HAPPY HOLIDAYS

OUR CHRISTMAS POTLUCK launched the holidays in a classic style as we dressed up for an evening of food, fun, and entertainment at the Chittenden home in Spring Lake.  Thank you for sharing so much good food and for providing transportation for students. 

Paige, Isabel, Grace, Kearstin, and Anna perform at the Christmas Potluck.

Matthew, Nate, Robbie, and Caleb all dressed up in holiday style.

THE FIFTH GRADE HOLIDAY CONCERT featured our choir, band, and orchestra this morning.  Many students, families, and friends shared in this special event in the gymnasium at Lake Hills.  We appreciate the efforts of our music teachers, Mari Jo Koedyker, Melissa Myers, and Greg Maynard.

Kaitlyn and Kearstin performed this morning with the fifth grade orchestra.

JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT'S elementary school program shows students the relevance of education to the work place and helps students understand work readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship.  Junior Achievement uses hands-on experiences to help young people understand the economics of life. David Brockmyre from the C2 Group is our classroom consultant for Junior Achievement this year.

David Brockmyre presents one of the Junior Achievement lessons.

Mason, Tyler, and Caleb interact to create a job skills chart based on the importance of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

BEATING THE ODDS

LAKE HILLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL was recently named among 8 area schools for surpassing predictions of student achievement based on demographics. This is the second year the Michigan Department of Education compiled the BEATING THE ODDS list, intended to recognize successful programs rather than struggling schools. The study identified schools that performed above their predicted levels, based on risk factors such as percent economically disadvantaged and percent students with disabilities.  This past year Lake Hills was also recognized in the top 10% of all Michigan schools for their academic achievement.  Congratulations to us!

SNOW CAMP offers two exciting days of outdoor education at Camp Pendalouan for our fifth grade students.  Walt Whitman once said:  "Now I see the secret of making the best persons; it is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth."  The YMCA facility is a four-season camp nestled in a secluded bay of Big Blue Lake in Montague.  Students will spend January 25-26 in outdoor education.

WORLD'S FINEST CHOCOLATE is being sold by students to help raise their tuition for Snow Camp.  Profit from the sale will be applied to individual accounts.  All monies from the candy bar sale must be returned by Thursday, December 1.  Please provide a check or money order made payable to Lake Hills School.

Student Council Representatives Anna, Mason, and Kaitlynn show their excitement about the candy bar fund raiser for outdoor education that began this week.  Fifth grade students are raising money to attend Snow Camp at YMCA Camp Pendalouan in January.

JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT will provide lessons in understanding various types of businesses and production models.  Local businessman David Brockmyre will be presenting these five lessons to our class after Thanksgiving. 

REPORT CARDS for our first trimester will be sent home on Monday, December 12.  Students will receive a standing in relationship to specific standards in reading, writing, mathematics, science, social studies, and work habits. 

DETERMINATION is the theme for our guided reading groups this trimester.  Students are reading realistic fiction adventure stories by authors Louis Sachar, Gary Paulsen, and John Gardiner.  Each group also focuses on the application of specific reading strategies in their study and extensive vocabulary development.

Grace, Sam, Justin, and Macy read together in their guided reading group.

Kearstin enjoys her favorite cereal during our recent Compliment Party.

Monopoly was included in the recent Compliment Party as well. 

THANKGIVING BREAK begins Wednesday, November 23.  Classes will not be held from November 23-28.  School resumes on Tuesday, November 29.

CHANGING TO LEARN is a 14-minute documentary about the role technology has played at Lake Hills in recent years.  Produced by Kirby and Jeffrey Chittenden earlier this year, the video was presented as a part of a technology conference at Arizona State University in March.  Just click this YouTube link to view it online.

GOOD TIMES FOR ALL

THANK YOU for taking the time to meet in parent-teacher conferences this week  It was a pleasure to meet with almost all classroom families these past three days.  School resumes on Monday, November 7. 

DESTINY will be the theme in our Reader's Workshop beginning next week as we launch a focus on adventure in our literature groups. Novels by Gary Paulsen, Louis Sachar, and John Gardiner will allow guided reading groups to reinforce reading strategies taught in whole-class lessons.

PUMPKINS can provide a great opportunity for students to collect data and establish such landmarks as range, mean, median, and mode. More than 6,400 seeds were harvested in our recent exploration.  The mean mass of our 12 pumpkins was 2.2 kilograms while their median circumference was 61.5 centimeters.  Three pumpkins established a mode for 22 veins in the set.  The mean seed count totaled 536.3 seeds per pumpkin.

Macy and Nate determine the circumference of their pumpkin using a centimeter tape.

