Thank you to all who were able to come to the open house. I know many of you had multiple events that evening so scheduling was a challenge. For those of you who were not able to come, I have put the notes I handed out with a couple of additions at the bottom of the blog. PARENTS OF 6^TH GRADERS: There was an additional handout for you. If is included as well.

Thank you, Andy Wildenberg, for getting us an Ethernet cable today (Friday).  We now have Internet and printing capabilities. I will start the keyboarding next week and put up the website I will be using by Monday. J

If you or your child took home the sunglasses poem or the Magic Circles at open house, please return them on Monday so I can get a grade. Then they can take them home. 

NWEA Testing Schedule

Monday AM:  Reading

Wednesday AM: Math

Thursday AM: Language

I will bring a snack for the kids on Monday. If any of you would like to provide a healthy snack for Wednesday and Thursday mornings, please email me. porischt@billingsschools.org

I will be gone Tuesday AM for a training.

SUBJECT UPDATES:

READING: Both classes are reading required books.

LANGUAGE: Continuing with diagramming adjectives and writing (both creative and expository)

SOCIAL STUDIES: 5^th graders will be working in-class this week on their big map project. They will be bringing it home by Friday to finish it up. There will be a list of required items on the back of the tagboard. They must go beyond the required items to get an A.

SCIENCE: Continuing with our study of acid from last year.

MATH: Students need to teach you something that is due on WEDNESDAY!

SPELLING

5th grade

 Unit 3 Long i and o

BASIC:

sign, reply, strike, mighty, height, excite, apply, slight, define, spider, silent, brighten, groan, thrown, stroll, compose, dough, odor, control, approach

CHALLENGE

require, reproach, defy, plight, opponent

REAL WORD VOCABULARY

Life Skills: Cooking

sift, whole grain, ginger, spatula, utensil, pastry, liquid, preheat

Unit 4  Vowel Sounds  /oo/,  /yoo/

BASIC: glue, flute, youth, bruise, stew, choose, loose, lose, cruise, jewel, dilute, route, cartoon, avenue, include, assume, souvenir, accuse, view, confuse

CHALLENGE:

conclude, pursuit, intrude, subdue, presume

REAL WORLD VOCABULARY

Math: Probability

impossible, probable, outcomes, ratio, percentage, option, likelihood, algebra

6th grade

 Unit 3 Vowel Sounds /ou/, /oo/, /o/, /oi/ (but not always spelled with os in them)

BASIC: mound counter, devour, crouch, scoundrel, boundary, gloomy, maroon, droop, bamboo, vault, dawdle, haughty, thoughtful, flawless, exhausted, annoy, rejoice, hoist, oyster

CHALLENGE:  bountiful, aloof, adjoin, taut, turquoise

REAL WORD VOCABULARY

Science: Classification

zoologist, vertebrate, amphibian, genus, invertebrate mollusk, aquatic, terrestrial

Unit 4 Vowel + r sound

BASIC:  flirt, hurdle, earnest, urban, smirk, rehearse, surface, yearn, source, scorn, afford, mourn, formula, parka, radar, discard, parcel, starch, frontier, fierce

CHALLENGE:  horizontal, circuit, reimburse, formidable, monarchy

REAL WORLD VOCABUALRY

Science: Radar

transmitter, antenna, electromagnetic, encounter, forecasting, surveillance, physicist, innovation

OPEN HOUSE HANDOUTS

Sign in                                                           

Bullying contract—please resign and return. There was some language that changed.

6^th grade Social Studies

·      Mrs. Beatty: Gracyn, Ana, Drayden, Henry, Ezra, Malcolm

·      Mrs. Reitz: Bailey, Ananya, Hannah, Micah, Collin, Travis

Geography Bee (Dec); Spelling Bee (Jan)  for BOTH grades

Math

·      Common Core: We (District #2) will have to come into line by 2015

·      Grouping by NWEA scores—can challenge & move up

·      Mondays—algebra; Wednesdays—Math Counts (7:30 & noon—same lesson)

Class, Class (Call and Response)

·      focusing all

Money System

·      Payment for each day ($5)

·      Loosing things –pay to get them back/get a copy

o   directions?

