5th Grade Newsletter- May 10, 2019

Upcoming Dates

May 14 - 9:00a, Park Parent Club meeting

May 16 - Field Day t-shirt orders due

May 27 - No School

June 4 - Field Day at BMS

June 6 - End of year picnic, Park Pride Field Day

June 7 - 9:00a, 5th Grade Graduation Celebration

June 7 - Early release 12:15

Save the Date!

On Friday, June 7 at 9:00, we will be celebrating our 5th graders in a special honors ceremony.  Students are encouraged to invite family members to help celebrate the occasion.  Students can wear anything they wish, ranging from appropriate school attire to Sunday best, whatever is best for your family.  A light refreshment and treat will be served at the conclusion of the ceremony with time to take pictures.  

End of Year Push

As the end of the year is winding down we recognize that there will be an end of year push to finish and assess current units of study, as well as end of year assessments.  We will make every effort to give students time to create study guides and give them time to study and prepare.  Please be watching their agendas for information about assessments and partner with us as we prepare them. Next week looks like this: Math unit 8 Big Idea 1 test A on Friday. 

Summer Reading Program

Park students get a FREE book every week!!! 

Please note non-Park students are not eligible for the book give away.

The library will be open each Tuesday for check out if you are looking for additional books for your non-Park students.

SUMMER READING DATES & TIMES

Tuesdays 9:30-10:30 am AND 6:30-7:15 pm

June 11, 18, 25 

July 9, 16, 23, 30

Aug 6 

New this year ~ we are excited to offer a morning and evening session weekly. 

5th Grade Newsletter- April 12, 2019

Upcoming Dates

Apr 15- Science M-Step

Apr 16- ELA M-Step

Apr 16 - Camp Meeting 

Apr 16- Camp Payments Due

Apr 17- ELA M-Step (if needed)

Apr 22- Math M-Step

Apr 23- Math M-Step  (if needed)

Apr 24 - Social Studies M-Step

May 1-3 Camp 

*Save the Date*  June 7, 9:00am  5th Grade Graduation Celebration, details to come

M-Step Testing Days

We will begin M-Step testing on April 15.  Please make our testing days a priority for your son/daughter to be present at school, well-rested, fed, and ready to go.  If they are ill and need to stay home, we have make-up days for any missed tests. 

Headphones for M-Step

If your son/daughter would like to use their own headphones for the M-Step listening portion of the test, they may bring in headphones that have a “mini-stereo input jack”, which is commonly found on ear buds and other common headphone sets.  

Camp Pendalouan 

There will be a mandatory parent meeting April 16th at 7pm in our gym. Matt Abel, YMCA Camp Pendalouan director, will be here with a slideshow presentation, explaining all about camp life.  He will also answer any questions you or your child may have.  You will be given a packet filled with directions, packing suggestions, schedules, cabin assignments, activity group assignments, etc.  

After this meeting, there will be a short meeting for the parent chaperones going to camp. Next week, your child will bring home information regarding any final payments that might still be owed.

Art Show

Please bring your young artists to the Hudsonville Public Schools PK-12 Student Art Show! The show will run from Monday, April 22nd through Wednesday, May 1st at Hudsonville City Hall. City Hall will be open daily from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. School artist receptions will take place in the evenings (Monday- Wednesdays) from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM. Please update your calendars and save the date! Wednesday, April 24th, from 5:30-7:30 pm will be Park's artist reception.

Everyone is invited to drop in during the reception and see a fantastic selection from HPS and congratulate our young artists! If your child has completed artwork selected for the show they will be bringing home a letter sharing which piece will be in the show.

In addition, to individual pieces, all of the classes have been learning about the different jobs in Fashion Design. Specifically textile designers and Fashion Illustrators. Everyone in the school will be contributing to the design of a special "Art Show Dress" that Mrs. Anderson will be wearing on our reception night. 

The show is free and open to the public! 

Additional information and reception dates for each school can be found on the Hudsonville Art Program blog.

If you would like to see more of what the classes are working on please visit my Instagram account at instagram.com/bettertogetherart.

What’s happening in… 

Reading:  Students are reading and responding to informational text. 

Soc. St.: Students are studying The Revolutionary War and A New Government. 

