5th Graders Buddy Read with 2nd Graders for Reading Month!

The fifth grade students teamed with to the second grade students to read! In March, reading month, Saint Pius Students were involved in several activities to promote reading! My class chose books from the library to share with a student from both of our second grade classes! They also logged the minutes they read over the entire week! The fifth grade read over 50 hours in the three weeks we logged. We also worked very hard with the rest of the school to collect books and color book marks for the Children's Ward at the Beaumont Hospital in Troy.

Great Work Fifth Graders!

Newsletter April 4, 2011

Dear Parents or Guardians:

Reminders: Parents here are the weekly reminders for this upcoming week. Thursday students may bring in a small toy from home. Also, book orders are due Thursday in class or online. The early deadline is due to the students wanting to receive their books before Spring Break. Our class did a beautiful job last week when they delivered our school Mass and Stations of the Cross on Friday. They worked very hard with Mrs. Piechoki and it paid off.

Reading: This week we are reading, “Going Back Home,” from our reading books. Thursday, I will ask for a retelling of the story. Literary Groups will take place on Friday. **Also, students are to read an AR book of at least 4 or 5 points, test on the book and write a one page summary. AR is due MAY 4th.

Math: I will be encouraging students to bring their math home every night. If you have time please have your child explain the concepts to you. Great job on the Geometry Tests last week class! I was very impressed, and this week we will begin measurement. I will also being working on reviewing concepts from earlier this year.

Science: This week we will begin our new unit on animals. We will learn about their physical characteristics and learn about their environments. There will also be an animal research paper that our class will develop over the next few weeks. I will help them with the research project in class starting this week. We will work through this process slowly and thoroughly.

Social Studies: This week we will focus on the Revolutionary War. We will understand cause and effect and sequence of events leading to this war. In addition, my sister will be coming in Thursday to speak to the class about Fifth Grade lessons taught in England. She will speak to the class about citizenship and historical landmarks! I hope they enjoy this mini lesson! Our Social Studies test will be next week.

English/Writing: Spelling is from our workbooks this week and will align with the story, “Going Back Home.” Our spelling test is on Friday. We will cover finding resources for research papers, how to use quotes, and punctuation while writing. I noticed a large progression on the student’s position papers from the last paper written. Well done fifth grade!

Religion: Students will see Ms. Piechoki for religion.

Centers: There are will be one center required this week.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week! If you have any questions, feel free to contact me via email.
Miss Blanton

Weekly Newsletter for March 29th

Dear Parents:

I hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend! March is reading month and we are collecting new/gently used books to give to the children’s ward at Beaumont Hospital in Troy. Also, Tuesday is wear words on a shirt or hat for a dollar day! Wednesday is Pajama Day. Please look over the new book orders that went home, and remember you can order online using our class code. Reminder* Position Papers are due Tuesday morning along with our weekly reading log.

Reading: This week we are reading, “Grandma Essie’s Covered Wagon,” from our reading books. Friday, I will ask for a retelling of the story. March is reading month, and I am sending home a reading log. Students will keep it throughout the week logging the amount of time they read. I will collect the log each Monday to graph our progress. **Also, students are to read an AR book of at least 4 or 5 points, test on the book and write a one page summary.

Math: I will be encouraging students to bring their math home every night. If you have time please have your child explain the concepts to you. We are reviewing information on triangles and quadrilaterals this week. We will review Tuesday and Wednesday and have a Geometry test on Thursday.

Science: This week we will begin our new unit on animals. We will learn about their physical characteristics and learn about their environments. There will also be an animal research paper that our class will develop over the next few weeks.

Social Studies: This week we will focus on the Revolutionary War. We will understand cause and effect and sequence of events leading to this war. In addition, my sister will be telling our class next week about Fifth Grade lessons taught in England. She will speak to the class about citizenship and historical landmarks! I hope they enjoy this mini lesson!

