This week in class 3/4-3/8

Important Info
APEX Fun Run:

• Thank you so much for all your support for our Apex Fun Run. Our class raised up to $40/lap and enjoyed the leadership lessons that they learned throughout the week on how to be “STRONG”! And although we didn’t run outside because of the rain, the students were still pumped up and had a great time! Thank you!

Maturation:

• As part of the RRISD 4th and 5th grade health Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) requirements, classes on maturation and hygiene will be provided for 4th and 5th grade students. Boys and girls will be separated for the instructional program. Students returning an OPT OUT form will be sent to an alternate location in school during this instructional program.

Field Day:

• Field day will be on March 15th (the Friday before Spring Break). The schedule for each grade is listed below. In order to make this field day run smoothly, we will be asking for parent volunteers to help run each of the stations, in addition to our 5th grade helpers! Please sign up online (https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0a44a5af29a1f85-2019 ) if you can commit to helping us at any of the following sessions on March 15th.

8:00 – 9:40 am 3rd and 5th Grade
10:00 – 11:40 am 2nd and 4th Grade
12:40 – 2:20 pm K and 1st Grade

Important Dates
3/5: 3rd Grade Economics Fair
3/8: Maturation Video discussion
Cedar Valley elective choice sheets due
3/11: Science assessment
3/13: Kinder Round Up
3/15: FIELD DAY!
3/17-3/22: Spring Break

This Week We Are Learning:

Math: We are continuing our current unit in Introducing the Coordinate Plane and Finalizing Understanding of Classifying 2-D Figures. Last week students focused on representing and analyzing data in a scatterplot. This week students are generating a numerical pattern when given a rule in the form y = ax or y = x + a and will be able to recognize the difference between additive and multiplicative numerical patterns given in a table or graph. Students again use their knowledge of graphing points on the coordinate plane as they study additive and multiplicative patterns. Students create and use a variety of representations, including tables, graphs, and equations, and analyze how each representation offers a different perspective of these patterns.

Science:  We are continuing our unit in nonliving and living elements in ecosystems and fossils. Students have been observing the way organisms live and survive in their ecosystem by interacting with the living and non- living components. Last week we even had worms that we observed and researched how their interact with nonliving elements (water, soil) in order to survive. This week we will finish the unit identifying fossils as evidence of past living organisms and the nature of the environments at the time. Students will be tested on this unit on Monday 3/11.

Thank you and have a great week!

This week in class 2/25-3/1

Important Info

APEX Fun Run:

• As many of you have probably heard, the Apex fun run is off and running and the students are very excited! 🙂 The Apex program teaches the students important lessons on leadership and fitness!
  Students have until the fun run on Thursday to raise pledges for the laps they will run! Please help out our students and our school by sharing the news and helping them achieve their goal!

Science STAAR Ready

• Students will take their final STAAR ready in science this Wednesday. Here are some reminders for the day before and day of to help them prepare:
  1.  Please make sure your child has a healthy breakfast. The brain needs food in order to function at its best!
  2.  Do NOT bring electronics. We will not be using them and students will not be allowed to have them at their desks.
  3. Students are encouraged to bring healthy snacks and water to test with. I have also told them they may bring mints and gum. Please avoid any messy snacks that could potentially get on to scantrons. If you are not sure, it is better to pick a snack you know won’t be messy. Snacks should also be in noise free containers, like zip-lock bags or Tupperware. Mints should be unwrapped and noisy bags should be replaced.
  4. Finally, students should get a good nights sleep. A well-rested mind will do better than one that is struggling to stay awake.

Important Dates
2/27: Science STAAR ready
2/28: APEX Fun Run!
3/1: Grade 3-5 Assembly
Cedar Valley counselor visit
3/5: 3rd Grade Economics Fair
3/15: FIELD DAY!

This Week We Are Learning:

Math: We are continuing our unit on Coordinate Planes. The students have enjoyed exploring this unit through familiar games using the coordinate plane and their knowledge of ordered pairs to play battleship and connect 4. Students will be representing and analyzing data on scatterplots to solve 1 step or 2 step problems. We will continue this unit this week moving into exploring additive and multiplicative patterns given in a table or a graph.

Science:  We have started our new unit on Ecosystems and fossils. Students have been exploring different ecosystems, describing the nonliving (water, air, rock, sun) and living (humans, animals, plants) elements and how they interact and depend on one another.

