5/31-6/3 Weekly Reminders

Weekly Reminders: Rooms 20 & 21

Dear Room 20 & 21 Parents,

Two weeks to go! For some of you, this marks the end of your elementary school life. Middle school and all its mysteries await you. For others, the summer brings some rest from the very busy life of a Rockhopper student. Next year, you'll return with greater knowledge, comfort, and maturity as a 5th grade classroom leader! Either way, the last two weeks will be filled with fun events, last minute work to complete, and preparations for the coming year. Fasten your seatbelts; it's going to be an exciting ride!

Our blogsite addresses are:

Room 20 (Scourkes) http://rockhopperroom20.blogspot.com
Room 21 (Roels) http://gtfroom22.blogspot.com

5th Grade Recognition Ceremony

On Tuesday, June 14th, we will be celebrating the advancement of our 5th grade students to middle school. The ceremony begins at 8:15am, and the conclusion of our ceremony, including a treats buffet, ends at 10:10am . We respectfully request that our 5th grade parents provide treats for their students to enjoy- it is truly the highlight of the event for your kids! 5th grade parents, please sign up for our potluck directly following the ceremony by using the links below!

Room 20 potluck sign up link

https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AoFa38wpcQ_PdGVla1lnYjNsX2lkeUZFWGhOeFA4MkE&hl=en_US&authkey=CIap9I0C

Room 21 signup link https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AmCVmX-idGF0dEJoSDdjajV1dTBscm9OdHptRDByNUE&hl=en_US&authkey=CP2Ymv0P

Field Day Preparations

Friday, June 10th is our all-day Field Day on the Portal campus! Check the Portal Press and Portal website for information on parent and alumni volunteer opportunities.

California Academy of Sciences Trip

Next Thursday, June 9th is our end of the year field trip to the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. This week, our chaperones will be confirmed by each family room teacher, and we'll establish our student groups for the event.

Parent Volunteer Brunch

If you've helped us out this year, either, in the classroom, grading papers, copies, laminating, or on field trips or in any other capacity, we'd love this opportunity to say, "Thank you!" Please join us outside the office on Tuesday, June 7, at 9:50 for our Volunteer Brunch. We hope to see you!

Curriculum Notes:

Language Arts- Students are participating in their last two literature circle sessions this week.

Math- 4th graders are spending their last two weeks with some statistical work (mean, medium, mode, range, and outliers) and measurement in customary and metric forms.

Math - 5th graders and their Biz World simulation continues. This week we have begun production and will start our marketing strategies.
Science- Investigation 4 of our Solid Earth unit is almost done. We'll be reading and getting some final hands-on experience in this subject area during the next week.

Social Studies- We're revising our final essays and preparing work for our anthologies.

** 5th graders: If you'd like to bring in last year's Anthology of your writing as an example to show others, please do so as soon as you can!

Calendar of Events:

• Thurs. 6/2 4th Literature Circle @8:15am
  
• Mon. 6/6: Last day of P.E
• Mon. 6/6 Science Fair Project Board due
• Tues. 6/7 Volunteer Brunch 9:50am - 10:30am - Parent Volunteers please join us!
• Thurs. 6/9: Academy of Sciences Field Trip
• Fri. 6/10: Field Day- all day event
  
• Tues. 6/14: Recognition Ceremony @8:15am/Last Day of School!!!
• Tues. 6/14: Last Day of School! Dismissal is 11:20am

California Trivia Clue (student responses are REQUIRED):

How old was William Randolph Hearst when he was given control of the San Francisco Examiner?

Sincerely,

Mr. Roels and Miss Scourkes
Rooms 20 & 21
Rockhopper Village
Portal School

Open House Weekly Reminders

Weekly Reminders: Rooms 20 & 21

Dear Room 20 & 21 Parents,

Open House is this Wednesday, and before you know it, the school year will be over. Enjoy the evening of student success with your child this week; they've put in a huge amount of effort to be ready for this event! Check our calendar for other upcoming dates like our Lunch on the Lawn Thursday for Mrs. Ales, our Learning Day this Friday (no school for kids), Memorial Day holiday on Monday, and much more! For students and parents, this is a great time of year to take pleasure in all aspects of life- exercise, good food, rest and relaxation, and of course, a job well done!

