My Accidental Newsletter

Dear Students & Parents,

With our Holiday Break coming up so soon, things have gotten a little crazy around here! As such, I’d like to take this opportunity to give you a little “heads up” about some upcoming dates and events that are notable for you and your children. I’ll apologize in advance for the lengthiness of this email, but you can, of course, write me with any additional questions and I’ll respond quickly. I’ll also break these important dates down into core subject areas, and then describe some of the non-academic events below:

Academic Events

Reading- We’re continuing our work on expository (informational) writing, and analyzing narrative non-fiction text. Students should be reading/researching their selected explorer from a variety of sources, including, but not limited to: books, magazine articles, encyclopedia entries, websites, etc. As they read, they should be taking careful notes for the final, published research report described below.

Writing- As previously stated, students are working on their research reports, that will, for the first time, be set with a given length requirement (two pages, 1.5 line spacing, 12-point, Arial font). These reports are primarily be worked on during class time, but we’d also expect that many students will need to put in some time out of the classroom to ensure a paper of the highest quality. The published pieces will be due Wednesday, December 11th.

Math- We’re continuing our work on the conceptual understanding of fraction concepts. Watching your students develop mathematical stamina, and really learning what’s behind fraction concepts has been extremely rewarding for me as a teacher to be a part of. I think it’s safe to say that they’ve all had their share of struggles, and have also learned to work through them to show a deeper understanding. We’ve been relying heavily on hands-on manipulatives, drawings, diagrams, and explanations rather than the aged method of worksheets and drills for speed. Their progress has been amazing. That said, I have told them that there is a possibility of some sort of math assessment, but at the same time, I don’t want to rush. I’d say that at this point, there is a 20-30% chance of some sort of assessment happening prior to break, with this being a number diminishing with each passing day. I feel safe saying that it is “unlikely” at this point, but not impossible. I’ll keep you updated. In the meantime, I’d love it if you asked them to occasionally perform any task that we’re currently working on and explain to you their thinking. The way we’re doing math these days is very different from what you or I might remember, and it’s also a great way to reinforce their own understandings.

Social Studies- Our work on “Exploration” continues, with students finishing up the last teaching point having to do with positive/negative effects of “European Expansion.” They are using much of the information gained here to supplement their research reports in Writing class.

Additionally, students will be assigned their final summative assessment (project-based) wherein they will be selecting a method to present what they’ve learned about their explorers that specifically relates to the teaching points covered so far this trimester. More information will be coming home with them by the end of this week. Those projects are tentatively scheduled for the morning of Friday, December 13th.

Science- We are finishing up our unit on “The Physics of Sound.” Today, the kids did mini presentations to review essential understanding from the unit. From there, they will be taking their final assessment on Tuesday, December 10th. Students may want to continue reviewing key concepts that can be found in their science magazines, which are full of articles. The assessment itself will feature a combination of multiple choice, short answer, and performance-based (mini experiments) questions.

Finally, with regard to Science, the students were given the option of completing a sound experiment. They have a list of ideas from which they can choose, or they can create their own. As mentioned, this is an option, so if they are feeling overwhelmed with what they’ve already got coming up, they may choose not to do this. However, I explained that this would be a great way to show an “EX” level of understanding as it relates to sound. Please ask them their plans for this, and provide support where necessary (many require supplies). If they do choose to complete it, it will be presented at some point on Thursday, December 12th.

As you can see, these kids are going to be BUSY these last couple of weeks!!!

Non-Academic Events

AISC Soccer Tournament- Recently, the class voted on, and decided, to “adopt” a team from AES. We’d like to attempt to go out and watch one of their games, and if we do so, we’d really like to not only cheer for them, but to also bring them something delicious/nutritious to eat! As soon as the game time is confirmed, I will let parents know. I’d (and they’d) VERY much appreciate this gesture, so I hope you’ll be willing to help out! :)

Upper Elementary Final Music Concert- I’ll admit that I don’t know much about this (being a new teacher here), but I wanted to let you know about it on this newsletter. As I’ve seen in the past, there have been many parents in attendance, so I feel fairly safe telling you that this is an event that you may want to attend. If you have further questions, please let me know and I’ll find out the answer to your query. This is scheduled for Thursday, December 12th from 2:00-3:00 PM.

5B Holiday Party- And finally, what CRAZY kind of week would be complete without a class party?! Being that we’re out at 12:30 on Friday, December 13th, I’d like to have our class party from 11-12:00. The kids will then go to lunch from 12:05-12:20 and be released 10 minutes later. I think you’ll agree that after such a long and possibly stressful week, they will be deserving of a really fun party with lots of treats! I hope that the parents (as they’ve done every time before) will be happy to put on this party. I’ll again admit that I know few details of how this is organized, but I’m hoping that you’ll all be so kind to create some sort of sign-up sheet or call-list that can be used to coordinate the logistics of this event.

THANK YOU ALL, again, for your continued support. Have I ever told you how lucky I am to get to work with all of you and your AMAZING kids?? They are just so much fun. I am also happy that one of my best friends, Laura, will be flying over from San Francisco, California to spend the next (almost) three weeks with me as we tour India, from south to north. I know that one of the highlights of her trip will be getting to spend the day with all of us here at AISC. Good thing she’ll just be coming for all of the celebrations and not just the tests! ;)

Thanks again, sorry again for the wordiness, and PLEASE let me know if you have any questions, comments or concerns.

Fondly,

“Mr. Ben”