5C News Feb. 26th - March 2nd

I can't believe it's almost March and 3rd Trimester! I'm excited about all of the learning and fun that is going to happen during your fifth graders final trimester at Highcroft!

Take a look at all the fun we are having so far!

Adding and Subtraction Fraction stations

Brainbrake fun!

Our current read aloud. We are loving this book!

Progress Reports: Progress Reports will go live Monday, February 26th.

STEM NIGHT: Highcroft's annual STEM Night which will be held March 8th, from 6:30 - 8:00 pm.  This event is family orientated and filled with a multitude of exciting STEM activities.  We look forward to seeing you here.

February

28: Strings Concert, 4th & 5th Grade, 3:00 pm and 6:30 pm, Highcroft Gym

March

7: Late Start, School begins at 11:05 am

Spirit Day - St. Louis Sports Day

8: All Read, 3:25 pm

STEM Family Night, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

14: Parkway Board of Education Meeting, 7:00 pm, Central Middle

22: PSO Meeting, 7:00 pm, Highcroft Library

23: JA in a Day, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

March 24 - April 1: No School - Spring Break

Reading: This week in reading, we will continue our Fantasy unit. On Monday, we will review our Fantasy Pre Assessments, get feedback, and form goals and action plans that will carry our fantasy work to new heights. Then, we will learn that as readers of fantasy tackle more complicated books, they use charts, timelines, and other graphic organizers to help track and analyze multiple problems and plotlines. After taking time to organize our notes, we will explore what you can learn about characters if you study them over time, delving deep into their formation, motivations, and actions. Later in the week, we will learn that characters in fantasy face different kinds of dragons--some are literal, while others are metaphorical dragons symbolizing conflicts faced by those characters. Throughout this unit, students will be working in book clubs to share and build ideas from one another. Be sure to ask your fifth grader about the work they are doing in their fantasy books!

Writing: This week in writing, we will continue our Fiction Short Stories unit. On Monday, we will learn that fiction writers get ideas for stories from daily life and from past writing. Then, we will get ideas for stories by imagining the books we wish existed in the world. Later in the week, students will learn that fiction writers need to choose a seed idea and begin to develop characters by creating their external and internal traits. Finally, we will learn that writers develop character not only by telling about their motivations and struggles but also by creating scenes that show these things.

Math:  This week in math, we will continue Multiplying and Dividing Fractions. Students will apply and extend their previous understandings of multiplication and division to multiply and divide fractions. We will use models to multiply a whole number by a fraction and a fraction by a whole number. We will connect models of fractions to the repeated addition meaning of multiplication.

Social Studies: This week we will review our test on Discovery, Exploration, and the Early Settlements. We will so start our new unit on the on the Thirteen Orginal Colonies. This will be chapter 7, 8, and 9 from the History Alive book.

Science: Students will rotate every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday for science. Our class is currently studying Environments

5C News Feb 19-23

I appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedules to chat about your 5th graders great
accomplishments throughout 2nd trimester with me! I look forward to watching your almost middle schooler shine during 3rd trimester!

Planners: At the end of each day, we write down our homework, test dates, projects and upcoming events
in our planners. The expectation in room 502 is that your 5th grader fill out his or her planner each day!
If you are ever wondering what assessments or projects your child has coming up, a great place to check
would be their planner.

STEM NIGHT: Highcroft's annual STEM Night which will be held March 8th, from 6:30 - 8:00 pm.  This
event is family orientated and filled with a multitude of exciting STEM activities.  We look forward to
seeing you here.

February

21: Parkway Board of Education Meeting, 7:00 pm, Central Middle

22: PSO Meeting, 7:00 pm, Highcroft Library

28: Strings Concert, 4th & 5th Grade, 3:00 pm and 6:30 pm, Highcroft Gym

March

7: Late Start, School begins at 11:05 am

Spirit Day - St. Louis Sports Day

8: All Read, 3:25 pm

STEM Family Night, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

14: Parkway Board of Education Meeting, 7:00 pm, Central Middle

22: PSO Meeting, 7:00 pm, Highcroft Library

23: JA in a Day, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

March 24 - April 1: No School - Spring Break

Reading: This week in reading, we will wrap up our Argument and Advocacy unit by finishing our Claim/
Reason/Evidence Posters and hanging them in the halls of Highcroft! Ask your 5th grader what they are
advocating for?! On Wednesday, we will pre assess over our next unit, Fantasy! On Thursday, we will begin
diving into the world of Fantasy by learning that fantasy readers research the setting of a story by investigating
clues about the time period and important magical elements, using covers, blurbs, and details from the beginning
of the story. On Friday, we will learn that fantasy readers expect to learn alongside the main character, and are
alert to clues that characters are in the midst of important learning experiences.

