Swaekauski Street

Newsletter 1/30-2/3

2012-01-29T21:27:00.000-06:00

Odds and Ends

-Cancer Smashers has been extended through Monday! We're doing great so far, now let's make a great big push this weekend and come up big on Monday!
- There has been some confusion over the school calendar this year. Please note that there is NOT a teacher institute scheduled for Friday, February 17th. Instead, we DO have a teacher institute day on Tuesday, March 20th. Also, Friday, May 18th (NOT Thursday, May 17th) is an Early Dismissal Day!
- This week in Math, our students learned about rotational symmetry through a fabulous website. Click this link to go there and check it out! http://www.teacherled.com/resources/symrotation/rotationsymload.html

Curriculum Updates:

Reading: This week, we turn our attention to the ever important skill of cause and effect. This skill is one that students should be rather familiar with, as we use it often in our social studies classes. Remember, the cause is what happens first, and the effect is what happens second!

Math: This week we finish our unit on geometry with a test on Ch. 18 on Tuesday. Then, we will move forward onto our next unit, which is Algebra. This is a really important unit, but also one of our toughest. Please keep this in mind as your child may need more assistance with homework during this unit.

What's Happening?

Friday, February 3rd: Movie Night, 6:30-8:45 PM

Newsletter 1/23-1/27

2012-01-20T15:25:00.000-06:00

Cancer Smashers

Prairieview and Lakeview have teamed up to compete against Lace School and Eisenhower Junior High to see who can do a better job of smashing out cancer! During the week of January 23rd-27th, each school will be selling paper "fists" for a donation of $1. The fist can then be personalized by writing the name of a person whose life has been touched by cancer in some way. The fists will then be hung on the walls of our school to show off how well our school is smashing cancer. The school district that sells the most fists will be declared the winner. The losing schools' principals will have to wear the winning schools' spirit wear for a day! All proceeds of this contest will be donated to the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, which is a resarch center that is dedicated to finding a cure for all types of cancer.
Let's get ready to SMASH OUT CANCER!!!

Curriculum Updates:

Reading: This week, we continue our focus on the skill of Author's Viewpoint. In this skill, students will identify how the author feels about the topic they are writing about, as well as indicate words, phrases, or sentences in the text that help to "reveal" this viewpoint. This skill provides excellent practice in using the text to support their answers. We will also be reviewing the familiar skill of prediction as well.

Math: We continue with our focus on geometry. Students will be reviewing the many geometric concepts and definitions, such as point, line, line segment, ray, and angles for a quiz on Tuesday. Then, we will continue working through the unit, learning about circles, similar, congruent, and symmetry. Our week will end with a creative project to help visualize symmetry even better!

What's Happening?

Tuesday, January 24th: District Spelling Bee, 1PM @ PV
Wednesday, January 25th: Early Dismissal Day, PV is released at 11AM
Friday, January 27th: Bingo Night, 7-8:30PM

Newsletter 1/16-1/20

2012-01-13T15:12:00.000-06:00

Important Information

This week, you should have received an e-mail about safety concerns on our school's campus, and in particular, our traffic concerns. There have been many dangerous incidents on our school's campus this year, and of course, we want our schools to be safe for our students, staff, and parents alike. Please remember these few helpful hints:

- Avoid driving in the bus lane.
- Drop your child off in the east parking lot, which is labeled for PV student drop off.
- Remember the front traffic circle is for BACC student drop off, and school visitors.
- Always drive slowly and carefully in the parking lot.
- To activate the stoplight more quickly, have your vehicle's front tires stop 2 feet in front of the stop line.

Thank you for your cooperation in this matter!

Curriculum Updates:

Reading: This week, we begin our focus on the skill of Author's Viewpoint. In this skill, students will identify how the author feels about the topic they are writing about, as well as indicate words, phrases, or sentences in the text that help to "reveal" this viewpoint. This skill provides excellent practice in using the text to support their answers. We will also be reviewing the familiar skill of prediction as well.

Math: Moving onward once again, our next chapter focuses on geometry. Students will be learning about the many geometric concepts and definitions, such as point, line, line segment, ray, and angles. Students will receive a geometry packet which will contain all the definitions and examples of things they need to know. I have always found that this is a great unit to do some flashcard games to help your child remember the important terms and concepts!

What's Happening?

Monday, January 16th: No School, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Monday, January 16th: PTO Dine out Day - TGIFriday's
Tuesday, January 17th: Vision/Hearing Screening
Wednesday, January 18th: 5th Grade Spelling Bee, 10:15AM
Friday, January 20th: Progress Reports

Newsletter 1/9-1/13

2012-01-06T15:35:00.000-06:00

MAP Testing
Beginning Monday, January 9th, students will be taking the MAP tests once again. If you recall, these MAP tests, which stands for Measures of Academic Progress, is one of the tools we use to evaluate how well students are responding to the instruction we are providing. Our hope is that all students will increase their score by at least 4 RIT points. Please be sure that your child gets a good night's sleep and eats a healthy breakfast before the test. For future reference, if you would like, you can use the following websites to find some practice ideas at your child's appropriate levels:

http://www.sowashco.k12.mn.us/ro/pages/studentlinks/map/reading.htm

http://www.sowashco.k12.mn.us/ro/pages/studentlinks/map/

http://www.belleplaine.k12.mn.us/se3bin/clientgenie.cgi?schoolname=school357&statusFlag=goGenie&geniesite=133&myButton=g5plugin&db=g133_b545

Curriculum Updates:

Reading: We continue focusing on main ideas and details this week. Students will learn how details must support or prove the main idea of a passage. They will also be able to find details in a non-fiction text that support a particular main idea, as well as determine the main idea of a text when given the details. In addition, students will learn that main ideas can be stated in the text, or sometimes unstated (implied).

Math: We will be finishing up our very short unit on area and volume this week. Students will learn how to find the volume of a solid figure in two ways: counting the cubes, and by using the formula Volume = length x width x height. Students will have an opportunity to review all skills before taking the test on Friday.

What's Happening?

Saturday, January 7th: Market Day at Lakeview...It is Prairieview's turn to provide volunteers. If you are willing to help out, please report to Lakeview by 8AM!
Monday, January 9th: 5th Grade MAP Reading test
Thursday, January 12th: 5th Grade MAP Math test

Newsletter 1/2-1/6

2011-12-16T15:04:00.001-06:00

WISHING YOU A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY SEASON!!!

Curriculum Updates:

Reading: Our next set of skills that we will be working on focuses on main ideas and details. Students will learn how details must support or prove the main idea of a passage. They will also be able to find details in a non-fiction text that support a particular main idea, as well as determine the main idea of a text when given the details. In addition, students will learn that main ideas can be stated in the text, or sometimes unstated (implied).

Math: We will begin our next unit, which focuses on area and volume. This week, students will be exploring how to find the area of polygons such as rectangles, squares, triangles, and parallelograms.

What's Happening?

Monday, Jan. 2nd: Last Day of Winter Break
Tuesday, Jan. 3rd: Welcome back to school!
Thursday, Jan. 5th: Martin Luther King, Jr. Assembly

Newsletter 12/12-12/16

2011-12-09T15:11:00.000-06:00

5th Grade Cinema
On Friday, December 16th, the fifth grade is looking forward to turning our classrooms into cinemas to celebrate the start of our holiday vacation. As you know, students will be viewing a movie of their choice, and enjoying a snack of popcorn and water as well. To make our rooms a bit cozier, we are allowing students to bring in a pillow, cushion, or small blanket to sit upon while watching the movie. We ask that the items be no larger than a normal size beach blanket to ensure we have enough room for everyone to be comfortable. Thank you!!

Coordinate Graphing Websites

http://www.shodor.org/interactivate/activities/SimpleCoordinates/

http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/games/BillyBug/bugcoord.html

http://www.counton.org/games/flash/virtualmathfest/dinosaur.swf

Curriculum Updates:

Reading: Our next set of skills that we will be working on focuses on generalizations, facts, and opinions. We will especially focus on identifying generalizations, as well as if they are valid or invalid. In addition, students will learn how to change an invalid generalization into a valid generalization. Ask your student to share the key words for identifying invalid generalizations!

Math: We will be finishing up our very short unit on perimeter by learning about circles and how to find the circumference of a circle. Students will have a test on Tuesday over the perimeter material. Then, we will spend the last three days before break reviewing and practicing with coordinate graphing. See above for links to some fun activities!

What's Happening?

Monday, December 12th: Winter Concert for Cadet Band & Choir, 7PM @ Lakeview
Friday, December 16th: 5th Grade Cinema, after lunch!
Friday, December 16th: Winter Break Begins! See you back on Tuesday, January 3rd!!

Newsletter 12/5-12/9

2011-12-04T21:50:00.000-06:00

Parent Teacher Conferences
Thank you to all the parents I had an opportunity to meet with this past week. It is always nice to touch base regarding your child's progress, and have some fruitful discussions about how to help them progress more. Although it is only two weeks until our Christmas break, I encourage all my students to continue their hard work and efforts. If any suggestions for improvement were made, now is the time to start working on them! As always, if you have any questions or concerns at any time, please feel free to call or send an e-mail.

Curriculum Updates:

Reading: Our next set of skills that we will be working on focuses on generalizations, facts, and opinions. We will especially focus on identifying generalizations, as well as if they are valid or invalid. In addition, students will learn how to change an invalid generalization into a valid generalization. Ask your student to share the key words for identifying invalid generalizations!

Math: We move forward and into our unit about perimeter. Students will review that perimeter is the distance around an object, and can be found by adding all the sides of a shape. Our target skill will be finding the perimeter of irregular polygons. Students will also explore and learn the formulas that can be used for finding perimeter of various shapes.

What's Happening?

Friday, December 9th: 5th grade goes to Brunswick Zone for bowling in the morning
Friday, December 9th: Movie Night (Permission slips due Wednesday)

Newsletter 11/28-12/2

2011-11-22T15:21:00.000-06:00

Parent Teacher Conferences
Parent Teacher Conferences are being held during the week of November 28th. In order to touch base with all my parents, I will be attending the conference you have scheduled with your child's homeroom teacher. I look forward to meeting with you to discuss your child's progress at this time.

Happy Thanksgiving!
I also want to take this opportunity to wish all of my students and their families a very Happy Thanksgiving! I am thankful for so many things in life, and working at Prairieview with my students is just one of them. I hope that you all enjoy the "mini vacation" over the next 5 days. I know I'll be spending my time eating good food, watching football, and visiting with some good friends from out of town. Still not sure if I will brave the shopping crowds on Black Friday! No matter what you do on your break, please have fun and be safe!

Curriculum Updates:

Reading: Now that we are finished with our realistic novel study, we move back into learning and reviewing more reading skills. This week, we will be working on using prior knowledge to set a purpose for reading. Basically, this means we want students to be cognizant of what they might already know about a topic, and how that may help them understand why they are reading a given text. We will also be discussing author's purpose. We use the acronym PIE to help remember why an author may write a text: to Persuade, to Inform, or to Entertain. This is an easy skill to practice at home together by looking through a newspaper or magazine, and reading the different articles to determine the author's purpose.

Math: We are continuing our study of mean, median, mode, and range. Students will be reviewing these four skills when they return, and then take an assessment about it.

What's Happening?

Wednesday, November 23rd - Sunday, November 27th: Thanksgiving Break
Monday, November 28th - Friday, December 2nd: Parent Teacher Conference Week
Friday, December 2nd: No School due to Parent Teacher Conferences

2011-11-18T15:47:00.000-06:00

Paper Recycling
Did you know that you can help our district earn money by recycling paper here at school? You can bring in any paper (no cardboard please) to the green and yellow bin marked Paper Retriever located in Lakeview's parking lot to be recycled. The more paper we collect, the more money we can earn. The provider of the bin uses the paper to make newsprint, which is then sold to other companies. That is how we are paid to recycle paper. Thank you for your help (and for helping the environment at the same time!)

Curriculum Updates:

Reading: Our realistic fiction novel study will come to an end this week. I think all the students have enjoyed reading these novels and working with many important skills. As we conclude our study, students will be doing some concluding activities and/or projects.

Math: We have now moved into a "mini-lesson" session about mean, median, mode, and range. Students will apply the skills they have learned in the past few chapters to analyzing sets of data by finding the mean, median, mode, and range of them. These are such important skills, as they are used in numerous situations and careers.

What's Happening?

Tuesday, November 22nd: Field Trip to Robert Crown in AM (Students MUST bring a sack lunch)
Wednesday, November 23rd - Sunday, November 27th: Thanksgiving Break

Newsletter 11/7-11/11

2011-11-04T15:09:00.000-05:00

Decimal Studies

Our fifth graders have been working on the study of decimals in their math classes. We have been working hard on decimal place value, and will soon be moving into estimating, adding, and subtracting decimals. There are lots of fun websites to visit to practice decimals. Here are just a few:

http://www.decimalsquares.com/dsGames/

http://www.math-play.com/baseball-math-rounding-decimals/rounding-decimals.html

http://www.math-play.com/soccer-math-adding-decimals-game/adding-decimals-game.html

http://www.math-play.com/football-math-decimals-place-value/football-math-decimals-place-value.html

Hope you and your child enjoy these fun ways to practice decimals!

Curriculum Updates:

Reading: Realistic fiction novel study continues. We are working on summarizing, drawing conclusions, story structure, visualization, and figurative language. We are also defining important vocabulary words from each chapter.

Math: We continue with our study of decimals. We finished our decimal place value study, and now move into working with decimals, such as rounding, estimating, and adding and subtracting. Again, this is a very short chapter, so students will have another "quest" early the following week.

What's Happening?

The deadline for the PBIS/PTO Service Project has been extended. Please consider donating a small amount of money and time for such a worthy cause!
Monday, Nov. 7th: Roller Skating Party, 3:45-6:30PM
Friday, Nov. 11th: No School, Veteran's Day

Newsletter 10/31-11/4

2011-10-28T15:34:00.000-05:00

Novel Studies

This week, our fifth grade class has begun their first novel study. We are focusing on the genre of realistic fiction, which means the story is made up, but contains characters and events that could happen in real life. We use these books to review the skills covered so far in fifth grade, as well as to reintroduce a few skills that should be familiar from 4th grade. It is important that as your child works through the novels, they are monitoring their own comprehension. This means that as they read, they should be recording any words they do know how, or any parts in the story they found confusing. Then, they should go back and reread that section, and use what we call "fix up"strategies to help them understand. These strategies include using the context of the sentence, as well as reading before and after the sections to see if there are any clues to help. As a parent, one thing you can do is ask your child to summarize what they are reading. Be careful, though! Make sure they are summarizing and not retelling. What is the difference? Retelling is when they include specific events and details from the story. Summarizing is when they only tell the main idea of what is happening. For example, a summary of the story of the Three Little Pigs may read something like this: Three pigs build their own houses, but a mean wolf destroys two of the houses. As you can see, very few details are given, but you get the idea of what the story is about. I hope your child enjoys the novel study as much as we look forward to teaching it!

