An email was sent to parents this week regarding virtual conferences which will be held on March 8th or March 10th. Please check your inbox for an email from your child’s classroom teacher and sign up for a time slot on the link provided if you haven’t already done so.
March Reading Month
Georgetown will be celebrating reading for the month of March. We will have a school wide western theme of Saddle Up & Read! (Tied to Book Fair’s “Wild West” theme.)
A Daily/Weekly Reading Goal calendar will be sent home with the students. As a parent you will sign the log agreeing that your child read for the 5th grade weekly goal. Goal for 5th grade is 30 minutes a day or 150 minutes per week. If they reach this goal their name will be put in a weekly drawing.
We will have dress up days each Friday in March. Our next dress up day is Friday, March 12. We welcome you to dress like a cowboy or cowgirl and wear flannel or plaid.
Book Fair
As in the Fall, there will be a book fair for the kids to shop in person or online during conference week. Our preview day is Monday, March 8 and our shopping day is Wednesday, March 10.
Class Chromebooks
Our chromebooks have arrived! If your child wants to bring in a pair of wired headphones, we encourage them to keep their headphones in a labeled ziplock bag.
An email was sent to parents this week regarding virtual conferences which will be held on March 8th or March 10th. Please check your inbox for an email from your child’s classroom teacher and sign up for a time slot on the link provided.
March Reading Month
Georgetown will be celebrating reading for the month of March. We will have a school wide western theme of Saddle Up & Read! (Tied to Book Fair’s “Wild West” theme.)
A Daily/Weekly Reading Goal calendar will be sent home with the students. As a parent you will sign the log agreeing that your child read for the 5th grade weekly goal. Goal for 5th grade is 30 minutes a day or 150 minutes per week. If they reach this goal their name will be put in a weekly drawing.
We will have dress up days each Friday in March. The first date, Friday March 5th, will be Hats Off To Reading. Wear a hat, bandana or handkerchief!
Book Fair
As in the Fall, there will be a book fair for the kids to shop in person or online during conference week. Watch for more information.
Early release on March 5, 2021
Math:
We are continuing Unit 5: Division with Whole Numbers and Decimals
ELA:
We are focusing on themes and continuing to create a literary essay about the theme found in our book club books.
Since we’re asking students to spend a few extra minutes reading to complete the reading month calendar, we will not have our normal weekly reading homework sheet for the month of March.
Social Studies:
We are learning about the events that lead to the Revolutionary War.
THANK YOU!
My birthday was this week and I was surprised over and over by your wonderful children! Thank you so much for your support in helping them plan such thoughtful and kind surprises. It truly warmed my heart!
Author Chat: An Interview with Kwame Alexander!
We got the opportunity to listen in on “Light for the World to See: A Conversation with Kwame Alexander,” hosted by Hope College!
As a part of our Black History Month conversation, the Light for the World to See event is prompted by Alexander’s newest powerful and provocative collection of poems that cut to the heart of the entrenched racism and oppression in America and eloquently explores ongoing events. Light for the World to See is a rap session on race. A lyrical response to the struggles of Black lives in our world . . . to America’s crisis of conscience . . . to the centuries of loss, endless resilience, and unstoppable hope.
Alexander also discussed some of his popular books that our students have eaten up this year, including The Crossover, Rebound, Booked, Becoming Muhammad Ali, and others! Full of tips for aspiring writers and inspiration for us to live and treat each other with respectful understanding, this conversation will be one that students will hopefully remember for a long time!
Please make sure your child comes to school with a jacket and outdoor clothing appropriate for the weather.
Parent-teacher conferences will be held in early March. Like in the fall, our conferences will be held via Zoom. Watch for an email with a sign-up link coming soon.
STAR Testing reports will come home in a white, sealed envelope on Friday, February 19. These are sent home on behalf of the district to fulfill State of Michigan requirements. We will discuss and interpret these at our upcoming parent-teacher conferences in March.
A quick reminder to relay the importance of having your child wear their mask appropriately while in school. Since lots of condensation accumulates after being outside, we have back-up masks available. Alternatively, you could pack a backup mask in your child’s backpack if that would be more comfortable.
Please make sure your child comes to school with a jacket and outdoor clothing appropriate for the weather. Boots, snow pants, gloves, and hats are all highly encouraged!
Math:
We are beginning Unit 5: Division with Whole Numbers and Decimals
ELA:
We are focusing on themes and will begin writing a literary essay about the theme found in our book club books.
Social Studies:
We are continuing to explore our unit on life in colonial America.
Teamwork in creating a Collaboration Poster of Rosa Parks
Can you believe it’s already February?! Here’s an update for what to expect for Valentine’s Day next week.
In fifth grade, we do not have individual parties for Valentine’s Day. Instead, we’ll do some Valentine’s themed fun math in the morning and a movie in the afternoon.
We will have an optional valentine exchange. If your child chooses to participate, please have him or her bring a valentine for each student in the class (23 students).
Rather than having your child fill out names on valentines, I have found that it’s easier for them to just fill out their name in the “from” section.
Remember that if you choose to send any sort of candy or treat with valentines, we are nut-free in our room.
We will decorate bags to gather our Valentines, so there is no need to create a box or container at home.
On Valentine’s Day, we are planning on showing a whole class movie that ties in our study of Black History Month. Here are two options for our movie with the Common Sense Media review linked to each. Please send me an email if you have a reason wishing your child not to view one of the movies.
This February, we would like to embark on a journey as a larger school community to bring awareness to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. We recognize that these symbolic endeavors do not replace the need for systemic actions to advance our goals related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. For this reason, the district is currently engaging in committee work with a third-party consultant to develop a strategic plan that will promote the long-term sustainability of these efforts.
As a district, some of our SOAR-IV goals relate to the values of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. Throughout the month, we will look for ways to highlight a person or event related to Black history.
As a grade level team, we will begin by using our 5th grade social studies curriculum to guide our instruction through the history of African Americans in colonial times. Next we will explore segregation and the Civil Rights Movement. Finally we will focus on contributions from Black Americans in the area of arts, literature, culture, and science.
P.E. apparel sale ends on February 1. Click here for ordering information.
Students will be recording their concussion videos in STEAM class on Thursday, Feb. 4. They are welcome to bring props and dress up if they would like.
Kids Heart Challenge information will be coming home soon! Please check out the PE blog for more information.
Early release – Friday, February 5
No school – Monday, February 8
Please make sure your child comes to school with a jacket and outdoor clothing appropriate for the weather.
It is time for the annual HPS P.E. apparel sale. Orders are being accepted through February 1 and will be online only this year. The online order form can be found here.
If you have questions, please reach out to Mrs. VanKoevering (mvankoev@hpseagles.net) or Mrs. Nienhuis (tnienhui@hpseagles.net)
