Your presence is requested…

Posted on April 28, 2012 by Lana

…SO many times over the next month, you may want to come and camp out in the tent I’ve put up in our classroom!

However, there are a couple of events I’d really like you to attend if possible.

May 22nd is our soccer day, the last one for elementary, the 6th and final soccer day for some of those kids that have been here

since 3rd grade. Games kick off around 10 and whether or not you attend is up to you and your child; you can come for a little

while too, it doesn’t have to be the whole day. More details to follow on Soccer Day.

That morning, from 8.15, we are having our final writer’s celebration for our Memoir Unit which the kids have been working on for

the last two weeks now. I would LOVE for you to attend that session in our classroom.

The Friday before that, May 18th is our Field Trip to Jinshan Peasant Painting Village and I am short of volunteers, meaning, I have

not heard from anyone, so please e mail and let me know if you can chaperone 5KP with me that day, I am excited about this trip.

…SO many times over the next month, you may want to come and camp out in the tent I’ve put up in our classroom!

However, there are a couple of events I’d really like you to attend if possible.

May 22nd is our soccer day, the last one for elementary, the 6th and final soccer day for some of those kids that have been here since 3rd grade. Games kick off around 10 and whether or not you attend is up to you and your child; you can come for a little while too, it doesn’t have to be the whole day. More details to follow on Soccer Day.

That morning, from 8.15, we are having our final writer’s celebration for our Memoir Unit which the kids have been working on for the last two weeks now. I would LOVE for you to attend that session in our classroom.

The Friday before that, May 18th is our Field Trip to Jinshan Peasant Painting Village and I am short of volunteers, meaning, I have not heard from anyone, so please e mail and let me know if you can chaperone 5KP with me that day, I am excited about this trip.

A big thank you to Annette for recommending the book Letters from Rifka by Karen Hesse to me last Thursday. I finished the book this morning Annette, I couldn’t put it down. Although this book is now twenty years old and I had heard of it over the years, it took a student telling me enthusiastically how much they enjoyed it, for me to finally pick it up and read it. Thanks also to Aavia and Erika who told me about the Jean Craighead George book, My Side of the Mountain. I read it earlier last week and thoroughly enjoyed the adventures of Sam Gribley as he set off alone into the wilderness and look forward to reading the next two books in the series.

Enjoy a great long weekend 5KP families. Read something wonderful! Enjoy your time together.

Here is the latest list of dates for you to keep in mind… Busy days ahead!

No School for May Day – Monday, April 30 and Tuesday, May 1
Girls Scout Presentation – Thursday, May 3rd at 8 a.m.
Eagle Leaders Retreat with Puxi Eagle Leaders – Friday May 4^th
Battle of the Books – Final Battle – Friday, May 4^th
Band and Orchestra concert – Friday, May 11^th at 1:15 p.m.
All Day Field trip to Jinshan Peasant Painting Village – Friday, May 18^th
Memoir publishing party – Tuesday, May 22nd at 8:15 a.m.
Grade 5 Soccer Day – Tuesday, May 22^nd
China Alive all-day field trip – Thursday, May 31^st
Fifth Grade United Nations Day – Friday, June 1^st at 10:30 a.m.
Step Up Day – Friday, June 1^st
The Wonder Years: Puberty Week – June 4 to June 8
Summer Sizzler – Thursday, June 7^th
Moving Up Day – Friday, June 8^th
Last Day of School – Tuesday, June 12^th – School closes at 11:30 a.m.

8 weeks to go!!!

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Lana

The Visiting Authors for April start rolling in tomorrow, read Mrs Boyer’s blog for more details and don’t forget to send your child in with cash if you wish to buy some books, the library will not be holding any this year, you’ll need cash up front. Here are the books that will be on sale over the next week:

So much is happening right now, well done to all the kids for completing their ERB tests and beginning the final round of ASA’s for the year, they’ve also submitted their elective choices for 6th grade which was pretty exciting. This week is zooming by and in 8 more weeks, most of us will be on vacation. But between now and then there is a lot going on that I need to tell you about. Hold on to your hats and mark these dates on your calendar!

