6^th grade students: Mrs. Reitz encourages you to be selling your coupon books! If you are not going to sell them, then your parents can write a check and send it with you for your part of the 6^th grade activities.

STUDENTS WHO GO TO WILL JAMES FOR MATH: The following is a message from Mr. McDonald, Associate Principal at Will James:

On Thursday, Sept. 13th, we will be taking Fall NWEA tests, so 6^th graders from Poly, Boulder and Central Heights do not need to report to WJ on this day.

Absences:

Please let the office know when your kids will be gone even if you told me verbally, by email, or over the phone.  I sometimes get busy during the day and forget to relay the message. J Muchas gracias!

NWEA Schedule

Monday, September 10^th: 1-3 PM                LANGUAGE

Thursday, September 13^th: 8:30-11:00      READING

Monday, September 17^th: 1-3 PM                MATH

If you would like to provide a healthy snack on these days for the entire class, email me. We have snacks coming on Monday. The other days are still  open. In the past some parents have brought: half bananas, granola bars, trail mix (please provide cupcake papers; I can divide them up), Chex Mix, orange halves, or anything that your child likes.

Wednesday & Thursday, September 12^th  & 13^th : All BPS 5^th graders take a writing assessment. We will do this part in the afternoon. It is an idea-generating session. The actual writing will be on Thursday.

PINK SLIPS: These are purely a communication between you, me, and your child, letting you know that there was an “OOPS” moment. For example, if you did not sign your child’s assignment notebook indicating that your child spent at least 20 minutes on the challenge math paper, then they would (in the future) receive a pink slip. My expectation is that you have a visit with them about why things were not done, sign it, and have them return it to me the next day.

The following is a brief summary of the lesson plans I have for next week. If you need more specific information that you are not getting from your child, please call.  J

Reading

5^th graders: Begin the new reading series.

6^th graders: Reading books on Native Americans.

Language

We will be doing expository writing and discussing the difference between expository and narrative writing. We also have a poem we are working on.

Next week’s LWR & definitions are at the end of the blog.

 Cursive practice sheet: Students were given a practice sheet on which to trace cursive letters today. If your child learned cursive at their home school, this is just a reference sheet. If they did not, they should practice these 5 minutes-5 days/week.  Cursive writing is an expectation on spelling tests in my class.

Spelling—words & sentences are listed at the end of the blog.

Personal spelling words will begin this week. These are words that the students misspell throughout the week (or use the incorrect form: there, their, they’re). They receive these the first day of the week (Tuesday for this upcoming week). They are expected to study them. On Friday, I will give the regular test. Then I will give the personal spelling words or pair them up and have their partner give the personal spelling words to them. Not everyone will have them, but IF THEY DO, they will be taped in their assignment notebooks on TUESDAY.

6^th grade: Unit 3 (words below & sentences below)

5^th grade: Unit 3—(words and sentences  below)

Math

Geometry: Measuring and classifying angles, Circles

5^th grade Social Studies

Chapter 1: Map skills. I intend to assign the project this week. They will have in-class time to work but may need to take it home as well.

Science—Finishing up the DumDum Project.

Moving on to Robotics.

LWR  for the week of Sept 10^th

Focus: gram

Prefix:

dia-          through, across

Root:

cardio               heart

gram                 write, written

logo                   word, reason

mono               one

phono              sound

tele                    from afar        

5^th grade spelling words for the week of Sept 10th

WEEK 3—Long i and long o

BASIC WORDS

3 Dictation Sentences (note the commas!)

1.    The dough is ready to be baked.

2.    Can you define this word?

3.    A spider spins a web to catch insects.

sign, reply, strike, mighty, height, excite, apply, slight, silent, brighten, groan, thrown, stroll, compose, odor, control, approach

CHALLENGE WORDS

require, reproach, defy, plight, opponent

6^th grade spelling words for the week of Sept 10^th

Unit 3  Vowel Sounds: /ou/, /oo/, /o/, and  /oi/

BASIC WORDS

3 Dictation Sentences

1.    Do not dawdle, or you will be late.

2.    A bamboo flute sounds beautiful.

3.    What scoundrel broke this window?

mound, counter, devour, crouch, boundary, gloomy, maroon, droop, bamboo, vault, haughty, thoughtful, flawless, exhausted, annoy, rejoice, hoist, oyster

CHALLENGE WORDS

bountiful, aloof, adjoin, taut, turquoise

Real World Challenge Science--Classification

zoologist, vertebrate, amphibian, genus, invertebrate, mollusk, aquatic, terrestrial