Before Break Reminders

Dear Room 20 & 21 parents and students,

Thursday is our exciting performance of "U.S. Presidents"- it's going to be a VERY special evening! Please make sure your student shows up at 6:00pm (accompanied by an adult) at our classrooms to change into their costumes- boys in Room 21, girls in Room 20. Adults will then wait in the multiuse room with other family members until the performance begins at 6:30pm. If you have food to drop off, please look for our food coordinators outside the multiuse room!

Just a quick reminder that our blogsite addresses are:

Room 20 (Scourkes) http://rockhopperroom20.blogspot.com

Room 21 (Roels) http://gtfroom22.blogspot.com

Outdoor School

Cabin Leader Applications:

If you know of someone who is interested in being a cabin leader at Outdoor School (an older sibling, Portal alumni, etc.), then please contact Sophia (831)332-0798 as soon as possible to let her know. Allowing more time to make preparations in advance is always greatly appreciated! For additional information about this opportunity, please refer to the dark green flier that was available at the Outdoor School presentation, or visit the website.

Curriculum:

Language Arts

Our next book will be the touching story of a young woman growing up in Japan at the time of the atomic bomb, entitled Sadako. We will start our reading after the break. This novel provides us with an interesting historical perspecitve, as well as an opportunity to participate in an eye-opening cultural study. The projects and work that accompany the book are really fun as well!

Math

In 4th grade math, we are working on the graphing of ordered pairs of integers and expressions using the coordinate plane. We have a variety of activities that allow us to experience coordinates and the results of our plots in many ways.

In 5th grade math we're working on addition and subtraction of positive integers. The "Bedroom Project" has been assigned- details and materials will follow this Wednesday. The Level II Placement Test (for 6th grade math) is tomorrow, March 30.

Social Studies

We will begin reading our History of US, Book 2 this week as time allows. We take up again during the time period of the 1600s, on the cusp of the establishment of the 13 colonies.

Science

We are making progress on our technology project that was introduced two weeks ago. The topic is plants, and the work is being done primarily at school with a partner. We are using Apple's iPhoto software to put together a visually informative presentation that could also be shared in BOOK form! Students this week will be expected to write paper drafts of the written sections of the project, choose appropriate background music to save on iTunes, and format their projects. Final due dates for the project will be set after we finish the week's work.

Calendar of Events:

Thur. 4/1 Musical Performance: "U.S. Presidents: Washington to Lincoln" 6:30pm @multiuse room

Fri. 4/2 Report Cards go home

Mon. 4/5 - Fri. 4/16 Spring Recess : NO SCHOOL

Wed. 4/21 Earth Day! Lunch on the Lawn

Mon. 4/26 STAR Testing Begins

Mon. 4/26 SSC Meeting 3:00

Mon 4/26 PSCO Meeting 6:30

Mystery State

• This state is made up of two peninsulas.
• You will find three mottos on this state's flag.
• More cereal is produced in this state than in any other.
• The state is known as the world's "Motor Capital."
• Which state is it?

Sincerely,

Mr. Roels and Miss Scourkes

Rooms 20 & 21

Rockhopper Village

Portal School

3/22-3/26 Reminders

Dear Room 20 & 21 parents and students,

We have only 10 more days until our exciting performance of "U.S. Presidents"- it's going to be a VERY special evening! Before this fateful date, we will be rehearsing diligently at school, seeing you for conferences, and trying to fit all the rest of our social and academic work in.......WOW! We're happy to be meeting with you all, we're enjoying the beautiful spring weather, we're excited to have a couple more hours of daylight, and we're glad to be teaching and learning at Portal.

Just a quick reminder that our blogsite addresses are:

Room 20 (Scourkes) http://rockhopperroom20.blogspot.com

Room 21 (Roels) http://gtfroom22.blogspot.com

IMPORTANT! Our Performance:

Thank you again to the parents who have been helping so diligently with our backdrop, props, and costumes! As a parent, YOU can be a great help by providing some costume items for your child this week. We have begun asking children to bring in costumes. Your child has been told a general idea of what they're wearing and knows that there are more details to come very soon! Reecha Tandon has been working on creating a data base of costumes for all 60 kids and it is almost complete. In the data base there are items listed and links to pictures. We are hoping to have as many of the costumes in by the end of the week as possible. We understand the timeline is tight. If your child isn't aware of what they will be wearing or hasn't heard us say that "we're working on it" please hang on for now. We will get you the information as soon as possible! Watch for the email with the data base. Thank you for your support and patience.

