Updates and announcements

I hope everyone had a restful weekend! How crazy is it that we survived 9 weeks of remote learning?

The work for this week on Google Classroom will not be graded. Please complete the assignments on a separate sheet of paper and keep them.

Promotion is this Wednesday! We will have a car parade around the field (lining up the same way you would for pickup and drop off). You are invited to decorate your cars. We will have goody bags for students at the end of the parade with some gifts from the teachers, yearbooks, t-shirts, and certificates. There will also be a photographer. We are delighted to share this event with extended family via an emailed recording for families to view after the event. Here are the times:

5A: 8:00-8:45

5B: 9:00-9:45

5C: 10:00-10:45

We will have our final Zoom call on Thursday for a small celebration. All 90 fifth graders will start off in the same Zoom meeting to share speeches that were not chosen for the official Promotion video. We will start with our runner ups, then take volunteers. If your child wants to read their speech, please email me and we will put them on the schedule. After that, we will go to individual class Zooms for memory sharing.

Summer packets will be available for families on Google Classroom on Wednesday this week. Final grade letters will be shared on Google Classroom as well. If you are interested in private summer tutoring, please let me know.

Dr. Lynch and Mrs. Lynch dressed up for our decades themed staff party. Mrs. Lynch was 90's grunge (they didn't smile) and Dr. Lynch did his best to embody 1970. 

When your Gustav turns into a corgie

Miss Priss sleeping adorably

The futon is a favorite sleep place for little black cats.

Brother cuddles <3

Playing footsie with Gustav

Gustav's shoulder rest

On the destroyed cat tower

Snoopy Cosmo

We couldn't find Miss Priss, until we checked the laundry hamper.

Updates and announcements

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend! In a futile search for boba tea, we saw several restaurants packed with curbside pickup orders.

Fifth Grade Promotion will take place on Wednesday, May 20^th in the form of a car parade. More specific information went out last week in an email. Here are the times for the three classes:

5A: 8:00-8:45

5B: 9:00-9:45

5C: 10:00-10:45

All teachers will be outside cheering on our graduates for the entire duration of the event. We all taught all of the students and want to see them and celebrate with them! Traditionally, all three lead teachers help present to all three classes during the ceremony. A video will be available to you on Wednesday morning which will have speeches from Mr. Gillingham, the teachers, and a student representative from each class.

Please review Mr. Gillingham’s announcement coming soon regarding work for NEXT week (5/18-5/21). Fifth grade will provide material on Monday and Tuesday of that week to give students time to prepare for Promotion on Wednesday and our celebration on Thursday.

We will do a class Zoom on Thursday, 5/21, for our end of year celebration. More information to come.

I did not have many pictures this week, so I needed to raid Dr. Lynch's stash. This is one of Gustav's favorite spots.

Baby quilt underway!

Cosmo cuddling with his first favorite foot (the other foot is his second favorite)

Gustav being a slight nuisance during the staff meeting (he was chewing on a nail file and rolling around on the desk...) 

Gustav enjoying the pillow like the humans do

If he fits, he sits (the recliner behind him is always pushed down because Cosmo likes to lay on the top part of the back).

Gustav is asleep in this picture, showing his belly to the world.

Miss Priss post-bath, looking very sleek

Updates and announcements

I hope everyone had a restful weekend! Even though we are learning remotely, I feel the pressure to get everything ready for the end of the year, like our Promotion ceremony. A separate email with additional information will be coming later today.

We will have a special Zoom call this week for students to read their promotion speeches for the class. Ms. Vaughn and I will choose the final speech that we will use for our Promotion ceremony. The special Zoom will be on Thursday, May 7^th, 2:00 pm.

Thank you so much for the Teacher Appreciation gift! I look forward to using the Sprouts gift card that was inside.

Gustav found a new sleepy spot while I work. Can you find him?

Gustav belly!

 Nap time!

Cosmo joined Gustav in the sleepy spot.

The most perfect homemade oat milk latte

Cosmo and Dr. Lynch

More Gustav belly

Yet another sleepy spot for Gustav

 A new project started! This will be a little girl quilt. She likes bold and crazy, pink and purple. 

Optional: Write a speech to be given at our promotion ceremony. Speeches are due on Thursday before our special Zoom call, where you will read your speech for the class. We will pick the promotion speech by Friday. The assignment is posted on Monday, May 4th.

5A Prompt: How has life at Archway Arete prepared you for life after Arete.

Though this speech is optional, I would love to read your responses! They are always a highlight of my year.

Updates and announcements

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend! We are moving our blogs to be more “Updates and Announcements” oriented. We give a much more detailed “Our Week in Learning” in Google Classroom under the “Overview” section at the beginning of each week’s lessons, in the document named “Objectives and Tasks”.

