HOLIDAY SEASON AHEAD

PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES were a great success and I want to thank EACH of our families for their participation in these updates. Students will lead their spring conferences where they will provide evidence of their achievement and share areas in which they face challenges.

CANDY BARS arrived today and will be sent home. Students have until December 1 to sell these and return the total balance due to school. Please make checks payable to Lake Hills School and do not send cash. Thank you for your support of our fundraising efforts as we prepare for the outdoor education program at Camp Pendalouan this winter.


OUR THANKSGIVING BREAK is from Wednesday, November 25, through Monday, November 30. School resumes on Tuesday, December 1.


WE COMPLETED our first unit in Geometry this week as we focused on determining the perimeter and area of rectangles, triangles, and complex figures. We completed our test using the Classroom Performance System keypads with an average score of 83.41%. We begin our study of fractions and decimals this week.


EXPLORING A SUNKEN SHIP in social studies this week permitted us to discover the various artifacts archeologists use to help determine information about the early explorers to America. We will complete this short unit of study with a summary review next week and our test on Wednesday.


THE PTA FOOD DRIVE began this week. Please send non-perishable food items to school as we prepare to make Thanksgiving food boxes for area families. It would be great if we could fill two large boxes with items from our class.


OUR FIRST COMPLIMENT PARTY will be mixed with our Writers' Celebration next Friday morning, November 20. We have received 10 unsolicited compliments and will also celebrate our focus on personal narrative writing. This is a "cereal event" where students may bring their favorite cereal and bowl with them to school. I will provide the milk. We will also enjoy a few hours of Monopoly that morning.


THE LAST SOLDIER was the theme of our discussion about Veteran's Day this week. I shared with the class a web site our foreign exchange student constructed for her American History class project at Spring Lake High School. Click HERE if you wish to visit this site and learn about a member of my family who received a medal from the French government for his role in the Battle of Verdun.


THE LEONID METEOR SHOWER is predicted to by quite amazing this year; so, you might want to catch the predawn sky this Tuesday, November 17. Click HERE for more information about this celestial show. Although Tuesday morning will provide the best entertainment, Monday and Tuesday evening may also provide good viewing.

SCROLL DOWN to view our class calendar.

CONFERENCE TIME

PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES are scheduled for next Monday and Tuesday, November 2-3. Students will not have class these days and do not need to attend this conference with you. Classes on Wednesday will be dismissed at noon and students will be in class ALL day on Thursday and Friday.

OUR MEAP FEAST was a great way to conclude taking the reading, math, and science assessments in fifth grade. Thank you for your support of this special, fun event. We had a lot of great food to enjoy. The wonderful aromas wafted through our pod.

Miciah and Natalie work on the finishing touches of their science project in Mrs. Baker's class.

THE HALLOWEEN PARTY is slated for this Friday afternoon. Shelley Cannon (616-846-2393) and Donni Jonas (616-842-5144) are in charge of this event. Students may bring costumes and makeup to school for the Halloween parade. The party and parade will begin at 2:30 p.m. Click HERE for the Chittenden family Halloween greeting! Turn up your sound and enjoy.

OUR CANDY BARS for the Snow Camp fundraiser are scheduled to arrive on Friday, November 13. Students will have until December 1 to sell the chocolate bars and return money. Camp is scheduled for January 27-28.

Talia focuses on constructing accurate geometric drawings in her math journal.

TRICK-OR-TREAT FOR UNICEF boxes went home today. Jordan Chusid, a former Lake Hills' student and a GHHS Senior, is the UNICEF Coordinator. Students may help with this collection on Halloween night and return the boxes on Monday. We would like to surpass last year's goal of $700. The classroom that contributes the greatest amount to UNICEF will earn a pizza party. Go Room 15!


Working with oil pastels in art class allows students to learn about blending colors. Mac and Morgan seemed to enjoy it this afternoon.