Kaitlynn and Jesse begin to scoop out hundreds of pumpkin seeds to include in our data analysis.

OUR CLASS recently earned their tenth unsolicited compliment for their classroom behavior.  We will enjoy our first Compliment Party this month and spend a few extra hours in a Monopoly Tournament and enjoying our favorite cereal.

THE CANDY BARS for our Snow Camp fund raiser will be arriving in a few weeks.  Students will have at least two weeks to sell the kits they ordered last month.  A date for the annual outdoor education program at YMCA Camp Pendalouan will be announced soon.

OUR HALLOWEEN PARTY this year included a special feature of Fear Factor where students were asked to consume all sorts of mixed up food appearing as rather gross concoctions, even for a fifth grade palette.

The beef stew looked good until Mrs. Scarpino decided to put it in a blender for Kaitlynn and Kelly.

Alexis goes searching for the hidden gum during the desert round of Fear Factor.

Grace seems to be enjoying the "maggots" on her cracker.

Caleb truly puts himself into his work and play.

HEADING TO THE HOLIDAYS

OUR HALLOWEEN PARTY is this Monday afternoon beginning at 2:20. Christina Scarpino is coordinating this event and many of you have agreed to bring to special treats.  Students may bring, not wear, appropriate costumes to school for the afternoon party.  Our classroom is always a fun area for the costume parade to travel through.

THANKSGIVING is just around the corner.  Information about the the annual food drive will be coming your way soon.  Fifth grade students will be selling candy bars during the holiday once the shipment arrives at Lake Hills around November 17.

CHRISTMAS PLANS are already in many of your schedules.  Our Class Christmas Potluck will be at the Chittenden Home on Thursday evening, December 8, from 6:15 to 8:00.  More information about this student event will be coming next month.

Kearstin and Anna work on their violin parts during orchestra rehearsal.

THE FUN RUN was a great success.  The fifth grade White Dogs came in SECOND place raising $930.61 to help support PTA-sponsored activities at Lake Hills.  Thank you for your generous support of this primary event last Friday afternoon.  A total of $5,276.76 was raised in the all-school effort.

BREAKFAST is the most important meal of the day.  I was surprised to hear that several students choose not to eat breakfast on school days.  After going without food, fasting, for the entire night, the body needs to be replenished with fuel for the new day, a break of the fast.  Please make sure your child eats breakfast EVERY day or make arrangement for them to eat at school before our day begins.

Macy and Nate determine equations for the perimeter and area of complex figures.

BOXTOPS for education is an excellent way for our school to earn dollars.  Our class came in second place in the recent collection and will enjoy an ice cream sundae party.  Please keep saving your boxtops for the next round of collection.

PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES are scheduled for November 1-3.  Your conference day and time was sent home this week.  Please reply with the attached confirmation portion of the appointment reminder.  There will be NO school on the afternoon of November 3 as well as all day November 4 and 5 due to these important conferences.

Kaitlynn, Robbie, Mason, Justin, and Sam join the woodwinds during band rehearsal.

OUR STUDENT COUNCIL is a service-oriented group that works to represent our student body at Lake Hills.  The fifth grade council meets frequently with our principal during their lunch period.   We are glad that Mason Mahacek, Anna Holman, and Kaitlynn Park represent our class.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

FULL SPEED AHEAD

THE SCHOOL YEAR is in full gear and students are actively engaged in the routines of each day.  Thank you for your continual support of all we do for students at Lake Hills.  Our recent Outdoor Movie Night was a great success and something we hope to repeat in future years.  Our blog has a new look and the post today features some of the special activities our fifth grade students enjoy at Lake Hills.

MEDIA SKILLS CLASS has allowed students to create a PowerPoint presentation about how non-fiction titles are organized in the school library with the Dewey Decimal System.  Students meet with Cyndi Phillip for a 50-minute class each week in media and computer skill development.

Kaitlynn and Isabel work together on their PowerPoint presentation in Media Skills.

MEAP TESTING begins next Tuesday for fifth grade students.  Students will complete the Reading portion of the assessment on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.  Math and Science MEAP tests will be given the following Tuesday and Wednesday, October 18-19.  It is very important that students are in school these days or else they will need to be assigned to take the MEAP test on a make-up day. 

THE FUN RUN provides our school families with a plan to support the many activities sponsored by the Northshore PTA.  The goal for each student is to raise at least $20 to support a wide variety of activities including special assemblies.  Please be generous in your giving and support this all-school event on Thursday, October 20.

JUNIOR GREAT BOOKS offers a great place for us to move full speed ahead with reading before our Reading Workshop groups are established.  Learning to provide evidence for our directed notes allows students to become actively engaged in an interpretive reading, writing and discussion about literature.