Curriculum Updates:

Reading: Realistic fiction novel study continues. We are working on summarizing, drawing conclusions, story structure, visualization, and figurative language. We are also defining important vocabulary words from each chapter.

Math: We have finally finished our division chapter. Didn't it seem "long"? (Pun intended). We move now to decimals and learning where decimals fall in our place value charts. This is a very short chapter, and students should expect a test within the week. Also, don't forget about October calendar math. It is due on Wednesday, November 2nd. Look for the November calendar by the end of the week!

What's Happening?

Thursday, November 3rd: Picture Re-take Day

Newsletter 10/17-10/21

2011-10-15T16:22:00.000-05:00

Important Info!

If you're anxiously awaiting your child's school pictures, your wait is almost over. Pictures are scheduled to arrive on Tuesday, the 18th! If you are unhappy with the pictures, or your child missed the original picture day, the retake day is scheduled for Thursday, November 3rd.

Please remember that the office sends out a weekly e-mail with upcoming events and important information. Please check these e-mails for the permission slips for special activities such as movie night, roller skating, or other events that take place at school which children need to sign up for. It's our way of doing a little thing to help the environment and save some trees!

Curriculum Updates:

Reading: We will wrap up our study of story structure and analogies this week. Students will also take an assessment of the many word study skills that we have covered so far this year.

Math: We continue our study of long division. This week's focus will be on zeroes in the quotient, as well as patterns in division/mental math, and estimating quotients with two digit divisors.

What's Happening?

Thursday, October 20th: Book Fair, 6:30-8:00 PM
Monday, October 24th: Bullying Assembly at Lakeview, 9:30AM
Thursday, October 27th: Early Dismissal, PV dismisses at 11AM

Newsletter 10/10-10/14

2011-10-08T21:46:00.000-05:00

Progress Reports

We have arrived at the midpoint of our first trimester. If you have not been tracking your child's progress so far, I highly encourage you to log on to Parent Connect to check your child's grades. If you are unsure of how to do so, a link to a slide show with helpful information can now be found under the Parents section of the Center Cass website.

Please remember that the grades you view are an indication of how your child has performed so far during the first trimester. These grades can easily change over the course of the next few weeks. If your child is doing well, be sure to praise them, but also encourage them to continue working hard. If there are some areas your child can improve in, try setting a reasonable short term goal in that area to work towards. This may help inspire your child to improve in their trouble areas. As always, if you have any specific questions or concerns that I can help with, please feel free to contact me.

Curriculum Updates:

Reading: We continue to focus on the structure of stories, or in other words, narrative text. We will focus on being able to identify the main characters, setting (when & where story takes place), and the plot. The plot will include the problem, a summary of the beginning, middle, and end of the story, and finally the resolution of the problem. We'll also be studying analogies more in-depth this week.

Math: I have been exceptionally pleased with the progress the students are showing with long division! We will spend this next week learning about how to interpret remainders when solving word problems, as well as review estimating quotients using compatible numbers and more long division practice. Students should expect a quiz on these lessons on Friday. Also, students received the October calendar math sheet. Please remember that they should be getting help/guidance on these sheets. This is one of the ways that we review previously learned skills in order to keep them fresh. October calendars will be due at the beginning of November.

What's Happening?

Monday, October 10th: No School, Columbus Day
Tuesday, October 11th: No School, Teacher Institute Day
Thursday, October 13th: Mario Kart Assembly, 1:30 PM
Friday, October 14th: Mrs. Swaekauski's Birthday!
Friday, October 14th: Movie Night, 6:30-8:45PM

Newsletter 10/3-10/7

2011-10-01T15:45:00.000-05:00

Analogies Practice

One of the skills we are covering this week in Reading is Analogies. This is a skill that many students struggle with, yet is one that they will encounter for many years to come. The best way for students to approach an analogy is to identify the relationship between the two items. Most of these relationships are synonyms, antonyms, parts to whole, etc. Then they apply the same relationship to the other part of the analogy. Here are some good websites to practice analogies:

Analogy Jeopardy

Gamequarium - A list of analogy activities

Elementary Analogy Practice

Curriculum Updates:

Reading: Our reading skill this week focuses on the structure of stories, or in other words, narrative text. We will focus on being able to identify the main characters, setting (when & where story takes place), and the plot. The plot will include the problem, a summary of the beginning, middle, and end of the story, and finally the resolution of the problem. A great way to practice story structure at home is to have your child identify all the parts of a story while watching a favorite TV show. We'll also be covering analogies this week.

Math: Students have just finished Chapter 2 on multiplying whole numbers. Now we will move forward to Chapter 3, dividing whole numbers. This chapter covers long division, dividing by both one and two digit divisors. We are really looking for students to master dividing by one digit, so practice at home is greatly encouraged!

What's Happening?

Thursday, October 6th & Friday, October 7th: The Farming for Fuels program will be brought to our 5th grade by the DuPage Children's Museum. This program is an inquiry-based learning lab that introduces the concepts connected with creating biofuels and the need to change to alternative energy sources for transportation. The ideas shared during the program will be explored in more detail later this year in Science.
Friday, October 7th: Bingo Night, 7-8:30
Monday, October 10th: No School, Columbus Day
Tuesday, October 11th: No School, Teacher Institute Day

Newsletter 9/26-9/30

2011-09-23T21:17:00.000-05:00

Multiplication Practice

As we continue to work on our multiplication unit, and get ready for the upcoming division unit, I thought I would share some websites that would be a great place to practice:

Multiplication.com

Gamequarium

Mr. Nussbaum

FunBrain Math Baseball

Math Playground

Keep working hard on those multiplication strategies!!

Curriculum Updates:

Reading: This week we are continuing our study of drawing conclusions. Students will be reading various texts and completing a graphic organizer to help them draw conclusions about the texts they read. They will need to think about the clues from the story and pair that with their own knowledge in order to help them draw conclusions. We will continue some word work with prefixes, suffixes, homonyms, and multi-meaning words.

Math: The students took their first quiz for Chapter 2, multiplying numbers. It covered mental math strategies, estimating products, and multiplying by 1 digit numbers. Next up is multiplying by 2 digit numbers. This is one of our target skills for the chapter, so students will be spending a couple days making sure they have mastered the skill. The Chapter 2 test will happen sometime late next week.

What's Happening?

Tuesday, September 27th: Magazine Turn-in Day
Thursday, September 29th: Magazine Turn-in Day
Thursday, September 29th: Picture Day! (Bring your best smile!)
Friday, September 30th: Early Dismissal, PV dismisses at 11AM

Newsletter 9/19-9/23

2011-09-17T14:00:00.000-05:00

Multiplication Facts

One of the biggest challenges that face our students today is their lack of knowledge when it comes to multiplication facts. These facts become such a huge part of other areas in Math as they get older, and fifth grade is where we really start to see the difference. I used to believe that every child should have their multiplication facts memorized, no matter what. Over the years, I have learned that not every child is actually capable of memorizing their facts. However, every child is capable of learning strategies for solving them quickly. Here are some helpful hints:

2's: Double the other number. (2 x 8 = 8 + 8 = 16)
3's: Chunk the numbers in groups of three (3, 6, 9/ 12,15,18/ 21,24,27/ 30,33,36)
4's: Double the double ( 4 x 8 = 8+8 = 16, 16+16=32)
5's: Count by 5's
6's: Multiply the other number by 5, then add one more set of the other number ( 6 x 7 = 7 x 5 = 35 + 7 = 42)
7's: For 7 x 7, remember 7 and 7 went to the 49'ers game.
8's: Double the double the double ( 8 x 6 = 6 + 6 = 12, 12 +12=24, 24+24 = 48) and for 8 x 8, remember 8 and 8 went to the store to buy Nintendo 64.
9's: Use the finger trick Click here for a website about the finger trick!
10's: Just add a 0 to the other number: (5 x 10 = 50)
11's: Just write the other number two times: (7 x 11 = 77)

Curriculum Updates:

Reading: This week we are starting our study of drawing conclusions. Students will be reading various texts and completing a graphic organizer to help them draw conclusions about the texts they read. They will need to think about the clues from the story and pair that with their own knowledge in order to help them draw conclusions. We will also be doing some word work with prefixes, suffixes, roots, and affixes.

Math: We are starting Chapter 2, multiplication, this week. Our target skill will be estimating products, but we will also cover mental math and patterns in multiplication, multiplying by 1 digit, and multiplying by 2 digits.

What's Happening?

Tuesday, September 20th: Magazine Turn-in Day

Newsletter 9/12-9/16

2011-09-09T15:28:00.000-05:00

Reflections on 9/11

Ten years ago, on September 11th, I was a brand new teacher, getting ready for my first curriculum night with the parents of my students. I was at school that day, busy teaching my students, when I heard the news about the planes hitting the Twin Towers. I was forced to continue my day, not truly knowing the severity of the situation until my kids went to gym. I sat down at my computer, and saw the horrific scenes for the first time. I knew this was a life changing moment in the history of the United States. Needless to say, our curriculum night was cancelled, and I then had to take time to explain to my class why. Definitely not an easy job for a rookie teacher like me. I went home that afternoon, and remember how calm the world seemed. And while it was certainly an eerie sensation, I remember thinking that it would be nice if the world would always be this serene. I spent the night with my family and my boyfriend (now my husband), watching the reports and reactions, and just being amazed at the bravery so many people showed that day. But then I started to wonder what would happen from there? Of course, we picked up the pieces and moved forward, but no doubt, this is a moment branded in our memories forever.

Today I realized that the kids I am currently teaching don't have that moment branded in their memories. However, there is no doubt that those attacks have shaped their lives as they have grown up. We have encouraged the students to think about what they can do to make our country a better place. Remember, every action, whether big or small, can make a difference in our world. I do so hope they choose to make a difference, and to help this world become a better place to live.

Curriculum Updates:

Reading: This is our final week with Tall Tales. The skills specifically targeted will be identifying story structure and distinguishing between exaggerated and realistic story elements. As a review, we will use our visualization skills and begin working with roots, affixes, prefixes, and suffixes. We will also discuss and practice using similes and metaphors, which can be used to write a tall tale of their own!

Math: We will finish Chapter 1 this coming week. Our target skill for the chapter is estimating sums and differences. This is such an important life skill! Think about how often we use estimation in every day life! We'll finish the chapter by adding and subtracting whole numbers, and after our test, we will work on the problem solving strategy of "Work Backward."

What's Happening?

Monday, September 12th: Spirit Day- Wear Red, White, & Blue in honor of our country!
Monday, September 12th: Magazine Drive Kick-off, 1:15PM
Thursday, September 15th: Band Recruiting Concert, 12:45-1:30

Newsletter 9/5-9/9

2011-09-02T12:35:00.000-05:00

First Full Week is Done!

Well, we have all survived our first full week back to school. This past week was full of many activities. Students once again took the MAP test in Math and Reading. Now, we teachers are busy taking a look at the data, and seeing a better picture of where our students are currently performing in those two subjects. We also continued some get-to-know-you activities, which you can view on display at our annual Curriculum Night. Curriculum Night takes place this year on Tuesday, September 6th, beginning at 6:30 PM. Students received a flyer to bring home today, which gives the details of our night together. I hope to see all of you on Tuesday!

Curriculum Updates:

Reading: We continue with Tall Tales. The skills specifically targeted will be identifying story structure and distinguishing between exaggerated and realistic story elements. As a review, we will use our visualization skills and define unknown words using context clues. We will also discuss and practice using similes and metaphors, which can be used to write a tall tale of their own!

Math: Today we started our first chapter, which includes place value, estimating, and addition and subtraction. We will continue through next week with rounding skills and estimating sums and differences. It would be great to practice rounding and estimation at home. Perhaps have students make a pretend shopping list and have them estimate the prices of everything. Have fun with it!

What's Happening?

Monday, September 5th: No school, Labor Day
Tuesday, September 6th: Curriculum Night, 6:30 PM
Monday, September 12th: Magazine Drive Kick-off!

Newsletter 8/29-9/2

2011-08-22T23:01:00.004-05:00

All About Me!

Welcome to the 2011-2012 school year. I am Mrs. Swaekauski, the 5th grade special education teacher who will be working with your child this school year. I am looking forward to assisting your child, and to collaborating with you to make this a successful year.

This is my 7th year at Prairieview Elementary, and my 11th year of teaching overall. I began my career as a regular education 5th grade teacher for 4 years. When I attained my Master's Degree in Special Education, I decided to put it to good use here at Prairieview. I live in Naperville with my husband and two beautiful daughters, Abby and Aurora. I'm a very proud mommy, so you might just hear about them every now and then!

Curriculum Updates:
Our first two days were spent with learning rules & expectations, as well as some getting to know you activities. Next week, you will find the beginnings of our fifth grade curriculum. I will normally provide the updates on Reading & Math weekly, and then other subjects as tests or quizzes approach.

Reading: We begin our year with Tall Tales. The skills specifically targeted will be identifying story structure and distinguishing between exaggerated and realistic story elements. As a review, we will use our visualization skills and define unknown words using context clues.

Math: We will begin switching for Math class on Tuesday, August 30th. The first day will be spent going over materials, procedures, and looking at our Math textbook through a scavenger hunt. Then, we will begin reviewing our place values skills.

What's Happening?

Monday, August 29th: 5th grade MAP testing (Math)
Thursday, September 1st: 5th grade MAP testing (Reading)
Monday, September 5th: No school, Labor Day

Newsletter 6/6-6/7

2011-06-04T16:34:00.000-05:00

Thanks for a Great Year!

It has been a pleasure being a part of your child's education this year. I hope that everyone has an enjoyable summer, but be sure to keep working on some school skills over the summer. Research has shown that those students who continue working on educational material through the summer usually show better knowledge growth than those students who don't. This usually makes for an easier transition to the next school year, and almost an "ahead start" for those who put in just a little bit of work in during the summer. No matter what you do, I wish you all a safe and happy summer vacation!