ERBs – Second session – Thursday, April 19^th
Author Visit – Kazu Kibuishi – Friday, April 20^th at 10:45 a.m. in the library
Celebrate Graphic Novel Day – dress up as your favorite comic book character or wear an am amulet – Friday, April 20^th
^{Author Visit-Phil Bidner 8.15 am in the library}
Exercise Your Mind Day – dress up in your favorite sports outfit – Monday, April 23^rd
^{Alumni speak to 5th grade at 10.45 about life at SAS over the last 100 years.}
Author Visit – Kevin Lewis – Tuesday, April 24^th ; Kevin’s talk is at 10:45 a.m. in the library
Hats Off to Reading Day – wear your favorite hat to school – Tuesday, April 24^th
Fifth Grade Track and Field Day – Wednesday, April 25^{th (between 10 and 2, feel free to come and watch and cheer your child on)}
Wacky Wednesday – wear wacky clothes, hair and shoes day – Wednesday, April 25^th
Pajama Day and Cuddle Up with a Good Book Day – Thursday, April 26^th
Rock Star Day – Friday, April 27^th
Fifth Grade Photo Day – Don’t forget to wear your house shirt!! – 9:45 a.m. on Friday, April 27th
Unit 10 Math Test – Friday, April 27th (e mail coming with details)
No School for May Day – Monday, April 30 and Tuesday, May 1
Eagle Leaders Retreat with Puxi Eagle Leaders – Friday May 4^th
Battle of the Books – Final Battle – Friday, May 4^th
Band and Orchestra concert – Friday, May 11^th at 1:15 p.m.
All Day Field trip to Jinshan Peasant Painting Village – Friday, May 18^th
Grade 5 Soccer Day – Tuesday, May 22^nd
^{China Alive Field Trip to Qibao}
Step Up Day – Friday, June 1^st
^{5th grade Cultural Studies/United Nations Day June 1st 10.30}
Summer Sizzler – Thursday, June 7^th
Moving Up Day – Friday, June 8^th
Last Day of School – Tuesday, June 12^th – School closes at 11:30 a.m.

It’s all about balance!

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Lana

Dear Parents

It’s been great meeting again with so many of you over the last couple of days. I’m sure you’ve been as proud as I am

over the maturity your child has displayed as they’ve shown some of their work to you.

This week in math we began our new unit, unit 10, on Using Data, Algebra Concept and Skills and this morning I had

Mr. Hossack come in to do a mini-lesson on pan balance skills; he has strengths in this area and I use his expertise

this time each year, which the kids find fun.

I’ve found this site to be interactive and helpful, http://illuminations.nctm.org/ActivityDetail.aspx?ID=33

click on instructions or exploration and check it out with your child

It’s been great meeting again with so many of you over the last couple of days. I’m sure you’ve been as proud as I am over the maturity your child has displayed as they’ve shown some of their work to you.

This week in math we began our new unit, unit 10, on Using Data, Algebra Concept and Skills and this morning I had Mr. Hossack come in to do a mini-lesson on pan balance skills; he has strengths in this area and I use his expertise this time each year, which the kids find fun.

I’ve found this site he led me to, to be interactive and helpful, http://illuminations.nctm.org/ActivityDetail.aspx?ID=33 click on ‘instructions’ or ‘exploration’ and check it out with your child if you have the time, or if they have trouble with the concepts during the course of the unit.

We had 30 minutes of DEAR (drop everything and read) time Friday morning which the kids LOVED, as did I, and I hope a few more of them can bring in a donation on Monday for students who don’t have the same great facilities we have for reading. Our high schoolers are coming to collect money from our class for their GIFTS program which supports The Library Project so it is a school wide initiative.

Next Monday and Tuesday we’ll have our final practice session for the ERB test which happens next Wednesday and Thursday. Your child is well prepared, there is nothing for them to worry about; they should remember all they have been working on in class during the last three months when we focused on essay writing, pay attention to the rubric on the whiteboard and stay focused on putting in their best effort; the skills required are not new to them, they are ready to succeed.

ASA’s begin this week for the next 5 weeks. Scholastic Magazines went home Friday and are due back Tuesday, as are the course catalog pink sheets.

I hope you had a terrific weekend and well done again students on your great job with SLC’s.

News of the Moment

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Lana

Hello Parents

Spring has sprung… or has it?

Thanks to Mrs. Rekate for taking extensive notes during our Transition Meeting this morning with Mr. Rosen and Mr. Poulin, our Middle School Principals.

