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Welcome Class of 2012!
Lookout Mountain Hike ~ after 8 miles, we reached POINT PARK on a perfect Fall day in Chattanooga ~ 10/14/11
~ Toby and the 5th grade girls starting Rifle Pits Trail to Cravens House ~ Explore the following novels we are reading in our Literature Teams. All Newberry Award Winners! Moon over Manifest (2011), The Graveyard Book (2009), Kira-Kira (2005), Crispin: The Cross of Lead (2003), A Single Shard (2002), A Year Down Yonder (2001), Bud, Not Buddy (2000) http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberyhonors/newberymedal Field trips completed:
Upcoming field trips:
5th Grade Outreach Update: We had a wonderful trip to Alexian Village for our Christmas giving. The children gave cards with symbols of Christmas matched with meaningful messages showing creative and considerate thought, and they were greatly appreciated. They also enjoyed the puzzles and PEACE signs, but were most appreciative of the gift of our time. We learned a lot on our January Trailwise trip ~ what was working with our shelter and what could be better, how to make safe and practical knots, how to tie bracelets using knots. Beautiful day outside with Mr. Mark. Our next service trip will be Valentines Day. Parents, please help us keep the focus on outreach and remember that the 5th grade, being the oldest, celebrates holidays differently at St. Peter's. Instead of parties, games, goodie bags, and treats for ourselves, we head out and give. I know that we all enjoy celebrating the holidays in our own homes and with our own friends, but let's keep the school outreach focus intact. Valentines Day is on a Tuesday, following Winter Break. We will have finished all flower gram orders before the break. When we return, we'll have chapel, classes, our Alexian Village visit from 10:45-12:15, and then regular afternoon classes. As part of Language Arts in the morning, we'll design old fashioned Valentines cards for our Alexian friends, and we have some fun puzzles and stickers to bring as gifts.
Bringing a Valentine box on Valentine's Day is a good idea so that your child has a place for cards received or flower grams. It is an option to send out cards, and we definitely encourage you to send some flower grams! Remember to only send cards if you are doing the whole class or grade. Do not send candy or treats with the cards. It's a busy day, coming off a four day weekend, and it becomes very difficult to have classes. Send a regular snack for our morning walk.
As we enter 2012, help us set the example for our Go Green, Go Healthy initiative at St. Peter's. It is making a difference in the children's health, attention, and fitness. Jaime Melton represented us at the White House several years ago for our efforts, and we would like to be honored again someday. Please help us keep our status! Healthy snacks...nutritious lunches...daily exercise...good rest. We will be talking to the children about the importance of sleep and charting our hours. It's always good to step back and evaluate how we are taking care of our bodies. Thanks for your support.
Fundraisers:
Student Jobs:
LOOP: September: Allison, Nick, Mason, October: Coleton E, Kristopher, Hayden, November: Jackson W, Cole J, Riley W, December: Skylar, Walter, John, January: Sydney, Alexis, Colt, February: Max, Gillian, Tessa MORNING ANNOUNCERS: Kristopher (Aug. 23...), Carolyn (Sept. 7...), Emma (Sept. 19...), Sydney (Oct. 3...), Nick (Oct. 17...), Max (Oct. 31...), Skylar (Nov. 7...), Hayden (Nov 21...), Jackson W (Dec. 12), Jackson S (Jan 16), Tessa (Jan 25), Walter (Feb. 2), Alexis (Feb 15) CHAPEL READERS: Aug 30: Tessa, Coleton, Sept. 13: Nick, Sept. 20: Matt B., Sept. 27: Carolyn, Oct. 4: Skylar, Oct. 11: John, Oct. 18: Mason, Oct. 25: Kristopher, Nov. 1: Sydney, Nov. 15: Walter, Nov. 22: Jackson W, Nov. 29: Emma, Dec. 6: Alexis, Dec. 13: Jackson S., Jan 10: Max, Jan. 24: Riley, Mat, Ryker, Jan. 31: Kristopher, Mrs. Lockrow, Feb. 14: For information on Language Arts and Art for ALL 5th, come here. For information on Math and Social Studies (1st, 2nd qtrs) and Science (3rd, 4th qtrs) for ALL 5th, go to "5th grade ~ Maounis." We will each post general information for the whole grade. 5th grade students have a team of teachers involving them in all aspects of learning. Please contact the following if you have a question about a specialty class: PE: Blaes Schmissrauter, MUSIC, COMPUTER: Mark Tyson, SPANISH: Sarah Hernandez, FAITH: Kathleen Lanza, LIBRARY: Lisa Parsons Homework: Mrs. Maounis and I assign about 1 hour of homework for the average 5th grader, 1/2 hour from each of us. We know that some students work quickly and utilize every spare moment at school, going home with their homework completed. Some work slowly, are very distracted at home, or struggle with using their planner correctly. Whatever the case, if this is a problem, try setting aside a quiet space and allow 1 hour of concentrated homework. Ask to see what was completed. Help your child check off assignments as completed in the planner. We are putting estimated times on the homework board. The assignments are extensions of our work in class, reinforcing the skills taught. Leaving some of this reinforcement work for home enables us to spend more time teaching new skills and topics. Please contact us if you have tried the suggestions and are still struggling with homework completion. Snacks and Birthday Treats: We made a conscious effort several years ago to make St.Peter's a healthy haven for children - we switched to Greenlife for lunches, added the mid-morning walk, removed chips, cookies, and drinks with additives from the snack store, required healthy birthday treats, snacks, and lunches from home, and consciously set an example of fruits, vegetables, juices, and yogurts as fun "pick me ups." In the last two years, we've had healthy and creative treats for birthdays: homemade bread with jam, fruit kabobs, 100% juice popsicle sticks, fresh fruit, yogurt bars, yogurt sundaes, carrot and raisin muffins, apples with dips, veggies with dips...keep 'em comin'. We want a healthy attitude to food - it should be fun and make you feel good. Someday, these little ones will be teenagers, and we don't want them to be crash dieting or afraid of food. Starting now is the time. Language Arts News: This class meets twice a day and involves reading, writing, grammar, and spelling - the skills are connected and several activities revolve around the current read-aloud novel. For this class, the LA binder should be kept updated and organized - we refer to WRITING, NOVEL NOTES, TIPS (suggestions for writing improvement), SPELLING, and POETRY sections.