·      Pay $1 for talk-outs

·      accountants/bankers—deposit the $$ each week.

·      auctions: 1/month. May bring items from home. Make sure all are rated G.

Online Grades

By the end of 1^st quarter (maybe sooner?)

Pink Slips

·      Purpose: Communication, communication, communication, accountability

AR

·      HERE!

Internet/keyboarding

·      HERE!

Blog

http://porischt.blogspot.com/

For students who have Mrs. Beatty for Social Studies:

www.beattyblogger.blogspot.com 

6^th grade only  Items in red need parent volunteers.  Underlined items are funded by the sale of the coupon books.

Morning announcements

Students sign up to say these on Monday AMs. Not required

Field Trip on May 30^st (Wed) to Lewis and Clark Caverns ($3600)

·      Will need parents to go along ( 1 or 2 at the most)

·      Coupon books pay for items underlined; we keep ½ of the profit

·      If you do not want to sell coupon books, you can send $70 or whatever you can afford to send. No one will come knocking on your door for the balance.

·      There is an incentive for selling the most coupon books

o   1^st            $30.00

o   2^nd             $20.00

o   3^rd             $10.00

Student Council @ Poly Drive

·      Run by parents during lunch

·      typically meet 1/month

·      need 1, 2, or 3 parents for this (between all 3 classes)

Moss Mansion Field Trip—Dec (no date yet; I’ll post it when I receive it)

·      Need a parent volunteer

Talent Show in Feb-typically not run by parents

·      Traditionally, 6^th graders have had their own “number” in the Talent Show

Night of the Notables—end of March?—not run by parents

·      Dress up as character; give a speech

Last Th of the School Year—not sure about parents at this one

·      Walk to Rose Park 12:30-3:00

Yearbook

·      Need parent volunteers

End of the Year Slideshow

·      Parents come in and take pics

·      Put slideshow together for the last day (set to music)

PINK SLIPS

To try and improve communication and responsibility regarding late work, I am asking that students who do not have work done fill out a pink slip, give it to you, have a conversation with you about why the assignment is late, and return it to school the next day. If it is not returned, the student is asked to call and leave a message for you. This is not meant to be humiliating; it is meant to improve communication and make them more aware of late work. Last year, one whole white board listed names of students with late work. I am trying to have them be more actively involved, rather than passively look at what I have written. If you have a concern about this method, please call me.

SATURDAY LIVE

Saturday, September 24

Registration for the FunWalk/Run and the 100 yd dash is in the stapled packet.

RUBBER DUCK REGATTA

Sunday, September 11 from noon to 4 PM @ Riverfront Park

Information is in the stapled packet.

Rainbow Words (Spelling)--explanation

Students write the words they missed on the Spelling Pretest 3 times using a different color each time.

iKeepBookmarks.com

I will be putting frequently used bookmarks on this web site so you or your children can access them from home. Right now I have one called Calculation Nation there. It is a FANTASTIC site for math practice (at their level) and logical thinking. [My current favorite is neXtu. J] I will be introducing the games in class. However, students may access them at any time and read the directions for playing them.

Students need a login name and password. I have created 4 currently. They all center around the name of Zeb and a #, and the password is my last name with a #. You will need the underscore in the user name.

Accounts:

User name: Zeb_1 Password:   porisch1                 

User name: Zeb_2    Password:   porisch2                         

User name: Zeb_3   Password:   porisch3                          

User name:  Zeb_4  Password:   porisch4

I have made these accounts for Calculation Nation so that the students can challenge each other. They will know that if a “Zeb” is online, that it is someone from the class. Each account has to have a separate email address associated with it, so at the current time, I only have 4 set up.

http://www.iKeepBookmarks.com/Terra_Porisch

I will be updating this page as we get nearer to the first day of school so check back before then. 

Our first week has been GREAT! The kids are working on tessellations to correlate to our geometry unit and Magic Circles to review different base number systems. The 6th graders have Mrs. Beatty or Mrs. Reitz for Social Studies, which give me more time to focus on the 5th grade Social Studies. Students in both grades are reading novels required by the district. We are reviewing expectations in reading groups and how to correctly write their assignments, head papers, etc. We will begin science after Labor Day. I hope you all enjoy the 3 days off. I'm heading back up to the mountains!

