Hello everyone,

Thank you to all the parents who are making sure to sign their child’s agenda each evening and who are checking homework before it is put in their child’s backpack for school the next day.  It really makes a difference in your child’s learning and in the smooth operation of our classroom.

Our Jog-a-Thon happening in one week, on October 5^th!!!!  I hope to see many of you here at school, cheering on the kids and helping out with this fun and important event.  Remember to send in your donations the week after the big day!

We are still collecting for the  beginning of the year Box Top contest!  It doesn’t end until October 26^th.  We have received quite a few box tops from several families already.  Please send in any box tops you have collected.  Every little bit helps.

This week the kids had their first meetings with our PE, music and computer teachers.  PE and computer lab will happen every week, and music will happen every other week.  Our music teacher will also be conducting a school chorus this year.  This is a first for La Mariposa, and it should be a fun experience for everyone involved.  Practices will be after school on Thursdays with the start date still to be determined.  Please return the form the children brought home earlier this year if your child is interested in participating in chorus. 

Here’s what you can expect in our subject areas:

Reading /  Writing / Language Arts:  We will conclude the Nature’s Fury theme this week with a Theme Skills Test that the kids will take on Thursday, October 4^th.  We will spend some time earlier in the week reviewing and practicing skills prior to taking the test. 

On Friday, October 5^th, students will take a Grammar Test on complete subject, complete predicate, simple subject, simple predicate, compound sentences, and types of sentences. 

Our spelling list this week will be on homophones, with a spelling test on Friday, October 5^th. 

In writing, we will continue learning about personal narrative writing.  This week, students will learn how to test and storyboard their stories.  We should be ready to begin writing our first drafts the following week.

On Friday, October 12^th, the first Literary Scholar Letter will be due.  Please check in with your child about the book they are reading for this first letter.  Some students have already begun to write their letters, while others are finishing their books.  I have told the children that they should plan on completing their reading no later than October 5^th so that they have a week to write the letter and can (hopefully) get it done in class.

Math:  This week, we will begin a chapter on multiplication of multi-digit numbers.  We will also work on understanding the Distributive Property.  This should be a fairly quick unit and we will take the quiz on chapter 3 on Wednesday, October 10^th.  Please be sure to continue to check your child’s math homework each evening and help them with any misunderstandings about the math we are doing.  Thank you! 

Science:  We will conclude our  study of Earth’s Water this week and take the test on this chapter on Friday, October 5^th.  Because of the upcoming test, your child will have some science homework each evening along with the usual math and spelling.  The science work is all review, and it should be fairly easy.  By spreading out the review, hopefully your child will not have to “cram” for the test on Thursday night!

Sheryl Pearson

5th Grade Teacher

LaMariposa Elementary School