May 29 - June 1st

Please enjoy a visual look at our second to the last week of school!

Creative IB Exhibition thankyous for our mentors

Burning Coal Theatre Actor in Residence, Mr. Finley, teaching us about Shakespeare

Hall Art with Mr. Fota

                                                     
                                 

May 21st-25th

Busy, busy week as we completed End of Grade Testing and work to finish our IB Exhibition essays and project presentations.  Students have been focused and engaged.  We are so appreciative of the mentors who are working with each presentation group!  We certainly hope you will be able to join us on Friday morning to see the culmination of our efforts as the fifth graders present their projects in 30 minute sessions at 9:00, 9:30, and 10:00. Please come at the time that is convenient for you.

We are very thankful for the generous PTA gift that allowed our classroom to observe the life cycle of a butterfly.  Here are some pictures that show the sequence of events.

                                                                   

                                                                                                                                                
                                                                                    
 I emailed the following end of year information out earlier today.  Please make sure you have these dates and times on your calendars as these events are fast approaching!

                                            

Please find below  important  upcoming dates and times...

• Friday, May 25...Fifth Grade Exhibition Presentations 9:00-10:30.  Each group will present their project 3 times begininng on the half hour.  (9:00, 9:30 and 10:00) Please ask your child where his/her group will be presenting.
• Monday, May 28...No School...Memorial Day
• Tuesday-Friday (May 29-June 1)...Shakespeare in Residence visiting our classroom from 9:15-10:30  T-Th and 1:45-2:30 on Friday.
• Friday, June 1...Grade 3-5 Field Day...10:45-12:15 (Raindate is Monday, June 4)
• Monday, June 4 (8:30-9:30)...Graduation Dress Rehearsal
• Tuesday, June 5...Kickball Game at Kiwanis Park (5th graders vs. JYJ Staff)
• Wednesday, June 6 (8:30-9:30)...Graduation Dress Rehearsal
• Thursday, June 7...Graduation beginning with a breakfast at 8am in the cafeteria and followed with the Graduation Ceremony in the gym beginning at 9:30. The pizza party will immediately follow the ceremony and it will be held under the overhang.

Dress code for graduation:  Typically, the boys wear nice shorts/slacks with a nice collared shirt.  The girls wear nice shorts/slacks with a blouse, or a dress, or a skirt and blouse.

May 7 - May 11

Important info about our graduation celebration...


Dear Fifth Grade Parents,
Last week we sent home an exciting letter about 5th grade graduation activities. We hope you have all had the opportunity to read the letter by now. It is important that you return the completed order form on the bottom of the letter and $15 to your child's teacher by Friday, May 11. The form allows you to order the t-shirt size you need for your child, as well as order additional slices of pizza for yourself and your guests. For your convenience, we have attached a copy of the form. We are looking forward to celebrating this milestone with you on June 7th!

Thanks,
Sherry Ball, aballfamily@nc.rr.com
Kirsten O'Brien iveyobrien@bellsouth.net

J.Y. Joyner

5^th Grade Graduation

Dear Parents,

It is hard to believe it is finally here, but after six years of classroom learning, field trips, fabulous teachers, friends, homework packets, projects and Wednesday folders, our fifth graders are going to GRADUATE on Thursday, June 7^th! We are planning a very special day to honor these students for this wonderful accomplishment!

The tentative schedule for graduation is:

8:30 – 9:30 Light breakfast in the cafeteria for 5^th graders and their graduation guests

9:30 – 11:00 Graduation in the gymnasium

11:00 Party for graduates and guests outside at the carpool loop

            We need your HELP to make this day memorable for our fifth graders! Please send $15/child to cover the following expenses associated with the graduation festivities:

·         Class of 2012 t-shirt

·         Pizza (2 slices per graduate) and drink

·         Dessert

·         Light breakfast in the cafeteria prior to the graduation ceremony

Please fill out the following form, enclose $15 (cash or check made out to JYJ PTA), and return it to your child’s teacher by Friday, May 11.

                                                                        Thanks!

                                                                                    Kirsten O’Brien iveyobrien@bellsouth.net

                                                                                    Sherry Ball aballfamily@nc.rr.com

Name of Child: _______________________________ Phone Number: ___________________________

Teacher Name: ________________________________

T-Shirt Size (circle one): 

Youth Medium      Youth Large       Adult Small     Adult Medium       Adult Large     Adult X-Large

** 2 slices of pizza for your child are included in the $15. If you would like to order additional slices of pizza for your child or your family members, you may preorder pizza for an additional $1 per slice. You must enclose payment for any additional slices with this form. We will not be able to sell pizza at the graduation party. **

Party: $15                                Additional Pizza Slices (@ $1 each) __________  

Total $ enclosed: __________

Important.....If you haven't sent in a baby picture and/ or returned your child's middle school folder to Ms. Burston please do so as soon as possible.  Thank you.  :)

EOG's ........Time to begin thinking about being in EOG mode next week.  We will begin testing on Wed. May 16th with the reading portion of the EOG.  Thursday and Friday will be the math section and the following Tues. May 22nd will be the science portion of the test. 

 Please make sure your child is getting plenty of rest, a good breakfast and arrives to school on time! I encourage comfortable clothes and  a light jacket that can be easily taken on/off. 

 Testing days are long and so having some down time when they arrive home is a great idea as well. Thanks so much for your assistance ..it is greatly appreciated.  We will have the much looked forward  to EOG pep assembly this Friday at 2:00. 

