100 Book Challenge Celebration

The 100 Book Challenge Celebration is planned for January 16th. Students must be 100 steps further than they were at the 1st celebration. Your child’s goal is listed in the agenda for this week. Remember 30 minutes (2 steps) should be read and signed on the reading log nightly.
Students also need to be taking comprehension tests on the computer for books they have read. Each student is required to take a minimum of 2 tests that count as two quiz grades for each quarter. Students have an opportunity on Fridays to take Reading tests in the computer lab.
We are also working on handwriting and sentence writing. The students know the rules; please encourage him/her to follow them! We are also continuing our study of nouns which includes plural nouns, irregular plurals, and possessive nouns.

Student Teacher

The students and I have enjoyed getting to know our new student teacher, Melinda Fowler. She will be with us one day a week throughout October and November and will begin her daily teaching in January. We are excited to have someone new to learn from and to help us!

Parent Teacher Conferences

In our Tuesday folder that came home on October 14th was a parent teacher conference form. Mrs. Owen and I like to meet with you early in the year to discuss your child's testing, progress that has been made so far this year, and areas of concern. We encourage you to sign up for a time that is convenient for you to come in and meet with us. We also would like to have your child attend.

~We look forward to meeting with you!

100 Step Celebration

I have been pleased with the reading steps that have been logged by most students. The upcoming celebration is scheduled for October 21st. Students have the opportunity to choose a variety of fun activities if they have reached the 100 Step mark by that date. Those students who have not read 100 steps will sit in a classroom and read. Please encourage your student to read every day and have you sign their reading log. You should be seeing this come home nightly!

**Congratulations to these students who have already reached 100 Steps:
Ubaldo De La Torre, Harley Greenway, Jesse Hannah, and Dakota Nichols
Keep up the great work!

MAP Testing

MAP Testing is here! Tuesday, September 9th = Math
Tuesday, September 16th=Reading
Tuesday, September 23rd=Language Arts
Students need:

• A good night’s rest
• A nutritious breakfast
• Be to school on time
• Encourage him/her to do their best!
  

CALENDAR:

Located on the column to the right (under the Social Studies information) is a link to a class calendar. Check this for upcoming tests and activities.

Scholastic Book Orders

Dear Parents,

Periodically you will see several book order forms come home with your child. The reading levels of each form vary. I like to give a variety to choose from, plus it gives you an opportunity to buy for other members of your family.

Some information for you:
· Send in cash or make checks payable to “Scholastic Book Clubs.”
· I try to send home order forms every couple of months; however, I won’t send them home when we are having a book fair here at the school.
· Scholastic has terrific deals on book sets and gives you a mixture of old authors and new authors.
· Orders arrive 7-10 days from the time I make the order. I try to make the order within two days of the date that I have given the students to return the orders.
· Due dates will be written in your child’s agenda or attached to the orders on a separate sheet of paper. I usually allow one week. This first order will be due by Tuesday, September 9th.
· If you want to surprise your child, that can be done. Put the order in an envelope addressed to me, in the school office, and let me know that it is for a gift/reward. I will call you when the order comes in.

Reward with books! You won’t regret it!

~Mrs. H

Welcome Back

It was great to see a few of you last week at Open House. Don't forget to bring your Orange Folders back with you on Monday. If you weren't able to make it, I will send the paperwork home on Monday.

I am looking forward to a wonderful year!
~ Mrs. H.

Summer Vacation!!!

Wow! It is hard to believe that our year together is over. I have enjoyed getting to know each and every one of you! Keep in touch and let me know how 6th grade is going for you.

A few quotes that I used a lot:

• Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it!
• "You only fail when you stop trying." ~ Alexander Graham Bell
• Always be the best person you can be.
• If you aren't reading a lot, you may never find another "favorite" book.

Love,

Mrs. Hawkesworth

5th grade update

Dear Parents,

It is hard to believe that our year together is almost over. I have enjoyed getting to know each and every one of my students. I appreciate your support in helping them to be successful in 5th grade.
~Mrs. Hawkesworth

Upcoming dates:

• Wednesday, May 28th ------- Spa Day, Clemson Tiger Day, Movie Day – students who earned enough ROCKS will be participating in these events.
  
• Thursday, May 29th ------- Spring Picnic will be held during our lunch time. We are schedule to start at 12:05 PM. At 2:00 we will have a celebration to end our Relay for Life campaign.
  
• Friday, May 30th ------- Beach Day – we will be outside this afternoon playing in the sun. Students are encouraged to bring a towel to lay on and a water bottle. School attire is required, but we also are allowing gameboys, iPods, and other electronics. Students are responsible for all items that they bring.
  