Our blogsite addresses are:

Room 20 (Scourkes) http://rockhopperroom20.blogspot.com
Room 21 (Roels) http://gtfroom22.blogspot.com

Lunch
on the
Lawn

Thursday, May 26, 2011
11:30am-12:30pm K-1
11:45am-12:30pm 2-3 & 4-5

Come and enjoy lunch on the lawn with Mrs. Ales on her last day at Portal!


Curriculum Notes:

Language Arts- We've reached the conclusion of our novel Bridge to Terabithia. We will have a comprehension test on the subject matter in our book tomorrow- this riveting story should be easy to recall! Students are also participating in literature circles this week and next.

Math- 4th graders are continuing to work on plotting data on a coordinate plane. We're learning how functions and equations can be represented using this same plotting technique for ordered pairs.

Math - Biz World continues. Students have learned some of the basic tenants of running a good company, have formed their own companies and will now incorporate and become "public", selling shares of their stock to investors.
Science- Investigation 4 of our Solid Earth unit is being finished up this week. We will have examples of our work from Investigations 1-4 available to check out and discuss at Open House after our Social Studies Wax Museum is completed.

Social Studies- We putting the final touches on our presentation boards and practicing our speeches in anticipation of Open House on Wednesday!

Literature Circles -Volunteers Still Accepted!

We will be having our last literature circle groups of the year on the following dates, all times from 8:15 - 9:10am:

Monday, May 23

Wednesday, May 25

Tuesday, May 31

Thursday, June 2

Would you be willing to come in and listen to a small group or two on any of these dates? Ask any parent who has volunteered for this job before - it's lots of fun, easy to do, and a tremendous help to ensure success for our groups! If you can attend any of the four sessions, please let us know the dates you're available, and we will work with your schedule as best as we can.


Calendar of Events:

• Mon. 5/23: Wax Museum Boards Due
• Scientific Method- Part Two Due
• 1st Literature Circle @8:15am
  
• Tues. 5/24 Bridge to Terabithia test
  

• Wed. 5/25: Open House (Rockhopper time 7-7:45pm)
• 2nd Literature Circle @8:15am
  

• Fri. 5/27: Learning Day
• Mon. 5/30: No SCHOOL
• Tues. 5/31 3rd Literature Circle @8:15am
• Thurs. 6/2 4th Literature Circle @8:15am
  
• Mon. 6/6: Last day of P.E.
• Science Fair Project Board due
• Tues. 6/7 Volunteer Brunch
• Thurs. 6/9: Academy of Sciences Field Trip
• Fri. 6/10: Field Day
• Tues. 6/14: Recognition Ceremony/Last Day of School!!!

California Trivia Clue (student responses are REQUIRED):

Who discovered the first gold at Sutter’s Mill in January 1848?

Sincerely,

Mr. Roels and Miss Scourkes
Rooms 20 & 21
Rockhopper Village
Portal School

Reminders for May 16-20

Weekly Reminders: Rooms 20 & 21

Dear Room 20 & 21 Parents,

It's hard to believe we're nearing the end of our school year- our 5th graders our preparing for their transition to middle school while our 4th graders brace themselves for the responsibility of being classroom mentors and leaders. Teachers and students are definitely putting in extra time to make sure that all projects, classwork, and activities represent our best work. Speaking of demonstrations of great work, Open House is also looming- it's now less than two weeks away! I know the evening of May 25th will be an eye-opening experience for one and all. In the meantime, let's all keep our attention on what needs to be done, let's conduct ourselves with dignity, courtesy, and respect for others, and let's keep a smile and a positive attitude with us at all times; it's bound to be a spectacular finish with that approach!

Our blogsite addresses are:

Room 20 (Scourkes) http://rockhopperroom20.blogspot.com
Room 21 (Roels) http://gtfroom22.blogspot.com


**** A PARENTS ONLY Special Event! ****

Penguins, mark your calendars!

