END OF YEAR School and District Events/Meetings for Hoover 5th Graders
(Please email me any meetings or events that you think pertain to our fifth grade classroom and I'd be happy to add them to the list below. Thank you!)
*** denotes the events at Hoover that are performances /banquets you may wish to attend
May 9 - Collaborative Autism Meeting - District Educational Services Center - North Dodge St. 6:30-8:00 All parents and district staff invited. Rooms A and B
May 14-17 - Mrs. Kingman will share about poetry and activism in her life (connecting with our Designing Change project)
May 13 - Laurie Nash, from Prevent Child Abuse Johnson County, will speak about preventing child abuse - Design for Change project (SACK LUNCHES today)
***May 14 (Tuesday) - 5/6 TRACK AND FIELD MEET - City High - 11:45 Schools: C Central, Penn, Van Allen, Hoover, Garner and Kirkwood (SACK LUNCHES today)
11:30 Roll call
11:45 Tug of War
11:50 300 m run
12:00 Buddy Walker relay
12:10 Hurdle race prelim
12:20 5th grade hurdle race prelim
12:25 Hurdle relay 6th then 5th
12:30 5th field events and then in order 6th running events: 50, 60 then 70
12:45 Finals-6th grade dashes
12:55 6th field events and then 5th running events: 50, 60, 70
1:15 5th grade dashes - finals
1:25 3-legged race prelim
1:30 3-legged race prlim for 5th graders
1:35 finals - 3-legged races
1:40 shuttle hurdle - 6th then 5th follows
1:50 shuttle relay then co-ed shuttle
1:50 4x50
2:00 4x100 fifth graders
2:05 4x100 6th graders
May 15 - Vertical Family final gathering - BINGO. 5th grade MUSIC CONCERT - 2:30pm - ALL families invited!
May 17 - Fifth graders are trained for Patrol next year by Mr. Kosier and 8:45 Band performance
May 23 Advanced Orchestra Performance 1:00
May 31 - All School Movie 12:50
***June 3 - LAST DAY FOR STUDENTS. 6th grade music concert following the awards assembly in the morning. After games and popsicles, students will receive final report to bring home, gifts and we will say farewell and best wishes / happy summer vacation!
Hi this Oliver here I’ll be giving updates this week with Ellis.
So our first update is our design for change stuff (DFC). So on Saturday April 27th at the lower city park shelter #5 in Iowa City from 12pm-3pm. There will be a celebration called Kites for Kids. The purpose of this event is to celebrate the safety of the children and to honor the children that have suffered from child abuse.
Hi, this is Ellis and I am the other blog updater.
So, in DFC, as Oliver said, we are doing stuff about preventing child abuse. Well, with the kites for kids, we will be writing poems on our kites, may they be honoring the children or hoping for a better future for them. Also, in DFC, as you will know from our parent letter to parents, we are splitting into groups to plan ways to help prevent child abuse. Some people are taking pictures (Ethan is doing this right now to us.) others are raising awareness in many ways, be it via internet, flyers, or just talking about it.
An upcoming event that we are promoting.
We plan what we will do, and make sure that everyone is included.
A group preparing a presentation.
POP QUIZ OF RAISING AWARENESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1. In Iowa, how many children were abused in 2011?
2. On AVERAGE, how many deaths are caused by child abuse per day in the U.S?
3. What is the most common type of child abuse?
Answers:
1. 11,464
2. 5
3. Neglect. 78%
We hope to make an impact on child abuse. Wish us luck!
The week of April 8th, we will be switching teachers! Mrs. Brownlee and Mrs. Whittington will take all 5th graders on Iowa history and field trip adventures. Mr. Kosier and I will be with all 6th graders at "School of the Wild" at Lake MacBride nature and rec center.
Fifth grade parents - If you have any questions, please let me know!
Sixth grade parents - Below, I've included information that was sent home several weeks back, in a packet, with all 6th grade students. Please take a look at material lists and details below. We look forward to these upcoming adventures! Go Hoover Hawks!
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School of the
Wild 2013
Information
Packet
School of the Wild
School
of the Wild is a five day outdoor environmental education program for our sixth
graders. It is now a part of our
sixth grade curriculum and is cross-curricular in format, integrating language
arts, science, social studies & math.
Hoover
sixth graders are participating April 8 – April 12, 2013.
This
program was started in 1998, funded by the EPA, and continued through the
1998-1999 school year with REAP funding.
This year, the Hoover PTA and the ICCSD Foundation are generously
funding the program. Every Iowa
City Community School District elementary school participates in this
opportunity.
The
program is modeled after the University of Iowa Wildlife Camps and provides a
week-long day outdoor environmental experience for students. It introduces them to the natural
history of forests, prairies, wetlands and birds, along with outdoor recreation
and wilderness survival elements.
