5th Grade Newsletter
Important Dates: This time of year gets very hectic with a lot of activities and special events. Please take note of the important dates that are updated each week & mark them on your calendars!
April 24/25 Human Growth & Development (refer to letter that was mailed home two weeks ago)
April 28 Forestville/Mystery Cave field trip
May 5 Norman Borlaug Inspire Day field trip (more info. below)
PTO Spellathon
Thank you to everyone who participated in the PTO spellathon this year! Just this week, 5th graders attended an assembly covering science concepts of air pressure, heat, energy, electricity, and polymers. This assembly was sponsored entirely by the PTO!!! Ask your child about this assembly- one 5th grade student said, “This was mind-blowing awesome.”
Norman Borlaug Inspire Day
Dr. Borlaug always loved talking with students of all ages. His wish for his farm was to bring people, especially students, to see how life was during his upbringing and how everyone has the potential to do great things in his/her lifetime. DMS 5th graders have the wonderful opportunity to attend Norman Borlaug Inspire Day on Friday, May 5th. Throughout the day, students will rotate through 10 sections taught by Luther College education methods students readying for student teaching next year. We will spend the entire day at Norman Borlaug's Boyhood Farm in rural Cresco. Lessons will be on science, global studies, math, & history, while incorporating Borlaug's life and legacy. The hope of the Borlaug Foundation’s mission of educating our youth about Dr. Borlaug's life and legacy will again be "Inspiring" to our Luther teachers, the 5th and 6th graders, and their teachers.
Students will need a sack lunch again for this day. The same options are available as were provided for the April 28th field trip. If you wish for the school to pack a lunch for your child, he/she will need to go to this link https://goo.gl/forms/ND1ksk1AQ8WIbNhb2 to make their selections no later than April 26th (note: students will need to be logged into their google accounts in order to place their lunch orders). Let your child’s homeroom teacher know if you have any questions.
Lit Camp
Keystone will be hosting LitCamp (a family literacy night for grades PK-5) on May 5, 2017, from 5-8 p.m. See this link for more info.
Congratulations
Congratulations to the 2017 Winneshiek County Soil and Water Conservation District Grocery bag award winners: from Mr. Kelley’s class Bethany Hanson, Brenna Parker, Beth Suhr; from Mrs. Halweg’s class Fisher Tweten, Aya Hawthorn, Chayton Sears; from Mrs. Suhr’s class Sydney Gerard, Avah Wojtkiewicz, Anopa Mtisi; from Mr. Peterson’s class Annika Brynsaas, Abbie Valkosky, Travis Nordheim; and from Mrs. Nowack’s class Brynn Storhoff, Hazel Quam, and Austin Christian.
Parents Still Make the Difference
Click here for the April issue.
Treats
Please remember if students bring treats to school for any reason they must be store-bought.
Due to allergies, no homemade treats are allowed. Thank you in advance!
Study Buddies: All DMS students are invited to Room 220 (Mrs. Suhr’s room) after school Monday - Thursday until 4:00 to have a quiet place to do work. Staying for Study Buddies is voluntary; students come when they have homework to do and only stay until their work is done! Be sure to communicate with your child about where to go or meet you when they are done.
NEWS FLASH!!
From Mrs. Halweg:
Math- Your student took their test over converting units of measurement this week. They will be bringing these home to share with you today. Our new unit of study focuses on line plot. We will spend time reading, constructing, and manipulating line plots over the next few weeks.
From Mr. Kelley:
Reading and Language: Students are creating a slideshow analyzing the story elements of the book they are finishing in their literature circles. We are writing about a problem being researched as a class (head injuries in sports). Students are integrating notes from various sources to put together a problem/solution essay. Students have also been learning about interjections and using correct verb tense in their writing.
Social Studies: The current unit is centered around Iowa history, culture, and government. Students completed a project in which they took on the role of a travel guide, planning a two week trip using the website traveliowa.com.
From Mrs. Nowack:
Science: Student engineers are wrapping up and graphing the results of their tests of the effect of different size nozzles on the balloon motors. Some groups have moved on to design challenges.
Reading: We’ve started new guided reading groups- skills focus on cause & effect, compare & contrast, and identifying main idea and supporting details.
Language: Students reviewed the features of persuasive writing and selected their topics for a persuasive letter.
From Mr. Peterson:
Science: We’ve been learning about the rock cycle in preparation for our upcoming trip to Mystery Cave.
Reading and Writing: We began a research project – “What is Home?” – that looks at the larger problem of refugees as a way to learn more about the world and practice critical-thinking skills related to problem-solution text structures. On the side, we are also writing picture book fiction stories and riddles. :)
From Mrs. Suhr:
Social Studies - We have finished up our unit about Iowa. Next, we will tackle the concept of Manifest Destiny and the settlement of the West.
Language - We have started our unit on persuasive writing. Students have chosen their topics. We are currently developing ideas to support their positions. Spelling lists are always handed out on Friday for the next week. Spelling tests are always on the last day of the week. We are practicing grammar and writing skills through DLR and Daily Writing.