English/Writing: Spelling is from our workbooks this week and will align with the story “Grandma Essie’s Covered Wagon.” Our spelling test is on Friday. We will cover finding resources for research papers, how to use quotes, and commas in writing!

Religion: Students will see Ms. Piechoki for religion.
Centers: There are no centers this week, please make sure your child is reading and logging their time.
I hope everyone has a wonderful week! If you have any questions, feel free to contact me via email.
Miss Blanton

Newsletter- March 21, 2011

Dear Parents:
March is reading month and we are collecting new/gently used books to give to the children’s ward at Beaumont Hospital in Troy. The auction is this Saturday, and I am auctioning off a day at the park with Coney, my dog and me! 4th Quarter has begun, and the reading requirements will go home this week.

Reading: We have finished our novel today, and will have a short quiz Wednesday. Students are working on creating board games for “Mixed-Up Files.” We will also be reading from our reading books this week. March is reading month, and I am sending home a reading log. Students will keep it throughout the week logging the amount of time they read. I will collect the log each Monday to graph our progress.

Math: I will be encouraging students to bring their math home every night. If you have time please have your child explain the concepts to you. We are focusing on triangles this week. We are classifying and measuring angles within triangles.

Science: We finished our unit and partner project on Body Systems, and we are going to begin a unit on heredity this week. We will discuss the difference between inherited and acquired traits that we each have. We are working on family tree traits and watching Elf. We will decide which traits Buddy, the Elf inherited and acquired. There is a short quiz on traits on Wednesday.

Social Studies: We will be continuing in our books with our chapter 7. We will discuss events leading up to the French-Indian War.

English/Writing: Spelling is from our workbooks this week and will align with the story “Paper Dragon.” Our spelling test is on Friday. The position paper will be due Tuesday, March 29th.

Religion: Students will see Ms. Piechoki for religion.
Centers: There are no centers this week, please make sure your child is reading and logging their time.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week! If you have any questions, feel free to contact me via email.

Miss Blanton

Natural History Museum Field Trip

Our Field Trip this past Monday was so much fun! I would like to thank all of our fourth and fifth grade parents for chaperoning our trip. The museum visit was split into two parts, first we toured the Prehistoric Era, which included: fossils, dinosaurs, and many other animals of this time, and then we went to the planetarium. We had very engaging tour guides who taught us many new facts!

Newsletter- March 14, 2011

Dear Parents or Guardians:


March is reading month! Our fifth grade class is in charge of collecting new/gently used books from our school to donate to the children’s ward at Beaumont Hospital in Troy. Our March book order is due March 28th, you may also order online from Scholastic’s website. Wednesday students may wear green for a one dollar donation. There is no school on Friday this week.

Reading: We will finish reading, “Mixed –Up Files of Basil E. Frankweiler.” We will focus on setting, main idea, and sequence of events. March is reading month, and I am sending home a reading log. Students will keep it throughout the week logging the amount of time they read. I will collect the log each Monday to graph our progress.

Math: I will be encouraging students to bring their math home every night. If you have time please have your child explain the concepts to you. This week we will continue our Geometry unit. Students will need to study and understand ideas and terms used in geometry, and will need to take notes in their math notebooks. We are focusing on angles, circles, and polygons.

Science: We finished our unit and partner project on Body Systems, and we are going to begin a unit on heredity this week. We will discuss the difference between inherited and acquired traits that we each have.

Social Studies: We will be continuing in our books with our chapter 7. We will discuss events leading up to the French-Indian War.

English/Writing: Our spelling this week will come from our new chapter book, “From the Mixed-Up Files of Basil E. Frankweiler.” There will be a quiz for these words Thursday. We are working on irregular verbs and verb review. Also, we will be preparing for our next paper, a position paper.

Religion: Students will see Ms. Piechoki for religion.

Centers: This is a center week*

I hope everyone has a wonderful week! If you have any questions, feel free to contact me via email.