Your son/daughter may be coming home excited today (except for Pepo, Alex Z and Taeyun who most likely will not be at SAS Pudong in the Fall) because they received their Course Catalogue for Middle School. As a mother of a 5th grader, I know Hannah was thrilled to see how many electives there were for her to choose from next year. In a nutshell, the kids get to choose 8 electives, 1 of these is chosen for them, and then they will be allocated 4 (1 being the Mac and Me that is compulsory for the first quarter.) Pink Forms are due back Tuesday.

Middle School Transition Meeting

Below are some bullet point notes about the meeting so that you can talk to your children about today’s topics. You should also read the email from Mr. Rosen that you will receive later this week.

Course elective sheets must be done and brought to school by NEXT TUESDAY, APRIL 17th.

Who’s nervous about going to middle school and what are you nervous about?

almost everyone raised their hands
responsibilities
knowing where to go
forgetting your locker combinations
someone hacks into your computer
getting lost
losing the computer
how much stuff you have to carry around
8^th graders bullying 6^th graders
time management
homework
lots of projects
everything being too hard
REMEMBER – thousands of kids have done it before and they were able to deal with it, but everyone gets it and at their own pace and in their own time.

There will be a lot of change.

classroom design
moving from classroom to classroom
lockers
computers
BUT you will start developing the skills to deal with all the changes!

Mr. Poulin addressed some of the usual concerns:

Combination locks – one for sixth grade and one for PE locker
Being late for class –
Not having friends – once you get to MS, your friends will change a lot. The counselors and homebase teachers really watch out for you.
Cafeteria – you have to take care of your own card;
Being too different – being different is cool. Being the same is cool too. MS is a time of self discovery.
Tough classes – Remember, you thought grade five was hard when you were in Grade 3 and 4. Same idea. You will adapt and learn and get better.
Getting lost – It’s to be expected. You will figure it out.

Connections

we want you to make connections from one class to another
we want you to make connections from class to the outside world around us
we want you to make connections to yourself

Creativity

we value this highly in all classes, not just art, but math, science, language
How can you be a creative person?
It’s about thinking in creative ways.

Collaboration

it’s very important to be able to work in a group with others on projects to solve problems
you don’t have to like the people, BUT you need to be able to work with them!!
In life, you must have the skills to work with people.
It is an expectation in middle school.

Learning Should Be Challenging … But It Doesn’t Have to Be Stressful

A little bit of stress is okay. It’s good for you.
Thinking about exercising. It’s okay to put a little stress on your body. A little is okay. Same thing with your mind.
Next year, there will be times when you are stressed out.
There is a support network in place for you to learn how to deal with it.
You will learn how to deal and manage stress.

Community Service

The Giving Tree
By grade level – on China Alive trips
Join elective classes that are based on community service

Making the Most of Our Host Country Culture

continue to interact cross culturally
in PE classes, Chinese classes, regular classes
learn about it in an active way

Passions and Interests

program and course offerings are designed to recognize that people are different

Organization

Mac and Me elective class – everyone has to take this class. It will be fun AND we will teach you how to get organized technologically. Using iCal, digital sticky note, My Procrastinate. There are many tools. You will choose the one that is best for you.
Subscribe to teachers’ calendars and blogs

Technology and “The New Normal”

Your parents will be officially issued a Mac computer that they will “lend” to you for school use.
Night meeting for students and parents – during first two weeks of school to discuss expectations, rights and responsibilities.

What is a Student as a Learner Profile?

In addition to academic report card, teachers will grade on behavior categories as well.
4 behavior categories – cooperation and collaboration, preparation and organization, integrity and attitude, and active learning and effort
how you learn is WAY more important than a number.

What is Humanities?

ties history, literature, philosophy and ethics, different cultures, linguistics, law, archeology, writing, religion,

What is Homebase?

like an advisory program
5-7 minutes daily at the beginning of the day
attendance, announcements, daily check-in
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays – you will also meet in Homebase with 11-12 kids to learn about things that don’t get covered in academic classes (ie personal identity, relationships, community).
Big Three Questions – Who am I as a person? Who am I as a learner? Who am I as a part of a community?

