Classroom Update - Week of January 28th

Updates & Reminders:

Welcome Back! I hope that everyone had a relaxing and restful break and that your child is now ready to return to school. This was certainly a long one! I am looking forward to seeing everyone's smiling face on Monday! The special's schedule has been uploaded to the classroom website and a paper copy will be going home with your child in their LIGHTHOUSE binder. We have PE tomorrow, so please make sure that your child wears sneakers. I'm looking forward to another great quarter!

• This week, MES continues to celebrate the character trait for the month of January: Self-Discipline. Your child can celebrate too with spirit days on Monday and Tuesday.

• Monday, January 28th - All Mixed Up Day (wear it backwards or inside out)

• Tuesday, January 29th - Dress to Impress (wear your best outfit)

• Tomorrow your child will be bringing home a packet about our upcoming beach field trip scheduled for April 26, 2019. All fees are due Thursday February 28, 2019. After reading the first two pages of the packet, please complete the last two pages and return them to school, even if you are not paying immediately. If you would like to chaperone, please email me with the name of the chaperone. All track 4 chaperones will need to drive or carpool to the beach. There is not space on the bus for chaperones. You must be a currently registered volunteer in order to chaperone.

• Track 4 (Grades 3-5) will be taking the NC Check Ins on Wednesday, January 30th. We will begin testing first thing in the morning, so please make sure your child is to school on time.

• The MES Media center has collaborated with other local schools to sponsor a Free Internet Safety forum at Panther Creek High School, January 31st from 6:30-7:30pm – for more information click on the following link - https://drive.google.com/open?id=14ECKBhCblQlfYbUGNVxZB0_4DTbMu3Wv

• If you haven't already, please complete the School Communication Survey. This is to collect information for our Parent/School Communication SIP Goal

• Morrisville Elementary is participating in the WCPSS Wake up and Read Book Drive. Please send in new or gently used books for children Pre-K-12. All books are welcome. Thank you for your support of this great opportunity to provide books to students/children that may not have access to books. The drive continues through February 15th.

• Second quarter report cards will go home on Friday, February 8th.

• Monday, February 11th is Dining for Dollars at Ruckus Pizza in Park West Village.

• Our class will have a small amount of time on Valentine's Day (February 14th) to pass out Valentines. If your child chooses to pass them out (it is not required), please ensure that they have a valentine for every student. We have 25 students this year: Jake, Addy B., Alex, Gabe, Anthony, Addie C., Finn, Holly, Sarvesh, Nathan E., Xaiden, Nicole, Mason, Sai, Jamie, Logan, Nathan L., William, Samaira, Kendal, Nithya, Sraavya, Neeshma, Benjamin, James.

• Registration has begun for this years Science Fair & Expo. This year’s event will be held Thursday, February 21st from 6:00-8:00pm. To register, please Complete Registration Form online by Friday, February 15th . To participate, all projects must be pre-registered. A flyer will be going home in Friday Folders.

• Friday, February 15th is an Early Release Day. School will dismiss at 1:15PM.

• Monday, February 18th is another Dining for Dollars at Ruckus Pizza in Park West Village.

E.L. Education:

This week the students will be starting their third EL module that will center around reading both nonfiction and historical fiction (poetry and dramas) about the American Revolution. They will start the unit by building their background knowledge about this historical topic by reading nonfiction articles where they will determine the gist and use context clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary words. They will also read the book of poems called "Colonial Voices: Hear Them Speak" by Kay Winters. These poems are told from multiple perspectives of fictional people who lived during this time.

How to Help Your Child at Home:

• Read stories and informational books about the American Revolution.

• Encourage your student to tell you the main idea and to provide supporting details of informational texts you read together.

• Encourage your child to summarize informational texts you read together.

• Watch documentaries about the American Revolution.

• Visit museums or exhibitions about the American Revolution.

Math:

In math, the students will be starting the quarter by reviewing the materials that we previously covered in quarter two in preparation for the NC Check In that they will take on Wednesday. We will be reviewing multi-digit multiplication and long division, multi-step problem solving, area & perimeter and finding equivalent and comparing fractions. We will also be taking time during our Remediation and Enrichment block to review these standards. Later this week, we will start our new unit, which will focus on representing fractions as a decimal.

How to Help Your Child at Home: ​

• Practice multi-digit multiplication and long division with your child at home. There are videos on our classroom website to help you, if needed. These are both very important skills that will be important for your child to show mastery with.

• Review the concept of area and perimeter. Your child should be able to find the area and perimeter of a rectangular shapes. They should also be able to find the length or width when given one side and the area or perimeter.

• Discuss with your child how decimals and fractions are similar. It is helpful if the students are able to make a connection between it and money (think about dimes).

Social Studies:

This week the students will start their third social studies unit, which will focus on the history of North Carolina. They will begin by focusing on the first people of our state, the Native Americans and how their lives changed after the arrival of the Europeans. They will also begin to learn more about each region, (Mountain, Piedmont, and Coastal Plains) how it was settled, and the impact that it had on the development of the community.

How to Help Your Child at Home:

Discuss with your child the following questions:

• How were various Native American groups changed after the arrival of the Europeans?

• Tell me about the disappearance of the colony of Roanoke.

• What do you think happened to these colonists?

• Why did England want to establish colonies in America?