June News

   
    June! it is hard to believe that only nine months ago I was introducing myself to all of you.  It has been a very full year, with much growth and fun, but we are not quite finished, so please encourage your child to stay focused and keep up their efforts in every class.  Our visit last week to the middle school brought many questions, but mostly excitement and anticipation.  Your children are growing up, and middle school is the next step.  They are ready!

     PARCC testing went very smoothly.  I am so proud of all the fifth graders who took this work so seriously and gave their best effort.  They responded to every challenge with maturity and patience.  We also enjoyed a break from the hard work on Field Day.  As usual, Mrs. Moules and Mrs. McCall organized a very special and fun-filled day of activities including our annual teacher vs. fifth graders volleyball tournament. (I was called a "menace" at the net!) Congratulations to our homeroom who won the relay race!  Also of special note: Meghan S. who won the 50 Peppers jump rope contest!  Also participating in fifth grade special activities were  Jane, LiAm, Ethan, Nataleigh,  & Sydney!  I

     In math we are working on fractions: adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing.  There are also two areas that we need to address which are very brief lessons. One is plotting ordered pairs, and another is interpreting and creating line plots.  In other math news, I will be taking a team of Math Olympians: Thiviyan S., Jane R., LiAm W., Matt T., and fourth grader Ronak G. to compete at the Middlesex Math Madness Math Tournament.  We are very excited to participate with teams from Memorial School in Burlington and several other towns. 

     Students in my ELA class are creating Public Service Announcements.  This involves some research and critical reading on topics from global warming to how much sleep kids really need.  Students picked topics of interest and are currently working with a partner to plan, write, and then record their PSA. I am hoping post them to You Tube with a link from this blog.  They are using what they have learned about persuasive writing and are using iPads to research and to record their final project. 

    Our final topic for the year in Social Studies is the Constitution. Though time is short, students will know the basic facts: who, what, when, where, and why about the Constitution. Here's a question to ask them: Who is known as the "Father" of the Constitution? If they answer James Madison, you can tell them: "well done!"  That's one of the questions on the short quiz I am planning for June 16.  This week there is a quiz on the causes and effects of the American Revolution.

   As we count down the final weeks here are some important dates to note:
Family Picnic: Monday, June 16 at 6 pm
Fifth Grade Reception: June 19 at 9:30 am 
Last Day of School: June 24  (half day)

    And finally, I want to thank each of you for your support and effort to help make this a productive and memorable final year at Fox Hill for your fifth grader.  See you at the Reception!  Have a wonderful summer!

Roseann Lee