Tuesday, December 21, 2016/ Newsletter

Dear Parents,

    Today marks the end of second quarter. It is hard to believe that we are halfway through this school year, already.  Wow, time is really flying by this year.

    Students will have until tomorrow to get any of their missing work into their teacher. Be sure to ask your child for their missing assignment sheet that they will be bringing home today.  This way you can help them get items completed at home to turn into their teacher tomorrow.  If students need until Tues., Jan. 3rd for last minute items, like Reading Revolutions, then they can turn them in on Tuesday by 8:50 AM.  If they aren’t turned in by that time, the assignment will not be counted.  We will be having our Worker’s Holiday, for second quarter, on Wednesday, January 3rd.  This is the day we return back from Christmas break.  We will be having a Read-A-Thon.  Students can wear their new Christmas jammies and besides bringing their favorite books to read, they can also bring with them a cozy blanket and pillow so they can be comfortable as they read.  This will happen from 10:00 until lunch.

    Mrs. Williams and Mrs. Little are having their gift exchange tomorrow morning.  If you have a child in either of their classes, remind them to bring the gift they got for this fun activity, if they haven’t done so already.  Remember to label the gift: to a boy, from a boy and to a girl, from a girl.  If you signed up to bring treats or drinks to the Christmas party for Mrs. Little’s class, those items will need to be brought to school tomorrow, as well.  Mrs. Payne’s class will be playing games and having fun with the Christmas Bells. If you’d like to send a treat for her class, you are welcome to do so. There are 29 students.

    We encourage students to read over the Christmas break and to try and practice their typing skills as much as possible.  In January, students will be given typing practice sheets for homework, so they might as well get practicing now.  They can choose sentences to type from novels they are reading, lyrics to a song they like, or make up their own sentences to type, but we encourage them to practice.

    Please make sure your child comes to school with a coat during these winter months.  Sometimes they have to go out to break for lunch and when they don’t have a coat, it gets pretty cold for the thirty minutes they are outside.  

    We hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas.  We look forward to getting back to a new quarter next year.   

                                                Sincerely,

                                                Mrs. Little, Mrs. Payne and Mrs. Williams

**The first print-out and blog update for 3rd term will be on Wed., Jan. 18  

December 7, 2016

FIFTH GRADE NEWSLETTER/ DECEMBER 7, 2016

Dear Parents,

Time seems to move quickly.  2nd term ends on Dec. 21.  We will send the final 2nd term printout and update the blog on TUES., Dec. 20.  We will have our Worker’s Holiday when we return in January. Information will be in the Dec. 20 newsletter.  All work for 2nd term should be in by Dec. 21, but we will accept it until Tues, Jan. 3. Students who are all caught up can relax and enjoy the break!  We do of course want them to keep reading.

     We will have individual class Christmas parties on Wednesday, December 21 in the morning.  Mrs. Payne’s class will play group games and watch a short Christmas movie.  If you’d like to send a treat for her class, you are welcome to do so.  Since this is a Wednesday, we will let out at 1:30.  Our orchestra will be playing a few songs (5-7 minutes) at the beginning of the school sing on Tues., Dec. 20 @ 10:30.

The second book report, for 2nd term, for Mrs. Williams and Mrs. Little’s  classes will be due by Fri. Dec. 16.  Mrs. Payne’s students will be sharing their book projects for 2nd term on Dec. 21 and 22. Information will come home today.  Hopefully students will take the opportunity to read a lot during the Christmas break, and work on extra book reports for the Reading Revolution Awards that will be given at the end of the year. Remember that it will take many more than two books each quarter to earn the fun rewards in May.

We also need students to practice typing skills.  The writing tests are much less stressful for the students who feel confident typing.  They can type stories, letters to Grandma, or whatever they want.  We will be sending typing practice sheets home on Wednesdays, starting in January.

LOST AND FOUND will be donated to Deseret Industry after Dec. 21.  It is quite full; are you missing anything?

Please make sure your child is dressed warm enough for this cold weather, because we do spend some time outside most days.

Our last day before Christmas is Wed., Dec. 21.  We return to school on Tues., Jan.3.  

We appreciate the great support we receive from parents.

Thank you,

Mrs. Williams, Mrs. Little, & Mrs. Payne

P.S.  Please look for the bright red verification slip to sign, stating that you have read this newsletter and have looked at your child’s grade on Power School.

