.

The Shakespearean Sonnet

February 23, 2009

Hello all,

I hope you all had a wonderful time with your little one at home last week.  I know that on my end, the week did me a great deal of good.  The last few weeks have been admittedly a little harried for me with the last month of Elysha’s pregnancy, the birth of Clara, and the time needed to become acclimated to the new human being in our lives.  Of course, it didn’t help that I, along with most of the class, came down with the flu, so the vacation was very much needed.  I managed to do a great deal of lesson planning over vacation, and I’m looking forward to these final months together with the kids.  As I’m sure you know, the CMTs begin next week, and once they are behind us, the fifth grade year will transition to instruction that targets preparation for middle school, as well as taking every opportunity to enjoy these last days in elementary school. 

In short, I want to make these last months as fun and productive for your child as possible.

We will also begin refocusing on Shakespeare for the remainder of the school year, and in a couple weeks we’ll begin talking about the play, which we will perform in early June.  With such a large class this year and a lack of the college students who I usually have to help, the production will be an especially challenging undertaking, so anyone who would like to volunteer their time will be greeted with open arms!  Assistance with the memorization of lines, set design and construction (with a crew of students, of course), and even assistant director responsibilities are available to anyone interested. 

There have also been some long-term activities that I have not been as organized with as I would like, mostly because of this new little person in my life and a somewhat difficult recovery for Elysha, but now that Clara is almost sleeping through the night and Elysha is finally back on her feet, things are looking good.

So please be sure to read ahead and mark your calendar with the plethora of dates that I have provided for upcoming activities.  Some are new and some are rescheduled, but all should be great, great fun. 

As always, thanks so much for all the support that you have offered. 

Science Fair!

Yes, I know that it has been rescheduled because of the baby and because of illness, and truthfully, because I was hoping to find a more diverse judging pool.  I currently have a physicist, an engineer, and a math teacher judging the fair, but all three judges are men with no minority background.  I was hoping to find at least one impartial woman with a science background to serve as a judge, and though I’m still looking, we can’t wait forever, so the date for the fair is next Tuesday. March 3 in rooms 146 and 148 (Mrs. Raynis’s and our connecting classrooms), at 6:30.  Project should be brought in on Friday or on Monday Tuesday of next week so that we can have time in class to examine them and discuss how they should be presented at the fair.  My hope is that they come in on all three days, so we’re not inundated with projects on a single day.  I also told the kids that if they have something that is fragile, difficult to transport, or otherwise burdensome, these parts can come into school on Tuesday evening.        

Should be lots of fun! 

Other Important Dates

I’ve scheduled a few more of the important events of the year so that you can get them on your calendars ASAP.  These include:

April 8:  Our day-long Poetry Festival.  Weather pending, some of this will take place outdoors as well.  Stop by for some or all of this fun day of writing, recitation, and sharing of your child’s fabulous words.  Hopefully we can get a few of you to perform as well!  Many more details to follow. 

May 6:  Chess Night from 6:30-8:00.  We begin our first chess tournament this week and will hopefully end the tournament with a championship game on this evening.  You will also have an opportunity to learn and play chess against students in a fun-filled atmosphere. 

June 3:  Our performance of Julius Caesar, at 7:00 in the classroom.  Though we will perform the play during the school day for students in grades 3-5 (and you’re welcome to attend these performances as well), this will be our evening performance of the play.  We will jam ourselves into the classroom and watch your kids belt out Old English in a performance that you are sure to remember for a long time. 

Please make a note of all of these important, upcoming dates. 

In addition to these dates, book orders, which went home today, are due next Monday for anyone who is interested. 

Also, information went home today regarding a middle school open house for parents only on March 9 or 16 depending upon the school that your kiddo will be attending.  Please be sure to check this out as well.

Math Honors Test

According to the office, letters regarding the math honors test went out today (late, apparently, but being my first year in 5^th grade, I’m not sure when they normally are sent out), but because the actual test is on Wednesday, I informed those students who have been chosen that they are taking the test, so feel free to ask your child tonight if he or she is included on this list.  These selections were based upon your child’s previous CMT scores as well as his or her scores from the December district-wide math test.  If you feel like your child should be taking the test but is not, please call me or send me an email by tomorrow.  

 Homework

For the kids who are not in CMT Academy, four separate CMT-modeled practice assignments went home this week.  Two reading assignments, a math assignment, and an editing assignment, all of which mimic what your child will be doing in the next two weeks. 

In addition, your child’s month-long essay is also due on Friday.  I have seen a bunch of them already and am so pleased to see the kids taking the assignment seriously and seeking feedback from me and their fellow students rather than waiting until the last minute to get to work.  This bodes well for their futures in middle school!

Your child also went home with the materials necessary to build a bridge for our annual bridge competition, taking place at the end of March.  Details about the assignment, the rules of the contest, and due dates are included on a sheet attached to this newsletter.  Please be sure to adhere to these rules explicitly.    

A new Mr. Dicks Writing Contest topic also went home this week.  The due date for this new contest is next Friday, March 6^th. 

That’s it for now!  Have a great afternoon with your kiddo!

Warmly,