EATING HEALTHY, washing hands, and getting rest are critical to maintaining our health. Our class has been fortunate (so far) to dodge considerable illness. Today we took a little extra time to use a new de-ionized water device that eliminates 99.9% of bacteria in cleaning our desktops this afternoon. The activated water attracts dirt like a magnet and lifts if from the surface, enabling it to be easily wiped away.

MEAP IS COMING

THE MEAP (Michigan Educational Assessment Program) testing begins next Tuesday morning. Fifth grade testing will be conducted on the mornings of October 13, 15, 20, and 22. It is very important that your child is in school on these days. Make-up testing will be scheduled on other days prior to our October 29 deadline for all testing. Fifth grade students will be tested in reading, mathematics, and science.

Amanda shares from her Writer's Notebook in response to reading a Polish folktale.

OUR ONLINE READING CLASS allows us to see lessons and assignments when we are using the wireless laptops in class. Students may also access the Lake Hills Online School from home. We took a short quiz today in response to reading Prot and Krot, a Polish folktale about a soldier who wishes for modest things when he can ask for anything in the world. Have your child show you our online classroom this weekend. Students can also view their grades for this class from home.

Sady and Cooper play the online Factor Game with the computer as their opponent.

THE CANDY BAR SALE to raise money for our Outdoor Education camp program will begin next month. Orders for 85 Chocolate Shop kits were placed today with World's Finest Chocolate. This year's Snow Camp will be on Wednesday, January 27, and Thursday, January 28, at YMCA Camp Pendalouan in Montogue.

PERCUSSIONISTS are not all that common at Lake Hills. Can you believe we have FIVE students who are now a part of the percussion section in the Lake Hills band? The band, choir, and orchestra meets every Friday afternoon from 1:00 to 1:50 to rehearse.
Mac, Amanda, Michael, Natalie, and Hans show off their percussion kits. Rhythm abounds!

CONFERENCE REQUEST FORMS were sent home this week. Please complete your request for a Parent-Teacher conference and have your child return this form by Monday, October 12. Fall conferences will be held on Monday, November 2, and Tuesday, November 3.

THE ECOSYSTEM PROJECT dues dates for science are now posted in the classroom. Students must have a "creature picture" turned in on Monday, October 12.

• October 16 - Creature Adaptation
• October 19 - Fact Sheet
• October 21 - Food Web (completed in class that day)
• October 22 - Project Poster
  

THE FALL FUNDRAISER product pick-up is from 3:30 to 6:00 pm on Friday, October 23. Be sure to put that time/date on your calendar if your child participated in the fundraiser.

FIFTH GRADE BEGINNINGS 09

WE ARE OFF and running as the routines become more familiar. Keith Pruitt is our teacher assistant from Grand Valley State University. He will be working in our class during the mornings until December. It is always a pleasure to host many teacher assistants and student teachers on our campus.

OUR RECENT FIELD TRIP to the Holland Rock and Mineral Show provided an enjoyable shopping experience for many students. Special thanks to Shelley Cannon, Michael Woodwyk, Annel Olthof, and Cris Anderson for accompanying us on this trip.


THE SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR opens at Lake Hills on Monday, September 28. Students will have a chance to purchase books through October 2. We will visit the fair from 2:30 to 3:00 on Tuesday afternoon.

KNOWING MULTIPLICATION FACTS is expected of all fifth grade students. Your child began learning his/her facts in third grade and should be very fluent with multiplication facts through 11. We have taken several "quick quiz" checks on these skills and will continue to expect students to know them. Students may need to practice with flash cards at home if necessary.

MATH EXPRESSIONS is our new math series at Lake Hills. It incorporates the best practices of both traditional and reform mathematics curricula. It offers opportunities for students to interact in pairs, small groups, whole-class activities, and special scenarios. Many of the fifth grade concepts will hinge on an introduction to algebraic expression and problem-solving strategies. In our first unit of study, we are focusing on multiplication and division situations along with developing equations and problem-solving.

NEW LAPTOP COMPUTERS provide an exciting opportunity for our class to connect to the Lake Hills online classroom at EDU 2.0. As we begin to build our online resources, students will reference more lessons, assignments, and assessments via the Internet. This is just the beginning! You are welcome to check out our new virtual school at lakehills.edu20.org to learn more about our educational portal.

