Miss Trefonas's 5th Grade Class

The Week of February 13, 2012

2012-02-09T11:00:00.001-08:00

Dear Parents,

If you'd like to donate our classroom could use some healthy individually wrapped snacks:
Goldfish crackers, cheese and cracker snacks, Teddy Grahams, etc. THANKS!!

Some reminders:
Monday = Miss Trefonas will be absent. Please know that I will not be able to answer emails on Monday or give your student a message from an email you send.

Tuesday = VALENTINE's DAY !!! We will try our HEARTest to have a great day!!!
I encourage each student to have a Valentine to pass out to everyone in the class.
Thanks to the parents who are helping make our Valentine Party enjoyable for the students and me!

Wednesday = The students earned a BEHAVIOR REWARD PARTY. I am providing popcorn and a beverage. The students are choosing which movie we will be watching.
A movie permission slip will be sent home once we have voted on the movie!

Thursday = ARGONNE Field Trip! Chaperones = Mr. Hoffman and Mrs. Paskvan
We are leaving Prairieview at 9:00 and returning about 1:30.
Your child needs to bring their lunch and a beverage.
Students must wear pants, long sleeve shirts and shoes that are closed which means no sandals.
This will be an exciting educational experience!!!

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Has your child earned a bonus point for "word of the week" on their spelling test?

ENGLISH: Tuesday = Unit 6 Pronoun Test
We are not starting a new unit this week.

SCOOPer READING: Due date = February 27th!

READING: We are reading Toliver's Secret a historical fiction novel that takes place during the American Revolution. While reading this novel, we are applying several reading strategies.
The students will be completing book club discussion sheets and participating in book club meetings using this novel.
The students will then be assigned another historical fiction novel according to their reading and comprehension level and completing book club discussion sheets and be meeting in a book club.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 8 Lessons 1 &2 Patriot and Loyalist typed paragraphs and illustrations need to be completed for Monday. These are pages 1-5 in our Patriot/Loyalist project. The students were given time in class on Thursday and Friday to work on this and have been saving their work on their flashdrives so it can be completed at home.

We are having another simulated activity which will revolve around the BOSTON TEA PARTY.
Their will be some delicious flavored Ice Tea that the students can enjoy....however they will have to pay TAXES (Tickets) on the tea!!

SCIENCE: Chapter 14 Test is Monday!
The students have been given a review sheet to use to study for the test.
They should use their text book, notes, and activity sheets that we organized and paper clipped together to study!

Too Good For Drugs: The students learned about the harmful effects of tobacco this week.

MATH: There is no math on Wednesday and Thursday due to the Argonne Field Trips this week.
We are continuing Chapter 4.
There will be a quiz over Lessons 1 - 4 on Tuesday.

The Week of February 6, 2012

2012-02-03T14:13:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

Valentine's List were given to the students today! I encourage the children to pass out Valentines. Please remember that your child should give a Valentine to each student in the class.
We are not giving Valentines to other students in 5th grade, just our homeroom.
Candy Valentines ARE allowed, however the students will keep the candy to be enjoyed at home.

VALENTINE'S PARTY is Tuesday, February 14th!
I appreciate all the parent helpers that are preparing for our classroom party!

FAILURE NOTICES:
At the end of this week, if your child is doing unsatisfactory work and going to receive a grade lower than a C, a failure notice will be sent home.

PROJECT CHALLENGE meets Tuesday after school.

THIS WEEK IN OUR CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 2o "Frequently misspelled words" and, of course, word of the week!

ENGLISH: We are finishing Unit 6 Pronouns. The Test will be Tuesday, Feb. 14th.
This week we will learn about the proper usage of we & us, review contractions, and learn not to use double subjects in a sentence.

READING: We continue to practice identifying cause and effect using a variety of materials.
The students have learned that the effect can come before the cause!! They did a superior job on a more challenging activity on Friday that had cause/effect and effect/cause intermixed on the sheet.
We will begin a historical fiction novel this week. The students will apply a variety of reading strategies during this novel. Following this novel, the students will read another historical novel but in "book club" groups....stay tuned!!!

SCOOPer READING is due at the end of the month! Many reminders have been given to students.....

TOO GOOD FOR DRUGS: Deputy Seward will be here for our 6th session. Your child has learned very valuable information that they should be sharing with the "home" activities.

SOCIAL STUDIES: We are learning about these historical events: The Boston Massacre, The Boston Tea Party, and The Intolerable Acts.
The students have started a project "I am the American Patriot..."I am the British Loyalist".
We will continue to work on this project.

SCIENCE: We are learning about Chemical Changes.
The students will be given a review sheet this week to fill out independently and to use for studying.
Chapter 14 Test = Monday, Feb. 13th!

MATH:
Monday = We are reviewing some Algebra skills.
Tuesday = Lesson 4.3 Properties
Wednesday = Chapter 4 Lessons 1-3 review and Homework Sheet
Thursday=Lesson 4.5 Write algebraic equations
Friday = Lesson 4.6 Solve Equations
QUIZ ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13th!

The Week of January 30, 2012

2012-01-27T12:58:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,
Thanks to all of you who donated snacks and Valentine goodies to our classroom. I appreciate your generosity!
I will be sending home a Valentine list with your student by the end of the week.
This is their last classroom Valentine Party....It probably seems like just yesterday that you were doing Valentines for Kindergarten!
I hope that your child has as much fun as I used to picking out Valentines.
VALENTINES that have candy are allowed but the candy will be taken home, not eaten at school.
Please make sure they give one to everyone!

THIS WEEK IN MISS TREFONAS'S CLASS:

SPELLING: Word of the Week is worth a bonus point for spelling it correctly and knowing the definition.

READING: We are doing various activities using cause and effect. We will be reading various historical fiction selections while using this reading strategy. We will also continue to refine our Extended Response techniques!

SCOOPer READING: Please check with your child regarding how many books they have read toward their goal. The due date is the end of February.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 8 The American Revolution
Ask your child about: NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION!!!
We will be simulating the experience of being unfairly taxed. We will be using our classroom tickets!!!
We will also be starting a point of view activity using the events leading up to the American Revolution from both the perspective of a LOYALIST and PATRIOT!

SCIENCE: Chapter 14 Ask your child about the "Can You Walk Through Paper?" challenge!
We will be doing an activity with the states of matter and learning about mixtures and solutions.

MATH:
Monday = Symmetry project due, Homework Sheet, and Chapter 18 review
Tuesday= Chapter 18 Test
Wednesday = Tangram activity
Thursday = begin Chapter 4 Algebra
Friday = Order of Operations

The Week of January 23, 2012

2012-01-20T12:10:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

Some reminders:

Tuesday, January 24, 2012
*District Spelling Bee - 1:00 p.m. PV Gym - Parents are welcome to attend!
Congratulations to Robert, from our class, who will be competing!

*Project Challenge - 2:30 to 3:45 p.m.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012
*Early Dismissal - 11:00 a.m.

Friday, January 27, 2012
*Bingo Night - 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Multipurpose room

HERE'S WHAT WE WILL BE UP TO IN THE CLASSROOM:

Spelling = Lesson 18 and word of the week

SCOOPer Reading = We are halfway through the second trimester....this means your child should be halfway through their reading goal!

READING = We are reading And Then What Happened Paul Revere and learning how determining fact and opinion express an author's viewpoint.
This week we will also be taking an assessment that covers these reading skills and comprehension strategies: setting a purpose for reading, author's purpose, main ideas and supporting details, prediction, inference, generalization, and summarizing.
We will also begin some extended responses to prepare for ISAT testing.

SCIENCE = Physical Changes

SOCIAL STUDIES = HOT SEAT review on Monday. In order for your child to participate in the review they most have written HOT SEAT questions.
Chapter 7 Test = Tuesday!
Chapter 8 "American Revolution"

T.G.F.D. = Your child should be able to tell you that this acronym stands for Too Good For Drugs. Deputy Seward sends home a weekly activity for your child to share with parents.

MATH = CHAPTER 18 - Geometry
**Geometry packet should be used at home for studying!!!
Monday - Review lessons 1-4
Tuesday - Quiz over lessons 1-4 and Homework Sheet
Wednesday -Lesson 5 Circles
Thursday - Lesson 6 Congruent and Similar Figures and Symmetry
Friday - Symmetry project

The Week of January 16, 2012

2012-01-13T12:45:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

The end of this week is our halfway point of the second trimester. It is a good time to review your child's grades on Parent Connect.

Congratulations to our classroom spelling bee winners:
1st place = Robert!!
2nd place = Kyle G.!!
3rd place = Lucy!!

Good luck to Robert and Kyle G. in the 5th grade spelling bee this Wednesday morning!

HERE'S WHAT WE ARE UP TO THIS WEEK:

Too Good For Drugs: Session 3
Your child should be sharing a home activity each week with you.

SPELLING: Lesson 17 and word of the week

ENGLISH: We continue to share and critique narratives....
We are finishing our Noun Unit. The test is this Friday.

READING: Author's viewpoint is the skill we will be focusing on while using a variety of materials. We will be reading And Then What Happened Paul Revere? The students will have a vocabulary quiz on Monday with words from this selection.

SCOOPer Reading: Your child should be halfway through their reading goal!
We will be having a celebration at the end of the trimester for everyone who meets their goal!

SCIENCE: Chapter 14 We will be be making atom molecules out of mini marshmallows.
We will be learning about the phases of matter....solids, liquids, and gasses!

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 7 "Fight for a Continent"
We are finishing lesson 3 this week, filling out our "How to Study" sheet (worth 2 bonus points), and reviewing the chapter.
The test will be Tuesday, January 24!

MATH:
Tuesday = We will be practicing extended response problem solving with T charts.
Wednesday = Chapter 18 Geometry - points, lines, and segments
Thursday = Angles
Friday = Polygons

The Week of January 9, 2012

2012-01-05T12:23:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,
Happy 2012!!

MAPS testing will be this week for our class. Reading tests will be given on Monday and math tests on Tuesday. Please make sure your child is well rested and eats a nutritious breakfast!

The Six Flags READ TO SUCCEED program which rewards your child with a free pass to the amusement park needs to be completed and turned in on or before Wednesday, February 1st.
Participation is optional.

This past week was our first session of T.G.F.D. which stands for Too Good For Drugs.
This is a substance abuse prevention curriculum. There will be a total of 10 lessons that focus on the dangerous substances that are used widely by young people. A letter will be brought home explaining this program in more detail on Friday, January 6th. Deputy Seward will be facilitating this program for the 5th grade.

We started working on our Memory Books this week. The students will have a personal and creative keepsake at the end of the year. I appreciate all the parents who have contributed by picking up and paying for pictures at Walgreens, donating scrapbook supplies, and coming in to help.
This is an ongoing project and more helpers will be needed......

THIS WEEK IN OUR CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 16 and word of the week.

SCOOPer Reading: A lot of reading took place during our winter break. Most students have read and completed more than one book activity. I have given each child an update on how many books they have read toward their goal.

READING: Main Ideas and Supporting Details are what we will continue to work on as we read a selection in our reading anthologies. The students will be completing a vocabulary activity and have a vocabulary quiz on Friday.

ENGLISH: We have started sharing our Narrative writing! The students will receive a participation grade and comments on their piece of writing. I will give positive feedback and suggestions to use in future writing activities.

We will continue to do writing activities.....

Nouns are next in our English book. A pretest will assess prior knowledge and the students will be given appropriate assignments during this unit.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 7 We are learning about how Spain, France, and England are all fighting for land and power of what is now the United States. At the end of the week we will have finished Lessons 1 - 3. Your child should bring home their textbook and review with their notes in their binder.

SCIENCE: We will begin our next unit on Matter and Energy.

MATH:
Monday - No math due to MAPS testing
Tuesday - Chapter 24 Lesson 8 Volume
Wednesday - HOMEWORK sheet and review Chapter 24
Thursday - No math due to MAPS testing
Friday - Chapter 24 test

The Week of December 12, 2011

2011-12-08T13:31:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

I hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday! I am looking forward to spending time with family that lives in Southern California during the winter break. Hopefully everyone will be making some happy lasting memories with family and friends!

Thanks to Mrs. Daniele for making the popcorn for our class treat on Friday!
Thanks to the Hoffman family for volunteering to bring in bottled water!

Friday afternoon the students will be enjoying a movie in the 5th grade Movie theater!

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: A regular week with spelling work due Thursday and test on Friday.
Word of the Week.....worth 2 bonus points!

ENGLISH/WRITING: We have been working on the traits of writing which includes IDEAS, ORGANIZATION, VOICE, WORD CHOICE, SENTENCE FLUENCY....
Each of these traits has been modeled and practiced.
Your child should be including each of these traits in their narratives!
The children should have a first draft completed and we will begin working on the last trait CONVENTIONS as we revise and proofread.
Due to the writing skills we have been working on, there have not been any grades for English during 2nd Trimester to date.
When we return from break, we will begin NOUNS in our English book, as well as, continue writing!
There has been a lot of enthusiasm about writing including our "trash can" words and W.O.W. words! Ask your child what those mean.

READING: We are continuing to work on fact/opinion and inference skills.
We will be using a variety of materials to practice and apply these skills.
I will be sharing "Stories With Holes" this week! Wait until your child shares these!!

SCOOPer READING: Your child has set their second trimester goal! I have had several book discussions already. I hope that everyone has read at least one book and completed an activity when we return from winter break.

SCIENCE: We are finishing Chapter 12 Oceans this week.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Kirk will be our class historian as he shares his knowledge and pictures from a trip his family took to "colonial" Williamsburg.

We are not starting the next chapter until we return!

We will be doing some holiday activities this week!

MATH:
MONDAY = Circumference (radius, diameter, and Pi)
We might get to the review for Chapter 23 on Monday.....?

TUESDAY = Chapter 23 test, if we reviewed on Monday! Otherwise, we will review on Tuesday!

WEDNESDAY = see above.....If we have taken the test, we will be reviewing graphing ordered pairs/coordinates.

THURSDAY/FRIDAY = More work with graphing ordered pairs/coordinates!

The Week of December 5, 2011

2011-12-01T10:04:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,
I am glad I had the opportunity to meet with each of you and discuss your child's progress.
Please continue to keep in contact with any questions, concerns, or comments. It is always beneficial to work as a team to further your child's education.

Reminders for the upcoming week:

Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Project Challenge - 2:30 to 3:45 p.m.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Deadline for Movie Night Permission Slips

Thursday, December 8, 2011
All School Concert - Cadet Band & Choir - 9:00 a.m.
PARENTS ARE ALWAYS INVITED!!!

Friday, December 9, 2011
Fifth Grade Bowling - a.m.
Students may bring money to purchase snacks.

Movie Night - Zoo Keeper - 6:30 to 8:45 p.m. PV Gym

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: This week is a lesson with homophones for both regular and challenge words.
Word of the week and definition = bonus point!

ENGLISH/WRITING: We will be talking about VOICE and WORD CHOICE which are important traits of writing. We will also be writing our first draft of a narrative. The students have done quite a bit of brainstorming and getting the details organized for their stories.

READING: We will start the week introducing and reviewing the reading skills of inferencing, generalizing, and recognizing the difference between fact and opinion.
We will be reading GRIZZLEY BEAR FAMILY BOOK in our literature books and filling out a generalizations chart while reading this selection.
There will be various materials used to identify and differentiate between a fact and an opinion.

SCOOPer Reading: Read, Read, Read!!! We have set our goals for the second trimester!
I am looking forward to the interesting book talks as I meet with students and the activities they complete for the book they have read.

SCIENCE: We will be learning how ocean water moves and waves!

SOCIAL STUDIES: We are finishing Chapter 6! TEST ON FRIDAY!

JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT: This is our last week and the culminating activity for the students is to perform a commercial to advertise a business! Mr. and Ms. Paleka have made this a fun and valuable learning experience.

MATH:
Monday = Problem Solving doing extended responses! This requires the students to show their work and tell how and why they have completed each step of the problem.
Tuesday = Chapter 23 Lesson 2 Perimeter
Wednesday = continuing perimeter and learning the formulas for perimeter
Thursday = NO MATH due to a cadet band and choir concert!

The Week of November 28th, 2011

2011-11-22T10:13:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

Important Reminders:
This week is parent/teacher conference week.
I will have a copy of your child's report card and test scores to discuss.

BOWLING permission slips will be given to your student Monday and need to be returned on or before Thursday.

NO SCHOOL on FRIDAY!

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CLASSROOM:

Spelling: The children will receive their second trimester CHALLENGE list activities for when they pass the pretest and are on the alternate spelling words. This should be kept in their spelling pocket in their binder.
We continue with Word of the Week second trimester.
This week is a REVIEW list which contains 30 words. Fifteen words will be given on the pretest. Fifteen words will be given on the final test, but not necessarily the same fifteen words.....study the entire list!

READING: NIGHT OF THE TWISTERS story pyramids are due on Monday.
We will be using prior knowledge and setting a purpose for reading while using a variety of materials with short stories and exerts. We will also be looking at the author's purpose of different written pieces...to entertain, to inform, or to persuade.

SCOOPer READING: Your child will be setting their Trimester 2 goal and bringing the sheet home for a parent signature. A packet of new book activities will be given to your child. We are following the same procedure on how theprogram works!

I am passing out SCHOLASTIC Book orders this week too.....many good choices that can be used for SCOOPer READING!

SCIENCE: We will be doing a project with the information we have learned about the ocean's floor. Next, we learn how ocean water moves and currents.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Colonial Games.... your child is responsible for making a game and teaching their group how to play it....due Tuesday!
Next, we will be interpreting famous sayings from Ben Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac.

MATH: We are doing one more lesson with Mean, Median, and Mode.
Tuesday = Quiz
Wednesday = Trimester 1 Target Test which assesses your student's understanding of math concepts learned during the first trimester. This is NOT a grade in the grade book.
Thursday = Fun Day!!!
Friday = No school!!

The Week of November 14th and 21st, 2011

2011-11-09T11:22:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

Some reminders....
Monday 11/14/11 - Robert Crown Parent Night 7-8:30 at Prairieview
Wednesday 11/16/11 Magic Story Teller Assembly 9:30 am (Parents are always welcome.)
Friday 11/18/11 - End of 1st Trimester

Tuesday 11/22/11 - ROBERT CROWN Fieldtrip
*Students need to bring a sack lunch. Milk will be available.

Wednesday11/23 - Friday11/25 NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Holiday

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN MISS TREFONAS'S CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 11 - The week of November 14th. No Spelling the week of November21st.

ENGLISH: Introduction to the Traits of Writing....

READING: Night of the Twisters.... We are finishing the book and will be doing an end of the book activity. We will also be watching the movie and doing a book/movie comparison.

SCOOPer Reading: 1st Trimester goals are due MONDAY, November 14th.
Many students have reached their goal already! I have given many reminders about reaching their goal throughout the trimester. Students are allowed to turn in one book activity at a time.
This is not a problem if they have read the book and did the activity upon completing the book.
This allows time for me to meet with them as they have started a new book.
We will be planning our SCOOPer READING CELEBRATION for all who met their goal.
STAY tuned for the date......
The students will be choosing a "theme" to our celebration and we will watch a movie.

2nd Trimester goals and book activities.....The week of Nov. 28th!

SCIENCE: Many students wanted to share their weather projects so we have not yet started Chapter 12 Oceans. The students sure have learned a lot about weather!
We will begin Chapter 12 by investigating the difference in temperature of salt water and regular water.

SOCIAL STUDIES: TRADE FAIR is TUESDAY, 11/15!
Chapter 6 Lesson 2 Colonial Cities, Towns and Farms and Lesson 3 Everyday Life in the Colonies
The students will be learning about colonial games that children played.
Each student will be creating one of these games for a group to play. They will get these instructions on Monday, 11/21 and it will be due Monday, 11/28.

MATH:
Monday 11/14 = Chapter 6 review
Tuesday 11/15 = Chapter 6 test
Next, we will be doing some lessons from Chapter 9 that go over MEAN, MEDIAN, MODE, and RANGE. Also, we will be doing some problem solving as extended responses to prepare for ISAT tests.

The Week of November 7, 2011

2011-11-04T07:51:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

Monday, November 7th = Roller Skating Party
Tuesday, November 11th = Veteran's Day - NO SCHOOL

**Parent/teacher conference reminders will be sent home to confirm your appointment.
Please send your reply back as soon as possible, thanks!

THIS WEEK IN OUR CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 10 Work will be due on Thursday and test on Thursday this week!
Word of the Week and definition = bonus point!

ENGLISH: We are learning about the traits of writing...Ideas, Organization, Voice, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency, and Conventions!

READING: We are continuing our novel NIGHT OF THE TWISTERS.
The students are learning new vocabulary words. The students are using the reading comprehension skills of visualizing, drawing conclusions, summarizing, predicting, questioning, and summarizing.

SCIENCE: WEATHER projects are due on Monday. The students have been working hard in class on this assessment! Some students are creating flap books, posters, mimeo computer presentations, and some other original projects. I can't wait to see the finished products!
Next, Chapter 12 "Oceans"! We will be investigating the difference in temperature of salt water and regular water.

SOCIAL STUDIES: We have been discussing the importance of having a skill in the colonies and how trading was the means to getting goods.
The students will be getting directions for our classroom TRADE FAIR on Monday.
Please read and discuss the directions thoroughly with your child.
TRADE FAIR = TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15th!!!
This week we will also be learning what life was like in colonial cities, towns, and farms.

JR. ACHIEVEMENT: = Week 4!! The students will be learning the importance of interviews and will be getting some "business" experience! Mr. and Ms. Paleka sure make this interesting for the students!

MATH: Chapter 6 Decimals
Monday = Lesson 1 "Rounding Decimals"
Tuesday = Lesson 2 "Adding and Subtracting with Decimals"
Wednesday = Lesson 3 "Estimate Sums"
Thursday = HOMEWORK SHEET and review!
Friday = NO SCHOOL

The Week of 10/31/11

2011-10-28T13:13:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
We had a great Halloween party! Thanks to Mrs. Gibbons, Mrs. Williams, Mrs. Paskvan, and Mrs. Asta. They really out did themselves with fun activities. Thanks to Mrs. Silvestri, Mrs. Daniele, and Mrs. Peloso for providing refreshments.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Project Challenge - 2:30 to 3:45 p.m.

Thursday, November 3, 2011
Picture Retake Day -Any Student wishing to have a retake must have original picture packet with them at the time of retake.

Roller Skating Permission Slips Deadline

THIS WEEK IN MISS TREFONAS'S CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Work due Thursday and test on Friday

READING: We are continuing our novel NIGHT OF THE TWISTERS.
The students are learning new vocabulary words. The students are using the reading comprehension skills of visualizing, drawing conclusions, summarizing, predicting, questioning, and summarizing.

SCOOPer Reading : 1st trimester deadline is November 14th.

ENGLISH: We will begin some prewriting activities as we warm up our 6 Traits of Writing Skills.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 5 Test = Wednesday.
Chapter 6 "Life in the English Colonies" - Lesson 1 "Working and Trading"

SCIENCE: The students will be assessed on what they have learned during the weather unit by completing a project. They will receive directions on Tuesday and will be working on the project in class the rest of the week.
Weather project will be due on Monday, November 7th.

MATH:
Chapter 5 Decimals
Monday = Lesson 1 "Decimal Place Value"
Tuesday = Lesson 2 "Equivalent Decimals"
Wednesday = Lesson 3 "Comparing and Ordering Decimals"
Thursday = Review Decimals
Friday = Chapter 5 Decimal Test
There will be a homework sheet this week. I have not determined the day yet.
Your child should have this information in their assignment notebook early in the week.

The Week of October 24, 2011

2011-10-21T14:28:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

Tuesday, Mrs. Zaboth, the multi-needs teacher, will be meeting with our 5th grade students to discuss students with disabilities so the students have a better understanding when they see these children in our building. They will then have the opportunity to volunteer to be a "peer buddy" in the multi-needs classroom. This takes places at recess and silent reading time.

PV Bingo Family Fun Night permission slips are due Wednesday, October 26, 2011.
These have been sent to you from Mrs. Smith in her weekly Prairieview reminders.

Thursday, October 27, 2011
Early Dismissal 11:00 a.m.

HALLOWEEN FESTIVITIES ON FRIDAY:
Halloween Parade Starts 1:00 p.m.
Halloween Parties - 1:30 p.m.

Please make sure your child has an appropriate costume for school.
No fake weapons or blood are allowed.
They will change into their costumes. Do not wear costumes to school!
Students have to change in the classrooms. Washrooms will not be available for costume changing. This means their costume might need to be simplified or modified.
They can bring a mirror if needed for simple makeup application!