Thank you and have a great week!

This week in class 1/22-1/25

Important Info

• STAAR Ready:
  Monday and Tuesday (1/28 & 1/29), 5th grade will be having its first STAAR Ready tests (Math and Reading) of the year. This is the students chance to practice before our STAAR tests in April. Because of this, we try to treat this practice as close to the real test as possible.  Just like with a normal STAAR test, students will have 4 hours to complete the test.

  Here are a couple of important things to keep in mind as you help your student prepare for the test

  1.  Please make sure your child has a healthy breakfast on both days. The brain needs food in order to function at its best!

  2.  Do NOT bring electronics tomorrow. We will not be using them and students will not be allowed to have them at their desks.

  3. Students are encouraged to bring healthy snacks and water to test with. I have also told them they may bring mints and gum. Please avoid any messy snacks that could potentially get on to scantrons. If you are not sure, it is better to pick a snack you know won’t be messy. Snacks should also be in noise free containers, like zip-lock bags or Tupperware. Mints should be unwrapped and noisy bags should be replaced.

  4. Finally, students should get a good nights sleep. A well-rested mind will do better than one that is struggling to stay awake.

  If you have any questions, please let me or Mrs. Nieto know. If your child misses any of the tests, they will make it up when they return.
• Campus Climate/Family Survey!!
  We work so hard to not only be the best educational institution in the area, but the most welcoming, fun, educational & innovative school anywhere!  Your participation & active involvement is so very important to us, and what makes us great!  Please take a few moments to complete this district survey to let us know how we are doing.  The survey has been rewritten to gain maximum feedback from minimum time.  We take your feedback & recommendations seriously!  Our goal this year is no less than 100% participation!  Let us know how we are doing to serve the needs of your child(ren) by clicking on this link:  RRISD Family Survey Link  Please complete one survey per child.

Important Dates
1/25: Science Test (Earth’s rotation/Earth, Sun, and Moon)
1/28: STAAR Ready Math
1/29: STAAR Ready Reading
1/31: Pearson Ranch counselors visit 5th grade
1/1: Grade 3-5 assembly & 100th day of school!

This Week We Are Learning:

Math: We are starting our new unit on connecting whole number multiplication and division concepts to decimals. We will begin with revisiting fraction/decimal relationships and connecting fraction multiplication to decimal multiplication. Students will practice splitting the number involving the decimal into its whole number and fractional parts to help them multiply. 

Science:  We will be wrapping our unit on Earth’s rotation and the Earth, Moon and Sun. Students have been working in groups to research information and facts on the characteristics of the Earth, Sun, and Moon. In their groups they are sharing the information they’ve gathered and will use it to compare and contrast the characteristics in a triple venn diagram.

Thank you and have a great week!

This week in class 1/15-1/18

We’re back! I hope everyone had a great winter break. I enjoyed hearing about the trips and activities the students did over the break! Here’s a look at what’s going on in class this week!

Important Info

• Award assembly:
  3rd-5th Grade Semester awards assemblies honoring students for perfect attendance (0 absences and no more than 3 tardies), academics (AB Honor Roll & All A Honor Roll) and Stallion Pride Citizenship and Specials awards.  Students will be recognized in their class and stand as a group for academic awards and perfect attendance.  Names will be scrolled, but not called individually.  These students will receive their certificates in class.  Stallion Pride and Specials students will walk across the stage.  Invitations for Stallion Pride and Specials will be sent by classroom teachers this week.  Academic and perfect attendance awardees will not receive invitations, but are welcome to attend.
• Campus Climate/Family Survey!!
  We work so hard to not only be the best educational institution in the area, but the most welcoming, fun, educational & innovative school anywhere!  Your participation & active involvement is so very important to us, and what makes us great!  Please take a few moments to complete this district survey to let us know how we are doing.  The survey has been rewritten to gain maximum feedback from minimum time.  We take your feedback & recommendations seriously!  Our goal this year is no less than 100% participation!  Let us know how we are doing to serve the needs of your child(ren) by clicking on this link:  RRISD Family Survey Link  Please complete one survey per child.