Parent Teacher Conferences

Our parent teacher conferences continue this week. There will be 12:30 dismissal every day through Friday, March 26. Please make sure that you've made arrangements for your child to be picked up on time.

We do schedule our conferences tightly, so please do your best to be on time for your conference. The students must be at their own conference so that they are learning the responsibility of being in charge of their own learning and goals. We look forward to seeing you and discussing your child's progress!

Outdoor School

Cabin Leader Applications:
If you know of someone who is interested in being a cabin leader at Outdoor School (an older sibling, Portal alumni, etc.), then please contact Sophia (831)332-0798 as soon as possible to let her know. Allowing more time to make preparations in advance is always greatly appreciated! For additional information about this opportunity, please refer to the dark green flier that was available at the Outdoor School presentation, or visit the website.

Curriculum:

Language Arts

We will be finishing the reading and activities that accompany our novel, Dear Mr. Henshaw, this week. Our next book will be the touching story of a young woman growing up in Japan at the time of the atomic bomb, entitled Sadako. This novel provides us with an interesting historical perspecitve, as well as an opportunity to participate in an eye-opening cultural study. The projects and work that accompany the book are really fun as well!

As always, students continue working on in class writing projects; these final versions end up in our personal anthologies at the end of the year. And, of course, our fine arts performance is the huge oral language component of our program at this time of year!

Math

In 4th grade math, we are working on data and graphing for the next couple of weeks. We are working on statistical analysis of data presently (bar graphs, line graphs, and mean, median, mode, range, and outliers.) We will have a Chapter 23 test on these ideas on Wednesday or Thursday of this week, depending on the pace of our work in the next few days.

In 5th grade math we've worked with nets, and surface area and reviewed decimals, fractions, and percentages and their relationship to one another. We will then move on to solid figures and integers.

Social Studies

Students are working on their final copies of their Explorer Essays this week. We will begin reading our History of US, Book 2 this week.

Science

We are making progress on our technology project that was introduced two weeks ago. The topic is plants, and the work is being done primarily at school with a partner. We are using Apple's iPhoto software to put together a visually informative presentation that could also be shared in BOOK form! Students this week will be expected to complete their information gathering, including photographs, from books, Internet sites, and individual exploration (picture taking!) Next steps include writing paper drafts of the written sections of the project, choosing appropriate background music to save on iTunes, and formatting our project. Final due dates for the project remain flexible due to the influence of the conference schedule and our performance rehearsals on our available class time.

Calendar of Events:

Thur., 3/25 Middle School Parent Information Night - Lawson at 6:30

Fri., 3/26 Spirit Day: Crazy Socks Day!

Mon. 3/29 SSC Meeting 3:00

Thur. 4/1 Musical Performance: U.S. Presidents: Washington to Lincoln 6:30

Fri. 4/2 Report Cards go home

Mon. 4/5 - Fri. 4/16 Spring Recess : NO SCHOOL

Wed. 4/21 Earth Day! Lunch on the Lawn

Mon. 4/26 STAR Testing Begins

Mon. 4/26 SSC Meeting 3:00

Mon 4/26 PSCO Meeting 6:30

Mystery State

• A sculpture of two whale tails sticking up out of the ground can be seen in this state, which shares no borders with an ocean.
• Before joining the union, this state was an independent republic from 1777 to 1791.
• This state is the top producer of maple syrup in the United States.
• The Green Mountains dominate the landscape in this state.
• Which state is it?

Sincerely,

Mr. Roels and Miss Scourkes

Rooms 20 & 21

Rockhopper Village

Portal School

3/16-20 Reminders

Dear Room 20 & 21 parents and students,

As this is a very busy week for all, the Reminders will be fairly short and sweet! Enjoy and thanks for reading!
.

Just a quick reminder that our blogsite addresses are:

Room 20 (Scourkes) http://rockhopperroom20.blogspot.com

Room 21 (Roels) http://gtfroom22.blogspot.com

Volunteers for our Performance:

Thank you to those parents who have volunteered to bring food or help out with backdrop, painting, and costumes. If you haven't thought of helping, please do consider it. It might just be a small time commitment.Since this is a new play this year, we really could use your help with painting, sewing, or costume preparation. Our volunteer coordinators I know would be happy with even the smallest amount of time. Do you have even one hour free in the next couple of weeks? I bet we could find a job for you - even something that doesn't have to be done during the day or at school. It may be running an errand to a store or painting something that has already been drawn - no art skills necessary. Please contact Miss Scourkes right away if you feel you can even offer the smallest bit of time. Every little bit counts! Thank you!