We will have spelling next week!! I cancel spelling on weeks shorter than 4 days.

OPEN HOUSE, ICE CREAM SOCIAL, & BOOK FAIR

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8^TH FROM 5:30-7:00

As per Mrs. Meier’s direction, our open house will include a “teacher talk” rather than just your child showing you around the room. I will start @ 5:30. Probably around 5:50, I will let parents of 5^th graders leave and will want to talk specifically to parents of 6^th graders about special events that 6^th graders here at Poly participate in. 5^th grade parents are welcome to stay, but these things will not pertain to your children this year.

Wednesday Watch Folders & Homework Folders

The Homework folder should be coming home nightly with daily work that has been corrected & handed back. It might also have work that is homework in it. The Wednesday Watch envelopes will have mostly items from the office, PTA, and other organizations.

EXCEPT THIS WEEK!  J

Please ask your child for the set of stapled papers that Mrs. Porisch forgot to have included in the Wednesday Watch envelopes!

LATE WORK & ASSIGNMENT NOTEBOOKS

I cannot stress enough the importance of asking for the assignment notebook every night. I already have 20 late assignments this week. These 20 assignments represent exactly half of the students in class. Those who have been absent are not included in that number. As always, if a child has a note from a parent, they are given extra time to complete the assignment.

PINK SLIPS

To try and improve communication and responsibility regarding late work, I am asking that students who do not have work done fill out a pink slip, give it to you, have a conversation with you about why the assignment is late, and return it to school the next day. If it is not returned, the student is asked to call and leave a message for you. This is not meant to be humiliating; it is meant to improve communication and make them more aware of late work. Last year, one whole white board listed names of students with late work. I am trying to have them be more actively involved, rather than passively look at what I have written. If you have a concern about this method, please call me.

SATURDAY LIVE

Saturday, September 24

Registration for the FunWalk/Run and the 100 yd dash is in the stapled packet.

RUBBER DUCK REGATTA

Sunday, September 11 from noon to 4 PM @ Riverfront Park

Information is in the stapled packet.

Rainbow Words (Spelling)--explanation

Students write the words they missed on the Spelling Pretest 3 times using a different color each time.

5th grade

 Unit 2 Long a and e

BASIC:

awake, stray, praise, display, scale, ashamed, waist, remain, sway, brain, feast, greet, disease, repeat, thief, sleeve, beneath, sheepish, release, niece

CHALLENGE

terrain, succeed, betray, motivate, upheaval

REAL WORD VOCABULARY

Social Studies: Maps and Globes

cartographer, meridians, longitude, equator, hemispheres, parallels, latitude, compass rose

6th grade

 Unit 1 Long Vowels

BASIC: supreme, bracelet, mute, strive, faithful, devote, rhyme, succeed, coax, rely, conceal, forgave, lonesome, delete, confine, exceed, terrain, reproach, abuse, defeat

CHALLENGE:  ratify, serene, refute, appraise, humane

REAL WORD VOCABULARY

Language Arts: Poetry

imagery, couplet, sensory, haiku, limerick, meter, free verse, stanza

Parent Volunteers

I did a lousy job of utilizing those of you who indicated you would be willing to volunteer in the classroom last year. But I have a better grip on what I would like help with.

Basically, I am thinking that there would be 3 ways you could volunteer.

1.    If you would like to create Word documents AT HOME and send them to me as attachments, I have a need for that type of help.

2.    If you would like to work with individual students or small groups, I would have a need for help like that.

3.    If you would like to assist with preparation of materials or correcting, I would appreciate help.

If you do either 2 or 3 above, you may have to fill out some confidentiality paperwork and/or have a background check done. I think that is just SOP.

School email address accounts

Students will be getting an email account the first few weeks of school. The main use of this account will be to access Word documents for assignments. Instead of printing off 25+ documents OR dragging and dropping documents into 25+ individual folders, this will allow me to put the document up in the Google docs cloud and allow the students to access it and work on it. Of course, they can print it off as well.  As always, if you do not want your child to have this access, you will be able to decline, and I will print off a copy for them to use.

