Friday, September 29, 2017

News for 9/25

Tag has been hard at work this week! We have had so much fun learning and exploring new ideas. We have had the opportunity to get creative as well as solve problems. It has been so much fun to see the students work together and be innovative with their knowledge! We are looking forward to getting our SeeSaw accounts up and going this next week so that we can share our learning with all of our families! 

Math:
3rd Grade- 
Third grade will be wrapping up their unit on place value and decimals to the hundredths this next week. They have had fun learning about decimal place value through the use of money as well as playing decimal place value Yahtzee! We will close the unit with our district common assessment on Tuesday. Our next unit topic will be addition, subtraction, estimation, and rounding. We will look at strategies to solve multi-digit addition and subtraction problems as well as the importance of estimation and rounding. 




4th Grade-
4th graders have started unit 2, and have been focusing on sharpening their multiplication skills.  We explored four different methods of multiplying large numbers- ask your students to share them with you and tell you about their favorite one.  You might be surprised at which one they choose!  Today, we are multiplying three digit by two digit numbers and using our products to solve a logic puzzle- it should be a lot of fun!



5th Grade-
5th graders have been hard at work on a big project this week to wrap up unit one.  They have created pizzas out of construction paper, divided into fractions, complete with pizza boxes!  They have made a key to explain the fractions, and converted them into decimals and percents.  They have also created three word problems using their pizzas.  It has been incredible to see their creative sides come out- your kiddos are so talented!  These will be on display in Mrs. Hamilton's classroom.  We can't wait for you to see what their creative minds thought up!


ELA Enrichment & ISP:
**ISP supply note...the students have been creating materials lists for their ISP projects in class. Please know that we will be using found objects as much as possible. The students are not expected to purchase special supplies for these projects. 

1st Grade- 
1st graders had a great week in TAG.  We have our routine in place, and the kids are doing so well.  

We enjoyed making numbers up to 20 using unifix cubes for Math Monday, and we spent TuesdayWednesday and Thursday reading and enjoying The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.  We wrote about what we would eat if we were caterpillars, and did a word making activity too!  Today, we will be playing a game that goes along with our character trait of the month at CCE: caring!  


2nd Grade-
The second graders have been enjoying a novel study of Lola Levine and have been using kinesthetic learning to share some of Lola's experiences in the book. By bringing the book to life in our classroom we are making connections to the story. We have also been studying the Language of Discipline Depth and Complexity Icon by looking at the special vocabulary that is used by Lola's drama teacher. 

As for their ISP projects, the students have been hard at work planning and sketching their rooms. This week we narrowed our aspirations down to one that we want to learn more about. The students started researching this dream and will be creating an essay that shares what they have learned. 

3rd Grade-
The 3rd grade students have completed the first 4 chapters of Rump. We have talked about how Rump is letting his name determine his attitude and his destiny. We made predictions about what will happen in the future if Rump's full name isn't discovered. We also learned more about Rump's mother and that she herself was a spinner of wool.

In ISP, the students have been working on their research about how to achieve one of their goals/dreams/aspirations. The are working to complete a narrative or informational writing piece to share their learning.  

4th Grade-
The 4th grade students have begun exploring "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library". They are loving this mystery! We have added an extra touch of Lemoncello game essence to our novel study by hunting for alliterations in the story. Alliterations are one of Mr. Lemoncello's favorite ways to communicate. 

In ISP, the students have been working on their research about how to achieve one of their goals/dreams/aspirations. The are working to complete a narrative or informational writing piece to share their learning. 