Parent Teacher Conferences

Our parent teacher conferences begin this week. There will be 12:30 dismissal every day, starting this Thursday, March 18 through Friday, March 26. Please make sure that you've made arrangements for your child to be picked up on time.

We do schedule our conferences tightly, so please do your best to be on time for your conference. The students must be at their own conference so that they are learning the responsibility of being in charge of their own learning and goals. We look forward to seeing you and discussing your child's progress!

Outdoor School

Cabin Leader Applications:
If you know of someone who is interested in being a cabin leader at Outdoor School (an older sibling, Portal alumni, etc.), then please contact Sophia (831)332-0798 as soon as possible to let her know. Allowing more time to make preparations in advance is always greatly appreciated! For additional information about this opportunity, please refer to the dark green flier that was available at the Outdoor School presentation, or visit the website.

CEEF Opportunity for Learning!:

The final presentation of the 2009-2010 Speaker Series for students and parents to promote Thinking Mathematics, sponsored by the Cupertino Educational Endowment Foundation.

Title:
Joshua Zucker
Beyond the Book:
Learning More Mathematics!
Thursday
March 18, 2010
7 - 8:30 p.m.
Collins Elementary School GLC

Target Audience: Fourth, fifth and sixth grade students
(& their parents) who love math

Joshua Zucker, whose talk last year was very well-received, is a talented and knowledgeable teacher whose accomplishments in the field of mathematics have been recognized both in his tenure as a writer for the national MATHCOUNTS competition and as the Director of the Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival. Joshua discovered his love for number theory at Dr. Arnold Ross's summer program at Ohio State University many years ago. As a student, he was invited to the US Math Olympiad Summer Program and was a member of the first US Physics Olympiad team as well as a top-10 scorer on the Putnam. Once again Joshua will challenge students with insightful, intriguing problems and offer parents words of wisdom about math education that will help them work with their sons and daughters in productive ways.

Curriculum:

Language Arts

We will be finishing the reading and activities that accompany our novel, Dear Mr. Henshaw, this week. Students continue working on in class writing projects.

Math

In 4th grade math, we'll be working on graphing for the next 2-3 weeks. We begin with bar graphs and data collection, and we proceed on to coordinate graphing (including negative coordinates!) afterward.

In 5th grade math we've worked with nets, and surface area and reviewed decimals, fractions, and percentages and their relationship to one another. We will then move on to solid figures and integers.

Social Studies

Students are working on their final copies of their Explorer Essays this week. We will begin reading our History of US, Book 2 within the next week.

Science

We have begun or technology project that was introduced this past week. The topic will be plants, and the work will be done primarily at school with a partner. We'll be using Apple's iPhoto software to put together a visually informative presentation that could also be shared in BOOK form! Students this week will be expected to have their plant chosen, and to compile their information, including photographs, from books, Internet sites, and individual exploration (picture taking!) Final due dates for the project have not been set yet, but we anticipate a 2-3 week time period from beginning to end for project development and presentation.

Calendar of Events: (Please note that new dates have been added!)

March:

Wed. 3/17 5th Grade Level 1 Math Placement Test

3/18 - 3/26 Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences - 12:30 DISMISSAL EVERY DAY

Thur., 3/25 Middle School Parent Information Night - Lawson at 6:30

Fri., 3/26 Spirit Day: Crazy Socks Day!

Mystery State

• The world's first parking meter was installed in this state in 1935.
• More human-made lakes can be found in this state than in any other state.
• Only two states have capital cities that include the state name; this state is one of them.
• This state is home to the largest Native American population in the nation.
• The National Cowboy Hall of Fame can be found in this state.
• Which state is it?

Sincerely,

Mr. Roels and Miss Scourkes

Rooms 20 & 21

Rockhopper Village

Portal School

The March Madness Reminders

Dear Room 20 & 21 parents and students,

It's almost March Madness time for our universities across the country; basketball fever will soon grip the nation for a couple of fun-filled weeks. Here at Portal, it seems that "March Madness" has its own unique characteristics- just ask any busy Rockhopper student in Rooms 20 and 21! As we prepare for our upcoming play, review for the 6th grade math placement test (5th grade math students, that is), and continue with the usual assortment of language arts, science, and social studies work, good organizational skills will be the MOST valuable skill our students can demonstrate. Prioritizing assignments, asking for help from teachers and parents, and taking time for proper exercise, nutrition, and rest will be key to a fun first month of spring.