The
goals of the program are to:
· Awaken an awareness
of the wildlife and natural ecosystems in our area
· Develop an
appreciation of the natural world
· Encourage a balanced
environmental ethic and caretaker (environmental helper) attitude with respect
for the earth
The
project takes place at the University of Iowa's Macbride Nature Recreation
Area. This nearly 500 acre area is
surrounded by the Coralville Reservoir and Lake Macbride State Park. It is located on County Road F-28
between North Liberty and Solon just north of the Sugarbottom Recreation Area.
Staffing and Transportation
School
of the Wild provides at least three teacher certified staff members (plus
science education students from the University of Iowa may participate on
half-day basis as well) and transportation in Iowa D.O.E. certified school
buses. Participating schools
provide at least two teachers each day to lead environmental activities. Upper Unit teachers Lynn Ahlers, and
Jeff Kosier will staff the week.
Curriculum
Five
day-long sessions will focus on these subjects: Prairies, Forests, Wetlands,
Outdoor Adventures, and Birds.
Students visit a different session each day in a small group with a
certified teacher as their leader.
Students
will be in a team of about 10 Upper Unit peers during their week at School of
the Wild. They will be outside all
day, participating in hands-on/minds-on activities, journaling and enjoying the
wonders of nature in the outdoor classroom offered at Macbride.
Contacting School of the
Wild participants
Please
check with the Hoover Office (688-1110) if you have an emergency and a student
needs to be reached during the Wild week.
Parent Volunteers
Each
group of students will number about 10 and have a certified teacher as
leader. In addition, we have had some parents sign up for each day. They will be with their child's group. Thank you very much for your help!
Daily Itinerary…Rain or
Shine!
8:30 Start school
day at Hoover
8:45 Bus arrives at
Hoover
9:20 Bus arrives at
MNRA
9:40 Begin morning
sessions
11:30 Lunch
Noon Begin afternoon
sessions
1:50 Return to
Bluestem Shelter; wrap-up
2:00 Load bus and
return to Hoover
2:40 Arrive at
Hoover
3:00 Dismissal
Note: Thursday students will arrive at Hoover
by 1:50 PM for early dismissal.
What students need to bring
lunch
water
bottle filled with water (ice not recommended)
rain
gear (rain ponchos at Target/DrugTown/Hy Vee run as little as $0.99)
LONG
pants (that will get dirty and/or wet)
layered
clothing (that will get dirty and/or wet)
a
hat
shoes
or boots that can get wet & muddy
sunscreen
insect
repellent
backpack
pencils
colored
pencils
journal
(provided by Hoover)
a
positive attitude
Optional
items might include: extra socks,
camera, towel to sit on, binoculars
Bottom Lines: YOU BRING IT...YOU CARRY IT.
DRESS for the WEATHER.(Students are outdoors all day..)
What students should NOT
bring:
Anything that is not allowed at school is not allowed at
School of the Wild.
For example:
Ø Radios and CD players
as we are keeping noise to a minimum in order not to disturb the wildlife and
increase our chances of seeing some of the local residents
Ø Knives of any kind as
these are considered weapons (ICCSD weapons policy)
Ø Cell phones should
not be brought to School of the Wild.
Journaling
as “Homework”
Students
will receive a School of the Wild journal on Monday, April 11. In addition to some assigned journaling
during the day, students are encouraged to do some nightly journaling about
their experiences at School of the Wild.
Also, please encourage your child to tell you about the activities s/he
participated in each day as “homework” journaling is done. NOTE: This journal should be in your student’s backpack each day
so s/he is prepared for the notes, observations, drawings etc. required during
the day at School of the Wild.
Medications
and Allergies
Medication
for students who receive it daily through the Hoover Office will be packaged
and taken to School of the Wild to be administered by an adult there.
If
your student has allergies or medication needs beyond this, we need signed
written instructions about the allergies and treatments provided in
advance. ALL MEDICATIONS are to be
stored and administered by adults.
Due to weather concerns this afternoon, the conferences scheduled for today, Thursday, February 21, are postponed. My hope is that we will be able to push them forward to next week on Thursday February 28th at the same times. However, I understand that we may need to adjust times. As I learn more information about how Hoover will handle the changes, I will be sure to let you all know.
