Dear 5S Community - 

Greetings from Room 402! Spring is hopefully right around the corner, and the 3rd Trimester calendar is quickly filling up. We are in the process of scheduling field trips, SBAC testing and other events. Please see below. SBAC testing dates will be added once finalized. In the meantime, please be on the lookout for March conference sign ups this coming Thursday, March 2. Students are invited to attend their conference. Also, please feel free to email with any questions/topics you want to be sure that we address. All conferences are offered in person. Virtual conferences will be held only by specific request.

Please read on for classroom information and curriculum updates.

Classroom Information

Internet Safety Presentation with MPD Detective Kali Matt: March 28, 2023 - exact time TBD: Please join us for an important discussion about internet safety with Det. Kali Matt from the Missoula Police Department. Det. Matt will present information to students about staying safe online and while using social media. We’ll discuss how to keep information private, how personal information is used once it’s online, the consequences of cyberbullying and oversharing online, and how to stay safe from online predators. You are encouraged to join your child’s class for this discussion, but you are welcome to join any class depending on your schedule. We’d love to have you in attendance!

Upcoming Events:

March 13-16: March Conference

March 17- March 26: Spring Break

March 28: Social Media Safety Presentation by Kali Matt SOR

April 11-April 21: Clark Fork Watershed Education Program Presentations 

April 21: Clark Fork Watershed Education Program Field Trip to Milltown Dam

April 28: Rattlesnake Fun Run

May 5: Band & Orchestra Solo Day

May 8: Leave No Weeds Presentation 

May 19: Leave No Weeds Field Trip to Mount Jumbo

May 28: Band & Orchestra Concert

May 23: Butte Field Trip

Other events to be scheduled:

SBAC testing (Science, ELA and Math)

All fifth graders to visit Washington Middle School

Washington Middle School to follow up at Rattlesnake

Curriculum Update

ELA: Students finished their Spark residency by creating and performing a poem/rap about life and events during the French and Indian War. Since then, we have resumed our reading of Birchbark House with a focus on summarizing chapters, identifying themes, and determining how the main Omakayas continues to change throughout the story, specifically in response to challenges. Also, we continue to focus on the interactions and relationships between the Ojibwe and the European settlers, both historically and within the novel. Students will complete a summative assessment task by finding connections between events in the story and actual historical events, citing text evidence for both.

Students finished their informational writing projects. Students can share final pieces via Google Classroom and during conferences. Overall, they did a wonderful job expanding and sharing their expertise about space!

**Please make sure that your student is reading every day for 30 minutes. Students should be finishing about one chapter book per week.**

Math: Students worked on converting units of measurement in order to solve problems (Unit 4, Lessons 25 and 26). Now, we are back to decimal computation with a focus on multiplication (Unit 3, Lesson 15 and 16) and division (Unit 3, Lesson 17 and 18). For specific information on each Lesson, please find the Family Letters on the 5S website here. 

Social Studies: We are transitioning into the American Revolution.  Students will be looking at the events leading up to the American Revolution as well as how the colonists reacted to various taxes and rules imposed on them: the Tea Act, Intolerable Acts, the Boston Massacre etc.  We will be making connections about how this led up to The Declaration of Independence.  

SEL: February’s focus is on Honesty as defined by being truthful in what we say and do. Our March focus will be Cooperation. 

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out as necessary. 

In partnership,

Sarah Silver