One of the great things about the beginning of the new trimester is the fresh beginning. There isn't a better time to clean desks. I'm not sure how to describe this experience, so I'll just show you!

Desk Cleaning Photos

~Erica
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Before break we had a test on area/perimeter.  Tests were handed back today for kids that took the test before break (there were quite a few absences), and quite a few kids will need to take a re-take next Friday, the 9th. If you haven't seen the test yet, please ask your student so you can help them prepare. The re-test will test area/perimeter only, not problem solving.  The most common mistakes with perimeter were miscalculations. The problems with area were that the formulas were not memorized, most specifically the formulas for triangles and parallelograms.  Please let me know if you have more questions.
~Erica
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Next Thursday we have a field trip to downtown Seattle. The Seattle Symphony puts on a show each year for 5th grade classes that is always amazing. The kids that are in band will find the experience truly inspiring.  While we are downtown we will also have a chance to walk through the Seattle Art Museum (sorry -- not the Gauguin exhibit!) as well as the Pike Street Market.  Kids will need clothes appropriate for the Symphony, but also for walking around outside, and, of course, a sack lunch.  Also, the kids are allowed to bring a few dollars to spend at the market if they wish -- we are telling the kids $5 is an appropriate amount. They shouldn't be coming with large amounts of cash -- please check with them! Chaperones are necessary, so let me know if you can make it.  There isn't always room for all the chaperones at the symphony, but there's coffee right there!  Anyway, let me know if you can make it. We will leave shortly after school begins and be back around 2.  
~Erica
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We are in desperate need of some wet wipes for our classroom. I opened our last container during a very muddy science lesson yesterday. If anyone can donate a container or two, that would be great!
Thanks!
~Erica
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Below is a letter from Mr. Bates describing upcoming lessons he will be delivering in all 5th grade classes.  Bothe Mr. Bates' email  end of the letter -- please let him (or me!) know if you have questions/concerns. Thank you!
~Erica
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February 7, 2012
Dear Parents,

I am participating in the evaluation of a brand new curriculum called “Riding the Waves” developed by the Washington State Youth Suicide Prevention Program (YSPP).

Starting this Friday, I will come into your child’s classroom and deliver the first of a series of four short lessons.  I will come every other Friday until the end of March. The focus of the lessons is on identifying sources of stress and learning healthy ways of coping.  These lessons are educational -- not therapeutic -- and will be done with the entire class. 

The lessons do not directly address suicide but were built on the premise that having healthy social and coping skills in one’s “toolbox” can help when life presents its challenges and hardships.  As you may already be experiencing at home, we are aware that many 5th and 6th grade children begin to describe more academic and social pressures in anticipation of their transition to middle school.  Occasionally they worry about their friends’ behavior and wonder what to do and who to talk with.  We believe these lessons will provide students with practical coping skills, like positive self-talk, progressive muscle relaxation, problem solving, and helping a friend by asking non-nosey questions.  A couple of lessons will emphasize how to be a supportive friend as well as the importance of asking an adult for help when your usual coping skills aren’t working. 

After each lesson you child will be given a handout to bring home, which provides a short summary of what was taught and suggestions for continuing the conversation about healthy coping and social skills at home.  As always, I welcome your feedback.

Because YSPP is trying to evaluate the effectiveness of the lessons, there will be a number of different activities YSPP staff and I will be carrying out.  I will be answering online surveys after each lesson I teach and at the end of my use of the curriculum.  I will never be asked to identify individual students by name or behavior. In addition, a YSPP staff person, with my permission, may come to observe some or all of the lessons I teach. The observer will not be taking any personal information about students. Her role will be strictly to gather information on how I am teaching the lessons and how students, as a group, are reacting to the content and activities.

It is also possible that a YSPP staff person would work with me to coordinate a focus group of students when I am done teaching the “Riding the Waves” lessons. If our school is chosen as a focus group site, you will receive another notification explaining the process and be given the choice to opt your child out.

