A Note From Your Fifth  Grade Teachers
Fifth Grade Connections
October 20th, 2016

Dear Fifth Grade Families,

We hope you have recovered from Pumpkin Festival weekend and are well on your way to preparing for Halloween and Thanksgiving...

October 31, 5th graders will:
  • Come to school in costume (They'll need a change of clothes for recess/PE)
  • Perform in a spooky skit
  • Participate in the Halloween parade
  • Enjoy the wonders of dry ice in the capable hands of Marie Smith
  • Host Halloween stations for their 1st grade buddies

Sincerely, 

Your Fifth Grade Team
Anastasia Pickens and Heather DeWeerd

THANK YOU

Thank you to Marcus, Amy, Nikki, Colleen S., Kerry, Denise, Esperanza, Cameron, Michelle H., John, and Shauna for your time and effort with the marine science field trip.
What We Have Been Up To
Math & Science
Helpful Things to Say When Your Child Asks for Help with Math Homework

In order to help your child become a strong and flexible problem solver, I assign a variety of math activities as homework: games, intensive practice pages, and open-ended problems.

When your child asks you for help, please try not to jump in with an answer no matter how tempting that may be!  Instead, try using some of these prompts to support their thinking and perseverance:
  • Does this remind you of other problems you have done in class?
  • What have you come up with so far?
  • Where do you think you should start?
  • What is the problem asking you to do? 
  • Would drawing a diagram of picture help? 
  • Why do you think your answer is not correct? 

 We are learning:

How ocean currents and decomposing plastic turn into one big mess in our ocean.

How number systems were created and refined over time until we got the elegant Hindu-Arabic base-10 system we use today.

Ask Your Child:

What does decompose mean?  

What are decomposers?

Can numbers be decomposed?

What is a system?  As a family, brainstorm as many systems in your life as you can think of.
Humanities

In Reading, we've been doing some character analysis. We've looked at character traits and how we know they have these traits. We also explored how the main character has changed. And always when we read, we pull out interesting or tricky vocabulary words.

Helpful Things to Say or Ask When Your Child Reads
  • Write down any words that may be tricky or they don't understand.
  • What are some character traits of the main character? How do you know this?
  • How has your character changed?
  • What is the problem the character is facing? 
  • Do you have any predictions? 
  • Summarize what you've read so far. 

Your child should be able to read for AT LEAST 30 minutes everyday. 

In Writing we are knee deep in the writing process. Ask your child about "ARMS and CUPS" and how it helps their writing. Students have also been enjoying the using a thesaurus!  

Finally, we are about to explore the seas in Social Studies! Our read aloud is Stowaway by Karen Hesse. It will teach us not only about the British explorer Captain James Cook, but it will also help us to learn about tall ships and get us ready for the Balclutha!
Upcoming Events
Halloween Celebration
Monday, October 31st

We will begin our  Halloween  Celebration with a  K-8  A ssembly  in the gym at  8:30 a.m. , followed by a  Costume  Parade across the blacktop and around the field. Parents are welcome to attend. This will be a great opportunity for students to showcase their costumes and for parents to take photos! 

All students should come to school in their costumes. Please make sure your child brings a labeled bag to take his/her costume safely home, as well as comfortable clothes to participate in regular school activities after the festivities.

As a reminder, we are a K-8 community and students are asked to wear school appropriate costumes. Please remember to leave weapons and/or other costume props that violate school rules at home. 
All Things Balclutha
Friday, November 11th

** Chaperone Update

Thank you to Ben, David, Regan, Bryan, and Amy/Lee for volunteering to chaperone. Regan will be the photographer.

We need one more chaperone--the food is sumptuous, there's outdoor dining, the cabins are cozy, and the city views are magnificent.  It's a night you won't soon forget. Please email Anastasia to secure the final spot.

**Galley Gear

Each participant will need a metal cup, bowl or plate and spoon. More details to come!

Fifth Grade Parent Coffee & Middle School Tour
Tuesday, November 15th

Sea   Crest   Fifth   Grade  parents are invited to an informational coffee and tour of our Middle School on  Tuesday, November 15th  from  8:30 - 11:00 a.m.  beginning in the Think Tank. Prior to the event, please see this  NPR article  on the value of K-8 schools. We look forward to sharing information about Middle School and answering any questions you may have.  Click here to RSVP .
Thank You
Thanks to all who were able to join us to walk in the Annual Pumpkin Festival Parade! Special thanks to Tina Lourenco, Heather Sandel, Karen Doherty and their team for all their dedication creating the float and costumes.
How to Reach Us
  • If questions ever arise, please do not hesitate to reach out! We are available by email at: apickens@seacrestschool.org and/or hdeweerd@seacrestschool.org. Email is our preferred method of communication. We will check our email after school daily. 

  • If there is an emergency, please call Cathy at the front desk, at 650.712.9892.
Photo Galleries
Fifth Grade

Do you have photos you'd be willing to share with the school? Please upload them here, or email them at communications@seacrestschool.org.  Thank you!

SEA CREST SCHOOL  |  seacrestschool.org  |  650.712.9892
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