FRIDAY = Art to Remember orders due!
Bingo Night 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Multipurpose Room

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Work due Thursday and test on Friday. Word of the Week = bonus point!

READING: We are beginning a novel study using Night of the Twisters.
The story revolves around 12-year-old Dan Hatch, his baby brother, Ryan, and Dan's best friend, Arthur, who are home alone when a devasting tornado sweeps through town. Not only does it capture the terror of a devasting natural disaster from a child's point of view. This book also touches a nerve by exploring issues of sibling rivalry, the difficulties that sometimes occur with change in a family, and the importance of friends helping friends. The overall theme in this book is that people need to have a plan of action for such disasters, and it also touches on the fact that, though we all have our disagreements, strong families can draw support from one another, and friends, and use that support to overcome the obstacles created by the disaster.

We will be learning new vocabulary words. The students will be using the reading comprehension skills of visualizing, drawing conclusions, summarizing, predicting, questioning, and summarizing.

ENGLISH: We are finishing Unit 5 Capitalization and Punctuation.
Test = Friday.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 5 Lesson 4 "The 13 English Colonies"
We are finishing this chapter this week. I would strongly recommend that your child starts studying!
Test = Wednesday, November 2nd!

SCIENCE: Chapter 11 Lesson 3 "Weather Patterns and Climates"
We are finishing the chapter this week.
The students will be doing an end of the chapter project for an assessment instead of a test.
They will get this assignment the week of October 31st!

MATH:
Your child was given a step by step direction sheet for long division.
If they are having difficulty, please review this sheet with them.
This should also help you explain the process the same way it was explained in class!
Monday = No math due to an assembly!
Tuesday = Lesson 3.9 Practicing long division
Wednesday = Chapter 3 Review
Thursday = Chapter 3 Test
Friday = Homework sheet

The Week of October 17, 2011

2011-10-14T14:57:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

Thanks to all of you who have sent in "goodies" for our classroom goblins! I appreciate your donations. Those of you wondering what we can use at this time.....the students are hoping for
these snacks:
~Teddy Grahams
~Rice Krispie Treats
~Cheese and cracker Ritz "handi-snacks"

SCHOOL PICTURES:

Our picture packets should arrive on Tuesday, October 18th

Our retake day is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 3rd

Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Project Challenge - 2:30 to 3:45 p.m.
PV Fall Cheer Clinic - 5th Grade - 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. - 3rd Grade Open Area

Wednesday, October 19, 2011
PV Fall Cheer Clinic - 5th Grade - 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. - 3rd Grade Open Area

Thursday, October 20, 2011
PV Fall Cheer Clinic - 5th Grade - 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. - 3rd Grade Open Area
Book Fair - 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Gym & Multipurpose Room

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THE OFFICE SENDS HOME WEEKLY REMINDERS WITH "FLYERS" OF UPCOMING EVENTS LIKE MOVIE NIGHTS, SKATING PARTIES etc.....

THIS WEEK IN OUR CLASSROOM:

JR. ACHIEVEMENT= Week 2!!!

SPELLING: Pretest on Monday, work due on Thursday, and final test on Friday.
Word of the Week and definition = bonus point!

READING: We are continuing to learn about different types of analogies. This week we will be learning about cause/effect, part to whole, and part to part relationships. We continue to have our timed analogy contests.
We will be starting a realistic genre literature study later this week.....

ENGLISH:
The students have a comma project due on Monday. We read a fun book Eats, Shoots and Leaves which modeled how commas really do make a difference. Have your child show you the pair of sentences they created and what a difference the comma placement makes in what the sentence means!
This week we will be learning about proper usage of quotations, abbreviations, and titles.

SCIENCE: Chapter 11 Lesson 3 Observing Patterns in Weather
We will be recording daily forecasts using the internet, learning about tools used to measure weather, and air masses and fronts.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 3 continued
We will learn about the Puritans and the 13 English Colonies

MATH:
MONDAY= LAST DAY FOR TIMED MULTIPLICATION TESTS
TUESDAY = Chapter 3 Lesson 5 Patterns in division
WEDNESDAY = practice and review lessons 1-5
THURSDAY = HOMEWORK SHEET and QUIZ over Lessons 1-5
FRIDAY = have not decided yet....... : )

The Week of October 10, 2011

2011-10-06T13:12:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

*Monday - No School = Columbus Day
*Tuesday - No School = Teacher Inservice
*Friday, October 14th = Movie Night

I hope your child shared something they learned with you from our "Farming for Fuel" program that was facilitated by the DuPage Children's Museum. We learned a lot about bio-fuels!

Has your child found a scarecrow in their locker? See what they say about this!

Here's What's Happening In Miss Trefonas's Classroom:

SPELLING: None this week due to a three day school week!

READING: We will be learning about different types of analogies.
Each day we will have an analogy contest and have an analogy assignment.
This week the different reading skills learned during this first half of the trimester will be assessed.

SCOOPer Reading: Many avid readers in this classroom! I don't have to do much encouraging to read!! I continue to enjoy the book discussions I have with the students.

ENGLISH: We will be doing a creative activity with comma usage based on the book, Eats, Shoots, and Leaves by Lynn Truss. The students will be able to see why commas really do make a difference!
Also, we will learn about interjections! School House Rocks will be used during this lesson!!

JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT: We have our first session this Thursday!
Jr. Achievement is a not-for-profit organization financed by businesses. The purpose of Jr. Achievement is to educate and inspire students to value free enterprise, business, and economics to improve the quality of their lives. Our volunteers, Ms. and Mr. Paleka, will be visiting our classroom once a week for the next 6 weeks. Ms. Paleka works for Harley Davidson Financial, and Mr. Paleka works for Tellalabs. They have been the volunteers for my classroom for the past 9 years! I'm sure your student will be sharing some of their experiences with this program during the next few weeks!

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 5 continued.....We will be learning more about the first colonies!

SCIENCE: WEATHER - Lesson 3 Patterns in Weather

MATH: LAST DAY FOR TIMED MULTIPLICATION FACT TESTS IS FRIDAY, 10/14.
Many students have passed all their timed test through their 12's and have started "Mad Minutes"

Wednesday = Chapter 3 Lesson 3 "Interpreting the Remainder"
Thursday = Reviewing Lessons 1-3
Friday = QUIZ and HOMEWORK SHEET
(The assignment board in Miss Trefonas's classroom lists exactly what homework will
be on the HOMEWORK SHEET)

The Week of October 3, 2011

2011-09-30T16:42:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

Magazine Orders: School will accept late orders (both paper orders and online orders) through Wednesday, Oct 5. After that, the orders can still be accepted, but will not be eligible for prizes. Prizes will be delivered 2-3 weeks after we complete the drive. Online orders can be placed at www.gaschoolstore.com school code 236042. Thanks for supporting the District PTO’s. Questions? jjones@rixweb.com Note: You can actually order online throughout the year and the district will get 40%.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Project Challenge - 2:30 to 3:45 p.m.

Thursday, October 6th
DuPage Children's Museum program here at Prairieview "Farming for Fuel"
(Parent Helpers = Mr. and Mrs. Edwards and Mrs. Dziedzic)

This program is an inquiry-based learning lab that introduces the concepts connected with creating biofuels and the need to change to alternative energy sources for transportation. The ideas shared during the program will be explored in more detail in Science.

Friday, October 7th = 1st Trimester is 1/2 way completed!
Progress Reports will be sent home to any student who is earning a grade lower than a C.

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN MISS TREFONAS'S CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Work due Thursday and test(s) on Friday! Has your child earned a bonus point for Word of the Week?

ENGLISH: The Unit 1 tests will be graded and returned on Monday.
Next, we skip to Unit 5 "Capitalization and Punctuation"
We are learning about proper nouns and adjectives and the many uses of commas.

READING: This week we will be focusing on story structure. We will be reading a variety of stories. As we read each selection we will map out the the character, setting, problem, and solution of the story.
Thursday = Vocabulary quiz

SCOOPer Reading: Your child should be halfway to their Trimester 1 goal!

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 5 "The Struggle to Found Colonies." The students have read about the first colony Roanoke, also known as the "Lost Colony". We will read about the battle that was taking place at this time in history known as the "Spanish Armada". Then, the students will learn about the first SUCCESSFUL colony - Jamestown.
Kirk will be sharing items from his trip to Jamestown this week!

SCIENCE: Weather Lesson 2 "What Conditions Affect the Water Cycle"
Your child should be able to answer that question by the end of the week.

MATH:
Multiplication timed tests deadline extended to Friday, October 14th
Monday = Chapter 3 Lesson 1 This lesson involves estimating quotients using compatible numbers to divide.
Tuesday = Lesson 2 - Dividing by one digit numbers
We will be using the steps D-M-S-C-B (Divide, Multiply, Subtract, Compare/check, Bring down)
Wednesday = practicing the above!!

YOUR CHILD WILL BE MUCH MORE SUCCESSFUL WITH HAVING THEIR MULTIPLICATION FACTS MEMORIZED!!!

The Week of September 26, 2011

2011-09-22T13:23:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

Tuesday, September 27th = Magazine Turn in day

Thursday, September 29th = Magazine Turn in day and PICTURE DAY!!!

Friday, September 30th = Early Dismissal

Thanks to the parents who have sent in goodies for our classroom!!! Also, I know many of you responded that you will send something in soon. At any time it is GREATLY appreciated!

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Review lesson.....15 words of all the review words will be given for the pretest on Monday. The final test on Friday will have 15 words but not necessarily the same 15 words.
Spelling assignment is due Thursday.
Both regular and challenge word tests are on Friday.
Word of the Week....worth 1 bonus point for spelling the word correctly and the definition!

ENGLISH: Unit 1 "Sentence" Test = Friday
There are great review pages at the end of the unit in the textbook!

READING: This week we will be continue drawing conclusions using a variety of materials. We will be playing a game "I Have...Who Has" to reinforce this skill.
We will also be differentiating between homonyms and homophones and other multi-meaning words. The students will create an original homonym/homophone phrase with an illustration that will show its "literal" meaning. This will be made into a classroom book!

SCOOPer Reading: The students are reading and completing activities to reach their trimester 1 goal. I am enjoying my book activity meetings with the students.

SCIENCE: We continue learning more about WEATHER.....Local and Prevailing Winds!

SOCIAL STUDIES: We will be filling out our HOW TO STUDY sheet on Monday. This sheet if filled out, signed by a parent, and returned on test day is worth 2 bonus points applied to the test! We will be highlighting our note sheets as well.
Tuesday = Review game
Wednesday = Chapter 4 Test and How to Study Sheet due (2 bonus points)

MATH:
MULTIPLICATION FACTS......PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!!!
We are taking daily timed tests!!! Your child needs to have multiplication facts MEMORIZED.
Memorizing their facts will make the other skills so much easier to learn!!!

Chapter 2 test = Wednesday!

The Week of September 19, 2011

2011-09-15T15:15:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

Tuesday = Magazine Turn in Day!

Your child needs to bring a picture for an assignment we are doing on Monday.
The picture can be of anything appropriate as long as they are in the picture and can explain the event or what was happening when the picture was taken. In other words, they have a recollection of this picture! (No baby pictures....!!!)
It can be on copy paper or an actual picture. It needs to be no larger than 4 x 6!

HERE'S WHAT WE ARE UP TO THIS WEEK:

SPELLING: Lesson 4 Work due on Thursday. Final test on Friday. Word of the Week spelled correctly and the definition worth 1 bonus point!

ENGLISH: Subjects in imperative sentences, conjunctions, and editing run on sentences is what we will be learning this week!
We will be listening to SCHOOL HOUSE ROCKS - "Mr. Morton" and "Conjunction Junction"!
We are also writing Pyramid Poems which will be based on the picture being brought to school.

READING: This week we will be focusing on drawing conclusions, doing vocabulary activities, and an extended response as we read a selection in our reading anthology - "A BOY CALLED SLOW".
A vocabulary quiz will be given on Wednesday.

SCIENCE: We just got started on Weather and the Water Cycle. We will be learning about the different layers of the atmosphere, uneven heating of the earth, and different types of winds.

SOCIAL STUDIES: We will learn more about the conflicts between the Spanish Conquistadors and the Aztecs as Spain tries to establish colonies. The students will also learn about the Spanish Colony - "New Spain".

MATH:
We have started multiplication timed tests. Your child has a letter that you need to read, sign, and return to school. This letter informs you of the program we are doing in class which will count as a TEST GRADE. I strongly recommend a lot of drill and practice. Multiplication facts need to be MEMORIZED!

TIMED TESTS will be given daily!!! Students will have a yellow multiplication practice sheet for homework daily.

Monday = Chapter 2 - Lesson 2 Estimating Multiplication Products
Tuesday = Lesson 3 - Multiplying by 1 digit numbers
Wednesday = QUIZ over lessons 1- 3.
Thursday = HOMEWORK SHEET and we will be learning the Distributive Property of Multiplication.
Friday = Lesson 4 Multiplying by 2 digit numbers

The Week of September 12, 2011

2011-09-09T14:12:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

On Monday, September 12, 2011 we will be having a School Spirit Day in Memory of 9/11. Let's adorn our school with our country's colors--red, white and blue!

Monday, September 12, 2011
Magazine Kick-Off - 1:15 p.m. gym

THIS WEEK IN MISS TREFONAS'S CLASS:

Spelling: Lesson 3! Pretest on Monday and work will be assigned. Workbook or challenge activities are due Thursday. Final test(s) are Friday.
Word of the week and the definition are worth one bonus point!

ENGLISH: Does your child know the 4 types of sentences and can they give an example of each? We will be doing a creative activity on Monday with the 4 types of sentences.
This week we will review subjects, predicates, simple subjects, and simple predicates/verb.
Project challenge students will be given enrichment activities.

READING: We continue our TALL TALE unit while incorporating reading skills. We will be doing activities with prefixes and suffixes, context clues, similes, and metaphors.
Various instructional materials will be used with different assignments being given for your child's ability.

SCOOPer Reading: Students should be reading every day! I have met with several students who have completed book activities and look forward to more meetings!

SCIENCE: We will be starting WEATHER!!! We will learn about the atmosphere, uneven heating, and different types of winds.

SOCIAL STUDIES: We will be applying what we know about Christopher Columbus to write a letter in first person. This letter will be about the expeditions to the new world.
Next, we will learn about Spain and the Aztec Indians as conflicts occur over acquiring Native American land in the new world.

MATH: The children took their first quiz. If they did not pass, they were retaught and were given some additional problems to complete to earn points and raise their quiz grade.
The students who needed extra help and were given this opportunity will get their original quiz and the additional problems with the points they earned returned to them on Monday. Otherwise, students who passed have their quizzes in their binders.

Monday = Chapter 1, Lesson 6 - Adding and Subtracting whole numbers
Tuesday = Chapter 1 Review
Wednesday = Chapter 1 Test
The end of the week we will be doing some problem solving and beginning MULTIPLICATION!

Please know that many opportunities are given for your child to ask questions and get help during math instructional time and homework time during math class.

Also, daily we correct homework together and the students have the opportunity to correct any problems they missed and have them rechecked! There is also time to get help on homework errors. It has been unfortunate that many students have NOT been doing this.
The first homework sheet will be graded and returned on Monday.
Realistically, if your child has taken the above mentioned responsibility they should receive an A or B easily on the homework sheet.

Please review your child's quiz and homework sheet grade with them.

The Week of September 5th, 2011

2011-09-02T12:48:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

Thank you: To our PTO and parent volunteers for the wonderful luncheon and desserts that were provided on Thursday, September 1, 2011.

Monday, September 5, 2011
No School/Labor Day

Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Fourth and Fifth Grade Curriculum Night - 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
I highly recommend attending this informational evening about the 5th grade curriculum!
You will also sign up for Parent-Teacher Conferences with your HOMEROOM teacher.

THIS WEEK IN MISS TREFONAS's CLASS:

SPELLING: LESSON 2 - Students who miss one or less words on the pretest will be on Challenge words for this week's lesson. This means they will do Challenge word activities and be tested only on the Challenge words. Every student is receiving a pink sheet with Challenge list activities to keep in their binder. This Challenge word activity sheet is for the entire 1st Trimester.
Word of the Week: This is a BONUS word that by spelling the word and giving the definition on Friday's test earns a bonus point!

Spelling assignment - due Thursday
Spelling test for regular list OR challenge list - Friday

READING: We continue with Tall Tales. The skills specifically targeted will be identifying story structure and distinguishing between exaggerated and realistic story elements. As a review, we will use our visualization skills and define unknown words using context clues.

SCOOPer READING: Your child should be reading a book for our classroom reading program.
Once they have read the book, they need to complete an activity and turn it in! I look forward to meeting with some students to discuss the book they read and the activity they completed.

ENGLISH: We have completed autobiographical poems that are displayed in the classroom that you can see at Curriculum Night. We also completed a descriptive writing activity about a summer memory that have been made into a classroom book.
This week we will begin Unit 1.
At the end of the week, your child should be able to identify the 4 types of sentences: declarative, imperative, interrogative, and exclamatory.
We will be doing a creative activity at the end of the week with the 4 types of sentences.
**Project Challenge students will be given enrichment assignments during this unit.

SCIENCE: We will be discussing the tools scientists use and your child's interpretation of a scientist. The students will be learning about SEWER MAGGOTS this week during an investigation. You will hear all about their interesting discovery, I am sure.....

SOCIAL STUDIES: In social studies we are beginning chapter 4 "Spain Builds an Empire." The students will learn how Columbus's voyages led to a European settlement of the Americas and an exchange of people , animals, goods, and ways of life between East and West.

MATH: We will be Comparing and Ordering Numbers and Rounding Whole Numbers.
Quiz on Wednesday will cover both of these concepts and place value which we already covered.
We will finish the week with Estimating Sums and Differences.

The Week of August 29, 2011

2011-08-26T13:28:00.000-07:00

THIS WEEK IN MISS TREFONAS'S CLASS

Dear Parents and Students,

It's hard to believe that summer is almost over and we are in full swing at Prairieview School. We completed two days of 5th grade. We have put away supplies and organized our desks for a successful year of learning! I will be blogging every week on Friday and will attach it to a weekly email. Feel free to reply if you have any questions or concerns.

Thanks to all the parents who have donated snacks and goodies to the classroom. At anytime, please feel free to donate individually wrapped healthy snacks, Capri Sun, prizes, stickers, or bottled water!

Book orders are being sent home this week. I am sending home the Arrow order that goes up to a 6th grade level in their book selections. I also send home the Tab order which is 7th grade and above. Please know that some of the selections in the Tab order are intended for more mature readers. I always ask that parents approve the book selections of your children. If you would like to order please make checks payable to Scholastic. You may also send in cash, but please make sure it is exact change. If ordering from both Arrow and Tab the totals can be combined!

All 4th and 5th grade students have the opportunity to sign up for Intramural Games. This is a "free" after school program that allows your child to stay active. Permission slips will be sent out next week.

Important Dates:
9/6 – Labor Day (no school)
9/7 – Curriculum Night for 4th and 5th grades (6:30-7:30)

Reading: We begin our year with Tall Tales. The skills we will specifically target will be identifying story structure and distinguishing between exaggerated and realistic story elements. We will also be learning about hyperboles! As a review, we will also use our visualization skills and define unknown words using context clues. This week we will be reading about Bess Call and Paul Bunyon.

English: In English we will begin with the unit "The Sentence." Students are reviewing the four types of sentences along with how to find the subject and predicate of a sentence. They will also be introduced to simple subjects and simple predicates. We are in need of old magazines for a project later in the week. If you have any please send them in.

Spelling: A pretest will be given every Monday. The spelling work will be assigned on Monday. Students will be given a word list to keep in their binder. Students who miss one word or less on the pretest will receive a challenge list and an alternative list of spelling activities to choose from. The spelling assignment for the regular list (workbook pages) and the challenge list will be due every Thursday. The first spelling test will be this Friday. ** Challenge lists do not start until the following week. All 5th grade students will be on the regular list this week.

Science: In science the students will become familiar with the tools scientists use. We will also be what a scientist is......

Social Studies: In social studies we are beginning chapter 4 "Spain Builds an Empire." The students will learn how Columbus's voyages led to a European settlement of the Americas and an exchange of people , animals, goods, and ways of life between East and West.

Math: After a textbook scavenger hunt, we will begin Chapter 1 which focuses on place value, addition, and subtraction.
We will only have math on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday due to MAPs testing.

Please feel free to contact me at any time!
Miss Trefonas

WELCOME TO 5th GRADE!!!!

2011-08-18T10:02:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents and Students:

I look forward to meeting you at OPEN HOUSE on Wednesday, August 24th. Open House at Praireview is from 9:00 - 11:00 am.

You should bring your school supplies!
There will be sign up sheets for party helpers, field trip chaperones, etc.....
There will be a sign up sheet for any parent(s) who can be a copy helper.
If there is something specific you would like to volunteer for, email me and I will sign up up!

Enjoy your last few days of summer vacation! See you on Wednesday!

Your 5th grade teacher,
Miss Trefonas

The Week of May 30, 2011

2011-05-27T14:11:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

Please remind your students:

~They need to EMPTY their book bags. We cleaned out our lockers today and they have a lot of things that they brought home.
**We will be cleaning out desks this week and need room in our book bags to bring more things home!

~Bring in Board Games to play since Miss Trefonas will be packing hers up!

~Bring back any books from Miss Trefonas's classroom bookshelf! (Time to pack that up too!)

~The raffle for Japan has just begun. A letter was sent home on Wednesday, with the list of raffle items and raffle tickets. If you wish to participate, just fill in the tickets, put them in an envelope with the money, and return it to your classroom teacher. All tickets must be turned in by June 3rd. We will have the raffle at the all school assembly on June 6th. Thank you so much for your support.

Tuesday = TALENT SHOW at 1:00!!! Parents and family members are invited!

Wednesday = Bowling!!! Students may bring money to purchase snacks.
Bring lunch from home......no hot lunch on Wednesday!!

Thursday = last day of reading and math classes.

Friday = Guest speaker Ginger Zee and Robert Crown field trip

This is our last week of art and music with Ms. Smeltzer and Ms. Wyse after all these years!

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOM:

Spelling = Finished! The students really got creative with their Words of the Week ABC books.
They have been graded and returned.

Reading = Continuing Anne of Green Gables..... We have one last episode to watch and one last enry in our P-M-I Journals.

We gave two more sessions of reading class on Tuesday and Thursday.

Social Studies = We are finishing lesson 3 of Chapter 11. We will be making a question and answer "quilt panel".

Mr. Coffee, our wonderful assistant in the library, will be teaching a lesson on the Star Spangled Banner to our class!

There will NOT be a final test on Chapter 11.

MATH = Monday = Chapter 17 Test
and a math textbook "Treasure Hunt"

Tuesday = Last Day of math....
An end of the year target test and some games and farewells.......

The Week of May 23, 2011

2011-05-18T13:02:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
We only have 2 Mondays left of 5th grade....Can you believe it?

REMINDERS.....
Monday 5/23 = 6:30 Parent Education Meeting presented by Robert Crown Center

Tuesday 5/24 = 10:00 am LV choir concert presented here at Prairieview...parents are invited!

Wednesday 5/25 = The Public Libraries are coming to Prairieview to present their summer reading programs.
~ Home Run Inn Pizza fundraiser from 11:30 am - 10:00 pm.

Thursday 5/26 = We visit LV - IMC for a summer book check out!
SCOOPer Reading CELEBRATION!!!

Friday 5/27 = Miss Trefonas will be absent in the morning due to a pre surgery appointment I will be back in the classroom at 11:00.
We have a special guest speaker Friday morning.....GINGER ZEE from NBC will be presenting to the 5th grade!!

HERE'S WHAT WE ARE UP TO IN THE CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Words of the Week N-Z. ABC books and test on Friday.

READING: Book Club commercials = Tuesday!

Anne of Green Gables..... We will be watching the movie and responding in a journal after each episode. We will be using several of our reading strategies in our journal activities. Anne of Green Gables is based on the best-selling novel and is a fictional portrayal of an orphan who is adopted by an elderly brother and sister to help with the farm work. They are expecting to adopt a boy, but Anne arrives instead. This is a humorous and endearing tale of the many experiences of an adolescent.

SOCIAL STUDIES: We will be learning more about Sacagawea and Lewis and Clark.
We also be learning about the next conflict the new country had with Britian......
What war would that be? Hint: It took place in 1812.

PERSUASIVES: We have one more persuasive to write. The topic will be on students having a longer school day.

