Week of December 3, 2007

It was a pleasure meeting with each and every one of you this week. I hope I answered all your questions. Please feel free to email me or call me if you have any concerns or further questions. Can you believe we are now in December? Just a reminder, our Service Project gifts are only trickling in; please remember our family this weekend if you happen to be shopping! Here's what's happening the first week of December:

Spelling: Lesson 12 -- Test on Friday.

Reading: The Polar Express chugs on! We will be discussing the book, particularly main characters, setting, problem, and solution.

Language Arts: We continue Chapter 3 on Verbs, focusing this week on verb tense.

Social Studies: Chapter 7, Lessons 2 and 3, particularly the French and Indian War.

Science: We will start studying the living systems, including the circulatory, respiratory, and digestive systems.

Math: Division continues; Checkpoint Quiz on Tuesday!

Other Important Notes:

*We will no longer be using the "How to Study" sheets. The students are well aware of how to study now, so we've achieved our goal!

*Last day for Service Project gifts: December 5 (Wednesday)

*We will be starting Too Good For Drugs on Friday, 12/7

*Reading party during lunch on Tuesday, 12/4

*Nutcracker on 12/13

*Polar Express on 12/21

Have a great week! Mrs. Klacza

Week of November 26, 2007

I hope you are all enjoying your Thanksgiving holiday. It is truly a time to be thankful, eat wonderful food, and visit with family and friends. We had a very short week here in school. The students were very excited about the long weekend, as was their teacher!! And, coming up next week:

Spelling: We will get back to business with Lesson 11. Test Thursday.


Reading: We have finished our study of the fascinating country of India. We made Raita together, which is a traditional Indian dip, served on flatbread. Ask your child about it! We will complete the "L" portion of our KWL chart on India. We will do a little writing and a Time for Kids before starting our next Reading unit on The Polar Express. I know the students will love it.



English: We will begin Chapter 3 this week which is the study of Verbs.

Social Studies: We will begin Chapter 7 entitled "The Fight for a Continent." We will focus specifically on the Spanish moving North this week.


Science: We are coming to the end of our Flight & Rocketry unit. This week we will focus on rockets and plan to launch our own on Thursday. An assessment activity will begin this week covering the entire unit.


Math: We will begin Chapter 5 on Dividing this week.

Other Notes: Dig In to a Good Book reading program will begin for the second trimester this week. The students who met their goal for first trimester have received a letter regarding the Reading Celebration. It will be held on Monday, December 3. There is a new book report format for 2nd trimester.


Please don't forget, Conferences will be held this week on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I look forward to sitting down with all of you and discussing your wonderful children. Please try to be on time as our time together is so limited. Report cards will be going home on Tuesday.

There is no school on Friday.


Please don't forget our Adopted Family service project. Our collection boxes have arrived, waiting to be filled with gifts and other goodies!


Bon Apetit! Mrs. Klacza

Thanksgiving Week

Greetings! This will be a short and sweet blog since the upcoming week is short and sweet!! I sent home a letter today about our adopted family and the children at Lutherbrook. Please read it carefully and consider purchasing something for your child to donate to this most worthy cause. We brainstormed some ideas and I'm hopeful this will be a successful service project. I know we are all incredibly busy at the holidays, but do consider these families and children at Lutherbrook when making your holiday purchases!! The deadline is Wednesday, December 5th.

Next week we'll only be here Monday and Tuesday. We plan to assemble and complete our "Taj Mahal" projects, which is our culminating India activity in Reading. We will spend time on various Thanksgiving activities, including Thanksgiving T-charts in Math! Oh, the fun... There will be no spelling words this week. There is a Music test on Monday. Don't forget, the trimester is coming to an end. Can you believe it?

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. I am so thankful for District 66 and your wonderful children, my students!

Enjoy and eat hearty!! Mrs. Klacza

Weeks of November 12 and November 19, 2007

We had a great week. It was much quieter than the week of Halloween, and I felt like we accomplished a lot. Please check your child's binders for "Friday folder" papers. We had a huge desk clean-out today and some students had very important papers stuffed inside their desks! We are trying to become responsible fifth graders!!

