Report Cards & Conferences Update

I hope everyone is enjoying fall break! I had a wonderful time last week on my cruise. I'm excited to tell you all about it and write lots of "seed ideas" from my vacation in my journal. Be ready to share and write about some of your favorite fall break memories.

Please check your email for important information regarding conferences. The email will direct you to a website for you to sign-up for the time that works best for you. Conferences will be held the week of November 7-11. There is no school for students on Friday, November 11. If these times do not work for you, please contact me via email or phone so we can schedule a different time. Students are required to attend the conference.

Power School will be updated by the end of the weekend. Any missing work must be completed by Tuesday, November 1 or it will negatively impact scores. Report cards will go home Friday, November 4.

Core Content Update:
Science Living Systems Unit Test will go home on Monday. Please sign and return on Tuesday. We will begin our next unit, Mixtures and Solutions, on Tuesday.

Ms. Reese's math class will have a test on Unit 3 on Friday.

We will begin our History Alive curriculum with Unit 1, which is a study of geography. We will be having weekly tests on Friday for social studies. If students participate in class they should be prepared to do well on the assessments.

We will wrap up our personal narrative writing unit and publish them this week. Congratulations, Authors! Our next writing unit will be essay writing.

In reading, we will begin to work with novels in pairs. We will complete in class activities and some of the reading and projects may be a part of the weekly homework assignments. Please continue to review the weekly homework with your child on Monday nights, including the family letter regarding spelling. Also, don't forget to study your spelling and vocabulary words nightly so you are prepared for the tests on Fridays.

I have missed ALL of my students and look forward to a fun day on Monday! :)

Fall Classroom Party & Conferences

Good Morning!

I can't believe Fall Break is almost here. The year is flying by so fast! With that being said, it's time to think about preparations for a fall party on Monday, October 31. This is the first day back to school after fall break so we need to get planning ASAP. I did not have any parents volunteer at Curriculum Night to be our "Room Mom" or "Room Dad" so I am up for any suggestions or help you might be able to provide. Please respond to this post, email, or call me if you would like to volunteer for the Fall Party. Thank you!

Be on the lookout over fall break for parent/teacher conference sign-ups. I am currently in the process of setting up the schedule on line so you will receive notification via email and this blog. There will be directions on how to sign up. I've been assured that it is fast and easy! Conference week is November 7-11 and there will be time slots available before, during, and after school to make it as convenient as possible.

PTO Announcements

Tuesday October 11th at 6:30 will be the PTO General Meeting for October.  The 5th grade group will present their Young Ameritowne job responsibilities.  The 5th graders have been working hard and would love your support.  Mr. Carney will give a brief update on Cherry Creek School District accountability report.  You are all invited to attend this monthly meeting.

Monster Mash Friday October 14th

The Pine Ridge Monster Mash will be held on Friday October 14th at Fox Ridge Middle School from 6:00 - 9:00.  Please come in costume and enjoy a fun evening with your classmates and teachers.  Admission is $12.00 per family with hot dogs, chips, drinks being served for $1.00 each. 

We are still looking for Volunteers at 4:00 pm on the 14th at the middle school will be early decorating for the event.  Please contact Kendra (mkelmore@msn.com) or Renee (renee.colvin@yahoo.com) to sign up for volunteer jobs.  We are also asking for candy donations.  Please bring in your favorite candy treat and drop off at the front desk until Friday morning.  Thanks for all of the support. The kids will have a ball.

The Special Education team at Pine Ridge is going to be doing an on-going recycling campaign in conjunction with Terracycle.com.  Information will be shared with all of you at a later date, but in the meantime I want to ask you to please save your candy wrappers and send then in with your child or drop off at the front office ATTN: Nurse Diane.  We can accept the large bags that snack-size bars come in and also wrappers from regular-sized candy bars.  With Halloween inching closer, I wanted to share this info with you so you don't throw away these valuable bags. (We receive 2 cents per item!)  We are saving the environment and earning money for our school at the same time! Thanks for your support and watch for more information coming soon!

Diane Lathrop, RN, NCSN

Student Council will be selling Boo Grams Monday - Wednesday at the lunch hour.  The suckers are $1.00 each and will be delivered on Monday Oct. 31.