5th Grade-
Fifth grade has been hard at work producing a video for the 20th Anniversary celebration. The students are busy conducting interviews and gathering research on our school's history. We have had special access to all of the yearbooks that were produced in the last 20 years! They are also hoping to coordinate a school wide 90's retro day to coincide with the celebration day. As a result, they are having to research trends of the era and fun events that happened the year our school opened. They are also learning how to create a proposal to present their idea for approval to Mrs. Crawford and Mrs. Friede. We are excited to be a part of this celebration and share what we have learned about our amazing school. As a result of the nearing date and the scope of this project we have postponed our novel study unit until the end of the month. We have selected a different book than originally planned and will announce the title as we get closer to the beginning of the unit. So stay tuned to learn what adventure we will be embarking upon soon!



Have a great weekend and see you next week!



Important Dates:
10/2     4th Grade Denim Drive Begins
10/9     Student Holiday- Parent Conferences with               Homeroom Teachers
10/10    Student Holiday
10/23-27 Red Ribbon Week Begins
10/23    Coins for Coats Drive Begins
10/27    20th Anniversary Assembly 8am
         PTA Fun Run 5pm
10/31    4th Grade Dead Word Funeral
         Report Cards Go Home

Thursday, September 21, 2017

News for 9/18

It's been another great week in TAG. Our classes have been busy learning and working hard! Please be sure to check out the info below on Math, ELA Enrichment, and ISP to see what we've been up to!

Math:
3rd Grade- 
We have completed our unit study of place value to 999,999 with whole numbers. We are beginning our study of place value with decimals to hundredths. Students are making connections to fractions and exploring how to represent whole numbers and decimals in standard, expanded, and written form. We completed a decimal name project to share in the hallway. The students had a lot of fun creating decimal representations for each of the letters in their names. We also played a matching game where students matched decimals by standard, written, number line, and picture representation. We then put them in least to greatest order. There was some great teamwork going on! Next, week we will complete our place value unit and move to Addition and Subtraction Problem Solving with Rounding and Estimation. 









4th Grade-
4th grade has been working on rounding, comparing, adding and subtracting decimals. We have worked in groups to show our knowledge of decimals through the thousandths place, and are feeling really good about what we know! We will wrap up our Place Value unit on Monday, September 25th with a test over what we've learned.
The students had a great time showing their math thinking during our first unit of the year, "Inspirational Math". They worked in groups to use string to create 3D shapes. They had a blast and showed amazing creativity and ingenuity!




5th Grade-
5th grade has been connecting our knowledge of fractions to decimals and percents.  We've had some great conversations about how to use this knowledge in the real world, and have even solved some pretty hard riddles about converting from one representation of a number to another one.  We will wrap up this unit next week with an exciting hands on activity, followed by a test on Friday September 29th.

5th graders also enjoyed checking out this polar clock.  It sparked a very interesting conversation, and we plan to look at it occasionally to see how it changes.  Check it out here:


ELA Enrichment & ISP:
**ISP supply note...the students have been creating materials lists for their ISP projects in class. Please know that we will be using found objects as much as possible. The students are not expected to purchase special supplies for these projects. 

1st Grade- 
1st grade began their author study unit on Eric Carle. They have had so much fun exploring his many books. They practiced viewing things from Multiple Perspectives from the Depth and Complexity icons. They had so much fun looking at things in different ways!





2nd Grade-
We have begun our first novel study with "Lola Levine, Drama Queen" from the Bluebonnet List. We are enjoying diving into this book and meeting all of the wonderful characters. We are looking forward to seeing how Lola will solve the challenges that come her way! The students are also continuing to work on their fall ISP projects where they are designing a room that represents their dreams and aspirations. These will be shared at STEAM Night in January.

3rd Grade-
We are off to a fantastic start with our "Rump" novel study. This twist on the classic fairy tale has captured the students. They are having a difficult time putting the book down! We have explored the first few chapters and have begun working on our matchbook summary projects. As we journey through this book we will read to see if your name really is your destiny!

4th Grade-
We are very excited to announce that our first novel study of the year will be..."Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library". This is a fantastic mystery that puts 12 students in the amazing new library that has been designed by famous game maker Mr. Lemoncello. The students must play the game to be able to get out of the library. We are so excited to begin our study of this novel! All fourth graders are also hard at work on their fall ISP projects. The planning and creativity that has been shown is outstanding. These houses will be a hit at STEAM Night in January!