THE FALL FUNDRAISER ends on Monday, September 28. This is the last weekend students may contact their Favorite Four to help support the fund raising efforts of our PTA. Be sure to keep the PINK copy of the order form. You have until October 23 to collect the money, which is due when you pick up your orders on October 23.

THE 2009 AUTUMN FEST is next Thursday, October 1, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. This free family event at the school is something you don't want to miss...lot's of fun events...family night at the book fair...and more.

OUR CLASS CALENDAR can always be located at the bottom of our blog. If you use Google calendars, you can subscribe to the public calendar and keep updated on all our events.

CLASS PLAY 2009

WHO, ME? YES, YOU! was presented on May 13-14 at Lake Hills Elementary School. Our one-act play written by Michelle Davis creatively taught us about being safe, responsible, and respectful. The 23 fifth grade students portrayed some 50 roles in the production which tells the story of a film crew intensely working together to record six television commercials about social responsibility.

• Bully Busters--coping with bullies
• Store Wars--treating customers fairly and honestly
• Driving Lessons--not letting impatience affect driving
• School for Super Heroes--resolving problems peacefully
• Cod of Conduct--being a good citizen
• Alien Encounter--being considerate of others' differences

Produced by special arrangement with Pioneer Drama Services of Englewood, Colorado, the play was funded in part through the Michigan Integrated Behavior and Learning Support Initiative (MiBliSi). Lake Hills was one of the first schools in Michigan to participate in this initiative to increase reading performance and reduce behavioral problems among students.

Logan, Tasha, and Nathaniel as part of the film crew.

Tasha and Nathaniel portray Anne Action and Ian Charge.

Hunter, Michael, and Brock receive direction for the filming.

Hunter as Len Sangle.

Stagehands Miguel and Zachary review their checklist.

Ana (Nodda Clue) and Alex in "Bully Busters."

Ana and Michael (Dustin Bins) "cleaning up" the act.

Ana, Olivia, and Rubee in training for "Bully Busters" clients.

Ana, Lluvia, and Jaslynn inspect the anti-bully earplugs.

Ana offers her "expert advice" to Brooke and Emily.

Isaac (Darth Profit) and Drew (Owe-Me-One Kenobi)
attempt to strike a deal in "Store Wars."

Isaac and Kane portray an unexpected visit.

Isaac observes the "dark side" of business.

Zachary as Luke Skyshopper

Zachary defends himself from the boss.

Isaac (Darth Profit) and Emily (Hannah Solo) strike a deal.

Gaige (Little Chewie) and Zachary (Luke Skyshopper)
checkout the light sabers.

Ana as a multitasking mom in "Driving Lessons."

Alex and Emily as unruly children in the car.

Ana and Jaslynn have a driver-pedestrian encounter.

Michael is not too patient with female drivers.

Rubee, Olivia (Viking Girl), and Brooke
in "School for Super Heroes."

Michael and Gaige trade super hero cards.

Kane (Super Social Responsibility Man)
and Drew share a lesson in respect.

Kane and Zachary (Captain Citizen) discuss appropriate behavior.

Rubee (Skully) opens the "Cod of Conduct" lesson.

Jaslynn (Peg-Leg Meg) and Lluvia (Black-Tooth Bonny)
as pirates.

Gaige (Stub-Toe Tom) scopes the horizon.

Isaac (Captain Sealegs) teaches his crew in "Cod of Conduct."

Alex as Captain Sunny Skies in "Alien Encounter."

Olivia (Hayley Comet), Elizabeth (Dr. Una Verse),
Emily (Luna Starstruck), and Michael (Lars Moonwalker)
aboard the starship.

Jaslynn, Miguel, Brooke, and Zachary as aliens from Jargon 5.

Mr. Chittenden as a concerned police officer and
Michael (Guy Slate), who parked his car in a no-parking zone.

Our celebration cake courtesy of the Design Team--
Ann Tibbe, Muerill Tuggle, Annel Olthof.