you send transportation notes on days that your child stays after school.  Thanks for you help with this!!! 

Thanks to all who attended our PTA Open House on September 4th!!!  We had quite a crowd!  The kids loved showing off some of our early class activities and projects! 

October is almost here, and it will be just as busy and exciting!!!  Please continue to keep a close eye on the Thursday Folders.  They keep you informed about your child's progress and updated on all that is happening here at Big Shanty!!! 

A couple of reminders:

Wednesday, October 15th is an Early Release Day.

Friday, October 17th--Report cards go home

***** Don't forget to send in those field trip permission forms and money as soon as possible!!!  You may send in partial payments if you wish.  The deadline is Friday, February 20th. 

5th grade will continue to sell Chick-Fil-A  chicken biscuits on Friday mornings.