Is it Really Over?

    I can't believe this year is over!  It has gone so quickly.  We have done so much and these kids have come so far this year.  We have asked them to try new things and they have without much complaint.  You parents have been very supportive and have allowed us to have your children this year and we have truly enjoyed them.  There have been some bumps in the road but nothing was too big that we could not overcome together.  We will miss this group and they will always be special to each of us. 

   This last week we have finished up our tie dye shirts. (PLEASE wash them separately the first time on cold!)  We have had a minute to win it competition and just enjoyed hanging out with each other with no pressure to take any test!   In their folders coming home today you will find their last report cards and a paper that will let you look up their ISTEP scores (BUT those are not going to be ready until JULY so put them in a safe place!) 

   They are wonderful children and we are excited to see what happens to them in the future!  We expect great things!  Have a great summer! 

Last Full Week of School is Over!

    Wow, what a week!  I can't believe that this week is over and we only have three school days left of this amazing year.  This group of kids has been a great group to work with and try things out on.  Most have been successful and some we will have to tweak before we try again.  These kids have rolled with everything we have tried this year and we appreciate them and their efforts.
     This week we did our tour of states.  We presented to 21 different classes and then we visited 21 different classes/states.  Mrs. Dennie's room was Florida, Mr. Hunter's was South Carolina and Mr. Premetz was Virginia.  This was a lot of fun and hopefully they learned at least one new thing about each state/class we visited.

      We started our tie dyeing process this week as well.  A lot of purple hands are coming home tonight.  They need to be prepared to get a little wet on Tuesday when we rinse these shirts.  It is all a lot of fun.

     We finished up Achieve 3000 this week and most finished with AR as well.  Computers get turned in on Tuesday and they will be a little sad about that I am sure!  Next week we have an awards program at 9:00 am on Wednesday.  As much as we would like to give awards to all of them we are limited to very few awards at this ceremony.  Letters were sent home to those students getting special recognition (that we know about).  We will be doing some fun activities during the last few days and we encourage them to dress were they can be active.
     Have a great long weekend! 

Winding Down the Year

     This week has been another busy one.  We have been Aims Web testing in math and reading.  Most of the students have made great gains on these tests.  A few have checked out already and we are working hard at keeping them focused for the next 8 days.  We have a lot of fun activities in the next 8 days and we want them all to be able to participate. 
     Students had been giving the PhD reports this week and Mr. Premetz has been very pleased with their presentations.  It is great to see the students using what they have learned.  These kids have learned so much this year about giving good presentations with their groups that it is showing in their individual reports.  We are so proud of them.
     Math this week we have been finishing up for B common assessments and we have also been working on coming up with a creative way to share a topic they have learned this year in math.  They are in groups and they are coming up with some GREAT things. 
     In Science this week we have been working on our final unit of sinking and floating.  Students have been doing some hands on activities in class dealing with this topic.   
     We have been working this week at getting our classrooms ready for our tour of the states.  Each year all of the homerooms turn their classrooms into a state or country, depending on the year, and invite everyone to come and see.  This year Mrs. Dennie's room is Florida, Mr. Hunter is South Carolina and Mr. Premetz is Virginia.  The students have been learning about their state and getting ready to have visitors come and learn about it as well.  This is a great way to work as a class to accomplish a goal and they are really starting to take shape.
    Next Thursday, we will begin our tie dying project.  Students have to have their AR goal to participate....(We don't have that many left to get this.....so many are very close)  A paper was sent home last week about this project.  Students need to bring a white t shirt to school on or before Thursday.  The shirt can have writing on it or be plain but it must be white.   This is always a fun time! 
   Have a great weekend!

    

Field Trip/ISTEP/Egg Drop

     Wow, another very busy week is at a close.  We had a great trip to Notre Dame on Tuesday.  The weather was beautiful and the kids were really wonderful.  They did a great job representing our school.  It was fun to see them in the dining hall spotting a football player and waiting patiently for him to finish eating before they asked for photos.  We were very happy with their behavior.  We had a wonderful tour of the campus and learned some interesting tings as well.  A former PHS valedictorian, Lindsay Renz,  helped arrange our tours and gave one to Mrs.T. Dennie's class.  It was great for our kids to see what you can achieve! 

      We took our final ISTEP test today and we are happy with the effort the kids put into it.  They have worked hard and we are excited for the results. 

     We finished up our Egg Drop project today with testing the containers in the loading dock.  Only eight containers did not protect the egg.  This is great!  When they were finished each group had a form to fill out about costs, and why their egg survived or broke.  They had a good time with this project. 

