Penultimate Week of April

This past week we our continued work preparing for Romeo and Juliet rehearsals.  We're scheduled to begin rehearsing with Juliet this Wednesday.  For the next few nights, please work with your child and help him or her memorize lines and cues.  Generally speaking, students have done a good job preparing.  I think rehearsals will go very smoothly.

The pictures I've posted show students engaged in heart rate tests and a graphing exercise.  You'll see pictures of students using microscopes to examine cardiac cells and participating in a heart dissection.  There are photos of students reviewing play lines together, investigating Shakespeare's Globe theater, and playing miniature golf.  

All in all, it was a full and exciting week.

The Bard Is Back!

THE BARD IS BACK!!! For never was a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo! Second and Fifth grades will present Romeo and Juliet on: June 6th at All School Meeting amd June 7th at 6:30 pm. A special sneak preview of Scene 7 will be presented during Grandparents day on May 18th.

Dear Parents,

We've almost finished administering the ERB tests. Results are generally available in early June. Steve Lorenz will send out a note when the results are in and you will be invited to schedule an appointment to review your child's scores. We follow this protocol because the scores require some explanation and interpretation.

In history, students have nearly finished drawing maps of Greece. In the weeks to come, each student will color his or her map to highlight the extent of the Athenian Empire. Concurrently, students will be learning about Greek history and culture and reading and interpreting myths.

In language arts, students are busy corresponding with second grade students and sharing thoughts about Romeo and Juliet. Here is one note to a second grader.

"Oh Cupid, Thy arrow hast not missed! More and more each day my love for Romeo grows. How many arrows hast thou shot? Thou wilt spoil me! Oh, but tell me of Romeo! Is he too spoiled? Oh, let me see him once more before he flees! Alas, he flees without a good bye. Myt heart aches for him. Thou hast punctured it one too many times. Romeo, Romeo! Send my love to him on a soaring arrow. Love, Juliet"

We'll begin rehearsal on April 23. Please support your child in memorizing lines during this next two week period.

In science, we're about to investigate the heart and cardiovascular system. Each student will measure his or her heart rate on a treadmill and we'll graph the results. On Friday of next week, well dissect pig hearts!

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

I've decided NOT to schedule a trip to Mt. Washington because the entire class could not participate. Instead, I've made a reservation to go rafting on the Deerfield River. I've scheduled the trip for Friday, May 25. Please feel invited to come along. If you would like to join us, follow the link to Zoar Outdoor and make a reservation to join the Grammar School. Adult participants pay $68. Lunch and wet suits are included.

http://www.zoaroutdoor.com/

Dear Parents,

Last week, fifth graders worked through the language component of the ERB tests. Students seemed prepared to sit for the tests. As a counterpoint to the testing environment, we set out for the rope course on Thursday and Friday. Each child had the opportunity to fly on the giant swing and to work as a cog in the well oiled machine that kept the activity moving. I was impressed by the enthusiasm and cooperation demonstrated by this class.

In science, we began to look at the respiratory system. Students identified structures in the respiratory system and built a model that illustrated the muscular process of respiration. Next week, we'll look at the cardiovascular system. Late in the week or early in the following week, each student will have the opportunity to dissect a pig or calf heart.

In English, students are learning lines for our Romeo and Juliet production. Each student wrote a note, in character, to a second grader. They were hilarious and truly highlighted conceptual understanding of the central themes in the play. Next week, students with smaller roles will begin to learn lines from famous soliloquies in Romeo and Juliet. These will be acted out on stage, in costume, at all school meeting and serve as theatrical trailers for the coming performance.

The TGS faculty will have an inservice day on Monday, April 9. We will visit various schools in the area as part of our professional development. Friday, April 20 is a half day of school (8:20-12:00). The second half of the day is set aside for parent-teacher conferences with regard to the recent Progress Assessments. These conferences are typically scheduled by parent or teacher request and are intended to address specific concerns and/or the transition into the next grade level. Please contact Tammy if you wish to reserve a time slot. We will have our all-school work day on Saturday, April 28. Show up with gloves, rakes, and a strong desire to have fun working. The work will run from 9 am - noon.

Finally, I would like to send out a special thank you to Stephen Brooks. Stephen met with students in 4th, 5th, and 7th grade and led a discussion and demonstration of a remarkable 3D Optical Surface Profiler. Students were intrigued by the device and I was excited to see the students intelligently interpret the scientific notation we had recently learned about in math. Stephen demonstrated measurements being made within a 22 nanometer range of height. A nanometer is one one-thousandth of a micron (µm). There are about 80 microns (80,000 nm) in the thickness of a human hair.

Charlie

Dear Parents,

I’ve attached a number of photographs from last week. In viewing the pictures, you’ll see students making paper collage cells that depict the major organelles. You'll also see students engaged in a microscopy lab where we prepared onion skin and cheek cells for observation. As the week progressed, we conducted an experiment with chicken eggs that revealed how a cell membrane works. Ask your child about the experiment. A few human body text books went home last week. I'm missing four. If one is in your home, please send it in tomorrow.

In language arts, we finished a class reading of Romeo and Juliet. The students enjoyed reading the script and seem excited about preparing a play. I think each child will discover that this will be an exciting, rewarding, and central part of our work this spring. As of now, some students appear to have a great number of lines to memorize. Some students have very few. When we begin our work with Juliet, some adjustments will be made. Regardless of the word count, each child will be involved in dancing, fighting, and reconciliation scenes. During the ERB testing period, while the homework load is somewhat reduced, I ask that you check in with your child and help to review lines and cues. Juliet hopes that when we begin rehearsal in earnest (April 21), students will know their assigned lines.

This week marks the beginning of ERB testing. Fifth graders have had the opportunity to work together on pretests and to develop familiarity with the testing format. Before we begin any test, I’ll make sure that each fifth grader has had a snack of orange juice and nuts (fluid, sugar and protein). Please make a special effort to see that your child eats a good breakfast. Trying to concentrate on a standardized test while the tummy is rumbling is an unnecessary exercise in frustration.