Writing: We are working on Informational Writing.  

Math: Students are studying Algebra, Patterns, and Coordinate Graphs.

Science: Students will be being their next unit, To Infinity and Beyond. They will be learning about the patterns and movements of the sun, planets, and the moon. 

5th Grade Newsletter- Mar 15, 2019

Upcoming Dates

Mar 19 & 21- Parent Teacher Conferences + Book Fair

Mar 22- Middle School Course Selection Sheets due (note date change)

Mar 26 - MS Course selections made at school

Mar 29 - Apr 7 - Spring Break

Apr 15, 16, 22, 23, 24 - M-Step Testing Days

Apr 16 - Remaining camp payments due (watch for payment form) 

Middle School Transition Information 

We would be happy to discuss middle school course selection sheets at conferences if you have any questions.

M-Step Testing Days

We will begin M-Step testing on April 15.  Please make our testing days a priority for your son/daughter to be present at school, well-rested, fed, and ready to go.  If they are ill and need to stay home, we have make-up days for any missed tests. 

Camp Pendalouan 

There will be a mandatory parent meeting April 16th at 7pm in our gym. Matt Abel, YMCA Camp Pendalouan director, will be here with a slideshow presentation, explaining all about camp life.  He will also answer any questions you or your child may have.  You will be given a packet filled with directions, packing suggestions, schedules, cabin assignments, activity group assignments, schedules, etc.  Please make this meeting a top priority with your child!

After this meeting, there will be a short meeting for the parent chaperones going to camp. Next week, your child will bring home information regarding any final payments that might still be owed.

Assessments

If your child receives a 1 on any type of assessment, please do one of the following: sign the assessment and send it back to school the next day OR write a note in your child’s agenda stating you saw the assessment.  Thank you for helping us in this matter.  

Math Help?

We encourage students to take their math notebook and textbook home to help with their homework. That way they can use them as a resource if they forgot how to do their homework.   If they forgot their materials or need additional help, the following links can be used:

5th Grade Homework Help OR http://elemmath.jordandistrict.org/5th-math-expressionslearnzillion-by-lesson/

4th Grade Homework Help (might be helpful for review) OR

http://elemmath.jordandistrict.org/4th-grade-math-expressions-learnzillion-corellation/

What’s happening in… 

Reading:  Students will be reading and responding to informational text. 

Soc. St.: Students are studying The Road to the Revolution and The Revolutionary War. 

Writing: We nearing the end of our unit on personal narrative writing.  We will then be moving into Informational Writing.  

Math: Students have been solving multi-step story problems. Next week, they will find the volume of figures. 

Science: Students are reviewing 5th grade concepts, all subjects, and test taking strategies.  

5th Grade Newsletter- Feb 22, 2019

Upcoming Dates

Mar 1 - Read-a-thon

Mar 4 - BMS visit 

Mar 4-8 - School-Wide Change Wars (save your change!)

Mar 5 - Running Club begins, 3:45-4:30

Mar 6 - RMS visit 

Mar 7 - Skating Party, 6:30-8:30

Mar 8 - Health Video

Mar 11 - Middle School Course Selections Go Home

Mar 12-14   Music Fittings in the Evening (See Flyer Below)

Mar 19 & 21 - Parent Teacher Conferences + Book Fair

Middle School Music Transitional Information 

Is your child interested in orchestra, band, or choir for next year? Next month, there will be three meetings (attend one) to learn more about middle school music. Students and parents can learn about choir as well as try out instruments for band and orchestra. We have attached middle school information on the music program and fitting schedule. Please take a moment to view this  link. 

Book Clubs

We have launched our Book Clubs, and kids are enjoying their books.  These titles are focused on the time period that we learn about during our social studies units this year, spanning from exploration, settlements, colonization and the American Revolution.  Please check with your son/daughter, as they will be responsible for reading and responding each day in preparation of meeting with their book club members to discuss and share thoughts and ideas.  Be on the lookout for their Book Club packet and book and ask what they are learning about!

