Week of October 24th, 2016

5th Grade website :excelsiorlionsgohigh.weebly.com

We are finishing up our unit on multiplying fractions and moving into dividing fractions- there is a
quiz tomorrow! Encourage your student to continue to draw bar models for their fraction word
problems, and have them go over their test taking help materials that they can use during
tomorrows quiz!
This week, we are finally beginning Don Quixote! Your student has been working on the
vocabulary for chapter 1 for the past week and will begin Chapter 2s this week. This will be a
very challenging read! As such, the students will need multiple points of contact with the
material- reading at home, then re-reading at school (or visa versa). The very best way for
your student to read this material at home is with an adult- read aloud together, switching off, or
read to them (in needs-based cases). The most important compotent to reading at home is in discussing
what your student has read, and helping them to sythesize each chapter correctly. In general, we will be
reading about 2 chapters per week with voacabulary work and chapter questions throughout. It will be
very important for your student to stay on schedule with their reading, vocabulary, and question
answering!
We are beginning our study of the Renaissance and the Reformation! We have researched and
discussed the ancient civilizations of Greece and Rome and are now applying that knowledge to our
study of the Renaissance. Ask your student what they have learned about these timelines and the
ways that these societies are related (Feudal Japan included)!

We have been working on brochures of the human body, building our background
knowledge for our studies on cells! Have your student walk you through their brochures so
far and and talk to them about their plans for how they are going to finish it off!

Make sure that your student is walking you through their binder every night! They should be able to tell you
everything that they learned today and review any classwork done. Even if your student feels that they
completed the full assignment during class time, part of their homework is to go over the classwork and
assignments with you- having your student teach you what they have learned, concretes their
understanding!

Week of October 24th, 2016

* MATH QUIZ TOMORROW 10/25!
* Report cards/ reflection sheets/ conference sign up going home Friday, 10/28!
* Domain costume day Monday, 10/31!
**5TH GRADE REPORT CARDS/ REFLECTION SHEETS/CONFERENCE INFORMATION COMING
HOME ON FRIDAY, 10/28
- This round of conferences will be divided so that you may choose 1.Not to meet at this time
2.To meet about Language Arts and Social Studies only 3. To meet about Math and Science
only 4. To meet about all subjects with both Mrs. Althoff and Ms. Brackett
** BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL TUTORING AVAILABLE- PLEASE RSVP WEEKLY ON THE
TUTORING REQUEST SHEETS FOUND UNDER THE CONTACT SECTION OF THE WEBSITE!
- Math tutoring (remediation), Mondays: 4:00-4:30pm
- Math Homework help: Thursdays 7:45-8:15 am
* LANGUAGE ARTS TUTORING AVAILABLE
- Mondays: 4:00-4:30 and Thursdays 7:45-8:15 am
** SICK KIDS** We have had a lot of sickness in 5th grade since returning from fall break; several cases
of flu, and strep have been reported. Symptoms include:
- Feeling feverish/ dizzy/ or swimmy
- High fevers
- Sore throats
- Nausea
- Headaches
If your student experiences any or several of these, please check them over thoroughly before sending
to school. As much as we would like for our students to be at school, sick kids dont get much work done
and we tend to end up with more students out.
If your student has a fever or actual vomiting, they must stay out of school until symptoms stop
and then stay out for a full 24 hours of clear health. We want to make sure that we are doing
everything possible to avoid causing more of our student body to be seriously ill.
TENNIS BALLS FOR CHAIRS
A huge thanks to Mrs. Jackson for cutting all of the tennis balls that we had over break! If you have any
avenues for donation, we would love some more tennis balls- thanks so much to everyone who already
donated!
LUNCH TIME VOLUNTEERS!
We have had some awesome parent volunteers- thank you! We are hoping that with more participation,
we will be able to let student groups go outside and have more social lunch, while those choosing to be
quiet can have a separate space. Let us know if youre interested!
Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns, we hope that you are have a fabulous week!

Week of October 24th, 2016

Mrs. Althoff (kalthoff@excelsiorca.org)
Ms. Brackett (sbrackett@excelsiorca.org)