Important Dates
1/17: Report Cards go home
5th grade award assemblies @ 9:45
1/18: Math unit test
Field trip to the Zach Theater/Zilker Park
1/21: No school (MLK day)

This Week We Are Learning:

Math: We are continuing our unit on decimals. Students will extend their knowledge of decimals to the thousandths place value. Then apply those skills to adding and subtracting of decimals, data analysis, comparing decimals, rounding, and perimeter. This week we are working on perimeter and solving data analysis problems that include decimals to the thousandths.

Science:  We have begun our new unit on day and night and the Earth’s rotation. Last week we explored how day and night is caused by the Earth’s rotation. Students have made sundials to observe shadows and how they determine the time of day and apparent movement of the sun. This week students will also be able to compare and contrast characteristics of the Earth, Sun, and Moon. Students are also responsible for recording phases of moon each evening for the next 30 days.

Thank you and have a great week!

This week in class 10/10-10/12

I hope you all had a great long weekend! Mrs. Nieto and I are enjoying meeting you and partnering with your families to help your child have a successful last year in elementary school! Here is a look at our short week.

Important Info

• Spelling Bee
  • If you want more information on the Spelling Bee, please read the Spelling Bee Letter.
• BrightBytes survey
  • We are partnering with BrightBytes, an educational data analytics company, in order to learn more about our students’ school and home technology use for learning. We are reaching out to ask you to take part in our questionnaire. Your participation is essential in helping us form a more complete picture of  technology use for learning in our students’ lives. Please know that all of your responses will remain anonymous to protect your privacy and they will help your child’s school choose the right technology for their classrooms. It will take approximately 5 minutes to complete.The window to take the survey is Monday, October 8th thru Monday, October 22, 2018.

    Please go to here.

    https://bbyt.es/start/7Z6MC

    Thank you for taking part in this important initiative!

• TAG Information Night will be Nov. 8  5:45-6:45 – Presentation for if/how to refer your child for TAG.  Parents can go to our website to see the TAG referral timeline.

Important Dates
10/10: @ 6:00  Round Rock Learning Community Bond Meeting-Chisholm Trail MS
10/11: @ 6:00 Ranch of Brushy Creek Bond Meeting
10/15: PBL presentation @12:55-1:45, Reading test
10/16-10/17: Unit 1 & 2 Math assessments
10/19: PTA Kona Ice
10/25: Vision and hearing test

This Week We Are Learning:

Math: This week we wrapping up our unit on applying addition and subtraction of fractions to data analysis and perimeter. On Thursday and Friday we began learning about analyzing data from frequency tables and dot plots. Today we reviewed bar graphs and stem and leaf plots and student demonstrated their understanding of the data by sharing statements that described the information. Students will continue to demonstrate their understanding of data graphs through solving problems that require them to pull data and add and subtract fractions. The assessments will be 10/16 (Prime and composite & order of operations) and 10/17 (applying adding and subtracting fractions to perimeter and data analysis).

Science:  This week we will continue our unit of types of energy focusing on light. Prior to this week, we explored different types of energy: mechanical, electrical, light, thermal and sound (MELTS).  Students explored how light travels through the use of a laser pointer and mirrors. They used these materials to try and hit targets by bouncing the light off of the mirrors. Students demonstrated that light travels in a straight line until it strikes an object and is reflected or travels through one medium to another. This week we will explore how light refracts, or bends.

Thank you and have a great week!

This week in class 9/17-9/21

Important Info

• Stuff the Boot:
  • Patsy Sommer Elementary’s PTA’s Stuff the Boots & Silly String a Teacher is a fundraising effort which allows 100% of your donation to benefit our school and students! These funds enable us to support school-wide needs such as software and technology upgrades, classroom workbooks, innovative learning materials, special equipment, flexible seating for our classrooms, support for teachers and educational programs. The funds also support school programs such as the Reflections & Math SuperStars programs, Carnival, Multicultural events, Teacher Appreciation, and much much more! For more info or to donate online, please click here!
• Field trip:
  • We have been given the opportunity to attend a performance done by Ballet Folklorico THIS FRIDAY, September, 21.  The performance will take place at the RRISD Performing Arts Center.  We realize it is a quick turn-around, however, this is an incredible multi-cultural experience for our students.  Permission slips are coming home MONDAY.  Please return the permission slip Tuesday if possible.
• Ambassador ClubThe Student Ambassador Club is taking  applications for the new school year. This is for grades 3-5. The  Student Ambassador program provides opportunities to develop student leadership, human relations, and communication skills. We make Sommer and our community a better place to be. Students make a commitment to lead by example, demonstrate responsibility, and respect and value diversity within our community. If you are interested in participating the application is due on September 24th to Mrs. Baker or Miss Gagliardi  2018-19 Application

