Florida's Best and Brightest

Well, Well Well....You have done it again! The following students have been recognized as Florida's Best and Brightest! Florida's Young Scholars is a program that seeks to honor third through eighth graders for excellence in the classroom , community, church as well as on athletic fields and courts. Their names will be listed on the Best and Brightest website. They will also be honored at a Florida Marlin's home game! I am very proud to have these students in my classroom. They truly exemplify Florida's Best and Brightest!!

Lyric Campbell
Kevin Masculine
Zachary Thomas
Justin Thomas
Kiana Pendleton
Bradley Kite
Casey Sellers
Camila Regondi
Lindsay Mead
Tatyana Hawkins

Dates to keep in mind...

Parents_
As the end of the school year draws near, here are a few important dates to keep in mind:

April 8th- 20 completed notecards are due on State Project
April 14th- Last day to pay for Islands of Adventure ($55 cash)
April 23rd- Picture Day (Smile!)
April 25th- Last day to purchase 5th grade memory CD's ($10 cash)
May 1st- Reading Celebration (completion of 25 books)
May 5th-Teacher Appreciation Week Begins!! (i luv u mrs. elmore!)
May 6th- Islands of Adventure field trip
May 16th- 5th Grade Formal at First Coast High School 6p-9p
Attire: semi-formal to formal
June 4th- 5th Grade Farewell/Awards Ceremony at 9am
June 5th- Last day of school (noon dismissal)

The Extravaganza Photos

As you can see we had a ball at the Extravaganza!! Just scroll through the pics to see..A special thank you to Mrs. Masculine and Mrs. Douglas for lending us a helping hand...

State Reports

It's "Report Time!"All students drew a state this week to do a research report on. Students were given a pink packet explaining what was to be included in their report, as well as how it would be graded. There are several due dates as we go through this process. Please visit this post and the comments frequently for more information.

Dates to Remember:
March 25th- Pack of colored note cards due.
March 27th- Students given information about how to do notecards and bibliographies
March 27th- Students visit computer lab to gather research.
April 8th- 20 completed notecards are due!

An Extravagant Extravaganaza

The students have worked really hard to complete the Math (156 questions) and Science (200 questions) FCAT Explorer programs as well as all of the extra homework assignments. I am rewarding them for all of their hard work and dedication to excellence with an afternoon of fun!! The following students have been invited to take part in the extravagant extravaganza!!

Mrs. Elmore's HR:
Bradley
Lyric
Daniel
Rossano
Tatyana
Kevin
Lindsay
Kiana
Camila
Casey
Justin
Zachary

Ms. Herrera's HR:
Quinton
Victoria
Zachary
Chane'
Victoria
Kaitlyn
Kiana
Kobie
Jordan
Omara
Serina
Melinda
Joseph
Horace
Dominique
Zoya

They received the following invitation:


You are cordially invited to attend an

Extravagant Extravaganza

in honor of

Mrs. Elmore and
The Hardest Working Students in Duval County!

Invited guests have completed the Math and Science computer programs in a timely manner.


This affair will be held on
Thursday, March 27 , 2008
From: 12:30- 2:30pm
Cost: $3.00 (must be paid on or before 3/26)
There will be food, drinks, music, games and more!


Congratulations!!

Test Taking Strategies

Ready or not, here it comes! The FCAT will begin next Tuesday for students throughout Duval County. Our class would like to share a few test taking strategies we have used throughout the year to prepare them for their test. They are:
* THINK!
*Use common sense
* Use your time wisely
*Underline or circle key words
*If you don't understand the question, re-read
*Break down the question
*Use process of elimination
*Show all of your work by making graphs, tables or charts,
* Watch your operations
* Use 5th grade vocabulary
*CHECK YOUR WORK

We have our game faces on and we are ready! FCAT, Bring It On!!!

Revised FCAT TESTING DATES...

Parents-
Below you will find the FCAT testing schedule. Please make sure your child is in school and on time during the testing period. It would be greatly appreciated if all appointments and/or trips be postponed until after testing.

Tuesday, March 11th:
Math Session I - 80 minutes

Wednesday, March 12th:
Math Session II - 80 minutes

Thursday, March 13th:
Reading Session I - 60 minutes
Reading Session II - 60 minutes

*Friday, March 14th: NRT Reading- 80 minutes

Monday, March 17th:
Science Session I - 60 minutes

Tuesday, March 18th:
Science Session II - 60 minutes

Wednesday, March 19th:
NRT Math - 70 minutes

* denotes changes to schedules

An Interesting Fact...