MATH:
Monday = Chapter 17 L1 Probability
Tuesday = L2 Probability experiments
Wednesday = L4 Problem Solving - Making an Organized List
Thursday = L5 Problem Solving - Tree Diagrams
Friday = Homework sheet and Chapter 17 review....

Chapter 17 test will be on Tuesday, May31st.

The Week of May 16, 2010

2011-05-12T05:34:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
We are moving into the final stretch.......
Many thanks to the parents who have sent in some special treats during these hot days!

Some reminders:
Monday, May 16th = 5th grade visits Lakeview for an orientation at 1:00!
Parent orientation @ 6:30 at Lakeview!

Tuesday, May 17th = after 11:00, Miss Trefonas will be in meetings. If you need to contact me by email, regarding a message for your child, email or call the office instead.

Wednesday, May 18th Choir/Band Concert at Lakeview.

Don’t forget to sign up for the 2 mile Walk Day on Tuesday, May 24^th at Prairieview School. All proceeds from the event will go to the American Red Cross to help the victims of the earthquake in Japan. There will also be a raffle to help raise money for the cause, and any donations would be appreciated. (gift cards, sport items, games, services, small goodies). Anyone who would like to volunteer on May 24^th, please e-mail Mrs. Cavoto ccavot@ccsd66.org or Mrs. Sulima Ssulima@ccsd66.org to let them know.

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Words of the Week - Letters A-M. They will be creating an ABC Picture Dictionary!
Friday = assignment due and test over words that begin with A-M.

READING: Book Club Meeting and Discussion on Monday. This is the last book club meeting for the fantasy books they are reading. As a culminating activity, the students will be working in their book groups to create a commercial to advertise their book to the rest of the class.
Also, we will continue our analogy contests!
We will be watching the movie "Secrets of N-I-M-H" which is one of the books read during this book genre study!

SCOOPer Reading : DUE FRIDAY, MAY 20th

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 11 Lesson 2 continued.....We will be creating a map to show how America is changing during this period as the country continues to expand its territory.
We will be learning about the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark expedition.

ENGLISH: Unit 6 Pronouns continued......we are finishing this unit this week and testing early next week.

PERSUASIVE WRITING: The students are writing a persuasive composition about Should Public School Students Have to Wear Uniforms?
The students have to have three arguments for their opinion with STRONG support and elaboration. I strongly encourage the students to engage in writing conversations with parents and/or older siblings at home!
We will be finishing this writing piece this week and writing one more persuasive about having a longer school day.

MATH:
Monday = Lesson 9.4 Graphs
Tuesday = Lesson 9.5 Problem Solving: Drawing Diagrams
Wednesday = HOMEWORK SHEET , Chapter 9 Review, Graphing Coordinates (review)
Thursday = Chapter 9 Test and graphing activity (booklet)
Friday = Target test and continuing the graphing activity (booklet)

The Week of May 9, 2010

2011-05-05T10:39:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!! May you all have the special day you deserve.

Thanks to all of you who contributed to our special Teacher Appreciation breakfast and lunch.
Thanks again for the special acts of kindness to me . I enjoyed all the special goodies!

I want to also thank all of you who continually donate snacks, prizes, stickers, and other items for the students and the classroom.

THIS WEEK.......
*Thursday = A SPECIAL DAY for all 5th graders!!!! There are special activities planned, a pizza lunch, and we get to go see the dress rehearsal of the Lakeview musical, Fiddler on the Roof.

*Friday = Early Dismissal

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN MISS TREFONAS'S CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 28! This will be our last regular spelling list and test.
After this week, we will be doing a spelling project based on the WORDS of the WEEK.
The students will be tested on these words too.

READING: We are continuing a literature unit based on fantasy genre. The students have selected a book and are reading, completing activity sheets, and participating in book club discussion groups.
We will be reviewing various reading strategies including story structure and questions, character traits, and figurative language.
They will be having their second book club meeting on Tuesday. The students are creating license plates based on character traits to share with members of their book club.
I look forward to listening to their book club discussions. As I observed and listened while they had their first book club meeting this past week, I was impressed with the literary conversations that took place!
In addition to the literature book activities we will be having ANALOGY contests!

SCOOPer Reading: DUE DATE IS FRIDAY, MAY 20th

ENGLISH: Pronouns - Contractions, Double Subjects, Using We and I correctly!

PERSUASIVE WRITING: We will be discussing some interesting topics....
Should soft drinks be allowed in schools? Should public school students wear school uniforms?
The students will have to pick a side about uniforms and write a persuasive essay to support their opinion.

MATH:
Monday - Chapter 22 review
Tuesday - Chapter 22 test
Wednesday- Target test and starting Chapter 9 Lesson 2 (review) Mean, Median, Mode and Range
Thursday - some enrichment activities
Friday - no math

The Week of May 2, 2011

2011-04-29T12:11:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
I can barely believe it is May! I am glad to see the sun today and hope we have nice weather ahead of us!
Perhaps the saying, "April Showers bring May flowers" pertains to this year!!!

This week we are taking AIMS Web tests in reading and math.
Monday = Trefonas homeroom = taking the Hannah Orleans Math Aptitude Test.
This is a placement test for the junior high.

Tuesday = Trefonas homeroom = MAPs Math testing at 12:30

Talent show slips need to be turned in A.S.A.P. if your child is interested in trying out.
Try outs begin Monday! Your child has been given a slip with all the information.
It requires a parent signature in order for your child to participate.

LifeSaving Grams!!! Project Challenge is sponsoring this fundraiser. It is for the American Red Cross to help victims in Japan. The students need to turn these in before May 25th!
If your child needs extra "grams"....please see our website...the form can be printed!

THIS WEEK IN OUR CLASSSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 27 Frequently Misspelled Words

READING: We are beginning a literature unit based on fantasy genre. The students have selected a book that they will be reading, completing activity sheets, and participating in book club discussion groups. We will be reviewing various reading strategies including story structure and questions, character traits, and figurative language.
In addition to the literature book activities we will be having ANALOGY contests!

ENGLISH: Pronouns
We will be learning about object pronuns, how to use I and Me correctly, and possessive pronouns.

SOCIAL STUDIES:
We will be watching NATIONAL TREASURE as a culminating activity for Chapters 9 and 10.
This is a special treat the students earned for having excellent hallway behavior!
Chapter 11 Lesson 1 "Washington as President"

SCIENCE: Chapter 15 Test = Tuesday

MATH: Monday = Lesson 7 Elapsed Time
Tuesday = further practice with elapsed time
Wednesday = Lesson 8 Temperature
Thursday = Homework Sheet and Quiz covering Lessons 4-8
Friday = Measurement Bingo and review
CHAPTER 22 Test will be given the week of May 9th

The Week of April 25, 2010

2011-04-21T13:36:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
Congratulations to the winners of the Citizen's Bank Essay winners! James David won third place and honorable mentions were awarded to Maggie Reynolds, Drew Dusza, Marc Alvarez, and Kyla Brown!

It was nice to see all of the parents and family members who attended the Too Good For Drugs Graduation. Matt did a great job introducing Deputy K. to the audience.

Thank you Marc and Eve for donating goodies to our ticket prizes!
Also, thanks to Emily's family and Jeremy's family for developing film for our classroom memory books.

**IMPORTANT..... Our class is taking MAPS tests for READING on MONDAY!!!
Your child has set a goal to improve their score! Eating a healthy breakfast and getting a good night's sleep will help them do their best!

This week:
Remember to visit Panda Express on Boughton Road in Woodridge to see 5th grade student's China projects on display.
Tuesday, April 26 = Project Challenge
Thursday, April 28 = Wheel of Wisdom Assembly @ 12:45 Parents are always welcome!
Friday, April 29 = Final Box Top Collection - Will we win a pizza party?

HERE'S WHAT WE ARE LEARNING:

SPELLING: Lesson 26 words with prefixes and suffixes
100% on pretest = challenge words

READING: We are doing an end of the book activity for Jacob's Rescue.

ENGLISH: Unit 4 Adjective Test = Tuesday

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 10 Test = Friday

SCIENCE: Chapter 15 Lesson 4 "How do People Use Energy Resources?"
Chapter 15 test will be Tuesday, May 3rd.

MATH:
Monday - No math due to MAPS testing
Tuesday - Homework sheet which will have problems from the two "Use Your Head" sheets
and wb 22.2. and wb 22.3 1-17.
We will also review for the quiz.
Wednesday - QUIZ - Chapter 22 Lessons 1-3 and doing Lesson 4 Customary Capacity and Weight.
Thursday - No math
Friday - Chapter 22 Lesson 5 Metric Capacity and Weight

The Week of April 18, 2011

2011-04-15T12:42:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
It was nice seeing all of you who came to Open House. It's rewarding to see the children proudly showing off their work on display in the classroom to their parents. I appreciate the generous book donations from the Book Fair. I was able to start a collection of the Rebecca Caudill 2012 books.

Thanks to Lucas, Eric, Kyla, Max, Tyler, and Maggie for bringing in snacks for our classroom.
If anyone wants to donate, we can use more fruit roll-ups and gushers. We can also use the cheese and cracker "handi-snacks". Thanks!

Too Good For Drugs Graduation......Wednesday, April 20th @ 8:30 !!!
It would be great for parents and family members to attend!

Thursday, April 21st....Early Dismissal

Center Cass District 66 - Eat Out - Panda Express http://www.ccsd66.org/PTO/FundRaisers/Panda.pdf
The fifth grade class made decorations. We have several students from our class who made pandas anddragons to dispay at Panda Express!
Maria Davilla,, the manager of Panda Express, will have them on display Thursday, April 21, 2011 for the District Eat Out.

Stop by and check it out!

No School on Friday in observation of Good Friday.

HERE'S WHAT IS HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: None this week!

READING: We are finishing Jacob's Rescue.
While reading the students have beendrawing conclusions, making inferences, and analyzing cause and effect relationships.
The students have been participating in book club discussions and have contributed great connections and thoughts. The insight that has been shared is remarkable!

ENGLISH: Unit 4 Adjectives - Proper Adjectives

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 10 Lesson 3 Ratifying the Constitution
The students will be learning the preamble as we sing along to the School House Rocks...."We The People".
Anyone who memorizes the preamble and sings or recites it in class will get a special "reward" which will help them on the test!

SCIENCE: Chapter 15 Lesson 3 How Heat is Transferred
We will be learning about heat and temperature and thermal energy transfer.

MATH: We only have math on Monday and Tuesday of this week.
We will be covering Chapter 22 Lesson3 Changing Linear Units of Customary and Metric Measurement.
A homework sheet and quiz will be given the week of April 25th!

The Week of April 11, 2011

2011-04-08T12:58:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
I am looking forward to seeing you at our Open House and Book Fair this Thursday.
You are invited to come and see your child's classrooms with lots of work on display from 6:30 - 8:00.
There will also be many good book selections at the Book Fair.

Some other reminders:
Tuesday = Project Challenge
Friday = Progress Reports to those students receiving unsatisfactory grades.

Save the date:
Wednesday, April 20th @ 8:30 = Too Good For Drugs Graduation
Parents and family members are invited to attend this special event!

A field trip for the Robert Crown Center has been scheduled for June 3rd.
There will be an informational meeting for parents on May 23rd.
Permission slips and more information will be sent home in a few weeks.

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 25 words with unusual spellings
100% = challenge list
Word of the week = bonus point

READING: We are reading a historical fiction novel, Jacob's Rescue.
This novel takes place during the Holocaust. This book is based on real people and events that happened during the Holocaust. The students are gradually being introduced to the hardships Jewish families experienced. There is a strong message of respect for others throughout this book which the students are recognizing. While reading the students are drawing conclusions, making inferences, and analyzing cause and effect relationships.
The students have been participating in book club discussions and have contributed great connections and thoughts. The insight that has been shared is remarkable!

ENGLISH: unit 4 Adjectives
We will be learning about the proper use of adjectives, articles, and demonstratives.
The students will be be applying their knowledge to do a creative thinking activity at the end of the week.
Enrichment assignments will be given to Project Challenge students.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 10 Lesson 1 "A Weak Government" and Lesson 2 "Debate in Philadelphia".

SCIENCE: We have finished lessons 1 and 2 of Chapter 15. I have strongly encouraged the students to bring home their textbooks and reread the lessons and review their notes.
We will learn more about....Changing Forms of Energy this week.

MATH:
Monday = Homework sheet and Chapter 12 review
Tuesday = Chapter 12 test
Wednesday = Target test and beging Chapter 22 Measurement- Lesson 1 = customary length
Thursday = Lesson 2 Metric Length
Friday = Lesson 3 Change units of length both customary and metric

The Week of April 4th, 2011

2011-03-25T11:12:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
As we come back to school from Spring Break, remember there is NO SCHOOL on Tuesday, April 5th.
Our class is participating in GEO-SPACE with the DuPage Children's Museum facilitators on Thursday, April 7th. With 5th grade having this "in-school" field trip we are not having reading and math everyday this week.
CLASSROOM HELPERS for GEO-SPACE are Mrs. Burrows and Mrs. Olsen!
Please be here at 9:00!

SAVE THE DATES = Thursday, April 14th = Open House and Book Fair

Wednesday, April 20th - 8:30 am for Too Good For Drugs Graduation
Parents are encouraged to attend!!!

HERE'S WHAT WE WILL BE UP TO IN THE CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: None this week!

READING: We will be reading a historical fiction novel, Jacob's Rescue. This novel takes place during the Holocaust. This book is based on real people and events that happened during the Holocaust. The students will be gradually introduced to the hardships Jewish families experienced, but does not make the reader too overwhelmed. There is a strong message of respect for others throughout this book.
While reading, the students will be drawing conclusions and making inferences. They will be able to identify the author's viewpoint and cause and effect relationships.

ENGLISH/WRITING: The students will be writing an informational friendly letter.
It will be based on what they learned in the Too Good For Drugs program.

SOCIAL STUDIES: We are doing an enrichment activity before we begin the next chapter.
We will be learning the history of "Yankee Doodle" and be writing a new and creative version!

SCIENCE: Chapter 15 Energy - We will be learning about Kinetic and Potential Energy.

MATH: Chapter 12
Monday = reviewing Lesson 12.5 "Comparing and Ordering Fractions" and extending this lesson with Mixed Numbers
Tuesday = No School
Wednesday = Lesson 12.7 Fractions and Decimals
Thursday and Friday - no math due to the GEO-SPACE program....which is an extension of geometry!!!

The Week of March 21, 2010

2011-03-17T12:27:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
Tuesday we are having our SCOOPer Reading Celebration. The class is planning the theme of the party in class on Friday, March 18th and some students will be asked to bring treats. A sheet with this information will come home with your child on Friday. If your child volunteers to bring in a goodie and it's not convenient for you, just let me know....

Wednesday is our field trip to NaperSettlement. The students need to bring a sack lunch and drink. Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather. We spend a good amount of time outside!
Chaperones = Mrs. David, Mrs. Reynolds, and Mrs. Gurnic
Please be here by 9:05 and don't forget your lunches!!

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS WEEK!

SPELLING: Lesson 24 Review Lesson
**100% on pretest = Challenge List
There are 30 review words. 15 words will be given on the pretest.
15 words will be given on the final test on Friday.
The entire list needs to be studied because the words will not necessarily be the same on the pretest and post-test.

READING: This week we continue our study of China. The students have used the facts they researched about China to create a travel brochure.
The travel brochure is due MONDAY.
We will continue to reinforce the use of main idea and supporting details by doing an internet activity on the giant panda.
We will also be learning about proverbs this week and Chinese folktales!

ENGLISH: We will be sharing our final copies of our expository writing!

SOCIAL STUDIES: We are not beginning the next chapter until after spring break.
We will be learning more about CHINA in our homeroom during this time!

SCIENCE: Chapter 14 Lesson 3 Chemical Changes
The test is on Chapter 14 is on Friday, March 25th!

MATH: Chapter 12 Fractions continued
Monday = Lesson 3 Simplest Form
Tuesday = Lesson 4 Mixed Numbers
Wednesday = No math due to field trip
Thursday = Quiz over Lessons 12.1 - 12.4 and HOMEWORK SHEET
Friday - Lesson 5 Compare and Order Fractions and Mixed Numbers

The Week of March 14, 2010

2011-03-10T10:26:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,
I look forward to seeing many of you at the P.T.O event on Saturday, March 19th "Spring Fling"!
These events are a great way to socialize and support our school!

Roller Skating Party is Monday!
Project Challenge meets on Tuesday!
Field Trip to Naper Settlement is Wednesday, March 23rd!
~Students need to dress appropriately since a lot of the activities are outside!
~Sack lunch!
~Chaperones = Mrs. Reynolds, Mrs. David, and Mrs. Gurnic
Please be here at 9:10! Thanks!!!

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 23 - words with suffixes and word of the week
Challenge list = 100% on pretest

READING: This week we continue our study of China. We are focusing on identifying main idea and supporting details using research materials. The students have been using non-fiction China books from our Prairieview library, the internet, and other sources.
The students are using clarifing and monitoring skills as they dig into the information!
The outline is due Tuesday, March 15th!
Next, we will be creating a travel brochure from our outlines!

SCOOPer READING:
GOALS DUE FRIDAY, MARCH 18th! I am hoping that everyone reaches their goal!!!

ENGLISH: Expository Writing "The Importance of Saving Money"
The students have their introduction and 3 key idea paragraphs due on Tuesday.
Tuesday, we will be peer conferencing and writing our conclusion paragraph.
Next, we will be revising and proofreading.
We will be typing our final copies here at school!
This piece of writing will be put in our writing folders that go on to Lakeview and will be entered in a contest!
Have your students share what they have written with you!

SOCIAL STUDIES: We are finished with Chapter 9.
Monday = How to Study sheets and going over our notes!
Tuesday = Jeopardy review!
Wednesday = TEST

SCIENCE: We are doing what was planned for last week!
Physical Changes.....Your child should understand that mass does NOT change during a physical change! We will be doing two experiments that demonstrate this!
We will also be learning about mixtures and solutions!

MATH:
Monday = Lesson 11.4 Prime and Composite Numbers
Tuesday = Homework Sheet and Quiz over Chapter 11 Lessons 1-4
This will be all we do in chapter 11!
Wednesday = A fifth grade math assessment **not graded**
Thursday = Chapter 12 Lesson 1 - Understanding Fractions
Friday = Chapter 12 Lesson 2 - Equivalent Fractions

The Week of March 7, 2011

2011-03-03T08:07:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,
Thank you for sending in snacks for ISAT testing week. The students sure appreciated your generosity. I have plenty of snacks for awhile!
The students seemed confident about the tests they took. I look forward to seeing great ISAT test results.

I enjoyed talking to the parents I met with during parent/teacher conferences. At any time, feel free to contact me about any concerns or questions regarding your child or what's happening in the classroom!

REMINDERS:
~No School on Friday, March 4th or Monday, March 7th!
~Roller Skating Party = Monday, March 14th.....turn in permission slips if you plan on going!
There is a limit to how many students can attend!

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 22 words with -ing or -ed
Students in my class need to get 100% on pretest to be on challenge list!
Word of the week begins with U!

READING: This week we begin studying the fascinating country and culture of China. We will focus on identifying main idea and supporting details using research materials. The students will be using non-fiction China books from our Prairieview library, the internet, and other sources. The students will be using clarifing and monitoring skills as they dig into the information!
The students will be completing an outline which will be used to create a brochure on China!

SCOOPer Reading: The deadline is approaching......March 18th!

ENGLISH: Expository Writing......your child is in the process of writing a 5 paragraph expository essay that will be submitted in a contest! Have them share the details of the contest and what they are writing!
We have spent a lot of time practicing how to make writing have FLAVOR....a voice....to make it interesting to the reader(s).

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 9 continued.....
We will applying our knowledge of Revolutionary War uniforms to create an original uniform!
Lesson 3 "The World Turned Upside Down" and creating a circle book with the information learned in this lesson.
I would suggest reviewing lessons 1 and 2 at this time!
An ongoing review makes studying for a chapter test a lot easier!

SCIENCE: Chapter 14 Physical Changes
We will be doing two activities that reinforce this concept!

MATH: Target Test over Chapter 4 which is used to monitor student progress, it's not a grade.
Chapter 11 Lesson 1 Multiples and Least Common Multiple
Lesson 2 Divisibility rules
Lesson 3 Factors and Greatest Common Factor
Lesson 4 Prime and Composite Numbers

Quiz and Homework sheet are scheduled for Monday, March 14th!

The Week of February 28, 2011

2011-02-24T13:05:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,
We have now officially started the 3rd Trimester of fifth grade. During the third trimester, the late policy will be the same as Lakeview's policy. This will help the students realize the importance of getting work completed on time and the penalty that will affect their grades for late work. It will also make a better transition to Lakeview.

Third Trimester Late Policy: 1 day late - minus 25%
More than 1 day late until test is taken - minus 50%
After unit test is taken - a zero is entered in the grade book

REPORT CARDS are issued on Tuesday.
Parent/Teacher conferences are being held this week.

No School on Friday, March 4th and Monday, March 7th!

ISAT TESTING: The 5th grade schedule is as follows:
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
Math 8:15 - 9:30 & Reading 9:45-10:30
Please make sure your child is healthy, well rested, and has eaten a healthy breakfast to ensure
successful test taking!
A snack break will be in homeroom between math and reading ISAT testing.

Please mark your calendars for March 15th for the Parent Connect meeting to learn more about how to interpret your child's MAPS scores.

SCHOLASTIC BOOK ORDERS: Due Wednesday!
The choices in the Arrow and Tab orders for March are great! This is one of the best book orders I have seen!

**Miss Trefonas will not be at school on Tuesday. I am letting you know this because I often get emails from parents to give a message to their child during the day. If you need this type of help, please email the office on Tuesday. The office will get the message to the substitute!

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: No spelling this week due to ISAT testing.

READING: Monday we will be learning about the use of Personification and how it makes reading and writing more interesting!
The rest of the week the students will be taking ISAT tests during reading time.

ENGLISH: The Unit 3 Verb test is Monday.
We are starting Expository writing this week. The students will be writing an expository that will be entered in a contest which they can earn a monetary prize. Information will be sent home mid week.

SCOOPer READING: The due date is March 18th!

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 9 Lesson 2
The students will be learning about the famous event of General George Washington crossing the Delaware River. They will be writing a letter from a soldier's point of view and telling about the event in first person.

SCIENCE: Chapter 14 Physical Changes

MATH: Monday we will be reviewing a variety of math concepts prior to ISAT testing.
The rest of the week the students will be taking the ISAT math test.

The Week of February 21, 2011

2011-02-18T11:44:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,
Thanks again to all my wonderful Valentine Party Helpers, Field Trip Chaperones, and Copy Moms, who I mentioned by name last week. Your help is greatly appreciated!

Please remember: No School Monday = Presidents' Day
Tuesday = After school Project Challenge
Thursday = Spring Picture Day

ISAT testing is the week of February 28th.
The 5th grade schedule:
Tuesday 3/1, Wednesday 3/2, and Thursday 3/3
Math - 8:15 - 9:30
and
Reading - 9:45 - 11:00

HELP NEEDED: Snacks and Capri Sun for ISAT week!
I would like to provide the children a healthy snack and Capri Sun each day of testing!
Please remember snacks need to be individually wrapped and peanut free!
Some snack suggestions: Cherry and Blueberry Nutrigrain Bars
Rice Krispie Treats
Gold Fish
Pop Tarts
Fruit Snacks
(If you'd like to send in fresh fruit, please contact me!)
THANKS......................

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 21 VV Pattern
The grades from Lesson 21 will be the first grades on the third trimester report card.
Students will have to get 100% on the pretest to be on the challenge list for third trimester.

READING: This week we will be learning about figurative language which will include:
onomatopoeia, alliteration, idioms, similes, metaphors, and personification.
The students will be creating original images when when they interpret figurative language literally.

SCOOPer Reading: About a month to reach our goals......

ENGLISH: We will finish Unit 3 verbs. The test will be on Monday, February 28th.
The test will be recorded for third trimester grading period.

SOCIAL STUDIES: We are finishing Chapter 9 Lesson 1 .
We will be learning more about the Declaration of Independence.

SCIENCE: Chapter 14 We will learn about solids, liquids, and gasses.

MATH:
Tuesday = Lesson 4.6 Solve Equations
Wednesday = Lesson L1-L6 QUIZ and Lesson 4.7 Functions
Thursday = Lesson 4.8 Inequalities
Friday = Homework sheet and Lessons 5-9 QUIZ
**There will be no end of the chapter test. There will be a total of three quizzes.
**Wednesday's QUIZ will be the last grade recorded for the second trimester.

