Trailblazers Family Blog

 Hi everyone, I hope everyone had a nice weekend! Just a couple of announcements for the week.  We've been learning about seasonal constellations in science class and how the earth's orbit changes what is visible in the sky. They all should have brought home a model of how the earth's orbit demonstrates this--ask them to explain why the stars change based on the time of year.  I told the kids that their homework for Sunday night was to go stargazing, as this will be a cloud-free night (though a mostly full moon may make it difficult to see). To be clear: this is optional--don't let them tell you that they need to be driven out into a rural area at midnight because I told them to! We're finishing up our 6th unit in math. I'm planning on giving the test on Thursday this week. Homelink packets are due on Friday--please check with your child to ensure that they'll be ready to turn this in.  We will take the reading MSTEP on Tuesday and Wednesday morning. We have

Hi everyone, I hope you all had a great spring break and were able to take advantage of the beautiful weather this weekend!  Please be sure to send in the Lord of the Rings permission slip as soon as possible.  We have two field trips at the end of the year that we're looking for chaperones to attend.  John Ball Zoo  When : Wednesday, May 22, 2024 Times : 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM (chaperones would meet us at the zoo) Responsibilities : Take a self-guided/self-paced tour of the zoo while supervising a small group of students (their lantern festival just began there as well). Eat lunch with students (students will pack a sack lunch to eat while at the zoo.) Chaperone Cost:  The first 5 parents I hear from will be admitted free of charge.  *Edit: our five free spots have been claimed* Others will need to pay admission- $17. Greenfield Village and Henry Ford Museum (Dearborn, MI) When:  Tuesday, May 28, 2024 Times:  To be announced... All chaperones must drive to GFV or carpool together. Res

 Hi everyone, Happy Friday! We have a short week next week and I have just a couple of announcements to share.  Our Book Bowl Competition is on Wednesday. All day we will be challenging every 5th grade class in a one-on-one showdown. The kids have done a great job with their reading in preparation for this competition! Please let me know if you will be leaving for spring break early or returning late . A few kids have told me, but it's helpful if I have it in email from parents. This is especially important so I can prepare balanced teams for Book Bowl.  We'll finish up the Reading MAP test on Monday next week. Then we're done with MAP for the year! After spring break we'll take a week off and then begin MSTEP. 5th grade must complete all subjects: reading, math, science, and social studies. We're planning on one test per week, always on Tuesday.  The kids have been enjoying our newest read aloud  The Hobbit . We'll start our final reading unit on Fantasy shortl

 Hi everyone, I hope you've had a great weekend! We have a big week coming up here at Central Woodlands, read on for this week's announcements.  On Tuesday the kids will have an opportunity to try out different instruments (plus singing in the choir) and mark which of them they are interested in playing next year. Music Interest Forms will be sent home at some point this week, please sign and return these the following day.  We'll start the math MAP on Thursday with most students finishing it on Friday. Please be sure that your child gets a full night of sleep and eats a healthy breakfast.  If needed, I might bump this back one day, starting on Friday and finishing up Monday. We have lots of preparation to do this week! The kids have been working through recommended math skills on IXL the past few weeks. These skills are specific to their strengths and weakness and should help with their MAP skills. Ask your child what I've assigned to them and what they've accompli

 Hi everyone, I hope you all had a nice mid-winter break! We all needed some rest and a chance for many kids to kick some ongoing winter illnesses. Please read on for this week's announcements.  Please take a moment this week to have your child log on to IXL and show you their assigned skills (they must go through Clever--if they log in to their school Google account, they'll know how to do this). Many kids are falling behind on assignments that Mrs. Gillies and I have posted. This can quickly become an overwhelming amount of work if they don't stay on top of it! They should have a score of 80 on each assignment. Thank you for your help! We had a great time bowling last week! See here for pictures from the event. The kids were well behaved and had a lot of fun.  On Friday, several students shared their completed Bakery Project with the class. Many came with their baked goods to share--thank you for your help in making this a special event! I'm hoping to finish the math

Hi everyone, I hope you've enjoyed the sunshine this weekend! It's been a nice chance of pace from all of the clouds in 2024. Just a couple of quick announcements for the week. Our Valentines Day bowling party (2/15) permission slips went home on Monday this week. Please be sure to send this form back as soon as possible. Note that we've made a change from what was sent home-- we will be in the group that leaves for bowling at 11:25 and returns at 1:45 . This might be a good day to send an extra snack--we eat lunch at 10:45.  The kids are doing a great job on their Book Bowl reading. As a class, we've read and passed the test for 39 books! A special shoutout to our current class leaders: Ekjit (4 books) and Kaylie (7 books)! Be sure that your child is reading nightly. My classwide goal is for everyone has finished one book and that the majority have at least two finished by the end of the week. Let's keep it going! In math this week we will take the unit 4 test, pro