Ecology Week and SBAC Testing

Olivia, Charlie, and Abby representing their polis in the Ancient Greece chariot races.

Hello Quest Families!

Ecology Week:
We met with students on Friday regarding Ecology Week.  Some changes and additions:
We will leave CBMS on Tuesday, April 12th at 6:30.  Please arrive 10-15 minutes early, but not before 6:00.  We will return to CBMS on Friday, April 15th at 4:30, not 6:00 as we first mentioned.

In addition to the packing list, students should bring a book.  Students can also bring card / board games in case of rain during free time at the center.  The weather in Maine looks varied for the upcoming week, so students should be prepared for rain, sun, warm and cold.  This should include extra socks, two pairs of shoes/sneakers, and a jacket.

Students who are NOT going to Ferry Beach will be taking day trips to Audubon Center in Huntington.  Students will be outdoors most of the day so should dress accordingly (jacket, waterproof boots/shoes or mud boots, water bottle).  The bus will depart CBMS each day at 8:15 and return by 2:15.

SBAC Testing:
Quest students will be taking the 5th Grade SBAC test the week of May 16th.  This is a computer-based test that students will take on their Chromebooks.  During this week, it is important to have students at school on time.  Please try to schedule any appointments for the afternoon or for a different week.

March 17

Mackenzie, Abby, Olivia and Mareya cooking marshmallows over their own fire during our winter unit.  

Student led conferences

Thank-you to all who were able to make it to student-led conferences this past Wednesday and Thursday.  If you were unable to attend, please remember that your student can lead a conference with you at home using their plp online.  If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us at anytime during the trimester.  The best way of contacting us is through email.

Ferry Beach / Ecology Week

Ferry Beach / Ecology Week is soon approaching.  Students will begin this week on April 12th.  Students traveling to Ferry Beach will leave at 6:00 the morning of the 12th, and will return to school Friday evening, April 15.   Students who are attending the ecology week here at CBMS will come to school at the regular time.  We are looking forward to this week!

Teachers will be asking students for input about who to share a room with later in March.  We will announce the groups the Friday before we leave for Ferry Beach.

Pink medical sheets went home with your student with the report card.  These forms are due Friday, March 25th.



Chromebooks for fifth and sixth grade

Within the next three weeks, fifth and sixth graders will be receiving Chromebooks for school use.  Students will transport them back and forth to classes in a cloth case, and will charge them at school at the end of the day.  They will not be coming home.  Students will be responsible for using them appropriately, and taking care of them.  We will help them to learn how to do this.  It is a very exciting time for us, as students will have reliable technology to assist their learning.

Website for parents :  1:1 Technology  This can be found on the CBMS webpage under the parent tab.  It is a link titled 1:1 Technology.  There is a good Frequently Asked Questions tab there (FAQ).  Please click on this and scroll down to answer some of the questions.

The first day we will roll out expectations, and paperwork.  This will be on Thursday, March 24th.  Students will receive papers to sign and will receive paperwork for you to sign as well.  Please be sure to return this as quickly as possible.  If students have their paperwork in, they will receive their Chromebooks on March 31st.  Students will learn to sign in to Chrome, will learn the different apps on the Chromebook, and will personalize their settings.


Integrated Studies
Students have been working on an integrated unit.  This unit encompasses science, math, reading, and social studies through the eyes of the Ancient Greeks.  It is point based, and the assignments can be found in Schoology.  Each day students choose which assignment they will work on, knowing that all assignments must be completed before Ferry Beach.  While much of the content is focused around Ancient Greece, students are exploring how to be self-directed learners.  As students complete assignments, they earn points for their polis (group).  The unit will conclude with an Olympic competition.


Language Arts
For Language Arts, we are reading Greek myths.  Students are learning to find the reason why these myths were written (theme of the myth) and are working on ABC paragraphs in response to questions about the myths they read.  An ABC paragraph is a paragraph where students Answer the question (in a complete sentence) Back it up with details from the story and then write a Concluding sentence.  Students will use this approach for answering questions in their POWs as well.  The POW for next week is to read the myth of King Midas and to write an ABC paragraph about the theme of the piece.

