January 2019

Happy New Year!

We are getting ready for a new year and for new learning.

We are finishing up our unit on the Civil Rights Movement and Dr. King, it has been wonderful to talk to the kids about how we benefit from the struggles of previous generations. 

We are about to start our Portland Bridges unit!  Look for more information to come in your kid's backpack in a couple of weeks. 

In math we are working on more extensive multiplication- keep practicing your times tables.

In writing we are starting our unit on opinion writing.  In reading we are learning about reading informational text.

We are also excited to be doing a special unit connected to the garden program.  We are reading Cinderella stories from around the world, and then cooking food based on that culture.  This week we did hummus from Persia.  Next week we'll do black eyed pea salad from Senegal.  The following meeting we'll do pico de gallo from Mexico. And we'll end with either a Vietnamese/Cambodian dish and story.

Ms. Van Clock

December update

Hello Families,

This month has felt shortened because of Thanksgiving and conferences.  It was so great to meet with each and every one of you.  I appreciated the time to talk about your student's progress in school. 

In Writing: we are getting ready to publish our informational texts
In Reading: we have expanded from what we learned in our mystery unit to apply it to all fiction.  We finished reading Crenshaw as a class and are starting Wishtree both by Katherine Applegate.  Ask your student about them- they are wonderful books with interesting perspectives.
In Math: we are well into our multiplication unit.  Please continue to practice those flashcards at home!
In Science: we are doing coding with Ms. Williams
In Social Studies: we are looking at voting rights and Dr. King's influence there, getting ready for January's black history month.

At this point in the year, I am happy to say that the class has really come together in a very cohesive way.  Each student's contributions are recognized and appreciated.  They are really doing quite well, and I am excited that we have so much of the school year before us.  We have a lot of fun projects and learning ahead!

I wish you all a wonderful holiday season and winter break, (December 17th-January 2nd)

Ms. Van Clock

November Update

Dear Families,

We are well into our mystery unit in reading.  This is one of my favorite units! Students are learning about red herrings, predicting outcomes, and inferring within texts.  In writing we are starting our informational texts.  We have chosen topics and are starting to organize our thoughts around them.  In math we are finishing up our work with addition and subtraction and moving into multiplication.  In science we just finished our unit on plant biology, and we are going to start a unit on computer programming.  In social studies we learned some about the Chinook people who were first on this land, and are now learning about the 3 branches of government and the rights and privileges we have with voting. 

In terms of our social-emotional learning, we just started a new book study called "Confessions of a former bully" by Trudy Ludwig where students learn more skills than 'just ignore it'. 

I am looking forward to meeting with you each during conferences (Nov 19 and 20).  I will be sending home reminders later this week, and again the week before conferences start.  

All the best,

Lisa Van Clock

May Newsletter

Dear Families,

We have several upcoming field trips!
Walking downtown Bridges- May 8 
Sunnyside Middle Schoolers teaching about habitats in May 17
Tree walk in Kenilworth Park May 25
Crystal Springs Rhododendon Garden June 5

Please check your e-mails as Stacie is helping me coordinate volunteers for these trips.

Math: 
We are finishing our unit on 2-D geometry and about to start our last unit about 3-D geometry.

Science:
We just finished a unit on forces ending with magnets.  We are about to start a unit on fossils and the fossil record.

Reading: 
We are deep in our unit on Research clubs.  Students are learning to read and share information in small groups.

Writing:
Students are really enjoying our unit on re-writing fairy tales.  Be sure to ask your students about their poetry they wrote in April. 

Building Bridges

We are in the thick of the Portland Bridge Unit!

This week we will be building popsicle stick bridges in the classroom and then weight testing them to see how strong they are.  If you haven't signed up for a volunteer time and would like to here is the link to do so.  

Building is mostly Ms. Van Clock's students on Monday and mostly Mrs. Neal's students on Tuesday.  However, as soon as one student finishes they will go into Mrs. Neal's room and a student from her class will fill the seat in room 201.  This way we can keep the building going, and get everyone done in the time we are given.  Some students take 2 hours to build and some take 6- it all depends on their familiarity with the tools, their precision, their ability to follow directions, and to ask for help when they need it.  

We will weight test these bridges on Tuesday and Wednesday in school.  Students have a choice to weight test just until it starts to crack or until 'TOTAL DESTRUCTION!'.   Some love destroying it, and some feel they worked too hard to break their work. 

At home students are writing a speech (not a report) about one of Portland's bridges: my expectations are that students build a bridge model to go along with their speech.  Simultaneously, I understand some families cannot support bridge building at home.  If that is the case, I encourage students to use the popsicle bridge we build in class and modify it at home- maybe by adding toilet paper roll piers, or by painting it, or some other way of making it their own.  These students will chose not to destroy their bridge in the weight testing. 

Notice there is no written work to be turned in.  They are graded on their speech presentation using this scoring guide.

The students can start bringing in their bridge models this week- if they are small enough to fit in the classroom easily- otherwise, please have them bring the model in on the day of your child's speech.  

