Monthly Archives: October 2011

Oct 31 2011

Math Update

Posted on by

We have been focusing on the following terms in Unit 4:

  • Line of Symmetry divides a figure in half so that if you fold along the line, the two halves match each other exactly.
  • Congruent is the same size and shape.
  • Quadrilateral= 4 sides or 4 angles
  • Parallelogram=4-sided shape that has 2 pair of parallel sides. The parallel sides are also the same length.
  • Rhombus=parallelogram with all four sides the same length.
  • Square=a rectangle whose sides are all the same length.
  • Rectangle=parallelogram whose corners are all right angles.

Look closely at our skeleton project. What do you notice? First you will see that there is one line of symmetry. Did you even notice that the ribs are the student’s name written in cursive?

Oct 25 2011

Homework

Posted on by

The children have chosen an animal to research. Please assist your child in gathering facts from books or the internet. I did come across a wonderful website to help you with gathering information http://a-z-animals.com/ . It would be wonderful if they could list 5 of the animal’s adaptations and how it helps the animal survive. Other things that they might like to take notes on would be the following:

  • habitat
  • what it eats
  • physical characteristics of the animal
  • WOW facts

Please let me know if you have trouble gathering information, so that I can help them here in the morning. The children  will be working on a project at school with the notes that they have. Thanks!

Oct 10 2011

Parent Teacher Conferences

Posted on by

With Parent/Teacher Conferences just four weeks away, we need to find out what days work best for you to attend these important meetings.

Please help us out by completing this survey form:  Georgetown Parent Teacher Conference Survey

Each family need only to complete one form.  We will make every attempt to schedule conferences for siblings close together on the same evening.

Oct 10 2011

M.E.A.P.

Posted on by

Students in grades 3, 4 and 5 will be taking the state assessment test (MEAP) beginning Tuesday, October 11 and continue on October  12, 13 and 18.

All students must be present during the full testing period on each of these four days.  If your child is sick on a testing day, KEEP THEM HOME FROM SCHOOL!  Your child will be allowed to make up the test on specific make-up days the following week.

Please help your child to be prepared for the tests with adequate sleep and breakfast.  Rest and a healthy diet provide the best foundation for learning daily…and especially on test days.

The schedule for MEAP tests for each grade is as follows:

Oct 8 2011

Happy Birthday Nathan

Posted on by

(I think Nathan was pretending to blow out candles)

Happy Birthday Nathan! We asked Nathan ten questions and found out a little bit more about him. Nathan’s favorite college is Grand Valley because his cousin goes there. His favorite animal is the lizard. He likes to catch both lizards and snakes. Green is his favorite color. His favorite place is Florida. Target is his favorite store “cuz there’s awesome stuff!” His favorite sport is football. Science is his favorite subject at school. He likes milk chocolate. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to be when he grows up but liked Mr. Gort’s suggestion of an astronaut. Thanks Nathan for sharing your special day with us!

Oct 7 2011

Our Week at a Glance

Posted on by

We had an amazing week of learning that ended with practicing drills (tornado, fire and lock down drill). In Social Studies, we were exploring maps, planning trips and discussing our natural resources. The children brought home the Michigan map project (which is due on Thursday). Feel free to decorate the paper anyway that you choose. In math we have completed Unit 2 Geometry. There will be a test on Tuesday and the review will be completed in class on Monday. The children will need to know the following terms:

  • perimeter
  • line and line segment
  • quadrilateral
  • square
  • rectangle
  • perpendicular
  • parallel

In writing, we have finished our first published piece. The kids stories are AMAZING! They are starting to include inner thoughts in their pieces. Ty was extremely brave to allow us to use his paper for peer response. We read his selection twice, found a terrible trait (or something to improve), provided examples, applied our suggestions and told why. Ask the kids to sing you the song. During reading we were talking about expository text features, which fit in nicely with our plant adaptation projects.

Next week, we will have the M.E.A.P. on Tuesday and Wednesday morning. Please make sure that your child has a good breakfast on these days. They are prepared and think that is will be easy because we did talk about what to expect.

 

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Oct 3 2011

Social Studies

Posted on by

Many students commented that they did not have time to study this past weekend for our Social Studies quiz on the vegetation and climate in Michigan. The scores reflected these comments. I will be reteaching the students that struggled during break time tomorrow. If your child received a score of 1, the retest will be on Wednesday. Here are some facts that you can review with your child at home:

Vegetation

  • Michigan has a lot of forests.
  • Michigan has both National and State forests.
  • In some forests trees are grown to sell to make things like paper.
  • There are a lot of forests in the upper Peninsula.
  • There are a lot of orchards in Michigan.
  • Orchards are often found along the shores of the Great Lakes.

Climate

  • Michigan has four seasons.
  • The Great Lakes affect Michigan’s climate.
  • Higher areas have colder temperatures.
  • The Upper Peninsula tends to be colder than the lower Peninsula.
  • Different parts of Michigan have different temperatures and different amounts of precipitation.

Other Important Things

  • Michigan has many state symbols.
  • The state symbols stand for the natural characteristics.
  • The robin and the apple blossom are state symbols.
  • There are a lot of different kinds of maps.