March 2020 Newsletter

Upcoming Events 

• Family Life Informational Meeting - Monday, March 2nd

• Bel Aire School Play, “Peter Pan, Jr” - March 6 - 15th

• Walker Creek Outdoor Education - March 17 - 20th

• Spring Break - April 6 - 10th

Reading 

Students are continuing to practice core reading skills to help them summarize, find the main idea, and identify the theme of a story. Classes are also either wrapping up book clubs OR putting the finishing touches on their book summary podcasts. Later this month we will start reading our final core literature novel, My Brother Sam is Dead. 

Writing 

Students are revising/editing their personal narratives; real true moment stories. They will continue writing personal and imaginative stories throughout the month of March as well as learning the publishing process.

Math

We are working on math module 5: Addition and Multiplication with Volume and Area. In this module, students work with two- and three-dimensional figures. Volume is introduced to students through concrete exploration of cubic units and culminates with the development of the volume formula for right rectangular prisms. More information can be found HERE. Videos can be found HERE.

Science

The next unit of science focuses on concepts of “substances” and “chemical reactions.” Students see that chemical reactions enable us to make new materials by transforming the ones we have. The results of these reactions are interesting and sometimes profoundly useful.

Walker Creek 

We are all set to attend Walker Creek. Here is more information from the Walker Creek site. We will depart from Bel Aire Tuesday, March 17, and return Friday, March 20th, around 1pm. 

There is a TON of behind the scenes work that goes into making this trip a success. If you know that your child is NOT attending, please let your child’s teacher know ASAP!  It can make a big difference in the way we balance cabins etc. In the past when students pull out at the last minute it's been a huge disappointment for those who are at camp and find out their friend would've been in their cabin but decided not to come. 

February 2020 Newsletter

Upcoming Events

• February 3: Art returns to Bel Aire with Ms. Caldwell

• February 4: Winter Fair Day

• February 5: Global School Play Day https://www.globalschoolplayday.com/

• February 13: 8-10:30am Children For Change fundraiser breakfast at the Lodge, more information here

• February 14: Valentines Day and End of Tri 2 for AR goals

• Feb 17-21: Mid Winter Break

• March 17-20: Walker Creek Trip

Reading 

As we continue reading from our Benchmark magazines, we are focusing on the essential question, “How do we decide which resources we should develop?”. Students have been taking notes in the app, Notability, as well as annotating important details in their readers. We highlight new and important terminology, as well as underlying skills and concepts that are the focus of our lessons. These include main idea with key details, author’s objective and subjective point of view, and cause and effect. 

Students should be at 80% of their Trimester 2 AR reading goal by January 31st. Mid-trimester AR reports were sent home earlier this month so that all families could have the chance to see their child’s progress towards their personal goals. The last day to earn AR points for Trimester 2 is Friday, February 14th.

Math

This month students will complete the second half of Module 4. Lessons 13-33.  

• Students will learn:

• Multiplication of a fraction with a fraction

• Multiplication with fractions and decimals

• Division of fractions and decimal fractions

• Interpretation of numerical expressions

Module 4 videos can be found HERE. Module 4 Parent Tip sheet can be found HERE. 

Science

This month we are wrapping up our earth science unit about all things water, and will dive into the  physical science of chemistry. Students will learn about mixtures and molecules, and focus on solving the driving question: What happens when two substances are mixed together?

Writing

We are continuing with our Narrative Unit.  The students are focusing on personal narratives; real true moment stories. Students will organize a clear sequence of events, use sensory details to describe events and demonstrate appropriate writing conventions (rules of writing). 

Social Studies

Students will be studying or have studied:

• the reasons Europeans chose to explore and colonize the world

• the cooperation and opposing competition among various nations with the American Indians, and the factors that led to the American Indians defeat

• the location and physical setting of the 13 original colonies

Walker Creek

We are all set to attend Walker Creek. Here is more information from the Walker Creek site. We will depart from Bel Aire Tuesday, March 17, and return Friday, March 20th, around 1pm.

There is a TON of behind the scenes work that goes into making this trip a success. If you know that your child is NOT attending, please let your child’s teacher know ASAP!  It can make a big difference in the way we balance cabins etc. In the past when students pull out at the last minute it's been a huge disappointment for those who are at camp and find out their friend would've been in their cabin but decided not to come.