HOT – Homework Opportunity Times

Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays – afterschool times for students to work on assignments with teacher supervision and help
Voluntary
If need be, teachers will ask students to attend to get extra homework help.
These will supersede sports commitments

China Alive

“Week without Walls” in May — Moganshan, Wild Wall, Xi’an and Sichuan

Bonding Day – Century Park in October

for teachers and students to bond through fun, outdoor, team building activities

Programs and Activities

ASA – After School Activities
CISSA – China International School Sports Association – soccer, floor hockey, cross country, table tennis, badminton. Doesn’t matter if you aren’t good at it. Sign up, get exercise and have fun.
MYG Night – 5 times a year; night events; dances; hang out; dodge ball tournaments (MYG is GYM spelled backwards)

Course Catalogues – Mr. Rosen highlighted the following items and pages.

bottom of first page – NOTE TO STUDENTS: CHOOSE THOUGHTFULLY AND CAREFULLY
bottom of first page – NOTE TO PARENTS – YOUR CHILDREN APPRECIATE YOUR INPUT AND GUIDANE, AND THEY ALSO APPRECIATE BEING GIVEN THE FREEDOM TO EXPLORE NEW AND UNIQUE INTERESTS. TRUST THEM!
Electives – Tuesday and Thursdays, last bloc; choose 8, you will get 4 of them.
Pudong Middle School Course Selection – first pink page – you will have a choice for foreign language and performing arts; needs student and parent signature
Everything before first pink page – includes info about language and arts
White pages between first and second pink pages – descriptions about elective programs; about 100 courses; no grades; most electives last about 9 weeks, some are full year, some one trimester.
Everyone must sign up for “Mac and Me”
Electives – except for Mac and Me, all other electives will have 7th and 8th graders as well
There is a sample “electives sign up sheet” for you to look at.

Let there be salt!

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Lana

How much fun did you have today 5KP? Was that cool or what?

On the weekend, Simon and I were out at Hotel Indigo’s CHAR restaurant when we were offered not one, not three, but SIX different types of salt to spice up our steak. We chose between Himalayan Pink, Murray River Pink, Cyprus Flake, New Zealand Natural, Bolivian Rose and Fleur de Sel. After taking photos and oohing and aahing we dug in to one of the best steaks we’ve had in a long time, with one of the saltiest array of condiments which was so much fun, considering that the students and I have been learning about salt for the last couple of weeks in science.

I set the students the challenge of writing me a report on what they could discover about a salty situation. One of the favorite sites the kids found was saltworks.us where they were amazed with how many salts there were on offer. The class searched and copied and cut and pasted their way around the net and their blogs for the remainder of the afternoon; calling each over to share in their learning. It was a really great lesson and exciting to see so much engagement over something many of us just take for granted as being there, white and well… salty!

Our learning today will be a terrific complement to our lesson tomorrow where we attempt to saturate a salt solution… stay tuned 5KP Scientists!

In other news…

Many of you are coming out to SAS this Friday night. Here are the bus details that were e mailed to you earlier.

Bus Times – Animal Rescue Fun Night March 23rd

Bus	Bus Stops	Arrive time	Bus Monitor
Green	Green Villa I.II.III (No. 777 MingYue Rd gate)	6:10pm	庄玲 18917695138
	Green Court I (LanAn Rd)	6:15pm
	Green Court II (BiYun Rd)	6:20pm
Yellow	Vizcaya (YunShan Rd)	6:10pm	黄珍珍 18930702687
	Green Hills (Club House)	6:15pm
	Shimao Lakeside Garden(MingYue Rd)	6:20pm
Purple	Palm Spring Villas (TangLong Rd)	5:55pm	郁美华 13917415653
	Century Garden (YinXiao Rd)	6:25pm
	XiangMei Garden (MeiHua Rd)	6:30pm
Blue	Regency Park (LiuShan Rd)	6:20pm	张惠娟 13818062532
	Yanlord Town (DingXiang Rd)	6:25pm
	Shimao Riviera Garden (WeiFang Rd)	6:40pm
	Yanlord Garden (PuMing Rd)	6:45pm
Brown	Tomson Beautiful Space (GuangLan Rd)	6:05pm	戴玉萍 13817508509
	Tomson Golf (LongDong Ave)	6:15pm
	LongYang Metro	6:20pm
	Portman Hotel	6:50pm
Red	Emerald(Clubhouse)	6:10pm	陆萍 15800927366
Red	Tiziano Villa(XiuYan Rd)	6:20pm	陆萍 15800927366
Orange	Mandarin City (Clubhouse)	6:40pm	凌丽华 13482849316
Orange	Marriott Hotel HongQiao	6:50pm	凌丽华 13482849316

	Other options: Links / personal car


Plese note	Your child will also bring home a letter on Thursday to remind you
	which stop you have chosen, and whether s/he will walk
	home or be picked up.