     Spelling and Vocabulary
Students will be working in small groups for spelling and vocabulary practice during this last trimester.  Each day students either work with me or on their own studying spelling words, studying word roots, editing photocopied paragraphs, and editing their own work.  They will have a spelling test or a vocabulary test each week.  Spelling words and vocabulary words can be found in Schoology.  Spelling words are assigned individually, vocabulary words will be assigned for the whole class.  Spelling words are assigned based on a pretest and on spelling patterns.  Please set aside time to study these words at home.

Math
Students have been exploring 2-D Geometry by looking at the characteristics of triangles and quadrilaterals.  This week we will revisit multiplication and division with a focus on becoming more efficient as well as flexible.  There will also be time this week for students to work towards individual goals set at the end of last trimester.  Students will be writing to their MathPals this week about whether or not 5th graders should be allowed to use calculators in Math class.

January 2, 2016

Adam, teaching us how to stay warm Cro-Magnon style

Happy New Year!

2015:
Holiday Feast:  Thanks to all of the help on Quest, the holiday feast was again a huge success.  Thank-you for your contributions, your enthusiasm for our young performers, and for your time.  We all look forward to it each year.

The play Annie! was wonderful.  It was excellent to see so many Quest students up on stage.  If we need some FBI agent / detectives, we know who to ask.

We wound down our study of Early Humans both in Language Arts and in IS.  Thank-you for your help in any of the LA projects. They were fantastic!

2016

Language Arts:

During the month of January, students will be engaging in an inquiry project based on their own interests.  Most students chose topics in December.  Those students who have not chosen topics received an email asking them to send me an email with a topic.  The main goals for the project are for students to pursue a topic which interests them, engage in research (observation, interviews, primary sources, text), critically read text, find multiple points of view, craft introductions and conclusions, and conduct a "seminar" to teach others.

Please ask your student what topic they chose.  If they respond "I don't know," please have them check their email.  I will be purchasing books this weekend based on their interests.  If they are having a difficult time deciding, have them look through the ideas I sent in that email.  Thank-you!

Their POW this week will be short, regarding their topic.  I will explain this to students on Monday.

IS:

We will be delving into an Astronomy unit for the month of January.  We will be talking about how the early humans became more aware of their natural world, and how the stars and planets became more important to their daily lives.  We will be creating "astrolabes" with compasses and washers, and we will begin our moon journals.  Students will be expected to go out 5 out of 7 nights a week to write observations of the sky.  This will only take 5 - 15 minutes a night, but most students need help with the discipline of these observations.  Please help your student to remember!  These moon journals will begin Friday, January 8th, and will continue through to Friday, February 5th.  Information will be coming out this Friday.

Recess:

We have snow!!  We still have team recess every day for 1/2 hour, except on Thursdays.  This recess is at 9:45.  Both Curtis and I love winter outdoor recess!!

All students will be expected to go outdoors for recess every day unless there are dangerous temperatures / wind chill.  Rules for outdoor recess gear:

• All students are required to wear a jacket.  A hat / hood is always suggested, and required when it is particularly cold.
• Students need boots to play on the soccer fields or on the recess equipment.
• Students need snow pants, gloves (or mittens), and a hat to play on the hill / go sledding.
• Other recess rules apply such as no snowballs thrown, and other safety rules.\

Please help your student remember this gear.  Some students choose to keep their snow pants in their locker for the week, which is fine.  They usually take them home on the weekend.

Winter Unit / Ski and Ride
On Wednesdays, students will either be participating in the ski and ride program in Stowe, or in an outdoor / winter education / science program provided by Mr. Taylor and myself :)  On each Wednesday, all students need coats, hats, mittens, boots, and during most classes, snowpants.  Students who stay at school will be spending from 1 - 1 1/2 hours outdoors during these days.

Questions to ask:

• What is your research topic for Language Arts?
• Do your boots fit? :)  The Bargain Boutique usually has a decent supply of boots!

December 2, 2015

Parker and Xavier sorting and ordering fractions.