We will be sending home the assigned dates and times of their speech this week.  Speeches will be given the week after Spring Break (April 1-6).  If you would like to come to their speech you may. Some students like their parents coming, and some feel they are too nervous with their family watching.  Please talk with your child before deciding to come.  

Mon. April 2	Time	Tues. April 3	Time	Wed. April 4	Time
Abraham	12:15	Adelaide	8:10	Ella	8:05
Sophia	12:20	Liam	8:15	Cecilia	8:10
Iggy	12:25	Natalie	8:20	Cora	8:15
Peter	12:30	Joshua	8:25	Little Hawk	8:20
Hope	12:35	Henry	8:30	Naveed	8:25
Elijah	12:40	Theo	8:35	Kaydin	8:30

Thur. April 5	Time	Fri. April 6	Time
Chidinma	8:05	Cameron	8:10
Audrey	8:10	Grant	8:15
Zappa	8:15	Arlo	8:20
Abbey	8:20	Jasper	8:25
Nicholas	8:25	La Bae Say	8:30
Strider	8:30	Destin	8:35

If you have any questions about this process please come see me- I am happy to make it clear.  

Happy building and writing!

Ms. Van Clock

Dear Families, March 6th, 2018

We don’t often send home paper newsletters, but felt that there were enough important items that we should make one.

State Testing:  We will start our state testing next week,  March 12- March 23. During this time your child will be in the computer lab for about an hour each day taking the math and reading/writing tests.  The time spent on the test varies by student, but typically takes 5-7 sessions to complete. There is no time limit. You will get the results back in the summer. This does not impact their advancement to 4th grade.  Please make sure they are well rested and well fed on these days. It makes a big difference in their self-esteem when they feel prepared for the day. If you have questions about this process or want information about opting your child out of the tests, please speak with us by Friday the 9th.

Bridges: We are almost finished with our study of Portland’s bridges.  Your child has been assigned a bridge, and has practiced researching and paraphrasing their research about their bridge in preparation for writing their speech.  They do not need to turn in any written work- they just need to be ready to present their speech and model the week after spring break, April 2nd. We know some families struggle with making the model at home, and we tell students they can use the popsicle bridges we will be making March 19th and 20th as their model.  We encourage them to still add something of their own to the model we make in class- maybe paint it, or add piers or cars… if you need ideas, or support, please don’t hesitate to ask with enough time to finish the project. It doesn’t work to ask for help the day it is due.

We still need volunteers to help us with the building days (March 19th and 20th).  See the sign up at the top of the stairs or in your email inboxes. We would like 5 adults in room 201 the whole time we build- 31 kids with hot glue guns at once means we need a lot of adults.  Please sign up for an hour or for the whole day!

Math: We just finished our unit on multiplication, please keep practicing those facts at home!  We are starting a unit on fractions and money. These are great topics to discuss in the kitchen and in the store.  Have your child help count money, balance a bank book, or measure parts of a cup. These are real world applications for what we are doing in class.  

Reading: We just finished a fabulous unit on how to read mystery books, and are starting a unit on reading and character development. Our read aloud is Because of Winn-Dixie.  

Writing: We just finished our unit on persuasive writing by writing letters to the superintendent asking for financial support for our garden program Earth Art Ag.  These letters were from the heart, and very convincing. We are about to start a unit on writing informational texts about topics the students are already experts in: soccer, baking, skateboarding, bugs, dinosaurs, or their bridge.

In terms of social skills we are working on complimenting each other on kind, safe, and responsible actions.  You can practice at home by giving compliments in the same vein and having your child practice noticing when you are being safe, kind, and responsible.  

Please contact us if you have any questions about what is going on.  And thank you for all that you do to support your student at school,

Carolyn Neal and Lisa Van Clock

PS- See you at the Beach Bash Auction on Friday Night.

December is upon us and we made it through No-school November!

We are celebrating great work in math this week, as students move up levels in our BAM folders.  The students have been working hard in their small groups in math, and their work shows!  Ask your student about how great it feels to move up.  Keep practicing math facts to support this work (both addition and multiplication)

We are finishing our unit on Personal Narratives in writing.  Their published work will go home next week.  We have really thought a lot about the difference between editing and revising, and how to add more descriptive writing. We've been reading Gooney Bird Greene as a read aloud to guide our writing. Students can practice these skills when telling you about their day, please ask them to give more details and more description.

In reading we are continuing to add stamina and depth to our reading.  We have started reading Stone Fox to support our reading with predictions and inferences.


We have been doing a lot of work with geography in order to learn about how different parts of the world are coping with climate change.  The students have practiced reading maps, researching continents and countries.  Earlier we learned about different energy sources and the pros and cons of their use.

Please look for more information about our upcoming Portland Bridge unit after the break.  We will start to learn about the bridges and outline the expectations of the work at home, and explain what we will do in class.  This is the time when we need the most volunteers and material support.  Please check outside the classroom for requests as they come.

Happy Holidays!