Read-a-thon & Camp Pendalouan 

The Read-a-Thon is Friday, March 1st. All pledges and the green pledge form are due that day if you are choosing to raise the remaining $33 for camp tuition with pledges.  We encouraged each student to try and raise $33.00 in pledges to pay for the balance of camp, however that is optional.  Along with lots of independent reading and some mystery readers, a pizza lunch will also be provided that day for all 5th graders. Finally, students will have an opportunity to earn prizes that day. If you are interested in donating a prize or a few dollars to purchase some prizes, please send them on Monday, Feb 25th.

Camp’s Winning Picks

This week during a 5th grade meeting, we held a drawing for a fully paid camp tuition and 2 Camp Pendalouan t-shirts.  Names were put in the bucket based on help that was provided during the can drives.  And the winners are…..tuition paid plus a t-shirt: Amiya, t-shirt: Jiannee and Sydney!  Congratulations everyone!

Assessments

If your child receives a 1 on any type of assessment, please do one of the following: sign the assessment and send it back to school the next day OR write a note in your child’s agenda stating you saw the assessment.  Thank you for helping us in this matter.  

Math Help?

We encourage students to take their math notebook and textbook home to help with their homework. That way they can use them as a resource if they forgot how to do their homework.   If they forgot their materials or need additional help, the following links can be used:

5th Grade Homework Help OR http://elemmath.jordandistrict.org/5th-math-expressionslearnzillion-by-lesson/

4th Grade Homework Help (might be helpful for review) OR

http://elemmath.jordandistrict.org/4th-grade-math-expressions-learnzillion-corellation/

What’s happening in… 

Reading:  Students will be continuing Historical fiction book clubs for the next few weeks. 

Soc. St.: Students will be starting The Road to the Revolution.  

Writing: We nearing the end of our unit on personal narrative writing.  We will then be moving into Informational Writing.  

Math: Students will be finishing unit 5, Division: whole numbers, decimals, and powers of ten, next week and then will be taking the unit assessment on Wednesday.  

Science: Students are exploring physical and chemical properties. Ask your child about the latest investigation. 

5th Grade Newsletter- January 31st

Upcoming Dates

Feb 1 - 5th Grade Health Video/Early Release 

Feb 4-5 - Winter Break-No School

Feb 12 - Symphony Field Trip + Pizza Ranch Lunch

Feb 16 - Father/Daughter Bowling

Mar 1 - Read-a-thon

Mar 4-8 - School-Wide Change Wars (save your change!)

Background Checks

Park Elementary is making an effort to be aligned with the rest of the district when it comes to parents being in the buildings, including class parties.  Our 5th graders will not be having a traditional Valentine’s party, but will be making plans to celebrate with a movie and snacks.  Parents do not attend this party.  However, if you have other children in the building, and plan to join them for parties, please read the message from our office:

Please do a background check if you will be visiting or volunteering in your child's classroom.  Starting in 2019 we will request a reservation prior to class parties in order to check background entries.   Thank you for your compliance.  Here is the  link to fill out now if you haven’t already.

Valentine Cards

We will be passing out Valentine cards on Thursday, Feb. 14th. It is optional; however, we ask that your child hands one out to everyone in the class if he/she participates. Then for the party, the 5th graders will be planning it. Along with the snacks they plan, they will pick a movie to watch. We will give them some movie choices that are either G or PG rating. Please let us know if you have ideas of some good movies or any concerns.

Book Clubs

We are so excited to kick off our Book Clubs that will begin next Wednesday and go for 3 weeks.  Our Book Club books will be comprised of the historical fiction and informational genres.  These titles are focused on the time period that we learning about during our social studies units this year, spanning from settlements, colonization and the American Revolution.  Students will be responsible for reading and responding each day in preparation of meeting with their book club members to discuss and share thoughts and ideas.  Be on the lookout for their Book Club packet and book and ask what they are learning about!

Camp Pendalouan 

**Thank you so much for helping return cans!  It certainly is not the most glorious of jobs, but we sure appreciate your service.  Because of your efforts, $1,242 was raised to help our 5th graders attend camp in the spring.  The winning K-4 class was Mrs. Hendree, and the winning 5th grade class was Mrs. HIggs. 