Holiday Feast
ANNUAL QUEST TEAM HOLIDAY FEAST!  Each year, the Quest team has a holiday feast to celebrate our community, and the winter holidays.  We ask each student on the Quest Team to bring in a sample (4-6 servings) dish that their family enjoys eating – perhaps something traditional – and we have a big potluck lunch.  Students sign up for entertaining with singing, instrumental pieces, or other forms of appropriate entertainment.  The feast is held in the Quest team classrooms, and in the project room on our wing.  Family members are welcome!  Each student is expected to bring a dish, a drink such as cider or juice, a dessert, or paper products like plates, forks and knives (and napkins).  Please email Melissa Williams with what you can bring.  We ask everyone to bring something to contribute to our community.  

We are planning to have our Holiday Feast on Friday, December 18th at 11:00 (10:30 set up) - 12:00 / 12:15.   We will have live music, from our students!  We’ll need some adults to help us set up, so please let us know if you are available. Mark your calendar… we’ll send home official invitations soon! 

Scholastic Books  As the holiday season approaches, books are a great gift to give.  Scholastic book orders are due Wednesday, December 9, 2015.  You may order in two ways, through the flyer, or online at scholastic.com/reading club.  The online activation code is DX7NF.  Thanks!

Math We have started our journey into fraction land by exploring the size of fractions as well as equivalence.  Before the holiday break, we will also cover the addition, subtraction, and multiplication of fractions.  A lot of the work we do with fractions is built on the understanding of fraction models.  These models help students understand why procedures work.  It is the expectation that by the end of the unit students will not rely on these models for problem solving.  

Weekly Review- Be on the lookout for a weekly review worksheet that students will bring home for homework.  These problems will be practice of previously covered topics.

Language Arts - We are in the middle of our non-fiction unit.  During reader's workshop, students are reading independent non-fiction books based on interest and reading level.  Students are learning to find main ideas, and how to take notes using a "box and bullet" format.  We are working with new vocabulary as well.  During writer's workshop, students are writing a non-fiction piece about the information we are learning in Integrated Studies.  Most of these reports center on early humans and their characteristics.  We are writing "flash drafts," and then cutting and pasting these into main ideas where we then research more facts.  The skills we are learning in reading and writing will be used in independent inquiry projects in January.

Integrated Studies- We are in the middle of our Bones and Stones unit, which covers fossils and early humans.  Students are working in 'bands' to explore these topics and share their learning with the class through group presentations.

Winter Recess
As the winter weather approaches, we will continue to go outside for recess.  It is expected that students bring appropriate clothing (hats, gloves, and coats) out to recess.  Once the snow comes, sledding will be an optional activity and students will need snow pants to participate.  

Questions to ask at home:
What was the activity in AWOD this week?
What is your Bones and Stones name?
Which human species is your group presenting about?
Which fraction is greater 5/6 or 8/9?  How do you know?
Who was your favorite character in the "Percy Jackson" play?

November 9th, 2015

Hello Quest Families!
It has been a busy month here on the Quest Team!

Our field trip to the Duxbury Window

Thank you to all chaperones who went on the field trip to the Duxbury Window.  There was a lot of energy that day!  We are grateful for your support.
IS
Students finished their work for the documentary 5672, The Story of our Land.  It is a documentary of the history and geology of the land, as well as the history of the school and teams.  Students participated from the brainstorming of questions, to interviews, to video editing.  A link to this documentary can be found here.
We are in the middle of a short geologic time line project, and will be starting our study of Early Humans next week.

LA
In LA, we are finishing our interpretation book groups.  Students have made good progress reading books in book groups, looking at character traits, and how those lead to motivation, which can lead to understanding the theme of a book.  Students are also writing their own narratives.  We have been focusing on the "heart of the story," or the theme, in both their reading and writing.  We are looking deeply into texts, and are writing deeply about what we read.

Next week we will begin our non-fiction unit.

Math
In Math, we have been busy exploring 3-dimensional geometry by finding the volume of rectangular prisms, including trucks, hallways, classrooms, and pools.  Students are currently engineering shipping containers for products and finding ways to save companies money on these containers.

The Flynn Theater Field trip

 The Quest team will be going to the Flynn Theater to see The Lightning Thief on December 1st.  Click here for a permission slip with more information.  We will need each student to contribute $14.00 for the cost of the trip.