To access the current schedule, please click on the link below:
February 26th - Parent-Teacher conferences all day
February 27th - Mini Medical School - Field trip to UIHC for all 5/6 Grades
February 28th - P-T conferences after school 2:00-6:30
March 18-March 22 Spring Break - No school
April 8-April 12 - School of the Wild week for 6th graders. 5th graders will be with Mrs. Whittington and Mrs. Brownlee on field trips to Hoover Museum, Old Capitol Museum and the One Room Schoolhouse in Coralville
As we listened to the City High students drum and play their hearts out to the tune of "The Sturdy Little Hawk" at our afternoon assembly, we were reminded of all of the ways that our choices connect us to so many other people beyond our classrooms. We were celebrating the donated food to the Crisis Center, while a selected group of City High students shared with us some of their own contributions to the community. Among these stories were donations of time and energy to organizations around the city, in the county and even on a trip to Peru. Mr. Bacon, Mr. Negus, a staff member from the Crisis Center AND Louie the Little Hawk, accompanied the students in our gymnasium.
I have certainly seen the contributions of our own fifth graders extend beyond our classroom. One student recently created a welcome card and message for a new student to Hoover in another class. Another group of students planned a drive to donate used stuffed animals and books to the UI Children's Hospital. Each student in our class has also been a great big buddy to their 2nd grade reading buddies in Mrs. Wegman's class. Others bring their experiences from their families and friends outside of school to their learning and share their perspective with others. I have seen such incredible acts of courage and compassion this past month. I am proud of them and know that their impacts have such positive lasting effects on others.
We are fortunate to have several volunteers in our room, helping to provide students with the attention and encouragement they deserve. These volunteers come regularly to our classroom to donate their time and expertise to our students.
Zulma Oyarzun and Elizabeth Oyarzun will be coming each Friday to help teach Spanish lessons.
Emma Gier, a City High student, spends her open hours volunteering 4 out of the 5 school days, with LA independent time and math.
Evan Risk, a Kirkwood College student and former City High studentis volunteering Fridays in science.
Thank you to all of our volunteers!
If you walk into our classroom, you will notice large 3D snowflakes hanging from the cieling. Besides the desire to liven up our room to escape from the doldrums of winter, they are a reminder of teamwork in our class. Each of the students created a portion of the snowflakes and decorated them with the ways to work together. Then, they combined each part to create the entire snowflake. May their wishes and expectations be a great reminder this winter, as we continue to learn together.
Here is a photo of our photos from today's Spanish activity. The students shared special drawings and photos of family members, and connected these images to our Spanish lesson. Thanks to Zulma and Elizabeth for their teaching creativity! Teaching phrases in a context of real life connections certainly amps up the learning experience.
My last announcement is to introduce the start of our math enrichment groups. Mrs. Jacobson, our Instructional Coach, will be taking a group and I will be meeting with 2 groups. These groups will meet twice a week to give mathematical challenges to students that desire and benefit from the extensions. These will be opportunities to strategize with other students and solve interesting, sometimes quirky, hopefully enjoyable logic puzzles and more. Here is our math corner with extensions, packets and the student folders for their groups. You can soon ask your student how groups are going, for them.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Greetings Families!
Here are a few updates and invitations for our 5th grade familes:
1. A group of Girl Scouts that are in our class have put together a fundraiser to benefit the patients at the UI Children's Hospital. They are asking Hoover families to donate gently used stuffed animals and books to the bin they decorated outside Room 12.
2. Canned food donations may also be donated in boxes outside each classroom at Hoover.
3. Parent-Teacher conference sign up sheets are in the hallway to the east of the office. I received a lot of positive feedback about the online sign up through signupgenius.com, so I am offering that to you as a way to sign up. I will update your slot to the sheet in the hallway. If you would prefer to sign up in person, I will make sure that your slot is filled online for the same date/time, as soon as possible. I'm looking forward to sharing the great ways your students have been learning.
If you did not receive an invitation by email to sign up for a conference time, please let me know and I'll send one your way or sign you up, personally.
4. If you have questions about the homework for each day, please click the link on the homepage entitled, "Planner." This link is located on the upper left corner and I will do my best to update it daily.
5. This upcoming Friday, I will have some special guests coming in to help teach a Spanish lesson. Javier's mother, Zulma and his sister, Elizabeth will be with us to learn vocabulary around the theme of family. To help with this lesson, students will get the assignment this Wednesday (Jan. 23) to dress as the family member of their choice. This might include choosing props such as glasses, a tie, hair in a certain style, briefcase, goggles, a special book or bag. They will use these props to describe their family members and introduce each other, in Spanish. They will also create a family tree and I am asking them to bring in photos or drawings of family members they feel comfortable sharing with the class, to supplement the lesson.
Have a wonderful week! Go Hoover Hawks.
~Mrs. Ahlers
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Hey 5th and 6th Grade Scientists!
As we begin our research on elements the next few weeks, we will be visitng the computer lab to research the element of your choice.
CLICK on the following LINKS to get more information. Take NOTES in your packet. You may visit these sites at home, if you like.