5th Grade Fantasy Recommendations:

https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lists/teaching-content/fantasy-series-grades-3-5/

Writing: This week in writing, we will begin our new unit, Fiction Short Stories. Students will write their On
Demand piece tomorrow. This will give them an opportunity to show all that they already know about
fiction writing! I am excited to see what they produce! Late in the week, we will dive into the unit by
imagining stories from ordinary moments. Students will learn that fiction writers get ideas for stories
from daily life and from past writing. Please encourage your child to read short stories and picture books
over the course of the next month at home. You could also read texts together and study two things: How
do these kinds of texts tend to go? And What story idea might the writer have recorded in her writer’s
notebook? This will help your child brainstorm and write fiction short stories with more ease!

Math:  This week in math, we will continue our Context for Learning unit titled, Exploring Parks and
Playgrounds. The unit provides students with rich, authentic contexts for fostering the use of
mathematical models as thinking tools, tenacious problem solving, and the reading and writing of
mathematical arguments and justifications to ensure the development of a positive growth-mindset.
During this unit, we are focusing on multiplying and dividing fractions. Students will learn to use a number
line and other models to multiply and divide fractions.

Social Studies: This week we will review our Discovery, Exploration and Early Settlement unit.  
Students will begin to read and uncover information about the Early Settlements. Our test will be Friday,
February 23rd. Students have reveived a study guide.

Science: Students will rotate every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday for science. Our class is currently
studying Environments with Ms. Kohut.

5C News February 12-16th

Valentine’s Party: We will have our Valentine's parties the afternoon of February 14th, beginning at
2:35 pm and concluding at 3:30 pm. If your child chooses to hand out valentines in class, please ensure
there is a valentine for each student in the class. We honor a food-free celebratory environment in
accordance with Parkway's food policy. No candy or food is allowed during the party, nor can it be disseminated with valentines. If your child decides to bring cards, they do not need to be individually addressed. Please just write the child's name of who they are from.

Author Visit: On February 12th we will host author and former football player/coach Coach Sloth.
Coach Sloth has a great message to share with the students regarding the writing process, as well as a
message on anti-bullying. Order forms for his books will go home this week! Check out his website at
www.coachsloth.com!

February

12: Author Visit, Coach Sloth, 1:00 pm - 2:45 pm

Project Parkway, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm, Central High School

13: Spirit of Excellence, 6:30 pm, Touhill Performing Arts Center

14: Valentine Parties, 2:35 pm - 3:30 pm

15: Parent/Teacher Conferences, 4:30 pm - 8:00 pm

16: No School - Records/Professional Development Day

19: No School - Presidents Day

21: Parkway Board of Education Meeting, 7:00 pm, Central Middle

22: PSO Meeting, 7:00 pm, Highcroft Library

28: Strings Concert, 4th & 5th Grade, 6:30 pm, Highcroft Gym

March

7: Late Start, School begins at 11:05 am

Spirit Day - St. Louis Sports Day

8: All Read, 3:25 pm

STEM Family Night, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

14: Parkway Board of Education Meeting, 7:00 pm, Central Middle

22: PSO Meeting, 7:00 pm, Highcroft Library

23: JA in a Day, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

March 24 - April 1: No School - Spring Break

Reading: This week in reading, we will continue researching our self-selected research topic. Students will
learn that one-way readers can analyze texts is by reading across more than one text, paying careful
attention to craft, and comparing and contrasting the choices made by the author of each text. Students
will also learn that experienced nonfiction readers bring all their critical lenses to reading nonfiction,
noting when the text stirs them to a strong emotional response, and analyzing how the text positions the
reader. Later in the week, we will celebrate all of our hard work!

Writing: This week in writing, we will use our editing checklist to review our final research-based essay
pieces. Students will need to come to writing workshop Wednesday with a published piece in order to
celebrate all of their hard work! We will pre-test for our next unit, Fiction Short Stories, later in the
week.

Math:  This week in math, we will begin a Context for Learning unit titled, Exploring Parks and Playgrounds.
The unit provides students with rich, authentic contexts for fostering the use of mathematical models as
thinking tools, tenacious problem solving, and the reading and writing of mathematical arguments and
justifications to ensure the development of a positive growth-mindset.

Social Studies: This week we will continue our Discovery, Exploration and Early Settlement unit.  We will
each study one famous explorer and create a Google Slides presentation about the explorer.  Later this
week, we will present our learning to the rest of the class.

Science: Students will rotate every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday for science. Our class is currently
studying Environments with Miss Kohut.

5C News February 5th-9th

Welcome to February and 6 more weeks of winter. We can manage...spring is just around the corner!

Late Start Wednesday and Twin Day: We have a late start this Wednesday, February 7th. School
will start 2 hours later than usual and buses will pick up 2 hours later. Our spirit day is Twin Day! Students
may dress

All Read: All Read is this Thursday,  February 8th.