PTO Fundraisers

We have recently sent out a fundraising letter.  Please ask your student for this, and help to contribute in any way you can.  We will be saving up for our Boston trip in the spring of 2017.  We would also like to take some trips before then, and this will help!!

Student Led Conferences

Keep your eye on the Cougar Notes for more information regarding these conferences!  The conferences will be student led.

Hiking and Order Forms

Hello Quest Families,

Hiking Duxbury Window - Permission slip
Feel like getting an early start to Columbus day weekend?  Come join the Team Quest hike!  We are excited to let you know about our team hike happening on Friday, October 9th from 10:00-2:00.  The hike will be up to Duxbury Window on the Long Trail.  We are looking for chaparones to help us transport students to and from the trailhead and come hiking with us.  If you are interested in being a chaparone, email Curtis at ctaylor@wwsu.org.

Picture Day
Picture Day order forms went home on Monday.  Please send these back with your student if you plan to order pictures.  Picture Day is on Wednesday, October 7th.

Quest Clothing
Order forms were sent home with students interested, but can also be found here.  These are due back by October 23rd at the latest.

Welcome to Quest Math

Hello Quest Families!

Welcome to 5th grade Math on Team Quest!  We are a few weeks into our new school year and have had some great explorations in Math class.  Below is some information about 5th grade Math to ensure students, families, and teachers are on the same page.  Please email me at ctaylor@wwsu.org with any questions you may have.

Homework
Students can expect to have weekly assignments in Math class.  Some of these assignments may include the use of technology as we are using math practice websites this year.  If access to technology at home is an issue, please let me know and we can make accommodations.  Two of the websites that we will be using early on are IXL.com (free app in the app store and all students have accounts) and xtramath.org (app for purchase, but website is free).  Students should make sure to log in to their accounts on these websites before completing any practice to receive credit.  The benefits of these programs are extensive and include immediate feedback to students as well as a personalized program.

XtraMath is a program which many of our Quest students have had previous experience with in 3rd and 4th grade.  The emphasis of this program is math fact practice.  All students will begin the year practicing math facts and students will transition on to other work as they demonstrate proficiency.  I understand that math fact practice can be frustrating for some students, but fluency with these facts is critical for accessing 5th and 6th grade math concepts that extend beyond multiplication.

**Homework is a time for practicing skills already learned in the classroom.  If you find that your student is spending too much time working on an assignment or is over-frustrated, send me a note/email and we will make adjustments.

Homework is graded using the following scoring rubric:
4 - Finished homework on time and did challenge work

3 - Finished homework on time. Work is neat and complete.

2 - Finished homework late or did some of the homework

1 - Did not complete homework

Curriculum/Class Time

At CBMS, we use the Common Core State Standards to guide our curriculum.  Our text for 5th grade is Investigations Math (same as TBPS).  Here is a rough outline of our units of study for this year:

September - October:  Multiplication & Division
October - November:  3D Geometry (Volume)
November - January:  Fractions
January - February:  2D Geometry (Measurement)
February - March:  Decimals
March - April:  Multiplication & Division II
April - May:  Patterns & Functions
May - June:  Data Analysis

This is a rough outline because daily lessons are based on student understanding and progress at a given moment.  Our lessons are planned to meet the needs of students at that moment in time.  We will use 'Exit Books' weekly to informally assess understanding and guide instruction.

Assessment & Grading
The 5th and 6th grade math team will be using a Proficiency Based Grading approach to assessment and reporting.  This approach will give families and a more accurate picture of the strengths and areas for improvement for their student.  It will also give students the opportunity to set clear, understandable goals that they can work towards throughout the year.  The best way to view your student's progress in Math class will be through the Schoology website.  Here you will see how your student in progressing towards grade level expectations, how well they are completing homework, and the habits of learning they are demonstrating in the classroom.  The following scores will be used to assigned to student work:

4 - Moving beyond grade level expectations
3 - Meeting grade level expectations
2 - Using strategies that are approaching grade level expectations
1 - Using strategies below grade level expectations

Students will also be completing weekly self-reflections based on their own personal progress.  Through these reflections, it is my hope for students to understand their job is to deepen their understanding beyond where they were the day before.

It should be a great year of learning and growing!  Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions.

-Curtis Taylor
ctaylor@wwsu.org