**Between the two can drives, we’ve raised enough to cover $67 for each student!!!!! We are so excited about this!  Way to go!  The remaining portion for Camp Pendalouan can be covered by funds raised in reading pledges for the Read-a-thon, or you can write a check for $33.  More information to come on Feb 15th. 

**We are in NEED of a few parents to help get prizes and serve lunch for our upcoming Read-a-Thon, which takes place Friday, March 1st. This is the last fundraiser for camp!!!  Please let us know as soon as you can if you can help! 

Be. Kind. Service Project 

Our 5th graders will have the opportunity to use their time/talents to venture out and shovel some driveways in our school’s neighborhood later on this winter. More details will come soon!

Assessments

If your child receives a 1 on any type of assessment, please do one of the following: sign the assessment and send it back to school the next day OR write a note in your child’s agenda stating you saw the assessment.  Thank you for helping us in this matter.  

Math Help?

We encourage students to take their math notebook and textbook home to help with their homework. That way they can use them as a resource if they forgot how to do their homework.   If they forgot their materials or need additional help, the following links can be used:

5th Grade Homework Help OR http://elemmath.jordandistrict.org/5th-math-expressionslearnzillion-by-lesson/

4th Grade Homework Help (might be helpful for review) OR

http://elemmath.jordandistrict.org/4th-grade-math-expressions-learnzillion-corellation/

What’s happening in… 

Reading:  Students will be starting Historical fiction book clubs on Wednesday. 

Soc. St.: Students are studying Colonization and Settlement.  

Writing: We have begun our unit on personal narrative writing.  We will continue this for a few weeks.   

Math: Students will be finishing unit 4, Multiplication: whole numbers, decimals, and powers of ten, next week and then will be taking the unit assessment.  

Science: Students are exploring physical and chemical properties. Ask your child about the latest investigation. 

5th Grade Newsletter- January 11th

Upcoming Dates

Jan 11 - Camp Pendalouan Chaperone Forms go home

Jan 18 - Camp Pendalouan Chaperone Form Due 

Jan 25 - Popcorn Day

Jan 26 - Mother/Son Bowling

Feb 1 - 5th Grade Health Video/Early Release 

Feb 4-5 - Winter Break-No School

Feb 12 - Symphony Field Trip + Pizza Ranch Lunch

Feb 16 - Father/Daughter Bowling

Mar 1 - Read-a-thon

Mar 4-8 - School-Wide Change Wars (save your change!)

Science Donations

Thank you to everyone that signed up to bring in items for science class next week!!! Please send them in on Monday morning if you haven’t already.  Thanks Again!!! 

Background Checks

Please do a background check if you will be visiting or volunteering in your child's classroom.  Starting in 2019 we will request a reservation prior to class parties in order to check background entries.   Thank you for your compliance.  Here is the  link to fill out now if you haven’t already.

Camp Pendalouan Can Drive

Thank you for another great response to our 5th grade can drive.  We will be accepting money from can returns on Monday, but no cans.  We will communicate totals when we know them.  Thank you to all the parents that have helped with the undesirable job of returning cans!  We could not do this without you!

Valentine Cards

We will be passing out Valentine cards on Thursday, Feb. 14th. It is optional; however, we ask that your child hands one out to everyone in the class if he/she participates. Then for the party, the 5th graders will be planning it. Along with the snacks they plan, they will pick a movie to watch. We will give them some movie choices that are either G or PG rating. Please let us know if you have ideas of some good movies or any concerns.

Be. Kind. Service Project 

Our 5th graders will have the opportunity to use their time/talents to venture out and shovel some driveways in our school’s neighborhood later on this winter. More details will come soon!

Assessments

If your child receives a 1 on any type of assessment, please do one of the following: sign the assessment and send it back to school the next day OR write a note in your child’s agenda stating you saw the assessment.  Thank you for helping us in this matter.  

Math Help?

We encourage students to take their math notebook and textbook home to help with their homework. That way they can use them as a resource if they forgot how to do their homework.   If they forgot their materials or need additional help, the following links can be used:

5th Grade Homework Help OR http://elemmath.jordandistrict.org/5th-math-expressionslearnzillion-by-lesson/

4th Grade Homework Help (might be helpful for review) OR

http://elemmath.jordandistrict.org/4th-grade-math-expressions-learnzillion-corellation/

What’s happening in… 

Reading:  Students are continuing their focus on Informational texts, their structures, and the special features they contain.