Would you like more ideas on how to help your child in positive ways regarding schoolwork, homework and life? Come to our Portal Parent Education Evening:

"An Evening with Rick Morris"
Tuesday, May 17th

6:30 - 8:00 PM

Portal Multi-Purpose Room

Parents-Only

Mr. Morris, a dynamic, entertaining and informative speaker on classroom management and parenting, brings over 31 years of teaching experience to Murdock-Portal! (Mr. Morris is also an “experienced parent” – with two grown daughters and a son in high school.) The starting point of the evening will be "Discipline is Teaching, Not Punishment." Then you will take a look at the big picture of parent-child interactions covering the basics of what works and what doesn't! Mr. Morris talks about “the Parent Trap--being permissive or punitive--and how to avoid it.” He will also present ideas and suggestions from Robert MacKenzie's book, Setting Limits. You will find the evening lots of fun and enlightening!

If both parents cannot attend, I suggest the parent who works most with your student and homework attend.

I hope to see you there! - Julie Ales

Curriculum Notes:

Language Arts- We've reached the pivotal section in our novel Bridge to Terabithia. Understanding the emotions that accompany the climax of a story for the characters will be a key element of our learning. Developing a vocabulary that allows us to express these ideas clearly will be emphasized as well. Spelling continues until the end of the year; our root words are thought-provoking and advanced- perfect for the conclusion of our year in Rockhopper Village!

Math- 4th graders are working on graphing, including data analysis and plotting data on a coordinate plane. We'll also learn how functions and equations can be represented using this same plotting technique for ordered pairs.

Math - Biz World Begins this week! Biz World is an interactive math unit, where students form companies, create, market and sell a product. After all sales are complete, students discover their margin of profit to see how successful their companies were.
Science- Investigation 3 of our Solid Earth unit is wrapping up this week. We are using observational techniques and methods like evaporation to determine if common rocks contain calcite. We are also taking time to read several articles related to our investigation in order to reinforce the concepts we've been practicing in class. We'll have an open book/note abbreviated I-Check for Investigations 2 & 3 later in the week.

Social Studies- We are finishing our essays and getting ready for our Waxed Museum oral presentations.

Literature Circles -Volunteers Still Needed!

We will be having our last literature circle groups of the year on the following dates, all times from 8:15 - 9:10am:

Monday, May 23

Wednesday, May 25

Tuesday, May 31

Thursday, June 2

Would you be willing to come in and listen to a small group or two? Ask any parent who has volunteered for this job before - it's lots of fun, easy to do, and a tremendous help to ensure success for our groups! It's best if you can attend all 4 sessions so there is consistency, but if that's not possible, please let us know the dates you're available, and we will work with your schedule as best as we can. Please email your family room teacher as soon as possible if you're able to help- we are definitely STILL in need of parent support!


Calendar of Events:

• Wed. 5/18 Costume, prop and speech due for waxed museum
• Fri. 5/20: 5th Bedroom Project Due
• Mon. 5/23: Wax Museum Boards Due
• Scientific Method- Part Two Due
• 1st Literature Circle @8:15am
  
• Tues. 5/24 Bridge to Terabithia test
  

• Wed. 5/25: Open House (Rockhopper time 7-7:45pm)
• 2nd Literature Circle @8:15am
  

• Fri. 5/27: Learning Day
• Mon. 5/30: No SCHOOL
• Tues. 5/31 3rd Literature Circle @8:15am
• Thurs. 6/2 4th Literature Circle @8:15am
  
• Mon. 6/6: Last day of P.E.
• Science Fair Project Board due
• Tues. 6/7 Volunteer Brunch
• Thurs. 6/9: Academy of Sciences Field Trip
• Fri. 6/10: Field Day
• Tues. 6/14: Recognition Ceremony/Last Day of School!!!

California Trivia Clue (student responses are REQUIRED):

The Sierra Nevada, the state’s primary geological feature, is composed mostly of what rock?

Sincerely,

Mr. Roels and Miss Scourkes
Rooms 20 & 21
Rockhopper Village
Portal School

May 9-13 Reminders

Weekly Reminders: Rooms 20 & 21

Dear Room 20 & 21 Parents,

Last week was truly an EXPERIENCE! Sacramento and its many museums and historical sights was really a great way to spend a school day; we were immersed in the history of California in a way that we cannot replicate in the classroom. Now, we are definitely in the "home stretch" of our school year- there's much to learn, but also much to complete and prepare for our anthologies, end of the year projects, and Open House later in the month. Let's all come to school each day with energy, enthusiasm, and a desire to demonstrate our best in our work and attitude- we can DO it!