Also note	We are hoping that many of you are still planning to hand in
	your 50 kuai donation if you have not done so already.
	Please send the money on March 23rd, in an envelope marked
	Fun Night.

Here are the student led conference times I have for parents so far; please respond to the e mail I sent you confirming your time by Friday.

Thurs April 12th

12:30 – 1:30 – Erika

1:30 – 2:30 – Mia

2:30 – 3:30 – Taeyun, Josh,

3:30 – 4:30 – (My own children’s conferences)

Friday April 13th

12:30 – 1:30 –Annette, Aavia

1:30 – 2:30 – Claire, Sheung Yee, Bevan, Alex L

2:30 – 3:30 – (My own children’s conferences)

Here is a fun Friday photo of our students enjoying their author visit with Kathryn Lasky and her photographer husband Christopher Knight.

Dates for your calendar:

MAP Testing (Reading) – Wednesday, March 21^st at 8:15
MAP Testing (Language Usage) – Thursday, March 22^nd at 8:15
Last day before spring break – Wednesday, March 28^th
Spring Break – Thursday, March 29^th to Sunday, April 8^th
Back to School – Monday, April 9^th
Day Without Shoes – Tuesday, April 10^th
Transition to Middle School Meeting for students – Wednesday, April 11^th
Student Led Conferences – Thursday, April 12^th and Friday, April 13^th
Author Visit – Kazu Kibuishi – Friday, April 20^th
Author Visit – Phil Bildner – Tuesday, April 24^th
Fifth Grade Track and Field Day – Wednesday, April 25^th
No School for May Day – Monday, April 30 and Tuesday, May 1
Band and Orchestra concert – Friday, May 11^th
All Day Field trip to Jinshan Peasant Painting Village – Friday, May 18^th
Grade 5 Soccer Day – Tuesday, May 22^nd
Step Up Day – Friday, June 1^st
Summer Sizzler – Thursday, June 7^th
Moving Up Day – Friday, June 8^th
Last Day of School – Tuesday, June 12^th – School closes at 11:30 a.m.

Greetings Comrades

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Lana

Attention SAS, Introducing . . .

Run Like a Girl

Spring 2012

What is it?

A club just for 4th and 5th Grade girls to enhance self esteem through running!

What will we do?

We will talk, laugh, learn about ourselves and all the things that make us special, all while training to run and then running an all girl 5K!

Why?

Because running is a great way to have fun, get healthy, and learn how strong you really are!

Will it just be running?

No! Along with running we have lots of games, activities, and discussions all about the things that are affecting young girls. Some of our topics include; bullying, gossip, making healthy decisions, standing up for myself, healthy body image and more!

Why a 5K?

Because you can!

Do I have to be able to run fast?

No! Our final 5K is not a competitive race, but a celebration of what we can do when we work hard and dedicate ourselves to something. Run Like a Girl is not about being the fastest runner – it is about being your best self and appreciating how special you are!

When?

Tuesdays and Fridays – starting April 10 and ending with our very own 5K on Saturday, June 2nd!

Time and Place?

On the track, right after school until 4:15. Girls will take the 4:30 Activity Bus home – not the ES ASA bus.

How do I sign up?

Have your parents fill out the attached sheet and turn it into your teacher before March 28. Space is limited – register early!

Questions?

Inga Lawler jlawler2@comcast.net or call Inga at 18721804964

Kimbra Power

http://teachers.saschina.org/kpower

>>> Kimbra Power 03/07/12 8:59 PM >>>

It’s that time of the year, so get your spring cleaning started early because the Orphanage Club’s Annual Yard Sale is just around the corner! Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, March 19, 20, and 21 are the big days (8:00-2:30 daily in main hallway by the pool). Gently used clothes, toys, games, and other items that could use a “new home” are welcome. Drop off your “sale-able” items in the boxes outside the High School Counseling Office, the cafeteria, and Elementary Library no later than Thursday, March 15.