Easter this year is: Sunday March 23, 2008
* As you may know, Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20).
* This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify Passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives, and only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old and above). None of us have ever, or will ever, see Easter come as early as March 22.
Here are the facts:
* The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so, if you're 95 or older, you are the only ones who were around for that!).
* The next time Easter will fall on March 22 will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818, so no one alive today has, or ever will, see it any earlier than this year!

Ok, I can't take credit for this one! My sister sent it to me...Thanks Trina!!

More KA-BOOM PHOTOS!

Here are a few more photos from Ms. Herrera's homeroom class. They enjoyed making volcanoes in a bottle too!!

WELCOME!

We would like to welcome our pre-intern, Ms. Allen to our class! She is a junior at the University of North Florida. Ms. Allen moved from Naples, Fl to Jacksonville in January with her gorgeous dog named Tipper who is 7 years old.
We look forward to working with Ms. Allen this semester. In fact, she will be teaching a Science lesson this Friday. Welcome Ms. Allen!!!!

WATCH OUT!!

During our Science lesson today, the students created volcanoes in a bottle. Here are a few photos to show what an "explosive" time we had!
The very last photo really tells the story. Right Daniel???

KA-BOOM!!

Tomorrow the students will demonstrate what happens during a volcano eruption! The students have been divided into groups of 2. Each group will need the following items:
* clear 2 liter bottle
* small bottle of vinegar
* small box of baking soda
* an old t- shirt
I will provide the dish detergent and food coloring. We are going to have an explosive time!

A Perfect Night for a Lunar Eclipse!!

According to NASA, tonight beginning at 8:43 pm eastern standard time, we will be able to observe a partial lunar eclipse. A total lunar eclipse will occur at 10:01 pm and last until 10: 51 pm. The entire eclipse will last approximately 3 hours and 26 minutes. If you miss it tonight, you'll have to wait until 2010 to see one!

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the full moon passes into Earth's shadow and is blocked from the sun's rays that normally illuminate it. During an eclipse, the sun, Earth and moon line up, leaving a darkened moon visible to observers on the night side of the planet. Unlike a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse is completely safe to watch. It can be seen without the use of a telescope, but NASA's Web site recommends using binoculars for a better view.

Click on the links below for more exciting details and interesting photos.
http://www.discoverychannel.ca/reports/article.aspx?aid=7112
http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/eclipse.html

Have fun watching a part of Science History!

BINGO!!

Congratulations to our Math and Science Bingo Winners! This activity was used to review Math and Science vocabulary terms. The students had a blast! Our winners are as follows:



Mrs Elmore's HR: Ethan, Casey and Hanna

Ms. Herrera's HR: Kobie, Kaitlyn, Arlie and Zoya



Way to go! Continue to review your vocabulary words on a weekly basis to prepare for your FCAT.

Valentine's Day Exchange

Below you will find a list of the students in our class if you wish to exchange cards or candy.
This is an optional activity.

Ethan
Lindsay
Bradley
Madison
Lyric
Camila
Daniel
Casey
Rossano
Jessica
Tatyana
Justin
Alexandra
Zachary
Raphael
Tristan
Hanna
Kevin
Last but not least, Mrs. Elmore!!

Study for your math Quiz!

Remember boys and girls that you have a Math quiz tomorrow. On the test you will be asked to:

**identify acute, right and obtuse triangles
*acute angles measure less than 90 degrees
*right angles measure exactly 90 degrees
* obtuse angles measure more than 90 degrees

**identify scalene, isosceles and equilateral triangles
* scalene triangles have 0 equal sides
* isosceles triangles have 2 equal sides
*equilateral triangles have 3 equal sides

**name that polygon
* a 5 sided polygon is called a ______? (pentagon)

Use your Buckle Down books pgs. 126-131 to help you..Don't forget to answer the questions on those pages as well...
Good Luck!

MORE HEROES!!!

The following students have been added to my list of heroes because they have recently completed the Math and Science FCAT Explorer programs.
Kaitlyn
Kiana
Omara
Zoya
Way to go girls!!!!!