5th Grade-
5th grade has begun their novel study of "The Westing Game". We are enjoying creating chapter doodles to record our thinking and help track what's happening in the book. We will be creating the setting in order to keep track of the characters and ultimately figure out who the winner of the game and heir to the fortune will be! The students have also been working hard to complete interviews, planning, and the video for the 20th Anniversary celebration in October. It has been a joy to see them share their love of CCE!





Have a great weekend and see you next week!



Important Dates:
9/26     Family Create Night 6pm
10/2     4th Grade Denim Drive Begins
10/9     Student Holiday- Parent Conferences with               Homeroom Teachers
10/10    Student Holiday
10/23-27 Red Ribbon Week Begins
10/23    Coins for Coats Drive Begins
10/27    20th Anniversary Assembly 8am
         PTA Fun Run 5pm
10/31    4th Grade Dead Word Funeral
         Report Cards Go Home

Friday, September 15, 2017

News for 9/11

We've had a very busy week in TAG! Our classes have been working hard and learning A LOT! Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for Back to School Night. We enjoyed meeting you all! The link for the presentation is available in case anyone would like to review it. Please note the change in Mrs. Hamilton's email address. The district notified us yesterday that they have removed the "2" from her email. 

1st Grade Enrichment has begun an author study unit on Eric Carle. They will read his books and create projects based around his stories. They will also make math connections as well as examine his style of writing. 

2nd Grade Enrichment has begun their ISP unit. Their projects are based on the book "I Need My Own Country" by Rick Walton. In the story a girl decides that she needs her own space so, she creates her own country in her room. Our students will create their own rooms based on themselves and their dreams and aspirations. We will also add some of the same elements to our rooms as we saw in the story (flag, name, citizens). For this project each 2nd grader will need to bring in 1 shoe box sized box. They began their thinking and planning this week and their creativity is in full force!

3rd Grade Enrichment has continued to explore their dream house ISP projects. They have been busy planning and sketching their houses. Next week they will begin researching how to specifically achieve one of their dreams. We will also begin our first novel study next week. We will be reading and exploring the novel "Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin" by Liesl Shurtliff. This is one of my favorite books and I know that the kids will love digging into this one!

4th Grade Enrichment continues to work and plan their dream house ISPs this week. They will move into researching one of their dreams next week. We will also begin our first novel study next week. We have a couple of books in mind and are excited to reveal the title next week!

5th Grade Enrichment has been hard at work researching and creating presentations for CCE's 20th Anniversary. They have begun interviewing former teachers and students as well as current ones. They are also creating a video to show a collection of pictures throughout the years. The students are also proposing a "Retro Day" for the campus to participate in and experience school when CCE opened. 5th grade will also begin their first novel study next week. We will be diving into "The Westing Game". This mystery will stretch their thinking and problem solving skills as we work to find out why Mr. Westing is playing one last game with his relatives.

Math:
3rd grade math is continuing our unit on place value. They learned to play 6 digit place value Yahtzee and had a great time working strategically with numbers. Next week we will begin exploring decimals to the hundredths. 

4th grade math has been hard at work with place value and began studying decimals to the thousandths this week. They also learned to play Yahtzee with 6 digits and decimals! They are learning alot and having a great time while doing so!

5th grade math continues to explore their unit on decimals, fractions, and ratios. They created ratio robots and had experiences using the Cuisenaire Rods to learn about comparing parts and wholes using ratios. 

As always, thank you so much for your support and all that you do for our program! Have a great weekend!






Important Dates:
9/21  Fall Picture Day
      Watch Dog KickOff 6pm
9/26  Family Create Night 6pm
10/2  4th Grade Denim Drive Begins
10/9  Student Holiday- Parent Conferences with Homeroom Teachers
10/10 Student Holiday

Friday, September 8, 2017

News for 9/5

We have had another exciting week in the TAG classrooms! We are beginning to have our routines down, have our social contracts in place, and have had a great time learning!

