FINE ARTS EXTRAVAGANZA

This week's Fine Arts Extrvaganza event to promote the fine arts in the secondary schools was fantastic!!!  Overall, I was very pleased with how well the kids did.  They learned about band, orchestra, drama, choir, and art opportunities they will have in middle school and high school.  They even got to see some of the new faces, teachers and students, they will see in their middle school next year.  This event is followed up by 3 opportunities for 5th grade students to attend an Instrument Try Out night.  Below are the dates for the instrument nights at various schools.  Students are welcome to attend any night at any school.  This is the first step to joining band or orchestra in middle school.

JAN 20: Smithton Middle School 6:30-8:30
JAN 22: Gentry Middle School 6:30-8:30
JAN 26: Lange Middle School 6:30-8:30

In general, everyone is doing a GREAT job in the classroom.  It is good to be back every day!  Kids are very excited for our Discovery game and each colony will "set sail" to the New World this week.  Students first Passport assignment, the astrolabe, turned out very well and they can even use them at home with the North Star.  Readers are generally enjoying our new books, each focused on a character who goes on a journey, like the explorers we are studying.  Below is the focus for our short week this week.

READING: Lit Journal #2: monitoring and organizing ideas from fiction
WRITING: word study practice and start Narrative writing cycle
MATH: test on Variables on Tuesday; start new unit on Fractions and Decimals
SOCIAL STUDIES: Passport #2 and Discovery game
SCIENCE: Water cycle models