Conference Day Extra Activities

Here are some activities for you to enjoy during our conference day!

*Lines of Symmetry Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEro2-qcFqU

*Brainpop Video:
Poetry

*Make a hexaflexagon!
http://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/how-to-make-a-hexaflexagon-the-definitive-guide

*Make a popsicle boat!
http://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/how-to-make-a-popsicle-stick-and-rubber-band-paddle-boat

Think about some of these activities...
*Can you make a symmetrical shape with 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 lines of symmetry?
*Can you write a snow day poem?
*Can you make something out of folded paper?
*Can you make another object out of pop sticks?

USE YOUR IMAGINATION!!!

Bring your creation to school tomorrow for a gold coin!

HEArts Math 2020

So excited to be kicking off an integrated math and art experience for students today with our art teacher, Erin Cameron! The amazing art created by buddy classes during these math/art sessions will decorate Heathcote's hallways for our annual Heathcote Art and Poetry Festival in April.

Erin and I worked together to organize creative and engaging art experiences for students that incorporate math as a central feature.


Before the February break, 5Robert made these beautiful icosahedra.

As we worked we discussed the significance of the icosahedron as a shape and marveled at how 20 flat, 2D circles could be folded into equilateral triangles, and glued together to make an icosahedron.

So many interesting observations and questions grew out of our work!

• Can we use any triangle? Isosceles? Scalene?
• Why is the shape so sturdy? What is it about triangles that make them so good for building?
• What other shapes can be made from triangles? 
• Where or when are icosahedra used?

Students had so much fun learning and making these! They were enthralled by everything from selecting their circle patterns and deciding their placement, to contemplating the geometry.

Here are some more photos of 5th graders and 2nd graders working on creating spirolaterals, a repeated number pattern depicted with lines and ninety-degree turns.

     


You can find all of these great lessons on the Teacher Resource page of my blog.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Conference Time is Almost Here! Please check PT Wizard to confirm your appointment!

A note about conferences....

  It is hard to believe that in a few short days, October will be behind us! That means that before we know it, it will be report card and conference time. When reviewing the report card, please keep in mind that grading is based on fifth grade standards. It may look very different from your child's fourth grade report card. It is not uncommon for students moving up in the grades to find that skills they once seemed to have well in hand, require renewed attention and maintenance. This is important information that lets us know as parents and teachers that students are still growing and emerging as learners, and as the requirements for mastery intensify, so does the need for goal setting. This is the first of three report cards and the hope is that each subsequent report card will reflect improvement.

  When your child's report card comes home, please take some time to review and discuss it positively and with encouragement. It is important for your child to know that he or she is supported and progressing. We are all working together toward improvement!

I look forward to seeing you at our scheduled conference time.

Rocketry Launch #2

We are excited to post that our second launch was as successful as our first!
With parents looking on, our class launched rockets on Thursday that were redesigned with the goal of achieving even greater launch height. By selecting one variable (nosecone, fins, body diameter, etc.) to change, teams were able to modify their rockets based on observations and height totals from their first launch to identify areas of improvement. Students took body design into account but knew that there were also outside factors like weather and data collection accuracy that affected their outcomes.

Here are some highlights from our second launch...

Rocketry -- Launch #1

It was an exciting afternoon at Heathcote School! The rocketry teams in our class launched their first rocket iterations with some pretty interesting results.

This fantastic project combined design process learning along with research around Newton's Laws of Motion. Students were required to investigate the three laws as they applied to launching paper rockets. Based on their learning, they were able to plan, design, and build the rockets they launched today. After collecting data, they will discuss and troubleshoot plans for a second iteration for next week.

I was so proud of how our class cheered each other on. Every group recognized the contributions of all and inspired classmates to imagine even more impressive results for our next launch. Our successes were class successes, and any challenges we encountered were met by the entire group.
We move forward by helping each other!

I look forward to seeing what our second launch brings! 

September 2019

Dear Parents,

Welcome to 5th Grade!  Open House this year is on Thursday, September 12th and I’ve compiled a list of helpful hints for you that will make the evening more informative and interesting.  So, with that in mind, when you have a few minutes please:

• Create a Twitter account for yourself - I use Twitter daily for homework, class charts and sharing information about the children and their work. Download the Twitter app on your mobile device.  Follow us @vivianroberthe
• Become familiar with my class blog (mrsvrobert@blogspot.com). It is an excellent tool for keeping track of our curriculum and important class information.
• Sign up for Remind.com. This allows you to receive texts or emails about important class-related information. Text @dh8b7f to 81010
• Note the following events on your calendar, some dates TBD :

• Conference Days 12/4, 12/10, 12/12
• County Board of Legislators Trip 10/10
• Bedford Ropes Course Trip 10/23
• We The People Musical March TBD
• Scarsdale Middle School music and house visits TBD
• Know that your child is required to read every night for 30-45 minutes and complete a daily log for 3, 1 month-long intervals
• Set aside a jar filled with random coins (all US coins represented) for your child to practice fractions. Knowing how coins are fractions of a dollar (parts of a whole) will aide in the comprehension of fractions, decimals & percentages later in the school year. Keep it handy & encourage practice often!
• Come prepared with your mobile device and your calendar.  

Looking forward to a successful year and seeing you Thursday 9/12!

Vivian Robert

 

Welcome to the Fifth Grade!

I am so thrilled to be joining you on a wonderful new adventure! I hope you are as eager as I am to embark on a year of learning, exploring, and discovering together.

I imagine you have spent some time this summer thinking about what your fifth grade year will be like. Like you, I have been envisioning a new year, with old friends and new, engaging in an exciting and challenging curriculum. I have been working with friends and teachers to put together great projects, ideas, and units that we will spend the year exploring. It has been an energizing way to spend part of my summer!

I hope you have been thinking about fifth grade with eagerness and excitement as well! There’s nothing better about September than walking into your new classroom, seeing your friends, and unpacking brand new school supplies. You may even be spending some time wondering what your year will be like!  So, to get your minds ready, think about how we can help make Fifth Grade a great year for you. What will your goals be? How can we work together to achieve them? These are some year-long conversations that we will begin as soon as you arrive in September. Don’t worry about not having answers to these questions right away - our learning experiences and reflections will be our guides to an exciting and enriching year. Every new day or experience will be an opportunity to add something special to our class.

Tuesday, September 3rd will be the start of a great new academic and social experience for us all. We are going to have a fantastic year. I can’t wait for our first day together!  While you are waiting for the first day of school to roll around, I hope that you are spending some time reading, writing letters to friends, and enjoying every last minute of summer!

On the first day of school please bring in a few books (2) that you read this summer and one that you are currently reading.  Also, please bring two current pictures of yourself.

These are the school supplies you will need if you haven’t ordered a PTA supply box:

Per Student

4 - Mead b/w composition wide ruled notebooks

2 - 70 ct wide ruled spiral nb Mead assorted colors not perforated

6 - plastic folders (purple, green, red, blue, orange, yellow)

100 - Ticonderoga pencils

1 - large glue stick

1 - pack of 3x3 post-it notes - BRIGHT assorted colors

2 - pack of 4x4 lined post-its - BRIGHT assorted colors

1 - fine black Sharpies

1 - extra-fine black Sharpie markers

2 - chisel tip yellow highlighters

1 - eight count thick Crayola markers

1 - 24-count colored pencils

1 - box Kleenex tissues

1-  box baby wipes

Love,  

Mrs. Robert