       As the year draws to a close, we will be turning our classrooms into states for our tour of states.  This is a time when all of the other classes will come to visit each other.  This is a fun activity and our kids are so good at working with each other this should be pretty easy for them. 

      Have a great weekend.

What a Week!!!

   As school weeks go this one was pretty crazy!  We began as most of you probably know with ISTEP issues.  I am very proud to say that the students handled this very well.  It was frustrating for all of us but the students really rallied and worked very hard when we did get to test.  We have finished the math and language arts part of the test but still have to do the social studies portion.  We will be finishing this next Friday.  All four fifth grade teams have field trips next week so that is why we are waiting until next Friday to finish.  The sixth grade will be testing Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday so our schedule will be modified to accommodate them.
    Today we had a guest from UPS that read a letter to us challenging our students to create something that can be used to ship fragile items that is cost effective.  Next Friday, we will be testing these "containers" by throwing them off of a high ladder in the loading dock of the school.  

     We spend some time today working on what we know and what we need to know for this project.  We are once again impressed at what these students come up with.  They decided as a group our next steps as to what they should do.  We let them choose their groups and start a plan today.  So, be prepared when they come home they may have some wild ideas!  Students will be working on these in school for three days next week with their chosen groups.  They may need to bring items from home to do this project.  We are excited to see what they come up with.
     This next week we have our field trip to Notre Dame.  We want to remind kids to wear good walking shoes as we will do a lot of walking that day.  Also, watch the weather and make sure they dress appropriately for the forecast.  This is a fun day but we want to make sure they are prepared.
   The end of the year is fast and furious.  We are hoping that they finish AR up strong so we can have fun without having to worry about that.  Have a great weekend!

Is it Really April 26th?

      I can't believe that it is really April 26th...The weather has not felt like it and there is just too many things left to do with this class for it to be almost the last month of school.  The three of us were out for two days of training on New Tech this week and the students got very good reports for the most part.  It is hard to have one of us gone let alone all three.  We came back very excited for the students who chose to continue learning in a PBL environment.  We spent our training days with the 5th through 8th grade Innovation Academy facilitators and are excited that our students will be working with this great group of people.  We also are so proud of the students and the work they have done this year.  They are really becoming life-long learners and are able to do so many new things. 

     On Thursday we held our College Fair and had most of the students at Riverside come to the gym to see the students projects.  We had very nice compliments from a lot of adults that came through about how our students presented themselves and their excitement to share with those who came by their display.  

     It is hard for us as adults to try new things out but these students have no problem trying things and if they do not work out they quickly try again.  They do not get frustrated they just try something else.  They are great at helping each other and encouraging each other.  These are some of the things that we believe PBL has taught them plus many more.  

   Just a reminder that our LEAD trip is Wednesday, May 1 and our Notre Dame Field trip is Tuesday, May 7.  Also next week is the final round of ISTEP.  Help us and your child out by making sure they have a good breakfast and get good rest.  Please encourage them to take their time and do their very best on each question.  Even though it is timed they should have plenty of time to read each question carefully.  

    Have a great weekend! 

 

College Fair Photos

Here are some photos from our College Fair.  Not all of the kids are in the photos, for some members of the groups, we do not have permission to put photos online.  Sorry if your child is not here. 

After school the gym was transformed into one of the places for Rocket Night!  Over 300 students attended and had a great time hanging out with their friends!

Busy Work Week

This week we have been busy finishing up our latest project.  The students have created tri-fold displays and some sort of advertisement for the college that their group chose.  The displays look great and we love the different commercials, Keynotes, Prezi's and brochures.  We are excited to share these with the rest of the school and any parent who wants to attend.  Next Thursday, April 25th from 1:15-2:45 our students will be hosting a "College Fair" for anyone who wants to attend.  Feel free to join us and check out what we have been working on.

    This week we had Mr. Nelson Chipman come and speak to our students as part of the LEAD program.  He talked to the students about his job a Prosecutor and also about laws and gave some examples for the students.  

     This week in math we have been working on reading and understanding graphs and charts.  We have looked at different examples and talked about where we would use these in the "outside' world.   In language arts, we have continued to work on theme.  We have read several stories and discussed what the possible themes could be.  In social studies we have continued our work with LEAD.  We have been discussing our legal system and how to be a good citizen.  

     Next week, Thursday evening is Rocket Night.  This is from 5:30-7 and it is for Riverside students only.  The student council and PTO sponsor this event.  We could use some small individually wrapped candy for prizes if you could donate any that would be great.  

     FYI---ISTEP round two starts on Tuesday, April 30.  Make sure to encourage your student to work hard and do their very best!  Have a great weekend!