Week of November 14, 2011

Hello students & parents,

Here are some announcements for the week:

• Tonight there is a wonderful parent meeting in Elijah Hall from 7pm-8pm on problem solving. Don't miss out on this great opportunity to learn about activities and techniques to use with your child at home!
• We are currently having a food drive so please bring in any canned goods to help feed the hungry!
• We are participating in the Box Tops for Schools program. Please look in your cabinets to find box tops to support our school so that we can earn funds toward field trips and supplies!
• Next Tuesday is noon dismissal and the start of our Thanksgiving Break. Make sure you pray in thanksgiving every night for all of the blessings God has given you! 

Great Websites to Visit:

Social Studies 
Map out the routes of the explorers we are studying!
Science
1) http://climate.nasa.gov/kids/bigQuestions/greenhouseEffect/
2) http://dnr.wi.gov/org/caer/ce/eek/earth/air/global.htm
3) http://eo.ucar.edu/kids/green/warming4.htm
Language Arts
1) Fun Facts & Games about Space and Zero Gravity
2) Vocabulary Word Game

Thanks for visiting and congratulations on filling up your marble jar!!

Week of November 7, 2011

Hello students & family,

Here are some announcements for the week:

*There is no school this Friday, November 11th due to Veteran's Day.
*Please return the parent surveys that you will be receiving in the Wednesday envelope to school as soon  as possible.
*We have mass with 1st grade this Wednesday, November 9th. Please be on time.

Social Studies
In Social Studies, we are learning about the contact between the first European explorers (like Columbus) and the Indigenous people (Native Americans) that lived in the Americas. We are working on our geography and map skills to understand where the explorers traveled from. Visit the following website to explore some fun map activities: http://eduplace.com/kids/socsci/books/applications/imaps/maps/g5s_u2/index.html

Science
In science we are starting our unit on weather & climate. We are going to be learning about the greenhouse effect. Visit the following website to learn more about it:
1) http://climate.nasa.gov/kids/bigQuestions/greenhouseEffect/
2) http://dnr.wi.gov/org/caer/ce/eek/earth/air/global.htm
3) http://eo.ucar.edu/kids/green/warming4.htm

Computer Lab Assignment: 11/8/2011
Scroll down to the bottom of the blog and take the Columbus & the Taino quiz. Then visit some of the websites I've posted above.

Here are some photos from our classroom to share with you from "Reading Buddies"when our fifth graders read to the first grade to get them more excited about reading & literacy:

 

Week of October 31st, 2011

Hello students and parents,

It was so wonderful spending time with you all at the parent/teacher conferences. Thank you for coming! Here are some announcements for the week and coming week:

• Today, November 1st, is All Saints Day.
• This Friday, November 4th, is noon dismissal and whole school mass from 8A-9A. 
• Next Friday, November 11th, is Veteran's Day and there will be NO SCHOOL.

The new spelling and vocabulary words are up for Selection 3 "The Fear Place". Visit the following website to practice your vocabulary words using a fun online game: http://www.eduplace.com/kids/tnc/ewordgame/index.html?grade=5&theme=2&selection=3

Computer Lab Assignment 11/1/2011

Today is All Saints Day and we will be practicing our research skills in the computer lab. Follow these steps very carefully:

1) Go to this website and look through the Saints. Choose ONE Saint to research: http://www.catholic.org/saints/popular.php

2) Research the Saint you have chosen by clicking on their name on the website, or by typing their name into google and getting more information about them. Use an index card (a flashcard) to take notes on.

3) Then, write a paragraph (at least 5 sentences)  about your Saint in your own words that answers these questions:

• When was the Saint alive?
• Why did they become a Saint or what are they famous?

4) Post your paragraph as a comment to this blog entry.

Week of October 24, 2011

Hello students and families,

First and foremost, thank you to the students and families who joined us on our field trip to the Getty Museum. It was a beautiful day! Remember that the Getty Museum is always free entry, so go back and enjoy it again sometime with your family!

