Classroom News From Mrs. Liss, Mrs. Jenkins, and Ms. Vaughn Date: August 31-September 4
What are we doing? Math: Prime Factorization, Powers and Exponents Writing: Small moments Reading: Introduction to reading workshop & STAR English: CRISP sentences Science: Solved our fingerprint crime and took quiz Social Studies: -Learning about the Aztec and Inca -Look for pictures/video soon on our blog of students building Incan bridges. Health- Learning about social health.	Upcoming Dates: Aug. 31: Open House 5:30-6:30pm Sep. 7: No School (Labor Day) Sep 18: 12:45pm dismissal Oct. 8: 12:45pm dismissal Oct. 8: End of 1st Quarter
Tips from the Teachers *REMINDER- Open House at Lewis School is Monday, Aug. 31 from 5:30-6:30. Stop by and meet your child’s fifth grade teaching team! *Parent Portal is up! Sign up to view your child’s grades online by calling the front office at 457-2632.

Spelling Words We will begin our formal spelling unit after reading screening is finished, around the end of September. Stay tuned for more updates! CRISP Sentences-This year, you will hear your child talking about CRISP sentences and see it written in your child’s graded work. Here’s what CRISP means: Capitalized first letter Restate the question Information is correct Sentence is complete Punctuation at the end	Communication Corner Some ways we keep you informed: *Daily planners- Assignments should be written daily in planners. *Newsletter- Every Friday, this newsletter will come home with a behavior/homework report from the week and info about what’s going on in your child’s class. *Notes- Please watch for notes about important happenings at Lewis School. Most will come home in Friday folders; however, sometimes notes come home throughout the week. These can be found in your child’s homework folder. *Blog- Assignments, announcements, pictures and more can be found at our class blog. www.lewis5.blogspot.com *Parent Portal- You can check your child’s grades on the parent portal. These should be updated weekly.
Our Class Blog: Our blog is up and running! Stop by our class website and check it out. The blog can be accessed at www.lewis5.blogspot.com. On it, you will find class updates, important information, pictures, and more.	How to contact us: Lewis School: 457-2632 Mrs. Jenkins: ext. 2257 bjenkins@ces95.org Mrs. Liss: ext. 2256 jliss@ces95.org Ms. Vaughn: ext. 2253 hvaughn@ces95.org
How can I help my child succeed in Fifth Grade? *Multiplication skills are vital for your child’s success in 5th grade math. Practice times tables regularly with your child to help him or her start the year off right! There are flashcards available at the Dollar Tree and Dollar General, and www.multiplication.com is a great website for extra practice. *ST math is also available for practice at home. Students should all be familiar with this site and have a username and password.    web.stmath.com *Continue to encourage your child to read for 30 minutes per day. Daily practice is important for success in reading.

Welcome to 5th Grade!

We are so excited you are here!  This year you will rotate, as a class, between three different teachers. We'd like to introduce ourselves.

 
 I'm Bethany Jenkins, the reading, spelling, and English teacher in our 5th grade departmentalized team. I've been teaching for 12 years, with 11 years in District 95. I am an avid reader, and I love to share my love of reading with my students. We read novels, picture books, articles, and lots more in my class. My favorite part of teaching reading is hearing all of the different ideas and opinions students have about the books we read.


 
My name is Jennifer Liss and I have been teaching 5th grade for the last 21 years in Carbondale District #95.  There is no place I would rather be.  I am part of a departmentalized team and I will be your child's science, social studies, and health teacher this year.  Our main units in science will be Matter, Earth's Systems, Space, and Animals & Plants.  Our focus in social studies is American history.  I believe students learn best when they are doing, so we will do many experiments and projects this year.  I'm looking forward to a great year!

 I am Heather Vaughn, originally from Carterville. This is my twelfth year teaching and seventh in Carbondale District 95. I will teach the math and writing classes to your children. They are some of my favorite things to teach.

I have been a part of the RAMPD UP math grant for the last seven years. I have learned many different strategies and techniques to share with my students. The grant has paid for many resources such as manipulatives, games and math literature. I will include several math links that you and your child can utilize on this blog. 

In our writing class we learn to be exceptional storytellers, so that means that I will also be sharing some of my stories. I am sure that you will get a laugh out of some of the stories you will hear about me. They usually involve animals…something in which I am terrified of.

I am excited to start our year! Can’t wait to meet you all!!!

 

My name is Katlynn Dodd and I will be student teaching with Mrs. Jenkins this semester! I have been working with Mrs. Jenkins since January. I have previously worked with 3rd, 7th, and 8th graders. I enjoy our reading workshops because I am able to see students share their ideas with their peers and develop new thoughts from the discussions. I am very excited to be student teaching this semester and to be learning from the students! 

 My name is Nikki Julian and I will be student teaching with Mrs. Liss this semester.  This is my second semester with Mrs. Liss and I love teaching with her!  Like Mrs. Liss, I believe students learn best when they are doing fun, engaging, hands-on, activities! I'm looking forward to all of the exciting things we have planned to make learning enjoyable and memorable for your student.  My goal at the end of each day is for each student to leave the classroom with a smile on their face and a new piece of information in their brain! I'm very excited for this journey ahead of us.