Mark Your Calendars...

Monday, June 6th: School Picnic Day
Tuesday, June 7th: LAST DAY!!!! Dismissal at 9:30

Newsletter 5/30-6/3

2011-05-27T16:50:00.001-05:00

Happy Memorial Day!

After our last full week of school, I think we all deserve a long weekend. I hope that everyone has a wonderful time this weekend, but I also hope that we take time to remember the meaning of this day. My brother-in-law is a current National Guardsman, who served 2 tours of duty in Iraq. He was slated to go back last year, and luckily his orders were recalled. Having someone so close to me be involved in the military has certainly made me appreciate the meaning of Memorial Day even more. So please, through all the wonderful activities you may be doing this weekend, be sure to take a few moments to think of those who did give their lives for us and our freedom.

Raffle for Japan

The raffle for Japan has just begun. A letter was sent home on Wednesday, with the list of raffle items and raffle tickets. If you wish to participate, just fill in the tickets, put them in an envelope with the money, and return it to your classroom teacher. All tickets must be turned in by June 3rd. We will have the raffle at the all school assembly on June 6th. Thank you so much for your support.

Reading Curriculum News

4th Grade
As we wrap up reading class for the 2010-11 school year, we will review all of the reading strategies we have covered. Friday, June 3rd will be our last day of reading.

5th Grade
We will finish our study of story structure, character traits, and figurative language through the use of fantasy novels. Each class will be a part of some type of culminating activity for their novel study. Our last day of reading class will be Thursday, June 2nd,

Mark Your Calendars...

Monday, May 30th: No school, Memorial Day
Tuesday, May 31st: Talent Show, 1-2PM
Wednesday, June 1st: 5th Grade Bowling, 9-11AM, 4th Grade Bowling, 12-2PM
Friday, June 3rd: Ginger Zee Weather Presentation (Rescheduled from last week, since she was out stormchasing last week!)
Friday, June 3rd: 5th Grade Robert Crown Field Trip

Newsletter 5/23-5/27

2011-05-20T21:50:00.000-05:00

The End is near!

The 2010-2011 school year is beginning to draw to a close. As you will see below, there are many special activities planned for the next few weeks. This sometimes gives students the false idea that school is over for the year. I ask that you please remind your child that school is in session until June 7th, and that they should still be giving their best effort until the very end of the year. Thanks so much for your support!

Reading Curriculum News

4th Grade
This week, in addition to reviewing all reading strategies, students will be focusing on identifying the elements of fantasy and realism. Students will learn that fantasy involves events that could not happen in real life, and that realism involves events that could happen or that have happened in the past.

5th Grade
We will continue our study of story structure, character traits, and figurative language through the use of fantasy novels. Each teacher has selected a novel that is at the appropriate reading level for their students.

Mark Your Calendars...

Monday, May 23rd: 5th Grade Robert Crown Parent Night, 6:30PM
Tuesday, May 24th: Lakeview Choir Concert @ PV, 10-10:30AM
Tuesday, May 24th: Walk for Japan, 3:30PM
Wednesday, May 25th: Indian Prairie Library Visit about Summer Reading Program
Friday, May 27th: 5th Grade Weather Talk with Ginger Zee from NBC, 10AM
Monday, May 30th: No school, Memorial Day
Tuesday, May 31st: Talent Show, 1-2PM
Wednesday, June 1st: 5th Grade Bowling, 9-11AM, 4th Grade Bowling, 12-2PM
Friday, June 3rd: 5th Grade Robert Crown Field Trip

Newsletter 5/16-5/20

2011-05-13T13:49:00.002-05:00

Let the transition begin!

This week, 5th grade students will be visiting Lakeview for some information and a tour. This is the beginning of their transition from the elementary school to junior high. Later that night, parents have the opportunity to visit Lakeview as well. What an exciting time for us all!

Reading Curriculum News

4th Grade
This week we will focus on the reading target skill of comparing and contrasting. Comparing means showing similarities. Contrasting means showing differences. By comparing and contrasting one thing with another, readers can remember more of the information.

5th Grade
The students have been assigned a fantasy novel. We will continue to focus on identifying character traits, identifying and understanding figurative language, and story mapping.

Mark Your Calendars...

Monday, May 16th: All School Concert, 9:00 AM
Monday, May 16th: 5th Graders visit Lakeview, 1:15 PM
Monday, May 16th: 5th Grade Parent Night @ Lakeview, 6:30PM
Tuesday, May 17th: Beginning Band Concert, 7PM @ LV
Wednesday, May 18th: Cadet Band & Choir Concert, 7PM @ LV

Newsletter 5/9-5/13

2011-05-06T13:45:00.000-05:00

5th Grade Celebration!

We are looking forward to a wonderful 5th grade celebration on Thursday. We hope the weather will be nice enough to go outside for some team building activities/games. Then, students will enjoy a pizza lunch and frozen treat before they head over to Lakeview for their production of Fiddler on the Roof.

Reading Curriculum News

4th Grade
Our focus this week is on the reading strategy of monitor/clarify. Students should monitor how well they understand a story. If they don't understand something, they can reread or read ahead for help.

5th Grade
The students have ben assigned a fantasy novel. We will continue to focus on identifying character traits, identifying and understanding figurative language, and story mapping.

Mark Your Calendars...

Thursday, May 12th: 5th Grade Celebration Day!
Friday, May 13th: Early Dismissal @ 11AM

Newsletter 5/2-5/6

2011-04-29T13:40:00.000-05:00

Teacher Appreciation Week!

This week is designated as teacher appreciation week. Our PTO always does such a nice job of making us feel special during the week. I also want to take this opportunity to say how much I love being a teacher at Prairieview and working with so many wonderful children!

Reading Curriculum News

4th Grade
Our reading strategy for next week is making inferences. Readers must make inferences, or "read between the lines", when the author doesn't tell the reader everything. Readers can do this by applying what they already know to story clues given by the author.

5th Grade
This week we will finish our historical fiction novel study. Later in the week we will introduce a fantasy novel. Skills we will be focusing on are character traits, figurative language, and story mapping.

Mark Your Calendars...

Friday, May 6th: Failure Notices

Newsletter 4/25-4/29

2011-04-21T13:34:00.001-05:00

MAP Testing!

Our spring benchmark period is beginning this week, with our third round of MAP testings. Students will be taking the Reading and Math MAP tests. One of our goals this spring is to better encourage our students to do their very best when taking the tests. We'd appreciate if you would remind them of the same!

Reading Curriculum News

4th Grade
"I Can Identify Topic, Main Idea & Supporting Details"5th Grade

Our reading target for the week is to identify topic, main idea, and supporting details. Topic is what the whole text is about. The main ideas are important points about each topic. Each paragraph can have its own main idea. Supporting details are facts and examples that support each main idea.

The students will continue to read their historical fiction novels, focusing on the skills of author's viewpoint and cause and effect.
Mark Your Calendars...

Monday, April 25th: 5th Grade Reading MAP testing
Tuesday, April 26th: 4th Grade Reading MAP testing
Thursday, April 28th: 5th Grade Math MAP testing
Thursday, April 28th: Wheel of Wisdom Assembly
Friday, April 29th: 4th Grade Reading MAP testing

Newsletter 4/18-4/22

2011-04-15T12:44:00.001-05:00

What a Night!

It was so nice to see so many of you at the Book Fair and Open House night! I always enjoy the opportunity to mingle with my students' parents in a more "social" format! Many of you had the opportunity to meet my wonderful husband and two lovely daughters, and as you saw, they definitely keep me on my toes!

Reading Curriculum News

4th Grade
This week in reading, we will be focusing on two important skills: following directions & summarizing. When reading a passage that describes how to complete a task, readers should look for clue words such as first, next and finally to clarify the order of steps. They also must understand that steps must be followed in the correct order in order to complete the task. Summarizing involves retelling a story in your own words, and including only the most important events. All students will study these skills using appropriate instructional-level materials.
5th Grade
The students have been assigned a historical fiction novel about the Holocaust. This week we are focusing on the skills of author's viewpoint and cause and effect.
Mark Your Calendars...

Wednesday, April 20th: 5th Grade, Too Good For Drugs Graduation, 8:30AM
Wednesday, April 20th: Family Reading Night
Thursday, April 21st: Early Dismissal @ 11AM
Friday, April 22nd: No School (Happy Easter to those who celebrate it!)

Newsletter 4/11-4/15

2011-04-08T12:38:00.001-05:00

Open House/Book Fair!

Please make plans to join us at Prairieview for our annual spring book fair and open house night on Thursday. It is a great chance to take a peek at what your child has done this year in their classrooms, say hello to their teachers, and check out and purchase some new reading materials! I hope to see many of you, and if you're lucky, you'll get the chance to meet my family as well!

Reading Curriculum News

4th Grade
Our focus in reading this week will be on understanding different genres, specifically pourquoi tales. Pourquoi is a French word meaning "why". Pourquoi tales are stories that tell how, long ago, something in nature came to be. Often times these tales contain animals or natural forces that speak or have personalities.

5th Grade
The students have been assigned a historical fiction novel about the Holocaust. We are focusing on the skills of drawing conclusions, author's viewpoint, and cause and effect as we read these novels.
Mark Your Calendars...

Tuesday, April 12th: 4th Grade OLSAT testing
Thursday, April 14th: Open House/Book Fair Night, 6:30-8:00PM
Friday, April 15th: Progress Reports

Newsletter 4/4-4/8

2011-03-25T12:34:00.000-05:00

Welcome Back!

Well, the weather wasn't the greatest, but I still enjoyed my week away from school. I hope you and your family did as well. Now, it's time to get back to work and close out the year on a high note!

Reading Curriculum News

4th Grade
This week in reading the students will read two more selections with unexpected heroes. We will discuss their character traits, and compare them with people we know that may possess the same traits. We will also review cause/effect and fact/opinion this week.

5th Grade
The students will start a novel study focused on historical fiction. We will be reviewing the skills of drawing conclusions, author's viewpoint, and cause and effect as we read these novels.

Mark Your Calendars...

Monday, April 4th: Welcome back from spring break!
Tuesday, April 5th: No school, teacher's institute
Wednesday-Friday, April 6-8th: 5th Grade Geospace program

Newsletter 3/21-3/25

2011-03-19T21:41:00.000-05:00

One More Week to Go!

We are T-minus one week until Spring Break! It is nice that the weather seems to be taking a turn for the better. Let's hope that it holds out for our spring break week!

Reading Curriculum News

4th Grade
Next week in reading, students wil be focusing on the skills of identifying fact and opinion, and evaluating. A fact is a statement that can be proven to be true. An opinion tells what a person thinks, believes or feels. Good readers should be able to identify when an author is using a fact or an opinion in a story. Evaluating text involves considering how well the author expresses and supports ideas.

5th Grade
We will continue our study of China. The students are using the facts we have researched together, as well as some independent research, to create a travel brochure for China. This will reinforce the use of main idea and supporting details.

Mark Your Calendars...

Wednesday, March 23rd: 5th Grade Naper Settlement field trip
Friday, March 25th: Last Day before Spring Break begins!

Newsletter 3/14-3/18

2011-03-11T12:30:00.001-06:00

Reading Curriculum News

4th Grade
Next week, students will read about Gloria Estefan, a famous singer whose acts of kindness have made her a hero to many people. Our strategy will be making judgments. Making judgments involves deciding whether or not a character's actions are appropriate for a situation. Readers can ask themselves, "Do I agree with this? is this right or fair?"
5th Grade
We will continue our study of China. We are focusing on identifying main idea and supporting details using research materials. The students will be using non-fiction China books from our Prairieview library, the internet, and other sources. Students will continue to use their clarifying and monitoring skills as they dig into the information!
Mark Your Calendars...

Monday, March 14th: Roller Skating Party, 3:45-6:30PM

Newsletter 3/7-3/11

2011-03-07T12:19:00.000-06:00

Welcome Back!

I hope you all enjoyed the extra long weekend we had. We certainly deserved it after a week of ISAT testing and parent teacher conferences! Now we are ready to get back down to work!

Reading Curriculum News

4th Grade
Next week we will be using the predict/infer strategy, as well as cause and effect. Thinking about story events and personal knowledge helps readers predict likely events. With cause and effect, students will focus on why story events happen and what happens as a result. We will be reading a story about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to practice these skills. Students will also write the last two poems for their poetry project.

5th Grade
This week we will begin our study of the fascinating country of China. We will focus on identifying main idea and supporting details while reading various research materials. As we read these non-fiction materials on China, we will be using our monitoring and clarifying skills.

Mark Your Calendars...

Monday, March 7th: No school, Pulaski Day
Thursday, March 10th: PBIS Recognition Assembly

Newsletter 2/28-3/4

2011-02-26T23:10:00.000-06:00

ISAT Testing This Week

This coming week, all students at Prairieview will be taking the ISAT tests. Our class has been working hard all year, and this is their chance to show all that they have learned. Unfortunately, many students become nervous or feel pressured while taking these tests. Please reassure your child that they do not need to worry about these tests. Let them know that some of the material will be easy, but there will be some material that may be more challenging. All we ask is for them to do their best! Here are some helpful hints that students can use:

Get a good night's rest each and every night!
Eat a good breakfast in the morning!
If you come to a question and you don't know the answer right away, skip it and come back.
Eliminate answers that don't make sense!
It is always better to take a good guess than to leave a question blank.
When writing, always take the time to go back and reread what you have written.
Most importantly, RELAX and DO YOUR BEST!

5th Grade ISAT Schedule

All 5th graders will be testing in the morning, between the hours of 8:15 - 11:00, with breaks scheduled in between tests. Here is a list of the tests covered each day:

Tuesday, March 1st: Reading Session 1, Math Session 1

Wednesday, March 2nd: Reading Session 2, Math Session 2

Thursday, March 3rd: Reading Session 3, Math Session 3

4th Grade ISAT Schedule

All 4th graders will be testing in both the morning and afternoon. Morning testing will take place between 9:45-11:15ish, and afternoon testing will be from 12:30-1:45ish. Here is a list of the tests covered each day:

Tuesday, March 1st: Math Session 1 in morning, Reading Session1 in afternoon

Wednesday, March 2nd: Math Session 2 in morning, Reading Session 2 in afternoon

Thursday, March 3rd: Math Session 3 in morning, Reading Session 3 in afternoon

Tuesday, March 8th: Science Session 1 in morning, Science Session 2 in afternoon

Reading Curriculum News

4th Grade

On Monday, we will be finishing up our last ISAT preparations. The rest of the week the students will be taking ISAT tests during reading time.