Reading -EOG review

Math-Measurement and EOG review

Science Force/Motion and EOG review

Social Studies-final copies of representation without taxation letters

Exhibition-students meeting twice a week with mentors to work on presentations and working in class on essays

April 30th-May 4th

We were all glad to welcome Josh back to class this morning after his unexpected appendectomy last Fri. night.  We are now all more knowledgeable about our own appendixes and thanks to modern technology have seen Josh's! I will refrain from including a picture here...

Speaking of modern technology..I had this post completed this morning, showed the draft to the students before dismissal, but it was gone when I went to post it after school today ????  Guess I am still getting used to the new interface...please forgive the late posting ...

Math- algebra expressions and equations - will move to measurement next week

Spelling- our list is made up of math words this week and will allow us to review important vocabulary for the EOG's...test and packets due on Fri.

Science-we are learning about simple machines in our force and motion unit....be sure and check the links section for some great practice with these concepts....

                                                                             

Social Studies-we are organizing and writing a persuasive letter to King George III regarding taxation without representation...

                                                                         

IB Exhibition Projects- we began using our research to write our group essays..students will meet on Thurs. with Exhibition mentors to begin discussion of their group projects

Reading-we are beginning a poetry unit which will allow us to review many of this year's key concepts including
main idea, author's purpose, tone, point of view and figurative language..

Art work below has taken up residence outside our classroom-please come by to admire...thanks Mr. Fotta

                                                                         

                                                                         

April 23rd - 27th

Parents and Students,

Your generous and  thoughtful expressions of appreciation this week are kind reminders of how extremely fortunate I am to teach at JYJ!  I have enjoyed the creative notes, yummy treats, and kind gifts. Thank you!

I am so thankful for each of my unique and creative students! It is going to be bittersweet to see them all head off to middle school!  I know it is time and they are ready but I will miss them tremendously as will the entire JYJ community.

We are making good progress on our exhibition projects, having narrowed down our topics and created lines of inquiry to help with our research.  Students are getting time in class this week to research as well as during our technology period next week.  If they so choose, they may also research at home.  Next week they will meet with their mentors who will assist with the presentation and action parts of the project.

                                                                                                                                                         
We have completed our geometry unit and based on pre-assessments formed new math groups for our last unit which will cover algebra and measurement.  Encourage students to study math journal notes for a few minutes each evening.

                                                                                   
This week our afternoon centers include activities based on :Newtons Laws of Motion, exhibition research, text book selection focusing on events leading to the American Revolution, and a Scholastic News comprehension activity. Students are working cooperatively and accomplishing alot.

                                                               
This week's spelling list focuses on words with silent letters.  The spelling packet is due Friday when we will have our spelling test.  Speaking of Friday, please remember that it is an early release day and dismissal will be at 12:30.

Mon. April 9th -Fri. April 13th

Welcome Back...Hope everyone had a great spring break.!


This week we are working on.......................

Language Arts: Myths
Math: Geometry....lots of important vocabulary with this unit
Spelling: Adding ed and ing at the ends of words-packet due and test on Fri.
Science: Introducing new unit on Force/Motion
Social Studies: 5th grade Exhibition Projects-creating essential agreements and research questions for topic

Hope to see everyone at JOYNER'S premier event: Noodles and Nonsense on Thursday evening.....

• Dinner 5pm
• Entertainment (and I use that word loosely) 6:30 pm

Next week is the spring book fair... our class will preview the fair on Tues at 1:25 pm and our purchasing day is Thursday at 1:25 pm.

Mon. March 26th- Thurs. March 29th

5th Grade Exhibition

Letters were sent home several weeks ago providing information about the 5th Grade Exhibition Project. We will be working on this project from now until the presentations on May 25th.  Students will work in groups based on interest to research a particular problem that exists in society today.  Our central idea for the project is: "Survival Requires Interdependence." Each student will be responsible for a part of the essay and the presentation.  Students will receive rubrics stating the project standards.  The final presentations will take place at school on Friday May 25th from 9:00-10:30am.

Science

We are completing our biome projects and ecosystem unit this week.  After spring break we will begin our new IB planner entitled: "Where we are in place and time. The world is your oyster, how will you shape it?" Students will develop their understanding of force , motion, and simple machines that improve or create technology that advance society.

Math
Geometry unit continues. My math class will focus on line and rotational symmetry after spring break. Be sure your child is studying class notes and handouts in order to learn vocabulary terms.

Spelling

We will resume our weekly spelling units after spring break.

There is no school on Fri. March 30th because it is a teacher work day. Hope everyone has a terrific spring break.  Please find time to read each day during the vacation- whether it is a novel, newspaper, magazine, or recipe book- keep that reading habit going!

10 Digit Dialing Begins - March 31

Due to the new area code (984) being added to the 919 area, all local calls will need to be dialed using the full 10-digit number beginning March 31, 2012. To get ready for this change, it is recommended that you: Begin dialing local calls with 919 + the phone number now. Update any phone numbers that you have programmed into your desk phone, cell phone, fax, security systems and other devices

See you Mon. April 9th to begin the 4th quarter.

Washington DC

Museums

Memorials/Monuments

White House

National Cathedral Tour

Capitol Tour

WWII Memorial

                                                             

                               Arlington Cemetery

                                                         

Leaving for Home