November 16, 2016

 5th Grade Newsletter

November 16, 2016

Coming Up:

  Friday, November 18- All work due

  Friday, November 18- Read-a-thon, Mrs. Payne’s class

  Tuesday, November 22-Worker’s Holiday

  Tuesday, November 22-Maturation Program

  Wednesday, November 23-Thanksgiving Holiday

  Monday, November 28-Back to School

         WORKER’S HOLIDAY will be for those students who have turned in ALL assignments and have earned 80% or higher.  On Tuesday 22 (morning) these students will watch a family feature video. They may bring a few treats to eat during the video and a pillow or blanket to sit on. Those who don’t earn this activity will use the time to catch up on assignments.

MATURATION PROGRAMS will be in the afternoon of Tuesday at 2:30. Boys will be in the gym and girls will be in the library. Generally, mom attends with her daughter and dad attends with his son.  However, there are students who attend by themselves or sit with a friend’s parent. (It is ok for moms or dads to attend either program.)  You may take your child home with you after the presentation.

Our students are busily honing their writing skills. We would love it if you could sit down with your child and help him/her with an essay s/he is working on. You can access it on google.docs and Utah Compose anywhere there is Internet. Each student has an account.  

We have been learning how to multiply with decimals in math. Please make sure your children are prepared with math homework so they don’t fall behind or miss daily important concepts.

We appreciate your help in and out of our classrooms. Thanks for supporting our efforts in educating your children. Supportive parents make our jobs more rewarding!

     Mrs. Payne, Mrs. Williams, Mrs. Little

**Please sign the red verification form stating that you have read this letter and checked your child’s grades.  The next blog up-date will be on Wed., Dec. 7.

September 28, 2016

Dear Parents,

Your children were well-behaved and respectful on our field trip yesterday, and we heard over and over, “This is the best field trip ever!”  We teachers had a good time, as well. We didn’t schedule the Cedar Breaks overlook into our schedule, but they were kind enough to let us in without a fee waiver. We feel very fortunate about that. Thanks for helping, chaperoning, and preparing your kids for the day.

Here are a few items to calendar:

*First Lego League.  If your child wants to be a part of this team, s/he needs to write an essay on what makes her a good candidate, why he desires to be a part of this, etc. The essay doesn’t need to be lengthy; it just needs to show their commitment and desire.   Bring it to school by this Friday, September 28.

*SEP’s October 3-7. If you haven’t sent back the paper confirming the time scheduled for you, please do so asap. We look forward to visiting with you and your child. Also, this during week we will administer the SAGE Interim Assessment. This will help us see what your students already know and how we can best help them this year.  

*Volcano Explosion Day-Wednesday, October 19.  Please read the accompanying letter which explains the details of this exciting event.

*Book reports are due for Mrs. Williams and Mrs. Little’s students. For Mrs. Payne’s students, the first book project is due Friday, October 14. The genre required is BIOGRAPHY and will be presented in front of the class. Students will receive specific details this week.

“Tween Author Boot Camp”, a writing conference for kids 9-12, will be held Saturday, October 29 at Dixie State University in St. George. This is optional, but if your child loves to write, this would be a wonderful camp to attend. Let us know if you are interested and we can give you the details.

Reflections Contest entries are due October 28.

Thanks for being such supportive parents! We’ll see you at SEPs.

  Mrs. Payne, Mrs. Little, Mrs WIlliams

SEPTEMBER 14, 2016

NEWSLETTER

Dear Parents,

    We are halfway through first quarter, already.  Can you believe it?  Time flies when you are having fun!  

    Please be sure to look at your child’s grades online today.  Your child will be bringing home a missing assignments report, along with a printout that indicates how s/he is doing in each subject category.  When you have viewed your child’s grades online and have read this blog, please sign the signature sheet and send it back to school.

    We still have quite a few parents who need to sign the electronic forms for Safe Schools and Computer Use.  The students do get credit for you signing these two waivers. They also cannot get online without the Computer Use.  It will show on their next progress report whether you signed the forms or not.  **Check with Mrs. Griffiths in the front office if you have trouble with logging into Power School or signing the forms electronically.

    Our Worker’s Holiday is coming up on Monday, September 19th.  We plan on having a kickball tournament for the kids that have all of their assignments turned in with an 80% or better.  This activity will take place after lunch from 12:45 to 2:15.  Students will need all of their missing work turned into their teacher by Friday, September 16th, in order to qualify for this activity.  If you see that your child has a long list of missing work, chances of making this Worker’s Holiday, may not happen, but encourage them to still get the missing work in, because it will all need to be turned in for the next Worker’s Holiday. Students not earning the activity will work with one of the teachers during this time on missing work.