Alexis is reading a short story in which she will provide a written response to several comments by a main character. 

SNOW CAMP is an outdoor education program at YMCA Camp Pendalouan that our fifth grade students participate in each winter.  Students will begin a fund-raising effort next month to help pay for the $50 tuition required for this two-day event.  Information about selling World's Finest Chocolate bars was sent home yesterday.  Parents are asked to respond to the information by next Wednesday, October 12. 

ART CLASS allows students to explore a variety of concepts including drawing, painting, ceramics, sculpture, mixed media, and more. Irene Sipe provides instruction to our class on Friday mornings.  Students are currently working on constructing a life-size painting of a guitar using fluorescent paints.

Carter and Robbie work on creating their guitars in art class.

OUR ROOM LIBRARY is now actually FOUR libraries totaling more than 700 selections sorted into grade level fiction by author.  Finding that "just right" book is now much easier for students based on their selection in the blue, green, red, and yellow libraries.  Students and parents may donate books to our room library at any time.

Nate and Anna search through our recently updated room library of over 700 selections.

FRESH START

THE PARENT ORIENTATION last week was well-attended and I enjoyed getting to meet many of you.  It is my pleasure to be working with your children as their fifth grade teacher.  Thank you for your willingness to be a part of our journey this year.  This blog will serve as an electronic newsletter of events that are scheduled and ones we have shared together.  Please note the calendar of many classroom/school events on the right side bar.

This is our fifth grade class of 24 students.  Click on any blog photo to view a larger image.

ARTWALK 2011 will showcase artistic efforts from the local area and beyond.  There will be outdoor sculpture along the Grand River waterfront, in Central Park, and other locations around town.  Paintings, mixed media, indoor sculpture and photographs will be on view throughout Grand Haven.  The fifth graders will participate in a field trip to ArtWalk on Tuesday, September 27.  Transportation will leave Lake Hills at 9:40 am and lunch will be provided by the DeeLite.

Isabel and Kaitlynn view the beautiful display at the Holland Rock and Mineral Show during our recent field trip.

SOCIAL STUDIES instruction in fifth grade focuses mainly on American history before 1805.  However, our first unit of study is in the area of geography as we learn how to better read maps and understand the physical features of our planet.  Students complete each unit of study with a paperless assessment using remote key pads to record their answers to questions.

Paige, Sam, Kaitlynn, and Jesse participate in a team activity as we focus on recognizing Constitution Day.

STUDENTS AND PARENTS are invited to the Chittenden Home on Saturday evening, October 1, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm for an outdoor movie and bonfire.  Please bring a lawn chair along and dress for the weather.  Popcorn and beverages will be provided and we might even roast marshmallows.

Mason helps Anna distribute her windmill cookie to Macy as students share an artifact that represents a "culture" of which they are part.

THE SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR begins next week.  Students in our class will preview and/or purchase books on Wednesday.  This is a wonderful opportunity for your child to build their home library and to select books for their independent reading this year.

LET THE SUMMER BEGIN

THANK YOU for the many year end gifts and greetings.  This has been an amazing group of students to work alongside and I will miss them.  I hope you and yours will enjoy a wonderful summer.

Not much left to our classroom on the last day of school.

SUMMER TUTORING in reading, writing, and mathematics is available with Katie Prins who student taught in fifth grade this year.  You may call or email her for a free introductory session at your home.  If you are concerned about your child losing their current level of achievement during the summer, give contact her via email or call her at 616-283-1309.

Boxes are all finally packed and evacuation underway for the renovations.

SUMMER READING is very important and many students made a commitment to read at least 4 books this summer.  I already have my list comprised and will enjoy the Nook versions of several books this summer.

Our custodian, Bob, passes through what remains of the library/media center.

ACTIVE 60 places an emphasis on students getting outdoors for at least 60 minutes EVERYDAY this summer for some physical activity.  I know I will be participating in the Spring Lake Heritage Festival Run this month as well as riding my bike 100 miles to help support the efforts of Bluebird Cancer Retreats.  Please enjoy the Michigan outdoors and remain active every single day of summer vacation.

Workers are already replacing windows in the media center as part of the energy saving improvements at Lake Hills this summer.  New doors, ceilings, carpet, and lighting along with improvements in heating and cooling are scheduled.

ANOTHER GREAT CLASS PLAY

SEVEN PERFORMANCES last week were received with great reviews from students and parents. Our 24 students presented two short plays this year written by Sid River, a teacher and songwriter in the United Kingdom.  "Girl in da Hoodie" featured a tough, no-nonsense main character in a very familiar childhood tale.  "Eureka!  Eureka!" focused on inventions and discoveries from the stone age to the computer age.

