Thank you!

Dear Parents,
I was invited to a great assembly today.  A letter was read to the teachers that brought tears to my eyes.  The teachers recieved gifts that will help in our classrooms.  Then we were treated to a delicious lunch provided by many parents.  I know you all contributed to that gift and I wanted to thank you for your kindness.  It was so thoughtful.  Thank you!

Mrs. Stockard

Christmas Break

Today was a great day.  It was the last day before Christmas break, a day where the kids are full of energy and enthusiasm, probably a little too much sugar, and lots of excitement.  But today was a day that I will treasure.  We had a lot of fun making a craft (I really should try these out before I have 20 kids start doing them!), playing games, exchanging gifts, listening to stories, well part of one anyway, and eating great treats.  The kids were awesome.  They asked to push the tables together before they got their treats so they could all sit together.  They were so kind and polite with their gift exchange and they all helped with the clean-up of all our messy projects.  Our classroom was transformed twice today from an overwhelming mess to sparkling clean within five minutes! I was really proud of them, and I'm not their parent, so I wanted to let you all know what great kids you have.  I hope you have a wonderful Christmas break.  Enjoy your kids and your time off.  See you all in 2013!

Book Report

Just a reminder, students need to finish reading their self-selected book for their book report by Monday, Dec. 17.  We will begin the Cereal Box Book Report in class on that day, so please be sure your child has a cereal box in class by then.  We will work on this project for two days and present for two days, so we will have no time to waste!  Students can be thinking of a cereal box prize for their project that they can bring from home.  This prize should be something the main character could have used in the book.  

Mr. Blue Jeans

In Reading, we are reading the biography of Levi Strauss.  To honor Levi Strauss, we are doing two things.
1.  On Thursday Dec. 13, we will have a denim project day, where the students can use old jeans to make something out of denim.  We will just have the one class time, which is just over an hour, so it won't  be anything too elaborate.  If you child wants to make something requiring a sewing machine, that will need to be done at home.  But I will have needles and thread for simple hand stitching and scissors for cutting the jeans.  Many have sent in old pair of jeans for this project.  Thank you for that!

2.  Also, to honor Levi Strauss, the students have permission to wear jeans to school on Thursday, Dec. 13. They need to wear their uniform top (they'll be a little monochromatic that day!), but they may wear blue denim jeans to school.  They don't need to be Levi's brand.  Just a fun way to honor a man who immigrated to America and started a style that we still enjoy today.

Thanks for your support, especially at this busy time of year!

Book Report

We have a book report coming up!  I am really excited about this project and I think the students are too, or they will be once we get going.  Each student needs to have a chapter book that they have read independently this school year.  I met with each student this week to get the title of their book.  These book reports will be presented the week of December 17.  We will have some class time to work on them in the week of December 10, so please have your child finish his or her book that week.  

This report will be a cereal box book report.  Each student will need an empty cereal box to bring in the week of December 10.  They will design and name a new cereal to go with their book.  They will decorate a box with illustrations and information related to their book, including a prize in the box that would be something the main character would have liked or used.  We will display the empty boxes in the classroom after the oral presentations are completed. 

One of the purposes of this project is for the students to recommend good books to their classmates.  This will also involve an oral presentation, which meets our speaking and listening language standards, in addition to the reading and writing needed to complete this project.  Most of the work will be done in class.  At this point, just getting the book finished is the most important task.

Map Project

The fifth graders are involved in a map-making project.  The students are learning a lot and enjoying making the maps.  The students are working in triads or pairs to create one of seven types of maps.  We will use the maps as a resource in the classroom during the year as we continue to study Nevada.  We are making physical, political, historical, election, road, economic and population maps.  The students have worked well in their teams to research the information to create their maps and make a plan with materials.  They can't wait to get making the actual maps!

Parent Teacher Conferences

It was a pleasure to meet with each parent to discuss the progress of your child.  I love this class and I am pleased with the progress we are making.  I hope you came away with areas of success for your child and an idea or two of how to improve.  Thank you for making the time to meet with me and supporting your child's learning.  Please feel free to email me any time with questions.

PE Day - Nov. 13

Our next P.E dress-out day is November 13, which is after a Monday holiday.  Please remind your child to bring his or her shoes, shorts and t-shirts.  If it is cold, maybe sweats would be good.