Miss Blanton

Science- Human Body Systems

Noah and Andrew brought their digestive systems on a sleep over!

Kelsie Flynn's dog napping with her digestive system.

Ava Messisco's system is all wrapped up in a good book!

Tracing for our body systems project.

Our fifth grade class had a wonderful time learning about the systems in our bodies! We found the lengths of each part of our digestive system(about 5 times your height all together) and then spent the weekend with them! I had so many great pictures of the class' traveling digestive systems.

We also worked in partners to find how two systems work together in our bodies! This was an informational and fun way to assess the end of our unit. We wrote about the system we chose and described how it functions in our body. Well Done Class!

Measuring each piece of the system even gave us a chance to integrate Math with Science!

Weekly Newsletter- March 7, 2011

Dear Parents or Guardians:
I would like to begin by saying all of the book reports were wonderful! I really enjoyed each student’s individual creativity! I am very proud of their presentations as well. Here are the reminders and lessons planned for this week. Students have a half day Thursday, Grandparents day. March is reading month and we are collecting new/gently used books to give to the children’s ward at Beaumont Hospital in Troy. Our March book order is due March 28th, you may also order online from Scholastic’s website. Our field trip to the Museum is Monday. The fifth grade class is in charge of the “Baker’s Basket,” if you could, please donate an item that relates with baking.

*THERE IS NO GYM WEDNESDAY (Mass replaces our gym time) PLEASE SEND STUDENTS IN UNIFORM.*

Reading: We will continue reading, “Mixed –Up Files of Basil E. Frankweiler.” We will focus on setting, main idea, and sequence of events. There will be a quiz on Wednesday over chapters 1-7. March is reading month, and I am sending home a reading log. Students will keep it throughout the week logging the amount of time they read. I will collect the log each Monday to graph our progress.

Math: I will be encouraging students to bring their math home every night. If you have time please have your child explain the concepts to you. This week we will begin our Geometry unit. Students will review ideas and term used in geometry, and will need to take notes in their math notebooks.

Science: We finished our unit and partner project on Body Systems, and we are going to begin a unit on heredity this week.

Social Studies: Our test will be pushed back to Friday over chapters 5 and 6 this week. We will work this week to finish chapter 6.

English/Writing: Our spelling this week will come from our new chapter book, “From the Mixed-Up Files of Basil E. Frankweiler.” There will be a quiz for these words Friday. We are working on subject verb agreement and contractions in grammar. Also, we will be preparing for our next paper, a position paper.

Religion: Students will see Ms. Piechoki for religion.

Centers: Make- Up Center week.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me via email. I look forward to seeing you at the Spring Fling.

Miss Blanton

Newsletter February 28, 2011

Parents or Guardians: Week of: February 28, 2011

Good Morning. I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend. Here are the reminders and lessons for the upcoming week. Please make sure you send in your child’s permission slip this week for our upcoming field trip. Our field trip is next Monday. Students will need to bring a bag lunch.

Reading: We are starting a new chapter book this week. We will focus on setting, main idea, and sequence of events this week. Presentations will be held on Thursday and Friday this week on our book reports. ALL REPORTS ARE DUE THURSDAY.

Math: I will be encouraging students to bring their math home every night. If you have time please have your child explain the concepts to you. We will continue graphing this week. We will learn about taking surveys, collecting data, and putting data into various types of graphs. We are also introducing, mean, median and mode. In addition, we are covering and revisiting long division. We will have a math test on graphs and long division on Friday.

Science: We will continue this week with Animal Systems via our partner project. I plan to finish these projects in class by Thursday. Students will have time each day to work on their projects with their partner.

Social Studies: Our Trade Fair was wonderful! I was so impressed by each and every child’s poster, presentation, and item they brought in! This week will continue with New Life for colonists. Will we have a test on Monday of next week over chapters 5 and 6.