Third grade math has been exploring place value to the hundred thousands place. We have composed, decomposed, and compared numbers based on their place value. We have also explored multiple ways to build the same number. The students have practiced writing in expanded, number, and word form. They have grasped the concept well and had a great time today playing a game of who can build a number higher than the teacher. They utilized strategic thinking to create a number higher than me. And they won! All you need is a pair of dice and paper/pencil. Ask them how to play and see who is the best strategist in your house!

Fourth grade math completed their Inspirational Math unit and had a great time exploring creating 3D shapes using one continuous loop of string. All you need is approximately 7 feet of string tied in a loop and a few people. You would be amazed at what the students can create with string and creativity. (Pictures to come soon!) They then began their unit on place value and number sense. They will be exploring numbers to the one billions place and decimals to the thousandths. It has been such a pleasure to watch the students expand their mathematical thinking. 

Fifth grade math has been hard at work learning about how to use equivalent fractions to show parts of a whole. They will also be studying how to represent ratios and percents using concrete models, fractions, and decimals. The mathematical thinking that has happened this week in fifth grade is inspiring. They have shown a true love of math!

Our 1st,2nd, 3rd and 4th grade enrichment groups have been busy learning about Depth and Complexity Icons. We have almost completed learning about all 11 of them and how to use them in our studies. We have had a great time exploring the different icons and have completed so fun tasks to help us understand what each icon means. Be sure to ask your student what their favorite is!

Our 5th grade enrichment group has taken on a big challenge. They have begun working on some special research and projects that will be presented during our school's 20th anniversary celebration. The students will be conducting research about our school's history as well as helping to coordinate some special activities for the students to participate in. We are very honored and excited to be a part of this amazing event!

Please be sure to check out the important dates below for things that are coming up! Have a great weekend!
Important Dates:
9/12 Back to School Night
9/21 Fall Picture Day
     Watch Dog KickOff 6pm
9/26 Family Create Night 6pm

Friday, September 1, 2017

News for 8/28

Welcome TAG families!
We are very excited to be working with all of the students and families this year. We began meeting with our classes this week and have enjoyed getting to know each other. In our math classes we have began our Inspirational Math unit. In this unit we explore what it means to be mathematicians and think outside the box.

In our ELA and primary grade enrichment classes, we have been getting to know each other and explore our learning interests. We have also begun our Depth and Complexity Icons unit. In this unit we  will learn how to identify and properly use our Depth and Complexity icons. These icons help us take our thinking deeper as well as challenge ourselves to view learning opportunities from different perspectives. 

Next week, we will finish up the Inspirational Math units and Depth and Complexity Icon units. Please check back here each Friday afternoon for updates and information about what we are up to. 

Please see check the important dates below as well as information from other areas on campus. 

Have a great weekend!

From the Library:

We are so excited to start this year off with our new library renovation! I hope you've a chance to stop by and see it. A few things to note as we begin the year:

Parents are always welcome to create a parent account to check out up to 5 books. Come see us, and we'll set you up!

Our MackinVia eBook login format has changed. Whether your an expert or new to the system, all of our students have accounts set up with MackinVia. The user ID and password are BOTH the student's ID number (they no longer need the "s" in front). You can get instructions on the library webpage at http://ccereads.weebly.com/ebooks.html

One more thing - keep up to date with what is going on in the library by following us on Twitter @CCEreads and by checking our website at  http://ccereads.weebly.com/

See you in the library!

Mrs. Bamford


Important Dates:
9/4  No School- Labor Day
9/7  Scout Night 6pm
9/12 Back to School Night
9/21 Fall Picture Day
     Watch Dog KickOff 6pm
9/26 Family Create Night 6pm