The Week of February 14, 2011

2011-02-11T13:57:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,
Happy Valentine's Day! Try your heart-est to have a special day!

Special thanks to the following parents:
~Mrs. Dusza for developing film for our memory books.
~Mrs. Burrows for sending in Valentine stickers and other goodies.
~Mrs. Brandt and Mrs. Herstowski for coordinating the Valentine Party.
~Mrs. Conners, Mrs. Burrows, Mrs. Wiseman, and Mrs. Reynolds for snacks, drinks, & paper goods.
~Mrs. Reynolds, Mrs. Brandt, Mrs. Olsen, Mrs. Szyptek, and Mrs. Herstowski for running the games and activities at our party.
~Mrs. Brandt and Mrs. Smiles for being field trip chaperones to Argonne!
~ Thanks also to my copy moms who come every week:
Mrs. Smiles, Mrs. David, and Mrs. Alvarez!

REMEMBER.....
Monday = Valentine's Day Party
Tuesday = Field Trip to Argonne!
~Lunch needs to be in a disposable bag.
~Students must wear long pants and closed shoes.
~NaperSettlement field trip slip and $ needs to be sent in!
~Six Flags "Read to Succeed" is due this week.

Something we need before Friday...Can you donate?
1 bag of mini colored marshmallows
1 bag of mini white marshmallows
**Please email me if you can donate! Then, I will let others know that it's being supplied! Thanks!

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOM:

Spelling: Lesson 20 Frequently misspelled words and word of the week.

Reading: This week we will be writing an extended response using a fictional piece. We will also be identifying character traits using a variety of instructional materials.
We will be reading James Forten from our reading anthology.
The students also are performing their Toliver's Secret skits!

SCOOPer Reading: Monday, March 18th is the next due date!
Almost every student has shared a book and the activity to accompany it with the class!

Social Studies: Chapter 8 Test = Monday
Chapter 9 "Winning the Revolution" We will cover lesson 1 this week.

Science: Unit E Chapter 14 Matter and Energy

Math: continuing Chapter 4 Algebra Expressions and Equations
Monday= Lesson 4.3 Properties
Tuesday= Lessons 1-3 review and ISAT practice problems
Wednesday = no math
Thursday = Homework Sheet and Lessons 1-3 QUIZ
Friday=Lesson 4.5 Write Equations

The Week of February 7th, 2011

2011-02-03T11:49:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,
Wow! What an eventful beginning of February we have had! This snowstorm is one we will all remember. I can't recall the last time we had two snow days off from school in a row.
All this hype about the snowstorm, is there still a Superbowl game being played?
I guess most of us want to forget that we could of....should of....been watching the Bears play in the big game. Being a Cubs fan, I am used to saying, "There's always next year!"

Monday, Feb. 14th = Valentine's Day!! Thanks to all the moms who have been busy planning and organizing the party for our classroom. Students are encouraged to bring in Valentines to pass out.
Please make sure that your child has one for every student in the class and that they are appropriate. There are no candy Valentines allowed to be passed out or any candy at all.
Students may pass out a non candy item with their Valentines if they would like.

Thanks to Mrs. Brindac and Mrs. Gurnic for the classroom "goodies" you donated!!!!

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 19 VCCCV pattern and word of the week!

READING: We are practicing writing an extended response using a nonfiction genre. This will help us succeed when taking the ISAT tests! We will be identifying cause and effect relationships using a variety of instructional materials. We will be applying these skills as we finish our novel study - Toliver's Secret. As a culminating activity, the students will be doing skits on a scene in the novel, which will also reinforce cause and effect!

SCOOPer Reading:
Our goal due date is about a month away!! I have reviewed with each student what their goal is and how many books/activities they have completed thus far.
**Don't forget the Read to Succeed - Six Flags reading sheets are due Feb. 17th! A free ticket just for reading and filling out the sheet with a parent signature!

ENGLISH: We are finishing our Linking Verb Island shares. I am grading and entering the grades after each student shares theirs. We are also finishing our letter writing "Love Letters"!
Furthermore, we have more work to do in our verb unit....Unit 3.
We will finish verb tenses and work on verb agreement.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 8 Lesson 3 continued.....
We have read and discussed Paul Revere's Ride, the Battles of Lexington and Concord, where the first shot was fired during the American Revolution, and next we will read about the Battle of Bunker Hill. We are taking notes on "puzzle pieces". These notes will be very helpful when we write about these events for our PATRIOT/LOYALIST project.
Class time will be given for typing and illustrating our PATRIOT/LOYALIST project on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The entire project including the cover is due Friday!
The students will be given their HOW TO STUDY sheet on Thursday, reviewing on Friday, and testing on Monday, Feb. 14th.

SCIENCE: We will be starting Unit E Matter and Energy.

TOO GOOD FOR DRUGS: Session 4 this week. Your child will have interesting information to share with you.

MATH: Chapter 18 Geometry Test = Monday
Target Test Review and Symmetry project = Tuesday
Target Test and finishing Symmetry project = Wednesday
Chapter 4 Algebra Expressions and Equations Lesson 1 = Thursday
Lesson 2 Order of Operations = Friday

The Week of January 31st, 2011

2011-01-27T12:51:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,
Will the groundhog see his shadow? I am ready for winter to be over!

Thanks to Mrs. Olsen and Mrs. Burrows for their generous classroom donations.

Can you help out?
This is what we can use:
~Goldfish crackers (individually wrapped packages)
~any other "peanut free" snack, individually wrapped EXCEPT fruit snacks!!!
(We have plenty of fruit snacks presently!!)

Things to note:
~Movie Night permission slips are due Monday.
~Argonne permission slips are due by Friday.
~Movie Night = Friday!
~Failure Notices will be sent home Friday to any student receiving lower than a C.

BOX TOPS......send them in!

HERE'S WHAT WE ARE UP TO THIS WEEK:

SPELLING: Lesson 18 and word of the week

READING: We are practicing writing an extended response using a nonfiction genre. This will help us succeed when taking the ISAT tests! We will be identifying cause and effect relationships using a variety of instructional materials. We will be applying these skills while continuing our novel study - Toliver's Secret.

SCOOPer Reading: This weather lends itself to cuddling up with a good book.....I hope to see some book activities turned in this week!
**Don't forget the Read to Succeed - Six Flags reading sheets are due Feb. 17th! A free ticket just for reading and filling out the sheet with a parent signature!

ENGLISH: Unit 3 Verbs continued. Linking Verb Island Project due Monday.
The students had class time on Weds., Thurs, and Fri. Hopefully, they won't have too much left to complete over the weekend.
Next, we will be reviewing present, past, and future tense of verbs.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 8 Lesson3 Revolution Begins
We are reading the text, taking notes, and continuing our Patriot/Loyalist project.
This is the last lesson of the chapter.
It is recommended to review the lessons we have already covered.
Then, when it's test time it's not too overwhelming!!!

Too Good For Drugs: Session for this week! Your child should be able to share some useful information with you from this program.

SCIENCE: Have your child share what rodents they found inside the owl pellet they dissected.
This week we are not starting any new material.

MATH: Chapter 18 Geometry
Monday - Lesson 6 Congruent and Similar Figures
Tuesday - Lesson 7 Symmetry
Wednesday - Homework sheet and Chapter 18 review
Thursday - Chapter 18 test
Friday - Symmetry project

The Week of January 24, 2011

2011-01-19T08:25:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

HELP NEEDED: Can you donate any of the following?

~Capri Sun juice drinks

~February stickers or prizes of any kind

SNACKS

~cheese and crackers

~Sun Chips

Thanks, Mrs. Dygdon for donating plastic cups and Capri Sun!

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN MISS TREFONAS'S CLASS:

SPELLING: Lesson 17 and word of the week

READING: We will continue to understand the author's viewpoint and distinguish between fact and opinion using instructional level materials. We will be using the novel Toliver's Secret which coincides with what the students are learning about in social studies....the events leading up to the American Revolution. Vocabulary activities and character traits will be incorporated during this novel unit too.

SCOOPer Reading: Due date is in March. I continue to be impressed with the students book selections and book activities.

ENGLISH: We will be doing a project "Linking Verb Island".

Time will be given in class to work on this.

Final Project due on Monday, January 31st.

SOCIAL STUDIES:

Chapter 8 Lesson 2 The events we have read and discussed are the Boston Massacre, The Boston Tea Pary and The Intolerable Acts.

We will be continuing the Patriot/Loyalist "point of view" activity with these events.

We will also be watching a LIBERTY KIDS history cartoon on these events and having a tea party!

By the end of the week, your child should have Chapter 8 Lesson 1 and Lesson 2 events finished (typed and illustrated) as a final copy for our Patriot/Loyalist project.

SCIENCE: We will be learning about Barn Owls and owl pellets.

We will be doing an interactive computer activity, as well as, dissecting owl pellets.

MATH:

Chapter 18 Geometry continued

Monday = Lesson 3 Polygons

Tuesday = more work on polygons and a review for Wednesday's quiz

Wednesday= Homework sheet and QUIZ

Thursday = Lesson 5 Circles (yes, we are skipping lesson 4)

Friday = Lesson 6 Congruent and Similar shapes

The Week of January 17, 2011

2011-01-14T10:08:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

~NO SCHOOL MONDAY - Martin L. King, Jr. Holiday

Today marks the mid-term point of this trimester. If you have not already done so, I encourage you to access your child's grades online through Parent Connect.

Students who are receiving a failing grade in a particular subject will receive notification home through US Mail in the next few days.

If you are having difficulty accessing your child's grades via Parent Connect, please contact the office and they would be more than happy to assist you.

CONGRATULATIONS to Matt and Maggie for winning our classroom spelling bee and going on to the 5th grade Spelling Bee on Tuesday. Good luck!!

HELP NEEDED: Can you donate any of the following?

~Capri Sun juice drinks

~Clear plastic cups - 9 ounce

~February stickers or prizes of any kind

SNACKS

~cheese and crackers

~Sun Chips

~Nutri Grain bars or other cereal bars (nut-free)

THANKS IN ADVANCE!!!!!

Thanks to Mrs. Reynolds for the prizes she donated this past week!

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOM:

TOO GOOD FOR DRUGS: Session 3 is this week. Your child gets a weekly activity to share at home.

SPELLING: Lesson 16 VCCV & VCV patterns. Word of the Week!

READING: This week we will be determining the author's viewpoint as begin a novel TOLIVER's SECRET. We will also be focusing on the differences between a fact and an opinion, vocabulary, and character traits.

SCOOPer READING: Everyone has at least one book read and activity completed....HOORAY!

The due date is in March!

ENGLISH: Unit 3 Verbs....Main and Helping Verbs and Linking Verbs!

SCIENCE: Chapter 6 Lesson 3 Quiz on Tuesday. Students should study their Lesson 3 notes, reread lesson 3 in their textbook, and study lesson 3 vocabulary.

Tuesday a study sheet will be passed out.

Chapter 6 Test = Thursday.

SOCIAL STUDIES: We have started a writing activity "Patriot/Loyalist". The students have written 6 paragraphs from the point of view of an American Patriot and British Loyalist. They have described the feelings of both sides on being taxed, The Stamp Act, and The Townsend Acts. The final typed and illustrated copies for these three events are due WEDNESDAY.

Next, we learn about the Boston Massacre, Committees of Correspondence, and the Boston Tea Party.

MATH: Tuesday and Wednesday we are doing one lesson in chapter 10 - Ordered Pairs.

Thursday we begin Chapter 18 Geometry - Lesson 1 Points, Lines and Angles.

Lesson 2 Measure and Draw Angles.

Your child needs to have a protractor here at school.

We will be taking notes in a Geometry Packet.

This is an important packet that needs to be kept in their math section of their binder.

The Week of January 10th, 2011

2011-01-06T12:14:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,
Happy New Year to all! At the end of this week we will be halfway finished with Trimester 2.
Please review your child's grades on parent connect. If you have any concerns, please let me know.

~MAPS testing = Weds. 1/12 - 1:00-2:00
~No School = Mon. 1/17/ Martin L. King, Jr. Holiday

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 15 Frequently misspelled words and word of the week.

READING: We will be working on story structure using a story map template while reading various literature selections from our basal and other short story passages.
A vocabulary quiz over words from the selection Elena will be given Thursday.

SCOOPer READING: A lot of books were read during the winter break. I am currently caught up on book meetings. I enjoy having book discussions with the children.
Trimester 2 goal is due March 18th.

ENGLISH: We got involved in a creative winter Haiku Poem activity this past week.
The verb unit will begin this week. We will review action verbs and learn about direct objects.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 8 - American Revolution.
We have completed Lesson 1 . The children learned about Britain unfairly taxing the colonies by passing the Stamp Act and Townshend Act.
We did a simulated activity with taxes and our tickets.....King Arman was sure tough!
We will be doing a point of view activity in which the children will retell these events as a "loyalist" and as a "patriot".
Lesson 2 - The colonists rebel and the students will learn about the Boston Massacre, The Committees of Correspondence, and The Boston Tea Party.

SCIENCE: Chapter 6 Lesson 2 "How do Ecosystems Change Over Time"
and Lesson 3 "How do People Affect Ecosystems"

T.G.F.D. - Too Good For Drugs
Your child should have shared an information letter about this program and what they will be learning. The letter also suggested setting a family goal.
This Thursday will be our second session.

MATH: Homework sheet and Chapter 24 Review = Monday
Chapter 24 Test = Tuesday
No math = Wednesday
Chapter 23/24 Target Test = Thursday
Problem Solving will be part of this week through two different activities: The Snowman Construction Company and a January Mathlib.

The Week of January 3rd, 2011

2010-12-15T12:26:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,
I hope everyone has a happy and healthy new year!

This week we will begin MAPS testing again. Friday we will be testing from 1:00 - 2:00.

T.G.F.D.
Too Good For Drugs begins this week with an officer from the Dupage County Sheriff's Department.
This is a substance abuse prevention curriculum. There will be a total of 9 lessons that focus on the dangerous substances that are used widely by young people. A letter will be sent home explaining this program in more detail after our first session on Thursday.
At the end of the program, we have a graduation ceremony!

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 14 and word of the week. Spelling work will be due on Thursday.
This week the test will be on Thursday due to no spelling on Friday.

READING: When we come back from break, we will be learning more about the structure of a story through story mapping! Our class will read the story Elena, from our anthology. We will also be having a vocabulary quiz on words from this selection on Monday, January 10th.

~The students did a great job applying their reading comprehension strategies while reading and discussing books for our BOOK CLUBS. We will have one culminating activity where each group will advertise the book they read to the rest of the class.

SCOOPer Reading: Most students have read at least one book and completed an activity.
I hope that the students will read a great book during the winter break and have an activity completed when they return.
We have had a lot of great book shares! This is a way for students to hear about a good book to read!

ENGLISH: We will be writing winter haiku poems. Then, we start Unit 3 -Verbs.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 8 "The Road to War"
We will do Lesson 1 "Trouble over Taxes"
We will learn the School House Rocks song NO MORE KINGS which fits perfectly with this chapter!
The students will participate in a role playing activity which will simulate how the colonists felt about unfairly being taxed....NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION!!!
Also, we will begin a retelling of important events that led to the American Revolution with a point of view activity....."I am the Patriot....."I am the Loyalist" This activity will be ongoing during the chapter.

SCIENCE: We will continue Chapter 6 Lesson 1.
The students will have a Lesson 1 QUIZ on Friday.
We will be doing a role playing activity with symbiosis and the three different types: mutualism,
parasitism, and commensalism.

MATH:
Chapter 24
Lesson 2 - Area of squares/rectangles
Lesson 4 - Area of triangles
Lesson 5 - Area of Parallelograms
Lesson 8 - Volume

The Week of December 13, 2010

2010-12-08T14:27:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,
This is our last week of school for 2010! I can hardly believe that time goes by so quickly.
Thanks to the following families for donating snacks, prizes, and/or craft items to our classroom this past week: Alvarez, Dygdon, Gurnic, Brandt, Reynolds, and Herstowski.
I hope I didn't forget anyone.
I appreciate how much this class's parents support our classroom activities.

Some special events this week:
Monday = Holiday concert @ 9:30 in PV gym - Parents are invited.
Holiday concert in the evening at Lakeview too!

Thursday = Bowling 9:00 - 11:00 *students can bring $ for snacks!
Regular lunch will be available when we return.

Friday = Movie @ the Tivoli

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Holiday List...words will be given on Tuesday. Work due and test on Friday.

READING:This week we will continue to practice summarizing and predicting with skill pages and fiction reading material.
Monday = no reading due to band concert....
Tuesday = Book Club meeting #2 and discussion sheet due.
Wednesday = read and work on book club discussion sheet....
Thursday = no reading due to bowling...
Friday = Last Book Club meeting and discussion sheet due.

SCOOPer Reading:
I have told the students that they should try to have at least one book read and book activity completed before the break.

ENGLISH: Unit 2 Noun Test = Wednesday!

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 7 Test on Tuesday!

SCIENCE: We are starting Chapter 6 Lesson 1
"How Do Organisms Compete & Survive in an Ecosystem"
There is a project that goes along with this lesson.
We might start this project prior to break.

MATH: Monday = Homework sheet and perimeter review.
Tuesday = Perimeter Test
Wednesday = Logic problem solving and using coordinates. Both with a holiday theme.
Thursday = No math
Friday = fun activity!

The Week of December 6th, 2010

2010-12-02T14:47:00.000-08:00

DEAR PARENTS,

CLASSROOM DONATIONS NEEDED.........
*Fruit Snacks
*Goldfish Crackers
*Cheese and Crackers snacks
*Rice Krispie treats
and any HOLIDAY/WINTER stickers or prizes....

THANKS, in advance!!!

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 13 Homophones for regular and challenge lists

READING:
This week, all fifth graders will review the skill of drawing conclusions. They will also be introduced to the skill of Author's Purpose. Students will learn how to read a text and decide if it was written to persuade, inform, or entertain. They will use the acronym PIE to help them remember these three important terms.
We will be continuing to summarize, question, predict and connect using student selected literature books for BOOK CLUBS. The students will be completing book club discussion sheets and having discussion group meetings.

SCOOPer READING:
Hopefully, all students will have one book read and activity completed prior to our winter break.

ENGLISH:
Unit 2 NOUNS - singular and plural possessive nouns & appositives
We are finishing this unit and testing on Wednesday, December 15th.

SOCIAL STUDIES:
We are finishing Chapter 7.
The students will be getting a "How to Study" sheet and highlighting their notes on Thursday.
They will be writing Hot Seat review game questions on Friday for our review game on Monday.
CHAPTER 7 Test = Tuesday, December 14th.

SCIENCE:
Chapter 5 review on Monday.
Chapter 5 test on Tuesday.
We will begin Chapter 6 Lesson 1 "How Do Organisms Compete and Survive in an Ecosystem"
We will be doing a project that pertains to this lesson the following week and continue the chapter after break.

MATH:
Monday = Homework sheet and Quest (quiz/test) on Mean, Median, Mode and Range.
Tuesday = Target review and assessment on the same skills.
Wednesday = Chapter 23 (yes, we are skipping around in the book) Lesson 2 Perimeter
Thursday = Chapter 23 Lesson 3 Perimeter Formulas
Friday = Chapter 223 Lesson 5 Circumference
We will be testing this chapter prior to winter break.

The Week of November 29th

2010-11-23T21:07:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,
This week is conference week. I will have a copy of your child's report card. Please think of any questions or concerns you have and would like to discuss.

There is NO SCHOOL on FRIDAY due to parent/teacher conferences.

*Paper Recycling Fundraiser Comes to Prairieview: We are happy to announce we can now raise money for our district by recycling paper! You can help us out, too! Please collect any paper you are going to throw away or recycle (office and school paper, newspaper, magazines and catalogs, and construction paper---no cardboard!) and send it in with your child to school or drop it off at the green and yellow Paper Retriever bin in the Lakeview parking lot (near the fence by the Prairieview playground). The bin is available for drop offs 24/7. The more paper we recycle, the more money we can make! Do something good for our schools AND the environment!
Thank you!

The students of Project Challenge grades 3-5 are participating in a Lion's Club Holiday Drive. We are looking for donations such as new toys, new games, toiletries, and food for the needy families in the Darien area. If you wish to participate you will need to bring the donations in by December 13. Remember that some of these families live right here in Darien. So let's help these families have a happy holiday season. PLEASE DONATE!

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 12 Review lesson and word of the week

SCOOPer READING: I hope that during the Thanksgiving holiday there was a chance to read and work on a book activity. I hope to have a lot of book meetings this week!

READING: We will continue to review summarizing, drawing conclusions, inferring, identifying author generalizations, visualizing, and word work with vocabulary words using our realistic fiction novels until December 2nd.
Next week, we will review main ideas and details using our skills workbook. Our work with extended response will continue as well.
We will be having book club discussions with our novel CRASH. An end of the book activity will be assigned and due on Monday, December 6th.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 7 Fight for a Continent
We will be covering Lesson 1 "The Spanish Move North", Lesson 2 "French Explore Mississippi", and Lesson 3 "French and Indian War".

SCIENCE: We will be learning about the energy pyramid and the 10% rule.
We are finishing this unit and testing on Tuesday, December 7th.

MATH: Mean, Median, Mode and Range
An assessment will be given on Thursday.

The Week of November 29th

2010-11-23T13:28:00.000-08:00

*Paper Recycling Fundraiser Comes to Prairieview: We are happy to announce we can now raise money for our district by recycling paper! You can help us out, too! Please collect any paper you are going to throw away or recycle (office and school paper, newspaper, magazines and catalogs, and construction paper---no cardboard!) and send it in with your child to school or drop it off at the green and yellow Paper Retriever bin in the Lakeview parking lot (near the fence by the Prairieview playground). The bin is available for drop offs 24/7. The more paper we recycle, the more money we can make! Do something good for our schools AND the environment!
Thank you!

The Weeks of Nov. 15th & Nov. 22nd

2010-11-12T12:05:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,
We have officially ended the 1st trimester grading period.
Here are some helpful reminders for success during the 2nd trimester:
*Extra Credit.....

Please remember that here at Prairieview, we suggest that students set a personal goal for the grades they would like to earn each trimester, and then work towards that goal the entire trimester. Therefore, students are NOT given opportunities for extra credit assignments. However, teachers may provide bonus points on various assignments throughout the year.

*Late homework - Trimester 2

1 day late - minus 15%

More than 1 day late until unit test is taken - minus 25%

After unit test is taken - a zero is entered in the grade book

Some important dates....
We are inviting parents to attend this PBIS Recognition Assembly on Monday, November 15th, at 1:45 p.m. where the students will be recognized by local law enforcement officers for their fantastic work on maintaining our core expectations of being respectful, being responsible, and being safe.

Looking forward to see you there!

SCOOPer READING Celebration = Tuesday, November 16th!

Friday, November 19th - Lunch in I.M.C. - I hope to see more students participating! The due date to turn in this slip is Wednesday, November 17th.

Tuesday, November 23rd - Report Cards
No school = Wednesday, Nov. 24th - Friday Nov. 26th - HAPPY THANKSGIVING

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 11 and word of the week

READING: We will continue writing extended responses this week, using questions from our realistic fiction novel - Crash. Furthermore, we will continue to review all the skills we have studied so far this school year, specifically, summarizing, drawing conclusions, inferencing, identifying author generalizations, and visualizing. We are also continuing our word work with vocabulary words.

SCOOPer Reading: Tuesday we are setting our 2nd Trimester goals and the students will receive new book activity choices. It's also our celebration for meeting our 1st Trimester goals!

ENGLISH: Unit 2 Nouns

SOCIAL STUDIES: finishing chapter 4......
The students have been reminded to bring home their textbook and review especially over the weekend. There's a lot of content in this chapter. Have you seen your child reviewing?
If so, send me an e-mail and I would like to reward them for being responsible!!
CHAPTER 4 TEST - Tuesday, November 23rd!

JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT: Our last session will be on Tuesday, November 23rd.
The culminating activity is the students are doing commercials based on a service or product they are selling. Thanks to Mr. and Ms. Paleka for being awesome facilitators!

SCIENCE: continuing chapter 5......your child has "memory" vocabulary cards that they should use for an ongoing review. A family member can participate in this activity or they can play memory on their own.
On Tuesday, November 23rd, Fullersburg Woods will be coming to talk with the 5th graders about ecosystems. They will focus on the concept of food chains and the energy pyramid and how everything in our world is connected. This fits in great with our science chapters 5 and 6.