English/Writing: Our spelling this week will come from our new chapter book, “From the Mixed-Up Files of Basil E. Frankweiler.” There will be a quiz for these words Friday. We are working on subject verb agreement and contractions in grammar. Also, we will be preparing for our next paper, a position paper.

Religion: Students will see Ms. Piechoki for religion.

Centers: There will one center due by Friday this week.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me via email. God bless you and your families.

Miss Blanton

Trade Fair

I am very pleased to announce that the 5th grade first annual Trade Fair was a huge success! All of the class displayed so much creativity with the items they chose to trade! It was wonderful to see how each pair of students trading interacted so well, and that they could tie this all into trading in the early times. I am so proud of my class for all the hard work they put into their posters in addition to their items to trade. Well done fifth graders!

Hannah's Bracelet Selection.


Sean's Pet Rocks were a hit!

Waiting for the trading and bartering to begin!
Displaying their creations.
Hand-Made pot holders, toffee, and playing cards.
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Newsletter February 23, 2011

Dear Parents:
Week of: February 23, 2011

Welcome back from Winter Break! I hope everyone had time to relax and enjoy the long weekend. Here are the reminders and lessons for the upcoming week. Please make sure you send in your child’s permission slip this week for our upcoming field trip. Book Orders are due in class or online by next Monday.

Reading: We are starting a new chapter book this week. We will be working on story maps as well as, setting aside time to work on our book reports that are due next Thursday. (March 3rd) Please make sure your child's book is coming to school everyday this week.

Math: I will be encouraging students to bring their math home every night. If you have time please have your child explain the concepts to you. We will continue graphing this week. We will learn about taking surveys, collecting data, and putting data into various types of graphs. We are also introducing, mean, median and mode. In addition, we are covering and revisiting long division.

Science: We will continue this week with Animal Systems. Please have your child review the main function of each system. We will review each system and I plan to have our animal systems test on Thursday. Next week we will begin the partner project for human systems. I look forward to seeing everyone’s digestive system travel log!

Social Studies: Our Trade Fair was wonderful! I was so impressed by each and every child’s poster, presentation, and item they brought in! This week we are discussing working and trading for early settlers.

English/Writing: Our spelling this week will come from our new chapter book, “From the Mixed-Up Files of Basil E. Frankweiler.” There will not be a quiz for these words this week. We are working on persuasive writing in pairs and verbs this week!

Religion: Students will see Ms. Piechoki for religion.

Centers: There will not be any center requirement due to the short week.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me via email. God bless you and your families.

Miss Blanton

Thanks from the 5th Grade!

THESE TWO GIRLS WON BEST BAG!

Hello Everyone. On behalf of the fifth grade class and myself, we would like to say Thank You for all of the donations to our class this year. We had a lovely Valentine's Day afternoon on Monday. We couldn't have done without all of you. So again, thanks to all of the families that made it possible.

I am looking forward to our Trade Fair Friday- The advertisement posters look wonderful! There will be an update soon! Also, I cannot wait to see what type of adventures our digestive systems' take over winter break! I hope everyone enjoys their break!

Newsletter- Week of February 14, 2011

Dear Parents: Week of: February 14, 2011

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY! I hope you enjoyed your weekend. Here are the reminders and lessons for the upcoming week. Friday is the TRADE FAIR, so please make sure your child has their items in class by Friday morning. We are celebrating Valentine’s Day with a small treat and passing out any valentine cards to the class. We are also having our recycled bag contest! Please make sure you send in your child’s permission slip this week for our upcoming field trip. Thank you to everyone who has donated to our Valentine’s Day party, we truly appreciate your generosity.

Reading: This week will are reading, “The Marble Champ.” Students will work on story maps and will have a short quiz on the story Thursday. We are having a test Tuesday over the complete story for Tuck Everlasting. Book reports are due March 3rd, this includes form and project.

