Hey all! Just a reminder, we do not do an official Valentine’s Day Party in 5th grade. We will do some fun things in class, however, not a traditional party. Your child may, if they choose to, prepare Valentine’s cards for everyone in the room. Please be sure that no one is excluded. Here is a list for your child to use for names, etc.
I am looking forward to seeing everyone soon! Cross your fingers for no more delays or snow days! -Mr. Cooley
We have another SNOW DAY today. Please encourage your child to do at least 30 minutes of learning (see below). Thanks to our AMAZING PTC (made possible by your WALK•A•THON Donations), $10 Barnes and Noble Gift Cards (one per grade) will be given to randomly drawn students.
Social Studies & Math Tests We will take the Social Studies test when we return to school. This was scheduled for Friday, however, with that snow day, and now this one, it will be given upon our return. PLEASE have your child STUDY their foldable study guide, Quizizz online practice, and any other materials that they may have at home. If your child did not take the Math test due to absence on Thursday, this will also be given upon our return. Have a safe and productive snow day! 🙂
AND EXTRA special INCENTIVE:
Mrs. Reagan pizza party for the classroom that has the MOST PARTICIPANTS in SNOW DAY LEARNING. She will look at who has participated over all the snow days (last Friday, today …. and maybe other days this week) and the class with the most students who participate will get a PRINCIPAL PIZZA PARTY!
Options for learning:
Students have until 5 pm tonight to participate.
Hello Parents! Check out some upcoming dates, events, and academic focuses affecting 5th grade! As an additional note, the weather seems to be more consistently colder and is reminding us that we need students to be bringing (and wearing) their winter gear outdoors- hats, gloves/mittens, boots, snow pants and warm coats. Some students are skipping on some/all of these when it’s time to play outdoors. Please reinforce the importance of being proactive. Another reminder is to stay healthy in the classroom and at home. We have had multiple students absent each day for the last week or two. Please know that I am working with them to establish healthy sanitizing practices including washing our hands, using wipes, sneezing/coughing in our arms… please continue this at home. It’s a balancing act to catch up when they miss important instructional time!
Classroom Supply Request: Tissues and sanitizing wipes! Believe or not, we are getting low on these! If you would like to help support our room, please send in a box of tissues and/or wipes to support our community of snifflers!
Early Release on February 1st & mid-winter break! We will return to school on Wednesday, February 6th!
Camp News:
Symphony Field Trip
Hudsonville P.E. Apparel
Math: We are launching Unit 5 which will focus on division of whole numbers and decimals. Once again, it is incredibly important that your child keeps practicing their math facts. A high level of fact fluency is a great indicator for future math success!
ELA: Historical Fiction: We are continuing to focus on becoming powerful readers of historical fiction texts. Students are reading historical fiction novels in small groups as book clubs. To keep up with reading expectations, it is important for your child to honor their group’s reading plan.
Social Studies: We are exploring life in colonial America.
Science: We are continuing to study the unit, “Ch-ch-changes” on physical changes.
We conducted an investigation that examined the thermal conductivity of three different types of metal.
Students worked on identifying controlled variables, and the independent and dependent variables.
Students recorded the time it took for portions of crisco and butter to melt along the metal strips.
We conducted the investigation twice after reflecting that our controlled variables needed to be tightened up!
Student-suggested changes were to change the Crisco to butter so that it could be more precisely measured. Another change they suggested was to measure out the intervals between the butter and use straight-sided glass beakers instead of the cups.
Overall, I was very impressed and proud to hear students using the scientific process to identify why the first experiment worked and why the second was better. We’ll take our data and graph it and write up our investigation more thoroughly in the form of a C-E-R (Claim Evidence & Reasoning).
Hello parents! Not too much happening next week outside of the normal, so below you can find some further information about camp and see some of what we are doing in Science! Have a great week!
Camp News:
Check out some photos from an activity from our new science unit: Ch-Ch-Changes!
Students worked together and examined different kinds of metals. They were focusing on the physical properties of flexibility, reflectivity, and magnetism.
Students were given a tub full of various kinds of metals and needed to discover ways to sort and compare metals.
Students used flexibility and reflectivity scales, and they recorded responses on their investigation sheets while looking for patterns in the properties.
