March Reading Month – Georgetown is celebrating reading for the month of March. We continue our school-wide western theme of Saddle Up & Read this week! 

• A Daily/Weekly Reading Goal calendar will be sent home with the students. As a parent, you will sign the log agreeing that your child read for the 5th-grade weekly goal. Goal for 5th grade is 30 minutes a day or 150 minutes per week. If they reach this goal their name will be put in a weekly drawing. Students are to turn in their reading logs on Monday.
• We will have dress-up days each Friday in March. Our next dress-up day is Friday, March 19. We welcome students to wear a shirt with a word or saying on it. 

Class Chromebooks – Our Chromebooks have arrived! If your child wants to bring in a pair of wired headphones, we encourage them to keep their headphones in a labeled ziplock bag.

Math:

• We will be assessing Unit 5: Division with Whole Numbers and Decimals early this week.

ELA:

• We are wrapping up our literary essay about the theme found in our book club books.
• Since we’re asking students to spend a few extra minutes reading to complete the reading month calendar, we will not have our normal weekly reading homework sheet for the month of March.

Social Studies:

• We are learning about the first events of the Revolutionary War.

Technology Fun – For March is Reading Month, we had a door decoration contest as a building. We had fun putting together our “Text Tavern.” Students input themselves into a western theme picture and practiced layering images. They incorporated their favorite book they read so far this year!

Virtual Parent-Teacher Conferences – An email was recently sent to all parents regarding virtual conferences which will be held on March 8th or March 10th. Please check your inbox for an email from your child’s classroom teacher and sign up for a time slot on the link provided if you haven’t already done so. Cooley Spring Conference Sign-Up!

March Reading Month – Georgetown will be celebrating reading for the month of March. We will have a school-wide western theme of Saddle Up & Read!  (Tied to Book Fair’s “Wild West” theme.)

We’re all working on memes like this to hang on our door for our Reading Rodeo-themed door competition!

• A Daily/Weekly Reading Goal calendar will be sent home with the students. As a parent, you will sign the log agreeing that your child read for the 5th-grade weekly goal. The goal for 5th grade is 30 minutes a day or 150 minutes per week. If they reach this goal their name will be put in a weekly drawing.
• We will have dress-up days each Friday in March. Our next dress-up day is Friday, March 12. We welcome you to dress like a cowboy or cowgirl and wear flannel or plaid. 

Book Fair – As in the Fall, there will be a book fair for the kids to shop in person or online during conference week. Our preview day is TUESDAY (3/9) and our shopping day is THURSDAY (3/11).

Class Chromebooks – Our Chromebooks have arrived! If your child wants to bring in a pair of wired headphones, we encourage them to keep their headphones in a labeled ziplock bag!

Math Fun

Musical Fun in Music Class – I don’t always get a chance to pop into the specials classes very often, but I did get to sneak a peek at what students were working on in MUSIC! Check out some sweet ukelele playing as these guys rocked out to Thunder by Imagine Dragons! Musical Fun in Music Class!

School is a snooze…when no students are here! – Once in a while when I come into school after hours or on the weekends, I’ll bring my bulldog, Zoe, in to keep me company. She makes herself right at home and snuggles into one of our comfy chairs falls fast asleep! I hope this isn’t how all students feel! Zoe Snoring

Ellie was our “Queen” this week as the class leader but also during a colonial tax activity where students were given smarties and then were unfairly “taxed” and had to give some up. She had fun collecting all of the “Taxes!” 🙂

Miscellaneous:

Virtual Parent-Teacher Conferences

• An email was sent to parents this week regarding virtual conferences which will be held on March 8th or March 10th. Please check your inbox for an email from your child’s classroom teacher and sign up for a time slot on the link provided.

March Reading Month

• Georgetown will be celebrating reading for the month of March. We will have a school-wide western theme of Saddle Up & Read!  (Tied to Book Fair’s “Wild West” theme.)
  • A Daily/Weekly Reading Goal calendar will be sent home with the students. As a parent, you will sign the log agreeing that your child read for the 5th-grade weekly goal. The goal for 5th grade is 30 minutes a day or 150 minutes per week. If they reach this goal their name will be put in a weekly drawing.
  • We will have dress-up days each Friday in March. The first date, Friday, March 5th, will be Hats Off To Reading. Wear a hat, bandana or handkerchief!

Book Fair

• As in the Fall, there will be a book fair for the kids to shop in person or online during conference week. Watch for more information.

Early release on March 5, 2021

Math: 

• We are continuing Unit 5: Division with Whole Numbers and Decimals

ELA:

• We are focusing on themes and continuing to create a literary essay about the theme found in our book club books.
• Since we’re asking students to spend a few extra minutes reading to complete the reading month calendar, we will not have our normal weekly reading homework sheet for the month of March.

Social Studies:

• We are learning about the events that lead to the Revolutionary War.

Literary Essays in Progress

Author Chat: An Interview with Kwame Alexander!

We got the opportunity to listen in on “Light for the World to See: A Conversation with Kwame Alexander,” hosted by Hope College!

As a part of our Black History Month conversation, the Light for the World to See event is prompted by Alexander’s newest powerful and provocative collection of poems that cut to the heart of the entrenched racism and oppression in America and eloquently explores ongoing events.  Light for the World to See is a rap session on race. A lyrical response to the struggles of Black lives in our world . . . to America’s crisis of conscience . . . to the centuries of loss, endless resilience, and unstoppable hope.

Alexander also discussed some of his popular books that our students have eaten up this year, including The Crossover, Rebound, Booked, Becoming Muhammad Ali, and others! Full of tips for aspiring writers and inspiration for us to live and treat each other with respectful understanding, this conversation will be one that students will hopefully remember for a long time!

