Lynchsters Mr. Lynch's 5th Grade Class 

This is our last full week of school. Next week is 3 1/2 days then summer begins. (Cue a mixture of cheers and boos from parents.) We may not have a lot of actual time left in the year, but we have a lot going on in the short amount of time that we have left.

Hartford Stage will be visiting our class for about an hour each day this week. They will be taking students through the book Maniac Magee in an interesting and creative way. (There is no need for students to have read the book in advance – they actually discourage it.)

Our Bike Ride to School is on Thursday. This is optional and just like the one in the fall, students will ride in to school from the Avon Free Public Library. We leave at 7 AM. Parents are encouraged to come join us.

Field Day is next week on Monday, June 6. We’ll have a theme and all that good stuff. I’ll fill students in on all those details this week.

Step-Up-Day is on Wednesday, June 8. This is just a short part of the morning where students go upstairs and visit their sixth grade teachers. Students will find out their new teams that same morning.

Wednesday, June 8 is also our end-of-year BBQ. Please ask the room parents if you have any questions about this. We’d love to have parents or grandparents drop by even just for a quick bite to eat.   

 

Upcoming Events

Hartford Stage Visits Classrooms – Tuesday, May 31-Friday, June 3

Bike Ride to School – Thursday, June 2 @7AM (optional)

Field Day – Monday, June 6

Step-Up-Day – Wednesday, June 8

End-of-the-Year BBQ – Wednesday, June 8 (11 AM – 12 PM)

Last Day of School – Thursday, June 9

One of my students won the honor of throwing a ball and plunging me in the dunk tank for the March of Dimes fundraiser last week. I was immediately scared because she is a good athlete, and of course she nailed the target on the second try. The water was ridiculously cold. The fun part was my Billy Bob outfit though, which the students hated. They looked at me with both fear and scorn from the moment I transformed into Billy Bob. That of course, made me happy.

 

 

Our trip to the Nathan Hale Homestead was on Friday. We had a perfectly beautiful day, and the students seemed to enjoy it. They spent the day going through six different sessions learning about not only Nathan Hale but how spying worked back in the 1770s, schooling, clothing, and food.

 

Students were introduced to the Controversial Issue Project 2016 six weeks ago. They have their own copy of the packet, but you could check it out on here as well. You could also see all the details on the website – www.controversialproject.weebly.com.  The entire project is due on May 24, and during the afternoon students from other classes will come in to our room to check out the projects. That evening, the projects will also be on display during the Spring Open House from 6-6:30 PM.

Upcoming Events

Grade 5 Open House (evening) – Tuesday, May 24

Field Day – Monday, June 6

Step-Up-Day – Wednesday, June 8

End-of-the-Year BBQ – Wednesday, June 8 (11 AM – 12 PM)

Last Day of School – Thursday, June 9

Every day students sit on our carpet at the front of the classroom. At the end of the day, they take turns vacuuming it. (The custodians don’t vacuum so if a class has a carpet, cleaning is on them.) We started off the year with a vacuum the kids named Beethoven. About a month ago, Beethoven met his untimely demise. I dug around in my basement and produced Beethoven II. Despite numerous operations by a team of dedicated student technicians, he only lasted 48-hours. For reasons unknown, I had another vacuum in my basement (because apparently I hoard vacuums), and he arrived a couple weeks ago. Beethoven III sounds great (with that hearty vacuumy rumble), but doesn’t actually pick up dirt, which of course is the only point of a vacuum’s existence. I am pleased to report that last week a parent donated a shiny new (and working) vacuum, which we will name Beethoven IV. This may sound weird, but the students were super excited. Yes, they were excited about a vacuum.

 

Students finished up Smarter Balanced testing last week, and life goes back to normal. Actually, with about 3 1/2 weeks of school left, nothing is normal from this day forward. Our trip to the Nathan Hale Homestead is on Friday. They should bring a lunch that day. There isn’t a lot of walking and the lunches get stored right when we get off the bus, so a disposable bag is not necessary. They could bring one of those lunch bags or 1950s lead lunch boxes.

Students were introduced to the Controversial Issue Project 2016 five weeks ago. They have their own copy of the packet, but you could check it out on here as well. You could also see all the details on the website – www.controversialproject.weebly.com. They already decided on a topic, and spent a good amount of time researching/working each week. Their next step is that they will create/produce either a website, a documentary, or a research paper. Each student will also create a tri-fold poster (visual) of their topic. The entire project is due on May 24.

Upcoming Events

Nathan Hale Field Trip – Friday, May 20

Grade 5 Open House (evening) – Tuesday, May 24

Last Day of School – Thursday, June 9 (with two snow days)

This week, students will take the Smarter Balanced (SBAC) test on Tuesday and Wednesday with the math portion. Like last week, there will be a slowdown of math/science (meaning no homework) because we lose those periods for testing on both those days.

Students were introduced to the Controversial Issue Project 2016 one month ago. They have their own copy of the packet, but you could check it out on here as well. You could also see all the details on the website – www.controversialproject.weebly.com. They already decided on a topic, and spent a good amount of time researching last week. Their next step is that they will create/produce either a website, a documentary, or a research paper. Each student will also create a tri-fold poster (visual) of their topic. The entire project is due on May 24.

Upcoming Events

Nathan Hale Field Trip – Friday, May 20

Grade 5 Open House (evening) – Tuesday, May 24

Last Day of School – Thursday, June 9 (with two snow days)