Allison McCarthy

Week of April 21st

Welcome Back!  I hope everyone enjoyed their break!  I had a great time getting married in Florida.  Everything was perfect and the weather turned out beautiful!  Some things that are coming up:

• We will be reviewing and practicing for CRCT.
• Reading logs are due TUESDAY 4/22.
• CRCT testing begins everyday (23rd-30th) at 8:00 sharp.  Please make sure you are ON TIME or you will not be able to enter the classroom!
• PARENTS ~ Please do NOT visit your child for lunch during the CRCT.  Our times have changed.
• No parent will be allowed to the classroom during CRCT.  You will be asked to leave.
• STUDENTS ~ Make sure you are getting to bed early and eating a good breakfast before coming to school.  Make sure you have a healthy snack to eat on our break during testing.

Everyone is going to do a great job on CRCT!!

Week of March 31st

It's almost time for Spring Break!!  Here are some things we will be working on before the break:

• Dividing Decimals by whole numbers
• Begin Persuasive Writing
• Author Study ~ Gail Gibbons
• Food webs and Food chains

Important Dates

• April 2 ~ Chapter 21 Math Test
• April 3 ~ Field Trip

We are in need of Clorox Wipes!!  :)

Question:  What are you doing for Spring Break?

Week of March 24th

I hope everyone is having a great week!  Here are some things we will be working on next week:

• Dividing Decimals and Division Patterns (Chapter 21)
• CRCT Practice/Review
• Beginning Ecosystems
• Finishing Westward Expansion

Important Dates:

• Picture Day is Monday, March 24th
• Math Chapter 20 Test on March 26th
• Chapter 11 and 12 Social Studies Test on March 28th

Donations:

• We are in need of Clorox Wipes.  We like to keep the germs in our room as low as we can.   :)  Thank you!

Week of March 10th

I hope you can all attend our VIP tomorrow!  We are looking forward to it!  Some things we are working on next week:

• Math reviewing and extending
• Quick Writes
• Literature Circles
• A New Frontier and Westward Expansion

Important Dates

• Math (class) Post Test ~ Monday
• Fire Safety ~ last day is Wednesday
• Social Studies Ch. 9 and 10 Test ~ Thursday (students have an outline of these chapters to study in their binders)

Student Question:  What is your favorite thing about Social Studies that we have talked about?

Week of March 3rd

Here are the things we will be working on this week:

• Reviewing all of the 3rd nine weeks math concepts for the post test on Wednesday.
• CRCT practice on math concepts.
• Working on our Travel Brochures.
• Beginning Literature Circles.
• A New Nation and the documents that shaped our government.

Important Dates:

• Monday March 3 ~ Read All Day (RAD).  Students will be able to wear crazy socks, bring in a towel to read on, a favorite book from home, and a flashlight!
• Tuesday March 4 ~ Early Release!
• Wednesday March 5 ~ End of the 3rd nine weeks Math Post Test.
• Thursday March 6 ~ ALL VIP materials are due(poster or desk display, question box with questions, and souvenirs)!
• Friday March 7 ~ VIP TEA!  Please make sure you have your costume.  Parents may attend by following the given schedule.  Last names A-H my visit from 8:15-8:50.  Last names I-Z may visit from 9:00-9:35.

Have a great weekend!!

Week of February 18th

First of all, I want to thank each and every one of you for a wonderful teacher appreciation week I am having!!  I have received so many great things that I would be up all night writing individual thank you notes!  So thank you everyone!!  Thank you for all of my great Valentines Day gifts as well!  Some things we will be working on and finishing up next week:

• Adding and Subtracting Decimals
• No spelling due to the short week
• Finishing State Posters
• VIP Outlining
• Finishing Space Unit

Important dates:

• NO SCHOOL Feb 18^th and 19^th!
• Scholastic Book Orders due tomorrow Friday Feb 15th
• Six Flags Read to Succeed due Wednesday Feb 20th
• Field Trip permission slip and payment due Friday Feb 22nd
• Fire Safety Homework (p:10-11 and parent signature) due Monday Feb 25

No donations are needed at this time!  I have received so many great things and supplies!  Thank you!

Week of February 11

Here are some things we will be working on:

• Math - Chapter 15 Test
• Begin Rounding decimals and estimating their sums and differences.
• Begin our State Poster Reports (informational text/writing)
• Work on VIP outlines
• Talk about the planets in our solar system (relative size and distance from the sun)
• Technology used to study the night sky

Important Date:

• Fire Safety Lessons (tentative) ~ Monday and Wednesday
• Valentines Day ~ Feb 14
• Junior Achievement ~ Feb 14
• Progress Reports Reports ~ Feb 14
• We MAY have the Space Test on Friday the 15th if we do not have the fire safety lessons.  I will let you know of the exact date as soon as I know.  But, you can still start studying!  :)

Student Question:  What part of our space unit do you like the most so far?

Things are classroom is in need of:

• Hand Sanitizer
• Tissue

Thanks for all of your donations so far!  We really appreciate all of them!

Week of February 4th

This week, we will be working on:

• Adding and Subtracting Fractions and Mixed numbers
• Review Parts of Speech
• Sequencing
• Physical Attributes of the Stars
• Start talking about the relative size of planets and their distance from the sun

Important Dates:

• Wednesday Feb 6 - Early Release!

Thank you for your donations to our classroom!  We are still in need of:

• Hand Sanitizer
• Clorox Wipes

Student Question:  What is your favorite thing you are learning about in school?

Week of January 28

Conference week is going great!  We are all staying focused and getting a lot of work finished!  Keep up the great work class!  Some things we will be working on:

• Math - Finishing and Reviewing Chapter 18
• Using commas and quotations appropriately
• Informational Writing Piece
• Using the encyclopedia and review dictionary skills
• Continue Fact and Opinion
• Review what causes the seasons
• Moon Phases

Important Dates:

• Friday Jan 25 - Last day for the Book Fair in the Media Center
• Monday Jan 28 - EARLY RELEASE (conferences)
• Fridat Feb 1 - Math Chapter 18 Test and Reference Book Test

Our class is in need of:

• **Hand Sanitizer**
• **Clorox Wipes**
• Emergency Pencils

Student question:  What is your favorite thing to do after you DO YOUR HOMEWORK?

Thanks!  Have a wonderful week!

Week of January 21st

Hello!  Can you believe it snowed yesterday?  We had a lot up in Canton where I live!  WOW!  Some things we have been, and will be, working on:

• Fractions (mixed, improper, equivalent)
• Began CRCT practice and will continue
• Began informational writing using our outlines
• Text Features from Informational text
• Cause and Effect
• Began Space Unit and will continue

We have a RISE student from Kennesaw Mountain HS joining our class every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!  His name is Mickey, and he will be in our class during Science!  This is a great opportunity for him to see what it is like in a classroom and to help in his high school career.  We are very excited to have him!

Student Question:  Did you play in the snow?  I did!  Chopper really liked it!  :)