Box Tops

Thank you to everyone that sent in Box Tops.  The contest is now over and the results will be released this week.

Earning 4 Learning

This just in....  We can earn points if you visit the Earning 4 Learning Southlands page on Facebook and make a comment about Southlands.  Indicate that you are with Pine Ridge Elementary somewhere in your comment and we get 1,000 points - Easy as that!  One comment per person will be counted.

Fun Run

If you have not sent in your fun run donations, please continue to do so.  We are climbing in donations and look forward to the finally tally soon.  Thanks for all of your support!!!!!

Yearbook Club

Yearbook club meeting will be held on Thursday at 8:00 am in the library.  Remember to continue to take pictures and send to Kendra Elmore.

A Request From Cherry Creek School District During the 2011-2012 school year, Cherry Creek is capturing the future vision of educational technology through community surveys and focus groups. This data will be used to develop guiding principles for future system enhancements through the year 2025. Note that the focus for these (and future) discussions is less about technology "gadgets", rather more about the concepts and capabilities necessary to ensure the very best education for the children.

Please provide your most candid feedback. Only through consideration of your voice can we build a collective vision of excellence.  Here is the link:  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CherryCreekSchools2025

Ben Startzer, Chief Information Officer, Cherry Creek School District No. 5

Please contact PTO with any questions or concerns.  Continue to check the Pine Ridge website for updates pre.ccds.k12.co.us.

Thank you all for your continued support. We have a great school and great teachers!   GO PANTHERS!!!!

Living Systems Post Test Study Guide

TEST is Wednesday 10-12-11

1.       The heart keeps blood moving throughout your body.

2.       Sugar is an energy rich substance made by plants that is used as a source of energy for cells.

3.       Scientists classify leaves by color, blade shape, venation (veins), and leaf margins.

4.       Water and minerals get to each cell in a plant through the xylem tubes.

5.       Sap is the excess of sugar made in the leaves.

6.       Plants need sap because it is the food used by all the plant cells that do not make their own food.

7.       Know the purpose of the following organs and tissues in the body:

·         Capillary-reaches every cell in the body

·         Small intestine-passes nutrients from digested food into the blood

·         Kidney- filters waste products from the blood

·         Artery-carries blood from the heart to the body

·         Lung- exchanges gases with the atmosphere

·         Blood-carries oxygen, food, and nutrients through vessels

·         Heart-pumps blood throughout the body

·         Stomach-breaks down food with digestive juices and muscles

 8. For plants to make their own food, CO2 (carbon dioxide), water (H20) and light must be present.

 9. Be able to label a diagram of the circulatory system parts: lungs, veins, arteries, capillaries, & heart.

10.  The body’s cells get all the things they need to survive when the capillaries carry blood rich with oxygen, food, and other nutrients to every cell and then carry all waste materials away.

11. The following foods contain sugar: apples, regular (not diet) soda, raisins, and frosted cereal.

12. The purpose of the kidneys is to filter waste from the blood.

13. Cellular respiration is the process where plant cells break down sugar.

14. Cellular respiration is the name of the process where animal cells break down sugar.

15. How do we “consume” solar energy? Plants must have sunlight to produce their own food/sugar. Animals eat plants and use the food the plants made.

16. The circulatory system in animals is similar to the vascular system in plants.

17. The first step of digestion occurs in the mouth. This is where food is broken into smaller pieces and    mixed with saliva.

Weekly Homework for October 7-14

Dear 5^th Graders and Families,

Monday and Tuesday we will have Shop Meetings for Ameritowne from 9:30-11:00. Thank you to all the parents who volunteered to help. We also want to thank all of our Job training volunteers and field trip chaperones. We couldn’t do it without you!

We want to invite you to the PTO meeting on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. The fifth grade will be presenting information on Ameritowne.

On Thursday, the day of the field trip, please arrive at 8:45 a.m. and check in with your teacher in your classroom so s/he can take attendance. We will board the buses at 9 a.m. Pack a totally disposable lunch (no lunch boxes or coolers) to bring with you.  

On Friday, October 14 at 10:00 a.m. we will celebrate our field trip with a slide show, videos, and employee of the day awards. We will reflect on our business outcomes and our experience. Please join us in the 5^th grade rooms if you are able to make it that day.