• Monday, June 2nd ------- Field Day – We will be outside for most of the day. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes.
  
• Tuesday, June 3rd ------- Honors Day will begin at 8:15 in the gym. Following this ceremony, I would like to invite you back to our room for a slideshow,
  refreshments, and some individual awards for my students. Dismissal – 11:00 AM
  
• Wednesday, June 4th ------- Movie Day – I would like to show the movie “Where the Red Fern Grows”. We read this book together earlier this year. Dismissal – 11 AM
  
• Thursday, June 5th ------- Game Day – Students may bring in games to play – Last Day of School – 11 AM Dismissal

POETRY

We have learned a ton about figurative language. Our study has included similes, metaphors, idioms, hyperboles, onomatopoeia, alliteration, and personification. Some students have been surprised with simple silly sentences to smile about. The test over these will be on Tuesday. It should be as easy as pie to pass!

Atlanta History Center

We really enjoyed our field trip to Atlanta this week. This museum gave us a great introduction to life in the 1800s and the Civil War.

We were also able to go to the Cyclorama. We were amazed by this mural that is the world's largest painting. We learned about the Battle of Atlanta as we rotated through the display.

*It was a great day learning about our history!*

Wax Museum Update

We had a wonderful parent turnout for our Wax Museum! Thank you for your support!

March Updates

Wax Museum:
Please join us for a step back in time on Tuesday, March 18th. You and family members are welcome to join our class in the OIS Media Center from 8:30-9:30 AM. We have turned in our biographies and our posters and are working on our oral reports. These reports should be a minimum of 1 minute in length. Students may use index cards, however, they should have memorized most of their facts and only briefly rely on their notes. This will take some practice at home. They will present their oral reports this Friday, March 14th to our class. Costumes have also been discussed. They will not need to have them until March 18th.

MAP Testing:
Our Spring MAP testing is upon us. We have scheduled extra days so that they students can take their time and do their best. Here is our schedule:
Thursday 3/13/08 and Monday 3/17/08 --- Math MAP
Tuesday 3/15/08 --- ELA Map
Wednesday 3/26/08 and Thursday 3/27/08 --- Reading MAP
**Please encourage your child to get a good night’s rest, eat a good breakfast, and do their best on this testing!**

March Book Report:
Originally our next book report presentation was due at the end of March. Due to the Wax Museum preparation, I have extended this date to April 15th. This will allow for a few extra weeks to get the project done. If you are looking for ideas, scroll down since I posted that information several months ago.

300 Step Read-In:
Thank you for your continued support for the 100 Book Challenge reading. This program has research that shows that an hour of reading every day will increase your child’s reading level drastically. Our next Read-In incentive is scheduled for April 15th. Encourage your child to set a goal and beat this number before then. Many students have already surpassed 300 steps and a few are past 400 steps. I am so proud of all of them! Keep it up!

4th Grade 200 Step Read-In

It is wonderful to see so much reading going on. Most of the students have taken on this goal and are seeing the rewards of reading daily. We will be having our next Read-In on March 6th for those who have made it to 200 steps. Congratulate them --- they are working hard!

Wax Museum - 5th graders

I just introduced our biography project this past week. Students will choose their person on Tuesday, February 5th. Research in the technology lab will begin on Wednesday. This project will include a 5 paragraph essay, a poster, and the presentation. Students will work on most of this during class time. If you are interested in learning more about the requirements check out the link under the "For Students" button on the OIS homepage. This project will fall under both our Social Studies and our Language Arts standards. This writing and poster will also be our February book report. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

Colonial Day

I am excited about our upcoming Colonial Day for 4th grade. Remember that you can dress up if you would like to. Thank you to all of our volunteers. Please be at the school gym by 11:45, so we can get you set up at your station. This will be a great way to learn about the colonial times.

100 Book Challenge (updated)

I am thrilled with the reading that is happening with my 4th and 5th graders. The 100 Book Challenge program puts reading achievement at the front of your child's learning agenda. Any child who is not reading at home is academically at risk. To become great at anything, you need to practice. This program reinforces the practice necessary to become a great reader. The goal of the program is to have every child reach a minimum of 400 steps by the end of the school year. Most of my students should not have any problems achieving this goal.

Please note that I am now requiring 10 "at-home" steps to be read weekly. This will begin the week of January 14th with the new semester. I will continue to check for these steps every Monday during our ELA class.

Thank you for your support!
Mrs. Hawkesworth