THANK YOU!

As many of you know by now, I was involved in a serious car accident last Sunday. I managed to escape with just bumps and bruises, but I am not complaining because it could have been worse.

I would like to thank all of my students, parents and fellow colleagues who have expressed many kind words of concern. I would also like to thank the teachers who were able to step in and fill my shoes while I was out! (It is a difficult task to replace Mrs. Elmore!) Last but not least, a special thank you to all of my wonderful students who were on their best behavior while I was recuperating. You are a great group of kids!! Thank You!! Thank You!! Thank You!!

You Are My Heroes!!!

The following students have completed 100% of the Math and Science FCAT Explorer Program. I would like to thank each and everyone of you for all of your hard work and commitment to excellence. You are well on your way to greatness!!

Mrs. Elmore's HR
Bradley
*Lyric
Daniel
Rossano
Kevin
Kiana
Casey
Justin

Ms. Herrera's HR
*Quinton Clark

* The first student in that homeroom to complete both programs!

Are you looking for additional ways to help your child?

As the FCAT draws near parents will often ask, "What else can I do to help my child?" Here are a few websites that will come in handy when you are looking for that little extra "spark" for your child. This information was shared at our FCAT Parent Night last night. I would like to thank all of the parents and students who came out to support our program. It was tons of fun,(especially the transfer of energy between the basketball and the egg)!

Math Sites:
http://www.aplusmath.com/
http://www.funbrain.com/
http://www.allmath.com/
http://teacherkids.com/
http://mathcats.com/
http://algebra.com/

Science Sites:
http://education.jlab.org/vocabhangman
http://www.studystack.com/menu-38506
http://chem4kids.com/

Picturing Polygons

For the next few weeks, our class will be working on a unit called Picturing Polygons. In this unit, we will work with important mathematical ideas about two-dimensional objects by exploring polygons and coordinate geometry. As the unit unfolds, your child will work with:
* polygons with different numbers of sides (up to 10)
* triangles and quadrilaterals whose angles and sides follow certain rules
* regular polygons
* similar polygons (of different sizes, but same shape)
Look for opportunities to talk about polygons with your child. Most of the angles in our rooms and on our furniture are right angles (90 degree angles). Why is this? A diagonal across a square forms a 45 degree angle. Why? If your child has any game boards or spinners, look at their designs. Do you see any of these angles? What other angles do you see?
Above all, have fun creating and discussing shapes and enjoy watching the growth of your child's understanding of geometry.

TIME Magazines for Kids

We have the opportunity to earn free subscriptions to Time for Kids at our school. Each student took home a booklet and letter that explains the program in more detail. I would like for each parent to complete the booklet with addresses of friends and relatives (local or out of town). The purpose of the cards is to ask them to consider ordering magazines. Each student that returns their booklet tomorrow will receive a prize!

Destination Success

Duval County Public Schools is pleased to offer all Elementary students a software suite named Destination Success! The program includes dynamic Reading and Math software and can be used at school, home, or any location with any Internet access.
To access this phenomenal student learning adventure go to www.dreamsbeginhere.org and click on the student software link. Look for the picture of the little monkey and follow the directions on the screen. Login details are as follows:
User Name:firstname+lastname+242
Password:birthday (2 digit month+2 digit day of month)
NO SPACES WHEN LOGGING IN!!
Students should begin working on Destination Success once they have completed the Math and Science FCAT Explorer programs.

FCAT Night

The 5th grade students will perform on Thursday, January 24th at 6pm. This special program is geared to provide useful information to parents about the FCAT and what it will entail. Several students from our class will have a part in a Science skit. We look forward to seeing you there!

A Shining Star!!

Congratulations to Lyric for being the first student in my class to complete the Science FCAT Explorer Program! Way to go Lyric!!

Math and Science FCAT Explorer Program

The Math FCAT Explorer Program should be completed by now. The deadline to complete the Math program was January 1st. The students who completed the program on time were treated with a "Pajama Jam" today in class. We enjoyed delicious goodies, watched movies, listened to music, played board games and lots more.
The students are now working towards completing the Science program. There are a total of 200 questions and the students must have at least 50% or 100 questions completed by Friday, January 25th. The FCAT Explorer program is an excellent site designed to help your child enhance their computation and problem solving skills.