Below you will find your shortened homework for this week. All homework is due on Friday so be sure to budget your time accordingly. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Remember Fall Break is October 15-30. Be safe, have fun, and ENJOY!!! J

Vocabulary: We will not have vocabulary words or a test this week.

Word Work/Spelling:  We will not have spelling words or a test this week.   

Writing: Homework this week will be to revise and edit your Personal Narrative piece. Be sure to take your writing home, read/revise with your family, and return your work to school each day in your writing folder. You cannot work on it in class if you leave it at home! When we return from fall break, we will turn our final piece into a “published” book and have an author’s celebration.

Reading: In order to become a better reader, you must read! Each night you should read a book of your choice for at least 20 minutes. Please complete the Active Reader Report activity worksheet based on the book you are reading. Be sure to support your answers with examples from the text!

Social Studies: We will not have geography this week.

Science: The post test on the Living Systems Unit will be this Wednesday. A study guide is on the back of this letter. If you know this information well, you should be successful on the test. Good luck!

CCSD Teacher Protocol Student Survey

A letter regarding this survey is being sent home today in the Thursday folder. If you do NOT wish your child to participate, please let me know tomorrow. We will be taking the survey online in the computer lab tomorrow morning. Thank you for your support!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RJNPVJD

Science I-Check 3 Study Guide

The Science test  is Friday, October 7, 2011

1.       The products of photosynthesis are water (H20), oxygen (O2), and sugar.

2.       The products water and oxygen go into the air and the sugar goes into the phloem.

3.       Food is anything that provides energy.

4.       Plants use the food produced during photosynthesis by breaking down the sugar to carbon dioxide and water, which releases energy. The cells use this energy.

5.       Animals use the food produced by plants by breaking down the sugar to carbon dioxide and water, which releases energy. The cells use this energy.

6.       During cellular respiration (the animal cookie and cereal experiments), pure sugar produces the most gas (carbon dioxide) when you measure it in the volume gage. Foods with the least amount of sugar produce the least amount of carbon dioxide gas. For example, pure sugar has the most gas, then a sugary cereal like Froot Loops, and a cereal like Wheaties would have the least amount of gas because it has the least amount of sugar.

7.       In the making food experiment, we learned that beans produce food only when light, carbon dioxide, and water are present because they increase in mass.

8.       Be able to read and interpret data from a volume gage and a chart/table.

9.       Be able to write a detailed plan that explains how to conduct an experiment to find out which fruit contains the most cereal. (Refer to the testing cereals experiment in your notebook).

10.   In the testing cereal experiment, we compared the amount of gas in each bag. The bags with the most gas contained the most sugar.

11.   When activating yeast, use warm liquids with sugar to make the yeast bubble faster.

Vocabulary Words for October 3-7

1. pancreas-(noun) gland that normally produces insulin

2. insulin-(noun) controls the amount of glucose in the blood

3. diabetes- (noun) a disease that causes the pancreas to stop making insulin, too much glucose builds up in bloodstream and can cause blindness, kidney/heart disease, and even death.

4. monarch- (noun) a person who reigns over an empire or kingdom

5. chronological- (adjective) arrangement of events in order of occurrence

6. quarrel- (verb) to dispute angrily

7. ruckus- (noun) a disturbance

8. onomatopoeia- (noun) words that describe sounds

9. alliteration-(noun) the repetition of beginning sounds in words next to each other                                        (ex: paralyzing panic; fearsome foursome; amazing allegory)

10. resolution- (noun) solution to a problem

Weekly Homework for October 3-7

5^th Grade Weekly Homework-Due Friday, October 7, 2011

Dear 5^th Graders and Families,

The countdown to Ameritowne is on! The next two weeks are going to be very busy, but fun. We want to invite you to the PTO meeting on Tuesday, October 11 at 6:30 p.m. The fifth grade will be presenting information on Ameritowne. Also, on Friday, October 14 at 10:00 a.m. we will celebrate our field trip with a slide show, videos, and employee of the day awards. We will reflect on our business outcomes and our experience. Please join us in the 5^th grade rooms if you are able to make it that day.