Counseling Week: A special THANK YOU to our counselors, Melissa and Cindy. We cannot thank them
enough for everything they do for our students and staff!

Author Visit: On February 12th we will host author and former football player/coach Coach Sloth.
Coach Sloth has a great message to share with the students regarding the writing process, as well as
a message on anti-bullying. Order forms for his books will go home this week! Check out his website at
www.coachsloth.com!

Conferences: Highcroft's Spring Conferences are the week of February 12th.  We will once again use the
MyConferenceTime website.  The website is open now. Go to www.myconferencetime.com/highcroftridge.

Valentine Party Request: Please send your child to school with a photo of him/her taken prior to
Kindergarten.  It is for a fun activity at our party!  The photos will be returned after the party!

No Food Policy: As Valentine’s Day approaches, remember that Parkway has a no food policy which
includes NOT sending candy or any type of food/snack items. You may send stickers, pencils, etc.

February

6: Unit 3 Math test Adding and Subtracting Fractions and Mixed Number

7: Late Start, School begins at 11:05 am

   Spirit Day - Twin Day

8: All Read, 3:25 pm

13: Spirit of Excellence, 6:30 pm, Touhill Performing Arts Center

14: Valentine Parties, 2:35 pm - 3:30 pm

15: Parent/Teacher Conferences, 4:30 pm - 8:00 pm

16: No School - Records/Professional Development Day

19: No School - Presidents Day

21: Parkway Board of Education Meeting, 7:00 pm, Central Middle

22: PSO Meeting, 7:00 pm, Highcroft Library

28: Strings Concert, 4th & 5th Grade, 6:30 pm, Highcroft Gym

March

7: Late Start, School begins at 11:05 am

Spirit Day - St. Louis Sports Day

8: All Read, 3:25 pm

STEM Family Night, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Parkway Board of Education Meeting, 7:00 pm, Central Middle

22: PSO Meeting, 7:00 pm, Highcroft Library

23: JA in a Day, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

March 24 - April 1: No School - Spring Break

Specials rotation this week:

Monday: S-PE

Tuesday: E-Art

Wednesday: No Letter Day

Thursday: R- PE (NCADA)

Friday: O- Music

Reading: This week in reading, we wrap up Bend II of our Argument and Advocacy unit by holding
debates as a means of celebrating the work we have done, as well as an inspiration for further learning.
On Tuesday, we will begin Bend III, Researching a New Issue with More Agency. Students will learn that
when researchers embark on a new research project, they start by making a plan for that study, drawing
on all that they have learned from previous research studies.  We will select new research topics to debate.  
The students will create a research plan that they will follow through the last bend of this unit.  
Throughout this week, we will continue to stress the importance of writing about our reading because
it allows for us to process the information and select the most important components.

Writing: This week in writing, we will wrap up our Research Based Argument Essays by learning to appeal
to our audience, evaluate the validity of our arguments, and make wise choices about paragraphing. Early
next week or this Friday, we will celebrate all of our hard work by sharing our arguments in real-life
situations in order to sway audience opinion and enact positive change.

Math:  This week in math, we will be review adding and subtracting fractions.  Our Math test will be on
Tuesday, February 6th.  We will practice determining whether we need to add or subtract (or both) to
solve a problem prior to beginning to solve.  Then we will continue to practice adding and subtracting
fractions and mixed numbers.  We must find common denominators in order to solve addition and
subtraction problems.  Also, sometimes when we subtract mixed numbers, we must regroup the whole
number to help solve it. Later in the week, we will begin a Context for Learning unit titled, Exploring
Parks and Playgrounds. The unit provides students with rich, authentic contexts for fostering the use of
mathematical models as thinking tools, tenacious problem solving, and the reading and writing of
mathematical arguments and justifications to ensure the development of a positive growth-mindset.

Social Studies: This week we will continue our Discovery, Exploration and Early Settlement unit.  We will
each study one famous explorer and create a Google Slides presentation about the explorer.  Later this
week, we will present our learning to the rest of the class.

Science: Students will rotate every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday for science. Our class is currently
studying Environments with Ms. Kohut.

5C News January 22nd-26th

Families, I hope you were able to enjoy the warm weather, snuggle up with a good book,
mark some things off your to-do list, enjoy a movie, or simply be! I’m looking forward to
a 5-day week full of learning, giggles, life-lessons, and fun!

Middle School Course Forms: Be sure to take some time to look through your
5th graders course options for 6th grade and return the blue form by Friday,
January 26th.

West Middle Parent Night: Tuesday, January 23rd at 7:00 pm.

Highcroft Spelling Bee: Monday, January 22 at 2:30 in the MPR. Good luck to
Jake Chapman

Conferences: Highcroft's Spring Conference Night is Thursday, February 15th, from
4:30-8:00 pm.  We will once again use MyConferenceTime, an online platform, to
schedule conference meetings.The website is now open for sign-ups.

