November 10, 2009

Welcome back from our refreshing break. We would like to welcome Ms. Kolstad's replacement Ms. Ahmed. She was the short term sub before break. You can reach her by calling Mrs. Swanson's ext 154 or email her at sahmed@strideacademy.org.



Social: We will continue our unit on Ancient Greece and Rome this week by covering the Persian Wars, and the battles of Sardis, Marathon, Thermopylae, and Salamis. Students will also identify contributions that Greek Philosophers made to their culture. Be sure to be prepared for a pop quiz this week.




Science: A new short unit on the human body will take place between intersession and winter break. This week students will review the circulatory system by identifying the six main parts of the system and the five main parts of the heart.



Language Arts: We are hoping to have our Second Annual Coffee House on December 11th. I will send updates with an exact time in Thursday folders this week. Reminder if you have any scrapbook materials you would like to get rid of you can send them in with your student to either Ms. Wallwork or Ms. Ahmed. We will be reviewing poetry terms, and figurative language this week and also discussing adjectives.



Math: Ms. Wallwork's class will be working with mixed numbers, identifying transversals, interior and exterior angles, and using a number line to add integers, and use algebraic addition to subtract integers.



Mrs. Swanson's class is working on pi and circumference, subtracting mixed numbers with regrouping, creating a decimal number line to the tenths place, and dividing be a decimal number and by a fraction.




Mr. Thole's class is reading and writing whole number in expanded notation, solving two-step word problems, and finding an average.



Reading:

Today, Ms. Wallwork's class will be looking at various areas and happenings of WWII and then try to make connections to our previous readings and our upcoming book, Anne Frank A Diary of a Young Girl. We are going to focus on vocabulary a lot more during this novel so ask your son or daughter about any new words they may be learning.



Reminders: There is NO SCHOOL on Friday, December 4th. Our winter break is from Thursday, December 24th until Sunday, January 3rd. School will resume on Monday, January 4th.



Calendars must be sold and money must be collected by Friday, December 11th. This is to ensure we do not have leftover calendars.




The PATHS meeting and school board meeting were rescheduled due to the Winter Concert on Tuesday, December 15th. PATHS will meet Monday, December 7th at 6:30pm and the school board will meet Tuesday, December 8th at 6:30pm.

Winter Wear clothing drive for 4th graders!

WHO: all STRIDE students and families
What: donate new or gently used winter items (coats, boots, snow pants, gloves, hats…)
WHEN: Nov. 30-Dec. 18, 2009
WHERE: drop off in baskets/boxes located up front and around school or give to your child’s teacher
WHY: to help the 4th graders with this service project and help those less fortunate in our community at this time of year

November 10, 2009

Well it is our last week before a big break. Be sure to stay focused and finishing up any work you may be missing. If you haven't already heard, Mrs. Kolstad took another job and we have Ms. Ahmed filling in for her this week. A replacement will be hired for the rest of the year and hopefully start after break.


Social: Do to the Veterans Day presentation we will not have social studies on Wednesday. We are learning more about Hercules and other Greek Gods this week.


Science: Students review for their test on Monday and will take their test on Wednesday, November 11th. The computer review game is a great tool to study for the test and they can print off the 10 questions and circle the correct answers to use on the test. State of Matter Brochures are due Wednesday, November 11th.


Language Arts:


This week Ms. Wallwork's class will not have a spelling test. We will be reciting our poems and working on our wonderful poetry project. Keep your eyes open for a notice in the Thursday folders for the date of our 2nd annual coffee house. This will take place soon after break.


Mrs. Swanson's homeroom, Ms. Ahmed's language, has spelling lesson 9 for Level 6 and spelling lesson 10 for Level 7. Students also completed grammar packet 13 on adjectives. All of these items are due on Friday, November 13th. Students are working on poetry by reviewing poetry terms and typing their poems.



Reminder if you have any scrapbook materials you would like to get rid of you can send them in with your student to either Ms. Wallwork or Ms. Ahmed.



Math:


Ms. Wallwork's class will start out the week on lesson 94 with a test on Wednesday. We will be using Study Island for our enrichment grade. They will be graded on certain areas of Study Island by the score they receive.



Mrs. Swanson's class has three lessons this week about simplifying and comparing decimal numbers, dividing decimal numbers by a whole number, and writing decimal numbers in expanded notation and mentally multiplying decimal numbers by 10 and by 100. The next test will be on Wednesday and a review of missed concepts on the past 8 tests and benchmark test will take place on Friday.



