Last Week

Happy Last Week of Elementary School!

Just wanted to give you a rundown of this week with all that may be going on in your lives!  

Tuesday we will have a Read-a-thon in which students will enjoy books most of the day.  This will include Fantasy books, Scholastic News, reading about the beginnings of our nation, and some free reading.  They are welcomed to bring a small blanket (a beach towel is perfect) and a small throw pillow.  My "rule" was, "if you can fit it in your backpack, it's okay to bring."

Wednesday morning will be Field Day.  Please make sure you sign in at the office if you plan on stopping by.  Due to the weather, we may have some time on this day to play board games.

Friday is our end of year picnic at Stroh Park.  If you haven't already done so, please be sure to use My School Bucks to register your child for this field trip.  We look forward to seeing many of you there!  At around 2:00/2:15 we will have our slideshow presentations in the gym here at Gold Rush.  When the slideshow is over, students will return to our classroom while the rest of the school and you all prepare for our 5th Grade Clap Out.  Again, if you are entering the school that last day, you'll need to check in at the office.

We look forward to a fantastic week!

Last Few Weeks

I hope everyone is having a great week! As our school year begins to wind down I have a couple of reminders. This email is quite long so please be sure to read all the way through.

First and foremost, I would love for you to send in a few pictures for our end of year slideshow.  I need one baby/toddler picture of your kiddo and a current photo.  Please send these in a s soon as possible.  Also, if you have any other pictures from school events from the year, I'd love to include them as well (Western Night, Digger Dash, Class Parties, etc)


Upcoming events:

Monday, April 29th - Our students will be going to tour Cimarron Middle School for about an hour.  This will give them an opportunity to see the building and ask questions of other students.  A permission slip will be available shortly to allow your kiddo to ride the bus.  

Friday, May 17 - Growing and Changing Body Presentations.  Please see the attachment for more information on what will be covered.

Friday, May 24th - End of Year Celebration
We are excited to celebrate the end of our students' elementary education with a big celebratory picnic.  This year's picnic will be at Stroh Park (please not that this is different from year's past) from 10:00am – 1:30pm.  Students will ride buses to and from this event therefore you will need to fill out the permission slip online through My School Bucks.

Students will be provided with sub sandwiches there courtesy of Gold Rush, but we would love your help with a few other items.  Please see our Sign-Up to help out.  We welcome family to the event to join in the fun, but, unfortunately, cannot provide food for all, so please pack a lunch for yourself and head to the park!  

This is really a fun family event! We do have the whole park to ourselves this day so we encourage you to bring soccer balls, volleyball nets, shade structures, lawn chairs, frisbees, etc.

After the picnic we will return to Gold Rush and gather in the gym for our End of Year Slideshows.  If you are only attending this portion of the day we should be beginning around 2:15.  

At the end of the slideshow please stay in the gym while the students return to their classes for final good-byes.  Administration will speak to you for a few minutes and give you instruction on how to help the school say farewell to these great kiddos in our traditional Clap-Out. 

Thank you for all your support this year.  We are sad to see these kiddos moving on but know they are ready for what lies ahead!  We have all truly had a great year!


Yikes!!  I hope I've got everything covered! =)

Outdoor Ed

Our class will be going on our outdoor ed trip April 16th.  It's a bit earlier this year than it has been in the past due to transportation availability.  Please use the information below to register, if you haven't done do already.  
On the day of the trip, each student needs to bring a backpack with the following:
  • A bag lunch
  • Multiple bottles of water 
  • Two healthy snacks (fruit, granola, veggies, etc...)
  • Sunscreen 
Additionally, students need to wear clothes that are appropriate for the being outside.  Tennis shoes are required.  Please do not allow your student to wear sandals on this trip.  As students will be wearing helmets for a few of the activities, girls often find bringing a hair tie helpful to keep their hair out of the way.  Please no high ponytails as the helmet won't be secure.  Students will NOT be allowed to bring cell phones.  All teachers will have cell phones in case of an emergency.  There are also phones at the facility. Registration is done through My School Bucks.  Thanks again!



In order for your child to participate in this field trip/program you must register (includes online permission form)  & pre-pay on-line by going to: 
MySchoolBucks.com > Login > Add your student if you have not already done so > Go to School Store in upper right corner > Field Trips > GRE - 5th Grade Stone Canyon Outdoor Ed. The MySchoolBucks link can be found on GRE’s website under Parent Info or click hereRegistrations MUST be completed by 2 days prior to your field trip. 
  •  Online registration is for your student only- please do not register yourself or younger siblings.
  • Free/Reduced students will have the option of selecting "no payment" but must still register. 
  • No refunds

Student Blogger - Charli

BLOG
Blogger: Charli Kalberer


Reading
In reading we are working on perspective. We are trying to notice what the
character is  feeling or thinking. We are learning how to pick up clues that tell
students if they are mad, sad, happy, or hyper. Students try to determine their
perspective by looking at words or phrases in the story.