January 2020 Newsletter

Upcoming Events

• Jan 20th: No School, MLK Day

• Jan. 27 - 31st: Geo-Bee at lunch 12:10-12:35

• Feb 5th: Global Play Day

• Feb. 14th - Valentine’s Day 

• Feb 17-21st Mid Winter Break: No School

Geography Bee

Fourth and fifth-grade students will be showcasing their geography knowledge at the Bel Aire Geo Bee. Who will be crowned the Bel Aire Geo Bee Champion of 2020? We are very excited about The Bel Aire Geo Bee this year. Competition dates: Jan 27th - 31st - Lunchtime recess @12:10 in MPR.

Reading

Students are continuing lessons in Unit 3 of Benchmark Advance, which is titled “Cultivating Natural Resources.” They are practicing cause and effect, determining an author’s point of view, and finding the main idea of passages. In addition, many students are working on recording their very own reading podcast. This allows them to practice summarizing a recent or favorite book with a bit of a creative, individual twist. These podcasts will be shared on Seesaw at a later date so that 5th graders can learn what books their peers recommend. Other students have been meeting weekly for “Book Clubs,” where they have the opportunity to read and discuss high-interest stories in small groups. 

Writing

It is time for our Narrative Writing Unit! This month we will focus on writing a true moment and an imaginative story.  The writing elements that will be taught are setting, characters, plot, and solution. Students will understand dialogue, detail, and description. 

Math

Students are beginning Module 4, which covers multiplication and division of fractions and decimals. Module 4 videos can be found HERE. Module 4 Parent Tip sheet can be found HERE. Also, all students have a Dreambox account paid for by the school district. This a great way to get additional math practice at home. 

Science 

We are beginning to wrap up our study on water around or world. Students continue to learn about how the earth’s biosphere and hydrosphere are interdependent. Water and food waste conservation are the main focus of this month’s driving question: How do humans work to protect the hydrosphere?  

Design Lab

In the Design Lab, students have been introduced to the Swift Playground coding app. Swift is the program used by Apple. Next class, students will begin typing their own code using Swift!

Walker Creek

The fifth-grade team would like to announce that we have enough parent volunteers (cabin leaders) for this year’s trip. More information, along with Walker Creek paperwork will be going home with your child at the end of the month. In the meantime, feel free to review the helpful information on this page and the packing list students will need for this year’s event

Walker Creek is having an open house and parents tour on January 23rd from 11:00 to 12:15 p.m. with an optional hike from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.  To RSVP, please call Walker Creek Ranch @ (415) 491-6602 by Monday, Jan. 20th. 

December 2019 Newsletter

Upcoming Events 

• December 9-20: Secret Holiday Buddy (information coming home about this later in the week)

• December 18: 8:30-10am Holiday Concert

• December 21-Jan 6: Winter Break

• January 15: Deadline for parents to be approved by Livescan to attend Walker Creek

• January 20: MLK Day, No School

Reading

Students will begin lessons in Unit 2 of Benchmark, which is titled “Cultivating Natural Resources”. The essential question is: How do we decide which resources we should develop? In this unit, students read and compare selections about cultivating food in the past and today to understand how we develop our natural resources.

Social Studies

This month in Social Studies we'll begin studying the Age of Exploration by answering the following Big Questions:

• Why did Europeans sail to new places?

• Who were the explorers and what did they find?

• What explorations were made by land?

• Where in the Americas did European countries claim land?

Writing

This month, students will:

• Learn the key components of an effective opinion piece.

• Review and implement strategies for writing organized essays.

• Use a rubric to self assess their progress. 

Math

This month, students are starting on Module 3, which covers addition and subtraction of fractions. Math videos for Module 3 can be found HERE. Math tips for parents newsletter for Module 3 can be found HERE.

Science

Students continue to read about how the earth’s biosphere and hydrosphere are interdependent.  Water and food waste conservation are the main focus in this month’s driving question: How do humans work to protect the hydrosphere?

Walker Creek

We currently have 4 female and 6 male cabin leaders approved for the trip. We must have 6 more female and 4 more male cabin leaders in order to make this annual trip happen. The livescan process can take awhile depending on time of year. 

If you are available to spend 3 nights with us March 17-20, 2020, I highly encourage you to consider it. It is a wonderful week of environmental science and outdoor education. All of the 5th grade teachers are there too. We run the infirmary and take care of many things behind the scenes while you are with the students and teachers from Walker Creek. The staff at Walker Creek is phenomenal and every year the children come home with so many wonderful memories.

We must have everyone approved by January 15, 2020.

Please complete the livescan process if you are able to join us on this adventure.

Design Lab

• Students will be practicing their coding skills by using the Swift Playground coding app.

• Students will solve problems with an increasing complexity gaming format and be taught coding fundamentals.