Mrs. Schmitz's class is working with polygons, division with remainders, and fractions.



Ms. Pueringer's class is reducing fractions by using the GCF, dividing fractions, and they have a test this week.


Reading: Ms. Wallwork's class is making book covers for either Hiroshima or A Wrinkle in Time. They will be displayed in the hall way sometime this week. We will also be watching the movie A Wrinkle in Time, thank you for getting those permission slips back to me. Our next book will be Anne Frank, A Diary of a Young Girl. Secret question of the week is, what is the meaning of the following Greek words: dictum, magnus, and mikros?

Mrs. Schmitz reading class is still reading The Prince and the Pauper and giving presentations in L.A.

Ms. Pueringer's class is reading Where the Red Fern Grows.


Reminders:

This is our last week of school before intersession! Be sure to stay all caught up with all of your classes so you will not have late work to do over intersession. Last day of school is November 13th, students will return on November 30th.


STRIDE Academy will be honoring Veterans on November 11th at 8:45 in the school gymnasium. All Veterans are invited to attend. Sixth graders should try and wear blue polos.



This Friday Native Americans from the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwa will be presenting some tribal dancing for students at STRIDE Academy at 1:00pm. Parents are welcome to attend.


Spelling for Ms. Ahmed/Mrs. Swanson Class


Level 6: nickel, muscle, castle, example, novel, several, vegetable, carnival, whistle, label, wrestle, hospital, bicycle, principal, tunnel, natural, grumble, general, principle, usually



Level 7: propeller, extolled, compelled, submitted, forgetful, forgettable, deferment, repellent, forbidding, referral

November 2, 2009

Two weeks of school left before intersession! Be sure to stay all caught up with all of your classes so you will not have late work to do over intersession. Your last day of class is November 13th and you will return to school on November 30th.

Social: We will begin this week learning about Sparta and their conflicts with the Athenians. We will also watch the Disney Classic, Hercules. Just a reminder to be rereading throughout the unit. We will also have short pop quizzes throughout this unit.


Science: This week students will finish their unit on energy and matter. They will learn the difference between expansion and contraction and what causes it and learn what distillation is through an online example. Students at-home lab on phase changes is due Thursday, November 5th, State of Matter Brochures are due Wednesday, November 11th, and the test will take place on Wednesday as well. A review sheet will be coming home in your child's Thursday folder.


Language Arts: This week Ms. Wallwork's class will not have a spelling test. We will instead be taking "practice" reading comprehension test on Monday and taking care of Rule 12 on Friday. We will also begin typing and putting together our poetry books. Just a reminder, if you have any extra stickers, card stock, or anything that you think would be helpful in putting these books together that you would like to donate, it would be greatly appreciated. Ms. Kolstad's class is completing spelling lesson 9 or spelling review, grammar rule #12, and the bonus word is diabolical. Students are still working on poetry this week including sonnets and diamante.


Math:


Ms. Wallwork's class will start out the week taking a test and then continue working with area of a variety of shapes, writing the powers of 10 with exponents, and classifying triangles by the length and measure of the angles.



Mrs. Swanson's math class is taking a test on Monday and aiming for more 100% scores, an investigation on collecting, organizing, displaying, and interpreting data, Tuesday, and doing lessons Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday on percents of a number, renaming fractions by multiplying by 1, equivalent division problems, and finding unknowns in fractions and decimal problems.

Mrs. Schmitz's class is estimating answers by rounding first, dividing and story (rate) problems.
Ms. Pueringer's class is doing Investigation 9, Bar graphs, Lessons 91-94. Concepts to work on multiplying fractions, simplifying fractions, using the Greatest Common Factor (GCF) to reduce fractions.

Reading: Ms. Wallwork's class is continuing A Wrinkle in Time and we will finish it up before the end of intersession with the movie A Wrinkle in Time. We will be starting The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank when we return from break. Continue to study those vocabulary words, don't forget to use dictionary.com for the correct pronunciation.

Mrs. Schmitz reading class is reading the Prince and the Pauper. We only have 15 lessons to go until level 6.

Ms. Pueringer's class is reading Where the Red Fern Grows.

Reminders: Last day of school is Novemeber 13th, students will return on November 30th. What is the Greek word for city-state? STRIDE Academy will be honoring Veterans on November 11th at 8:45 in the school gymnasium. All Veterans are invited to attend. Don't forget if you are doing a poster or writing an essay they are due by November 5th.