Important Dates
9/17-10/5: Stuff the Boot Fundraiser!
9/20: Progress reports go home
9/21: Folklorico Performance @ PAC
9/25: Flu Clinic
9/28: Picture day

This Week We Are Learning:

• Math: This week we will continue reviewing addition with fractions. Students will focus on deciding which strategy to use when making calculations and verifying that an answer is reasonable. We will practice this with word problems and problem solving examples.
• Science:  We are continuing our unit on mixtures and solutions. Students know that mixtures keep there physical properties and can be easily separated and solutions can be separated but not easily and do not keep their physical properties. This week we will focus on how identifying evidence that shows that a solution is a unique type of mixture and exploring tools and processes that we can use to separate a substance. Students also received vocabulary words associated with this unit and will have a quiz this Friday. Our unit test will be next week (date TBD)!

Students using cuisenaire rods to show addition of fractions with unlike denominators.

Thank you!

This week in class 9/4-9/7

Hello! I hope you all had a great 3 day weekend! We are a few weeks into school and I’ve enjoyed getting to know my students and to see our learning community developing! 🙂 I try and post weekly to let you know about what is going on in the classroom and of any important information coming up, so please subscribe so you can receive automatic emails when I update.

Important Info

• Running club  7:10 am – 7:30 AM
  *Monday, August 27, 2018 –  1st and 2nd grade Monday – Wednesday
  *Tuesday, August 28, 2018 – 3rd – 5th grade Tuesday-Thursday
  NO Running Club on Fridays
•  If your child is interested in applying to be a part of the Stallion Choir(3-5), please read the message from the music teachers below.
  Stallion Choir meets on Thursdays from 2:50-4:00, all year, beginning September 20th.  This group will perform at various required events throughout the year (district/campus:November 5th, 9th and April 13th) and will work on a major musical from October-the end of April (performance April 25th/26th, 2019). This year’s musical is Junie B. Jones, Jr.   In order to have a successful year, we are looking for members who follow all Stallion expectations on a regular basis. This means that selected members will be expected to do their job as a student, be at ALL the dates mentioned above, and have a way to go home on time after each rehearsal. This group will be capped at 90 members.  By submitting this form your child is APPLYING to be a part of this years Stallion Choir. We will notify everyone whether or not you are a Stallion Choir member of the 2018-19 school year by September 17th . Applications WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED PAST FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14TH at 9:00am. *If you have multiple children, please submit a separate form for each child.*

Click here to ‘submit’ your application form

Important Dates
9/4: 6:00 TAG Curriculum Night
9/5: Pearson Ranch Open House
9/7: Grades 3-5 Assembly
9/10: Unit 1 Classifying Matter Science test
9/13: Club night

This Week We Are Learning:

• Math: Last week the students discovered how divisibility rules help us work out whether a number is exactly divisible by other numbers (i.e. there is no remainder). We applied our knowledge of these rules to identify whether numbers were prime (numbers with 2 factors: 1 and itself) or composite (numbers with 3 or more factors). Today we introduced order of operations and how to use PEMDAS to solve for equations (not including exponents). We talked about how much like how grammar is a set of rules that informs the order in which we place words in a sentence, the order of operations is a set of rules that informs the order in which we complete calculations. This week students will continue practicing using the order of operations to build their fluency with using the rules.
• Science: Last week, we explored different ways we can classify matter. We talked about how we can classify or group matter by their physical properties (ways we can measure and observe matter). Last week we did an experiment measuring the mass of water, freezing it, and measuring the mass of ice. Students discovered that changing the physical state of water does not change its mass. Today we explored relative density by creating a relative density tower. We poured 7 liquids (water, rubbing alcohol, corn syrup, honey, dish soap, cooking oil, and maple syrup) into a cup and the students were amazed how they separated in the cup by each liquid’s density! This week we will continue exploring insulators and conductors and solubility. 

Thank you!