Kimbra Power

http://teachers.saschina.org/kpower ( http://teachers.saschina.org/kpower )

>>> Kimbra Power 03/07/12 7:54 PM >>>

Dear Parents,

SAS elementary school is pleased to announce that we will be holding Student Led Conferences on April 12th and 13th. This means that you and your child will attend the conference together. Student Led Conferences will provide your child the opportunity to showcase his/her accomplishments, reflect on their learning, and to practice their oral communication skills. Teachers will only be observers during this conference and provide guidance if necessary.

Time slots will be scheduled for one hour for each conference, but the conferences may vary from 30 to 45 minutes depending upon the child and grade level. In general you may plan on spending approximately 30 minutes in your child’s classroom and then proceed to visit specialist classrooms as well. Your conference schedule will be sent home on March 23rd. Any requests for change must be made directly to classroom teachers before April 6th.

Thursday, April 12th from 12:15-5:15

Friday, April 13th from 12:15-4:15

Thank you for your partnership & looking forward to seeing you soon!

Kimbra Power

http://teachers.saschina.org/kpower ( http://teachers.saschina.org/kpower )

Hi Parents and Students

A reminder that our math unit test tomorrow students will need to be able to…

*convert between fractions, decimals, and percents

*find common denominators

*order and compare fractions

*add and subtract mixed numbers with like denominators

*multiply fractions and mixed numbers

We will celebrate Pajama Day next Thursday, March 15th.

“Just Because…it is cold outside and the weather is yucky, we love reading in our pajamas, we can’t take another day gray…”

Attention SAS, Introducing . . .

Run Like a Girl

Spring 2012

What is it?

A club just for 4th and 5th Grade girls to enhance self esteem through running!

What will we do?

We will talk, laugh, learn about ourselves and all the things that make us special, all while training to run and then running an all girl 5K!

Why?

Because running is a great way to have fun, get healthy, and learn how strong you really are!

Will it just be running?

Why a 5K?

Because you can!

Do I have to be able to run fast?

When?

Tuesdays and Fridays – starting April 10 and ending with our very own 5K on Saturday, June 2nd!

Time and Place?

On the track, right after school until 4:15. Girls will take the 4:30 Activity Bus home – not the ES ASA bus.

How do I sign up?

Have your parents fill out the attached sheet (I will also e mail it to you) and turn it into your teacher before March 28. Space is limited – register early!

Questions?

Inga Lawler jlawler2@comcast.net or call Inga at 18721804964

Time for a Spring Clean (maybe it will help bring on some Spring weather)

Student Led Conferences on April 12th and 13th

Thursday, April 12th from 12:15-5:15

Friday, April 13th from 12:15-4:15

Thank you for your partnership & I look forward to seeing you again soon!

A math time of year…

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Lana

We’ve got some great activities going on to complement our math program right now. Students have been introduced to IXL math over the last two weeks and have put in over 35 hours on this site answering over 5000 problems; surely the extra skills practice will extend their learning, they are certainly having fun mastering specific categories, remembering that fractions and ratios are the focus for the next few weeks.

Our class has also been signed up for the World Education Games. The World Education Games is the exciting event for ALL schools and students around the world. It runs from 6-8 March, involving 5.5million students from over 200 countries and territories. Practice opens on 1 February. This is the global challenge to get ALL students (4-18 years of age) excited about learning, and to give the top students in each school an opportunity to see how they measure up against the best.

The format is:
1 February – The Games open for Practice
6 March – World Spelling Day
7 March – World Maths Day
8 March – World Science Day

Everyone has received their username and password and they can now start practicing during their free time. It’s lots of fun and kids get to challenge others from all over the world in real-time!

News of the Moment

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Lana

Do you like animals? Do you like doing fun, animal-themed activities? Do you like munching on popcorn while watching animal movies and thinking about how much you like animals? If the answer to these questions is yes, you should come to Animal Rescue’s Elementary School Fun Night!