MATH:
Chapter 6 Quest (quiz/test) is Tuesday, November 16th.
We are then doing an assessment of material learned in both chapters 5 and 6.
This helps us evaluate who has grasped the concepts that are to be mastered in 5th grade, and who needs additional practice.
We will also be visiting the computer lab this week to play a math problem solving game.
Next week, we will be doing problem solving.

The Week of November 8th

2010-11-04T12:17:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
Important reminders for this week:
~Monday, November 8th = Skating Party

Students attending the roller skating party on Monday, November 8th will need to report to school at 3:45 p.m. to check in and have their hands stamped before boarding the buses. Students should bring their fast pass with them at check in which will go home with them on Monday. Please remember not to park in the bus lanes when dropping your student off and for pick up. Thank you

~Thursday, November 11th = No School - Veteran's Day
~Friday, November 12th = End of Trimester

Tuesday, November 23, 2010 will be picture retake day. Any student that did not have their picture taken prior to this date may do so. They will be required to have a picture envelope with money to have a picture taken. Any student wishing to have a picture retaken will have to return the original picture packet for a retake.

CAN YOU DONATE.......
We need Q-tips and buttons for misc. classroom projects.
Scratch n' Sniff stickers
Snacks....
*Goldfish Crackers
*Cheese n Crackers
and any other individually wrapped healthy snacks that are "peanut free"
THANKS!!!!!

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 10 and word of the week (worth 1 bonus point for word and definition)

ENGLISH: Monday = Unit 5 "Capitalization & Punctuation" Test
Next we begin - Unit 2 Nouns!

READING:
We will begin writing extended responses this week. This skill is taught using a short story called The River and a technique with the acronym IEIEIE which stands for Idea, Evidence, Interpretation, Evidence, Interpretation, Extension. Fifth graders should be familiar with this technique.
Furthermore, we will continue to review all the skills we have studied so far this school year, specifically, summarizing, drawing conclusions, inferencing, identifying author generalizations, and visualizing while reading CRASH.
We are also doing a lot of word work with vocabulary words.

SCOOPer Reading: We will be planning our celebration for meeting our goals. The "party" will be on Tuesday, November 16th......stay tuned....more details to come soon!
The students will be setting their Trimester 2 goals and receive their new book activity packets the week of November 15th.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Colonial Games = Tuesday, November 9th
This week we are doing an activity based on Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac.

SCIENCE: Chapter 5 - Lesson 2 How is Energy Passed Through an Ecosystem

MATH:
Chapter 6 L1 Rounding Decimals
L2 + & - decimals
L3 Estimate Sums
Friday = Lesson 1-3 review & homework sheet

The Week of November 1st, 2010

2010-10-28T13:48:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
Thanks to the party and treat moms who went out of their way to make our Halloween celebration festive and SPOOKtacular!
Treats and drinks = Mrs. Brindac, Mrs. Campbell, and Mrs. Baer.
Party helpers = Mrs. David, Mrs. Herstowski, Mrs. Olsen, Mrs. Dygdon, Mrs. Brandt & Mrs. Smiles.

Thanks also to the following families for donating goodies to our classroom last
week:
~Mrs. Reynolds, Mrs. Wiseman, Mrs. Dusza, Mrs. Baer, Mrs. Olsen, Mrs. Szyptek, and Mrs. Dygdon

If you can donate......(Thanks in advance....)
The classroom needs: scratch n sniff stickers (Let's Learn is the best place to find these!)
Goldfish crackers

Great news:
The students earned a reward party in art class for PAWS earned. Have them explain this to you!

and more Great News..... We had an exciting Trade Fair! Everyone had their homemade items to trade and did a great job participating in this activity. We had lots of fun and it was a great learning experience!

and even more GREAT NEWS..... Our class will be getting a pizza party for turning in the most Box Tops!!! Start collecting again!!!!

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 9 and word of the week....
Work due Thursday and Test Friday

READING: This week, we will review all the skills we have studied so far this school year, specifically, summarizing, drawing conclusions, inferencing, identifying author generalizations, and visualizing while reading CRASH, a realistic fiction novel.

SCOOPer Reading: Monday, November 1st = 1st Trimester goal is due!
All book activities must be completed and turned in.
The students have been given several reminders about this and how only one book activity at a time can be turned in.

ENGLISH: We are finishing Chapter 5 Capitalization and Punctuation - Test is Mon., Nov. 8th

SOCIAL STUDIES: We will be finishing Lesson 3 of Chapter 6.
This means your child can review both lessons 2 and 3!
The students will be getting directions about making a colonial game which will be due Tuesday, Nov. 9th.
JR. ACHIEVEMENT....week # 4 with Mr. and Ms. Paleka

SCIENCE: We are finishing Lesson 1 of Chapter 5.....
Can your child sing the Photosynthesis song to you? "How do plants make their food......

MATH: We are finishing Chapter 5.
Test = Friday, November 5th.

The Week of October 25th

2010-10-21T12:15:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

I'd like to thank Mrs. Dusza for donating snacks to our classroom.
Also, thank you Mrs. David for the Halloween prizes.

Can you donate.....? Thanksssssssss
~Fruit snacks
~Scratch n Sniff stickers
~individual Crystal Lite (or another brand) water flavor packets....any flavor that is light in color
(in case of spills, we don't want to stain the carpet!!!)

IMPORTANT REMINDERS.........
~Wednesday, October 27th = Classroom Trade Fair
~Friday, October 29th = Halloween Festivities....
Parade @ 1:00 ....parents are invited to be outside to watch the parade!!!
Party @1:30....a HUGE thanks to Mrs. Brindac, Mrs. Campbell, and Mrs. Baer for providing the treats and beverage. Mrs. David, Mrs. Herstowski, Mrs Olsen, Mrs. Dygdon, Mrs. Brandt, and Mrs. Smiles are the classroom party moms. Thanks for all your planning!

*** Students need to bring their costume to school on Friday. The costume might need to be simplified for school purposes since students need to be able to change in a short amount of time. Changing will take place in the classrooms. The fifth grade will have designated classrooms for girls to change in and for boys. Washrooms will not be available for costume changing. No weapons, even fake, are allowed at school.

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 8 frequently misspelled words
Assignments are due Thursday and final test is Friday......word of the week = 1 bonus point on final test!

ENGLISH: Unit 5 continued.....Abbreviations and Titles

READING: During our CORE instruction we are continuing to make analogies. We are also drawing conclusions and making inferences from non-fiction text.

The students will be taking a skills book assessment this week.

We are finishing My Side of the Mountain.
My Side of the Mountain vocabulary quiz on Tuesday.

The students will be given an assessment to see how well they can read a selection and draw conclusions.

We will begin a novel at the end of the week and apply the reading strategies that we have learned thus far this year.

SCOOPer READING.... 1st Trimester goals are due November 1st!!!!!

SOCIAL STUDIES: TRADE FAIR WEDNESDAY......students need to bring back the sheet with a parent signature due Monday or before.
Chapter 6 Lesson 2 = Colonial Cities, Towns, and Farms
Chapter 6 Lesson 3 = Everyday Life in the Colonies
Again, reviewing after each lesson is a great study skill!

SCIENCE: LEAVES for project are due on Monday, November 1st
Your child needs to show you the instructions on how to "prepare" the leaves.
This can not be done last minute!
Chapter 5 Lesson 1 Plant Structures

MATH: Chapter 5
Lesson 1 Decimal Place Value
Lesson 2 Equivalent Decimals
Lesson 3 Compare and Ordering Decimals
Friday = Homework sheet
Your child should not have any Chapter 3 materials in their binder. We are finished with that chapter!

The Week of October 18th, 2010

2010-10-14T14:32:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
Thanks to the following parents for the generous classroom donations:
~Mrs. Gurnic - snacks and Halloween stickers
~Mrs. Brandt - Halloween prizes
~Mrs. Olsen - Halloween prizes
~Mrs. Reynolds - Halloween prizes

I always appreciate donations for our classroom ticket reward program.
Remember, snacks need to be individually wrapped and "peanut free".
We could use more cheese and cracker snacks, fruit snacks, and Rice Krispie treats.

SOME IMPORTANT REMINDERS:
~Wednesday, October 20th = Early Dismissal @ 11:00
~Thursday, October 21st = MAPS testing for math (last day of testing!)
~Thursday, October 21st = Book Fair 6:30 - 8:00

HERE'S WHAT WE ARE UP TO IN OUR CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 7 - Work due Thursday! Test = Friday!
Word of the Week and definition = worth 1 bonus point!

READING: Our CORE reading skill this week is analogies. All fifth grade students will learn how to analyze and complete various types of analogies. In addition, all students will begin focusing on the important skills of drawing conclusions and making inferences while reading a fictional text.
We will be reading an excerpt from the book My Side of the Mountain. The students will also be learning new vocabulary words.

SCOOPer READING: The deadline for 1st Trimester is November 1st!

ENGLISH: Unit 5 continued.....Quotations and Abbreviations.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 6 Life in English Colonies
Lesson 1 Working and Trading
We will be having a classroom TRADE FAIR that will be held on Wednesday, October 27th.
The students will receive a direction sheet on Wednesday.
This is a fun activity that replicates what trading was like during colonial times.
Their participation is graded.

SCIENCE: Introductory Unit Test = Tuesday, October 19th.

JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT:
Jr. Achievement began last Thursday! Jr. Achievement is a not-for-profit organization financed by businesses. The purpose of Jr. Achievement is to educate and inspire students to value free enterprise, business, and economics to improve the quality of their lives. Our volunteers, Ms. and Mr. Paleka, will be visiting our classroom once a week for the next 6 weeks. Ms. Paleka works for Harley Davidson Financial, and Mr. Paleka works for Tellalabs. They have been the volunteers for my classroom for the past 8 years! I'm sure your student will be sharing some of their experiences with this program during the next few weeks!

MATH: Homework sheet = Monday
Chapter 3 Test = Tuesday
The rest of the week we will be reviewing chapters 1-3.
To assess their knowledge of these chapters, a "Target Test" will be given.
**The Target Test will not be graded but used to measure mastery of the 5th grade skills and concepts.

The Week of October 11th, 2010

2010-10-08T08:35:00.001-07:00

Dear Parents,
Thanks to the following parents for their generous classroom donations:
*Mrs. Olsen for popcorn and apple juice that will be enjoyed while watching Pocahontas!
*Mrs. Brandt for popcorn and apple juice, as well as Halloween goodies for our prize box!
*Mrs. Herstowski for a lot of fun Halloween goodies for our prize box!

BOX TOPS.....Will our class win the pizza party? Last turn in date for the first contest is Friday!!!

HALLOWEEN PARTY HELPERS.....if you signed up to help with the Halloween party you will be contacted by our classroom party coordinators: Mrs. Brandt and/or Mrs. Herstowski.
I'd like to thank all of you who are planning the party, bringing goodies, and drinks.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:
~Chicago Wolves Read to Succeed Program starts this week!
~Materials will be sent home on Tuesday, which is when the program begins
~It will run from Oct. 11th - Dec, 3rd.
~Participants will earn a free ticket to a Chicago Wolves hockey game in February.

~Monday, October 11th = Columbus Day - No School
~Thursday, October 21st = Book Fair 6:30 - 8:00
~Friday, October 22nd = Bus Driver Appreciation Day!

MAPtesting: Our class will be testing on Tuesday and Friday from 1:00 - 2:00

There is a new testing system being employed by the district this year. MAP testing stands for Measures of Academic Progress. These tests will be taken beginning next week, in the areas of Reading, Language, and Math. Students will take a series of multiple choice tests in each area on the computer. The program computes a score, which is then placed along a continuum to show each student's individual progress. It will even be able to show what particular areas each student excels at, and what areas they may need some additional support with. We are hopeful that this new system will help make our instruction for our students even better!

And in the Classroom......

Spelling - none this week due to MAP testing

English - Unit 5 continued.....Tuesday = comma project is due.
Next lessons are on INTERJECTIONS and correct use of QUOTATION MARKS.

Reading - We will continue to work on finding the main idea and supporting details in various text. Our understanding of Homonyms/Homophones will be applied in a "punny" activity!

SCOOPer Reading - I continue to be impressed with the books and the activities that are being completed. The students have been sharing many of their activities with the class which also advertises a good book to read!

Social Studies - Chapter 5 Test = Wednesday
We are not starting Chapter 6 until next week.

Science - Test will be on Tuesday, October19th.
We will finish the unit and on Friday the students will receive a study tip sheet!

Math - We only have math on Wednesday and Thursday this week due to MAP testing.
Lesson 3.9 Long Division
Lesson 3.10 Relevant and Irrelevant Information in problem solving
Homework Sheet = Monday, October 18th
Chapter 3 Test = Tuesday, October 19th

The Week of October 4th, 2010

2010-09-30T10:50:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
You should be checking "parent connect" to see how your child is doing in each subject. We are officially halfway finished with the first trimester. If your child is receiving a grade below a C, a progress report will be mailed to you. If you have concerns at any time regarding your child's progress, please contact me.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER.......
~Friday, October 1st = Bingo Night
~Monday, October 4th = Lunch in I.M.C. slips due
~Thursday, October 7th = Lunch in I.M.C. with Mrs. Walsh-Rock
~Monday, October 11th = Columbus Day - No School
~Friday, October 15th = Movie Night

Copy helpers this week = (Thanks so much!)
~Weds. 10/6 1:00 Mrs. Alvarez
~Fri. 10/8 8:00 Mrs. Smiles

Can you donate.....we are in need of:
~microwave PopSecret popcorn
~apple juice drinks (individual serving)
~pencil grippers
~Halloween stickers
~Halloween theme prizes
THANKS!

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 6 Vowel Changes - Work due Thursday & Test on Friday.
Word of the Week spelled correctly and correct meaning = 1 bonus point!

ENGLISH: Lots of work with commas! We will be doing a creative activity based on the book:
Eats, Shoots, and Leaves at the end of the week.

READING (CORE) HOMEROOM: Homonyms/Homographs and multiple meaning words will be our focus.

READING (Skill group): We will be reading non-fiction text and concentrating on finding the main idea and supporting details in the selection.
We will be playing "I Have, Who has...." with what we have learned about main idea & details.
We will be doing a creative homonym activity using Fred Gwyne picture books!

SOCIAL STUDIES: We are learning about the 13 English Colonies which is our last lesson in Chapter 5.
The students will be filling out a "How to Study Sheet" on Wednesday.
Chapter 5 Test = Wednesday, 10/13.

SCIENCE: Please remember that our science text can be accessed online at thinkcentral.com. Check out the Prairieview page of the district website for instructions on how to access, as well as a quick link to the site!

We are continuing to learn more about the Scientific Method.
We will be doing an investigation/experiment and applying the scientific method.

MATH: Chapter 3 continued.....
Lesson 3.5 Patterns in division
Tuesday = Quiz over Lessons 1-5
Lesson 3.6 Estimate with 2 digit divisors (This tends to be a difficult lesson)
Lesson 3.7 Divididng by 2 digit divisors (This tends to be a difficult lesson)
Friday = Homework sheet

The Week of September 27, 2010

2010-09-23T11:20:00.001-07:00

Dear Parents,
This Friday, October 1st we will be halfway through the first trimester. Any student who is receiving a grade lower than a C will receive a progress report notification by mail.
I suggest that everyone should check "parent connect" to look at your child's grades.

IMPORTANT REMINDER:
~Thursday, September 30th = Picture Day.....SMILE!!!

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN ROOM 205:

SPELLING: Review Lesson! Work due on Thursday. Final Test on Friday.

ENGLISH: We are skipping to Unit 5 "Capitalization & Punctuation".
This week we will be learning about proper nouns and adjectives, as well as, commas in a series.

READING CORE (HOMEROOM) : We will be understanding generalizations in text and recognizing the difference between fact and opinion.

.......SCOOPer READING.....I have met with almost every student to discuss at least one book they have read and their book activity. By the end of the week, each student should be halfway toward their goal!

READING SKILL GROUP: We will be reading a non-text selection Grizzly Bear Family Book while applying the skills of recognizing generalizations, and the difference between facts and opinions.
We will also be creating commercials which will apply our understanding of the above skills!

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 5 Lesson 2 "New European Colonies" and Lesson 3 "The First Colonies"

SCIENCE: Using science tools open note/book quiz this week!
We will be doing a science activity that applies the tools and inquiry skills we have been learning.
Then, we will be discussing the scientific method.

MATH: Chapter 3 Division
L1 = Estimating with compatible numbers
L2= Dividing by 1 digit numbers with remainders
L3 = Interpreting remainders
L4 = Zeros in the quotient
Friday = Homework sheet!

The Week of September 20th

2010-09-17T05:47:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
If any of you would like to donate to our classroom "goodies".......we could use fruit snacks, fruit roll ups, gushers, etc. I am sure your son/daughter can tell you what the class likes. Thank you in advance for your contributions.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS:
~Friday 9/24 = No school due to Teacher meetings
~Thursday 9/30 = Picture Day!
~Friday 10/1 = 1/2 way through the 1st Trimester!

*Highlights magazine subscription order slips will be sent home this week.
Our classroom gets FREE STUFF just by me advertising this.
In order to get the FREE STUFF, I need the slip with a parent signature returned, even if you are NOT ordering.......Thanks!

*Scholastic Book Orders are being sent home this week too! There is no obligation to order.
Scholastic does offer some great reading selections at great prices.
Please make sure you approve books from the TAB order since some of these selections have "mature" content.

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN MISS TREFONAS'S CLASS

SPELLING: Pretest on Monday. Work due on Thursday. Test on Thursday this week.
Word of the Week and definition = 1 bonus point!

ENGLISH: Unit 1 Test = Thursday

READING/CORE (in homeroom) : This week our core reading group will continue word work with prefixes, suffixes, and roots.
.........SCOOPer READING..... Most students have completed their first book activity. Everyone should have at least one completed by the end of this week!

READING/SKILL BASED GROUP: Tall Tales continued.... We will be learning about similies and how they are an important element in Tall Tales
Next, each student will be planning, writing, and completing a final copy of an original tall tale!

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 5 continued. This week we will learn about Jamestown.
Ask your child what happened to Roanoke Colony?

SCIENCE: Inquiry tools and Skills.

MATH: Multiplication Timed Tests = Thursday is the last day. This counts for a grade.
Quiz over Lessons 4-6 = Tuesday.
Homework Sheet = Wednesday.
Chapter 2 Test = Thursday.

The Week of Sept. 13th

2010-09-10T05:54:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
It was great seeing so many of you at Curriculum Night. I have received all 5th grade policy sheets with student and parent signatures. Please refer to this information as needed.
Remember in 5th grade our "late policy", "extra credit policy", and "not bringing tests home" might be different than in previous years. However, they all align with Lakeview's policies.

We are collecting BOX TOPS this year which is a great fund raiser for our school. The class, per grade level, that brings in the most wins a pizza party and an extra recess.
Will our class be the winning 5th grade class?

UPCOMING EVENTS:
Monday, Septemeber 13th - Magazine Drive begins!
Thursday, September 16th - Lakeview band performs for Prairieview @ 12:45
Friday, September 24th - No School due to teacher meetings

THIS WEEK IN MISS TREFONAS'S CLASS:

SPELLING: Pretest and work assigned Monday. Final test = Friday.

ENGLISH: We will be finishing Unit 1 this week. The final lessons cover conjunctions, writing good sentences, and run-on sentences. Your child has graded assignments that reflect how well they are understanding the concepts in this unit. Please review their progress to determine if they need to be reviewing any of the concepts. At the bottom of the workbook page, it gives the textbook page where the material is explained. This is an excellent on going review.
The test will be the week of Sept. 20th.

SCOOPer Reading: Four students have completed a book, the activity, and shared with Miss Trefonas which means they have a scoop displayed on the bulletin board!

READING:

This week, our core reading group will focus on the skill of affixes and roots. An affix is a small word part that can be added to the beginning, middle, or end of a root word. Students will learn the meaning of various affixes and how to put them together with a root word. They will then apply this skill to find the definition of both familiar and unfamiliar words in context.

Our skill - based reading groups will begin on Monday. Students will find out Monday morning who their skill - based reading teacher is.

During skill based reading, we will be using Tall Tales to practice visualization and to look at story structure.

SOCIAL STUDIES: We are finished with Chapter 4! The students know that their test (a.k.a. "celebration of knowledge") is Wednesday, Sept. 15th. They were encouraged to bring home their textbooks over the weekend to reread the chapter. They can also review their notes which should be in their binder. Monday, we will be highlighting our note sheets and filling out a "How to Study" sheet. This sheet is worth 2 bonus points if it's returned and filled out on the test day with a parent signature!
We will begin Chapter 5. The first lesson talks about Roanoke Island and the hard times in Virginia.

SCIENCE: Science Inquiry Tools continued! We will specifically looking at the use of a microscope.

MATH: Chapter 2 Multiplication....
Quiz = Wednesday... covering lessons 1 -3.
Lesson 4 = multiplying by 2 digit numbers.
Homework sheet = Friday. It will have 10 problems chosen from the week's homework assignments,
Multiplication Timed Tests.....ask your child what fact test they are taking Monday.
They need to have a completed practice sheet daily in order to take the timed test(s).

The Week of September 6th

2010-09-03T05:34:00.001-07:00

Dear Parents,
We have successfully completed our second week of 5th grade!
Curriculum night = Tuesday, September 7th - 6:30-7:30.
*Presentation begins in the multipurpose room with Mrs. Schultz.
*Sign up for 1st Trimester conferences with homeroom teacher.

HERE'S WHAT WE ARE UP TO THIS WEEK:

SPELLING: Word of the Week will begin this week!
Pretest and work assigned on Tuesday.
Work due Thursday.
Test = Friday.

READING: This week in reading we will be focusing on context clues.
The students will learn how to identify words within the context of a story.

SCOOPer READING: This is our classroom reading incentive program.
Your child hopefullyexplained the program to you and showed you their folder.
They have to set a 1st Trimester goal and have a parent signature.
If you have any questions about how this works, ask your child to show you the sheet in their folder that explains SCOOPer Reading!

ENGLISH: Unit 1 - Sentences
This week we will be reviewing simple subjects and simple predicates.
Project Challenge students will receive enrichment assignments in lieu of the workbook assignment.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 4 - Lesson 2 "Different Worlds Collide" & Lesson 3 "Life in New
Spain" The students are taking notes which should be kept in their binder.
These notes will become study materials for the test. Also, graded
assignments need to be kept in their binder for the same reason.

SCIENCE: Introductory chapter on the inquiry tools scientists use.

MATH: The students were given a homework sheet on Friday which will be graded and returned to them on Tuesday. Please make sure you ask to see this. I give students the opportunity to correct any homework we graded together in class prior to giving the homework sheet. Homework sheets are usually given on Friday, unless I announce a different day to the class. I typically give one homework sheet worth 10 points a week.
Chapter 1 Test = Wednesday.
Next, we begin multiplication timed tests. A parent letter will be coming home next week regarding our timed tests.
Chapter 2 = Multiplication.

2010-08-27T13:31:00.000-07:00

Week of August 30th

Dear Parents,
We have had a great first week of school! I have enjoyed getting to know the students and am looking forward to a wonderful year. Just a reminder…Curriculum Night for Fifth grade is Thursday, September 7th at 6:30 at Prairieview. You will be able to sign up for conferences that evening. I look forward to seeing all of you!

Thanks to all the parents who have donated snacks and goodies to the classroom for our "ticket" reward program!

Book orders are being sent home on Monday. I am sending home the Arrow order that goes up to a 6th grade level in their book selections. I also send home the Tab order which is 7th grade and above. Please know that some of the selections in the Tab order are intended for more mature readers. I always ask that parents approve the book selections of your children. If you would like to order please make checks payable to Scholastic. You may also send in cash, but please make sure it is exact change. If ordering from both Arrow and Tab the totals can be combined!
Orders are due on Friday.

All 4th and 5th grade students have the opportunity to sign up for Intramural Games. This is a "free" after school program that allows your child to stay active. Permission slips will be sent out next week. Please return these to Mrs. Cushing by Friday, September 3rd.

Due to the number of peanut allergies in fifth grade we are asking that all snacks be nut free. Thank you for your help.

Reading: This week we will review and discuss the following reading strategies: predicting, inferring, decoding, clarifying, questioning, evaluating, and summarizing. The students will listen to a read-aloud story entitled The Pumpkin Box to apply these strategies.

English: In English we will begin with the unit "The Sentence." Students are reviewing the four types of sentences along with how to find the subject and predicate of a sentence. They will also be introduced to simple subjects and simple predicates. We are in need of old magazines for a project later in the week. If you have any please send them in.