If you would prefer that your child not participate in the Riding the Waves lessons, please contact me at 831-8319 or e-mail me at [email protected]. I am also available for any other individual questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Steve Bates
Opstad Counselor[email protected]

As you well know, we are looking very hard at Math instruction this year at Opstad.  One of the things that I have observed in our students is a lack of automaticity with math facts. Historically, 5th grade has tested on multiplication facts only.  While we were working with long division, I noticed that subtraction was often a problem, and now that we are in fractions, there are simple mistakes being made in addition as well.  

This week we began a new math fact "program" that I am calling "Math Minute".  We first took a handwriting assessment to see how many numbers students could copy in a minute. This assessed only their handwriting speed without the computation part. Based on the results, each student was given a goal for the number of problems they should be able to compute in a minute. Goals in our class ranged from 28 to 40.  

There are 6 levels of addition to pass before moving on to subtraction, and then multiplication and division. Since coming back to school from the storm we have done three Math Minutes.  The good news is that everyone is making progress by getting more problems done/correct each time. The bad news is that we don't know our math facts like we should. :)  I feel confident that this is one piece of our math puzzle, and I'm excited to see how this translates in to every day math.

How can you help?  Keep talking with your kids, ask to see their Math Minutes, offer to practice with them, and perhaps pull out the flashcards again!   Fifth graders may resist practicing addition and subtraction, but it will help them immensely in the long run.  
~Erica
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My how technology is moving us forward!!  The school policy on electronics has been that they are allowed on the bus, but not in the classroom.  For now, we are changing that policy to allow digital readers in the classroom.  The understanding is that they are being brought to school with parent permission, and are being used for reading only -- all content should be school appropriate. 

Several students have asked about using iPads and iPods for research, dictionary usage etc., and we are working on a issuage policy for that. For now, those items that ar not used for reading need to stay in packbacks. If you have a child in another class, please check with them before sending in a digital reader with your student.

I'll keep you posted about changing policies!
~Erica
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It's that time!  Your kiddos are old enough that they should be preparing for tests.  They just finished up a geometry test that they have known about since before break.  They've known about it for weeks, and I had IXL skills designated for practice, and we did two review sessions this week, but... I was surprised by how many students did not have some of the common terms down.  This is probably a shift in thinking for them.  When tests come up, they will need to be studying!  They will need help with this, so it's important that you know about things as they are coming up! Tests and projects and other important things are on the assignment calendars that your kids bring home, and I try to post those things on our homework page as well. 
~Erica
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I'm hoping that before break your kids came home telling you all about our wonderful iPad adventure! Opstad received three grants from the Technology Initiative, and we have 10 iPads to share among every two grade levels. We used the app "Educreation" to create mini videos the kids made. In pairs they worked to define and give examples of certain geometric terms.  The pictures are in our photo section if you want to see.  It was one of my favorite teaching experiences - ever. :)  The engagement and interest was unreal!  

Today during writing the kids were working on their PowerPoint ABC books. I had directed that only one person per team could use the computers in the hall, so they were working out who needed the computers the most etc. About 15 minutes into our work session, I felt like I had been hit on the head -- duh!  I had iPads in the cupboard! So we pulled those out and the teams used them for research. One of the things I love the most about these mobile devices is that it is easier to share.   I watched as kids did research, found something interesting, and walked it over to someone else to share.  I think we have a tendency to fear that technology can be isolating or anti-social. What I've seen is that kids are very eager to share what they are doing with one another.  


Hope everyone had a great Holiday. Happy New Year!
~Erica
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Yikes! The last two weeks has been challenging for some reason as far as getting work in. These kids need help managing their assignments and staying ahead of due dates. I'm not asking that much of them, and if they work on it each night, it shouldn't be that much.  There will be a lot more work next year, so it is in everyone's best interest to be on top of what we are doing at 5th grade. Please ask your kids what their work is, look at their assignment calendar, check the homework page on the website and check the assignment calendar.  There should be some consistencies among those four! Thanks for your help!
~Erica
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