Our blogsite addresses are:

Room 20 (Scourkes) http://rockhopperroom20.blogspot.com
Room 21 (Roels) http://gtfroom22.blogspot.com


**** A PARENTS ONLY Special Event! ****

Penguins, mark your calendars!

Would you like more ideas on how to help your child in positive ways regarding schoolwork, homework and life? Come to our Portal Parent Education Evening:

"An Evening with Rick Morris"
Tuesday, May 17th

6:30 - 8:00 PM

Portal Multi-Purpose Room

Parents-Only

Mr. Morris, a dynamic, entertaining and informative speaker on classroom management and parenting, brings over 31 years of teaching experience to Murdock-Portal! (Mr. Morris is also an “experienced parent” – with two grown daughters and a son in high school.) The starting point of the evening will be "Discipline is Teaching, Not Punishment." Then you will take a look at the big picture of parent-child interactions covering the basics of what works and what doesn't! Mr. Morris talks about “the Parent Trap--being permissive or punitive--and how to avoid it.” He will also present ideas and suggestions from Robert MacKenzie's book, Setting Limits. You will find the evening lots of fun and enlightening!

If both parents cannot attend, I suggest the parent who works most with your student and homework attend.

I hope to see you there! - Julie Ales

Curriculum Notes:

Language Arts- Bridge to Terabithia and its characters have taken hold of us, and we are now fully absorbed in their lives. We continue to contemplate the circumstances that surround our central character's actions as we draw closer to the climax of the story next week. Spelling resumes this week as well; we will continue to build a greater vocabulary of word families through our spelling lists until the end of the year.

Math- 4th graders are finishing our study of solid figures, including descriptive terminology,the use of nets to build figures, and the calculation methods for surface area and volume. We will have a short quiz on Wednesday to check our understanding of Chapters 27 & 28.

Math - 5th graders are wrapping up our geometry unit along with extra practice at interpreting data and graphs.
Science- We continue with our Solid Earth unit, and we are concentrating our efforts on scientific observation of minerals. This means that we try to describe our minerals in great detail, supporting our words with realistic drawings where possible. We also will be using techniques to analyze mineral properties such as hardness and streak, and we will compare our data with established guidelines for mineral identification.

Social Studies- This week our focus turns to writing our gold rush essays based on the research we've completed. I've reviewed timelines and expectations with the students to help keep them on track.

Literature Circles -Volunteers Needed!

We will be having our last literature circle groups of the year on the following dates, all times from 8:15 - 9:10am:

Monday, May 23

Wednesday, May 25

Tuesday, May 31

Thursday, June 2

Would you be willing to come in and listen to a small group or two? Ask any parent who has volunteered for this job before - it's lots of fun, easy to do, and a tremendous help to ensure success for our groups! It's best if you can attend all 4 sessions so there is consistency, but if that's not possible, please let us know the dates you're available, and we will work with your schedule as best as we can. Please email your family room teacher as soon as possible if you're able to help!

Calendar of Events:

• Wed. 5/11 4th grade math quiz; Ch. 27 & 28
• Thur. 5/12 5th Grade Math Placement Test - Level 2

• Fri. 5/20: 5th Bedroom Project Due
• Mon. 5/23: Wax Museum Boards Due
• Scientific Method- Part Two Due
• 1st Literature Circle @8:15am
  
• Tues. 5/24 Bridge to Terabithia test
  

• Wed. 5/25: Open House (Rockhopper time 7-7:45pm)
• 2nd Literature Circle @8:15am
  

• Fri. 5/27: Learning Day
• Mon. 5/30: No SCHOOL
• Tues. 5/31 3rd Literature Circle @8:15am
• Thurs. 6/2 4th Literature Circle @8:15am
  
• Mon. 6/6: Last day of P.E.
• Science Fair Project Board due
• Tues. 6/7 Volunteer Brunch
• Thurs. 6/9: Academy of Sciences Field Trip
• Fri. 6/10: Field Day
• Tues. 6/14: Recognition Ceremony/Last Day of School!!!

California Trivia Clue (student responses are REQUIRED):

The largest of CA’s carnivorous plants is known as what?