November 2019 Newsletter

Upcoming Events

• November 4-8: Parent, teacher, student conference week. Early dismissal daily at 12:10pm
• Wednesday, November 6: Pajama/Onesie Day!
• Monday, November 11: Veterans Day, No School
• Thursday, November 14: 5th-grade percussion 2:35-3:45pm
• November 25-29: No School, Thanksgiving Break

Writing 

This month students will be focusing on the second type of writing -- opinion writing. 

• Write an On-Demand pre-test essay to see what they know about opinion writing. 
• Review the organization of an essay.
• Use a graphic organizer to know how to stake a claim/form an opinion and back-up research with facts. 
• Conduct research
• Write a final product of a 5 paragraph opinion essay

Reading / Social Studies

Students are finishing the novel, The Sign of the Beaver, in reading. Students will discuss the concept of theme and main idea, and support their understanding of the book with text evidence questions. 

Math 

We are halfway through Module 2. The first half of this module students learned to multiply with multi-digit numbers. They will use their Mid Mod results to self assess where they are in their learning and what they need to improve for the End of Mod test. In the second half of this unit, students will learn to divide three and four-digit dividends by two-digit divisors resulting in two and three-digit quotients with remainders and decimals. Students will solve measurement word problems as well. More information HERE.

Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences 

Parent-Student-Teacher conferences are scheduled for the week of November 4th. Conferences are student-led in 5th grade and should take between 20 -25 minutes each. We are looking forward to discussing each child’s progress & goals for the year. Reminder, school dismissal is 12:10 during the week of conferences. 

Science 

Students are focusing on a new Driving Question this month: How do humans work to protect the hydrosphere? This week we build a watershed model and simulated pollution from the biosphere.  We then mimicked the water cycle and learned how pollutants are getting into our freshwater systems. Ask your child about what s/he learned about our local watershed.

Walker Creek 

Fifth graders are in need of your help for our upcoming Walker Creek Outdoor Education field trip. We currently have 5 parents cleared to go on this amazing learning adventure. The 5th-grade team must have 15 more parents (7 female & 8 males) as volunteers to be cabin leaders.  If we don’t get enough parents as cabin leaders by February 1st, unfortunately, we will not be able to go to the camp.  Click Here to learn more about what it means to be a cabin leader. 

Camp Dates: Tuesday, March 17th - Friday, March 20th

• Please click for Live Scan Paperwork 
• Please click for Live Scan Locations
• Cost: $70  
• Could take as long as 2 months to process!

October 2019 Newsletter

Upcoming Events

• October 2 & 3: Bel Aire Spelling Bee 12:10-12:35pm in MPR
• October 2: Principal Cala’s Birthday!
• October 4: Run for Reed Fundraiser (after school)
• October 8-9: Yom Kippur
• October 10: 5th grade field trip to Larkspur Theatre
• October 15-17: Bel Aire Book Fair
• October 14: Staff Development Day: No students
• October 16: Book Fair Family Night 4-7pm
• October 17: The Great Shakeout (earthquake drill)
• October 23: Picture Make-up Day
• October 24: Bel Aire Fall Festival (details to follow)
• October 31: Halloween (details to follow)

Reading

Students are continuing to explore Benchmark’s Unit 1 - The U.S. Constitution: Then and Now. Throughout the upcoming pieces of text they will:

• Identify key details and summarize
• Analyze informational and narrative texts
• Evaluate an author’s use of language
• Compare and contrast texts
• Use text evidence to draw inferences

In addition, students are reading the fictional novel titled, The Sign of the Beaver. This story highlights a time of early U.S. settlers in Maine during the early 18th century. A boy, Matt, is left alone to guard his cabin while his family is away. Matt learns survival skills and befriends a Native American boy named Attean who teaches him about his culture and helps him survive. Students will discuss the setting, character traits, plot mountain, and theme, and will support their understanding of these concepts with text evidence.

Social Studies 

This month in Social Studies we'll be studying The First Americans by answering the following Big Questions:

•     How did geography and climate affect how people lived?
•     What common ways of life developed among American Indian cultures?
•     How did American Indian groups work together?

Writing

This month, students are: 

• Building a well structured 5-paragraph essay using the t-chart method.
• Beginning informational research writing essay on a famous city.
• Students will conclude the unit by writing a short research essay, due Nov. 1st.