Students tested the magnetism of the metals.
Hello parents! I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday season! Students were telling me the wonderful highlights and fun family moments. We were talking as a class this week how we will begin tightening expectations in the new year. Students had the realization that they will become 6th graders in just 5 short months! Eek! So, we discussed the need to have a positive, growth mindset as we prepare for our big transition and ready ourselves emotionally, socially, and academically. Lots of activities to come, including diving into some resources and reflection activities with 7 Habits of Highly Effective Students by Stephen Covey. Check out some happenings below! Cheers to a brand new year!
Miscellaneous:
Early Release: Friday, January 11th.
Camp News:
Math: We are working on a unit that focuses on multi-digit multiplication of whole numbers and decimals. Please continue to help your child with their multiplication math facts.
ELA: Historical Fiction:
Social Studies: We are exploring the early English settlements and colonization. Be on the lookout for study materials that focus on the 13 colonies.
Science: We are kicking off our new unit, “Ch-ch-changes” on physical changes. Check out some images and a video from our last unit below!
We had a great time during our holiday breakfast!
The tables were decorated and set nicely!
Everyone enjoyed the special time together! Thanks for your contributions!
In Science, we conducted a shoreline investigation.
Students observed the effects of waves on a natural seashore…
…and built some seawalls to observe the effects on the natural land nearby.
Hello parents! Check some things that are happening before our winter break next week!
Holiday Music Program:
Georgetown’s 3rd-5th grade holiday music program will be from 7:45 – 8:15 (Students report no earlier than 7:30) on Thursday, December 13th at Fair Haven Church. Please click the link HERE to see more detailed program information from Mrs. Bretz.
Early Release:
Friday, December 14th.
Holiday Class Party:
Our classroom holiday party will be on Friday, Dec. 21. We will be having a breakfast. WE STILL HAVE SOME THINGS AVAILABLE TO SIGN UP FOR IF YOU”D BE WILLING! SEE THEM AT our SignUp.com website: http://signup.com/go/LasncUf!
Holiday Break:
Our last day of school before holiday break will be Friday, December 21. Have a safe and restful break. We’ll see you on January 7.
ELA: Non-Fiction Texts
Science: We are wrapping up our science unit “Go with the Flow!”
Fun with Our Buddies in Kindergarten! Last week, we got together with Ms. Hutchison’s class to build gingerbread houses! It was a fun way to get into the winter spirit and do some STEM activities…and satisfy our sweet tooth as well! Check out some photos below of our creations!
We listened to Ms. Hutchison give directions.
We planned out our designs and started our structures.
Our kindergarten buddies were thrilled to have our 5th graders in to help!
The final result was SWEET!
We had lots of fun!
Hello, parents!
Hello, Parents! The weeks are flying by as we are heading towards our December holiday break! Check out some happenings below!
Candy Cane Sale: The annual candy cane sale is coming! Our 5th-grade classes will be selling candy canes to help raise money for their 5th-grade activities. The sale will be through Friday, December 14th. The cost for each candy cane is $1.00 and they will be delivered the same day they are ordered. Thank you in advance for your support!
Holiday Music Program: Georgetown’s 3rd-5th-grade holiday music program will be from 7:45 – 8:15 (Students report no earlier than 7:30) on Thursday, December 13th at Fair Haven Church. Please click the link HERE to see more detailed program information from Mrs. Bretz.
Toys for Tots: Toys for Tots donations will be accepted until Thursday, Dec. 13. For more information, and to listen to Ainslee and Holiday Cheer Team’s Toys for Tots Message: click here.
Early Release: Friday, December 14th.
Holiday Class Party: Our classroom holiday party will be on Friday, Dec. 21. We will be having a breakfast. Click this link to see our SignUp on SignUp.com: http://signup.com/go/LasncUf!
Check out some fun we’ve been having in our Phenomenal Science unit!
We did a Secchi disk experiment where we measure the visual depth of a disk to determine how much light shines through the top layers of water.
Students used the Secchi disk in three buckets of water mixed with various amounts of debris.
They performed three trials in each bucket and averaged their data for accuracy.
They recorded their findings in data tables and drew models to show what was happening.
They made sure to put their heads together to agree when the Secchi disk “disappeared!”