Sincerely,

Mr. Roels and Miss Scourkes
Rooms 20 & 21
Rockhopper Village
Portal School

May's First Weekly Reminders

Weekly Reminders: Rooms 20 & 21

Dear Room 20 & 21 Parents,

It's good to be able to communicate with you all again! STAR testing is done as of today, except for makeup tests, which will take place tomorrow for students at our grade level. On Thursday, we go on our incredible all day trip to Sacramento, which will be a fantastic historical and contemporary experience for our kids! Please remember that all students and chaperones must be at school by 7:00am on Thursday, May 5th. We will be loading onto the buses as soon as possible for our 7:30am departure, and we must leave on time to be able to arrive in Sacramento promptly for our first itinerary items. Students will meet their teachers and classmates in the front of the school that morning; look for your class cone/marker to line up and wait for our buses!

Note: T-shirts and lanyards will be passed out to students and chaperone parents on Wednesday afternoon. Chaperones and students should come to school on Thursday morning dressed in their T-shirts and wearing their lanyards. Itineraries for the day went home in the Thursday folders last week.

Our blogsite addresses are:

Room 20 (Scourkes) http://rockhopperroom20.blogspot.com
Room 21 (Roels) http://gtfroom22.blogspot.com

Curriculum Notes:

Language Arts- Bridge to Terabithia remains our primary focus in class. We are using the in-depth discussion questions to develop our ability to analyse character traits with a greater degree of accuracy. We're also gaining exposure to vocabulary that allows one to make subtle distinctions between feelings and actions that might provide insight to a character's thoughts and motivations.

Math- 4th graders are working on solid figures, including descriptive terminology and the use of nets to build figures. Volume will be a key measurement concept that will be taught later in the week. Our design project called "Perimeter Park" will be finished up at home after several hours of concerted work on the project at school over the last week and a half.

Math - 5th graders are finishing our geometry unit. We have assigned the Bedroom Project as an optional item this year, due later this month for participants.
Science- We are now into our Solid Earth unit, and we are presently learning to distinguish between rocks and the minerals that rocks contain. We will proceed to learn more about the analytical techniques used by geologists to identify rocks over the next two weeks as well.

Social Studies- This week students are finishing their diseno projects and beginning to research for their Gold Rush Essay in preparation for our Open House Waxed Museum. Students received a timeline and expectation sheet last week.

Literature Circles -Volunteers Needed!

We will be having our last literature circle groups of the year on the following dates, all times from 8:15 - 9:10am:

Monday, May 23

Wednesday, May 25

Tuesday, May 31

Thursday, June 2

Would you be willing to come in and listen to a small group or two? Ask any parent who has volunteered for this job before - it's lots of fun, easy to do, and a tremendous help to ensure success for our groups! It's best if you can attend all 4 sessions so there is consistency, but if that's not possible, please let us know the dates you're available, and we will work with your schedule as best as we can. Please email your family room teacher as soon as possible if you're able to help!

Calendar of Events:

• Thur. 5/5 Sacramento Field Trip- be at Portal @7am
  
• Thur. 5/12 5th Grade Math Placement Test - Level 2

• Fri. 5/20: 5th Bedroom Project Due
• Mon. 5/23: Wax Museum Boards Due
• Scientific Method- Part Two Due
• 1st Literature Circle @8:15am
  
• Tues. 5/24 Bridge to Terabithia test
  

• Wed. 5/25: Open House (Rockhopper time 7-7:45pm)
• 2nd Literature Circle @8:15am
  

• Fri. 5/27: Learning Day
• Mon. 5/30: No SCHOOL
• Tues. 5/31 3rd Literature Circle @8:15am
• Thurs. 6/2 4th Literature Circle @8:15am
  
• Mon. 6/6: Last day of P.E.
• Science Fair Project Board due
• Tues. 6/7 Volunteer Brunch
• Thurs. 6/9: Academy of Sciences Field Trip
• Fri. 6/10: Field Day
• Tues. 6/14: Recognition Ceremony/Last Day of School!!!

California Trivia Clue (student responses are REQUIRED):

“Spanish pear” and “green gold” are among the nicknames for what Southern CA fruit?

Sincerely,

Mr. Roels and Miss Scourkes
Rooms 20 & 21
Rockhopper Village
Portal School