Updates and announcements

We have so many exciting extra celebrations and events coming up! Be sure to keep an eye on the “Important Dates” section of the blog for a quick view.

We are transitioning out of Spalding instruction for a short time in these months leading up to AZMerit. We will continue formal Spalding instruction in April.

Athletic Field Day is Friday, January 31st from 8:30-11:00 for K-2 classes and from 12:00-2:30 for grades 3-5!  Each year classes are assigned a Greek City State for their team.  This year, your child’s team is Corinth, and our team color is red. Your child may wear a plain red shirt (no logos) other than class section or Greek City State and athletic pants or shorts. We ask that students do not wear leggings as a standard rule for both the Archway and Prep side Athletic Field Day attire. There will be no school lunch offered on Athletic Field Day.  Please send your child to school with a lunch.

Field Day is this Friday. We have some wonderful volunteers to help shadow and I am still looking for a kind parent to donate a snack for the class. Please email me if you are interested.

Our field trip to the Renaissance Fair on Tuesday, February 25th is quickly approaching! We will send home permission slips this week and ask for volunteers. The number of chaperones is limited due to recent changes in the Renaissance Fair Kid’s Day rules, schools must pre-purchase tickets before the festival. This keeps our scholars safe, as not anyone can just walk in on Kid’s Day. We will send an email asking for chaperones on Wednesday this week and chaperones will be chosen on a first come-first serve basis.

Friday, February 14th is Great Hearts Day! We have reserved this special day to focus on the virtue of friendship and celebrate the traits that make a great-hearted student. Teachers are planning interactive and fun activities centered around these topics. Archway Arete strives to cultivate a rich, academic environment rooted in the classical tradition. This many times requires popular culture to be left at the door. On that note, students will not be permitted to bring store-bought valentines, candy, or gifts to school. Thank you for partnering with us.

Our week in learning

Students will learn about the idiom “Til the cows come home.”

Students will learn about the roots primus, secundus, tertius, and quartus. Students will be quizzed over these next week. Students should expect a similar quiz every week. 

Students learned about the poem “The Arrow and the Song” on 1/15 and recite it on 1/29.

In Literature, students will read through chapter 15. There are periodic journal entries which are numbered, but do not happen after every chapter. Students will do journal entries 9 and 10 this week. Please send in the book as soon as possible. 

In Grammar, students will write their introductions and conclusions on Monday, and revise their papers on Tuesday in class. If you are interested in helping students edit and revise their essays, please reach out to Mrs. Lynch. Students will begin hand writing their final drafts on Thursday, then type their final drafts on Friday before Field Day. If you have any questions, please reach out to a teacher.

In science, we will continue our study of botany. Students will be quizzed Friday over plant life cycles. They will highlight which notes in their notebooks to study and will be allowed to use their notes for half the time allotted for the quiz. We will study the life cycle and gymnosperms and angiosperms this week, as well as studying the different parts of a flower and their functions. Study guides will now be due on the 10th, and the unit test will be on the 11th.

In history, we will finish our unit and discussion of African slavery. We will discuss when slaves were first brought from Africa by Europeans both back to their countries and to the Americas, what that journey entailed, and what life was like for slaves in those places. Study guides for Unit 6: Age of Exploration are due on Tuesday, January 28^th, when we will review the entire unit. The test is on Wednesday, January 29^th. If students need last minute help at home, they should consult the textbook online at https://www.coreknowledge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/CKHG_G5_U3_AgeExploration_SR.pdf. We will end the week by starting Unit 9: Westward Expansion Before the Civil War, including an activity day centered around Daniel Boone.

In math, students continue our unit on decimals. This week, students will focus on dividing a decimal by 0.1 and 0.01, and review for their test on Thursday. Graph paper is extremely helpful for students to use to keep track of their decimals and place value. All students are allowed to use graph paper in class, on homework, and on tests. Students may request graph paper from their teachers. There will be math groups this week, Wednesday, 8:35-9:45.

When a “test b” (multiplication test) is assigned for homework, it contains questions very similar to a quiz the following day. We take a lot of low-stakes math quizzes in fifth grade. All math workbook assignments are half of every type of problem. Please keep in mind that students may do test corrections on any math quiz for partial credit (fill in the blank sheets, not multiple choice homework sheets).

