May 3 - 14, 2010

Dear Parents/ Guardians,

I hope that you had a wonderful weekend and you were able to spend some time with your family. We had a great field trip to Pamplin Park the other week.  Thankfully the weather held out for us!  We got a lot of compliments from the staff there about how wonderful our group was.  Thanks again to all the parent volunteers who helped make our trip go smoothly.  Also I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for the all wonderful and thoughtful gifts I received over the last week.  They truly brightened each day!  It is hard to believe that we have about a month of school left!  This year seems like it has just flown by.  However, these upcoming weeks are some of the busiest with SOLs and some of the most exciting with our special end of the year events!  Here is what we will be doing this coming week.

SOL Packet:

Every evening the students should be studying for a minimum of 20 minutes of any item from that packet.  Since SOLs are closing in, please encourage them to study a little more than the recommended time. I greatly appreciate all your help and assistance in preparation for the SOL tests!   

Tentative SOL Dates:

Reading – Tuesday, May 25 (9:15 A.M.)

Math – Tuesday, June 1 (9:15 A.M.)

Science – Thursday, June 3 (9:15 A.M.)

Social Studies – Thursday, May 27 (12:15 P.M.)

Language Arts:

We have continued to meet in our novel groups. The red group will continue reading their Civil Rights Movement novel, The Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis.  The green group will continue their ocean novel, The Cay by Theodore Taylor.  The orange group began reading their ocean novel Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell last week and will continue this week.  The blue group will continue their ocean novel, Dolphin Freedom by Wayne Grover.  There next book they will begin is Spy in the Sky by Kathleen Karr. Our spelling lists and packets will continue these next few weeks.  Our next spelling test will be on FRIDAY, May 7^th and 14^th.  We will have our last spelling test will be on Friday, May 14^th  Please remind your child to take their time with their work and double check it before they hand it in.

 Accelerated Reader:

Students are expected to ALWAYS have a book to read in class, beyond their reading group novel. Students are expected to read an Accelerated Reader book and take a quiz.  They need to pass at least three of the quizzes with a minimum of a 70% a nine weeks.  For the fourth quarter students are responsible for completing three Accelerated Reader tests.  Our 2^nd Accelerated Read for this quarter must be taken and passed by Thursday, May 13^th.   Also in order to prepare your student for the test, ask them questions about the characters, plot, setting, and to give you a summary. 

Math:

At this point in the year, we will be doing some jumping around in the units, as all lessons will not be taught.  We will be focusing in on the lessons that are essential for the SOLs.  The other week you should have received the Unit 12 Family Letter.   In Unit 12, we will be studying probability, rations, and rates.  We will begin with reviewing factors, prime and composite numbers, and using fractions as ratios.  Then we will move into different strategies to use for probability. This week you should have received the Family Letter for Unit 7.  In Unit 7, we will be studying exponents and positive and negative numbers.  Also these next few weeks we'll be preparing for the SOL with practice tests and using our Math Madness books.   Please keep studying multiplication and division facts, fractions, percents, and decimal equivalents!  If your child continues to struggle with math homework, please encourage him or her to take home the Student Reference book every night.

 In order for your child to be successful in math, he/she must know addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts.  SO, PLEASE, review these facts with your child every night for 10 minutes until he/she knows them. By know the facts, students will find new math concepts easier to learn.

Social Studies:

Our next unit of study that we will be beginning is on the Virginia government.  In this unit, we will study the three branches of the government and discover their responsibilities.  We will also compare and contrast the state government with the federal government.  Also we will begin reviewing and practicing for the SOL.

Science:

Our next unit will be on sound and light.  We will continue our study of sound.  In this unit, we will be focusing on the characteristics of sound, learning about vibration by conducting some experiments, and see what effects pitch.  We will have our test on this unit on Tuesday, May 11^th.  Next week we will begin a new unit on light.  In this unit we will be focusing on the relationship between wavelength and the color of light and also how light reflects and refracts.  We will also begin reviewing and practicing for the SOL.  The vocabulary and concepts being taught in 5th grade Science are difficult.  Please encourage your student to bring home their Science book to use as a reference and review the terms nightly.

Other:
D.A.R.E.

We are still continuing our D.A.R.E. program each Thursday.  Our last class will be on April 29^th. D.A.R.E. graduation will be on Wednesday, May 12^th at 2:30 pm in the Multipurpose room.

5^th Promotion:

It looks as though 5^th Promotion Night will be on Wednesday, June 9^th at 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Box Tops/Campbells Labels: 

Please support the BEEKS PTO by collecting Box Tops and Campbells soup labels.  These help raise money for our school and go towards lots of supplies for our school.  Also collecting these helps our class get the chance to win an ice cream party for collecting the most in the school!

Important Dates:

Tuesday, May 11 – Sound TEST

Wednesday, May 12 – D.A.R.E. Graduation (2:30 – 3:00 pm Multipurpose Room)

Tuesday, May 25 – Reading SOL (morning)

Thursday, May 27 – Social Studies SOL (afternoon 12:15 pm)

Friday, May 28 – 1 Hour Early Release

Monday, May 31 – Memorial Day (SCHOOL)

Tuesday, June 1 – Math SOL (morning)

Thursday, June 3 – Science SOL (morning)

Monday, June 7 – Field Day

Wednesday, June 9 – 5^th Promotion 6:30 p.m. (Multipurpose Room)

Thursday, June 10 – Last Day of School!

If you have any questions or concerns, please always feel free to contact me.  I am always willing to discuss any questions that you may have, you may contact me at school from 8:00-8:15 a.m. or 3:30-4:00 p.m. (951-5700). If you prefer, you can also send me a note or e-mail me at akruckow@mail.mcps.org  If you wish to speak with me in person, please contact me at school to set up an appointment.

Thanks for taking the time to read through this lengthy letter and for the support you give at home.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Allison Kruckow