5th Grade
On Monday we will be learning about the use of personification and how it makes reading and writing more interesting! The rest of the week the students will be taking ISAT tests during reading time.

Mark Your Calendars...

Conference Week this week!
Tuesday, March 1st: Report Cards
Friday, March 4th: No school, Parent Teacher Conferences
Monday, March 7th: No school, Casimir Pulaski Day

Newsletter 2/21-2/25

2011-02-21T09:58:00.000-06:00

As the last full week of February is upon us, so is the end of the second trimester. Next week is parent teacher conferences. If any of your child's teachers requested a conference, I will also be in attendance at those conferences. If not, then there is no need to meet at this time. If you have any concerns to discuss with me, please send me an e-mail or leave a voicemail. I will be more than happy to speak with you about your concerns or questions.

Reading Curriculum News

4th Grade

In reading this week our target genre continues to be poetry. The students will study the elements of peetry, and will work with figurative language such as similes, metaphors, personification and idioms. A poetry project will be assigned, and students will be working on that in class, and at home over the next few weeks. We will continue to work on writing on extended responses which will connect with their reading passages.

5th Grade
This week we will identify and learn how to use figurative language like onomatopoeia and idioms! We will be using a variety of instructional level materials. We will also complete some activities to continue our preparation for the upcoming ISAT tests.

Mark Your Calendars...

Monday, Feb. 21st: No School, President's Day
Monday, Feb. 21st: PTO Dine Out Day: Noodle & Company
Thursday, Feb. 24th: Spring Picture Day - Remember, send no money now! You'll have the option to buy later!
Friday, Feb. 25th: End of 2nd trimester!

Newsletter 2/7-2/11

2011-02-05T14:47:00.000-06:00

I think that we are all dug out from the Blizzard of 2011! What a sight the neighborhood was throughout Tuesday night and Wednesday morning! I remember the blizzard back in 1999, with the large amount of snow that we received, but I don't remember seeing the wind blow as fiercely as it did this past week. My 4 year old daughter, Abby, woke up Wednesday morning and said, "Mommy & Daddy, you have to come look out my window. I've never seen so much snow before!" I think she has some perspective now on what she will call "alot of snow!" We got a chance to go out and enjoy the snow for a while before it turned cold, and I hope that your children were able to do the same. Enjoy a couple of pictures from our time outside down below!

You will also see below that both our 4th and 5th graders will be working on extended responses in Reading. This is a skill that they should be familiar with, as they begin learning how to write these in 3rd grade. Students should be able to use the following to help them compose a good extended response:

I (IDEA)- They should answer the question by using words from the question (We call it turning the question around)
E (EVIDENCE) - They find proof directly from the text to support their answer.
I (INTERPRETATION) - They use their own knowledge and experience to link their evidence back to their answer.
E (EVIDENCE) - Another proof directly from the text.
I (INTERPRETATION) - Another idea of their own to link the evidence to the answer.
E (EXTENSION) - They should restate their answer, and tell something that they learned from the passage.

Although this skill is in preparation for the upcoming ISAT tests, it is also a skill that students can improve upon and use as they move into the upper grade levels. Please encourage your child to do their very best on every response they are given, and to ask for help if they need it!

Reading Curriculum News

4th Grade

This week we will begin our study of poetry. We will focus on some of the elements of poetry including rhyme, sensory words, figurative language and wordplay. The children will also begin a poetry projject. In this project they will be learning about and writing nine different kinds of poems. Time will be given in class, but students will also need to work on this project at home. We will be working on Poetry and Figurative Language for the next few weeks. We will also be working on how to write an extended response, in preparation for the ISAT tests at the end of the month.

5th Grade
We will practice writing an extended response using a nonfiction text. This will help us succeed when taking the ISAT tests! We will also be identifying cause and effect relationships using a variety of instructional materials.

Mark Your Calendars...

Monday, Feb. 14th: Valentine Parties - Remember, no candy is to be brought in to hand out to students. Take a look at Target for Valentine cards that come with pencils or tatoos or some other small token your child can hand out. I was just there the other day and saw them!

Newsletter 1/24-1/28

2011-01-21T23:25:00.000-06:00

Our winter benchmarking period has come to an end. In addition to MAPS testing, students were also assessed in Math and Reading using a program called Aimsweb. You might be wondering, "What's the difference between Aimsweb and MAPS?" Aimsweb is used more as a general measure of student progress, focusing mainly on fluency. For Reading, students are given one minute to read as far as they can in 3 different passages. For Math, students are given eight minutes to complete as many computation problems they can, as well as word problems. With MAPS, students can take as long as they need or want to take to decide upon an answer. In addition, the MAPS test will self-adjust the level of questions given to students based upon their answers. So, when it comes down to it, you're probably wondering what will happen now that your child has just taken all these assessments? Well, each grade level team will be meeting this coming week to look at the testing results. During these meetings, the teams will talk about the results and decide which students would benefit from additional instruction, as well as which students may need to be given some enrichment activities. This meeting will also give the entire team the opportunity to see exactly which areas of instruction are strong in our curriculum, and which areas may need some work. As always, we are constantly striving to provide the best education for our students, and our grade level meetings is just one way we try to achieve that.
Reading Curriculum News

4th Grade

The reading skill that we will work on this week is the identification of character, setting and plot. Students will fill out story structure maps as they read fiction to help them organize their thoughts and identify the main characters, setting & plot.

5th Grade
We will continue to understand the author's viewpoint and to distinguish between fact and opinion using instructional level materials.

Mark Your Calendars...

Tuesday, Jan. 25th: District Spelling Bee, 10AM @ Prairieview
Friday, Jan. 28th: Bingo Night

Don't forget about the Cypress Cove Raffle tickets! Maybe that will help us all forget about the bone-chilling cold temperatures!

Newsletter 1/10-1/14

2011-01-08T10:31:00.000-06:00

Welcome to 2011! I hope that you had an enjoyable vacation full of rest and relaxation. Our family took a trip downtown to the Kristkindl Market at Daley Plaza and a visit to the Macy's windows, enjoyed the Christmas trees from around the world at the Museum of Science and Industry, and spent New Year's Eve at Brookfield Zoo where we celebrated "Zoo Year's Eve" at 8PM! It was great to spend time with family and friends, but now it is back to business at Prairieview!

This coming week will be full of MAPS testing again. Each grade level is taking the Reading and Math MAPS test again. If you remember, students first took these tests in October, which established a baseline measure of their achievement in those subjects. Once this round of MAPS testing is complete, we can use the information to see how well our students are making progress through the year. It will also help us understand what areas each student excels in and what areas they need to work on more. This will assist us in preparing our instruction for the rest of the school year, as well as tailoring instruction to meet the needs of all our students. Remember, students do not need to prepare for these tests in any way, and they do not affect their report card grades either. Just encourage your child to do the very best they can!

Reading Curriculum News

4th Grade
This week the children will work on identifying the problem and solution of a story as they are reading. Most stories involve a problem for the characters to solve. The solution to the problem may come after otheres have been tried.

5th Grade
We will be working on story structure using a story map template while reading various literature selections. Students will need to identify the main characters, the setting (including both where and when the story takes place), the problem and resolution, and summarize the plot (beginning, middle, & end).

Mark Your Calendars...

Monday, Jan. 10th: 4th grade MAPS testing
Tuesday, Jan. 11th: Mrs. Beseth, Mrs. Cavoto, & Mrs. sulima's classes firld trip to Argonne
Wednesday, Jan.12th: Juggler Assembly about Bullying
Wednesday, Jan. 12th: 5th grade MAPS testing
Thursday, Jan. 13th: 4th grade MAPS testing
Friday, Jan. 14th: Progress Reports (Be sure to check your child's progress via ParentConnect)
Monday, Jan. 17th: No School, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Newsletter 12/13-12/17

2010-12-12T22:40:00.000-06:00

As we enter our last week together during 2010, let's be thankful for all that we have accomplished so far this year. I am very thankful to have the opportunity to work with my students each day, as well as collaborate with their parents to create a cooperative learning partnership!

Some Important Reminders...
Don't forget about our Holiday Service Drive. We are looking for donations such as new toys, new games, toiletries, and food for the needy families in the Darien area. All donations are due on Monday, December 13. Thank you for opening up your hearts to help make the holidays a happy one for those who are less fortunate.

Also, don't forget to turn in your permission slip and money for our annual trip to the Tivoli movie theatre. This year we will be seeing Dr. Suess's How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Reading Curriculum News

4th Grade
The first strategy that we focus on this week in reading is making inferences. A writer doesn't always explain every fact or detail about when writing a story. The writer expects that readers will fill in missing information from their own experience. Good readers do this by putting together what they already know and what they have read to make the best guess they can. When readers add information from their own experience to what is stated in a text, they are making an inference. We will also study the reading skill of comparing and contrasting. Students will practice comparing pieces of literature that are similar and different.

5th Grade
This week is a short week in Reading, due to a music concert and the bowling field trip. During our time together, we will practice summarizing and predicting with skill pages and fictional reading material.

Mark Your Calendars...

Monday, Dec.13th: All School Concert, 9:30 AM
Monday, Dec. 13th: Band & Choir Concert, 7:00PM @ Lakeview
Thursday, Dec. 16th: Bowling Field Trip in the morning
Friday, Dec. 17th: Holiday Trip to Tivoli

Newsletter 11/22-12/3

2010-11-21T14:19:00.000-06:00

Paper Recycling Fundraiser Comes to Prairieview!
We are happy to announce we can now raise money for our district by recycling paper! You can help us out, too! Please collect any paper you are going to throw away or recycle (office and school paper, newspaper, magazines and catalogs, and construction paper---no cardboard!) and send it in with your child to school or drop it off at the green and yellow Paper Retriever bin in the Lakeview parking lot (near the fence by the Prairieview playground). The bin is available for drop offs 24/7. The more paper we recycle, the more money we can make! Do something good for our schools AND the environment! Thank you!

Holiday Service Project

The students of Project Challenge grades 3-5 are participating in a Lion's Club Holiday Drive. We are looking for donations such as new toys, new games, toiletries, and food for the needy families in the Darien area. If you wish to participate, you will need to bring the donations in by December 13. Remember that some of these families live right here in Darien. So let's help these families have a happy holiday season!

Reading Curriculum News

4th Grade
Over the next couple of weeks we will be reviewing the skills that we have gone over since the beginning of the year. The students will also work on summarizing and making generalizations. In writing summaries, the students will learn to pick out the main points or events of a story or passage and concisely put them in their own words. In making generalizations, the students will learn that generalizations are broad statements that are true most of the time, based on fact or good reasons, and may include words like always or most.

5th Grade
We will continue to review summarizing, drawing conclusions, inferencing, identifying author generalizations, visualizing, and word work with vocabulary words using our realistic fiction novels until December 2nd. Next week, we will review main ideas and details using our skills workbook. Our work with extended response will continue as well.

Mark Your Calendars...

Tuesday, Nov. 23rd: Picture Retakes
Tuesday, Nov. 23rd: 5th Grade Fullersburg Woods presentation, 9:30-10:15AM
Tuesday, Nov. 23rd: Report Cards go home
Wednesday, Nov. 24th-Sunday, Nov. 28th: Thanksgiving Break, No School
Monday, Nov. 29th - Thursday, Dec. 2nd: Parent/Teacher Conferences
Friday, Dec. 3rd: No School- Parent Teacher Conferences

Newsletter 11/15-11/19

2010-11-13T07:04:00.000-06:00

Second Trimester begins!
It is hard to believe that we are already a third of the way through our school year. As we enter the second trimester, please be aware that the expectations we hold in fifth grade will step up a bit. We do our best to provide a supportive learning environment that helps prepare our students for their transition to junior high next year. This means that we gradually put more responsibility on our students. Please be sure that your child is working towards becoming a more independent worker and learner.
In addition, please remember that here at Prairieview, we suggest that students set personal goals for the grades they would like to earn each trimester, and then work towards those goals the entire trimester. Students are NOT given opportunities for extra credit assignments; however, teachers may provide bonus points on various assignments throughout the year. Also, the late homework procedure for 2nd Trimester is as follows:

1 day late - minus 15%
More than 1 day late until unit test is taken - minus 25%
After unit test is taken - a zero is entered in the grade book

Reading Curriculum News

4th Grade
We will work on making inferences and evaluating during reading this week. Good readers should always think about their reactions to what they are readning and why they are reacting that way. This strategy is called "evaluating". As you are reading the story, think about these things: How does the author make the story come alive and make you want to keep reading? What was entertaining, informative, or useful about what you read? How well did you understand what you were reading? Did you enjoy reading it?

5th Grade
We will continue our work with extended responses using questions from our realistic fiction novel, The Kid in the Red Jacket. Furthermore, we will continue to review summarizing, drawing conclusions, inferencing, identifying author generalizations, and visualizing. We will continue our word work with vocabulary words as well.

Mark Your Calendars...

Monday, Nov. 15th: Last Day to bring in socks, gloves, hats, & scarve for needy (Girl Scout project)
Monday, Nov. 15th: PBIS Recognition Assembly, 1:45-2:15PM (Hope you can join us!)

Newsletter 11/8-11/12

2010-11-06T09:03:00.000-05:00

Lots of Reminders...

Roller Skating Party:
Students attending the roller skating party on Monday, November 8th will need to report to school at 3:45 p.m. to check in and have their hands stamped before boarding the buses. Students will receive a fast pass at school on Monday. They should bring their fast pass with them to check in. Please remember not to park in the bus lanes when dropping your student off and for pick up. Thank you!

Picture Retakes:
Tuesday, November 23, 2010 will be picture retake day. Any student that did not have their picture taken prior to this date may do so. They will be required to have a picture envelope with money to have a picture taken. Any student wishing to have a picture retaken will have to return the original picture packet for a retake.

Parent Teacher Conferences
First Trimester is quickly coming to a close! Be looking for parent-teacher conference forms to be coming home soon. I do my best to attend the conference you have scheduled with your child's homeroom teacher. However, if I am unable to do so, I will contact you to set up a separate conference time, if you would like.

Reading Curriculum News

4th Grade
This week we will focus on two important reading strategies. The first reading strategy that we will discuss is to make predictions, or educated guesses, about what will happen next in the story. The second reading strategy that we will apply is the use of inferences, or the ability to figure something out, even though it isn't exactly stated in the story. Additionally, we will focus on sequencing events in literature.

