March is Reading Month!

Hi Everyone,
We had an early release day this week and two snow days!


March is Reading Month Kick-Off!
We are kicking off our assembly on Monday.  Our theme will be revealed to students at the assembly at 1:30 pm.!  We’re excited the Pioneer Comedy Troupe will be joining us to perform improv theater.

We are going to host a one-day Used Book Giveaway! this year in lieu of the book fair.  This will be on Thursday, March 19. Tables will be set up on the second floor back hallway. Parent volunteers will keep the tables full of books for students to choose from. Each student may choose one book to keep.

Ms. Rubin will be starting a brand new Fairy Tale unit with the students on Monday to also kick the month off for March is Reading month!

We will read aloud, read with our buddies and also end March is Reading Month with an all-school read-a-thon on March 27!

Writing
Most students wrapped up their notes this week and received their outlines for their research paper.  If a student isn't finished with their notes, students will be finishing them up for homework over the weekend because they were unable to finish in class.  Please have your child complete it over the weekend.  The outline will serve as a tool to use when structuring their rough draft.  We will begin drafting on Wednesday.  After the draft is completed, students will do a self-check, a buddy check and then a parent check for final feedback.  I am so proud of the work your children have done!  They have learned a lot and we can't wait to see the final product.

REMINDERS  
Traditional Literature Unit
Our mock trials will take place on:

Monday, March 23 - Cinderella vs. Evil Stepmother and Evil Stepsisters
(1:45 p.m.- 2:45 p.m.)

 Wednesday, March 25 - Three Little Pigs vs. The Wolf
(10:30 a.m - 11:30 a.m)

 Thursday, March 26 - Peter Pan vs. Captain Hook
(1:40 p.m- 2:40 p.m.)

Your child will be bringing home a letter soon reminding them of the date and time their trial will take place. Please consider coming to our mock trial and play the role of the juror! Students are very excited and cannot wait. Please let us know if you can come on the day your child is participating. I look forward to seeing you in court!

Ms. Rubin
lacrubin at umich.edu



Market Day 
Market Day is where students create products or provide a service to sell to other students at Burns Park for “Market Day Money.” The students are able to work independently or collaboratively with a partner to create their products. Students will decide on the name of their business as well as the pricing of their product or service.

Some rules and guidelines to follow please:
  1. Please do not use food for products
  2. Students will not be using real money to purchase products
  3. $10 max per person for resources ($20 per partnership)
Market Day will take place on Monday, April 6 in the afternoon.  This was the only date available in the spring to host this.  We are very excited to see what the students come up with!



Spring Testing Dates
Students will be taking the NWEA assessments and the M-STEP starting in April.  Please see the dates below.  They will also be listed on the homework calendar. Students will have the opportunity to practice some of the specific sample test items in class.  If you would like your child to continue exploring the sample test items, please refer to the link below.  This is a great opportunity for students to familiarize themselves with the tools and experience the test format. There is no answer key. Students will be taking a Math Assessment, English Language Arts Assessment, Science Assessment, and a Social Studies assessment. 
Students are encouraged to explore the Spring 2020 Preview and the Sample Item Sets. If you click on Sample Item Sets, please select grade 5. The username and password are provided right on that screen to log in. After logging in, students can practice either sample items or sample performance tasks.

Please avoid taking students out for appointments or vacation on test dates. Thank you for your support.  

Thursday, April 16
MSTEP ELA Computer Adaptive Assessment

Monday, April 27
MSTEP Mathematics Computer Adaptive Assessment

Wednesday, April 29
MSTEP Science Part 1 and Part 2 Assessments

Thursday, April 30
MSTEP Social Studies Assessment

Thursday, May 7
NWEA Math Assessment

Thursday, May 14
NWEA Reading Assessment

Click here to practice:

Report Cards 
Report Cards are coming home on Friday, March 13.  Please make sure to send back envelopes.  I would like to reuse them for their final report cards in June. Thank you for helping with this!


Important Dates - Mark Your Calendars

Tuesday, March 3 - Healthy Hearts Field Trip 

Tuesday, March 10 - No School / Election Day

Friday, March 13 - Report Cards Come Home

Monday, March 16-27 - Ms. Rubin's Lead Teaching

Monday, March 30-April 3 - No School / Spring Break

Monday, April 6 - Market Day for Fifth Grade

Friday, April 10 - No School

Thursday, April 16 - MSTEP ELA Computer Adaptive Assessment

Monday, April 27 - MSTEP Mathematics Computer Adaptive Assessment

Wednesday, April 29 - MSTEP Science Part 1 and Part 2 Assessments

Thursday, April 30 - MSTEP Social Studies Assessment

Tuesday, May 5 - No School: Election Day

Thursday, May 7 - NWEA Math Assessment

Thursday, May 14 - NWEA Reading Assessment

Wednesday, May 20 - Early Release Day

Thursday, May 21 - Fifth Grade Music Concert

Monday, May 25 - Memorial Day

Friday, May 29 - Ice Cream Social

Have a great weekend!

Homework/Events Calendar