Just a quick reminder that our blogsite addresses are:

Room 20 (Scourkes) http://rockhopperroom20.blogspot.com

Room 21 (Roels) http://gtfroom22.blogspot.com

Volunteers for our Performance:

A big thank you for returning the blue parent volunteer sheet for our performance. If you have filled out the blue sheet to help with our performance, Mr. Roels and I would like to meet with you briefly on Wednesday, March 10 at 3:00, in Room 20.

If you are donating food, the food coordinators will contact you at a later date, and there is no need for you to come at this time. Ms. Shah and Ms. Menta, the two food coordinators should come to this meeting.

If you have any questions or are unable to attend, please be sure to send an email. We are really looking forward to working with you!

Outdoor School Parent Meeting

On Wednesday, March 10 at 6:30pm in our multipurpose room, a representative from Santa Cruz County's Outdoor School will be here to answer all your questions about our upcoming Outdoor School program taking place May 18-21. While it is not mandatory that parents come to this meeting, we STRONGLY encourage you to do so. This is your best opportunity to learn the details of the program and student requirements prior to your child's attendance. Note: Outdoor School is a required part of your student's curriculum in the Cupertino Union School District.

Curriculum:

Language Arts

Our focus continues to be on the persuasive writing genre this week. Students have constructed a rough draft of a writing piece. This week we'll evaluate the essays we've created and then refine them together. We continue to read Dear Mr. Henshaw, take AR Quizzes and focus on root words in spelling. Finally, the majority of time over the next month will be devoted to our fine arts performance. These performances emphasize oral language capability, along with visual and performing arts skills. Our particular play also has quite a bit of social studies content embedded in the dialogue and lyrics, so we've got a lot that we'll be learning in the next month!

Math

In 4th grade math, we'll be working on graphing for the next 2-3 weeks. We begin with bar graphs and data collection, and we proceed on to coordinate graphing (including negative coordinates!) afterward.

In 5th grade math we're beginning to measure the area and perimeter of parallelograms and triangles. We'll then move on to solid figures nets and surface area.

Social Studies

The students did a great job on their keynote presentations last week! I was impressed with the quality and presentation skills that students displayed! This week we will be working on Explorer Essays in class. The students should also be studying for their next geography test on Friday. They were given the 12 states of the North Central region last week.

Science

We have begun or technology project that was introduced this past week. The topic will be plants, and the work will be done primarily at school with a partner. We'll be using Apple's iPhoto software to put together a visually informative presentation that could also be shared in BOOK form! Students this week will be expected to have their plant chosen, and to compile their information, including photographs, from books, Internet sites, and individual exploration (picture taking!) Final due dates for the project have not been set yet, but we anticipate a 2-3 week time period from beginning to end for project development and presentation.

Calendar of Events: (Please note that new dates have been added!)

March:

Mon., 3/8 Outdoor School Presentation for Students

Mon. 3/8 Oral presentations this week!

Tues., 3/9 Class Picture Day!

Wed. 3/10 Class performance Volunteer Parents to meet with teachers 3:00 Room 20!(See note above)

Wed., 3/10 Parent Outdoor School Presentation 6:30 pm

Fri., 3/12 Geography Quiz!

Mon., 3/15 Learning Day - NO SCHOOL

Wed. 3/17 5th Grade Level 1 Math Placement Test

3/18 - 3/26 Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences - 12:30 DISMISSAL EVERY DAY

Thur., 3/25 Middle School Parent Information Night - Lawson at 6:30

Fri., 3/26 Spirit Day: Crazy Socks Day!

MYSTERY STATE CLUES:

• The country's first department store opened in this state in the late 1880s.
• The world's largest natural-rock span is located in this state.
• The 2002 Winter Olympic Games were held in this state.
• Mormons were among the first settlers in this state and still make up a high percentage of the population.
• Which state is it?

Sincerely,

Mr. Roels and Miss Scourkes

Rooms 20 & 21

Rockhopper Village

Portal School

March has begun! Reminders......

Dear Room 20 & 21 parents and students,

We hope you had a good weekend! March brings many exciting activities our way. We continue to practice for our musical and have sent home parent volunteer forms. We really do need your help to make this successful. We're currently looking for parents who can help with the drawing and painting of our backdrops. Please take a moment to consider donating your time.