Spring Clubs Still Available - ArchwayArete.Configio.com 

We still have open spots in a number of our spring clubs. Below is a list of clubs with spots still available. Please go to ArchwayArete.Configio.com to register for clubs. 

By Grade

K-1 Art Club: Mondays

2-3 Art Club: Tuesdays

2-5 French Club: Fridays

2-5 Sports Club: Mondays

3-5 Science Club: Tuesdays

3-5 Strings Club: Thursdays

4-5 Art Club: Thursdays

4-5 Choir Club: Tuesdays

By Day

K-1 Art Club: Mondays

2-5 Sports Club: Mondays

2-3 Art Club: Tuesdays

3-5 Science Club: Tuesdays

4-5 Choir Club: Tuesdays

3-5 Strings Club: Thursdays

4-5 Art Club: Thursdays

2-5 French Club: Fridays

Updates and announcements

I hope everyone’s 3 day weekend was restful! Our house had various sicknesses, so we stayed in.

Speaking of sickness, we have a lot of it going around. Thank you so much for keeping your children at home when they have a fever. The nurse is a great resource if you are unsure when it is ok to send your child back to school (24 hours fever-free without medicine, etc.). This helps in preventing the spread of germs. We often see pockets of students sick at the same time who sit in the same area of the classroom.

Our week in learning

Students will learn about the idiom “Take the bull by the horns.”

Students will learn about the roots novus, ordo, and saeculum. Students will be quizzed over these next week. Students should expect a similar quiz every week. 

Students learned about the poem “The Arrow and the Song” on 1/15 and recite it on 1/29.

In Literature, students will read through chapter 12. There are periodic journal entries which are numbered, but do not happen after every chapter. Students will do journal entries 7 and 8 this week. Please send in the book as soon as possible. 

In Grammar, students will write their sentence outlines for their research essay. We will model this process in depth on Tuesday. Sentence outlines are due on Thursday when we will begin their rough drafts. If you have any questions, please reach out to a teacher. If you have trouble finding a book resource, please reach out to Mrs. Lynch and we will work out a solution.  

In science, we will be continuing our study of botany. Students will be studying the structures of seeds and the process of germination, as well as the process by which seed plants disperse their seeds. We will do some “unscrambling” on Thursday to help reinforce the order of seed dispersal. Students will also study the life cycles of gymnosperms. Throughout this unit, we will be working on using appropriate scientific vocabulary for the reproductive structures of plants. The study guide will be due February 7th and the test will be February 11th.

This week in History, we will finish our instruction of the unit, “The Age of Exploration”. We will discuss the English, French, and Dutch’s actions during this time period, chiefly through further explorers, such as Sir Francis Drake, Jacques Cartier, and Henry Hudson. We will close the unit by learning about the slave trade, including when slaves were first brought from Africa by Europeans both back to their countries and to the Americas, what that journey entailed, and what life was like for slaves in those places. Study guides, from which a question has been assigned each evening, are due on Tuesday, January 28^th. The unit test is on Wednesday, January 29^th.

In math, students continue our unit on decimals. This week, students will focus on dividing a decimal by a 2-digit number, multiplying decimals by 0.1 and 0.01, and multiplying decimals by another decimal. Graph paper is extremely helpful for students to use to keep track of their decimals and place value. All students are allowed to use graph paper in class, on homework, and on tests. Students may request graph paper from their teachers. There will be math groups this week, Wednesday, 8:35-9:45.

When a “test b” (multiplication test) is assigned for homework, it contains questions very similar to a quiz the following day. We take a lot of low-stakes math quizzes in fifth grade. All math workbook assignments are half of every type of problem. Please keep in mind that students may do test corrections on any math quiz for partial credit (fill in the blank sheets, not multiple choice homework sheets).

Updates and announcements

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! Mine was perfectly uneventful.

Grammar tutoring has changed for the next few weeks. During the explorer’s essay, I will hold office hours on Mondays, 3:05-3:40, allowing students to come in and get extra help on their research, paragraph construction, editing, revising, etc.

Tutoring ends at 3:40 on Mondays and Tuesdays, and 2:40 on Wednesdays. Please do not enter the pickup line until 3:35 or 2:35 on either day. The traffic flow becomes congested and students who are ready to leave before tutoring ends are not able to.

