Snow?? Already??? It is November!

      Well, we are hoping for a better winter than last year but the forecast is not looking the best for mid-November!  The cold weather means students need to dress appropriately to go outside for recess.  They go outside unless it is too wet or the wind chill is around 10 degrees.  So, helpful reminders in the morning about coats, gloves, hats etc are appreciated!
     This coming week is our first Exploration classes.  This is a time the students look forward to each year.  They get to go to different classes and be with students from different teams.  It is a fun time to be with some different people.  These classes happen M-Th this week from 2:20 until the end of the day.  Be sure to ask your student what exploration they are going to this week!
     We have been having a lot of issues with students following the Norms for our team.  We feel like out TRUST card system is not working effectively with this group.  We are going to be implementing a new system soon.  Look for some information to come home with week about the PINK SLIP system.  We want everyone to have a successful year and we have to make sure everyone is following the Norms.  We have also had a lot of trouble the past few weeks with students completing homework.  It is very important that students complete their assignments when they are given.  We have been getting a lot of excuses of being too busy with lots of activities.  Students should not have that much to do on a daily basis and if they use their time wisely they should be able to get a lot done here at school.  If your child is bringing home a overwhelming amount of homework please contact their homeroom teacher.  We try very hard to keep the amount of work at an amount that fifth graders can handle.  Thank you for your help.  Students who do not get their work done go to catch up cafe and then if it is still not done it is their responsibility.  You can always check Echo to see if your child is missing anything.
     We will be finished with The City of Ember this week and groups will be working on the next phase.  With Explorations this week work time will be shorter.  We hope to have this project wrapped up right after Thanksgiving.
     Here are some photos of the 5th grade first boys basketball game and of students working on using a scale to measure some different objects.  Have a great week!