I will also be using the addresses to set up user accounts for some academic games.

ALEKS.com

I have had parents ask what they can do at home to provide challenge in math or to enhance their child’s performance in math.

A web site that you might want to check out is http://www.aleks.com. This web site has tutorials for students in math content areas. If you like what you see, you have to pay to continue using it. I cannot recommend that you do this, but I know that it greatly enhances student understandings as well as test scores. Update: A parent let me know that the cost of this program is around $180/year. That is quite an increase from what is used to be. She did mention that there is an option for a 6 month subscription for around $80.

You can "take a tour" and "begin for free--trial". I would suggest this to familiarize yourself with the site and see if you think it might be something you'd be interested in.

When I go in for the free trial, I say I'm a student, take the 30 question quiz, and make some mistakes. That way when you are done, it will recommend the topics and lessons and it will let you try some of them. I would suggest the 6th/Middle School quiz.

There are protractors, compasses, etc that you can use right on line within the program. If you (the student) are not familiar with how to use them, there is a tutorial. Also, if the student has not learned "opposite interior angles", for example, there is a lesson with 2-3 practice problems after they learned the lesson.

The student is free to choose any math area (algebra, geometry, probability, etc) and work at their own pace. There is a "pie" that shows their knowledge and changes as they complete successfully the practice problems. There is also an area where they can go in and see their "report". However, I cannot see their progress. Only the person signed in can see it.

Keyboarding

When our internet connection is up and working we will start keyboarding.

iKeepBookmarks.com

I will be putting frequently used bookmarks on this web site so you or your children can access them from home. Right now I have one called Calculation Nation there. It is a FANTASTIC site for math practice (at their level) and logical thinking. [My current favorite is neXtu. J] I will be introducing the games in class. However, students may access them at any time and read the directions for playing them.

Students need a login name and password. I have created 4 currently. They all center around the name of Zeb and a #, and the password is my last name with a #. You will need the underscore in the user name.

Accounts:

User name: Zeb_1 Password:   porisch1                 

User name: Zeb_2    Password:   porisch2                         

User name: Zeb_3   Password:   porisch3                          

User name:  Zeb_4  Password:   porisch4

I have made these accounts for Calculation Nation so that the students can challenge each other. They will know that if a “Zeb” is online, that it is someone from the class. Each account has to have a separate email address associated with it, so at the current time, I only have 4 set up.

http://www.iKeepBookmarks.com/Terra_Porisch

I will be updating this page as we get nearer to the first day of school so check back before then. 

August 26th, 2011

A quick update: Spelling starts next week (words below) and Math Groups start on Monday @ 7:30 AM. Ask your children for the purple sheet.

I still need some Wednesday Watch info packets back as well as assignment notebooks. If you want to purchase your own notebook (a spiral is fine), that works for me. They need to be in class by August 29th.

Spelling Words

I have no time on Mondays to correct and hand back the spelling tests. Therefore, students will find it on the desks on Tuesday AM. This should provide them ample time to study for the final test on Friday IF they have to take it.

5th grade

 Unit 1 Short Vowels

BASIC:

breath, closet, blister, crush, direct, promise, grasp, fund, hymn, shovel, demand, frantic, swift, feather, comic, bundle, solid, weather, energy, stingy

CHALLENGE

instruct, distress, summit, massive, physical

REAL WORD VOCABULARY

Science: Forces that shape the earth

landforms, surface, constructive, volcanic, destructive, glaciers, erosion, process

6th grade

 Unit 1 Short Vowels

BASIC: batch, vanish, expand, statue, reject, meadow, cleanse, pledge, dreadful, rhythm, strict, mystery, simplify, sloppy, promptly, polish, blunder, recover, bluff, somehow

CHALLENGE:  salary, quintet, magnetic, tepid, intact

REAL WORD VOCABULARY

Social Studies: An Archaeological Dig


excavate, artifact, figurines, fragments, catalog, analyze, carbon, era

Parent Volunteers

I did a lousy job of utilizing those of you who indicated you would be willing to volunteer in the classroom last year. But I have a better grip on what I would like help with.