5th Grade
We will begin writing extended responses this week. This skill is taught using a technique with the acronym IEIEIE which stands for Idea, Evidence, Interpretation, Evidence, Interpretation, Extension. Fifth graders should be familiar with this technique. Furthermore, we will continue to review all the skills we have studied so far this school year, specifically, summarizing, drawing conclusions, inferencing, identifying author generalizations, and visualizing while reading a realistic fiction novel. Please ask your child to summarize what we've read so far of The Kid in the Red Jacket!

Mark Your Calendars...

Monday, Nov. 8th: Roller Skating Party
Thursday, Nov. 11th: No School, Veteran's Day
Friday, Nov. 12th: End of 1st Trimester

Newsletter 11/1-11/5

2010-10-30T08:11:00.000-05:00

Pros & Cons of The
Co-Teaching Model

Let's continue our discussion of co-teaching with identifying the pros and cons of the model:

Some of the pros of co-teaching include:

Two highly qualified teachers in one room
The ability to teach in smaller size groups when necessary
Students with more developed skills sets serve as great models for those who need extra support
Managing classroom behavior is easier, and therefore less disruptive
The ability to differentiate material and learning techniques, based upon students strengths & weaknesses
Making all students feel included and part of a classroom

Some of the cons of co-teaching include:

Sometimes co-teachers have different views of delivering instruction
Not all students benefit from the co-teaching model, and would be better served in a smaller direct insruction classroom
It requires a larger amount of planning by the teachers
It can be easy to fall into the "rut" of having students grouped in the same manner for all lessons

I feel very fortunate to work with fabulous co-teachers that allow me to be an integral part of instruction to the classroom. Luckily, we are all very aware of the downfall co-teaching may bring, and consistently do our best to avoid such pitfalls. I hope you see the many benefits that my co-teachers and myself see for our students' education.

Reading Curriculum News

4th Grade
Mysteries will continue to be the focus in reading for all fourth grade students next week. We will review bocabulary words that are typically associated with mysteries. While reading other mystery stories, students will review the format of a mystery and continue using the reading strategies of monotoring and clarifying to understand story maps. A story map is a strategy that uses a graphic organizer to help students learn the elements of a book or story. By identifying story characters, plot, setting, problem and solution, students read carefully to learn the details.

5th Grade
This week, we will review all the skills we have studied so far this school year, specifically, summarizing, drawing conclusions, inferencing, identifying author generalizations, and visualizing while reading a realistic fiction novel. The novel we will be reading will be The Kid in the Red Jacket. The students will love reading about Howard's problems as he moves to a new house in a new state. He is the “new kid” and his only friend seems to be Molly, a little girl who lives next door and is a royal pain!!

Mark Your Calendars...

Tuesday, Nov. 2nd: No school, Teacher's Institute

Newsletter 10/18-10/22

2010-10-16T07:24:00.000-05:00

The Co-Teaching Model

Many of my students are receiving instruction for some subjects in a co-taught classroom. Many people do not fully understand what this means, so I thought it would be great to share some information to help understand what a true co-taught classroom looks like.

What co-teaching is:

It is a classroom with two highly-qualified teachers, one usually being a specialist of some kind.
Both teachers are involved with the planning of instruction. Usually the general educator is in charge of the content of the lesson and the specialist assists with determining how the instruction will be delivered.
Both teachers are involved in the delivery of the instruction. The specialist takes an active role in the classroom, and is not just an "extra set of eyes" to maintain control of the classroom. If you were to walk into a co-taught classroom, you would not be able to tell the difference between the general educator and the specialist. Both teachers are committed to "our" students, not "yours" and "mine."
A classroom that easily allows for differentiation and providing instruction at a level that is appropriate to each student.

Check back next week when I will discuss some of the pros and cons of the co-taught model!

Reading Curriculum News

4th Grade
This week, all fourth grade students will read the story of The Parcel Post Kid, by Michael O. Tunnel. This piece is a nonfiction story set in 1914, which tells the take of a young girl whose parents mail her to her grandmother because it is cheaper than paying her train fare. While reading the story, students will be reviewing the strategies and skills that we have studied so far this year, with particular emphasis on predicting and making inferences.

5th Grade
Our CORE reading skill this week is analogies. All fifth grade students will learn how to analyze and complete various types of analogies. In addition, all students will begin focusing on the important skills of drawing conclusions and making inferences while reading a fictional text.

Mark Your Calendars...

Wednesday, Oct. 20th: Early Dismissal, students dismissed at 11 AM
Thursday, Oct. 21st: Book Fair, 6:30-8PM
Friday, Oct. 22nd: Failure Notices issued (If your child is earning a D or F in a subject, you will receive indication of this as the trimester will be ending in a few weeks.)

Newsletter 10/11-10/15

2010-10-09T07:17:00.003-05:00

MAPs testing begins this week!

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the new testing system, called MAPs, that our district was beginning this year. In case you missed it, here is a brief summary of what it's all about:

MAP testing stands for Measures of Academic Progress. These tests will be taken beginning next week, in the areas of Reading, Language, and Math. Students will take a series of multiple choice tests in each area on the computer. The program computes a score, which is then placed along a continuum to show each student's individual progress. It will even be able to show what particular areas each student excels at, and what areas they may need some additional support with. We are hopeful that this new system will help make our instruction for our students even better!

5th grade students will be tested on Tuesday and Friday of this week, as well as Thursday, Oct. 21st. 4th grade students will be tested on Wednesday of this week, as well as Monday, Oct. 18th & Friday, Oct.22nd. Please be sure your child is well rested and has a good breakfast!

Reading Curriculum News

4th Grade
In reading this week, the students will focus on noting details in a story. They will learn that details may give information, explain ideas, and reveal characters' feelings. They will also work on the Question comprehension strategy.Good readers ask themselves questions about important ideas as they read. The students will practice asking questions about the text that can be answered as they read the text and finish the story. We willbe using short text passages to practice this skill.

5th Grade
We will continue to work on finding the main idea and supporting details in various types of text. Homonyms/Homographs and multiple meaning words will also be our focus.

Mark Your Calendars...

Monday, Oct. 11th: No School, Columbus Day
Friday, Oct. 15th: Movie Night, 6:30-8:45 PM

Newsletter 10/4-10/8

2010-10-03T23:18:00.000-05:00

Progress Report Time!

It's hard to believe the month of October is here already. This means that we have reached the half-way point of the first trimester. Doesn't it seem like only yesterday we were meeting each other at District Open House? Since the trimester is halfway over, progress reports have been sent to students who are currently performing at a D or F average in a class. It is my hope that you are consistently checking your student's progress on ParentConnect. If you haven't, I encourage you to do so. This will give you a picture of how your child is currently performing in his or her classes. Remember, this is still just a snapshot of your child's achievement; much can change in the coming weeks. If you have any questions or concerns, please be sure to contact me. This also might be a nice time to sit down with your child and set a goal for the end of the trimester. Perhaps it is a goal to improve in a particular class, or a goal to maintain a current standing. Sometimes goal setting is a great way to motivate us, as well as a way to continually be vigilant of our own progress. Regardless of what goal you set, it always gives you something to strive for!

Reading Curriculum News

4th Grade
Next week our story is "Finding the Titanic" by Robert D. Ballard. The reading skill that we'll focus on is text organization. Many non-fiction authors organize their selections in time order, as is done in this story. They also use features such as headings, pictures, captions and charts to help the reader better understand the information.

5th Grade
This week our core reading group (homeroom) will be learning about homonyms/homographs and multiple meaning words. Mrs. Strong's skill-based reading group will focus on identifying main idea and supporting details within nonfiction text.

Mark Your Calendars...

Monday, Oct. 11th: No School, Columbus Day

Newsletter 9/27-10/1

2010-09-25T08:05:00.000-05:00

MAP testing

While students enjoyed a day off on Friday, the teachers were hard at work learning about a new testing system the district will be implementing this year. MAP testing stands for Measures of Academic Progress. These tests will be taken sometime during the month of October, in the areas of Reading, Language, and Math. Students will take a series of multiple choice tests in each area on the computer. The program computes a score, which is then placed along a continuum to show each student's individual progress. Please know that this is not a web-based program, but rather a program that has been loaded onto the computers in our school. The wonderful thing about the MAP test is that it will allow us as teachers to see how the skills of our students break down. It will even be able to show us what particular areas each student excels at, and what areas they may need some additional support with. In addition, since students will be taking these tests a few times a year, we will be able to show their yearly growth too. We are hopeful that this new system will help make our instruction for our students even better!

Reading Curriculum News

4th Grade
The fourth graders will be reading Grandfather’s Journey by Allen Say and Elena in America by Robin Bloksberg. They will focus on the reading strategy to determine author's viewpoint. Author's viewpoint refers to the author's opinion, ideas of what is important or attitude. The author might give their opinion directly or you might have to infer the information by reading clues or other information that the author provides. Here is a great link to practice author’s viewpoint: http://www.studyzone.org/testprep/ela4/o/authorsviewpointp.cfm. The vocabulary for the week is: bewildered, surrounded, reminded, longed, homeland, marveled. Your child can practice these words at: http://www.eduplace.com/kids/tnc/ewordgame/index.html?grade=4&theme=1&selection=2. We will also work on the skill of putting words in alphabetical order.

5th Grade
This week our core reading group will be learning about generalizations in texts and recognizing the difference between fact and opinion. Our skill-based reading groups will also focus on the skills of generalizing and fact vs. opinion. We will read aloud "Intown Animals" to begin identifying generalizations together, and then enjoy another story entitled "Grizzly Bear Family Book" to continue working on the skill.

Mark Your Calendars...

Tuesday, Sept. 28: Magazine Turn-in day
Friday, Oct. 1: Mario Kart Assembly (Teachers with highest magazine sales compete against a student in Mario Kart on the Wii!)

Newsletter 9/20-9/24

2010-09-18T07:43:00.000-05:00

Have You Heard About PBIS?

This year at Prairieview, we are in the process of implementing a new behavior system called PBIS. PBIS stands for Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports. The premise behind PBIS is that by rewarding the good behavior we see at Prairieview, the less desired behaviors that may occur will decrease. The first step of PBIS this year occurred on the first day of school, when all the students "toured" the school, visiting various locations where they listened to a short presentation of the school-wide expectations for that area. They also learned about our new Prairieview Pact, which is "Be Respectful, Be Responsible, and Be Safe." All of our school-wide expectations fall under one of these three headings. Students also learned about our rewards system, which is very similar to the Paws program we have had the past few years. Instead of staff members having to react to students who are not following the expectations, we are looking for those students who ARE following the expectations and rewarding them with a paw. The hope is that those students who may not be following expectations will adjust their behavior when they see another student being rewarded for the correct behavior. When a student receives a paw, they fill it out with their name, and it goes into a drawing bin for that week. Each week 3-6 students are randomly selected for a small prize from Mrs. Schultz. At the end of each month, one student will be selected for a larger prize from Mrs. Schultz. So far, things have been going well, and we look forward to continuing this excellent program!

Reading Curriculum News

4th Grade
Next week, we will finish reading Akiak by Robert Blake. We will continue to focus on story structure. The children will also explore character and setting in depth. When your child is reading at home, you can
practice and review story structure by asking them to identify characters, setting, and plot (which includes the problem, sequenced events, and the solution).

5th Grade
This week our core reading group will continue word work with prefixes, suffixes, and roots. When students switch to their Reading class, they will continue to work on Tall Tales, focusing on story structure and identifying exaggerated and realistic story elements. Students will be assessed on their knowledge of these topics by the end of this week.

Mark Your Calendars...

Tuesday, Sept. 21: Magazine Turn-in day
Friday, Sept. 24: No school, Teacher's Institute Day

Newsletter 9/13-9/17

2010-09-10T22:40:00.000-05:00

We are definitely getting into the swing of things at Prairieview. We have moved on from the introductory activities that occur at the beginning of every school year. Now, our classroooms have begun the yearly curriculum in each subject matter. By the end of this week, most students will have taken their first quiz or test. These first quizzes and tests can often be difficult for students, since they are still learning what is expected of them at each grade level, as well as learning the style of tests given in each subject. Please encourage your child to learn from these first few assessments in each subject.
We are also implementing many new programs at PV this year. Be sure to check my blog the next few weeks for a detailed description of these programs.

Reading Curriculum News

4th Grade
This week, we will read a story called Akiak that is written by Robert Blake. Akiak is about a world-famous Iditarod Race that takes place in the Alaskan wilderness. While we are reading, we will focus on story structure. We will use a story map to look at how a problem and its solution affect the story’s plot and characters. The children will also be working with the following vocabulary: blizzard, checkpoint, courageous, experienced, musher, and rugged. You may want to have your child review these key words with the e-game at http://www.eduplace.com/kids/hmr06/gr4/gr4_th1_sel1.html.

5th Grade
This week, our core reading group will focus on the skill of affixes and roots. An affix is a small word part that can be added to the beginning, middle, or end of a root word. Students will learn the meaning of various affixes and how to put them together with a root word. They will then apply this skill to find the definition of both familiar and unfamiliar words in context.

Our skill - based reading groups will begin on Monday. Students will find out Monday morning who their skill - based reading teacher is.

During skill based reading, we will be using Tall Tales to practice visualization and to look at story structure.

Mark Your Calendars...

Monday, Sept. 13th: Magazine Drive Kick-off, 1:15 PM
Monday, Sept. 13th: Beginning Band Parent Meeting, 7PM
Thursday, Sept. 16th: Recruitment Concert, 12:45 PM

Newsletter 9/6-9/10

2010-09-04T08:23:00.000-05:00

Curriculum Night
The 4th and 5th Grade Curriculum Night is coming this week! Please join us on Tuesday, September 7th, from 6:30-7:30 PM at Prairieview. The night will include a general overview of the curriculum for the year, information about some of the new programs in the school, and highlights of some of the most important school policies. It's also a night to stop by your child's room and say hello to the teacher, receive information about classroom expectations, sign up for conferences, and see what your child has been busy woking on these first few weeks of school. I hope to see you there!

Reading Curriculum News

4th Grade
This week in reading the students will learn to use skimming and scanning skills to locate answers. During science, social studies, and reading the students will be given tasks where they have to locate answers in the text. They will practice highlighting key words in questions or clues and then skim the headlines, subtitles, captions, and passages to help them find the answers to those questions.