Math
In math we are working on adding and subtracting decimals. We are also
working on multiplying fractions, we are learning how to make the
denominators the same so that it is easier to multiply them.


Writing
In writing we are learning how to write an argumentative essay. We are
working on how to know what the reader is going to say next, so that we
can prove them wrong.


Social studies/History

In social studies/history we are working on studying travelers on a time line.
Like Christopher Columbus, we are even reading a book about how he
discovered the Bahamas, but thought he was in the Indies.

Student Blogger - Jaron

 Student Blogger - Jaron          
           Hello Gold Rush Families!


Our class has been doing some really cool stuff, and we want to make sure                  
                                         you know all about it!
       
Reading: In Reading we have been determining the different text structures in
different texts whether it’s description, compare and contrast, cause and effect,
sequence, or problem and solution.  We read different texts and compare the
different text structures of each different article. We are also working on our
Inquiry Research Projects. Those are the topics we chose to learn about and do
projects on.


Math: In math we are doing multiplication and division with fractions.  We do
either fractions multiplied by whole numbers, fractions multiplied by mixed
numbers, or fractions multiplied by fractions.  We are also working on rounding
decimals and adding and subtracting decimals.


Writing: In writing we have been working on our argumentative topics.  We
have to state our claim clearly and then have reasons to support our claims.  
Then, we need true evidence having to do with that reason to support it. We
are also working on our essays.  We are learning how to make our essays
stronger, to make our claims more believable, and to add quotes.


Social Studies/History: In social studies we are learning about the Natives,
the European Vikings, and their timeline, the Ice Age.  We learned that
Christopher Columbus wasn’t the first one to discover America and that the
first Europeans to discover America were the Vikings.  We also learned about
what the Natives and the Vikings did to get to America.

Meteorologist Visit





Gold Rush welcomed Mike Nelson, Chief Meteorologist for the Denver7 First Alert Weather Team, to our school today.  Our class, along with the other 5th grade classrooms and  the 2nd graders learned more about the different types of severe weather and the use of a variety of weather instruments that can be used to predict the forecast.   This guest speaker was able to make connections between what we have learned in class over the last few weeks to what is going on in the weather here in Colorado.  It is so great for the kids to hear first hand about class topics and makes the learning that much more real and relevant to them and their lives.  Tonight at dinner, be sure to ask about all the great things they learned and maybe even ask them to do the "Tornado Dance."

Click here to see more on Mike Nelson.



Key Concepts Discussed:
Radiosondes
Jet Stream
High Pressure
Low Pressure
Formation of Tornados


Watch channel 7 tonight at 6:00 pm for Mike Nelson's Kids Cam!

February Update

In math, we are in the middle of our unit on decimals. Students have been working on ordering
and comparing decimals. This week we will continue our study of decimals by rounding decimals to
the nearest one, tenth, or hundredth. Using number lines and grids as models students are building
their understanding of rounding decimals. This week we will also be finding fraction and decimal
equivalents which will lead us into adding and subtracting decimals. Next we will be adding and
subtracting decimals. I suspect, based on pretests and class observations, that this unit will go by
quickly for most students.

In reading, we are diving into building our reading comprehension using complex nonfiction texts.
Students are developing an array of strategies to help grow their comprehension in reading. These
strategies include summarizing, adding in headings by annotating, rereading, previewing text
structures, and building knowledge of academic vocabulary. You can help your child at home by
asking them to summarize what they have read. Summarizing helps students better understand
what they are reading, notice when meaning breaks down, and remember the important parts of
what they are reading. Students should determine multiple main ideas and supporting details while
considering the author’s main ideas and how ideas connect to one another. Later students will be
delving into an inquiry based study on a weather phenomenon (hurricanes, tornados, etc.). This not
only ties to our science standards, but will also allow students to synthesize information across multiple
text sources, and compare how different authors present information in a variety of ways.

In writing, we are still working on our argument unit. Students are using research groups to develop
new thinking. We are recognizing that a good argument is supported by reasons that are backed by
evidence. Students are analyzing a variety of texts and studying arguments identifying what makes a
strong argument while researching both sides of an issue. This will lead to several Research Based
Argumentative Essays. The volume of writing will increase as well as attention to structure, craft, and
conventions.

In science, we have been conducting a variety of experiments learning more about what happens
when water evaporates and understanding more about water vapor. We have carried out our
experiments using our knowledge of the scientific method. We will also take the information we've l
earned about water, solar energy, and transfer of energy to make some insights about weather patterns
around the world. Mike Nelson form Channel 7 will also be coming in to give a presentation for the kids!