We would like to thank the following people for their assistance in this production: Kim Cooling, Wendy Walters, Katie Prins, Jodie LaVercombe, Melanie Reck, and Jeff Chittenden.  Below are some photo highlights of the plays (click to enlarge).

Granite (Cameron) and Grunt (Joe) discuss their design of the first wheel.

The Wright Brothers (Harry, Ben) are the right brothers for the job.

These "musicians" sing as their ship goes down.

Sir Richard Branson (Josh) consults with his banker (Kayla).

Great inventors (Jessica) require thinking time.

Little Red Hoodie (Caitlyn) torments Mr. Wolf (Joe) as he attempts to pose as Grandma.

Mrs. Riding Hood (Alexis) gives Little Red Hoodie (Caitlyn) instructions about delivery a basket of food to Grandma.

The "boys" in the hood mean business.

The real Grandma (Hailey) is assisted by her Henchman (Cassandra, Chyna).

Production Assistant Katie Prins and cast meet for dinner before our final evening performance.

OUR FIELD DAY finally took place after two rain postponements.  Students from all Grand Haven elementary schools enjoyed the annual event at Lakeshore Middle School.

Maddy, Jessica, and Chyna chill out on Field Day.

Harry, Zac, and Jonathan prepare for the field day games.

Student teacher Katie Prins with Hailey and Sara at Field Day.

SPRING IS HERE

INDEPENDENT READING continues to be an important element of what students accomplish this year.  Your child should be reading chapter books of their choice and ability at home and at school.  The goal for each student this trimester is 900 pages of independent reading.

THE ANNUAL SPRING BOOK FAIR begins next week at Lake Hills.  This "buy-one, get-one free" event will allow students to get ready for summer reading. Our class will visit the Scholastic Book Fair next Wednesday morning, April 20.  They will have an opportunity then to purchase books or create their "wish list" for purchase on Thursday.

Caitlyn and Sara go all out for Spirit Week.

FIFTH GRADE STUDENTS may ride their bikes to school (weather permitting) on Fridays beginning next week, April 22, as we celebrate Earth Day.  Details about this were sent home on today.  Learn more about Earth Day by exploring this www.earthday.org link.


BOXTOPS FOR EDUCATION time is here again. We are in a contest with other classrooms to collect the most boxtops by Monday, May 9.  You can help the Northshore PTA by participating in this "painless" fundraiser--it can make a huge difference.

Samantha demonstrated considerable creativity for our Colorful Plate Party.

OUR CLASS PLAYS are under construction.  Yes, plays!  We are performing TWO short plays this year written by Sid River, a teacher and songwriter in the United Kingdom.  "Girl in da Hoodie" features a tough, no-nonsense main character in a very familiar childhood tale.  "Eureka!  Eureka!" focuses on inventions and discoveries from the stone age to the computer age.  The cast roles and information about costuming will be coming home next week.  Be sure to reserve Thursday, May 26, at 6:30 p.m. for our evening performance of these two plays.

ANOTHER GREAT SNOW CAMP

SNOW CAMP 2011 is history, but our two days at YMCA Camp Pendalouan provided a beautiful winter wonderland experience for nearly 60 students, parents, and teachers.  Hikes, challenge games, cross country skiing, tobogganing, orienteering, Native American life, survival, and great camp food were all a part of our memorable time of outdoor education.

OUTDOOR EDUCATION enables students to enjoy challenging and unfamiliar experiences that test and develop their physical, social and personal skills. They can be among the most memorable experiences for pupils of their school-days.  We are thankful that our school and parents strongly support this opportunity for fifth grade students at Lake Hill Elementary School.

ENJOY the photo and video highlights of Snow Camp.  Most images will appear larger if you click on them.

Trekking on our first hike was an exciting challenge
though the fresh powder of recent snowfall.

The hike to Sleepy  Hollow always includes several
legends shared by Matt and Holli.

Jacob, Cassandra, Josh, and Kassidy decide to lead
the way through the Pendalouan Trails.

Holey Moley was just one of many challenge
games included in the group activities.

Sara and Samantha use their compass and map
skills to find treasure during Gold Rush.

Gold Rush robbers are armed and ready.

Big Blue Lake offers a great frozen field for a game of broomball. 
Check out the short video below, too.

Harry digs into the tasty waffle during
Thursday morning breakfast.

The toboggan run was better than ever with
some recent design changes.  Just ask Peter.

Andrew, Alexis, Autumn, and Zac demonstrate their
survival skills by building a shelter and a fire.

 Harper exits the wigwam during a Native American life class.

Rebecca provides instruction in orienteering as students
learn how to use their compass.