5th Grade Reading News
This week in reading we will be focusing on context clues. The students will learn how to identify words within the context of a story.

Mark Your Calendar...

Monday, Sept. 6: No School, Labor Day
Tuesday, Sept. 7: 4th & 5th Grade Curriculum Night, 6:30-7:30PM
Monday, Sept. 13th: Beginning Band Parent Meeting, 7PM

Newsletter 8/30-9/3

2010-08-27T22:55:00.000-05:00

Welcome Back!

As usual, the summer has flown by. This year seemed to be exceptionally quick. Perhaps the weather had something to do with it? I hope that everyone had a fabulous summer vacation, filled with lots of fun and relaxation. But, as they say, it's time to get back to the grind!

I am very excited to be working with both 4th and 5th grade students again this year. In 4th grade, we will be assisted by Mrs. Grischow, and in 5th grade by Mrs. Schramm and Mrs. Linde. Throughout the year, they will be helping out the fourth and fifth grade classrooms in various capacities. I too, will be found in several classrooms this year, assisting a variety of students in different ways.

As always, I look forward to our partnership together, as we collaborate to make this year a successful one for your child. Please do not hestitate to contact me at any time: There is no matter too big or small! You can either leave a voicemail at (630) 783-5060, or send an e-mail to: kswaekauski@ccsd66.org.

Let the educational journey of this year begin!

Reading Curriculum Notes

4th Grade
Students will begin working on curriculum in all subjects. This week in reading the students will review and practice their reading strategies as they read the story The Pumpkin Runner by Marsha Diane Arnold. The reading strategies that we will focus on are: preview/infer, phonics/decoding, question, monitor/clarify, summarize, and evaluate.

5th Grade
This week we will review and discuss the following reading strategies: predicting, inferring, decoding, clarifying, questioning, evaluating, and summarizing. The students will listen to a read-aloud story entitled The Pumpkin Box to apply these strategies.

Mark Your Calendar:

Monday, Sept. 6th: No School, Labor Day
Tuesday, Sept. 7th: 4th/5th Grade Curriculum Night, 6:30-7:30PM

Newsletter 5/31-6/2

2010-05-30T08:16:00.000-05:00

Another Successful Year!

Another school year has passed by, and summer vacation is upon us. This will be the last Swaekauski Street Journal of the year, and I wanted to take the opportunity to say just how proud I am of all of my students. Each and every one of them has worked exceptionally hard this year, and I believe that their growth and maturity show it. I also want to thank all of my students’ parents for their cooperation throughout this year. With all of your support, you have helped make this school year a fruitful one! Now it is time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the lazy, hazy, days of summer. Don’t forget to keep those kids reading, writing, and practicing those math facts though! To all my students and their families: Have a very wonderful and safe summer vacation!

Yearbook News

Yearbooks will be handed out to students on June 2nd. Any students who did not purchase a yearbook may do so on a first-come-first-serve basis on June 2nd; they will go on sale after morning announcements. The cost will be $10.00 and children wishing to purchase should have exact amount. Checks can be made out to Prairieview. There is a limited supply. Prairieview yearbook orders were not paid for at registration. A flyer was sent out on November 12, 2009 and orders were due by Tuesday, December 9, 2009.

Important Notes

Monday, May 31st: No School, Memorial Day
Tuesday, June 1st: Picnic Day
Wednesday, June 2nd: LAST DAY OF SCHOOL, 9:30 dismissal

Aurora says, "Keep on smiling!"

Abby says, "Be sure to visit the zoo, like me!"

Newsletter 5/17-5/21

2010-05-16T10:13:00.000-05:00

I am pleased to be back at Prairieview for the last few weeks of school! Read below for an update on our new baby!

The End is Coming!

With the end of the school year quickly approaching, all of our classrooms are working with all of the Reading skills and strategies covered this year. Each homeroom teacher is doing this in their own unique way. However, the ultimate goal is that our students see just how important using these skills and strategies are whenever they read. It is our hope that you have found your child has become a better reader through the use of these strategies!

Baby Swaekauski Update

Our little angel, Aurora Rose, is already 2 months old! I am so thrilled to say that although she certainly had a rough start at life, she is doing fabulous now. She was in the hospital for a grand total of 12 days, but the doctors and nurses were absolutely amazed with the progress she made in that time. We are still monitoring her development, and will need to do so over the next few years. But, so far she has been progressing at a normal rate. She is now gracing us with many smiles, and goos and gahs! Big sister Abby is adjusting well. She loves helping mom and dad take care of her, and especially loves singing songs to her. Please enjoy the picture at the end of the blog!

Important Notes

Monday, May 17th: Library Presentation about Summer Reading Program
Monday, May 17th: 5th Grade Parent Night at Lakeview, 6:30 PM
Tuesday, May 18th: 5th Grade students visit/tour Lakeview, 1:15 PM
Tuesday, May 18th: Beginning Band Concert, 7:00PM @ Lakeview
Thursday, May 20th: In school concert, 1:00 PM
Friday, May 21st: Deadline for turning in IMC materials

Baby Swaekauski News!

2010-03-12T11:36:00.000-06:00

Our Bundle of Joy has Arrived!

We are pleased to announce that Aurora Rose Swaekauski was born on Friday, March 5th, at 8:44 PM. She weighed 7lbs. 7oz., and was 21 inches long.

You may be thinking that it is quite surprising that she was born on Friday night, just about 5 hours after I left Prairieview. We have quite a tale to tell with this delivery! With the notion of trying to get things moving, my family and I went to IKEA Friday night, just to walk around and browse. While there, my water began to leak. We left IKEA, headed home, handed Abby off to an aunt and uncle, and headed to the hospital. When we got to the hospital, I discovered that I had started bleeding. In a whirlwind of activity, I was in the hospital, and then quickly whisked away for an emergency c-section. It turns out that both the baby and I were losing blood. Luckily, we had a fabulous team of doctors at the hospital that night, and they were able to save both of our lives.

Aurora has been recovering in the NIC-U since last Friday night. I am so thrilled to report that at this time, she has recovered extremely well. We are hoping that she continues to do well, and that she will be able to join her big sister Abigail at home soon! We will continue to keep you updated on her progress, but for now, please enjoy the picture of our little angel, Aurora Rose!

Newsletter 3/8-3/12

2010-03-05T12:46:00.000-06:00

5th Grade Reading

Now that ISATs are over, the fifth grade students will be moving on to our next unit, which is on China. This unit will focus on the strategy of clarifying by identifying the main idea and details of non-fiction text. Throughout the unit, students will be learning many interesting facts about the culture of China, which will culminate in some final projects in a few weeks. You'll be able to view some of these projects on our Open House night in April.

Raise a Reader

Prairieview School is participating in a new reading program called "Raise a Reader", sponsored by parents.com and the International Reading Association. Through this program, you can log reading minutes on-line, and be entered into raffles for individual prizes. The school that logs the most minutes per student will receive a $5,000 grant. Students will be bringing home a flyer describing this program. You can sign your child up beginning March 8th by logging on to: http://www.parents.com/reading/prairieviewschooldowil
All students who sign up will have their first name and teacher's name up on the bulletin board in the front hallway. So join the fun and keep reading!

Important Notes

Monday, March 8-Thursday, March 11th: Parent Teacher Conference Week
Tuesday, March 9th: Report Cards sent home
Thursday, March 11th: Wheel of Wisdom Assembly, 12:30PM
Friday, March 12th: No School

Newsletter 3/1-3/5

2010-02-27T08:48:00.000-06:00

Get a good night's rest each and every night!
Eat a good breakfast in the morning!
If you come to a question and you don't know the answer right away, skip it and come back.
Eliminate answers that don't make sense!
It is always better to take a good guess than to leave a question blank.
When writing, always take the time to go back and reread what you have written.
Most importantly, RELAX and DO YOUR BEST!

5th Grade ISAT Schedule

All 5th graders will be testing in the morning, between the hours of 8:30ish - 11:30, with breaks scheduled in between tests. Here is a list of the tests covered each day:

Tuesday, March 2nd: Reading Session 1, Math Session 1
Wednesday, March 3rd: Reading Session 2, Math Session 2
Thursday, March 4th: Reading Session 3, Math Session 3
Friday, March 5th: Writing Session (9:45-10:45ish)

4th Grade ISAT Schedule

All 4th graders will be testing in both the morning and afternoon. Morning testing will take place between 9:40-11:00, and afternoon testing will be from 12:00-1:15ish. Here is a list of the tests covered each day:

Tuesday, March 2nd: Math Session 1 in morning, Reading Session1 in afternoon
Wednesday, March 3rd: Math Session 2 in morning, Reading Session 2 in afternoon
Thursday, March 4th: Math Session 3 in morning, Reading Session 3 in afternoon
Friday, March 5th: Science Session 1 in morning, Science Session 2 in afternoon

Baby Swaekauski Update!

Although much earlier this month it appeared that Baby Swaekauski would make an early appearance, we are still waiting for the arrival! Unless the little one decides to enter into this world within the next few days, I am going to be scheduled for an induction of labor sometime within the next week. I have already met with Mrs. Cuzzone and she is ready to step in to take my maternity leave at any moment. We are very excited to meet our new little one, and will be sure to share our good news with you!

Important Information

Monday, March 1st: No School, Pulaski Day
Friday, March 5th: End of 2nd Trimester

Newsletter 2/22-2/26

2010-02-20T08:58:00.000-06:00

Parent Teacher Conferences

Our second set of parent teacher conferences will take place during the week of March 8th-12th. These conferences are by request, and also include the opportunity to talk with your child's Math teacher. Students should have brought home a form to fill out, indicating whether you feel a conference is necessary with the homeroom teacher, math teacher, both, or neither. Please be sure to fill out and return that form as soon as possible.

I will not be in attendance during the conference week, as my maternity leave begins that week. If you would like a conference with me, I will be available the next two weeks after school, as long as the baby doesn't arrive before then! We can also set up a phone conference if that is more convenient. If you are interested in speaking with me, please send me an e-mail at kswaekauski@ccsd66.org, or leave a voice mail message for me at (630) 783-5060. Please know that even while I am on maternity leave, I will be periodically checking my e-mail and voice mail. If any concerns arise that you would like to speak with me about, I will be more than happy to return an e-mail or phone call.

Spring Pictures

Thursday, February 25, 2010 is Spring Picture Day. This is an opportunity to look at your pictures before you buy. You do not need to send money now. Your finished portrait package will be sent home for your review, then simply return any un-used portrait sheets with your payment. All students will be photographed. Please notify your student's teacher if you do not want an individual portrait taken of your child. Please look for an additional flyer being sent home with your child on Tuesday, February 23, 2010.

Important Information

Wednesday, February 24th: PTO Eat-out Fundraiser at Papa Passero's
Thursday, February 25th: Spring Picture Day...don't forget your smile!
Friday, February 26th: Movie Night, 6:30-8:45
Monday, March 1st: No School, Casimir Pulaski Day
ISAT testing begins the week of March 2nd!

Newsletter 2/15-2/19

2010-02-15T11:00:00.000-06:00

Math Extended Response

Another skill our students have been diligently working on are math extended response problems. In these problems, students must solve a word problem, being sure to show ALL of their work, and then must write an explanation of what they did and why they did it. We use a T-chart format to help them remember to write both parts of the explanation. The most important thing to remember is that the WHY section cannot say things like: To get my answer or To solve the problem. They must use a mathematical explanation of why they did what they did, which can be a tough skill to conquer. Luckily, students are graded in three areas for these types of problems:

Mathematical Knowledge - This area looks at whether or not the student has correctly solved the problem, and labeled the answer correctly.

Strategic Knowledge - This area looks at the strategy the student used to solve the problem. Even if they didn't get the correct answer, they can score high on this section if they use a logical strategy to solve the problem.

Explanation - This is the written portion where they must tell every step of what they did, and why they did that step.

Each area is graded out of 4 points, and the state considers a score of 8 or better as meeting expectations. This is why we try to encourage our students to write an excellent explanation, because even if they don't solve the problem correctly or use a logical strategy, they can still earn a full 4 points on their explanation!

Important Notes

Monday, February 15th: No School, President's Day
Wednesday, February 17th: Kids on the Block presentations in each grade level
Friday, February 19th: Six Flags Reading Club Deadline

Newsletter 2/8-2/12

2010-02-06T10:00:00.000-06:00

Important Literary Techniques to Know!

According to the Illinois state standards, our students are expected to know a variety of literary techniques that writers use. Students should be able to identify these techniques within a text, as well as be able to write examples of each by themselves. These techniques are important for a couple of reasons. First of all, they provide a great way to spice up our writing and make it more interesting. Secondly, they can be a key to helping us understand the feelings or mood that an author is trying to express in a text. This leads to a deeper understanding of the characters and plot of stories we read. Below, you will find a list of some of the literary techniques students should know. At home, you can have your child practice writing examples of these, or when you read together, look for examples of these and talk about them when you come across them! Happy Reading and Writing!

Alliteration- The repetition of a certain sound at the beginning of every word (Think tongue twisters!)
Onomatopoeia - This is the use of words to represent sounds (Think VROOM! VROOM!)
Simile- This is when you compare two things using the words like or as. (Example: The sea sparkled like a diamond.)
Metaphor - This is when you compare two things, without the use of like or as. (Example: The sea is a sparkling diamond.)
Personification - This is when you describe an object using the qualities of a person. (Example: The tree danced in the wind as its hands clapped to the gentle rhythm.)

Important Information

Tuesday, February 9th: Failure Notices Issued (Students who are currently earning a D or F at this point in the trimester will receive a failure notice)
Thursday, February 11th: Family Book Night, 6:30-8:00PM
Friday, February 12th: Classroom Valentine Parties, 1:30PM
Monday, February 15th: No School, President's Day

Newsletter 2/1-2/5

2010-01-31T14:36:00.000-06:00

Extended Reading Responses

As we head into the month of February, our classrooms will be working a bit more on certain skills students will need to know to be prepared for ISAT testing, which arrives in March. One of these skills is writing an extended reading response. With this skill, students are expected to read a given passage, and to answer a higher level thinking question about that passage. The format for answering these questions is as follows:

Answer the question: The first sentence should provide an answer to whatever the question is asking.
Evidence #1: Students need to select one piece of evidence from the text they read that supports their answer.
Interpretation #1: Students need to explain how this evidence supports their answer.
Evidence #2: Students need to select another piece of evidence from the text to support their answer.
Interpretation #2: Again, students need to explain how the evidence supports their answer.
Ending: Students should summarize their answer, and end with a final thought about what they have learned from reading the passage and answering the question.