Please check the updated “Important Dates” and “Wish List” sections. Cold season in December left us woefully low on tissues.

Our week in learning

Students will learn about the idiom “Steal his/her thunder.”

Students will learn about the roots cardo, porta, and porto. Students will be quizzed over these next week. Students should expect a similar quiz every week. 

Students will learn about the poem “The Arrow and the Song” on 1/15 and recite it on 1/29.

In Literature, students will read through chapter 9. There are periodic journal entries which are numbered, but do not happen after every chapter. Students will do journal entries 6-8 this week. Please send in the book as soon as possible. 

In Grammar, students will start formal research for their explorer’s essay. Students should use both web resources and have at least one book resource. We will be researching in class all week, so the sooner students have their book, the better. We will also be talking about what credible internet sources look like and how to use the internet responsibly. If you have any questions, please reach out to a teacher. If you have trouble finding a book resource, please reach out to Mrs. Lynch and we will work out a solution. 

In science, we will be continuing our study of botany. Study guides were passed out last week and will be due February 7th, and the test will be on February 11th. We will learn about the three types of seedless vascular plants, as well as the life cycles of mosses and ferns and the two types of vascular tissue inside plants. Please note that we will be studying how different types of plants reproduce, and will be using the appropriate scientific vocabulary.

This week in History, students will continue learning about the Age of Exploration, discussing the famous explorers Christopher Columbus and Ferdinand Magellan. We will learn about the Spanish Empire, including their treatment of Indians, as well as English explorers and the colonies they attempted to settle.

In math, students continue our unit on decimals. This week, students will focus on converting fractions to decimals multiplying and dividing decimals, multiplying and dividing decimals by powers of 10, and multiplying decimals by 2-digit numbers. Graph paper is extremely helpful for students to use to keep track of their decimals and place value. All students are allowed to use graph paper in class, on homework, and on tests. Students may request graph paper from their teachers. 

When a “test b” (multiplication test) is assigned for homework, it contains questions very similar to a quiz the following day. We take a lot of low-stakes math quizzes in fifth grade. All math workbook assignments are half of every type of problem. Please keep in mind that students may do test corrections on any math quiz for partial credit (fill in the blank sheets, not multiple choice homework sheets).

Updates and announcements

Ms. Vaughn and I would like to thank you all for the generous holiday gifts! We had a wonderful and relaxing break. Mine was filled with cat cuddles while I played some video games and made delicious food.

Our week in learning

Students will learn about the idiom “Sit on the fence.”

Students will learn about the roots naus, navis, homos, and heteros. Students will be quizzed over these next week. Students should expect a similar quiz every week. 

In Literature, students will learn about the era surrounding “The Secret Garden” and begin reading the book. Please send in the book as soon as possible. Students will read through chapter 4. 

In Grammar, students will review direct objects and learn about indirect objects. On Friday, students will be introduced to the Explorer’s essay. This is a large assignment in which students will need a book resource from the library. More information will be in the packet students bring home on Friday. If you have any questions, please reach out to a teacher.

This week in science, students will begin their study of plants. We will begin by studying characteristics shared by all plants, and then dive into the characteristics of non vascular plants that include mosses, liverworts and hornworts. Study guides will be passed out late this week. 

This week in History, students will start their unit on the Age of Exploration. We will learn about Marco Polo, the Spice Islands, and the instruments that were used to explore during this age. We will finish the week by exploring some of the routes taken from Portugal, and what travels were like for sailors, including how to avoid scurvy! Students will receive study guides on Monday, which have a question and/or vocabulary assigned for each evening. Study guides will be due on or around Tuesday, January 28^th. Once we get closer, the specific date will be clarified.

In math, students start a lengthy unit on decimals. This week, students will focus on place value, rounding, estimation, and dividing decimals. Graph paper is extremely helpful for students to use to keep track of their decimals and place value. All students are allowed to use graph paper in class, on homework, and on tests. Students may request graph paper from their teachers. 

When a “test b” (multiplication test) is assigned for homework, it contains questions very similar to a quiz the following day. We take a lot of low-stakes math quizzes in fifth grade. All math workbook assignments are half of every type of problem. Please keep in mind that students may do test corrections on any math quiz for partial credit (fill in the blank sheets, not multiple choice homework sheets).