    Our field trip to Mammoth Cave is coming up, as well.  It will be on Tuesday, September 27th.  We have plenty of parent volunteers for this field trip, so if you didn’t get to come on this one, be sure to make the next one.  We do have some students who have not turned in their permission slips for this activity yet.  If you see that your child is missing the last newsletter form, please get that signed and turned in as soon as you can. Remember that your child will need to wear good hiking shoes, a jacket or sweatshirt, a flashlight and a water bottle or two.  The weather is starting to cool down some, and we will be on the mountain, so dress your child accordingly.

Reflections Contest is coming up. I hope your child will participate in this. The theme this year is "What is Your Story?" Deadline is October 28.

    Parent Conferences are coming up on the first week of October.  We will send home an SEP schedule soon, which will have your time to meet with us. Please look for that.

    We have really enjoyed the students so far this year.  Thanks for the help you give us with your child.

                                                                              Sincerely,

                                                                              Mrs. Little, Mrs. Payne and Mrs. Williams

**The next blog update and grades will be on Wed. September 28.

September 7, 2016

Dear Parents,

     The letter that your child brought home last Wednesday represented all of the 5th grade classes, and was written by Mrs. Williams.  This letter today is from me about my class:)

     I have been enjoying your children, getting to know them and their abilities and interests.  Most of the students have completed their first narrative, a scar story, about themselves. I've enjoyed reading about each of them. We are finishing the last revision, then we'll say goodbye to that project. We will begin a new writing project-another personal narrative. This one will be their choice.

     I have updated PowerSchool, so you should find an accurate accounting of your child's progress. Let me know if you have questions. This is my grading policy: if students hand in work by the due date, they earn full credit. If the assignment is handed in late, points are deducted.  Of course, if s/he is sick, extra time is granted.  I have six students who are missing an assignment that was due two weeks ago. I explained to them that this assignment would be worth only a few points by now, because each day they procrastinate means more points deducted.  I would love it if you had a discussion about this at home.  Since Worker's Holidays are hinged on their progress reports, and late assignments bring down their percentage, some students may not qualify for our first Worker's Holiday coming up in a few weeks.  I would love it if EVERY student earned the right to attend these fun activities.

       If you are interested and able to help in our classroom with math (10:00-10:30), I'd love to have someone come in on Thursdays.  I also could use help on every other Monday (beginning this coming Monday).  Thanks!

     One more concern: I need my students to learn how to type faster, and with correct fingering.  I wish I had the time to teach this in school, but sadly, I can't carve out more than 20 minutes a week for this vital skill.  I would love it if your child could practice a typing program at home. Even a few times a week is helpful. There are many online sites (abcya and Nitrotype are fun ones).  By April they need to type 20-25 wpm in order to complete the essays for the SAGE testing.  Thanks for your support in this!

    Please contact me with your concerns.  I want your children to succeed this year!  
                                                       
                                                           Sincerely,
                                                           Jeanne Payne

5th Grade Newsletter

May 20, 2016

Parents,

    Wow, how this year has flown!!  We have enjoyed your children so much.

    We are down to the last 5 days of school, and the days will be packed with lots of fun and exciting activities and events. We were so pleased with the Reading Revolution participation.  We have had the ice-cream sundae party and the movie/popcorn party.  Breakfast in the park is on Monday.  The students will get on a bus at 8:50 with Mrs. Payne and go to the Canyon Park  for a delicious breakfast.  They will walk back to school.  The Great American Heroes Program will be Tuesday, May 24th.  This program will start at 2:00 and will last a little over an hour.  Students can come dressed in their costume on this day, as they will be performing in the morning, as well as in the afternoon. The students have been practicing hard for this program and are way excited, so we hope you will be able to make it to see your child perform.  Thank  you for finding costumes for your children.

    On Wednesday, May 25th we will be having our last Worker’s Holiday.  This will be a tent day and will go most of the day.  Students can set their tents up before  8:50 AM, or after the program and then we will have them take them down around 1:15 PM.  We have an awards assembly at 9:00 and will go out  to the tents when it is over.  Students will be allowed to bring games, books, treats, blankets and pillows to have and play with in their tents. Most students have chosen not to eat school lunch this day, so have them remember their lunches.  We ask that they don’t bring any water toys.  Please make sure that your child knows how to put their tent up and how to take it down; parents can come help their child do this if they want to.  Students can also share a tent with other students.  Only the students that have everything turned in, with an 80% or better can attend this tent day.