Important Notes

Tuesday, February 2nd: No School, Teacher Institute Day
Thursday, February 4th: District Spelling Bee, 1:00 PM @ Prairieview

Newsletter 1/24-1/29

2010-01-24T13:43:00.000-06:00

Maternity Leave Information

As the month of January comes to a close, my family and I are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the newest member of our family, due on March 8th. Knowing that babies can make early appearances, I wanted to inform you of the plans currently set for my maternity leave.

I am currently scheduled to work as close to my due date as possible, making Friday, March 5th my last day. Beginning Monday, March 8th, Mrs. Gail Cuzzone will be taking over my position throughout my maternity leave. Mrs. Cuzzone began the year at Prairieview in the 3rd/4th grade special educator position while Mrs. Forsman was on maternity leave. We are very happy that she has decided to return for my position as well. Mrs. Cuzzone is a great choice, as she is already familiar with our school, as well as the very important role that she fills as a special education teacher. I will be working closely with her to ensure that she is familiar with my role in the classroom, with the other staff members, and most importantly, with the students. I am confident that she will do all she can to be sure this is a smooth transition for all students.

I am currently scheduled to return to Prairieview on Monday, May 3rd. I wanted the opportunity to end the school year with my students, as they truly have been a wonderful group to work with. Plus, this gives my family the opportunity to work out the kinks of having two children to get ready to go in the morning!

Obviously, these dates are all tentative, depending on when the newest Swaekauski decides to arrive. No matter what, I will be sure to keep you posted on the developments!

Important Information

Don't forget we are collecting monetary donations to help the Haiti earthquake relief efforts!
Friday, January 29th: Bingo Night at Prairieview
Tuesday, February 2nd: No School, Teacher's Institute

Newsletter 1/18-1/22

2010-01-16T17:25:00.000-06:00

Reading Skills

The fifth grade students have been diligently working on the skill of clarifying. This strategy is key to comprehending any material you read, but is used most often when reading expository text such as a Science or Social Studies book. In this strategy, we teach students to monitor their level of understanding as they read. They are asked to identify specific information from their reading. We teach them that good readers stop and think about what they have read, and if they are locating and learning the information being asked of them. If not, then they need to re-read to see if they missed the important information. If not, then they should either read ahead or look at any illustrations or diagrams that may contain the information being sought. This skill also works on putting the important information from the text into a graphic organizer. This challenges students to pick out the key parts of the text and to attempt to put it into their own words. This should help students remember the important information that they have read.

The fourth grade students have been working on the skill of summarizing. This is a tough skill, because most of the time, students tend to retell stories and not summarize them. When you retell a story, you include all of the major events of the story. When you summarize, you only give a short description of the beginning, middle, and end of the story. Retelling a story does not cut down on the length by much. In summarizing, the length of the story is drastically reduced. A summary is somewhat like a teaser, or a trailer to a movie. It gives you the idea of what the story is about without giving everything away! A good way to practice this skill at home is to have your child summarize a movie or TV program that they watch.

Important Notes

Monday, Jan. 18th: No School, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Monday, Jan. 18th: PTO Dine Out Fundraiser at Home Run Inn
Tuesday, Jan. 19th: Progress Reports go out (See note below)

Progress Reports: Written progress reports only go out to students who are currently earning a D or F in a class. To know how your child is performing in their classes, please log on to Parent Connect to view their current grades. Please remember these are just midterm grades, and much can change over the course of the next several weeks.

Newsletter 1/11-1/15

2010-01-09T09:04:00.000-06:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Welcome to 2010! I hope that your family had a wonderful holiday season and enjoyable winter break. Now, it is back to the old grind!

Next week is IOWA testing. These tests are taken annually to monitor how our students are making progress through the past year. IOWA tests do not impact the students' grades in any way. They simply provide information for our school and for the parents. Even so, we always encourage our students to do the very best they can do. At home, parents can help out by making sure their children eat well, get enough sleep, and have a good breakfast. It is also important that the students are comfortable, so if they show any anxiety at all about taking these tests, please reassure them there is no reason to be worried about the tests. For your information, you will find our IOWA schedule listed below. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

5th Grade IOWA Schedule

Monday, Jan. 11: Vocabulary and Reading Part 1 in homeroom
Tuesday, Jan. 12: Reading Part 2 and Spelling in homeroom
Wednesday, Jan. 13: Math Concepts and Estimation in Math class, Capitalization and Punctuation in homeroom
Thursday, Jan. 14: Math Problem Solving and Math Computation in Math class, Usage and Expression in homeroom

4th Grade IOWA Schedule

Monday, Jan. 11: Math Concepts and Estimation, Vocabulary and Reading Part 1
Tuesday, Jan. 12: Math Problem Solving, Reading Part 2
Wednesday, Jan. 13: Math Computation, Spelling, Capitalization, and Punctuation
Thursday, Jan. 14: Usage and Expression

Important Notes

5th Grade Too Good For Drugs Program begins this week!
Monday, January 18th: No School, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Monday, January 18th: PTO Dine Out at Home Run Inn Pizza

Newsletter 12/14-12/18

2009-12-12T21:23:00.000-06:00

Expository Writing

One of the areas all of our classrooms are focusing on this year is Expository writing. The teachers at Prairieview have been working hard to develop a plan and system to support our students in their development of writing from 3rd grade up to 5th grade. Expository writing is writing that is used to explain something. It is not a story, and does not have characters. Below, please find the general structure we have developed for writing an expository essay:

Introduction

Hook (Grab the reader's attention)
Opinion (Tell more to gain more interest)
Turn the question around (Write a main idea sentence)

Body Paragraphs #1 & #2

Key Idea (The first reason to support your main idea)
Support #1 (Give support for your reason)
Elaborate (Tell more about your support)
Support #2 (Give a second support for your reason)
Elaborate (Tell more about your support #2)

Conclusion

Restate the main idea (Use different words)
Summarize your reasons (Again using different words)
Zinger (Wrap it up, and end on a high note)

Important Notes

Monday, Dec. 14th: Holiday Concert, 7PM @ Lakeview
Thursday, Dec. 17th: 5th grade bowling, 9-11AM
Friday, Dec. 18th: In-school Holiday Concert, 8:15 AM
Friday, Dec. 18th: Holiday Trip to Tivoli to see Unaccompanied Minors

Newsletter 12/7-12/11

2009-12-05T16:24:00.003-06:00

Thank You, Parents!

It was a pleasure meeting with all of my students' parents this past week at parent teacher conferences. I hope that you found these meetings to be as helpful and informative as I did. I truly do appreciate the wonderful partnership that we have together for your children. Please remember that if there are any questions or concerns that we were not able to address the day of your conference, feel free to e-mail me or leave a voice mail message to let me know you'd like to talk further.

Classroom News

Mrs. Strong's homeroom will be spending the last two weeks before Christmas break to complete a novel study on the book Night of the Twisters. We will be focusing on self-questioning, but will also review and use all the previous reading strategies that we have learned. In addition, students will be completing a vocabulary log booklet, with some very challenging vocabulary words. Students should be prepared to do some reading at home as homework assignments, as well as periodic comprehension and vocabulary quizzes to ensure understanding of the reading.

Mrs. Bell's homeroom has been working in small groups using leveled readers in order to work on self-questioning. This will lead into reviewing and continuing work on writing extended responses, in preparation for ISAT testing in March.

Mrs. Klacza's homeroom has also been working on self-questioning through the use of our basal reader. They have read a selection that lends itself quite well to asking questions, and will also be required to answer varying levels of comprehension questions about the story. In addition, each student will be creating 10 true/false questions to go with the story, and then will have the opportunity to switch with a classmate to see how successful they are at answering them.

Mrs. Beseth's homeroom will conclude these next two weeks with a novel study as well. These students will be reading the classic story by Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol. This is such a great book to truly teach what the Christmas season is all about. It also allows students to learn how to infer the messages sent by all of the characters in the story. I do hope they enjoy it as much as I do!

Important Notes

Wednesday, Dec. 9th: Drury Lane Field Trip-Mrs. Beseth's homeroom
Monday, Dec. 14th: Holiday Concert-7:00 @ Lakeview
Don't forget to turn in Bowling permission slips!

Newsletter 11/20-12/4

2009-11-28T13:52:00.000-06:00

Let the Questions Begin!

An important reading strategy for all readers is self-questioning. This strategy focuses on teaching students that good readers ask questions all throughout their reading. Self-questioning can be broken down in the following ways:

Students should ask questions BEFORE reading, DURING reading, and AFTER reading. As they ask these questions, they should formulate possible answers to them. Then, as they read, they should analyze what they are reading to see if they can answer the questions they come up with.
The questions students ask should be a combination of what I like to call "THICK and THIN" questions. A thin question, is a very simple question that does not require much thinking. For example, when meeting a character for the first time, a thin question may be something like "How old is the character?" A thick question shows a deeper understanding and requires much more thinking and analyzing to answer it. An example of a thick question may be something like "Did something happen to this character that causes them to be so mean to others?"
Students should be aware of the three types of questions we as teachers often ask them. The first kind is called a "RIGHT THERE" question. This type of question is the kind where you can look back and find the answer pretty much word for word in the text. The second kind is called a "THINK AND SEARCH" question. With this type of question, you can find the answer in the text, but it is not worded exactly the same, or you need to synthesize a few sentences together to gather an answer. The final type of question is called an "ON YOUR OWN" question. In this type of question, students cannot find the answer in the text at all. They are asked to formulate an answer on their own, but should do so using the knowledge they have gained from what the text.

I hope that this brief outline will help you assist your child in becoming a better reader through self-questioning!

Important Notes

Parent Teacher Conference Week: Monday, Nov. 30-Friday, Dec.4
Report Cards: Tuesday, Dec. 1st
No School: Friday, Dec. 4th

Newsletter 11/16-11/24

2009-11-14T16:28:00.000-06:00

Yearbook Information

Now’s the time to place your orders. Yearbook order forms went home with your child on November 12^th. Yearbooks are $10.00 and the deadline for your orders is Tuesday, December 1, 2009. No orders will be accepted after that date. Please make checks payable to Lifetouch. Please make sure your student’s name, teacher’s name and grade level are marked on the order form. If you have multiple students, please fill out one for each child. If your child loses the form, you can send an envelope with the following information on it: student’s name, teacher’s name and grade level along with a check made payable to Lifetouch for $10.00. Please remember that yearbooks were NOT ordered at registration in August!

Important Information

Tuesday, Nov. 17th: Roller Skating Party 4:00-6:45 PM
Thursday, Nov. 19th: Picture Retakes
Friday, Nov. 20th: End of 1st Trimester
Wednesday, Nov. 25th - Friday, Nov. 27th: No School, Thanksgiving Break

Newsletter 11/9-11/13

2009-11-06T21:58:00.000-06:00

5th Grade Students to Tackle the Next Reading Strategy

Our fifth grade classrooms will be working on the next reading strategy at the beginning of this week. Our next strategy focuses on making inferences. This is a higher level thinking skill, which requires students to put together what they have read in the text and their own experience, to understand what the author is "not exactly telling them." In other words, making inferences means reading between the lines. As our students progress through the grades, the type of text they read begin to have more and more of the type of writing that requires making inferences in order to fully understand the text. Here are a few websites you can check out to learn more about and practice inferring:

Learn how to Infer
TV411-Be a Critical Reader
Quia-What Can You Infer?

Mrs. Beseth's Homeroom

Students have finished their novel studies, and will now return to using the anthology to learn more important reading skills. They also just completed an English unit on Nouns, and will be moving on to Verbs!

Important Information

Wednesday, Nov. 11th: No School, Veteran's Day
Thursday, Nov. 12th: Lakeview Character Counts visits Prairieview classrooms
Thursday, Nov. 12th: PTO Dine Out Fundraiser @ Go Roma (See website for details)
Friday, Nov. 13th: Ladies' Night Out @ Cornerstone

Newsletter 10/26-10/30

2009-10-23T12:44:00.000-05:00

5th Grade Reading Classes Begin Visualization!

This week, our fifth grade reading classes have begun the new reading strategy of visualization. This important skill helps all of us become more involved in any story we are reading. In this strategy, we challenge students to use their five senses in order to paint a picture in their mind of what they are reading. This truly helps bring the story to life and adds interest too! We are using a type of story called Tall Tales in order to practice this skill. A Tall Tale is a fiction story that includes both realistic elements and exaggerated elements. These exaggerated elements are often full of description, which allow the reader to picture just how "Tall" of a tale it is! This might be a great time to go to the library and check out some tall tales!

Mrs. Beseth's Homeroom

Students are working diligently to finish up their novel studies with either "Charlotte's Web" or "Because of Winn-Dixie." Lately, we have been working on identifying character traits and finding evidence from the text to prove that a character has a specific trait. In addition, students have learned about cause and effect relationships, which is extremely important, as it translates very easily in to the Science and Social Studies curriculum as well!

Important Notes

Tuesday, Oct. 27th: Failure Notices
Wednesday, Oct. 28th: 5th Grade Robert Crown Parent Night, 6:30PM
Thursday, Oct. 29th: Classroom Halloween Parties (12:30 Parade)
Friday, Oct. 30th: No School, Teacher Institute Day

A Personal Note from Mrs. Swaekauski
As I believe most of you know by now, my husband and I are expecting our second child in March. We just had our ultrasound this week, and received the good news that...

Newsletter 10/19-23

2009-10-18T09:42:00.000-05:00

Test Prep Tips Continued

Here are some more test prep tips for Spelling, English, Science, and Social Studies.

Spelling

Don't just memorize the words...learn the spelling rule! This will help students use the rules in their daily spelling.
Focus on the words they don't already know. Everyday, be sure to practice those words, along with a few of the words they already know.

English

Be sure to understand the concepts as they are presented. Often, later concepts rely upon student knowledge of earlier concepts.
Be sure to practice all types of sentences for each concept. Many times the concepts presented have multiple things to look for. (For example, simple predicates include action verbs, being verbs, and helping verbs too!)
Use the extra practice at the back of the chapter. These are great pages for lots of practice!