Tuck Everlasting Project

We finished reading Tuck Everlasting and the students did a great job on their "In the Bag" project.  I loved their creativity with the items they chose.  Their classmates were mesmerized by the presentations as well.  Their bags are on display in the classroom, minus the heavier items.  Thank you for supporting them in bringing these items to school.  Look for their grade sheets that came home this week for specifics on your child's presentation.

Halloween

Students at Oasis are encouraged to dress in their costumes for the school day.  These are the guidelines on costumes: 
No masks.
Costume must cover the same amount of skin that the uniform does.
Costume must not be gory.
Hats or headpieces that are part of the costume may be worn for the parade but may need to be removed during the school day.
Shoes must be closed-toe. 
There will be a school-wide Halloween parade at 1:15.  The 3rd - 6th graders will have a Harry Potter themed PE at the end of the day. 
If a student chooses not to dress in costume, please wear the school uniform.
Hopefully this covers all the potential questions, but feel free to email me or call the school for more information.

PE Day - October 30

Don't forget to send your child with clothes and shoes for P.E.  We are trying to have a PE day where no one has to call home to get clothes brought up to school!

Parent Teacher Conferences

It's that time of year, time to have parent teacher conferences and first quarter report cards.  I am scheduling 15 minute conferences.  If you feel like you need more than that, let me know and I'll set up two blocks of time.
I have the following times available:
Monday Oct.29,  4:30 - 6:30 pm
Tuesday Oct. 20, 6:45 - 7:30 pm
Friday, Nov. 2, 8:15- 11:00 am

Please email me at jstockard@oasisacademyfallon.us with your top two or three choices.  I'll try to accommodate everyone's schedules.  I'd like your fifth grader to be present, so please choose a time when he or she can attend. If none of these times work, let me know what will work for you and I'll try to make it happen.  As far as meeting with Mrs. Antoniono about math, she will set up a conference if your child is below where he or she should be in math.

Invention Convention

As the final part of our forces and motion project, the fifth graders are participating in an Invention Convention.  The students are in groups of 2 or 3 students and are brainstorming for an everyday problem that could be made easier with simple machines. The students will need to decide on an invention that uses a simple machine.  They will need to get their plans approved and then begin to build a prototype of their invention.  They will also need to make a tri-fold display with the full description of their invention and the problem it solves.  We will have two weeks to work on this project.  We started brainstorming today and there was an awful lot of excitement in the room as the students thought of ways to make their lives easier with simple machines!

Logo Wear

Don't forget that orders for the shirts or sweatshirts with the Oasis Academy Bighorns logo are due Thursday, October 11, 2012.  Payment can be made when you pick them up at Thrifty Finds, or you may send in a check with the order.

Tuck Everlasting

In Reading, the fifth graders are reading Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt. This book is about a girl who meets a family, the Tucks, who are able to live forever.  She gains different perspectives from the Tucks and she comes to appreciate and love them, even though they are very different from her own family.  Not only is this a great story, but it is beautifully written with many examples of figurative language.  We should finish the book next week.  After we finish, the students will do a character project where they will get to choose a character from the book, tell about their character, and choose some items that represent their character.   We also have vocabulary words from this book, so expect a vocabulary quiz for your student this week and the next two weeks.  Your student is making a vocabulary study guide in class, so they can prepare at home for these quizzes.

PE Day- October 2

Just a reminder - Our next class PE day with Mr. Carter is Tuesday, October 2.  We begin at 3:15 and students need to change into athletic clothes on that day.

Forces and Motion

The egg drop kicked off a new project for the fifth graders.  We are learning about forces and motion.  We have learned about Newton's three laws of motion and about four kinds of friction.  We have learned how these forces apply to our every day lives, such as moving things, riding in a car, or playing sports.  We have learned about force, mass and acceleration, how even when a bug hits a car windshield, they each have a force, but the car has a much greater force.  We also used some informative websites to get our information. Have your student share what they know about forces and motion.  See if you can find examples around you.  Once you start looking for it, you can find them everywhere!

Count Day

Thursday, September 20 is count day, the day when the school gets money for the year for each student in attendance that day.  It is a very important day to be at school.  There are also a few incentives.

1.  Street clothes - clothing must have the same coverage as the uniform. This is the only day this year for street clothes.

2.  Afternoon treat - there is a fun activity planned for the afternoon. 

Please be in attendance! 

Egg Drop

Today was the day of the much anticipated egg drop! Each team of students worked carefully to protect their eggs.  We had many creative ideas including using bubble wrap, cotton batting, stuffed animals, a tennis ball, string around craft sticks, a fishing reel, a tube, a motor, and parachutes to slow down the drop of the eggs.  In the end, every student was successful in their plans and not one egg cracked!  We had a class full of creative thinkers and hard-working engineers.  It was fun to see the teamwork and ideas in this project.

