Thanks to all of those who were able and willing to participate in our field-trip fundraiser! All of the money is collected and all the orders are being process by Kathryn Beich.

Our tentative delivery date is November 17 ... Once I verify that you will receive information about how, when and where to pick up your items.

If your child sold their goal (selling $100 to raise $50), you're all set. If you and your child chose not to participate, please write a check for $50 to Prairieland to cover the costs associated with the two field trips. If your child participated but fell short of their goal, just sit tight. Once we get the final numbers from Kathryn Beich, I'll let you know what, if any, balance you owe.

For those who couldn't or chose not to particpate: we'd still love to have the children feel a sense of ownership. Maybe you could have them do some chores around the house, or rake leaves for some neighbors, to help "earn" the money to pay for the trips? We have found that the students often appreciate these experiences more when they've had to do some work to get there!

Our first class auction will be right before winter break. If you have any items you would like to donate to the auction, please send them to school in the next month or so. Anything a 5th grader would like would be great ... books, pens and pencils, art supplies, CD's, video games, candy, gift cards (blockbuster and book stores are always hot items) ...

You might even check with local businesses that you have connections with.

Our auction items always come from donations and from money we raise through our box tops we collect. So your help is appreciated. It's a great chance for students to spend the classroom money they've raised by working classroom jobs and being responsible in their decision-making!

Just a few quick updates of what we're doing:

LANGUAGE ARTS
We're continuing to work on spelling, grammar, and basic language arts skills. We're also reading aloud from Losers, Inc. by Claudia Mills and next week we will be writing a new 5-paragraph paper, practicing our skills of persuasion!

MATH
We're in the middle of Unit 3. We're learning about basic geometry skills and have been getting better at using tools like the compass, protractor and geometry template. You might help your child by talking about characteristics of basic polygons, and helping them estimate angle measures by using benchmarks they already know (a circle has 360 degress, a line is 180 degrees, a right angle is 90 degrees, and so on).

SCIENCE
We're skipping chapters 4-6 until the spring, as they'll be easier to do when we can get our hands on some plants. So we've started chapter 7. We've been reading the lessons from the textbook, talking about vocabulary, and also went through the chapter with a reading guide and marked correct answers with page numbers like before. It's a great tool to use as they prepare for their test, which will likely be at the end of next week.

SOCIAL STUDIES
We're in our Colonial unit of study currently. We'll be working on some projects next week from chapter 5 in the textbook (you can get the guidelines from the class website at www.thechampions.us) ...

The SAT 10 results (from the standardized assessment we took earlier this year) are available to the district and, once the scores are ready for distribution, they will be sent home. You should be getting them next Friday, November 10.

The Cardinals did it! They delivered a World Series championship to St. Louis, even though all the "experts" and Cardinals-haters said it couldn't be done.

And that means a Pizza Party for 5M!

Because this week was already busy with the Halloween activities, the class voted to have their Cardinals party next week. So, on Monday of next week (November 6) we will celebrate the CHAMPIONS of World Series with food and fun. And, it's on me!

I wanted to thank all of you for the great discussions at Parent-Teacher conferences.

Also, a special thank you for the many generous parents and students who provided books for our classroom from the book fair!

As I mentioned earlier in the year, I will not always be checking assignment books. Typically, I've stopped doing it by now, but I believed this group needed some extra accountability, so I've continued to check them for your signature every morning.

But that's all about to change.

Starting Monday morning, I will not be checking the assignment books for your signature. It's another attempt to help encourage your child to take responsiblity for themselves. You are welcome, and encouraged, to continue to use a system at home that allows you to be aware of what they are working on. And, you may choose to continue to sign it regularly. But, I wanted you to know that I won't be looking. If you need to write me a note, feel free to continue to do so through the assignment book or another format, as each morning there is a chance for the students to bring me/show me any notes they have for me.