Science

Know that the science tests require much more application of concepts, rather than simply knowing definitions or facts.
Often, when parents assist students with preparing for these tests, if the students gets the answer correct, they just move on to the next question. I encourage parents to ask why their child chose the answer they did. If they can explain it, then they understand it. If they can't, they may have just taken a lucky guess, and need some clarification!
The review test at the end of the unit is a fabulous resource to use. It has many questions that cover the topics on the test, and will certainly assess if students can apply the concepts.

Social Studies

Constant review is key! There are so many important concepts covered in each lesson, that often times, if students are not reviewing earlier lessons, they forget them!
I like to make concept maps, which shows the flow of events in a chapter. This also gives a visual representation of each lesson, that can be hung up for review.
Most short answer/essay style questions cover concepts with multiple answers. (For example: What are three advantages Cortes had to assist in conquering the Aztecs?)

If you have any questions about any of these ideas, please let me know, and I will be happy to share more information! Hopefully, these will help when preparing for tests in the future!

Important Notes

Tuesday, Oct. 20th: Order Deadline for Art to Remember
Wednesday, Oct. 21st: Early Dismissal Day, dismiss at 11 AM
Thursday, Oct. 22nd: PV Book Fair, 6:30-8:00 PM

Newsletter 10/12-10/16

2009-10-12T14:24:00.000-05:00

Test Preparation Tips

All of my students have now made it through their first round of tests in most of the subjects. After seeing how they did, I wanted to offer some helpful tips for preparing for tests, both in general and subject specific. This week, I'll focus on general test preparation and math.

General Test Prep

Don't wait until the day before a test to study! In fact, the best way to be prepared for a test is to consistently review the concepts learned throughout the entire unit.
Focus on the areas of most difficulty. Most students are aware of what lessons are troubling them, and which ones they are comfortable with. Be sure to spend extra time on those areas that they are struggling with.
Make it fun! We all know it isn't a thrill when we have to prepare for a test. So, do whatever you can to make it fun for your child. An easy way to do this is to have your child create their own gameboard that you can use to play a review game. In order to move on the gameboard, they have to correctly answer a question.
Make it a habit to check over your work! Many students simply stand up and hand in their paper the minute they finish a test. Many times students have made simple mistakes that might have been corrected if they had taken the time to check over their work. I also believe they don't always know what it means to check over their work. I suggest sitting with them when they have completed a homework assignment, and model how they can check their work. Once they seem to have an understanding of the process, have them check over their work in front of you. That way, you can lend a helping hand if needed. Hopefully, this will then translate into when they take a test on their own!

Math

Practice, practice, practice! It's hard to "study" for a math test, since you don't know what numbers you will have to work with. But, if you practice each concept learned several times, then you are more likely to master the process needed, and will do well regardless of what numbers you are given.
Know your basic facts! I've seen most mistakes being made in basic facts...addition, subtraction, and multiplication. This is definitely an area where "Use them or lose them" comes into play. I suggest practicing basic facts at least 10-15 minutes each day. This is something easy to do while in the car, or there are numerous websites to visit to make practice more engaging.

Important Notes

Monday, October 12th: No School, Columbus Day
Tuesday, October 13th: Guest Speaker about disabilities
Wednesday, October 14th: Mrs. Swaekauski's Birthday!
Friday, October 16th: Movie Night, 6:30-8:45PM

Newsletter 10/5-10/9

2009-10-03T09:23:00.000-05:00

With the weather this week, fall certainly made its presence known. I found myself digging through my storage boxes to find the long sleeve shirts and sweaters I packed away so many months ago! Let's hope that we get a chance to experience some indian summer days. I'm not quite ready to let the warm weather go! It's hard to believe, but we are already heading into the halfway point of our first trimester. It seems every year goes by just a tad faster. If you haven't been checking your child's progress via Parent Connect, this is the perfect time to do so. As we reach the midpoint in the trimester, you can see what areas your child is succeeding in, as well as some areas that may need improvement. Remember that these are only indications of your child's progress to this point. Much can change in the weeks ahead. If anything you see raises questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at any time!

Here's what's going on in the classrooms this week:

Mrs. Strong & Mrs. Swaekauski's Homeroom

We just introduced the October book project, Mystery Puzzle Pieces. Students need to select and read a mystery book, then fill out a story map for the novel. The parts of the story map will then be transferred on to puzzles pieces, which will be cut out and put into a plastic baggie. At the end of the month, we will have fun trying to "piece" our mysteries together!

Mrs. Bell's Homeroom

Students are involved in a novel study on "The Wish Giver." They are working diligently to understand the story, and summarize what they are reading.

Mrs. Klacza's Homeroom

Students are involved in a novel study on "The Kid in the Red Jacket." This novel is providing many opportunities to work on vocabulary, as well as summarizing.

Mrs. Beseth's Homeroom

Students are working on either the novel "Charlotte's Web" or "Because of Winn-Dixie." Both books provide fabulous opportunities to discuss plot, setting, and characters.

Important Notes

Tuesday, October 6th: Progress Report Day
Monday, October 12th: No School, Columbus Day

Newsletter 9/28-10/2

2009-09-25T16:02:00.000-05:00

Mrs. Strong & Mrs. Swaekauski's Homeroom

Our classroom has some very important dates coming up in the next week:

The first Social Studies test will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 29th. This test will cover Chapter 4, lessons 1-3. Please be sure to gather together the notes taken in class, as well as any assignments that have been completed. These will help you prepare for the upcoming test. Some students have found it helpful to make flashcards, or even to create a timeline of important events.

Our first monthly book project is also due this week, specifically on Wednesday, Sept. 30th. All students have now received their final copy sheet for the project. A gentle reminder that the rough draft sheet should be checked either by a responsible adult at home, or by Mrs. Strong or myself. Students also need to remember to bring their bag with the five items, along with the book they read for the project. If there are any questions, please be sure to contact us!

The first English test will take place on Friday, Oct. 2nd. This test will cover Chapter 1, which includes the four types of sentences, subjects and predicates, subjects in imperatives, conjunctions, and run-on sentences. There are extra practice pages at the end of the chapter, which can be very useful in preparing for the test. It might be fun to make a game up with some of the examples!

Mrs. Bell and Mrs. Klacza's Homerooms

Be prepared for the first Science test of the year, covering the introduction unit of "Getting Ready for Science." Students will need to know the science tools, the steps of the scientific method and what happens in each step, and the scientfic inquiry skills and what they mean. There is a lot of material covered, and some of that material is very similar. I would suggest studying in small chunks, and finding those ideas that are very similar so you can concentrate a bit more on making sure you understand the differences between them!

Mrs. Beseth's Homeroom

Be prepared for a Science test on Tuesday! This will cover the introduction unit!
In Reading, students just finished working on identifying the setting, main characters, and the plot of a story. They created a project where they had to illustrate and describe all those pieces for a text they had selected.

Important Notes

Tuesday, Sept. 29th: FINAL magazine turn-in day!!!
Thursday, Oct. 1st: Picture Day...Look you best and wear a SMILE!

Newsletter 9/21-9/25

2009-09-20T14:27:00.000-05:00

Mrs. Strong & Mrs. Swaekauski's Homeroom

We have now completed our classwork on the skill of predicting, and have moved on to the next strategy of summarizing. This is perhaps one of the most important skills taught this year, as it is a skill used in practically every subject we cover this year. Summarizing is especially useful in Science and Social Studies, in order to pinpoint the most important information covered in each chapter. We are currently teaching summarizing with fiction texts, in the form of using a story map. A story map consists of the following parts:

Title and Author
Setting (Which includes both WHERE and WHEN the story takes place)
Main Characters (Only including those who are the most important to the story)
Problem (Naming the overall problem in the entire story)
Beginning (Telling the most important event(s) that happen at the beginning, and relating to the problem)
Middle (Telling the most important event(s) that happen in the middle, and relating to the problem)
End (Telling the most important event(s) that happen in the end, and relating to the problem)
Resolution (Naming how the problem was solved)

You can work on this at home with your child with any fiction story they read!

Mrs. Bell & Mrs. Klacza's Homerooms

Get ready for an English test on Sentences! This test will cover the four types of sentences, subjects and predicates, subjects in imperative sentences, conjunctions, and run-on sentences. There are great pages at the end of the chapter that you can use to prepare for the test. A fun way could be to make it into a game, or to play a board game you already have, but answer questions to take a turn!

Mrs. Beseth's Homeroom

Due to Mrs. Beseth's illness, the Social Studies Quiz and English Test have been moved to this week. Again, I suggest taking time to prepare within the next two days in order to be ready for these assessments!

Important Notes

Tuesday, Sept. 22: Magazine Turn-in day
Tuesday, Sept. 22: Early Dismissal, Students dismissed at 11:00AM
Friday, Sept. 25: Magazine Turn-in day
Friday, Sept. 25: Character Counts Assembly, 8:30AM

Newsletter 9/14-9/18

2009-09-11T21:09:00.000-05:00

Mrs. Strong & Mrs. Swaekauski's Homeroom

We are still hard at work on the reading skill of predicting. Students are starting to get the hang of knowing that good predictions are backed up not only by what they read or see in the text, but also by their personal knowledge. This past week, we also looked at the important vocabulary skill of synonyms and antonyms. We reviewed that synonyms mean the same thing, and antonyms have opposite meanings. These ideas are really important for the students, as they are excellent ways to make their writing more interesting! In English, we have moved forward to subjects and predicates. These can be tricky for the students, but we have stressed the following rule: Subjects tell who or what, and predicates must start with a verb!!! We shared a neat little song to help them remember, so perhaps you can ask your child to share "The Subject & Predicate Song" with you!

Mrs. Bell & Mrs. Klacza's Homerooms

Both classrooms are gearing up for their first Social Studies test of the year. The test will cover the material presented in Chapter 4. The best way to prepare for this test is to look over the notes and assignments given throughout this chapter. The classrooms are also hard at work on the English unit about Sentences. Students have learned about the types of sentences, subjects, and predicates so far. I have always found that the best way to prepare for an English test is to do just a little bit of review each day. It's very hard to study all the skills covered in one unit at the same time. If you take a little chunk at a time, and work until you have mastered them, when the test comes, reviewing will be a cinch! Give it a try!

Mrs. Beseth's Homeroom

Students in Mrs. Beseth's homeroom should be looking towards a Social Studies vocabulary quiz on Wednesday and an English test on Friday. Students have been hard at work learning about the important Social Studies words they need to know, as well as learning the rules about capitalization and punctuation in English. With two important assessments coming up this week, it will be important to manage time wisely! I suggest beginning to study for the Social Studies quiz as early as this weekend. Aim for getting the words firmly in their vocabulary by Tuesday, so that they can begin reviewing for English Tuesday or Wednesday!

Important Notes

Monday, Sept. 14th: Beginning Band Parent Info Night, 7-8PM

Newsletter 9/7-9/11

2009-09-06T08:35:00.000-05:00

September Reading Project - Mrs. Strong & Mrs. Swaekauski's Room

As you probably know by now, our Reading class will be completing a monthly independent reading project. This month's project is a Memory Bag. In this project, students need to read some type of a fiction novel. Then, they will compile 5 objects to represent the main parts of the story: Main character, Setting, Problem, Main Event, and Resolution. Students will also need to complete a sheet explaining exactly what each part of the story is, as well as explaining in detail why the object they chose represents that part. We have handed out a rubric that will be used to grade the final projects. Students should use this to be sure they have completely followed directions for every piece of the project. In addition, we have provided our classroom with a rough draft sheet in order to write a sloppy copy. Please know that we expect students to have either an adult or older sibling look over it at home or have either Mrs. Strong or myself take a look at it here at school. These projects are a great way for students to learn how to be better readers, as well as learn how to manage their time for a long-term project. Please encourage them to do their best!

Mrs. Bell & Mrs. Klacza's Room

Students have been hard at work on the first unit in Social Studies, which explores the early exploration of America, beginning with none other than Christopher Columbus! Watch for a creative letter written by your child pretending to be Columbus writing to tell of his explorations. They will also have the opportunity to decorate their own Aztec masks, as a symbol of the people Columbus found when he discovered America!

Mrs. Beseth's Room

Students have been working on the skills of Predicting & Inferring, as well as recognizing Author's purpose. These are great skills students can work on at home, with practically anything they can read or watch. For example, during a favoite TV show, sit with your child and have them make predictions about what they think will happen next. Ask what clues they have seen that gave them that idea. When working on author's purpose, go over many kinds of text; recipes, newspaper articles, short story books, etc. Each one may have a different purpose: to inform, to persuade, or to entertain. This is an important piece in understanding what they are reading!

Important Notes

Monday, Sept. 7th: No School, Labor Day
Thursday, Sept. 10th: RTI Benchmarking: 3rd & 4th Grade
Thursday, Sept. 10th: Intro to Band Instruments Assembly, 12:45PM
Friday, Sept. 11th: RTI Benchmarking: 5th Grade
Friday, Sept. 11th: Magazine Kickoff Assembly
Friday, Sept. 11th: Back to School Bingo: 6:30PM

Newsletter 8/31 - 9/4

2009-08-29T21:07:00.000-05:00

One Week Done!

What a wonderful first week of school we had! Our first week was filled with the usual activities; get to know you games, organizing materials and school supplies, refreshing our memories of the important rules in both the school and classroom. The last two days of the week we got the opportunity to switch classes to meet our Math teachers. On Friday, the entire fifth grade class gathered in the middle area for a short presentation from all the teachers in fifth grade this year. We discussed our expectations in several aspects of the usual school day, such as morning routines, switching for math, indoor recess, and such. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting all my new students and getting to know a little bit about each one of them. I look forward to learning more and more about them as the year progresses!

Curriculum Night

Don't forget that the 4th/5th grade Curriculum Night takes place on Thursday, September 3rd, beginning at 6:30 PM. This is a great opportunity to meet the teachers again, and to find out more information about what your child will be doing throughout this school year. I hope to see you there!

Important Notes

3rd Grade Curriculum Night: Wednesday, Sept. 2nd
4/5th Grade Curriculum Night: Thursday, Sept. 3rd

Welcome Back!

2009-08-22T19:19:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe summer vacation is at an end already! It feels as if the 4th of July was only a couple weeks ago! I hope that everyone had a relaxing, restful, and FUN summer. Now it is time to head back to school for another year of excitement and learning. I am looking forward to meeting my students and their parents at our District Open House on Monday, August 24th. Please stop by my room anytime between 9-11AM for a short visit. You can find me in the fifth grade wing, Room 203.

Can't wait to see you all!