Spelling: A pretest will be given every Monday. The spelling work will be assigned on Monday. Students will be given a word list to keep in their binder. Students who receive 95% or better will receive a challenge list and an alternative list of spelling activities to choose from. The spelling assignment for the regular list (workbook pages) and the challenge list will be due Thursday. The first spelling test will be this Friday.

Science: In science we will begin our unit, "Getting Ready for Science" The students will become familiar with the tools scientists use. We will also learn what inquiry skills scientists use.

Social Studies: In social studies we are beginning chapter 4 "Spain Builds an Empire." The students will learn how Columbus's voyages led to a European settlement of the Americas and an exchange of people , animals, goods, and ways of life between East and West.

Miss Trefonas's Math Class
This week in math we will begin chapter one, Place Value, Addition, and Subtraction. The students will review place value through millions. We will also learn how to compare and order whole numbers along with rounding and estimation sums and differences. The students will be filling out their first homework sheet on Friday. The homework sheet is a template where 10 different problems are chosen directly from the assignments given during the week. The students have the opportunity to fix homework assignments after we have graded them in class prior to the homework sheet being given.

Please feel free to contact me at any time!
Miss Trefonas

WELCOME!!

2010-08-21T09:31:00.000-07:00

Dear Students and Parents:
I look forward to meeting all of you at Open House on Monday, August 23rd.
Open House at Prairieview is from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. You may bring your school supplies.
Parents, I have sign up sheets for party helpers, field trip chaperones.... etc.
I also am looking for any parent(s) who can be a copy helper.
If there is something specific you would like to volunteer for, email me and I will sign you up!
Enjoy your weekend! See you on Monday!
Miss Trefonas

Miss Trefonas's 2009-2010 5th grade Class

2010-05-26T07:10:00.000-07:00

May 2010

Dear Students and Parents,

WOW! Where does time go? The students in my 2009-2010 5^th grade class have definitely made this saying true: “Time flies when you are having fun!” As much as I am looking forward to summer activities, I'm not looking forward to saying good-bye to this year's students.

The school year has been filled with many fond memories. The books that have been read this year has been incredible. I think the overall favorite read aloud was Regarding the Fountain by Kate Klise. A fantastic accomplishment this year was that many of the students met their SCOOPer Reading goals for all three trimesters! Some other memorable moments were the Trade Fair, Junior Achievement skits, School House Rocks songs, T.G.F.D. with Deputy K., Karina being a Spelling Bee Champion, Susan's China shares, Book Clubs, Narrative writing / Creative writing stories being read aloud, tickets, the talent shows, band & choir concerts, the games Megan's dad invented, Word Quest and Flick Tac Toe, the incredible class discussions we had while reading Jacob's Rescue, Daniel's conversations about turbines and politics, Anne of Green Gables, Stories with Holes, and I could just go on and on!!!!

I am proud of each student and know that they are moving on to 6^th grade with independent work skills and study habits which will help them succeed at the junior high and beyond. The ability to work with one another and be able to listen, contribute ideas, and get the “task at hand” accomplished was demonstrated repeatedly as the year progressed. This says a lot about each and every student whose goal was to do their best.

With confidence, I feel each and every student from this class has the potential to achieve great things as they go on to Lakeview, high school, and hopefully higher education. I look forward to keeping in touch and hearing about future successes and achievements.

In closing, I would like to thank the parents for letting me be a part of your child's life for the past nine months. As we leave for the last time on Wednesday, June 2nd, I hope that the children will have at least one lasting memory of our time together.

I have 25 very special memories of this year!

PLEASE KEEP IN TOUCH:

e-mail = jtrefonas@ccsd66.org

The Weeks of May 24th, 2010 & May 31st

2010-05-20T05:25:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
Believe it or not this will be our last full week of 5th grade!
Some reminders:
~Thursday, 5/27 = 5th grade end of the year celebration
and SCOOPer Reading Party!!!
.
~Friday, 5/28 Bowling = may bring $ for snacks
BRING LUNCH FROM HOME - NO HOT LUNCH AVAILABLE!
.
~Monday, 5/31 = Memorial Day - No school
~Tuesday, 6/1 = School Picnic and special concert
~Wednesday, 6/2 = LAST DAY - 9:30 Dismissal
.

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CLASSROOM:

.
SPELLING: Words of the Week L - Z = ABC book project due Friday and test Friday.
.
READING: Anne of Green Gables..... We will be watching the movie and responding in a journal after each episode This is based on the best-selling novel and is a fictional portrayal of an orphan who is adopted by an elderly brother and sister to help with the farm work. They are expecting to adopt a boy, but Anne arrives instead. This is a humorous and endearing tale of the many experiences of an adolescent.
.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 12 Lesson 3 "A Struggle for Reformers"
.
SCIENCE: Chapter 15 continued.....We will be learning about different forms of energy and changing forms of energy.
.
MATH: We are not starting a new chapter but will be reviewing material, doing logic matrix puzzles, and doing math activities in the computer lab.

The Week of May 17th

2010-05-13T05:46:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
Some reminders.......
*Monday, May 17th - Parent Night at Lakeview
*Monday, May 17th - Our class goes to Lakeview for summer reading program book check out!
*Tuesday, May 18th - 5th grade visit and orientation at Lakeview @ 1:15!
*Thursday, May 20th - Prairieview Cadet Band and Choir performance 1:00 (parents may attend)
*Monday, May 17th and Friday, May 21st = Choir Field Trip 12:30 - 2:00
.

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Words of the Week - Letters A - M
ABC booklet for letters A-M due Friday. Test = Friday
.
ENGLISH: We will be finishing adverbs this week and taking the ADVERB test on Friday.
We will also do creative NARRATIVE writing.
.
READING: Jacob's Rescue end of book activity "Bio-Poems" is due Monday.
We will be continuing to use reading strategies and skills through some miscellaneous activities this week.
.
SCOOPer Reading: Due date is this Friday, May 21st.
.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 12 "Times of Change" - Lesson 1 "U.S. Turns 50"
Lesson 2 "A New Kind of Revolution"
.
SCIENCE: Chapter 15 Energy - We will learn about potential and kinetic energy this week.
.
MATH: Chapter 7 - Lesson 2 Patterns in Decimals - Lesson 3 Multiplying Decimals -
Lesson 5 Estimating Products
This is another short chapter.
Chapter 7 test = Thursday, May 20th
.

The Week of May 10, 2010

2010-05-05T12:33:00.001-07:00

Dear Parents,
A big thank you to all of you who did so many nice things during Teacher Appreciation Week. I am very thankful to work in a community with such thoughtful parents.
.
SOME REMINDERS.....
*Failure notices issued this week.
*Spring Concert = Monday, May 10th 7 - 8 pm at Lakeview
*Bubble Wonder Assembly = Tuesday during school @ 10:00
*Lakeview musical Oklahoma - 5th grade goes to dress rehearsal @ LV - Thursday 1:00
*Early Dismissal = Friday, May 14th 11:00
.

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CLASSROOM:

.
SPELLING: Lesson 34 - This will be our last lesson in our regular spelling workbook.
Next, we will be completing an activity and tests with words of the week.
.
ENGLISH: Adverbs......Comparing with adverbs and deciding whether a word is used as an adjective or an adverb. Also, we will be doing some revising work with adverbs.
.
READING: We continue to practice the reading strategies and skills we have learned this year while reading Jacob's Rescue. We have had very insightful discussions about the Holocaust and what life was like during this time in history. They will be receiving grades on participation and comprehension questions.
.
SCOOPer Reading: May 21st is the deadline! We have had great book shares this week!
.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 11 Lesson 3 "Another War with Britain"
Chapter 11 Test = Friday, May 14th.
.
SCIENCE: Chapter 14 Test is Tuesday. The students have known about this test for a week and we are doing a lot of review. I want to let you know this due to the concert being the night before the test.
.
MATH: Chapter 24 is another short chapter. This past week we learned about the area of squares and rectangles (lesson 24.2), the area of triangles (lesson 24.4), and the area of parallelograms (lesson 24.5). Monday, we will learn about volume (lesson 24.8),
Tuesday - review
Wednesday - Chapter 24 test *Calculators and notes with formulas will be allowed!

The Week of May 3, 2010

2010-04-29T05:38:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
~Many students will have their projects we made during our China unit (dragons, pandas, lanterns) on display at the Panda Express in Darien. Hopefully, you can stop in sometime in the next week or two and see their work as a restaurant decoration. Please let an employee know that your child is the artist, because they usually do a little something special for them.
~Students from Project Challenge have started a fundraiser for the ASPCA, a foundation to stop animal cruelty. The kids will be selling Smencils® (scented pencils) for a 1.00 each. The pencils will be sold each morning in the grade level areas. The sales will start Friday April 30^th and go through May 28^th.
We will track our sales on the bulletin board by the multi-purpose room. For every twenty dollars we raise, one food bowl will go up on the bulletin board. So please help save our animals. Buy Smencils.
~SOME UPCOMING DATES/EVENTS:
*MONDAY, MAY 10th = Spring Concert @ LV 7-8pm
*TUESDAY, MAY 11th = Bubble Wonder assembly during school. 5th grade = 10:00!
*THURSDAY, MAY 13th= 5th grade goes to LV to see the musical/rehearsal for Oklahoma!
*FRIDAY, MAY 14th= Early Dismissal - PV = 11:00
.

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CLASSROOM:

.
SPELLING: Lesson 33 and word of the week
.
ENGLISH: finishing Pronouns.....TEST = Wednesday, May 5th
.
READING: We continue to use the reading comprehension strategies and skills that we have learned throughout the year. We are had our final BOOK CLUB meeting this past week and the end of the book project - Flap Books are due on Monday.
Nest, we will begin a class literature book Jacob's Rescue. This is a book on the Holocaust based on a true story.
.
SCOOPer Reading: The due date is May 21st!
.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 11 continued.......This week we will be doing some enrichment activities about Lewis and Clark's adventure as the United States expands westward with the Louisiana Purchase.
Test date = Friday, May 14th
.
SCIENCE: We are finishing and reviewing Chapter 14! Test date = Tuesday, May 11th
.
MATH: Chapter 23 Perimeter
This is a short chapter. Monday = Homework sheet.
We are having a test on Tuesday! It will cover lessons 23.2, 23.3, and 23.5.
Next, we will be learning about area - Chapter 24.

The Week of April 26, 2010

2010-04-22T08:44:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents:
~Friday, April 23rd - I am proud of Vishal and Karina for preforming in the 5th grade talent show! Vishal's talent = Bollywood Dancing & Karina's talent = singing!
~Dr. Tiede will be a guest reader in our classroom on Monday, April 26th!
~Project Challenge meets afterschool on Tuesday, April 27th!
~Don't forget about the P.T.O. fundraiser at Vesuvio's Italian restaurant which ends at the end of the month. You may get the flyer on our website which you present at dinner and they donate money back to the school! It's good food!
.

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 32 and word of the week

ENGLISH: Unit 6 Pronouns - contractions, double subjects, using we & us correctly, and homophones. We will be testing next week!

We are also continuing to share our persuasive essays aloud. We have had many interesting conversations and debates over the various topics the students chose to write about!

READING: We continue to emphasize and perfect the reading strategies and skills we have learned through out the year while reading literature books as part of a "book club".

The students are doing a great job with their summarizing, questioning, connecting, and predicting skills. They also are learning new vocabulary as they read and discuss their book.

Friday, April 23rd = Book Club meeting #1 (reading and discussion sheet)

Tuesday, April 27th = Book Club meeting #2 (reading and discussion sheet).

SCOOPer Reading: The deadline is May 21st. We have had some excellent book shares!

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 11 continued.....We will be discussing the Louisiana Purchase and learning about the expedition of Lewis and Clark.

SCIENCE: Chapter 14 continued.......Chemical changes and reactions!

MATH: Chapter 22 homework sheet on Monday, April 26th

Chapter 22 test review on Monday, April 26th

Chapter 22 test = Tuesday, April 27th

*measurement conversion sheet is allowed!

Next, we will begin Chapter 23 - Perimeter!

The Week of April 19, 2010

2010-04-15T05:27:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents:
I am writing this blog Thursday morning (4/15/10) and hoping to see most of you at our Prarieview Open House/Book Fair tonight from 6:30 -8:00pm. Your child has a lot of work on display in the classroom. Hopefully, the students will proudly show off their hard work!
.
*Important Dates = Tuesday, April 20th is our halfway point of 3rd trimester. A progress report will be mailed home to any student receiving less than a C in any subject. Please take time to go on to parent connect and check your child's grades.
.
*Early Dismissal = Thursday, April 22nd = 11:00
.

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 31 and word of the week

ENGLISH: Unit 6 Pronouns - object pronouns, using I and me correctly, and possessive pronouns

READING: We are reinforcing the reading strategies learned this year as we complete Toliver's Secret. The children will be doing a culminating activity which will emphasize the details of a scene or setting from the book. They will be creating a setting corner.

Next, we will continue to work on the reading strategies of summarizing, questioning, and predicting, as we do "Book Clubs". The child will have select a book to read and be part of a group reading the same novel. They will work on each of these reading strategies independently as they complete a book club discussion sheet which they will use during their book meetings.

The first book meeting will be Friday, April 23rd.

SCOOPer READING: I continue to be impressed with the students' book selections and enjoy meeting with them discussing the book and the book activity. They should be halfway done with their goal.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 11 Lesson 1 "Washington as President" and Lesson 2 "Thomas Jefferson Looks West"

SCIENCE: We will be learning about mixtures and solutions and more about phsysical changes.

MATH: Chapter 22 measurement continued.....

Lesson 5 Metric capacity and weight

Lesson 7 Elapsed time

Lesson 8 Temperature

We will be testing the following week.

The Week of April 12, 2010

2010-04-08T05:11:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents:

Some reminders......

~Open House/Book Fair = Thursday, April 15 6:30-8:00 pm

~GEOSPACE with the DuPage Children's Museum here at PV on Weds. April 14th!

Parent helpers = Mrs. Fisher, Mrs. Kling, and Mrs. Stanuch. Please be here at 8:15! Thanks!

~Early Dismissal = Thursday, April 22nd @ 11:00

.

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: lesson 30 and word of the week

ENGLISH: Persuasive writing......we will be typing our final copies on Monday. Students

should have all their editing and proofreading done for Monday.

A Persuasive Prompt that will be written in class will be given this week.

Next, we go back to our English books and begin our unit on Pronouns.

READING: We are reinforcing all the reading strategies covered during the year while reading

Toliver's Secret. Vocabulary words and picking the correct definition based on the word's context is also being reinforced while reading this literature book.

SCOOPer READING: We will be halfway through the trimester this week which means your child should be at least halfway towards meeting their 3rd trimester goal!

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 10 test = Wednesday, April 14th

As a culminating activity for Chapters 9 and 10 we will be watching National Treasure!

SCIENCE: We will be learning about physical changes.

MATH: We are not having math until Thursday this week due to our GeoSpace programs in our homerooms.

We will be reviewing Chapter 22 Lessons 1-3 and doing Lesson 4 "customary capacity/weight"

The Week of April 5, 2010

2010-03-26T05:37:00.001-07:00

Dear Parents:
~Enjoy Spring Break the week of March 29th! School Resumes Monday, April 5th!
~Hannah Orleans math placement test for Lakeview = Thursday, April 8th
~T.G.F.D. Graduation = Friday, April 9th @ 9:00 - parents and family members are invited!
~Geo-Space = Weds. April 14th = In class, fieldtrip with DuPage Children's Museum facilitators
Parent Volunteers = Mrs. Fisher, Mrs. Kling, and Mrs. Stanuch (please be here at 8:00)
~OPEN HOUSE = Thursday, April 15th 6:30 -8:00
.

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 30 and word of the week

ENGLISH: Persuasive Writing continued....Has your child shared any of the persuasive articles we have read and had class debates over? Ask them how they feel about wearing a school uniform or having an extended school day.

This week the students will be picking a prompt to write about as we discuss persuasive writing elements like types of intoductions and types of supporting details.

We will be writing the Persuasive in class during the week and revising/proofreading by the end of the week.

READING: This week we will focus on summmarizing and questioning as we begin a literature unit on Toliver's Secret.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 10 Lesson 3 "Ratifying the Constitution" The students need to MEMORIZE the preamble for this chapter's test. Anyone who has it memorized prior to the test date (not set yet) and recites it in front of the class will get a special Preamble pencil that they may use on the test! The may perform the preamble as a solo, a duet, or in a group of three.

We will be reading the information in the textbook and taking notes in an "Important Book".

SCIENCE: We will be learning about solids, liquids, and gases.

MATH: Chapter 22 Measurement

We will be learning about customary length and metric length.

We will be learning how to convert these linear units, as well as, adding and subtracting them.

The Week of March 22, 2010

2010-03-18T05:21:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents:
~NaperSettlement Field Trip = Tuesday, March 23rd. Students (and chaperones) need a sack lunch and drink. Please make sure your child dresses appropriately for the weather. We will be outside during the field trip.
Chaperones = Froats, Balinski, and Dourdourekas.
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~After school Project Challenge = Tuesday, March 23rd
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~Spring Break = The week of March 29th!
.
~SAVE THIS DATE = Friday, April 9th Too Good For Drugs Graduation - 9:00 Prairieview gym. Parents are invited!
.

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CLASSROOM:

SPELLING = Lesson 28 and word of the week

READING = As we continue our study of China, we will be focusing on non fiction text to practice the reading strategy of clarifying. The students will be using the research to make a China Travel Brochure. Class time is being given on Thurs. 3/18 and Fri. 3/19.

Travel Brochure is due Tuesday, March 23rd.

SCOOPer Reading = I have met with several students that have completed book activities towards their 3rd trimester goal. Many students have done book shares with the class recommending great books to read!

ENGLISH = Persuasive writing......The students will read some different Persuasive articles that have to do with soda machines in schools to raise money for student activities, longer school days, and school uniforms. While reading these articles we will discuss the elements of a persuasive article and the pro's and con's of each issue.

The following week the students will begin the writing process of a persuasive prompt.

SOCIAL STUDIES = continuing Chapter 10 with Lesson 2 "Debate in Philadelphia" and Lesson 3 "Ratifying the Constitution".

With Lesson 3, the students will be learning the Preamble......we will be singing along with School House Rock. The students will need to have the Preamble memorized for the Chapter 10 test.

SCIENCE = This week we will be learning about solids, liquids, and gasses.

MATH = Chapter 14 Lesson 3 addition and subtraction of mixed numbers, Lesson 4 subtraction of mixed numbers with renaming, and Lesson 5 more addition and subtaction of mixed numbers.

Friday, March 26th = Quest (quiz/test) and homework sheet!

The Week of March 15, 2010

2010-03-11T10:59:00.001-08:00

Dear Parents:
*No School = Friday, March 12th
*Roller Skating Party = Monday, March 15
*NaperSettlement Field Trip = Tuesday, March 23rd
chaperones = Balinski, Froats, and Dourdourekas
*Project Challenge = Tuesday, March 23rd
*Geo-Space program - Dupage Children's Museum facilitates the program here at Prairieview.
$ needs to be brought to school in an envelope on/before Friday, March 26th.
The students will receive the information sheet on Monday!
.
THIRD TRIMESTER LATE WORK:
1 day late - minus 25%
More than one day late until test is taken - minus 50%
After Unit is done - ZERO in grade book
.

THIS WEEK IN MISS TREFONAS'S CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 26 review unit (no word of the week) Friday test = multiple choice format.

READING: We are continuing to work on the reading strategy of Clarifying with nonfiction text.

We are researching China and taking notes on an outline which uses the skills of main idea/supporting details. We will be creating a travel brochure with all our information.

ENGLISH: We will be doing activities with our China unit.
~Acrostic China poems

~Chinese proverbs

~and some other activities......

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 9 test = Tuesday, March 16th

Chapter 10 "Life in a New Nation" Lesson 1 We will learn about the problems the newly formed United States had because of a weak government.

SCIENCE: Unit E - Chapter 14 Matter

We will be learning about atoms, molecules, and the periodic table.

T.G.F.D. This is our last week with Officer K. The students will be assigned a written activity which will count as a science grade. This will require the students to apply information they have learned over the past weeks in a letter.

We will be having a Too Good For Drugs Graduation.

Parents will be invited. I will let you know as soon as a date has been assigned.

MATH: Chapter 19 Quest (quiz/test) = Monday, March 15th which will cover lessons 19.1, 19.2, 19.4, and 19.6.

The students will also be given a "homework sheet" on Monday which will include problems from each of these lessons.

Textbook p. 534 is a great review page, as well as, the V.I.P. sheets in their binder and the Chapter 19 packet.

The Week of March 8, 2010

2010-03-04T05:01:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents:

*We are finished with ISAT testing except for absent student makeup testing!

Thanks to all the parents who provided treats and drinks during ISAT testing!

*This week we have parent/teacher conferences.

*Report Cards = Tuesday!

*No SCHOOL on Friday!

.

Thursday is our SCOOPer Reading celebration! Thanks to everyone who is contributing

snacks for our celebration. Congratulations to your child for reading and meeting their goal!

.

THIS IS WHAT WE ARE UP TO IN THE CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 25 and word of the week. The workbook is due Thursday, and the test is on Thursday.

READING:

The stragegy we are focusing on is clarifying by identifying main idea and supporting details.

We are beginning a research unit on China. The children will be using nonfiction resources including the internet to gather facts. The facts will be used to create a travel brochure as a final project.

We will also be focusing on PANDAS this week and doing a creative project "Pandas on Parade".

SCOOPer READING: The students have set their third trimester goals and have received new packets for book activities.

ENGLISH: This will be integrated with our China unit.

SOCIAL STUDIES: We are finishing Chapter 9 this week. Wednesday we will be hilighting our notes for studying. The Chapter 9 test is scheduled for Tuesday, March 16th.

SCIENCE: Unit E Matter and Energy

MATH: Chapter 19 "Plane and Solid Figures"

Lesson 1 = Classifying triangles

Lesson 2 = Classifying Quadrilaterals

skipping Lesson 3

Lesson 4 = Solid Figures

skipping Lesson 5

Lesson 6 = Nets for Solid Figures

**A QUEST (quiz/test) is scheduled for Monday, March 15th which will cover the above lessons

The Week of March 1st, 2010

2010-02-25T05:22:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents:
Some important reminders....
~No School Monday - Casmir Pulaski Day
~ISAT testing Tuesday - Friday
A good night's sleep and healthy breakfast is important!
.

THIS WEEK'S AGENDA:

Spelling: Lesson 24 and word of the week

Reading & English:

We are reviewing all the reading strategies used in reading for preparation during the ISATs.

We are reviewing the elements of expository writing for ISATs.

SCOOPer Reading: The second trimester due date was Friday, Feb. 26th.

This week we will be planning our reading party for everyone who met their goal.

The celebration will take place on Thursday, March 11th.

Students will be receiving their goal sheet for Trimester 3 and new book activity packets this week.

Science: We are taking a break from science this week.

Social Studies: Chapter 9 - continuing Lesson 2 "Patriots at War". We will be learning more about General George Washington and Revolutionary War Uniforms.

We will also be starting Lesson 3 "The World Turned Upside Down" - We will be taking notes and making a circle book.

Too Good For Drugs - The students will be learning facts about alcohol.

Math: ISAT testing

The Week of January 11, 2010

2010-01-08T05:25:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents and Students:
This week we will be taking the IOWA tests. The tests will cover skills in language arts and math. They will be given Monday - Thursday. Please make sure you are well rested and have had a healthy breakfast in order to do your best on these tests.
Bringing a snack on these days is a good idea too since testing is tiring!
.
T.G.F.D. = Too Good For Drugs begins this week with Deputy Dave Kotovsky.
This is a substance abuse prevention curriculum. There will be a total of 9 lessons that focus on the dangerous substances that are used widely by young people. A letter will be sent home explaining this program in more detail after our first session on Thursday.
.

THIS WEEK IN MISS TREFONAS'S CLASS:

SPELLING: Lesson 16 and word of the week

We are also going to have our classroom spelling bees this week. The first two spelling bees will be practice rounds. These will take place on Monday and Wednesday. On Friday, we will have our final classroom spelling bee where we will get a winner and runner up to compete in the 5th grade spelling bee on Thursday, 1/21/10. There will be two winners from the entire 5th grade who will then compete in the school district spelling bee on Thursday, 2/4/10

ENGLISH: We are still working on Unit 3 verbs and should be testing the following week.

This week we will be learning about irregular verbs and correct verb usage.

READING: We are not doing a lot with reading this week due to IOWA testing.

We will do some work with the reading skill of main idea and supporting details.