There are a few easy steps to register for your conference.  If you have one child at
Highcroft Ridge:

1. Go to www.myconferencetime.com/highcroftridge

2. Click your child’s teacher from the list of teachers.

3. Choose your preferred conference time from the list of available conferences
and click “Sign Up” under your preferred time.

4. Fill in all required information and any necessary optional information and click
“Sign Up for Your Conference.” Please be assured that all information is submitted s

ecurely and will only be used by the school for confirmation purposes.  It will not be

available to outside sources.

5. You will receive a confirmation email confirming your conference time.

If you have multiple students at Highcroft please click “Register for Multiple
Conferences,”then follow the steps to enter the information for each child. You will
then be presented the schedules for multiple teachers to compare.

If you do not have access to a computer or have difficulty scheduling, please contact
Sherry Heyse at sheyse@parkwayschools.net or call at 314-415-6406.

Valentine Party Request: Please send your child to school with photo of him or her
prior to Kindergarten. It is for a fun activity at our party and photos will be returned
after the party!

No Food Policy: As Valentine’s Day approaches, remember that Parkway has a no food
policy which includes NOT sending candy or any type of food/snack items with the
Valentine's. You may send stickers, pencils, etc.

January

22: Spelling Bee, 2:30 pm, MPR

23: Kindergarten Registration, 7:30 am - 6:00 pm, MPR

     West Middle Parent Orientation, 7:00 pm, West Middle

24: Choice Informational Meeting, 6:00 pm, South High

25: Snow Date for Spelling Bee, 2:30 pm, MPR

     Snow Date for West Middle Parent Orientation, 7:00 pm, West Middle

  PSO Meeting, 7:00 pm, MPR

29: Land of Smiles Dental Presentation, Grades K-3, 2:00 pm, MPR

January 29 - February 2: Stuffed Animal Drive

February

1 - 2: Stuffed Animal Drive

7: Late Start, School begins at 11:05 am

   Spirit Day - Twin Day

8: All Read, 3:25 pm

13: Spirit of Excellence, 6:30 pm, Touhill Performing Arts Center

14: Valentine Parties, 2:35 pm - 3:30 pm

15: Parent/Teacher Conferences, 4:30 pm - 8:00 pm

16: No School - Records/Professional Development Day

19: No School - Presidents Day

21: Parkway Board of Education Meeting, 7:00 pm, Central Middle

22: PSO Meeting, 7:00 pm, Highcroft Library

28: Strings Concert, 4th & 5th Grade, 6:30 pm, Highcroft Gym

Reading: This week in reading, we will continue our unit, Argument and Advocacy.

Arguing to Learn: Students will learn that readers can prepare for and have a debate
on an issue they are researching, and this can help them find new ways of thinking about
their ideas and give them new insights into their issue.

Moving beyond Considering One Debatable Question: In this session, students will
learn that researchers push themselves to ask new questions and develop new ideas
about their issue, then narrow their focus before conducting further research.

Raising the Level of Annotating Texts: Students will learn that readers annotate
a text in a purposeful and deliberate way as they read--to help them remember the
author's big ideas, as well as their own thoughts and ideas--and that readers can use
their annotations to facilitate evidence-based conversation about the text.

Writing:  This week in writing, we will continue our unit, The Research-Based Argument
Essay.

Balancing Evidence with Analysis: Students will learn that writers analyze their
evidence and explain their thinking, so that their own voice is powerful throughout their
writing.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Students will learn carefully consider a variety of formats
and choose the one that will effectively convey their message.

Taking Arguments Up a Notch: Students will shift from writing a persuasive letter to
beginning a research project.

Bringing a Critical Perspective to Writing: Students will bring all that they know
about reading critically in to writing critically.

Math: This week in math, we continue our unit, Adding and Subtracting Fractions.

Add Fractions with Unlike Denominators: Students will learn to add fractions with unlike
denominators using equivalent fractions with a common denominator.

Subtract Fractions with Unlike Denominators: Students will use equivalent fractions as a
strategy to subtract fractions with unlike denominators.

Estimate Sums and Differences of Mixed Numbers: Students will use various
methods to estimate sums and differences of mixed numbers

Important Fraction Vocabulary: benchmark fraction, equivalent fractions,
common denominator

Social Studies: This week we will continue our Discovery, Exploration and Early
Settlement unit.  We will focus on the motives and impacts of the early explorers who
settled in America.  Students will realized that exploration and colonization played a
huge role on the history of America.  Our new vocabulary words include New World,
Age of Exploration, explorers, and archaeologist.

Science: Students will be tested over Mixtrues and Solutions on Friday, January 26th. Your child has been given a study guide and will work to complete the study guide during science.