Math: I will be encouraging students to bring their math home every night. If you have time please have your child explain the concepts to you. We will continue graphing this week. We will learn about taking surveys, collecting data, and putting data into various types of graphs. We are also introducing, mean, median and mode. In addition, we are covering and revisiting long division.

Science: We will continue this week with Animal Systems. We are covering the muscular and nervous systems. Please have your child review the main function of each system. We will review each system and I plan to have our animal systems test on Friday. The following week we will work on our partner project, which describes how any two systems work together in our body.

Social Studies: This week we are working on learning about settlers coming to North America. We will focus on the point of view of Native Americans as well as, new colonists. We will discuss hardships of people and learn about why trading was so vital to help people survive. We are also, learning vocabulary and techniques for trade. Our trade fair is on Friday afternoon.

English/Writing: Our spelling this week will be from our books and will align with, “The Marble Champ.” The spelling test will be on Friday. In grammar we are working on verb tenses, and we are writing a short persuasive piece and editing it this week.

Religion: Students will see Ms. Piechoki for religion.

Centers: Students are required to complete ONE center this week.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me via email. God bless you and your families.

Miss Blanton

4th Grade vs. 5th Grade in Kickball!

4th Grade!

Both classes worked well together when playing kickball. They showed nice sportsmanship and had a great time.

St. Pius School Spirit!

Our class showed the school their hidden talents!

Talent Show!



Catholic Schools Week was a great way for the students to show their love and school spirit for St. Pius X Catholic School!

WE all enjoyed dressing up and playing games this week!

February 7th- Weekly Newsletter

Dear Parents or Guardians:


Week of: February 7, 2011

Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed your weekend. Here are the reminders and lessons for the upcoming week. Friday the advertisement poster for your child’s fair trade item is due. We will be having each student present and advertise their item to the class and a short interview of how the item was made will follow. We also are having pizza on Friday afternoon, donated by my lovely 88 year old grandpa, who said he was, “just proud of the class and thought they deserved to have a pizza party” =). Your child may bring in their own drink or I will provide a juice box.

Reading: We are reading, a chapter book, “Tuck Everlasting.” We will finish the story this week, and we will have a test at the beginning of next week. Book reports are due March 3rd, this includes form and project.

Math: I will be encouraging students to bring their math home every night. If you have time please have your child explain the concepts to you. We will begin graphing this week. We will learn about taking surveys, collecting data, and putting data into various types of graphs. In addition, we are covering and revisiting long division.

Science: We will continue this week with Animal Systems. We are covering execratory, skeletal, and muscular systems. Please have your child review the main function of each system.

Social Studies: This week we are working on learning about settlers coming to North America. We will focus on the point of view of Native Americans as well as, new colonists. We will discuss hardships of people and learn about why trading was so vital to help people survive. We will also learn about facts and opinions of the early times.

English/Writing: This week our spelling list will be created by the class, focusing on words that students did not know the meaning of. We will define these words this week, and work on their meanings as well as, spelling. The test Friday will ask for both spelling and meaning of words. Last week the students did very well on this task. We will discuss interviewing and focus on why it is important to be professional and prepared. We will also be working with verb tenses this week.

Religion: Students will see Ms. Piechoki for religion.

Centers: Students are required to complete ONE center this week.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me via email. God bless you and your families.

Miss Blanton

February's 5th Grade Events

February has come so quickly and our class is very busy with projects and engaging lessons!

February 4th- AR test and summary are due.

February 11th- Trade Fair Advertisement Poster & Class Interview.

February 11th- Pizza Party in the afternoon.

February 14th- Valentine Exchange/Small Treat in the afternoon. <3 Happy Valentine's Day.

February 18th- TRADE FAIR- Come to class with the item designated to you for trading.

February 21-22nd Winter Break

February 28th- Book Order Due or Order online by this date.

Catholic Schools Week -Read In

This was my first "Read In" in a class and the kids and I had a blast! It was truly a joy to see my class fully relaxed and enjoying their time reading with their friends.