And, coming up this week:

Spelling: We will have a holiday word list this week. There will be no contract work. Students will all complete the same homework activities.

Reading: We will be working on our final paragraph from our India books. We will be visiting the computer lab later in the week to type up our paragraphs. Final projects will be completed the following week using our three typed paragraphs. We will end our study of India by whipping up a traditional Indian snack dip.

English: We have finished Chapter 2 on Nouns. I would like to take some time to work in our ISAT practice books and master our skills in work meanings, particularly, synonyms, antonyms, homonyms, idioms, and analogies.

Social Studies: We are at the very end of Chapter 6. Lesson 4 focuses on slavery in the northern colonies and in the south. Ask your child how slaves were treated in both colonies! There will be a Chapter 6 test on Wednesday, 11/14.

Science: We'll continue Flight & Rocketry, specifically jet planes. Information on our paper airplane contest has gone home. It is scheduled for November 16. This will be a graded activity.

Math: We will finish Chapter 4 on multiplication and our daily, timed "mad minutes" will also come to an end at the end of the week. Many students have already passed their 12's! We will be having a math test on Chapter 4 on Friday, 11/16.

Other Notes: Dig In to a Good Book reading program will end for the first trimester on November 19. Many students have already met their goals. Please ask your child whether they still need to complete their "book reports."

Choir Students need to wear their shirts on Monday for yearbook pictures. Band students will also be getting their pictures taken.

Friday, 11/16, is another Spirit Day. Dress in your favorite sports' team gear!!

For your information, there is a quick and easy way to get to my blog. On the first page of the District 66 website, left hand side, you will see Staff Directory. Click on that and then scroll down to my blog! Super easy!!

End of Trimester: November 20. Thanksgiving holiday 11/21 -- 11/25.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! Mrs. Klacza

It's November and there is a chill in the air. Again, an exciting week was enjoyed by one and all! After the students had a nice, long 3-day weekend, Halloween was upon us!! After a lively parade through the building and outside, a lovely party was given to us by a wonderful group of parents. Thank you so much to everyone who contributed a game, a treat, juice, etc. You are all so appreciated. Not only do I appreciate all you do, but the children do, too. On Friday, we held "Ye Old Trade Fair." The students brought in and traded their hand-made items, reminiscent of colonial times. The students were kind, respectful, and had a whole lot of fun! It was a great lesson in Supply/Demand, too. Ask your child about it; I'm sure you will when you see all their "treasures."

And, coming up this week:

Spelling: We will be moving on to Lesson 10 this week. The test will be Friday.

Reading: Did you know that the white elephant is a sign of good luck in India? Your child will be more than happy to tell you about it. We created our own elephants this week and will begin to outline and write a paragraph on the next section of our India book.

English: This week we will finish Chapter 2 on Nouns. A test on Chapter 2 is planned for Friday, November 9. Look for a How to Study sheet, which will be coming home on Wednesday. They are worth 2 points if used appropriately.

Social Studies: Everyday life in the colonies will be the focus of Lesson 3. We'll talk about what a typical child in colonial times did for fun. We'll also read about Ben Franklin and some of the timeless sayings from Poor Richard's Almanack (Almanac.) It will be interesting to see how many the children have heard! Tentative date for Chapter 6 test is November 14.

Science: We'll continue Flight & Rocketry, specifically Airfoils. We have completed Activities 1-7 in our booklets and a quiz will cover that information on Wednesday, November 7. A review sheet will be completed by students on Tuesday and a study guide will also come home on Tuesday. Watch out for information on our paper airplane contest, scheduled for November 16.

Math: We continue Chapter 4 on multiplication and our daily, timed "mad minutes." A checkpoint quiz will be given on Tuesday. If your child is having difficulty with his/her multiplication facts, go to the following website for a fun way to study: http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/games/Mathmagician/cathymath.html


Other Notes: Don't forget our Friday spirit days! Friday, November 9, will be Prairieview spirit day. Wear your spirit wear or school colors. Also, it seems like we are using a lot of wet wipes in our classroom, especially with the cold and flu season upon us. I would welcome donations of the kind in a tub that pull out, rather than the individually wrapped ones. Have a wonderful weekend! Mrs. Klacza