Welcome to Red Ribbon Week! Red Ribbon Week celebrates resistance to drug use and drug prevention. Tomorrow we will have a speaker on campus to educate us about the negative effects of drug use from 8A-9A, make sure to arrive on time!


In Science, we are studying a unit on water. We have just finished our studies on the Water Cycle. Browse the following websites for some water cycle fun:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svUZYMJNFWo
http://apps.southeastwater.com.au/games/education_kidsroom_wcactivity.asp
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/studyjams/water_cycle/

We are moving into studying about the differences between weather & climate. Here are some fun websites:

http://www.theweatherchannelkids.com/weather-games/
http://climate.nasa.gov/kids/games/

***A parent meeting is tonight from 7-8PM, please come and learn about different strategies to use with your child.***

***Parent/Teacher Conferences are THIS FRIDAY. Please do not forget to speak with Mrs. Coba in order to set up your conference time. You must attend conferences in order to receive your child's report card.***

Thank you & God Bless,

Ms. Jordan

Week of October 17, 2011

Hello students and parents,

Here are some announcements for the week:

-This Saturday, October 22, is our family fieldtrip to the Getty Museum. Please arrive to St. Raphael School no later than 9:30A so that we may get on the bus by 10:00A. All students must go dressed in school uniform. Please pack a lunch unless you intend on purchasing food once there.
-Next Monday ALL posters for the Red Ribbon Week poster contest are due. Design a poster that displays what being drug free means to you. There's a winner every class!
-Next Friday, October 28th, are parent/teacher conferences. Please return the conference request slip to the office as soon as possible. You must attend conferences to receive your child's report card.



For those of you who wanted to learn the water cycle rap more, here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svUZYMJNFWo
And here is a great activity to play and a cool video to watch about it:
1) http://apps.southeastwater.com.au/games/education_kidsroom_wcactivity.asp
2) http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/studyjams/water_cycle/

Here is a game to play to practice your new vocabulary words:
http://eduplace.com/kids/hmr06/ewordgame/index.html?grade=5&theme=2&selection=2

Lastly, here is a picture of some of the art projects we have been doing in Social Studies while studying the Early Native Americans. Ask your children about them!

Week of October 10, 2011

Hello students & family,

A few reminders for the week:

-Our next fieldtrip is to the Getty Museum on Saturday, October 22nd, 2011. The museum is hosting a wonderful family festival full of art, music, food and creativity. Unfortunately, it's first come, first serve, as there is not enough space for everyone to attend. Students must be accompanied by a parent or guardian (at least 1 family member, though they may bring up to 2) in order to attend.

Visit the website to learn more: http://www.getty.edu/education/kids_families/programs/center_family_festival.html

Don't forget to get your field trip requests in ASAP to reserve a spot!

***Parent/Teacher Conferences are Friday, October 28th. Please visit the office to sign-up for a time slot. You must attend parent/teacher conferences in order to receive your child's first quarter report card.***

Keep practicing those multiplication facts! :-)))

Thank you,

Ms. Jordan

Week of October 3, 2011

Hello students and parents,

Thank you to all of those parents that volunteered their time at the L.A. County Fair! If you did not get the opportunity to join us, there will be other fieldtrip opportunities this year where I will greatly appreciate your help!

This week, we are starting a new theme in reading, "Give it all you've got!". The new spelling and vocabulary words have been posted on the left side of the blog. Practice your vocabulary using the website below:

http://www.eduplace.com/kids/hmr/ewordgame/index.html?grade=5&theme=2&selection=1

*Don't forget that this Friday is noon dismissal and we have whole school mass in the morning! Please come in full uniform!
*Also, student council will be selling pizza at lunch on Wednesday and Thursday to raise money for Red Ribbon Week!


The following are websites that focus on topics we are studying in Social Studies and Science:
http://www.kidzone.ws/water/
http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/instructor/aztec.htm
http://library.thinkquest.org/27981/

Let's have a great week!