We are working on something special for our Fifth Grade Promotion. We are partnering with the PSO to put together something safe and memorable for the students. Be on the lookout for more information. The event will take place on the same day indicated on the family calendar, Wednesday, May 20^th.

This week’s pictures showcase the “Cosmo and Gustav Show”. When it gets hot, Gustav has a favorite rest position. I have made it my goal to capture each individual instance and report my findings in my blog each week.

 Gustav under the ceiling fan

Another day, another Gustav belly

Gustav under our stationary bike set-up

Cosmo also enjoys a cold floor...

...but not as much as Gustav.

Variation today-Gustav stuck out a hambone for maximum comfort.

Cosmo enjoying his sunbeam next to my homemade bread

My new work space! I cleaned out my sewing room. It has better light in the morning.

My husband and I were enjoying our games in two different areas of the house, so we combined spaces on Saturday. I had been hogging the TV, so this was a good compromise. It took lots of cords to hook up the Switch to a monitor and still have sound. Cords are one of Cosmo's favorite snacks, so we were a little nervous and took down the setup rather quickly. **Can you find Cosmo? He is partaking in his favorite activity-eating.**

Updates and announcements

I hope everyone had a restful weekend. Things are slowing down here and feeling more monotonous, so I have not been able to get quite as many pictures of my cats. Cats usually do the same cute things every day. I was able to dig up some kitten pictures of Cosmo and Gustav! My husband and I were able to snag a used gaming system over the weekend, so many hours have been devoted to that front.

Ms. Vaughn and I are working hard to get the paper packets graded and returned. To check your child’s grade, see the communication from Mr. Gillingham that will go out sometime on Monday, 4/20.

 Gustav found joy in running around the bathtub (not shown-the leftover bath bomb glitter he was covered in).

 Simple Bacon, garlic, and parmesan pasta (from Giada's Instagram)

Gustav's mighty hambones (back legs)

Miss Priss as my work associate

Kitten Gustav! He was a climber.

Kitten Cosmo! He helped me with lots of assignments in college.

Our week in learning

In Literature, students will continue reading “Wrinkle in Time.” Students will read through chapters 9-11 and answer the “Question of the Day” for Literature in Google Classroom. 

In Grammar, students will explore the Personal Narrative genre, reading and analyzing a few examples before diving into the writing process later in the week.

In science, we will continue our exploration of the human body as begin to examine the nervous system. Students will learn about the role their nervous system plays in their bodies, the different parts of a neuron, and how a nerve impulse travels through different nerve cells and eventually to all parts of their body.

This week in History, students will learn about the Union victory at Gettysburg and Lincoln’s ensuing Address, as well as the Confederacy’s political and financial instability that in part led to their defeat. You and your child may access our textbook online at https://www.coreknowledge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/CKHG_G5_U11_CW_SR.pdf

In math, students will read and interpret pie charts by applying their knowledge of fractions, percent, and right angles. Students will also review previous Singapore concepts.

Updates and announcements

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4-day weekend! It was very relaxing here at our house. We were able to unplug and enjoy being home.

Going forward, our Zoom calls will be Tuesdays and Fridays, both at 1:30.

Beginnings of pasta making per Mrs. Vibbert's Facebook live video

It worked! Thanks, Mrs. Vibbert! 

Artfully Gustav

Belly rubs!

Our week in learning

In Literature, students will continue reading “Wrinkle in Time.” Students will read through chapters 7 and 8. Students will answer the “Question of the Day” for Literature in Google Classroom. There will also be an optional “Book Club” Zoom call this week, where students will have the opportunity to discuss “Wrinkle in Time.” Stay tuned for details!

In Grammar, students will dive into plot diagramming and the characteristics of personal narratives in preparation for writing their own personal narratives in the coming week.

In science, we will continue our exploration of the human body as begin to examine the muscles. Students will learn about the difference between voluntary and involuntary muscles, the three different kinds of muscles in the human body, and how skeletal muscles work together in pairs to help them move. As an optional enrichment activity, students may access this Google Expedition with a smart phone or tablet to get a deeper look at what our muscles do! (The link opens a QR code that can then be scanned by the device of your choosing.)

This week in History, students will read about the daily life for soldiers in the North and South as well as the effort put forth by women throughout this war. You and your child may access our textbook online at https://www.coreknowledge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/CKHG_G5_U11_CW_SR.pdf

In math, students will practice calculating mean, median, and mode. Students will also read and interpret histograms and pie charts. Students will apply their knowledge of percent and fractions to data in pie charts and histograms.