Math 

This month our class will finish up Eureka Module 1: Place Value and Decimals. We have been focusing on the following: place value, rounding decimals, adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing decimals. We will be moving into Module 2. In the first half of this module students are learning to multiply with multi-digit numbers. In the second half of this unit, students will learn to divide three and four-digit dividends by two-digit divisors resulting in two and three-digit quotients with remainders. Students will also learn to divide with decimals and solve measurement word problems. More information HERE.

Seminars begin on Tuesday, October 1st!  

Seminars are designed to give support and enrichment opportunities in order to meet the needs of the individual students in the fifth grade. They will be working with specialists and all 5th-grade teachers to learn about a variety of topics. Seminars will take place every Tuesday and Friday through November, giving students two chances to work in small groups to accomplish specific goals. 

Mid-trimester Reports  

We are already approaching the midpoint of the first trimester. Teachers will be sending home mid-trimester reports to all families who have children needing extra help and support in school - academics and/or behavior. This is our way of making sure parents are aware of any challenges their child may be working on as they progress towards mastery of standards. We want to be sure every child is getting the help and support needed.

Walker Creek

A friendly reminder, if you are interested in volunteering to be a cabin leader at Walker Creek, please complete the Live Scan paperwork and fingerprinting as soon as possible. If you have previously been fingerprinted within the last 2 years for RUSD only, you do not need to go through the Live Scan process again. Remember, we'll need about 10 men and 10 women in order for our 5th grade to go this year. 

• Camp Dates:  Tuesday, March 17 - Friday, March 20th
• New Requirement: Must get Fingerprinting through Live Scan
• See Attached Live Scan Form
• $70  
• It could take as long as 2 months to process!
• Cost per student: $352.00

September 2019 Newsletter 

Upcoming Dates

• Sept 2:  No school
• Sept. 12:  Picture Day
• Sept 12:  7:30am - 8:00 am in the Bel Aire Board Room regarding Walker Creek / Outdoor Ed Information 
• Sept. 26:  Math Centers
• Oct. 4: Run for Reed

Homework 

Students are required to read 30 minutes a night in 5th grade.  Additional homework may be assigned Monday through Thursday for skill practice and reinforcement; but not to exceed 60 minutes.  Good news, no homework will be assigned on Fridays. 

Writing 

Fifth graders begin the year with the following:

• Learn about topic sentences, main ideas, supporting details, and concluding sentences using the Step Up To Writing program and Writers Workshop.
• Learn how to build a well-structured paragraph.

Reading / Social Studies 

• Students have begun working with their reading teacher (Ms. McKay or Ms. Forestier). This month they will:
• Review routines that will take place during Reader’s Workshop
• Begin Benchmark Unit 1: The U.S. Constitution: Then and Now. In this unit, students will read and compare selections about the development of laws and about people who have fought to change unfair laws, as will as analyze why laws evolve. 

  Science

• TWIG Science:  This month students will explore the concept of fresh water and sustainability.  Through investigating the issue of water scarcity, students become hydrologists and examine water pollution and the possibility of desalination.  Students will be challenged to create a solution to protect the earth’s fresh water.

Math 

This month our class will study Eureka Module 1: Place Value and Decimals. During this unit they will focus on the following:

•  Students are learning about: place value, rounding decimals, adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing decimals.
• Next, they will learn about Multi-Digit Whole Number and Decimal Fraction Operations

Walker Creek / Outdoor Ed. 

A Walker Creek / Outdoor Ed. parent informational meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 12th from 7:30 a.m. - 8:00 a.m in the Bel Aire Board Room.

August 2019 Newsletter 

Upcoming Dates:

• Sept 2:  No school
• Sept. 12:  Picture Day
• Sept 12:  7:30am - 8:00 am in the Bel Aire Board Room regarding Walker Creek / Outdoor Ed Information 
• Sept. 26:  Math Centers
• Oct. 4: Run for Reed 

Homework 

Students are required to read 30 minutes a night in 5th grade.  Additional homework may be assigned Monday through Thursday for skill practice and reinforcement, but not to exceed 60 minutes.  Good news, no homework will be assigned on Fridays. 

Writing 

Fifth graders begin the year with the following:

• Learn about topic sentences, main ideas, supporting details, and concluding sentences using the Step Up To Writing program and Writers Workshop.

• Learn how to build a well-structured paragraph.

Reading / Social Studies

• Students have begun working with their reading teacher (Ms. McKay or Ms. Forestier). This month they will:

• Review routines that will take place during Reader’s Workshop

• Begin Benchmark Unit 1: The U.S. Constitution: Then and Now. In this unit, students will read and compare selections about the development of laws and about people who have fought to change unfair laws, as well as analyze why laws evolve. 

TWIG Science