SCOOPer Reading: Your child may count the time they read for our class reading program as minutes for the Six Flags reading program and the Ozzie's Kane County Cougar reading program. Your child should be pacing themselves to meet their second trimester goal.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 7 -Lesson 3 "French and Indian War"

Your child should review Lessons 1 and 2.

SCIENCE: "This Place is a Zoo"

We will be doing a project that involves the information learned in Chapter 6 about animals adaptations, food chains, and ecosystems in which they live. We will be researching an animal in depth using the internet and the final product will be a poster .

The students will get an assignment sheet and be given deadlines indicating when each part of the project should be completed. Most of this project will be completed in school.

MATH: We are taking IOWA tests in Math on Wednesday and Thursday.

We are skipping to Chapter 11 "Number Theory"

Lesson 1 - Multiples and Least Common Multiples

Lesson 2 - Divisibility Rules

Lesson 3 - Factors and Greatest Common Factor

The Week of January 4th, 2010

2009-12-30T07:40:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents and Students:
~Happy New Year!!!
.
~IOWA testing begins the week of January 11th.
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HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 15 and word of the week

ENGLISH: Verbs - Unit 3 Lessons 7 - 10

We will be learning future tense verbs, subject/verb agreement and reviewing contractions.

READING:

Monday - Running Out of Time - last book club meeting and discussion sheets are due.

The rest of the week we will be practing different reading skills from our ISAT practice books.

"Using prior knowledge and setting a purpose for reading" and "Author's Purpose".

SCOOPer Reading = Remember this is a self paced independent reading program and your child has set a goal to reach by the end of the trimester. Book activities can only be turned in one at a time. I have a feeling that I will be getting a lot of book activities this week after our winter break.

SOCIAL STUDIES = Chapter 7 "Fight for a Continent"

We will be learning about the French and Spanish trying to claim more land.

SCIENCE = Chapter 6 test = Weds. It will be an open note (not book) test.

The students can use all the note sheets and quizzes from Chapter 6.

OWL PELLETS.....We will be doing a hands-on activity and dissecting the pellets at the end of the week! The students will be sorting, classifying, and identifying what they discover in the pellet.

MATH = Chapter 6 test = Weds.

We will be doing review activities in class prior to the test,

Extended Response math questions, which are on the ISAT test, is what we will be working on the rest of the week.

The Week of December 14, 2009

2009-12-10T08:02:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents and Students:
Thanks to all of you who were able to contribute to our Holiday Service Project. Our class came through in making a less fortunate family's holiday a lot merrier!
.

Some Reminders.....

*Monday, 12/14 = Holiday Concert - 7:00 @ Lakeview

*Thursday, 12/17 = Bowling field trip - students may bring $ for snacks.

Ms. Stainman has asked them not to bring more than $10.oo.

*Friday, 12/18 = Movie at Tivoli

Hot lunch will be available!

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOM:

SPELLING - None this week!

ENGLISH - Linking Verb project due on Monday.

We will be continuing Chapter 5 verbs and going over present and past tense of verbs this week.

This chapter will continue after our winter break.

READING - Running Out of Time

Monday = Book club discussion for chapters 10-14 and book club discussion sheet due.

Wednesday = Book club discussion for chapters 15 -19 and book club discussion sheet due.

Monday, January 4th = Book club discussion for chapters 20 to end of book and book club sheet.

*The book club discussion sheet requires the students to use the reading strategies we have been working on: summarizing, questioning, connecting, and predicting.

SCOOPer Reading - Your child should have a chance to get some reading and an activity done during break. I have gone over with each student their goal and what they have accomplished so far.

SOCIAL STUDIES - Chapter 6 Test = Tuesday. The students were told about this test over a week ahead of time because of it being the day after the concert.

We will be doing a class review game on Monday.

SCIENCE - Lesson 3 "How Do People Affect Ecosystems"

Wednesday = Quick Study/Quiz

MATH - Chapter 6 Lessons 1-3

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

The Week of December 7, 2009

2009-12-03T14:45:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents and Students:
.
Some Reminders: Holiday Service Project - due date for donations is Tuesday, Dec. 8th.
Thanks so much to all of you who have already so generously donated gifts
and gift cards to make this less fortunate family have a wonderful holiday!
.
Bowling Permission Slips - due before or on Thursday, Dec. 10th
Bowling Field Trip = Thurs. 12/17
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Project Challenge - meets Tues. Dec. 8th afterschool
.
.
THIS WEEK IN OUR CLASSROOM:
.
Spelling = Lesson 14 and word of the week
.
English = Unit 3 Verbs....Lesson 4 "Linking Verbs"
We will be doing a project with linking verbs. The students will begin with a rough draft that will be due Tuesday. Then, we will go over our rough drafts and begin our creative islands with linking verb sentences to describe the island. They will have class time on Tues. and Weds. to work on this. The project can go home on Weds. to be completed by its due date Friday, December 11th.
We will also be doing a review lesson on present tense forms of verbs.
.
Reading = We are reading the novel, Running Out of Time. We have gone over the questioning strategy and the students are now independently writing their own Right There, Think & Search, and On Your Own questions. We have had some interesting class discussions from the questions they wrote.
We are also practicing summarizing and with this novel writing a cummulative summary.
This week we will be incorporating connecting skills and predicting skills........
The students will begin "Book Club Discussion sheets", which will use all the above mentioned skills, by the end of the week.
.
SCOOPer Reading = Each student should have one book read and activity completed prior to our holiday break. The goal is for the trimester but you don't want to fall behind!
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Social Studies = Chapter 6 continued..... I encouraged each child to bring home their social studies book and review lessons 1,2, and 3. This will make studying a bit easier as we do our last
lesson, lesson 4 "Slavery in the Colonies" this week.
We will go over what to study at the end of the week.
Chapter 6 Test is Tuesday, December 15th
**I am giving this advance notice because I know many students are in the concert on Monday night prior to the test!
.
Science = continuing Chapter 6 - Lesson 2 "How Do Ecosystems Change Over Time?"
.
Math = Chapter 5, Lessons 1 & 2 "homework sheet" = Monday.
It will have 5 problems from both wb5.1 & wb 5.2.
Chapter 5 Review is Wednesday.
Chapter 5 Test is Thursday.

The Weeks of November 16th & 23rd

2009-11-13T05:28:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents & Students,
.
YEARBOOK: Now’s the time to place your orders. Yearbooks are $10.00 and the deadline for your orders is Tuesday, December 1, 2009. No orders will be accepted after that date. Please make checks payable to Lifetouch. Please make sure your student’s name, teacher’s name and grade level are marked on the order form. If you have multiple students, please fill out one for each child. Yearbook order forms went home with your child on November 12th and there are a few extra envelopes available; please try not to lose them. If your child loses it, you can send an envelope with the following information on it: student’s name, teacher’s name and grade level along with a check made payable to Lifetouch for $10.00. It is very important that you put the information on the envelope; Lifetouch does not know who your child’s teacher is.
.
Prairieview Yearbook orders are not paid at registration!
.
~PROJECT CHALLENGE meets Tues. 11/17 until 3:45
~Picture Retake Day = Thursday, November 19th
(only students with original envelope or picture packet inhand will be allowed to have picture taken)
.

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOM:

SPELLING = Lesson 12 (There will not be any spelling the week of 11/23/09)
*Lesson 12 will be the first grade for trimester 2!

ENGLISH = We are finishing Unit 2 Nouns - Test is Friday 11/20

*The test will count for a trimester 2 grade.

READING = We are continuing to work on the reading comprehension skill of making inferences until Thanksgiving break. We will be using some short stories, our ISAT practice workbooks, and other various activities.

SCOOPer Reading: The due date for books/activities was Fri. Nov. 13th.

Many students paced themselves and completed their goals prior to this week!

Unfortunately, some other students waited until the final week to complete more than one book and activity. I will let you know at conference time if your child left this until last minute or not.

**The students who met their goals will be part of our SCOOPer Reading Celebration on Tuesday 11/24. I will be asking volunteers to bring in treats for the celebration!

We will continue SCOOPer Reading during Trimester 2. There will be a new activity packet and goal sheet. The students will continue to use the same folder.

JR. ACHIEVEMENT = We continue to have Mr. & Ms. Paleka teaching us about ecomomics in a way that's understandable and fun. They are great volunteers!

SOCIAL STUDIES: = We are halfway through the chapter. I suggested that the students take home their textbooks and review lessons 1 & 2.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17TH = TRADE FAIR!!!!

Lesson 3 "Everyday Life in the Colonies".......the students will be responsible for replicating a colonial game/toy to share with eachother. The directions, including the types of game/toy will be given on Thursday and due Tuesday, Nov. 24th.

Lesson 3 = Trimester 2 grades.

SCIENCE = Chapter 6 -Lesson 1 "How do Organisms Compete & Survive in an Ecosystem?"

The students will be given a project based on a book we share during this lesson. They will be given Monday 11/23 & Tuesday 11/24 afternoons to complete the majority of the project.

The project will be due Monday 11/30. *If time is used wisely in class, your child will have minimal, if any, work to finish with this project over the holiday weekend.

Chapter 6 = Trimester 2 grades.

MATH = finishing Chapter 4....Lesson 4.8 Inequalities is our last lesson.

We will be doing a comprehensive review on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Thursday, 11/19 is our Chapter 4 Test.

The Chapter 4 Test = the first grade for 2nd Trimester.

We will then be doing some Thanksgiving probem solving sheets!

The Week of November 2, 2009

2009-10-29T08:49:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents and Students:
Reminders for this week:
~Robert Crown field trip = Friday, November 6th
STUDENTS NEED TO BRING A LUNCH on Friday, November 6th
**We might not get back in time for the hot lunch program. Milk will be available.
.

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 10 and "word of the week" This week's test will be on Thursday due to our Robert Crown Field Trip on Friday.

ENGLISH: Unit 2 Nouns (Project Challenge students will be receiving alternate assignments

during this unit.)

We will also be sharing our most recent "Mind Movers" creative thinking/writing

thinking.

READING: We will be discussing elements of Tall Tales and writing some fun exaggerations.

We will also be doing activities with analogies. The analogy sheets can be

challenging and students may have to use dictionaries or dictionary.com., as well as,

work carefully!

SCOOPer Reading:

1st Trimester goals are due Friday, Nov. 13th. All students who have goals

to be completed have received many reminders! Only one book activity can

be turned in at a time. Many students have already completed their goals!

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 6 "Life in English Colonies". Lesson one will emphasize how

colonists worked and traded. The children will be getting directions for

our classroom TRADE FAIR on Tuesday. Parents, please go over this

sheet/directions with your child.

TRADE FAIR = Tuesday, November 1oth

SCIENCE: We are finishing Chapter 5 this week. The last section we are going to cover is

energy pyramids.

Chapter 5 test will be the week of November 9th.

Your child has made vocabulary game boards which is a great way to

review/reinforce the Ch. 5 vocabulary words.

A sheet that contains information about what to study will be given to the students.

Jr. Achievement = We will have or fourth session with Mr. and Ms. Paleka this week.

The students have been learning a lot about "Our Nation" and businesses.

MATH: (Miss Trefonas's Class)

Chapter 4 Lesson 2 - Order of Operations & Lesson 3 - Properties & Review

*These concepts tend to be difficult.....review at home would help !

Monday, Nov. 13th = Chapter 4 Quiz over L1-L3

The Week of October 26, 2009

2009-10-23T05:49:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents and Students:
It was nice to see many of you at the Book Fair. Thanks to the many families who purchased books for the classroom.
Also, thanks to all of you who have sent in treats/prizes for our classroom rewards.
.

REMINDERS FOR THIS WEEK:

~Parents, please fill out and return the sheet about your student being absent and work being sent home. DUE MONDAY!!

~HALLOWEEN CELEBRATION = Thursday, October 29th!

Thanks to Mrs. Balinski for coordinating the parent helpers!

Thanks to Mrs. Stanuch, Mrs. Balinski and Mrs. Fisher or coming in to be parent helpers!

Thanks to Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Kling, Mrs. Dourdourekas for providing treats!

Thanks to Mrs. Van Geertry for providing drinks for the students!

***Students need to bring supplies to decorate their pumpkins for our contest!

A student per grade level will win a BEST BUY gift certificate for having the #1 pumpkin!

If any parents would like to send in any extra craft items, feel free to send them with your child!

Parade is @ 12:30! Parents are welcome to attend the parade!

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: We are not doing spelling this week! This is not a trick but a treat!

ENGLISH: We will go over the Unit 5 "Capitalization/Punctuation" review sheet on Monday.

Test = Tuesday! I encouraged all students to bring home their textbooks and review over the weekend.

We will also be sharing our "Mind Mover" creative thinking/writing activities.

READING: We finished the White Giraffe ! The students are completing their summary journals which are due Monday. Today, Friday, as a class, we were able to summarize the entire book in less than 25 words. We also had a great group book discussion.

The children will be doing an end of the book activity for White Giraffe this week.

Next, we will work on the reading skill of visualizing using some tall tales.

SCOOPer Reading: Wow! I have had some great book talks while meeting with your child to discuss the book they read and the activity they did.

DUE DATE = November 13th!

SOCIAL STUDIES: We are finished with Chapter 5 and will be filling out our "HOW TO STUDY SHEET" Monday. TEST = WEDNESDAY!

I encouraged all students to bring home their textbook over the weekend to start reviewing!

SCIENCE: We are learning about food chains and food webs.

Your child has begun a vocabulary word game board to study/practice vocabulary words for this unit.

MATH: (Miss Trefonas's Math Class)

Chapter 3 Review = Monday

Chapter 3 Test = Tuesday

Next, we begin Chapter 4 "Algebra Expressions & Equations"

~We will be taking notes and doing many "together" problems in our math spirals.

~Review at home would be helpful during this chapter!

The Week of October 19, 2009

2009-10-16T05:12:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents and Students:
Some reminders.......
~Book Fair/Affy Tapple Sale/Spirit Wear orders = Thursday, October 22nd - 6:30 - 8:00
~Art to Remember packet must be returned with or without an order - Due October 20th.
~Character Counts Responsiblity slips (optional) are due at the end of the month.
.

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 8 "review lesson". No pretest or word of the week this week.

. Workbook due Thursday. Multiple Choice Test = Friday.

ENGLISH: We are finishing Unit 5 Capitalization/Punctuation this week. Our last lessons are how to use and capitalize titles and abbreviations correctly. The test will be Tues. Oct. 27th.

READING: We will be finishing White Giraffe this week and our summary journals.

SCOOPer Reading: Book Goals for the trimester are due Friday, November 13th.

SOCIAL STUDIES:

Jr. Achievement begins! Jr. Achievement is a not-for-profit organization financed by businesses. The purpose of Jr. Achievement is to educate and inspire students to value free enterprise, business, and econmics to improve the quality of their lives. Our volunteers, Ms. and Mr. Paleka, will be visiting our classroom once a week for the next 6 weeks. Ms. Paleka works for Harley Davidson Financial, and Mr. Paleka works for Tellalabs. They have been the volunteers for my classroom for the past 8 years! I'm sure your student will be sharing some of their experiences with this program during the next few weeks!
.
Chapter 5 Lesson 3 - We will learn about the Puritans & Lesson 4 is about all of the 13 English colonies.
The test will be the week of October 26th.
.
SCIENCE: LEAVES are due Monday!! The children should have a lot of fun with this project!
Chapter 5 - Lesson 2 "How energy is passed through an ecosystem"
.
MATH: (Miss Trefonas's math class)
Tuesday = Quiz over lessons 1 - 5 in chapter 3.
We will cover lessons 6,7,9, and 10 this week. We will be dividing by 2 digit numbers.
Homework sheet will be given on Friday.

The Week of October 12, 2009

2009-10-08T05:23:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents & Students,

~No School Monday = Columbus Day

~Leaves......has your child started collecting and preparing leaves for our science project?
The leaves are due Monday, October 19th. This assignment can not be left until last
minute. The students have a direction packet and should share/discuss it with you.
.
~Robert Crown field trip slip will be given to your child on Tuesday. We will be going to
the "Michael & Linda" program. The permission slip goes into further detail.
Also, please indicate on the slip whether or you'll be attending the parent workshop.
.
~Halloween!!! Mrs. Balinski, classroom party coordinator, has contacted all the party
helpers. As part of the Halloween festivities,students need to bring things from home to
decorate their pumpkins which will be judjed for a contest with prizes. They are about 3 -
5 pounds each and will be provided by our P.T.O.
These items are not allowed: paint, and sharp objects such as knives or
carving tools.
.

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 7

ENGLISH: Comma project due Tuesday!

We will also be learning how to use quotation marks correctly.

READING: We will be reviewing the reading skills of homonyms and homophones.

White Giraffe.....continuing to read this adventure and summarizing chapters.

SCOOPer Reading: Your child's goal is due 11/13. I have enjoyed many of the discussions I have had with your child when meeting with them.

If your child meets their goal prior to the due date, they get to read just for the "fun of it" and not have to do any more activites until the next trimester.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 5 - Lesson 2 "New England Colonies" & Lesson 3 "The First Colonies"

SCIENCE: We are continuing to learn more about photosynthesis and learning about producers and consumers.

MATH(for Miss Trefonas's math students):

~Chapter 3 - Lessson 3.4 "Zeros in the quotient"

~Quiz Thursday over Lessons 3.2 - 3.4

~Homework sheet with problems from wb pages 3.1 - 3.4

The Week of October 5, 2009

2009-10-01T06:04:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents & Students:
Some reminders for this week:
~Lunch in I.M.C. = Thursday, October 8th. We have lots of students in our class participating!!
~Project Challenge = The afterschool program begins Tuesday, October 6th!
~see SCIENCE....the students have a project that they need to begin!
.

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 6

ENGLISH: Unit 5 "Capitalization & Punctuation"

This week we will look at the different ways we use commas. We will also review interjections.

WRITING: We have been doing some "mind mover" creative writing in our writing spirals.

Have your child share one of their activities!

READING: We are continuing the book White Giraffe and working on summarizing.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 5 - We will be learning about the first permanent English colony.......Jamestown and other European colonies.

SCIENCE: Monday = Science test......Study sheets with parent signature earns bonus points!!

We are starting the next chapter and learning about plant structures and photosynthesis.

IMPORTANT...on Weds. the students are going to be getting directions for the leaf project we will be doing. Please make sure your child shares what they need to do with you because they need to collect and prepare the leaves according to the direction sheet.

LEAVES ARE DUE FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16th.

MATH: Chapter 3 Division

We will cover lessons 1-3. This includes long division and interpreting remainders.

The Week of September 28, 2009

2009-09-24T05:07:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents and Students,
~Magazine Turn in = Tuesday, September 29th
~Picture Day = Thursday, October 1st
~"Lunch in the Library" forms due Thursday, October 1st
.

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 5 and word of the week

ENGLISH: Unit 1 Test = Monday

Next, we skip to Unit 5 "Capitalization & Punctuation". This week we will learn more about proper nouns and adjectives and commas in a series.

We will also be doing another MIND MOVER writing activity.

READING: We are working on the reading strategy of summarizing while reading the book "White Giraffe" which happens to be a Rebecca Caudill award nominee this year.

We will also begin some reading skill work with context clues, roots, and affixes.

SCOOPer Reading: Your child should have at least one book/activity done by the end of this week. I have about half the class who have completed at least one book/activity. Please ask your child where they are with their book/activity.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Your child will receive their graded Chapter 4 test. Remember, it's a 5th grade policy that we do NOT send home tests. I will have the children write down their test score in their assignment notebooks.

Chapter 5 - Lesson 1 "Hard Times in Virginia" which includes the lost colony of Roanoke, The Battle of the Spanish Armada, and Jamestown.

SCIENCE: We will be finishing the introductory unit this week.TEST = MONDAY, OCTOBER 5

The students will receive a "Getting Ready for Science Study Tips" on Wednesday.

Miss Trefonas's MATH Class:

We are completing Chapter 2 this week.

Quiz over lessons 4 - 6 and a homework sheet = Tuesday.

Chapter Review in class = Wednesday.

Chapter 2 Test = Thursday.

****Multiplication timed tests due date has been extended to Monday, Oct. 5th since I will be absent on Thursday and not able to give the timed tests.

The Week of September 21, 2009

2009-09-18T13:34:00.000-07:00

Dear Students and Parents:
~Tuesday, September 22nd = Early Dismissal - Prairieview 11:00
~Your student brought home a sheet today about a new activity , IMC LUNCH BUNCH! Take a look at the handout. It sounds like it could be a fun activity to try.
~Magazine Turn in = Tuesday & Friday!

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN MISS TREFONAS'S CLASSROOM:

SPELLING : Lesson 4 and word of the week.

ENGLISH: We will be finishing Unit 1 "Sentences" this week. The test will be on Monday, September 28th. We will be doing a review in class prior to the test, however, your child should still be responsible and study at home. There are a lot of review pages at the end of each Unit in the textbook.

READING: We are working on the reading strategy of summarizing. We are learning how to write cummulative summaries in 20 words or less.

SCOOPer Reading: I am impressed with the book activities I have met with so far. Your child should have at least one book read and activity completed/turned in by the end of the month.

SOCIAL STUDIES: We will be completing Chapter 4 this week. Your child will be getting a "How to Study" sheet and filling it out on Weds. Along with this sheet, I will have the students attach the notes, worksheets etc. that are being stored in their social studies pocket to the "How To Study" sheet . We even highlight important study information from these notes and sheets.

Hopefully, your child has been putting and keeping all the sheets in the social studies pocket. They have been reminded many times as each sheet has been done, graded and returned.

SCIENCE: The Scientific Method is what we are focusing on this week.

MATH for Miss Trefonas's class..... You should know from the newsletter I sent home that we are doing timed multiplication fact tests.

We will be estimating, multiplying by 1 digit numbers, and multiplying by 2 and 3 digit numbers.

I emphasize that your child needs to have their facts memorized.

Quiz over chapter 2, lessons 1 -3 will be given on Wednesday.

The Week of September 14, 2009

2009-09-11T05:05:00.000-07:00

Dear parents and students,
This past Thursday we had an assembly and the Lakeview Band put on a great concert for us.
We also have officially started the Magazine fund raiser. Your child has a packet with all the information.
.
Tuesday, September 22nd = Early Dismissal (Prairieview 11:00)
.

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOM:

Spelling: Lesson 3 and word of the week. The workbook is due Thursday & test Friday.

English: Unit 1 L4 - L7 which includes simple subjects and predicates, subjects in imperative sentences and conjunctions.

Writing: Color Poems, some journal writing, and Pyramid Poems!

Reading: We have a couple of predicting activities to do. Next, we will be incorporating both predicting and summarizing while reading a literature book.

SCOOPer Reading: Six students have completed their first book and activity and have put a scoop on the bulletin board! By the end of September, I expect to have an activity from all students.

Social Studies: Chapter 4 Lesson 2 "Different Worlds Collide" This will be about the Aztec people and the Spanish.

Science: We are continuing to learn about inquiry skills.

MISS TREFONAS'S MATH CLASS:

Math: Chapter 1 test = Wednesday 9/16. We will be doing a class review on Tuesday. Your student should not just rely on the class review but also study at home. There are review pages at the end of each chapter.

CHAPTER 2 MULTIPLICATION! 5th graders should have their multiplication facts memorized!

The Week of September 7, 2009

2009-09-04T10:15:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
First, it was great to see that many of you were able to attend 5th grade Curriculum Night. For those of you who were unable to attend Curriculum Night, I sent home handouts etc. with your child. I would appreciate you filling out the STUDENT INFORMATION SHEET and returning it to school on Tuesday or as soon as possible. I know that the information about your child's strengths and weaknesses might be something you intend to share just with me and not your child. Please send the sheet back in an envelope.
There is also a blue sheet "5th grade policies" in my handout. Please review the sheet, especially the late work policy, with your child. This needs a student and parent signature and needs to be returned Tuesday or as soon as possible. Thanks!
.
NO SCHOOL MONDAY = LABOR DAY
.

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN MISS TREFONAS'S CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 2 Pretest Tuesday and the students will be learning about "word of the week"! The workbook assignment will be due Thursday and the final test is on Friday.

ENGLISH: Unit 1 Sentences

READING: We are practicing the reading stragegy of using predicting skills while reading text.

This includes what clues the author is providing, as well as, using our own experiences/knowledge to make valid predictions. We will be doing a lot of various predicting activities.

We have also started using our ISAT COACH workbook to practice and refine comprehension skills.

SCOOPer Reading: This is our independent reading incentive program for the class. Hopefully your child explained how this program works when they had you sign their contract????

If you are needing further explanation, there is a sheet in the Curriculum Night packet or please contact me.