Miscellaneous:

• Please make sure your child comes to school with a jacket and outdoor clothing appropriate for the weather.
• Parent-teacher conferences will be held in early March. Like in the fall, our conferences will be held via Zoom. Watch for an email with a sign-up link coming soon.
• STAR Testing reports will come home in a white, sealed envelope on Friday, February 19. These are sent home on behalf of the district to fulfill State of Michigan requirements. We will discuss and interpret these at our upcoming parent-teacher conferences in March.
• A quick reminder to relay the importance of having
  your child wear their mask appropriately while in school. Since lots of condensation accumulates after being outside, we have back-up masks available. Alternatively, you could pack a backup mask in your
  child’s backpack if that would be more comfortable.

Habitudes

A GPS is only helpful if you are on paved roads. If you are entering new areas, you need a compass that shows you true north. Similarly, we need values that provide direction when we enter new territory.  Today, during our Habitudes time, we talked about how a compass represents Self-Awareness and Self-Efficacy. Read more about these below!

Miscellaneous:

• Please make sure your child comes to school with a jacket and outdoor clothing appropriate for the weather. Boots, snow pants, gloves, and hats are all highly encouraged! 😉

Math: 

• We are beginning Unit 5: Division with Whole Numbers and Decimals

ELA:

• We are focusing on themes and will begin writing a literary essay about the theme found in our book club books.

Social Studies:

• We are continuing to explore our unit on life in colonial America.

Valentine’s Day

In fifth grade, we do not have individual parties for Valentine’s Day. We will have an optional Valentine exchange. If your child chooses to participate, please have him or her bring a Valentine for each student in the class. If not, that’s okay too! 

In lieu of a party, we will be watching a film to extend our ongoing Black History Month conversations. Our class will be watching The Watson’s Go To Birmingham, 1963, based off of the middle grades novel by Christopher Paul Curtis. Apart from being a highly recommended book that all teachers endorse in 5th grade, this story contributes to the conversation we, as a district, are engaging with regarding some of our SOAR-IV goals relate to the values of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. Throughout the month, we will continue to look for ways to highlight a person or event related to Black history.

Birthday Reminders

Many students have asked if they may celebrate their 1/2 birthday in class, and, of course! Your child may choose that or during the last week of school, we’ll do a “Birthday Blowout” of any summer birthdays that have not been celebrated yet. Please review our birthday policy HERE. Thanks! 🙂

This February, we would like to embark on a journey as a larger school community to bring awareness to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. We recognize that these symbolic endeavors do not replace the need for systemic actions to advance our goals related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. For this reason, the district is currently engaging in committee work with a third-party consultant to develop a strategic plan that will promote the long-term sustainability of these efforts. 

As a district, some of our SOAR-IV goals relate to the values of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. Throughout the month, we will look for ways to highlight a person or event related to Black history.

As a grade-level team, we will begin by using our 5th-grade social studies curriculum to guide our instruction through the history of African Americans in colonial times. Next, we will explore segregation and the Civil Rights Movement. Finally,we will focus on contributions from Black Americans in the area of arts, literature, culture, and science.

Miscellaneous:

• P.E. apparel sale ends on February 1. Click here for ordering information.
• Students will be recording their concussion videos in STEAM class on Tuesday, Feb. 2. They are welcome to bring props and dress up if they would like.
• Kids Heart Challenge information will be coming home soon! Please check out the PE blog for more information.
• Early release – Friday, February 5
• No school – Monday, February 8
• Please make sure your child comes to school with a jacket and outdoor clothing appropriate for the weather!

We’re deep-diving into our book club books!

Groups have spent the first sessions discussing the characters in their books.

Now, groups are discussing theories and making connections with the story. They’ll continue to look for details that will point them toward developing a theme as they interpret their novels.

PE – Apparel Sale will be closing Feb. 1.

STEAM – Video Recording

Your students will record their concussion videos on Tuesday, Feb. 2. They are welcome to bring props and dress up! Thanks for your help, they are so excited!

Hey parents!

What a week it’s been! Aside from the regular academic items listed below, we spent some time talking about Martin Luther King, Jr, and the Inauguration events this week. Notably, we watched and read through a transcript of Amanda Gorman’s “The Hill We Climb” as she recited it for the event on Wednesday.  We discussed the tone of hope that occurs during each administration change-over and how relevant it is to our everyday lives. We held on to the quote at the end:

“For there is always light,

if only we’re brave enough to see it.

If only we’re brave enough to be it” 

We discussed that we need to be the light for each other and be brave and bold to stand up for ourselves and others.  Watch below if you missed it!

Miscellaneous:

• Report cards will be sent home with students on Friday, January 22.
• It is time for the annual HPS P.E. apparel sale. Orders are being accepted through February 1 and will be online only this year. The online order form can be found here.If you have questions, please reach out to Mrs. VanKoevering (mvankoev@hpseagles.net) or Mrs. Nienhuis (tnienhui@hpseagles.net)
• Please make sure your child comes to school with a jacket and outdoor clothing appropriate for the weather

Math: 

• We are working on multiplication with whole numbers and decimals.

ELA:

• We are focusing on themes and will begin forming book clubs for students to focus on theme work in small groups.

Social Studies:

• We are exploring our unit on life in colonial America.

Check Out Our Book Clubs!

Social & Emotional Learning – Habitudes: Hosts & Guests

People of influence take the initiative in relationships. They are intentional about them. They see themselves as hosts, not guests, and they go out of their way to connect with people and provide for them. The image of Hosts and Guests teaches social engagement. This week, your child learned about relationship skills, which is a core competency of Social and Emotional Learning. Relationship skills involve the ability to establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships with diverse individuals and groups. This includes communicating clearly, listening actively, cooperating, resisting inappropriate social pressure, negotiating conflict constructively, and seeking and offering help when needed.