Soc. St.: Students are studying Colonization and Settlement.  

Writing: Next week, we will circle back and revisit narrative writing for our next unit.   

Math: Students will be finishing unit 4, Multiplication: whole numbers, decimals, and powers of ten, next week and then will be taking the unit assessment.  

Science: Students will be starting our next unit, CH-CH-CHanges, it’s about physical and chemical properties. 

5th Grade Newsletter- December 14th

Upcoming Dates

Dec 14- Ski & Snowboard order deadline (see below)- delivered before break

Dec 14- Early Release, 12:15

Dec 20- Caroling at Laurels 

Dec 21- Classroom Party, 2:30

Dec 22 - Jan 6 -  Holiday Break

Jan 8 - Parent Club Meeting, 9:00-10:00 

Holiday Spirit Week is Next Week!

Monday - Wear cozy hats/scarves

Tuesday - Wear favorite flannel

Wednesday - Wear cozy PJs

Thursday - Wear fuzzy socks or fun socks

Friday - Wear red/green

Holiday Parties

Our 5th grade holiday party will be on Friday, December 21, from 2:30-3:30.  If you plan to attend or help in classrooms, please make sure you have a background check completed.  See the instructions below on how to do that.  

Bolhuis’ Class

Sweet Snacks- Haley & Lawsyn

Salty Snack- Shiloh

Healthy Snacks- Luke

Run/Organize the Games- NEED 2

Drinks/Cups if needed- Trevor

Napkins/Plates- Kayla

Higgs’ Class

Sweet Snacks- Evan & Gabe

Salty Snack- Kate

Healthy Snacks- Lucy

Run/Organize the Games- Hunter 

Drinks/Cups if needed- Jia

Napkins/Plates- Cameron

Willmore’s Class 

Sweet Snacks-  Alexis & Seth 

Salty Snack-  Ashlynn

Healthy Snacks-   Dylan

Run/Organize the Games-  Amiya & Ashlynn 

Drinks/Cups if needed-  Jared

Napkins/Plates- Maeve

Camp Pendalouan Can Drive

Our final can drive for camp will take place right after Christmas break- Monday, Jan 7th to Friday, Jan 11th. The reason for this timeframe is hopefully we can return people’s holiday cans. A handout went home today showing the volunteers and their assigned class.  Thank you!

Be. Kind. Service Project 

Our 5th graders will have the opportunity to use their time/talents to venture out and shovel some driveways in our school’s neighborhood later on this winter. More details will come soon!

Background Checks

Please be aware that every year, each adult that would like to volunteer at Park needs to fill out a Background Check form that is found at:  http://www.hudsonvillepublicschools.org/   The “Volunteer Background Check” tab is found on the main page in the bottom right corner.  Park is asking that if you are planning on coming into our building and going beyond the office, please fill this form out at your earliest convenience.  This does include class parties (ie Halloween, Christmas and Valentine’s), field days, field trips, classroom work, etc.  

  

Assessments

If your child receives a 1 on any type of assessment, please do one of the following: sign the assessment and send it back to school the next day OR write a note in your child’s agenda stating you saw the assessment.  Thank you for helping us in this matter.  

Math Help?

We encourage students to take their math notebook and textbook home to help with their homework. That way they can use them as a resource if they forgot how to do their homework.   If they forgot their materials or need additional help, the following links can be used:

5th Grade Homework Help OR http://elemmath.jordandistrict.org/5th-math-expressionslearnzillion-by-lesson/

4th Grade Homework Help (might be helpful for review) OR

http://elemmath.jordandistrict.org/4th-grade-math-expressions-learnzillion-corellation/

What’s happening in… 

Reading:  Students are continuing their focus on Informational texts, their structures, and the special features they contain.

Writing/Soc. St.: Students are researching an informational topic and then creating a Google Slideshow that focuses on nonfiction text and features. 

Math: Students are beginning unit 4, Multiplication: whole numbers, decimals, and powers of ten.

Science: Students will be concluding the science unit, Go with the Flow the week after break.