Important Dates: This time of year gets very hectic with a lot of activities and special events. Please take note of the important dates that are updated each week & mark them on your calendars!
April 24/25 Human Growth & Development (refer to letter that was mailed home two weeks ago)
April 28 Forestville/Mystery Cave field trip
May 5 Norman Borlaug Inspire Day field trip (more info. below)
PTO Spellathon
Thank you to everyone who participated in the PTO spellathon this year! Just this week, 5th graders attended an assembly covering science concepts of air pressure, heat, energy, electricity, and polymers. This assembly was sponsored entirely by the PTO!!! Ask your child about this assembly- one 5th grade student said, “This was mind-blowing awesome.”
Norman Borlaug Inspire Day
Dr. Borlaug always loved talking with students of all ages. His wish for his farm was to bring people, especially students, to see how life was during his upbringing and how everyone has the potential to do great things in his/her lifetime. DMS 5th graders have the wonderful opportunity to attend Norman Borlaug Inspire Day on Friday, May 5th. Throughout the day, students will rotate through 10 sections taught by Luther College education methods students readying for student teaching next year. We will spend the entire day at Norman Borlaug's Boyhood Farm in rural Cresco. Lessons will be on science, global studies, math, & history, while incorporating Borlaug's life and legacy. The hope of the Borlaug Foundation’s mission of educating our youth about Dr. Borlaug's life and legacy will again be "Inspiring" to our Luther teachers, the 5th and 6th graders, and their teachers.
Students will need a sack lunch again for this day. The same options are available as were provided for the April 28th field trip. If you wish for the school to pack a lunch for your child, he/she will need to go to this link https://goo.gl/forms/ND1ksk1AQ8WIbNhb2 to make their selections no later than April 26th (note: students will need to be logged into their google accounts in order to place their lunch orders). Let your child’s homeroom teacher know if you have any questions.
Lit Camp
Keystone will be hosting LitCamp (a family literacy night for grades PK-5) on May 5, 2017, from 5-8 p.m. See this link for more info.
Congratulations
Congratulations to the 2017 Winneshiek County Soil and Water Conservation District Grocery bag award winners: from Mr. Kelley’s class Bethany Hanson, Brenna Parker, Beth Suhr; from Mrs. Halweg’s class Fisher Tweten, Aya Hawthorn, Chayton Sears; from Mrs. Suhr’s class Sydney Gerard, Avah Wojtkiewicz, Anopa Mtisi; from Mr. Peterson’s class Annika Brynsaas, Abbie Valkosky, Travis Nordheim; and from Mrs. Nowack’s class Brynn Storhoff, Hazel Quam, and Austin Christian.
Parents Still Make the Difference
Click here for the April issue.
Treats
Please remember if students bring treats to school for any reason they must be store-bought.
Due to allergies, no homemade treats are allowed. Thank you in advance!
Study Buddies: All DMS students are invited to Room 220 (Mrs. Suhr’s room) after school Monday - Thursday until 4:00 to have a quiet place to do work. Staying for Study Buddies is voluntary; students come when they have homework to do and only stay until their work is done! Be sure to communicate with your child about where to go or meet you when they are done.
NEWS FLASH!!
From Mrs. Halweg:
Math- Your student took their test over converting units of measurement this week. They will be bringing these home to share with you today. Our new unit of study focuses on line plot. We will spend time reading, constructing, and manipulating line plots over the next few weeks.
From Mr. Kelley:
Reading and Language: Students are creating a slideshow analyzing the story elements of the book they are finishing in their literature circles. We are writing about a problem being researched as a class (head injuries in sports). Students are integrating notes from various sources to put together a problem/solution essay. Students have also been learning about interjections and using correct verb tense in their writing.
Social Studies: The current unit is centered around Iowa history, culture, and government. Students completed a project in which they took on the role of a travel guide, planning a two week trip using the website traveliowa.com.
From Mrs. Nowack:
Science: Student engineers are wrapping up and graphing the results of their tests of the effect of different size nozzles on the balloon motors. Some groups have moved on to design challenges.
Reading: We’ve started new guided reading groups- skills focus on cause & effect, compare & contrast, and identifying main idea and supporting details.
Language: Students reviewed the features of persuasive writing and selected their topics for a persuasive letter.
From Mr. Peterson:
Science: We’ve been learning about the rock cycle in preparation for our upcoming trip to Mystery Cave.
Reading and Writing: We began a research project – “What is Home?” – that looks at the larger problem of refugees as a way to learn more about the world and practice critical-thinking skills related to problem-solution text structures. On the side, we are also writing picture book fiction stories and riddles. :)
From Mrs. Suhr:
Social Studies - We have finished up our unit about Iowa. Next, we will tackle the concept of Manifest Destiny and the settlement of the West.
Language - We have started our unit on persuasive writing. Students have chosen their topics. We are currently developing ideas to support their positions. Spelling lists are always handed out on Friday for the next week. Spelling tests are always on the last day of the week. We are practicing grammar and writing skills through DLR and Daily Writing.