Last Week of School!!

I would like to wish all of my students a wonderful, relaxing, and safe summer. We have had a successful year together in Room 208 and I truly believe each and every one of you are ready for what lies ahead at Lakeview. Work hard, be respectful to your teachers and your fellow students, and have fun! Take part in sports and activities while you are there. I will never forget you.

To my parents, I thank you for your support and generosity throughout the year. Your children have their wings and are ready to fly. Support them and love them; they are all treasures.

Come visit now and then and enjoy your time off. Keep on reading (for enjoyment, of course!) Email me from time to time to let me know how things are going :) I do check my emails in the summer!! Again, have a great summer.

Yearbooks: Will be handed out to students on June 2nd. Any students who did not purchase a yearbook may do so on a first-come-first-serve basis on June 2nd; they will go on sale after morning announcements. The cost will be $10.00 and children wishing to purchase should have exact amount. Checks can be made out to Prairieview. There is a limited supply. Prairieview yearbook orders were not paid for at registration. A flyer was sent out on November 12, 2009 and orders were due by Tuesday, December 9, 2009.

Important Dates:

5/31 - Memorial Day; no school

6/1 - Reading Party celebration in classroom

School Picnic (hot dogs served)

6/2 - Last Day of School (9:30 dismissal)

Have a wonderful weekend and summer! Mrs. Klacza

GO BLACKHAWKS -- BRING HOME THE CUP!!!!

Week of 5/24/10 - 5/28/10

We are truly down to the wire now, with one more full week of school before summer vacation. We had a great time visiting Lakeview and I think the students are feeling a little less anxious about the 6th grade. It was enjoyable listening to the choir and cadet band again on Thursday. What talented students we have here at PV! Please note that our fifth grade celebration will happen on Thursday afternoon. The PTO has planned a very special afternoon for our “Class of 2010.”

Coming up this week:

Spelling: Lesson 34 will be our last lesson but there will be no test due to the many special activities occurring this week. We will do the workbook pages.

English: We will learn about “busy prepositions” (School House Rock) and prepositional phrases, also.

Reading: We continue to practice and perfect the reading strategies and skills we have learned this entire year by revisiting some of the stories from our anthology. We will specifically focus on autobiographies and non-fiction. It looks like our reading party will occur on 6/1.

Social Studies: We'll finish reading Chapter 13 this week, focusing on the trails which led to the West, specifically the Oregon Trail and the Mormon Trail. Then we will find out how California became “The Golden State.”

Science: After our Monday Science test, we will watch a Bill Nye on planets. That pretty much wraps it up for the year!!

Mrs. Klacza's Math Class:

Chapter 9 tests will be returned on Monday and then we will very quickly breeze through Chapter 10 on various types of graphs.

Important Dates:

5/27 - 5th grade celebration (afternoon)
5/28 - 5th graders go bowling – sack lunches, please!
5/31 – Memorial Day/No school
6/1 – All school picnic
6/2 – Report cards issued/Last Day!!! 9:30 dismissal

Have a wonderful weekend! Mrs. Klacza

Week of 5/17/10 - 5/21/10

We had a very busy week which included a trip to Lakeview to watch the dress rehearsal of Oklahoma. The fifth graders got a nice preview of life at LV. We will visit once again on Tuesday for a formal visit and tour. Parents are invited to a Parent Night at LV on 5/17 (Monday.) I also enjoyed watching our children perform in the cadet band and with the choir. They are so talented! On Thursday, 5/20, there will be a repeat performance at 1:00 here at PV.

Coming up this week:

Spelling: Lesson 33 – the letter “y” in words: pretest on Monday; test on Friday

English: We will finish up adverbs this week and have a "quest" on Friday.

Reading: We continue to practice the reading strategies and skills we have learned this entire year while finishing up Jacob's Rescue. I will be assigning a reading project on Tuesday that will require the students to put themselves in Jacob's shoes (or Hannah's from Hannah's Suitcase) and write a letter to someone in the United States describing their experiences in Europe. The Holocaust has been a topic that we just can't stop discussing. What inquiring minds we have in the fifth grade!

Social Studies: Chapter 13 will be the last chapter we cover in Social Studies and we will specifically study “People Moving West.” We will find out about the state of Texas.

Science: The solar system has been “explored” in room 208 and there will be an open book/note assessment on Thursday. A test on the entire chapter will take place on Monday, 5/24.

Mrs. Klacza's Math Class:
Chapter 9 is short and sweet. It covers statistics and data and only contains 4 lessons, so...
Test on Friday!

Important Dates:
5/17 – Parent Night at Lakeview
5/18 - 5th graders visit Lakeview (Library visit and Open House)
5/20 – In-school concert 1:00
5/28 - 5th graders go bowling – sack lunches, please!
5/31 – Memorial Day/No school
6/1 – All school picnic
6/2 – Report cards issued/Last Day!!! 9:30 dismissal

Have a wonderful weekend! Mrs. Klacza

Week of 5/10/10 - 5/14/10

First of all, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all the moms!! Secondly, thank you for making Teacher Appreciation Week so special. I hate the thought of having to pack a lunch again!

We only have 3 more full weeks of school ahead and there are lots of exciting events coming up. Scroll down for some of those important dates. Also, please remember that Panda Express in Darien is proudly displaying our 5th grade students' work!

All this week Prairieview is collecting gym shoes in any shape and all other shoes that still have some life in them. We want to help cut down on the amount going into landfills. The shoes will be either donated to places that help people or will be sent to Nike's recycling center where they recycle gym shoes into a variety of objects including floor mats. Please tie the shoes together or put them in plastic grocery bags so that they do not become separated. Thank you for your support. At Prairieview School – Character Counts!

Coming up this week:

Spelling: Lesson 32 – more prefix forms: pretest on Monday; test on Friday

English: We'll tackle adverbs this week, focusing specifically on comparing with adverbs and determining the difference between adverbs and adjectives.

Reading: We continue to practice the reading strategies and skills we have learned this year while reading Jacob's Rescue. The students have really been developing their questioning skills by finding answers within the novel to “right there,” “think and search,” and “on your own” questions.

Social Studies: This week, the students will finish their “Fortunately, Unfortunately” booklets and then read Lesson 3 entitled “The Struggle for Reforms.” Friday we will have our Chapter 12 test, with a review game on Thursday.

Science: After an open note Lesson 2 assessment on Tuesday, we will begin Lesson 3, “What Makes up our Solar System?” Tentative test date is 5/24.

Mrs. Klacza's Math Class:
We are working on Chapter 24, picking and choosing what's important and doubling up on some lessons. This week we continue to study area and add parallelograms to the mix. We will also relate perimeter, area, and volume. The students will be taking the Chapter 24 test on Thursday. I will allow them to use formula notes.

Important Dates:

5/10 – 7:00 concert at LV with Cadet Band and Choir
5/11 – Bubble Wonder assembly
5/13 – 5th graders visit Lakeview to see Oklahoma (dress rehearsal)
5/14 – Early Dismissal
5/18 - 5th graders visit Lakeview
5/31 – Memorial Day/No school

Have a wonderful weekend! Mrs. Klacza