You’ll be divided up by grade level (grades 1-3, grades 4-5) and even if you’ve seen the movie before, we also have fun activities, snacks, HS students arranged to talk with you about our club, and buses to bring you home. So make sure to bring your friends on Friday, March 23rd! We aren’t charging admission but suggest a 50RMB donation, with all money going to Jaiya’s Animal Rescue. Permission forms will be coming around on February 21st and 22nd; you have until Feb 29th to turn them in to your teacher, along with your donation. Don’t miss out!

Invention Convention Update

Parents, in class today we looked at past 5KP Invention Convention Presentations to give our students a better idea of the end product they are expected to create. Please take 5 minutes to read Mrs Rekate’s blog post, where she gives more details, showcases several former students, and hopefully puts your mind at ease over this project. The main message is:

We are more interested in process than end result!

Writing and Reading

In our Writing and Reading Workshop lessons, students are learning about various inventors, and writing their Research Paper on a particular invention or inventor they are interested in. This paper will be due by Wednesday the 29th of February as we will then display it, along with your child’s invention or research project, on Friday March 2nd.

Friday March 2nd: You’re invited!

Please plan on being here at school between 8.00 and 9.30 that morning. Activities will begin shortly after 8 am with all students showing off their work at their desks and in the 5th grade project area. We will then move over to the Library Lecture Hall by the Main Cafeteria at about 8.45 to have our New Inventors Show with special guest judges. The main winner of the New Inventors Show will win a one year family pass to the Science and Technology Museum in Pudong; you won’t want to miss this thrilling showcase from the ‘best of the best’.

Math

We reviewed the Unit 7 math test today; things were not as bad as they seemed last Friday (apologies for anxiety caused, I had a substitute teacher mark the test which did result in some confusion). This test was actually a more difficult test for many of the students however so far the class average is 88% which is pretty impressive. Well done to Erika for earning her 3rd perfect score this year and a big congratulations to the following students who showed improvement between Unit 6 and Unit 7; Michelle, Taeyun, Pepo, Joon Soo, Aavia and Alex A; especially considering this was an intense unit.

We begin our next unit on Fractions and Ratios tomorrow. Students will benefit from working on the IXL site, in particular on the ‘L’ and ‘V’ sections.

Check out the Unit 8 Family Letter

Animal Rescue

Happy (Short) January

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Lana

Hi 5KP families, both new and old! Welcome to Michelle who has settled in beautifully in the last 24 hours and we look forward to Shaleigh joining our class next Monday; we are still missing a couple of our classmates and look forward to the day we have a full class (yesterday we were only 2/3 full with 6 of our students not here yet!

With only 2 1/2 weeks between our Winter Break and the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) there is much to be done and a short time to do it in.

Math
Our students completed the Pre-Test for our 6th unit in math today, focusing on Using Data and the addition and subtraction of fractions. We will begin the Unit tomorrow and go over the Pre-Test results as a class once we have everyone here.

Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop
We are focusing intensely on Poetry over this period time and I’d love you to do a bit of homework for me parents and share with your children any poems/nursery rhymes/stories you have shared with them as younger children. For example, I always read nursery rhymes with Hannah when she was little, we would sing them together and do the actions, favourites included English classics such as Mary Had a Little Lamb (I never knew it had so many verses), Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (a third verse, who knew?) and The Grand Old Duke of York. With Mimi, our second child, I have not been as good at teaching her so many of these traditional nursery rhymes and thank Mrs Borden for doing the job for me so well this year. I have also shared many poems with the girls that my father and grandmother shared with me as a child.

If you could comment on this blog post with an answer like the one above, or e mail me, or just talk to your children about your response, I’d really appreciate it. We are going to really enjoy this unit together as I am very passionate about Poetry and we got off to a great start on our Poetry Friday’s back in September, October and November.

Science
We continued with our Lego Unit today working on building Simple Machines. It is amazing seeing how capable the students are, there are a lot of detailed instructions to follow and we begin each lesson with a lengthy discussion, today it was about Levers, ask your child what a lever is and see if they can tell you what the new 7 letter word is they learned today as they built their own levers. The first correct answer on my blog or e mail wins a coffee pass for tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, students should wear their house shirts please to earn points for their team. There are also several envelopes and newsletters coming home about the Roots and Shoots initiative and also the Family Literacy Event coming up, so please check your child’s bag if they are not forthcoming; youngest child only.

Happy Friday!

the barefoot librarian

Kimbra Power

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