Egg Drop Project

Today we started an Egg Drop project.  The fifth graders were really excited about this!  They have to follow the steps of the scientific method and design a way to get their egg down a 30 inch drop, from the table to the floor.  The students worked in pairs and had to draw up their design and and get it approved before they started building.  All parts of this project must be built in the classroom, but students may bring a few supplies from home. The egg drop will take place early next week.  This is the start of a project on forces and motion. There was some great student collaboration  taking place in the classroom as the pairs discussed what would protect their egg best.

Our First PE Class

Just a reminder:
Tuesday is our first PE day with Mr. Carter!  Students need to bring athletic clothes to change into.  Athletic shorts, t-shirt, socks and shoes.  Any color is fine.

Our next class PE day will be Tuesday, September 18.

Hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend!

First Week of School

After completing the first week of school, things in the fifth grade are going great.  We are learning procedures for things that will soon become routines.  I appreciate the students being so responsible about bringing back their signed paperwork and having a book to read in the classroom and at home.  This week there is no written assignment for the home reading log, but I will expect the students to write a brief (3 sentences or less) summary of their reading starting next week.  I will also ask that a parent sign or initial that your child read the amount of time recorded on the reading log.    

Drinks and snacks are important during these long, hot days.  Be sure your child's water bottle is full each day and clearly labeled.

The students were issued their chrome books this week.  Talk about excited - it felt like Christmas to get those chrome books!  They are demonstrating good care of the chrome books in the classroom.

Please enjoy the home journals.  I am so excited about this project this year.  Be sure to read more of my thoughts on this in the earlier blog post. Also, enjoy your Labor Day holiday.

Parents, you have great kids.  I have seen good manners and kind behavior in addition to good academic habits.  What a delightful group of fifth graders!  I am thrilled with our class.  It has been so fun for me to get to know each of them.

Parent Journal

The fifth graders will be bringing home a parent journal today.  This is something we will do in class on Thursdays.  Your child will write in his or her journal and take it home to share with you.  Please respond to your child in writing.  Then your child will bring it back on Monday (or Tuesday because of Labor Day!)  You don't have to respond, and your response does not give your child a better grade.  I will check the journal to see your child's writing, but I will not be reading your responses to your child.  Your child will be graded on how they write to you.  They will earn a sticker on their journal cover for each week they get a response from a parent or grandparent. I understand some weeks are busy, just respond as many weeks as you can.

Please do not use this journal to communicate with me or the office.  This is for you and your child.  The class is excited about this project.  I hope this will be an authentic way for your child to use writing to communicate and that it will be a great keepsake when the year is over.  

Back To School Night

Back to School Night is Thursday, August 23 at 6:00 p.m.

The schedule for the evening is as follows:
6:00 - 6:15 - Whole school meets on playground
6:15 - 6:30 - Go to child's homeroom teacher
6:30 - 6:45 - Break, don't worry, we'll have plenty to talk about
6:45 - 7:00 - Go to Math teacher - Mrs. Antoniono.  I will speak to 4th grade parents during this time.
7:00 - 7:30 - Lunchroom sign-ups - volunteers and SCRIP, see e-beam

I'm sure there are many kids who want to come to see their classroom and meet their teacher.  I am so excited to meet them, but my focus tonight will be on the parents and giving information to them.  If your child attends, please let him or her know that I will only have time for a quick hello, but we will have many chances to really get to know each other as the school year begins.

If you have supplies purchased and want to bring them in, that is fine.  Put them in a box or bag so that your child's things are together and the students and I will sort it all out on the first day.

I look forward to meeting you tonight.

5th Grade Supply List

Are you as excited as I am for school to start? 

We have lots to learn and these are the supplies you will need.

5 Tennis balls for chair and table legs, to protect the floors
1 4-pack of toilet paper
1 large box of tissues
Disinfecting cleaning wipes
12 pencils - no mechanical pencils please
4 large glue sticks
4 low-odor dry earse markers
1 gently used sock to erase individual white boards
2 blue or black pens, ball point or gel
2-4 highlighters
2 black Sharpie markers
2 composition books, with hard covers (not spirals)
2 sturdy 2-pocket folders, no prongs in the center
1 1/2 inch binder
1 pencil pouch for binder
1 Plastic pencil box to hold classroom supplies