February 2012

Dear Parents,

This month the students will be taking mid-terms in their core subjects. We wish them good luck as they prepare for their assessments. Please also note that we are still collecting pretzels for the Nutritious Nibbles Program.

~T. Kelly

U.S. History I - In February, the 5th grade will wrap up their study of the 13 Colonies. They'll write a comparative essay, finish their travel brochures, and finish filming their documentary on each colony. They'll begin studying the fomenting revolutionary ideals that came to a head in response to the growing disconnect between the British King and Parliament and the disgruntled Colonist. They'll understand the progression of events that led to the American Revolution.

Math - During the month of February, students will extend their study of numbers and numerical relationships to work with the concepts of ratio and proportion and with related applications such as scale drawings. In addition, students will explore the relationship between fractions, decimals, and percents. Lastly, students will learn about percents that can be modeled with a 10 by 10 grid.

Language Arts - The fifth graders will write a persuasive essay during this month. They will read several models of good persuasive essays, be able to identify characteristics of strong writing, and apply these techniques to their own writing. In addition, the fifth graders will read several traditional and "fractured" fairy tales and compare and contrast the two versions. They will do descriptive and expository writing activities with each story that they read.

Science - This month the students will be comparing different kinds of matter. They will answer the essential question, "How can you classify matter?" Specific topics the fifth graders will study are: properties of matter, structure of elements, and the properties of metals, nonmetals, and metalloids.

Spanish - At the start of February the fifth graders will be spending their time reviewing for their mid-term exam. The material to be covered on that assessment can be found in their notes as well as in their text books from the beginning of the book through page 170. During the second week of the month, the students will be introduced to proper conjugation of regular "er" verbs, as well as many action words that end with "er". They will also be shown how to use the preposition "a" correctly. Regarding pronunciation, we will work on the sounds of the letter "c" and "z".



February 2012 Events

  • Monday, Feb. 6-Friday Feb. 10: Midterm Exams / Interims issued
  • Tuesday, Feb. 14: Lower School Grandparents Day, 9:30am / Valentine's Day
  • Wednesday, Feb. 15: Hoops For Heart
  • Thursday, Feb. 16: Coffee & Tea with Rose, 8:30am
  • Friday, Feb. 17-Monday, Feb. 20: School Closed for Winter Break