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!
May 5 Norman Borlaug Inspire Day field trip (more info. below)
May 8 5-8 Band Concert @ CL @ 6:30
May 10 Mini Course Day (more information to come)
May 12 Step-Up Day (4th graders coming in the morning)
May 15 5-8 Orchestra Concert @ CL @ 6:30
May 31 Last Day of School- start at 8/dismiss at 1:30
Congratulations
Congratulations to the 2017 Winneshiek County Soil and Water Conservation District Grocery bag award winners (see picture above).
Parents Still Make the Difference
Click here for the NEW MAY issue.
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- In math this week your student demonstrated their knowledge of reading, creating, and analyzing line plots. They are bringing these tests home to share with you tonight. Our new unit of study focuses on interpreting and writing numerical expressions. We started this unit by learning the order of operations and will continue to practice this into next week.
From Mr. Kelley:
Reading and Language: Students have been practicing how to support their opinions with evidence. Students have been reading short debate articles and responding with their opinions. Next week students will be participating in a mystery in which they will need to gather evidence in order to solve the “crime” in the classroom.
Social Studies: We are currently learning about what drew new settlers to the western part of the United States in the 1800s.
From Mrs. Nowack:
Science: We wrapped up the force, motion, and engineering unit this week. Reading: We continue with guided reading groups- skills focus on cause & effect, compare & contrast, and identifying main idea and supporting details. Language: Students are wrapping up their research to support their argumentative writing, working on their outlines, and have begun their rough rafts.
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?” – where we practice our critical thinking and reading by look at the problem of refugees. Our exploration is designed to help learn to skim and read informational text to answer questions. On the side, we are also writing picture book fiction stories and partner poetry.
From Mrs. Suhr:
Social Studies - After a quick discussion of people who settled the West, we started a unit about tensions leading to the Civil War.
Language - We are still working on persuasive writing. Students have chosen their topics and have developed ideas to support their positions. The rough draft is due May 11. 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.