Hi 5KP Families

I hope you enjoyed your Spring Break as much as I did. I have also loved being back in the classroom with your children now that the weather is improving for the better.

http://photopeach.com/public/swf/story.swf

Yesterday I stumbled onto an article I would like to share with you; I don’t know about you, but I am having some minor frustrations with my nearly ten year old lately and I could really relate to some of the anecdotal stories shared here; maybe if there is nothing here for you, you could pass it onto someone else who feels the same!

Now, some classroom announcements.

Next Monday there is no school for any of us, I hope you enjoy your day together. Tuesday is Day Without Shoes.

Math: We will have our Unit 8 math test this Friday, the two page, 29 question test will cover skills such as converting fractions to decimals and percentages, understanding how to find a common denominator, ordering fractions, adding, subtracting and multiplying fractions and finding equivalent fractions. I really believe that some of the work they have done in the classroom during this unit is more difficult than what we will be represented on the test; therefore, if students continue to go over their math journal/study/skills links for the next two days, I am certain they will achieve high test results.

Writer’s Workshop: I am thrilled with the classroom work going on this week as we review and edit our literary essays. I am really witnessing growth by the students and allowing them to take time to try and get it right and to publish something they can be proud of that they will then share with you next week. Once we publish our essay, we will begin some preparation for the upcoming E.R.B. tests to make sure the students are comfortable and prepared.

The E.R.B. Writing Assessment is coming up quickly. Fifth grade will be administering the test during the week of April 11. Over the next couple of weeks our students will be learning how to write to a prompt.

So far we know that:
Good writers read all of the instructions FIRST.
Good writers make a plan using the suggestions from the prompt.
During a writing assessment writers write fast and furious (like every day)
Writers always use a mentor to talk about their writing ideas (this can be done between the two days)

Students write to a prompt and are then scored in the following areas:

* Overall Development ~ How well the writer communicates with the reader, shows awareness of the audience and purpose for writing, and writes in the appropriate mode of discourse.

* Organization ~ The writer’s ability to choose a focus, develop a logical plan of organization, and maintain coherence throughout the paper.

* Support ~ The use of appropriate reasons, details, and examples to enhance the effect and/or support the generalization and conclusion of the piece.

* Sentence Structure ~ Completeness, correctness, and variety of sentences. Sophistication of sentences.

* Word choice ~ The correct usage, specific vocabulary, freshness, and vividness of language.

* Mechanics ~ The correct and effective use of spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and paragraphing.

Each student’s writing is evaluated independently by two readers who are thoroughly trained and experienced in analytic scoring. If the two readers’ ratings for any of the six elements differ by more than one point, the essay is read by a scoring supervisor who decides on a final rating for the element.

What do YOU think writers should think about when writing to a prompt?

Reader’s Workshop: Our next unit will be on Memoirs and I will start reading a great Memoir to the class after the SLC’s. It is called ‘Small Steps’ by Peg Kehret and is about her experience with Polio. If you have any members of your extended family who have had personal experience with Polio, we would really welcome your input. If you are unsure about the difference between a memoir, an autobiography and a biography, increase your understanding here. In a nutshell, it is a difficult unit for the students because they feel they haven’t got enough life experience to complete any sort of memoir; however as I break it down for them, we discover that they can always find some small stage of their lives that has more meaning than others, and we go from there… slowly, slowly, indeed, with Small Steps! This will be our main Writer’s Workshop piece during the month of April.

Social Studies and Science: These areas will have us beginning our building and design unit with Lego now that we have finished Migration. We will also be continuing to look at current events; there are certainly plenty to choose from, and hopefully we will find that not all of them are negative.

Student Led Conferences: Please read the Elementary Principal’s Blog to read more about the exact details and purpose behind these. As committed and involved parents, I am aware that you don’t want your time wasted and I am looking forward to the opportunity for you and your child engaging together about their learning; I really hope to make it worth your while.  Please e mail me if you are uncertain of your S.L.C. time.

I look forward to seeing you on the 7th and 8th and will leave you with a letter from Dr. Rosen about Friday morning’s events. H

Dear Parents of Current Grade 5 Students:

My name is Jeff Rosen and I am the Middle School Principal here at SAS Pudong.  On behalf of Karl Poulin our Vice Principal, our counselors, all the teachers of our middle school and myself, we look forward to welcoming your son/daughter into our middle school.  A few words below regarding the nature of the transitioning process.

An early edition of Middle Ground magazine makes an interesting point about transitions in life:

Transitions of all kinds require us to seek out and navigate the same three components: safety, information, connection. For every transition we go through in life, no matter the magnitude, these three elements make repeated appearances. Think about it: when we move into a new community we ask, “How safe is it? Where is the nearest grocery store? Who are my neighbors?” Whether you are a young person facing middle school for the first time or an adult taking a new job, you want to feel safe, gain an understanding about the situation, and have someone to turn to.

For many young adolescents, the transition from Elementary to Middle School can be a time of mixed emotions and feelings of uncertainty, even as it presents wonderful new opportunities.  The Middle School at SAS Pudong wants to ensure that all new and upcoming students, along with their parents, feel safe and welcome, have sound knowledge of our programs and our characteristics unique from Elementary school, and are connected to our many resources available for information, advice and general support.  In order to accomplish this goal, we have designed the following transition program for our 5th Graders and their families:

Save the Date:  Friday April 1st at 9 a.m – 10:30 a.m

All parents of current Grade 5 students will have the opportunity to meet in the Library Lecture Hall.  They will be introduced to “life in the middle school” with plenty of time for questions.

Wednesday April 6th 2:15 – 2:55

All current Grade 5 students will meet in the Library Lecture Hall for a presentation as well as receive a course catalog for 2011-2012.

By April 15th,  all course registration sheets should be returned to Grade 5 Homeroom teachers.  We will register all Grade 5 students for their courses the week of April 18-22.

Also, as part of our transition process,  our middle school counselors will be in all Grade 5 classrooms to answer individual questions about the transition into middle school.  Further, all grade 5 students will have the opportunity to tour the middle school and spend some time with our teachers.

We hope that this transition program will help our 5th Grade students and their families get a sense of our middle school and its programs, and we look forward to seeing you all on the above mentioned date(s).  If you have any questions regarding our middle school program, please feel free to contact me –

jeff.rosen@saschina.org –  and don’t forget to follow us on our middle school blog – http://teachers.saschina.org/mspudong/

Sincerely,

Jeff