It took teamwork and cooperation to execute our lab!
Thumbs up for a fun, hands-on investigation!
Hello parents! Check out some happenings coming up in and around our classroom during the upcoming weeks!
Candy Cane Sale:
The annual candy cane sale is coming! Our 5th-grade classes will be selling candy canes to help raise money for their 5th-grade activities. The sale will be from Monday, December 3rd through Friday, December 14th. The cost for each candy cane is $1.00 and they will be delivered the same day they are ordered. Thank you in advance for your support!
Penguin Patch Holiday Shop:
The holiday shop will be available next week if the students wish to buy holiday presents for their loved ones. Our classroom’s shopping day will be Thursday, December 6th, from 10:00-10:45.
Holiday Music Program:
Georgetown’s holiday music program will be in the evening on Thursday, December 13th at Fair Haven Church. Watch the blog for future updates.
Early Release:
Friday, December 14th.
Holiday Class Party:
Our classroom holiday party will be on Friday, Dec. 21. We will be having a breakfast. Check out the SignUp.com link and instructions below:
We’re using SignUp.com to organize our upcoming SignUps. Here’s how it works in 3 easy steps:
Note: SignUp.com does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact me and I can sign you up manually.
Math: Unit 3: Multiplication and Division with Fractions.
Students should continue practicing their math facts using Moby Max.
ELA: Non-Fiction Texts
Social Studies: We’re continuing our social studies unit called Three Worlds Meet.
Science: We are investigating our science unit “Go with the Flow!”
Students simulated what Zebra Mussels do to water by filtering “dirty water” and obersving the before/after effects.
Students had to capture the process visually and describe the changes in writing.
Group members had different roles such as Material Collector, Set-up Coordinator, Task Performer, and Clean up Manager. All were responsible for data collection.
Students had to take what they learned and relate it back to a scenario we examined in class which was about how zebra mussels would affect a lake in which they were recently introduced.
The goal is to see that zebra mussels eat and “filter” material in bodies of water and make the water clearer. We will now begin the discussing how invasive species like zebra mussels impact the ecosystem.
Hey parents! Are you curious about how you can support Georgetown elementary in some BIG and small ways? Look no further! Check out these different ways you can help earn money for our school!
| ONE BIG EVENT PER YEAR: Fall Walkathon
*We are allowed one big money-raising event each year. Walkathon is our BIG EVENT. |
ADDITIONAL FUNDRAISERS THAT BRING IN SMALLER (BUT STILL IMPORTANT!) AMOUNTS OF MONEY
The money we earned goes toward: Playground equipment, field trip funds for every student, online reading programs (RAZ KIDS and Scholastic News), updating old equipment (microphone systems, projectors, etc.), classroom library expansions, library books, and more!
Collect BOXTOPs. Turn them into school as soon as you have a sheet completed.  Every completed BOXTOP sheet is worth $5.00. If every child from Georgetown (approx 580) fills one sheet during the school year, our school earns $2,750. MAKE SURE YOU CHECK EXPIRATION DATE!Many thanks to Lori Simpson and all of you who are on her team of BOX TOP counters, trimmers and packers. This is a great program that pays off because of all of YOU!
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COKE CAPS: Super easy. Save the caps and go online to enter collection! COKE WEBSITE (https://us.coca-cola.com/give/) Select Georgetown Elementary and enter the code on the cap. Now you can recycle the cap. No need to send it to school. |
AMAZON SMILE. Order everything from AMAZON through our smile link to earn our school  MONEY! Go to this link: smile.amazon.com/ch/20-4701906 to earn credit for the Georgetown Elementary PTC whenever you shop on AMAZON. |
 JET’s PIZZA NIGHTS: One Thursday per month. Check our school calendar for the Thursday night each month. When you order, give your child’s teacher name to help his/her class win a pizza party. |
| CULVER’s NIGHT: Two per year: Fall and Spring. Teachers and Parent Club Board members serve food and earn money for our school. Example of Culver’s Night |
| PAPERGATOR:RECYCLE your old paper for our HUNGRY PAPERGATOR. When it’s full, we get money for our school. Papergator located in front parking lot.
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What CAN go into the PAPERGATOR?