Double Eagle
8901 Lowell

Dear Families,

   This week we will start our fifth unit in Everyday Math.  As we work through the unit please be aware that homework will be coming home nightly and that there will be new concepts introduced.  I have been encouraging the students to work on their multiplication facts and this work is going to be helpful during this unit.  The students are going to be learning and using different methods for multiplication and they need to know their facts very well.

   The students have been working on two different writing samples over the last few weeks.  We started creating the pieces after many weeks of instruction on the six traits of writing and the writing process.  I am excited to read the stories and will be showing you the pieces at Parent/Teacher Conferences.  The students have also been working hard on keeping up with their reading response journals.  I was going to start book clubs but really wanted to get them used to writing and responding to their reading before we took it to the next step.  I have been conducting reading conferences and I will have information to share with you at conferences about that.

   In science and social studies we have been working hard.  The students have been using their computer lab time to research the old village of Las Golondrinas.  They are practicing both English and Spanish vocabulary and learning about the different functions of the village and its inhabitants.  In science we have started our chemistry unit.  The students have already had the opportunity to mix different substances and observe their reactions.  We will be talking about physical and chemical changes to certain substances and continuing to observe and create fun experiments.  Please check out the NEW Science Page that I added to the class webpage!

   I want to thank all of you for your help with the Fall Party.  The students really enjoyed themselves and the day went very smoothly.  Also, I would like to thank Alice Skousen for providing the sashes for the class performance at the fine Arts Festival and Troy Prichard for providing the mustaches for the boys to wear.  The kids had a great time and they did an AWESOME job!

   Please look for Parent/Teacher conference forms coming home this week and remember NO SCHOOL Wednesday, November 11th.

Andrea Dountas