5th graders will be taking the district writing test on Tuesday and we will have a visit from the Outdoor School counselors. Physical fitness testing is underway, so please be sure that students come dressed properly for PE on Mondays and Wednesdays. If you have not returned your parent/student/teacher conference confirmation, please do so as soon as possible. Thank you and have a good week!

Just a quick reminder that our blogsite addresses are:

Room 20 (Scourkes) http://rockhopperroom20.blogspot.com

Room 21 (Roels) http://gtfroom22.blogspot.com

Parent Survey:

The 2010 parent survey is now on-line! It takes about 30 minutes to complete -- and your participation is vital. Please answer the survey as honestly as you can -- your input will help us provide the best education possible for your student as well as continuously improve our school.

Look for the action item at the end of the survey so we will know that you have completed your survey! We're looking for 100% participation!

Please click on this link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/portal2010

The deadline is March 5th. Please help us to meet our goal!
Thank you to those parents who have already completed the survey!

Volunteers Needed:

On Thursday, April 1, 2010, Rooms 20 and 21 will be presenting a brand new fine arts performance entitled "U.S. Presidents." It's going to be a phenomenal show, and our performers are already preparing themselves for this exciting night. Now, we need some enthusiastic parents to help us put together an eye-catching backdrop, and assist with costume and prop needs. If you're interested, please return the form that will be sent home this week and return it on or BEFORE Monday, March 1.

Curriculum:

Language Arts

Our focus continues to be on the persuasive writing genre this week. We've discussed the purpose of persuasive writing, tips for constructing a persuasive piece, and how a writer can evaluate the quality of their persuasive work. Students also worked in small groups to discuss examples of persuasion and propose arguments for & against particular positions and have constructed a rough draft of a writing piece. This week we'll evaluate the essays we've created and then refine them together. The 5th graders have their district writing test on Tuesday.

We continue to read Dear Mr. Henshaw, take AR Quizzes and focus on root words in spelling. Reading Logs are due this Friday and oral presentations begin the week of March 8th. Students will be given the exact date of their presentation this week.

Math

In 4th grade math, we'll finish up work on our decimal study in the next couple of days, and we'll test our understanding on Friday this week. The test will cover Chapters 19 and 20, so it would be wise to review the lessons in these two chapters in order to be comfortable with these concepts.

In 5th grade math, we've used our protractors to refine our ability to measure angles and have studied triangles and quadrilaterals. We're beginning to measure the area and perimeter of irregular shapes and triangles.

Social Studies

The students are just about finished with their Explorer Keynote projects and will be presenting their work in class this week and beginning their essays. The geography quizzes went home today. Please be sure to sign your child's quiz so that they can return them tomorrow.

Science

Our Living Systems unit is ending with some great posters being completed on nutrients, food groups, and regional diets. The unit will be concluding with a technology project to be introduced this week. The topic will be plants, and the work will be done primarily at school with a partner. We'll be using Apple's iPhoto software to put together a visually informative presentation that could also be shared in BOOK form! Homework note: Kitchen Science is due tomorrow!

Calendar of Events: (Please note that new dates have been added!)

March:

Tues., 3/2 5th Grade District Writing Test

Tues., 3/2 5th Grade Hearing test

Thur., 3/4 Middle School Parent Information Night - Cupertino at 6:00, Miller at 7:00

Fri., 3/5 Reading Logs Due!

Mon., 3/8 Student Outdoor School Presentation

Mon. 3/8 Oral presentations this week!

Tues., 3/9 Class Picture Day

Wed., 3/10 Parent Outdoor School Presentation

Fri., 3/12 Geography Quiz!

Mon., 3/15 Learning Day - NO SCHOOL

3/18 - 3/26 Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences - 12:30 DISMISSAL EVERY DAY

Thur., 3/25 Middle School Parent Information Night - Lawson at 6:30

Fri., 3/26 Spirit Day: Crazy Socks Day!

MYSTERY STATE CLUES:

• Motion pictures (movies) were invented in this state.
• The first nearly complete dinosaur skeleton was found in this state in 1858.
• This state was the first to ratify the U.S. Bill of Rights, in 1790.
• This state is the most densely populated state in the United States.
• Inventor Thomas A. Edison had his lab in this state.
• Which state is it?

Sincerely,

Mr. Roels and Miss Scourkes

Rooms 20 & 21

Rockhopper Village

Portal School