Highcroft’s Hurricane Day of Service: Thursday, April 26th is our Highcroft Hurricane Day of
Service. After engaging in learning about hurricanes this year, it is time for action. Your child’s family
group is participating in our school-wide service learning project supporting people and animals
impacted by hurricanes. Please send your child to school in their Highcroft gear!
Service. After engaging in learning about hurricanes this year, it is time for action. Your child’s family
group is participating in our school-wide service learning project supporting people and animals
impacted by hurricanes. Please send your child to school in their Highcroft gear!
Spirit Day: Thursday, April 26th is going to be a spirit day! Send your 5th grader to school in their
Highcroft gear or red!
Highcroft gear or red!
No School: We will not have school this upcoming Friday, April 27th.
Headphones for MAP: Please make sure your child has a pair of headphones for the MAP test!
April
23: Wax Museum - Mrs. Swanger's Class, 9:20 am
24: Chorus Concert at Spoede Elementary, 6:30 pm
25: Wax Museum - Mrs. Wright's Class, 9:20 am
26: PSO Meeting, 7:00 pm, Highcroft Library
27: No School
April 30 - May 11: MAP Testing
May
4: Spirit Day - Star Wars Day
Highcroft Carnival
9: Parkway Board of Education Meeting, 7:00 pm, Central Middle
14: 5th Grade Celebration, 9:05 am - 2:00 pm
15: Field Day/Science Olympiad
16: PSO Meeting, 7:00 pm, Highcroft Library
17: Orientation for 5th Grade Students attending West Middle, 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
5th Grade Performances, 3:00 pm and 6:30 pm
24: Last Day of School - Half Day, school dismisses at 1:05 pm
Reading: This week in reading, we will continue our unit, Author Study. Students will learn that
another way to study an author’s body of work is to consider what structural patterns exist across those
texts. One author might favor flashbacks, another might tell stories through multiple perspectives, and
another might tend to include twist endings. Studying the plot structures of many books written by the
same author can reveal patterns--and breaks in patterns--giving readers extra insight into how that
author writes. Then, we will learn that another way readers get to know a particular author’s books
better, and become even stronger readers. They do this not just by studying the books from the outside
in, as readers, but also by studying those books with their clubs, as writers. Readers think about how
they're structured their own stories in the past and then look at the structures of the books they have
read by the author to see if patterns emerge. Finally, we will learn that reader who really love an author’s
work will sometimes write alongside that author--writing fan fiction by drafting scenes that could be
inserted into existing stories. To do this work, readers study characters, setting, plot, and style of the
author.
another way to study an author’s body of work is to consider what structural patterns exist across those
texts. One author might favor flashbacks, another might tell stories through multiple perspectives, and
another might tend to include twist endings. Studying the plot structures of many books written by the
same author can reveal patterns--and breaks in patterns--giving readers extra insight into how that
author writes. Then, we will learn that another way readers get to know a particular author’s books
better, and become even stronger readers. They do this not just by studying the books from the outside
in, as readers, but also by studying those books with their clubs, as writers. Readers think about how
they're structured their own stories in the past and then look at the structures of the books they have
read by the author to see if patterns emerge. Finally, we will learn that reader who really love an author’s
work will sometimes write alongside that author--writing fan fiction by drafting scenes that could be
inserted into existing stories. To do this work, readers study characters, setting, plot, and style of the
author.
Writing: This week in writing, we will continue our unit, Literary Essay. Students will learn that
writers use checklists to get ready to draft. Specifically, that when writers flash-draft a literary essay,
it helps to rehearse it in the air with the qualities of good essay writing in mind. Then, we will learn that
essayists study small, specific details or the parts that feel odd or important to grow big ideas and interpretation.
Finally, students will learn that one way literary essayists generate ideas is to closely study the times
when characters face trouble, knowing that often the character or the reader learns a lesson from those
experiences.
writers use checklists to get ready to draft. Specifically, that when writers flash-draft a literary essay,
it helps to rehearse it in the air with the qualities of good essay writing in mind. Then, we will learn that
essayists study small, specific details or the parts that feel odd or important to grow big ideas and interpretation.
Finally, students will learn that one way literary essayists generate ideas is to closely study the times
when characters face trouble, knowing that often the character or the reader learns a lesson from those
experiences.
Math: This week in math, we will wrap up our mini unit on writing numerical expressions and then
begin our geometry unit. Students will learn to classify quadrilaterals and triangles.
begin our geometry unit. Students will learn to classify quadrilaterals and triangles.
Important Vocabulary:parallelogram, trapezoid, rectangle, rhombus, square, 
Science: During our last science unit, Astronomy, students will learn about the concepts of
how Earth's rotation creates patterns in the apparent positions of the Sun, Moon, and stars.
They will observe shadows to demonstrate how the change in the length and position of
shadows over a day illustrate the rotation of the Earth. Students will observe the positions of
the Sun and Moon over a period of time to learn about how they change throughout the day
or from day to day. They will learn that, though half the Moon is lit at all times, the Moon
appears to go through phases where different amounts of the lit section of the Moon are
visible throughout the lunar cycle. Also, students will examine Earth as one of the planets of
the Solar System, and compare Earth to the other planets in terms of size, distance from the
Sun and from one another, and ability to sustain life. For each of the preceding ideas, students
will use models and hands-on investigations to help them uncover the scientific ideas that they
are trying to understand.
how Earth's rotation creates patterns in the apparent positions of the Sun, Moon, and stars.
They will observe shadows to demonstrate how the change in the length and position of
shadows over a day illustrate the rotation of the Earth. Students will observe the positions of
the Sun and Moon over a period of time to learn about how they change throughout the day
or from day to day. They will learn that, though half the Moon is lit at all times, the Moon
appears to go through phases where different amounts of the lit section of the Moon are
visible throughout the lunar cycle. Also, students will examine Earth as one of the planets of
the Solar System, and compare Earth to the other planets in terms of size, distance from the
Sun and from one another, and ability to sustain life. For each of the preceding ideas, students
will use models and hands-on investigations to help them uncover the scientific ideas that they
are trying to understand.