SOCIAL STUDIES: We are finishing Chapter 4 - Lesson 1. Your child should be able to share some interesting facts about Christopher Columbus and the Columbian Exchange.

This week we will be doing a creative writing project that coincides with the information learned.

SCIENCE: Using science tools and inquiry skills......there will be an "open note" quiz this week.

MATH: (for students in Miss Trefonas's math class)

The students filled out their first homework sheet and took their first quiz this past Friday.

Next, we will be rounding whole numbers, estimating sums and differences and reviewing adding and subtracting of large numbers.

Homework sheet will be given on Friday.

The Week of August 31, 2009

2009-08-28T05:43:00.000-07:00

Dear parents and students,
We have officially started 5th grade! We have gone over rules, policies, and what's to be expected in 5th grade. All school supplies should be here by Monday and it's strongly recommended that all students have "book socks" on their textbooks.
.
Parents: 5th grade Curriculum Night is Thursday, September 3rd - 6:30-7:30.
Please try to attend because this is your chance to find out what's expected in 5th grade.
.

IMPORTANT: Please do not send any snacks for your student or any treats for the class that contain PEANUTS. We have a student in our class with a peanut allergy. Please check the ingredient list on the box especially the very bottom of the list. A lot of times in bold it will say the snack may have a trace or was made in a factory with food that contains peanuts.

OF COURSE, I APPRECIATE TREAT DONATIONS FOR THE CLASS......fruit snacks, Rice Krispie treats, Goldfish crackers, pretzels, individually wrapped!
.
4th and 5th grade intramural games will be starting the week of September 14th. Permission slips will be handed out next week. Forms are due to Ms. Stainman by Friday, September 4th.
.

HERE'S WHAT WE WILL BE DOING THIS WEEK:

Spelling = Lesson 1 - workbook due Thursday and test Friday

Language Arts = English - Unit 1 Sentences

& Writing - we will be writing an autobiographical poem and working on descriptive "colorful" writing skills!

Reading = Your students will be getting directions about our SCOOPer independent reading program.

We will also be using our ISAT coach workbooks to review and practice some reading comprehension skills.

Science = We will be using inquiry tools and skills during our introductory unit.

Social Studies = Chapter 4 Lesson 1 "Voyages of Christopher Columbus"

Math = THIS IS FOR STUDENTS IN MISS TREFONAS'S MATH CLASS

Chapter 1 Place Value - Lessons 1.1 -1.3

Quiz Friday over lessons 1.1 - 1.3

2009-08-23T08:16:00.000-07:00

Welcome 5th grade students and parents to Miss Trefonas's class!

OPEN HOUSE is Monday, August 24th from 9:00 - 11:00. You need to come to room 205.

Please bring all your school supplies to Open House.

There will be sign up sheets for parent volunteers for field trips, class parties, and some other misc. helper items........

An e-mail of my classroom newsletter/blog will be sent to all my homeroom and math students

weekly. This information should be helpful to both the students and parents.

The best way to get in touch with me, Miss Trefonas, is by e-mail: jtrefonas@ccsd66.org.

Also, you may call the office between 7:15 and 7:45 and ask to have me paged or at the end of the day from 2:00 (students are at gym class) - 4:00.

I don't check my voicemail as often as I should since the phone is shared by the entire team.

So, if you have left a voicemail and I have not responded PLEASE e-mail or call!

WELCOME BACK!

Miss Trefonas

The Week of June 1st, 2009

2009-05-29T05:49:00.000-07:00

OUR LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL

MISS TREFONAS'S 5TH GRADE CLASS 2008-2009

I hope your 5th grade student came home and told you about our special 5th grade celebration this past Thursday. The Jesse White Tumlers performed for us, we had a special recess just for 5th grade and delicious snacks. Thanks to the parents who organized this wonderful event!

Thursday is our school picnic. For lunch, each child wil receive a hot dog, bag of chips, and a bottle of water. An ice-cream dessert will also be given. If your child does not eat hot dogs, please bring a lunch....they may have any/all of the other treats being provided!

In the afternoon, there is a special assembly "High Action Bikes"!

YEARBOOKS: will be handed out to students on Friday, June 5th. Any students who did not purchase a yearbook may do so on a first-come-first-serve basis on June 5th; they will go on sale after morning announcements. The cost will be $10.00 and children wishing to purchase should have exact amount. Checks can be made out to Prairieview. There is a limited supply. Prairieview yearbook orders were not paid for at registration. A flyer was sent out on November 13, 2008 and orders were due by Monday, December 1, 2008.

Wednesday, June 3rd = Miss Trefonas's homeroom is being treated to a slice of pizza and bottled water for being the 5th grade BoxTop winners!

Friday, June 5th = Last day of school!!!! Students dismissal = 9:30!

SOCIAL STUDIES = We have finished Chapter 12.

We will be doing some current events with Time for Kids and also using this time for "end of the year" activities.

SCIENCE = Owl Pellet dissection is our big finale for the year!

SPELLING = We our finished with our regular spelling work and "word of the week" work.

LANGUAGE ARTS = We will finishing sharing our narrative creative writing stories.

We also will be playing a variety of language arts games like: You've Been Sentenced, In a Pickle, Boggle, and Scrabble!

READING = We will be ending the year with doing a comprehension journal while viewing Anne of Green Gables which is based on the classic novels by Lucy Montgomery.

MATH = This last week we will be doing a variety of math activities in the computer lab and in the classroom.

HAVE A WONDERFUL SUMMER!

I hope that you will keep in touch and share the many future accomplishents of your children in the years ahead!

Miss Trefonas

The Week of May 25, 2009

2009-05-22T10:53:00.000-07:00

Some important dates & items for this week.....
~Monday, May 25th - No School - Memorial Day
~Tuesday, May 26th - Woodridge and Darien Public Libraries come to present their summer
reading programs to our PV students
~Wednesday, May 27th - Robert Crown Fieldtrip - topic = Drug education
**Lunch program will not be available....students need to bring their
lunch, Milk will be available.
~Thursday, May 27th - We are following a Monday schedule......The students will have their last
Library class with Mrs. Bouton!
~Thursday, May 27th - 5th grade celebration. An exciting afternoon has been planned for just
the 5th grade students!
~Friday, May 29th - 5th grade P.E. bowling field trip. Students may bring money for snacks.
.
MEMORIAL DAY is being celebrated with a special parade in Woodridge this Monday!! Lakeview marching band will be in the parade, as well as, our District 66 principals riding on an antique fire truck with our own Dr. Tiede driving the fire truck! The Board of Education will also be special guests of honor on the fire truck. Try to attend and give a friendly parade wave to our special celebrities from District 66.
The parade begins at 9:30! The parade route starts at 63rd/Hobson Road and Woodridge Drive and ends at Jefferson Jr. High on Janes Avenue.
.

MISS TREFONAS'S HOMEROOM:

Social Studies = We are finishing Chapter 12 this week! The students have a flap book to complete and is due Tuesday.

The Chapter 12 Test = Thursday and it will be open note.....which means they can use any note sheet, booklet, worksheet, and/or workbook pages from this chapter. The textbook can NOT be used.

Students should still study........especially so they know where the information is on these various sheets and notes because no extra time will be given!

Science = We have been sharing our animal research projects aloud.

WOW.....the students have researched such interesting animals and the facts we have learned have been incredible! They have been showing great listening and questioning skills as they have been listening to eachother's presentations.

Our last science activity will be learning about OWLS and dissecting owl pellets.

MISS TREFONAS'S READING - ENGLISH - SPELLING:

Spelling = Words of the Week S-Z in our ABC booklets due Thursday and our final test is Friday.

English = Preposition Test = Thursday

We are still sharing our Narrative creative writing aloud!

Reading = Castle in the Attic - The students need to have the book finished for Tuesday and have a total of 5 discussion questions.

A reading comprehension sheet for chapters 1-6 was assigned today, class time was given, however many students need to complete this as homework....due Tuesday.

SCOOPer READING CELEBRATION!!!! This is scheduled for this Thursday, May 28th.

Thanks to all the students who have volunteered to bring in goodies for our final celebration......

Thanks also to the wonderful parents who have said that their child can bring in the snacks!!!!!!

The class voted on our movie selection.

I look forward to celebrating our achievement with our independent reading program!!

MISS TREFONAS'S MATH CLASS:

Chapter 15 Lesson 2 - Multiplying Fractions

Chapter 15 Lesson 3- Multiplying Fractions and Whole Numbers

Chapter 15 Lesson 4 - Multiplication with Mixed Numbers

Chapter 15 Lesson 6 - Dividing Whole Numbers with Fractions

and lastly.......Logic Problems!

Homework grades are still counting.

There will not be anymore quizzes or tests.

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!

GO BLACKHAWKS!

GO CUBS!

The Week of May 18, 2009

2009-05-13T11:22:00.000-07:00

MISS TREFONAS'S HOMEROOM:

IMPORTANT REMINDERS.....

~Monday, May 18th = 5th grade gets a tour of Lakeview @ 1:10 !!

and it's 5th Grade Parent Night at Lakeview - 6:30

~Thursday, May 21st = 5th grade band and choir concert - 1:15 in our gym. Parents may attend!

~Friday, May 22nd = Ginger Zee meteorologist from NBC is a guest speaker for 5th grade!

SOCIAL STUDIES = continuing chapter 12.....Lesson 2 which discusses the Industrial Revolution and Lesson 3 "A Struggle for Reformers".

The anticipated date for Chapter 12 test will be Thursday, March 28th.

SCIENCE = The students have been working on a project...."This Place is a Zoo" which incorporates research on an animal and its habitat.

The students have been given class time this past week to work on their posters.

The last in class work day will be Thursday, May 14th.

THE ENTIRE PROJECT IS DUE MONDAY, MAY 18TH.

*The students have the rubric, grading sheet, to check that they have all the requirements etc.!

MISS TREFONAS'S READING-SPELLING-LANGUAGE ARTS:

SPELLING = Words of the Week..... J-R

ABC book for J-R is due Thursday and test is Friday

ENGLISH = Unit 7 Prepositions

We will continue to share our narrative creative writing.

READING = JACOB'S RESCUE..... The students have been having very meaningful and deep discussions in small book groups and as an entire class.

We will be doing an end of book activity which is a "Bio-Poem" (Bio = biographical).

SCOOPer Reading = Books read and activities were due Friday, May 15th.

Unfortunately, some students did NOT meet their goals even with all the reminders given.

CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE WHO DID MEET THEIR 3rd TRIMESTER GOAL!!

This counts as a grade! Also, their will be a classroom celebration the week of May 29th for everyone who met their goal!

VOCAB CLUB = 10 May words due Friday, May 22nd.

Everyone who has met with me thus far has gotten 10 of their 10 words correct! YEAH!

MISS TREFONAS'S MATH CLASS:

Chapter 7 Multiplying Decimals

We started this unit this past Thursday.

It's a short unit and there will be a test on Tuesday, May 19th.

We will then do one lesson from C hapter 8 on dividing decimals.

Then, Chapter 15 - Multiplying Fractions.

The Week of May 11, 2009

2009-05-06T13:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day!!

Miss Trefonas's Homeroom:

Some special events this week:

~Monday, May 11th = Spring Concert

~Tuesday, May 12th = "Staley the Bear" assembly during school

~Thursday, May 14th = Fifth grade gets to go to Lakeview to see the dress rehearsal of the musical!

Social Studies: Chapter 12 "Times of Change"

We will be covering Lesson 1 "U.S. Turns 50" and Lesson 2 "A New Kind of Revolution"

Science: We are working on a research project "This Place is a Zoo".

This project incorporates students researching facts about animals and their habitats.

We spent time in the computer lab doing research last week.

ALL RESEARCH IS DUE MONDAY!

Next, we begin the sign and poster in class.

The entire project's anticipated due date is Monday, May 18th.

**Many students have had late work this month. Please remember that 25% is taken off for work that is 1 day late. We are following the policy that Lakeview uses.

Miss Trefonas's Reading - English - Spelling:

Spelling= We are beginning our "Words of the Week" spelling ABC book and tests.

This week the students will be responsible for "Words of the Week" A - I on their Words of the Week spelling list.

Letters A -I in their ABC book will be due Thursday.

Letters A -I test is Friday.

English=Unit 7 Adverb test is Wednesday.

Writing = Narratives! We are beginning with a creative writing story where the student has to develop a story based on a character, plot, and setting picked from a bag! There will be some interesting stories developed because of what was on the slip picked!

Creative writing story is due Monday!

Reading= Jacob's Rescue which is a historical fiction novel that is based on World War II and the Holocaust.

SCOOPer Reading = Due this Friday, May 15th.

There are many students who are behind and there are no exceptions to turning in only one book activity at a time.

Vocab Club = May words due by the end of the month.

Miss Trefonas's Math Class:

Chapter 24 - Area of squares, rectangles, triangles, parallelograms......

Chapter 24 test = Weds. May 13th.

The Week of May 8. 2009

2009-04-30T05:13:00.000-07:00

Miss Trefonas's Homeroom:

Social Studies = Chapter 11 Test is Monday.

We are not starting chapter 12 this week. Instead we will be doing current events activities with TFK (Time for Kids).

Science = We are doing a creative extenstion activity about animal populations and their environments. The story The Great Fuzz Frenzy was shared with the class. They are now creating their own story board about an unusual object being found in a certain creatures environment.

Project due Tuesday, May 5th.

Miss Trefonas's Reading-English-Spelling:

Spelling: Lesson 32 and the last 3 words of the week.

This is our last "regular" spelling lesson.

Next week, we begin an activity with all our words of the week.

English: Unit 6 Pronoun Test is Monday.

Next, we begin Unit 7 - Adverbs

Reading: Jacob's Rescue is a historical fiction book which takes place during the Holocaust.

We will be working on many of the comprehension skills while reading and discussing this book together.

Lakeview I.M.C. visit= Our last scheduled visit is Wednesday, May 6th

SCOOPer READING: DUE DATE IS MAY 15TH. There are many students who have fallen behind in their independent reading and completing book activities.

This counts as a grade and we have a "celebration" for all who completed their goal.

Vocab Club: March/April words due April 3oth. Many students waited until the last week to complete this activity after having 2 months to complete their ten words. This is disappointing.

MAY WORDS = 10 due, on or BEFORE , May 29th.

Miss Trefonas's Math Class:

We have started Chapter 23 which includes Perimeter, Perimeter Formulas, and Circumference.

It is a short chapter. The test will Be Tuesday, May 5th.

Next, Chapter 24 Area of geometrical figures.

The Week of April 27, 2009

2009-04-23T05:34:00.000-07:00

Miss Trefonas's Homeroom:

Science: Chapter 6 "Ecosystems & Change"

The children will be making a storyboard based on an unusual change in an ecosystem.....

We will also be learning about symbiosis.

Social Studies: Chapter 11 Lesson 3 "Another War With Britian"

Chapter 11 Test is scheduled for Monday, May 4!

Miss Trefonas's Reading - Language Arts - Spelling Class:

Spelling: Lesson 31 and word of the week

English: Unit 6 Pronouns - Test is scheduled for Monday, May 4!

Reading:

~Vocab club is due April 30th. This is 10 words total for March/April.

Many students have NOT turned this in yet!

~SCOOPer Reading....book goals are due May 15th.

Many students are behind on this.

~ Book Clubs... Final Meeting and discussion sheet due Monday.

We will be making Flap books as an end of the book activity/assessment.

~We will begin a literature unit later in this week with a novel that is based on the Holocaust

Miss Trefonas's Math Class:

Chapter 22 Measurement Test is Monday. Students will be allowed to use the measurement charts and calculators on this test.

Chapter 23 Perimeter - Lessons 2, 3, and 5

The Week of April 6, 2009

2009-03-27T05:20:00.000-07:00

Family Book Club Night:
Are you looking for a good book to read? Is your child looking for a way to stay busy over Spring Break? Join us for Family Book Club Night on Wednesday, April 29th @ 6:30 p.m. Simply go to the Center Cass 66 District website, click on "Prairieview", and read more about this great school event! You can then print a registration form and send it in. Please note that registration has been extended.
If you have any questions, contact Lynda Slinger lslinger@ccsd66.org or Jennifer Cerney jcerney@ccsd66.org. Hope to see you there!
.
OTHER IMPORTANT DATES:
Tuesday April, 7th = No School - Staff Development Day
Friday, April 10th, = No School - Good Friday
Monday, April 13th = TOO GOOD FOR DRUGS GRADUATION = 8:45am
Thursday, April 16th = Open House/Book Fair
.

MISS TREFONAS'S HOMEROOM:

SCIENCE: continuing energy and ecosystems

SOCIAL STUDIES: Time for Kids - current events. We will also be watching "National Treasure" as a culminating activity for chapters 9 & 10.

MISS TREFONAS'S READING-ENGLISH-SPELLING:

SPELLING: LESSON 28 and word of the week

READING/ENGLISH: finishing up CHINA!

SCOOPer Reading: Spring Break is a perfect time to get a book read and activity completed.

May 15th = 3rd trimester due date.

VOCAB CLUB: March/April 10 words due at the end of April.

MISS TREFONAS'S MATH CLASS:

Chapter 22 Lessons 1 and 2

Customary and Metric Length

HAVE A GREAT SPRING BREAK!!!!!

The Week of March 16, 2009

2009-03-12T05:25:00.000-07:00

MISS TREFONAS'S HOMEROOM:

Tues. 3/17 = Project Challenge

Thurs. 3/26 = GeoSpace with the DuPage Children's Museum facilitators

*Mrs. Villa and Mrs. Fisher are parent helpers

**Mark your calenders......T.G.F.D. graduation = Monday, April 13 @ 8:45 in PV gym.
Parents and family members invited!

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 10 "Life in a New Nation"

Lesson 2 "Debate in Philadelphia" will be covered this week and we will be starting Lesson 3 "Ratifying the Constitution". The children will be responsible for memorizing the Preamble.

**Chapter 10 TEST = Friday, March 27th!

SCIENCE: Photosynthesis and how energy passes through an ecosystem

MISS TREFONAS'S READING - LANGUAGE ARTS - SPELLING

SPELLING: Lesson 25 workbook is due *Monday (due to the day off etc.)

Lesson 25 TEST is MONDAY (due to the day off etc.)

ENGLISH: Adjectives!

**The Unit 4 Adjective Test = Friday, March 27th!

READING: China research has been extended to Tuesday. The students should have most of their research done over the weekend with only a little bit of information to find Monday in class.

They will be making a China travel brochure and we will be doing other activities pertaining to this country.

SCOOPer Reading: Our entire class met their 2nd Trimester goals!

We will be having a celebration on Thursday!

VOCAB CLUB: March words due on or before Friday, March 27th!

MISS TREFONAS'S MATH CLASS:

CHAPTER 19 - Plane and Solid Figures

QUEST (quiz/test) is Tuesday, March 17th

Next, Chapter 13 Fractions ....adding and subtraction

The Week of March 9, 2009

2009-03-05T05:06:00.000-08:00

MISS TREFONAS'S HOMEROOM:

REMINDERS:

~Parent/teacher conferences are being held this week.

~Early Dismissal - Thursday, March 12th 11:00

~No School - Friday, March 13th

**Mark your calenders......T.G.F.D. graduation = Monday, April 13 @ 8:45 in PV gym.

Parents and family members invited!

Social Studies: Chapter 9 Test = Tuesday, March 10th

Science: Chapter 5 "Energy & Ecosystems"

T.G.F.D.: Deputy K. will not be here this week.

We have two more sessions prior to our T.G.F.D. graduation.

MISS TREFONAS'S READING-LANGUAGE ARTS-SPELLING:

Spelling: Lesson 25 - workbook due Weds. & test Weds.

English: Unit 4 Adjectives

Reading: We are researching China. Students are using a variety of non-fiction materials to gather information for their "planning sheet" which will be used to make a travel brochure.

We are using books from the library, a set of China books, and the internet.

PLANNING SHEET WITH CHINA FACTS - DUE MONDAY!

SCOOPer READING: Everyone met their 2nd trimester goals! Yipee!

Our celebration will be Thursday, March 19th.

Third Trimester goal sheets and packets.....students get them on Friday, March 6th!

VOCAB CLUB: March words due before spring break.

MISS TREFONAS'S MATH CLASS:

Chapter 19 "Plane and Solid Figures"

Lessons 19.1, 19.2, 19.4, 19.6 are the lessons we are covering.

There will be a QUEST (stands for quiz/test) on MONDAY, MARCH 16th!

The Week of March 2, 2009

2009-02-27T05:53:00.000-08:00

MISS TREFONAS'S HOMEROOM:

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

~No school Monday - Casmir Pulaski Holiday

~ISAT testing in math and reading this week.

I am asking for contributions for healthy snacks and drinks...thanks!

~Parent/teacher conferences = week of March 9th

SCIENCE: Quest (quiz/test) on Tuesday on Light. (This is the last grade in science that will count towards Trimester 2).

We are not starting a new unit next week.

Social Studies: We are finishing Chapter 9. We will be learning about the last battle of the American Revolution (Yorktown) and the official document that ended the war (Treaty of Paris).

The test date is probably Tuesday, March 10th.

This test will count as a 3rd trimester grade.

T.G.F.D: The students have a sheet to discuss with you and it needs a parent signature.

Due Thursday.....T.G.F.D. grade will be part of Trimester 3 grades.

MISS TREFONAS'S READING-SPELLING-LANGUAGE ARTS:

ISAT Testing this week....if you can donate a healthy snack/juice drink it would be appreciated! It's a great energy boost! Thanks!

SPELLING: None this week due to ISAT testing.....The next lesson will count as Trimester 3 grade.

READING: We are learning about CHINA as a nonfiction genre. We will be taking notes and using several comprehension skills during our reading and researching!

LANGUAGE ARTS: We finished our expository writing about an individual who has made an impact on our lives. The students submitted these in a contest at a local bank. We will announce Prairieview Winners when we get the results.

I hope your child involved you in the writing process and that they shared their final copy with you.

We will be doing integrated language arts activities with reading this week.

MISS TREFONAS'S MATH CLASS:

ISAT TESTING will take most of our time this week.

We are not beginning a new chapter. During any extra, non-testing time, we will be doing some fun problem solving and logic activities.

If you can send in a healthy snack/juice drink for an energy boost with ISAT testing, it would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

The Week of February23, 2009

2009-02-20T05:22:00.000-08:00

MISS TREFONAS'S HOMEROOM:

Important dates:

~Project Challenge = Tues, 2/24

~Spring Picture Day - Thurs, 2/ 26, 2009
All students will be photographed. Please notify your student's teacher if you do not want an individual portrait taken of your child. Look Before You Buy: Send no money now - View your portraits before you buy.Your finished portrait package will be sent home for review. Simply return any un-used portrait sheets with your payment.

~NO SCHOOL -Casmir Pulaski Holiday -Mon. March 2

~ISAT WEEK begins Tuesday, March 3rd

~Conference week - Monday, March 9th

I am asking for snacks for ISAT week. Please send individual juice drinks (Capri Sun, Juicy-Juice etc.) and or an individually wrapped healthy snack (pretzels, fruit snacks, cereal bars, goldfish crackers) I will put these out for the 4 days of testing.

Thanks for your help!

SCIENCE: Chapter 17 Lesson 2 light. We are taking notes on an outline as we read from our textbooks.

T.G.F.D. This is week 7 of 10. The students do not have an assignment due this week.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 9 Lesson 2 "Patriots at War" and Lesspm 3 "The World Turned Upside Down"

MISS TREFONAS'S READING-LANGUAGE ARTS-SPELLING CLASS:

.
I am asking for snacks for ISAT week. Please send individual juice drinks (Capri Sun, Juicy-Juice etc.) and or an individually wrapped healthy snack (pretzels, fruit snacks, cereal bars, goldfish crackers) I will put these out for the 4 days of testing.
Thanks for your help!

SPELLING: Lesson 24 and word of the week

LANGUAGE ARTS: Final copy of expository writing,,,,we will be typing them here at school on Monday and Tuesday.

VOCAB CLUB: 10 February words due Friday!

SCOOPer Reading: Second trimester book goals are due Friday!

READING: continuing ISAT practice.....We are reading a fiction and non-fiction selection and going over multiple choice questions that require application of various reading skills.

We are also refining our "extended response" answers to a passage.

We will end the week by having some more fun with figurative language "PERSONIFICATION"!

LAKEVIEW I.M.C. VISIT = WEDNESDAY

MISS TREFONAS'S MATH CLASS:

CHAPTER 18 GEOMETRY TEST = MONDAY, FEB.23

We will then be practicing a variety of math skills to prepare for our ISAT tests.