We are currently in Literature Teams of 3-4 children each, reading Newberry Award winners of the last decade! The students have really progressed with their reading, and this requires a little more independence and organization. They are reading orally and discussing, annotating as they explore. They assign their own pages at night and each bring 3 strong questions "to the table" the next day. Stop by and watch them learn from each other ~
NOTE: During this time, they do not have to be reading an independent AR book. I'd like them to concentrate on their team book, and their book report will be on that.
When writing, your support and suggestions are encouraged, but writing and typing must be entirely completed by the students. We will be focusing on many grammar skills this year, so errors will be circled and suggestions made. Please encourage your child to read all comments carefully and specifically work on those areas in the next paper. They should not be offended by errors marked and suggestions on their paper - we are learning to write and improve! I would rather they take risks, writing longer and more interesting sentences, making errors from time to time than limiting themselves! We started a writing portfolio with this class last year, and this year I'll be adding copies of several writing works, so at the end of the year, we can all see the progress.
To work on specific skills, the Word Studies, Vocabulary, and English Workshop books will all be used. Spelling tests are on Fridays, while Vocabulary tests are every other Wednesday. All grades from English Workshop are OPEN BOOK - they should learn to use this book as a great reference tool for writing. Encourage effective ways of locating information; with today's technological advances, this method is here to stay.
Art News: Please visit our new gallery at the school featured in Warren Hall. It was a brainstorm of the St. Peter's faculty, and several volunteers pulled out paintbrushes and rollers in August. Look for featured work from the following artists: Preschool - 1st : Oct, Dec, Feb, April 2nd-5th: Sept, Nov, Jan, March NOTE: It is January, and our gallery looks a little bleak. Keep in mind that the homerooms are all involved in AUCTION PROJECTS! It will be full again soon, we promise! Year at a Glance for Language Arts and Art:
Kanuga ~ MTOS (Mountain Trail Outdoor School) in Hendersonville, NC: Mark your calendars! The 5th Grade Retreat will be May 22-25. This is a tradition for the graduating class at St. Peter's, begun in 1993. We travel by chartered bus, spend 3 nights in camp cabins, and learn from the experienced outdoor instructors at MTOS. We conclude on Friday with a white water rafting trip down the French Broad River, in boats of 5-7 with professional guides. Parents are welcome to meet us and enjoy this grand finale. You may want to book a hotel room soon for the night before if you don't want to make the drive that morning (about 2 1/2 hrs) to the Hot Springs area. Parents of alumni can give you suggestions; don't be afraid to ask. Also, I have booklets on MTOS, but the best way to get the most current information is to visit www.kanuga.org Fundraising: So, you may ask, "How do we pay for Kanuga?" The kids do! The grand design is that they earn it, and they definitely feel a sense of ownership when they load that bus. It costs about $300 per student for MTOS classses, housing and food, transportation, and rafting. We will try to raise $7500 this year. How? Support the following fundraisers, and spread the word to get other families "on board" too. Snack Store... Box Tops... Grandparents Day Flower Sale... Valentines Day Flower Grams... Pajama Day... Work Day Auction...3rd-5th grade play profits... gOt tAlEnT? sHaRe iT! Any additional twist to a fundraiser helps. For example, during some years, parents have hosted a pre-play buffet dinner or pizza night. Recorded dvd's have also been sold. We will keep you posted on our financial status. Keep your eye on the prize. Below is a picture of David, Ann, and Jamie tackling three rock climbing elements. ~ Kanuga ~ May, 2011 ~
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St Peter's Episcopal School848 Ashland Terrace · Chattanooga, Tennessee 37415 · 423.870.1794