Basically, I am thinking that there would be 3 ways you could volunteer.

• 1.    If you would like to create Word documents AT HOME and send them to me as attachments, I have a need for that type of help.
• 2.    If you would like to work with individual students or small groups, I would have a need for help like that.
• 3.    If you would like to assist with preparation of materials or correcting, I would appreciate help.

If you do either 2 or 3 above, you may have to fill out some confidentiality paperwork and/or have a background check done. I think that is just SOP.

Supply list

This is the same one I sent home in the report card. However, the items in red are new.

1 box of tissues

5 folders with pockets

3 Notebooks: WIDE ruled                                    

Theme paper: 2 reams

1-ruler that does not bend but has metric measurements on it

colored pencils                                                

colored markers

12 pencils sharpened                                   

3 blue or black pens                                                
1 red pen

1 pair of scissors (there are lots still at school)                                               

3 glue sticks (there are NONE at school  J )

1 flash/thumb drive (the one from last year will be fine)

2 Sharpies: 1 extra fine tip and 1 fine tip

1 container for pens & pencils, preferably one that ZIPS/VELCROS  shut

School email address accounts

Students will be getting an email account the first few weeks of school. The main use of this account will be to access Word documents for assignments. Instead of printing off 25+ documents OR dragging and dropping documents into 25+ individual folders, this will allow me to put the document up in the Google docs cloud and allow the students to access it and work on it. Of course, they can print it off as well.  As always, if you do not want your child to have this access, you will be able to decline, and I will print off a copy for them to use.

I will also be using the addresses to set up user accounts for some academic games.

ALEKS.com

I have had parents ask what they can do at home to provide challenge in math or to enhance their child’s performance in math.

A web site that you might want to check out is http://www.aleks.com. This web site has tutorials for students in math content areas. If you like what you see, you have to pay to continue using it. I cannot recommend that you do this, but I know that it greatly enhances student understandings as well as test scores. Update: A parent let me know that the cost of this program is around $180/year. That is quite an increase from what is used to be. She did mention that there is an option for a 6 month subscription for around $80.

You can "take a tour" and "begin for free--trial". I would suggest this to familiarize yourself with the site and see if you think it might be something you'd be interested in.

When I go in for the free trial, I say I'm a student, take the 30 question quiz, and make some mistakes. That way when you are done, it will recommend the topics and lessons and it will let you try some of them. I would suggest the 6th/Middle School quiz.

There are protractors, compasses, etc that you can use right on line within the program. If you (the student) are not familiar with how to use them, there is a tutorial. Also, if the student has not learned "opposite interior angles", for example, there is a lesson with 2-3 practice problems after they learned the lesson.

The student is free to choose any math area (algebra, geometry, probability, etc) and work at their own pace. There is a "pie" that shows their knowledge and changes as they complete successfully the practice problems. There is also an area where they can go in and see their "report". However, I cannot see their progress. Only the person signed in can see it.

Keyboarding

When our internet connection is up and working we will start keyboarding.

iKeepBookmarks.com

I will be putting frequently used bookmarks on this web site so you or your children can access them from home. Right now I have one called Calculation Nation there. It is a FANTASTIC site for math practice (at their level) and logical thinking. [My current favorite is neXtu. J] I will be introducing the games in class. However, students may access them at any time and read the directions for playing them.

Students need a login name and password. I have created 4 currently. They all center around the name of Zeb and a #, and the password is my last name with a #. You will need the underscore in the user name.

Accounts:

User name: Zeb_1 Password:   porisch1                 

User name: Zeb_2    Password:   porisch2                         

User name: Zeb_3   Password:   porisch3                          

User name:  Zeb_4  Password:   porisch4

I have made these accounts for Calculation Nation so that the students can challenge each other. They will know that if a “Zeb” is online, that it is someone from the class. Each account has to have a separate email address associated with it, so at the current time, I only have 4 set up.

http://www.iKeepBookmarks.com/Terra_Porisch

I will be updating this page as we get nearer to the first day of school so check back before then.