Below you will find your homework for this week. All homework is due on Friday so be sure to budget your time accordingly. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. Have a great week! J

Vocabulary: On the back of this page are words that come from the other subjects we are currently studying. You need to know the definition, the part of speech, and how to use it correctly in a sentence. You will have a vocabulary test on all 10 words on Friday. The format of the test will vary each week.

Word Work/Spelling:  Each night you will need to study your spelling words for homework. The Spelling test will be on Friday. Read the attached letter carefully to discover the spelling words this week and understand the concepts we will be teaching in class. This week we are focusing on the different ways to spell /k/. These frequent patterns include k, c, ck, ch, and q. We will also build on prefix and suffix concepts. Prefixes and suffixes are called affixes. As you read this week, look for words that have affixes.

Reading: In order to become a better reader, you must read! Each night you should read a book of your choice for at least 20 minutes. Write a short summary paragraph each night for what you have read to help with your comprehension. Summaries should be written and labeled with book page numbers in your literacy notebook.

Social Studies: Complete the weekly geography worksheet, questions 31-35. Use the provided maps and other resources such as an atlas, globe, or internet websites.

Writing: In order to become a better writer, you must write!  We have drafted, revised, and edited our introduction paragraph for our personal narrative piece. This week we will focus on the BODY of our piece, which will SHOW the events of the story as they happened. Our goal is to “create a movie in our reader’s mind” using descriptive writing tools such as: leads, dialogue, onomatopoeia, sensory images, power verbs, and thought shots.

Your writing homework this week is to create a poster with a FLOW MAP that describes and illustrates the main sequence of events of your personal narrative “seed idea.” Use your rough draft in your journal to help you organize your thoughts into 3 main ideas for each of the three body paragraphs (beginning, middle, and end). Please use colored pencils or crayons (no markers) to color your illustrations. Your FLOW MAP must have at least 9 sequence boxes. Ms. Reese will have an example in class to show you how to create the FLOW MAP. You will also need to draft, revise, and edit your personal narrative for homework so you are ready to share and conference with your peers and teacher the next day of school. Use your writing folder to organize your materials and transport them to and from school.

PTO Announcements

We would like to thank all of our students, families and wonderful teachers for participating in our Fun Run on Friday.   It looked like a great time was had by all.  An extra big "THANK YOU" to Mr. Novickas, Ms. Santay and Ms. Nuss for a full day of activity and help with all of the children.   Please remember to send your pledge sheets and money into school by October 7th. 

Jim 'N Nicks BBQ Night Wed. October 5,  5:30 - 8:00

Please join the PTO with a night out at Jim 'N Nicks BBQ at Southlands

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Photo/Yearbook 4th and 5th grade club members will meet again on Thursday, Oct. 13th at 8:00 am in the Pine Ridge Elementary Library.

MONSTER MASH (Friday October 14th 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM)

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!!!!  If you would like to volunteer to decorate or help run the Monster Mash, please attend our planning meeting on Tuesday Oct. 4th at 7:00 pm in the Pine Ridge Elementary Library.

DONATIONS FOR MONSTER MASH

If you would like to donate bags of candy or Halloween trinkets towards the Monster Mash, please drop them off at the school front office until Wednesday, October 12th.

Also, if you would like to lend the PTO decorations for the monster mash, please bring your decorations to school Monday from 9:00 - 11:00 and deliver to Renee Colvin.  Please label all props and they will be returned to you the night of the monster mash.

BOX TOPS

One week down, one week to go!  Please continue to send in your box tops!  We collected over 7,000 during our first week of the contest.  The top three standings are as follows:  1st Mrs. Crowe's class with 750, 2nd Mrs. Woolnough's class with 730 and 3rd Mrs. Mahnke's class with 584.  Great job!

Earning 4 Learning

This week's tip for earning more points for Pine Ridge Elementary!  With the beautiful fall weather this is a fun one!   Take a photo of your or a family member enjoying an activity (shopping, eating, skating, etc) at Southlands then post the photo on the Earning 4 Learning Southlands Facebook page to earn 1,000 points.  Be sure to include our school name (Pine Ridge Elementary) to earn the bonus points.  Limit one per person.

As always, thank you all for your support and dedication.  We could not do all that we are trying to do for our school without the support of our families and teachers.  Have a great week!!  

GO PANTHERS!!!