From Kathy Heniff regarding SMA Garage Sale

Dear Friends,

On Saturday, September 25, 2010, the West Wind neighborhood in Naperville is hosting its 4th annual Kyra’s idea ... Angie’s hope garage sale as seen in Naperville Glancer in 2007 and on NCTV Channel 17 in 2009 . This event is a large scale, youth inspired, garage sale to benefit Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). SMA is a motor neuron disease. The motor neurons affect the voluntary muscles that are used for activities such as crawling, walking, head and neck control, and swallowing. Approximately 1 in 6000 babies born are affected, and about 1 in 40 people are carriers. SMA is the #1 genetic killer of children under the age of 2. Please visitwww.angieshope.org or www.curesma.org for more information. All of the proceeds from the garage sale will go directly to the Families of S.M.A. Charity -Federal Tax I.D. #36-3320440. Since we are a non profit organization your donation is tax deductible.

We are asking for cash donations, items from your home to be sold at the sale, or a gift card/service from your business to be used in either a silent auction or raffle. If a business donates a gift with a value of $100 or more, that business will receive poster recognition. The name of the business will appear on the garage sale promotional posters which will be distributed throughout the community. All of the proceeds will go to finding a cure for this devastating disease. Please send or drop off your donation at the following address:

1401 Ambleside Circle

Naperville, IL 60540

We know that this sounds like any other charity or fund-raising effort to those not familiar with S.M.A., but to several 6th graders from Hill Middle School, this event is giving them an opportunity to do something to help find a cure for their very close friend and fellow student who is stricken with this disease. Please help our children make a difference!

Thanks for your kind consideration because “Together We Will Find A Cure”.

Sincerely,

2010 Fundraising Committee

Contact Kathy @ 630-544-4463 or kbheniff@comcast.net

5V Debate Topic Wednesday, September 15th

This past Wednesday, students and I discussed the idea of a four day school week. Some schools and districts are moving toward a 4 day school week in order to save money on utility bills, bussing costs, lunchroom food, and hourly worker wages.

However with a four day week, some schools are unable to offer specials such as art, music, p.e, and computer lab. Some schools have to reduce their lunch hours and recess time as well.

I asked the kids what they thought and they wrote arguments to support or reject the idea of a 4 day school week:

Class Poll Results: Do you support the idea of a 4 day school week?

YES (support) 7%

NO (reject) 93%

Comments:

Supporting:

*Schools can save money and use their resources more wisely.

*We will learn more if we have a better school day.

* Teachers and students can have a break to relax.

*Kids can do more outside of school and still learn.

Rejecting:

*Students will not enjoy going to school that is so rushed and packed with class after class.

*Having no specials will make school less fun.

*Kids will get more tired during a 4 day school week.

*School won't be fun.

*Will high schools do this? It would hard for a 4 day week in high school.

Important Dates and Reminders:

Hi 5V Families, here is an update regarding important dates and reminders:

Monday, 9/20:

*Small group band lessons begin during the day. (Children should know their group times!)

*4th and 5th Grade Track and Field Meet 9:20-10:40

Tuesday, 9/21:

*Small group band pull out. (Children should know their group times)

*May Watts Ice Cream Snocial. 7-8pm. I will be there, yay!

*Read with Mr. Vaid after school. (More details to come)

Thursday, 9/23:

*After school opportunity for work in the computer lab on genre project. 3:35-4:35

*We are also working during the day in the computer on the project for 30 minutes.

Friday, 9/24:

*Second set of notes for genre project OR paper draft of presentation (student choice) due.

*Math weekly quiz

*Science quiz on weather unit (no study guide)

*Yellow folders come home.

Curriculum Update Week of 9/20-9/24

Hello 5V Families! Here's a peek at what our students will be studying this week:

Reading:

• Students will practice essay writing using the 1-2-3-4 open ended response strategies that we have studied. They have already shown some impressive traits of essay writing, namely using evidence to support their answer as well as some kind of personal thought.
• Students are going to read a series of letters written to Rosa Parks in our textbook. They will then practice speaking and writing types of personal thought like interpretations and judgments (like opinions)
• Students are going to study another new language word. Here is what they have studied so far (anticipate, relevant, irrelevant, potential, imperative, and frigorific) They enjoy using these words, and yes...frigorific is a real word. Ask your children!
• Students are also going to practice interpreting graphic aids that they see in non-fiction reading.