    The Track and Field Day will be on Thursday, May 26th.  This will be most of the day and will be at the Cedar High track.  Students will need to make sure they wear their tennis shoes that day and that they wear their normal gym clothes.  Please make sure that your child follows the school’s dress code; no tank tops or short shorts will be acceptable. Remember to send  money and/or lunch for those who did NOT order a sack lunch.  We will be doing our end of year art activity with the white shirts, when we get back to school after the track meet.

    This will be your child’s last newsletter and progress report this year.  Anything that your child still has missing will need to be turned into their teacher by Tuesday May 24th.

    Please remember that school will be letting out at 2:30 instead of 3:30 on the last day of school.

    Thank you so much for such a great year.  We have really enjoyed teaching your children.  We wish you the best of luck next year, and have a great summer!

                 

                                                           Sincerely,

                                                           Mrs. Williams, Mrs. Payne and Mrs. Little

5th Grade Newsletter

       April 20, 2016

We have attached the calendar events again this week.  You can see that we are gearing up for a lot of activity.  Our biggest focus right now is End of Level Testing coming up next week.  We are using every minute to review and teach important concepts our students need in order to do well on these tests. Please make sure your child is in school, because most of our reviewing is not in a book or a worksheet. These reviews are discussions, games, and other activities.  They cannot be made up.

We want to push the Kite Flight activity on the 30th. Thousands of dollars are given out to the schools in our district, depending on the number of students who bring in their reading sheets. Students receive a free kite, book, or movie ticket when they attend this event, and our school gets money!  (If your child has lost his/her reading record, please talk to us and we’ll see if we can locate another one :)

Our Great Americans program needs another musical number from one of your talented students.  We need someone to play (piano or another instrument) a song about the flag, such as Stars and Stripes Forever.  Or, if that one isn’t possible, another song would do, such as This Land is Your Land, God Bless America.  Let us know if your child would like to take this on and which song it would be.  

We hope your child is still reading strong at home.  We are excited about the upcoming reading awards in May.  Thanks for your help and support at home and at school. We enjoy teaching these students!  

   Mrs. Payne, Mrs. Little, Mrs. Williams

FYI: We gave each student a Great Americans Program packet today. This is the entire play/musical so that they can memorize their lines and become familiar with the layout of the program.  

 5th Grade Calendar

• Thurs., Apr. 28-TESTING (morning)
• Fri., Apr. 29- TESTING (afternoon)
• Sat., Apr. 30-KITE FLIGHT--PLEASE TURN IN READING LOG AT CMS SOCCER FIELD.  SOUTH GETS MONEY FOR KID’S READING TIME.
• Mon., May 2-TESTING (morning)
• Tues., May 3-TESTING (morning)
• Wed. May 4- Newsletter/progress report
• Thurs., May 5-TESTING (morning)/-Reading Celebration (afternoon)
• Thurs., May 12-Battle of the Books(5th grade-morning) We need parent help.
• Fri., May 13- Orchestra concert @ 1:30
• Mon., May16--Field Trip to Zion ($3.00 for the movie, Treasure of the Gods)
• Tues., May 17--ALL books read and written about for Reading Revolution/ program practice in the afternoon
• Wed., May 18-costume check (Bring in costume for Great American play.)
• Thurs., May 19-Tour of the Middle School (We walk back.) Judicial Reading Award (sundaes) in the afternoon/Cedar Middle School Spring Open House from 5:30 - 7:30 (You will be able to pick up a class schedule for next year.)
• Fri.., May 20-- program practice in the morning/ Congressional Reading Award (movie/popcorn) in the afternoon/Final Newsletter/ progress report
• Mon., May 23-- Presidential Reading Reward (Breakfast in the Park)/

          program practice in the afternoon

• Tues., May 24--Famous American 5th Grade Program @ 10:00 for K-3 & 2:00 for 4th grade and parents
• Wed.,May 25-Worker’s Holiday (Tent Day)
• Thurs., May 26--Track and Field Day for 4th & 5th grade @ CHS  (We need parent volunteers this day.) Students need a white t-shirt (new or old) to color for a final art project with Mrs. Davis, at the end of the day.
• Fri., May 27--Last day of school/ Dismissal at 2:30