A Letter to My Students' Families

June 24, 2014

Dear Fifth Grade Families,

Where has the year gone?  It seems just a short time ago I was writing a welcome letter and meeting you all for the first time.  That first day of school back in September was filled with anticipation and excitement.  The children and I spent time sharing our hopes and dreams, and it is my hope that the year brought many positive changes and growth for your child.  We’ve shared so many wonderful experiences: the team building and fun of Camps Bournedale and Foxy, Wall of Fame, student council, Concord Museum field trip, Survival Day, culminating in the fabulous Fifth Grade Reception.  

As your child enters middle school he or she will be filled with the same anticipation and excitement.  With this new school year comes an important transition.  I am confident that they have been given an excellent foundation from all of the teachers at Fox Hill.  I am grateful and proud that I have been part of that team, and a little bit sad that I must say goodbye to such curious, enthusiastic, generous, and caring children.

Please take note of the required summer reading information that you can access on the BPL website which you can get to from my blog.  We have gone over the titles and I have talked a bit about each, so he or she can make an informed choice.  In addition to the required reading I encourage your child to visit the public library this summer and to enjoy the pleasures of great books.  I would love to hear from them about what they are reading and have told them to email me if they would like to keep in touch.

Thank you for your support and your dedication to your child’s education.  Fox Hill parents are the best!  I wish you and your family a fun and relaxing summer.

All the best,

Roseann Lee

Why I Teach

Our fifth grade reception was a truly wonderful experience.  The children made us all proud and the day was filled with fun.  It was time to celebrate our hard work.  We enjoyed just being with each other, from the picnic with our families, to dodge ball, to dancing, even an old-fashioned game of 7 Up! (Yes, kids still love that game!)

These wonderful children have enriched my life and I cherish each and every one of them. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing these precious children with me!

 I found this message on my board at the end of the day!

Math is Cool!

On Saturday some of our Math Olympiad participants competed at the Middlesex Math Madness Tournament sponsored by Memorial School teachers Valerie Burns, Tara Olshaw, and Rose Magliozzi.  It was an exciting and well organized event. Students completed 10 problems in the individual competition, and then worked as a team to solve ten more problems.  A sample problem is below so you can try it for yourself.  (Ask if you want the answer!)

 I am so proud of our fifth graders: LiAm W., Matt T., Jane R. and Thiviyan S. and fourth grader Ronak G.

Here's one of the problems our challengers had to solve:

The numerator of a fraction contains two of the numbers 2, 3, 5 ,7 and 9., which are added, subtracted, or multiplied.  The denominator contains two of the other numbers and they are added, subtracted or multiplied.  What is the greatest possible value of the fraction?

Happy Father's Day

We wish all of our awesome Fox Hill dads a great Father's Day!

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