Writing:

• Students are going to continue to study verb choice and verb usage in the context of writing.
• Students are also going to be introduced to the genre of memoir writing. I am going to immerse them in memoirs and then in a couple weeks they'll start writing memoirs through the writing process.
• Speaking of the writing process, students will continue to pre-write, draft, edit, revise, and publish their class grown writing that they are the architects for.
• I will be continuing to conference with individual students or groups of students on the skills they must learn as I see fit in regards to their drafts.

Math:

• On Tuesday we begin a new unit called "Estimation and Computation". Students are going to study how to make estimates, how to add and subtract whole numbers and decimals using a few different methods of addition and subtraction.
• There will be a quiz on Friday.
• We will study the Thursday math test results on Monday.

Science:

• We wrap up our mini unit on weather this week. There will be a small quiz on Friday.
• This week we will finish up studying the water cycle, precipitation, clouds, and review our work from the wind and air lessons.

Important Dates and Reminders:

Wednesday 9/8:

1. Please have genre project books in class Tuesday.
2. 5th Grade CBM testing. (Whole Class)

Thursday 9/9:

1. 5th Grade CBM testing (Fluency)
2. Maybe a short quiz in reading regarding the book body parts?

Friday 9/10:

1. Second Hot and Cold Summer quiz
2. Math Quiz

Curricular Update: 9/8/-9/10

Hello 5V Families! Here is what is coming up for our short school week in regards to curriculum:

Reading: Students are going to be learning the elements of narrative fiction. I like to call them the book body parts. They consist of elements such as: characters, setting, conflict, ideas, feelings, solution, and more. The kids will study these elements in the context of their own reading for their genre project and have time to work on identifying the elements in their own text! I will also be meeting with students who could use a few pointers in comprehension for the Hot and Cold Summer story we just read. The small groups should teach or re-teach some basic comprehension strategies.

Writing: We officially kick off writer's workshop this week. I will be tracking the progress of not only what students have selected to write for their first published piece, but also what stage of the writing process they are in. Kids will be learning in detail, the stages of the writing process and this week they will study, pre-writing, rough drafting, and editing. It's going to be exciting for them to start work on their first piece of writing to publish.

Math: In math this week, students will study what prim and composite numbers are, their differences, how to square numbers, how square numbers are really created (very few of them know), and finally how to unsquare a number. I will be meeting with small groups to review lessons in which students may have had some difficulty with or still need brushing up on. Please expect a quiz this Friday. I forgot to make last week's quiz!!

Science: Students will study weather instruments this week, and the purposes of use for those weather instruments. In addition, we will take a stab at researching the instruments and even creating some of them such as barometer, anemometer, and we will use ones like a thermometer as well. I'm trying to set up everything in the context of a weather report for the students.

Spelling: Spelling will not take place this week because of the shortened week. We will have spelling next week.

Math Facts: Our math fact binders will be set up this week and students will begin math fact practice, including the two minute Friday test. I am excited that we will have the opportunity to go into the lab and create line graphs using Microsoft Excel to track our progress.

Vending Machines

This has been a hot topic recently, especially with school lunch reform shaping up across the nation. This past Wednesday, our debate topic centered around the gradual elimination of vending machines around middle schools and high schools in various districts in the United States.

We studied both sides of the issue-supporting the argument and rejecting the argument of eliminating vending machines in high school. We looked at the effects of the spreading of fatty and sugary foods through the vending machines and our teen obesity rate. But we also talked about the convenience of the vending machines.

Here are the results:

Should middle schools and high schools eliminate vending machines?

Yes: 19%

No: 81%

Supporting Comments:

* Some kids eat healthy already so it's okay if they have a snack from a vending machine every now and then.

* Vending machines have on the go snacks so it's okay if people need it to take with them on the go.

Rejecting Comments:

* Our teens are the fattest in the world so we need to cut down on the sugary and fatty foods.

* People should just bring healthy food and snacks from home. Obesity can have harmful effects when the kids are really old.