End of 2013!

 

     Wow!  We've accomplished so much during these last four months!  I can't believe it's already time for winter break!  I'm proud of the 5th and 6th graders for not only their academic growth and achievements, but what they've done to give back to the community and world.  Today Superintendent Valerie Browning with present the 6th graders with $500 from the local Rotary Club to donate to Water for South Sudan!  That puts us to just over $4,000 raised!  Our goal is still $5,000 by the end of the year so we can officially sponsor a well, and we're close!  Thank you to students and parents for all the effort you've put into fundraising.  We'll do something in the spring to raise the last of our funds.

 

     Fifth graders participated in Scholastic Book Club's Pajama Drive.  For every pair of pajamas donated, Scholastic will donate a book to the Pajama Program.  Fifth graders donated 45 pairs!!



 

 

 

 

     Our academic accomplishments include completing units of study around the theme topics JOURNEY and FEAR for fifth graders, and CRUSADERS and TYRANTS for sixth graders.  Students have learned how to find evidence to support claims, written creative stories around fractured tales and myths, read many books around theme topics and independently, presented book talks, written countless summary response letters over independent books, worked with partners and groups on various projects, and continue to work towards meeting the 50 Book Challenge (several students have already met it)!  Some students participated in the Mock Newbery Club.  Here are the club's picks for the winners:

 

 

A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff

 

Honors:

 

   

 

Lots of Honorable Mentions:

 

   

 

   

   
 

    

 

 

     Even though we have accomplished a lot, we have a lot more to go!  One way we could end 2013 on a strong note is to make goals for reading over the holiday break.  I have some goals!  I want to read the books students gave me for Christmas gifts, read a couple of ARCs (Advanced Reader's Copies) I received at the NCTE Convention in Boston, start my LONG January book club book (Donna Tartt's Goldfinch) and finish up some audio books.  That  adds up to about 8 books I want to complete over break.  What are YOUR reading goals?  Parents and students, I'd love to hear them in the comments below!

 

     Have a wonderful, restful break, and I'll see you in January 2014!

    

Fifth Grade Skype with Liesl Shurtliff and Sixth Grade News

 

The fifth graders had a great time Skyping Liesl Shurtliff on Friday after we finished our read aloud, Rump:  The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin.  We prepared questions and gathered together first thing in the morning to meet this awesome author.  She spent about a half hour with us.  I love how accessible authors are now with Twitter, Skype, and blogging. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     The kids wrote terrific thank you notes.  Some of the students were really inspired by her and want to become authors themselves!  We're really excited about her plans to write companion novels to Rump, and she even said she may send us an Advanced Reader's Copy!  Wow!  Now we're reading The Real Boy by Anne Urse during our unit on FEAR.  Students have filled out almost all of their literacy contracts with due dates and title.  All students need to have a nonfiction book about FEAR as of today.  They are collecting/marking at least 10 sentences in their nonfiction books that describe fear.  The second section and Discussion Plan #2 of the small group books are due Tuesday.  New vocabulary lists were distributed today.  NO weekly summary response letters next week.

 

     We hope our 6th graders had fun at camp this week!  We had to finish up 1st quarter assessments while they were gone - now everyone's taken them.  We'll delve further into our TYRANTS unit next week now that we know everyone will be here!  We started our read aloud, Milkweed, by Jerry Spinelli about the Holocaust. 

 

     Exciting news about our #ReadWalkWater project - we've raised over $4,000 so far!  Mrs. Kleis and I gave a presentation to the Rotary Club last week, and they generously donated $500.  We're asking that kids keep up their fundraising efforts because we're so close to our goal of $5,000!

 

     Keep reading, reading, reading so we can all meet the 50 Book Challenge!  We have 2 fifth graders and 2 6th graders who have already met it! :-)

 

REMINDER:  Our 5th and 6th grade Written Education Plan meeting will be Thursday, Nov. 14th (conference night) at 5:00 p.m. in the CIS Cafe.  I will give the camp kids their reminder fliers on Mon.  If you need to schedule a conference that night, please schedule it after 5:30.  Anyone who would like to schedule a conference with me that night, just let me know.  I have a few slots open.  Thank you!

Celebrate #ReadWalkWater!

     

Wow!  What a day yesterday!  Sixth graders and staff walked for Water for South Sudan on Friday.  It was a beautiful day and the kids got into the spirit by walking with gallon jugs of water, honoring those women and children in South Sudan who have to walk miles a day to get water for their families.  My college daughter's friend, Jordan, came to teach my classes about the world water crises.  She brought Jerry cans (containers similar to what Sudanese people would use for water - they weigh 44 lbs. when filled) and 10 Day tattoos to remind kids that they're drinking nothing but water for the next 10 days.  What was our grand total in fundraising money so far?

$2,717.40!

 

 

     Our goal is $5,000, though, so we're not done yet!  Students will be donating money that they saved from not buying beverages for 10 days.  Drink water!!  We'll be selling #ReadWalkWater bracelets at a few upcoming school events, and I'll be presenting at the local Rotary Club at the end of October.  Keep up fundraising efforts and ask for donations from family, friends, and neighbors!  We want Columbia Intermediate School to be an official sponsor of a South Sudanese well!  Enjoy photos of our wonderful week:

 

On Tuesday, we Skyped with Water for South Sudan.  That was really cool!  Here was their Facebook post:

Water for South Sudan, Inc.

October 9

WFSS employees Lynn Malooly and Marie Cinti Skype (video conference) with over 300 6th graders at a school assembly at Columbia Intermediate School in Kings Mills, Ohio. The 6th graders recently finished reading A Long Walk to Water and are... going to begin a fundraiser for Water for South Sudan this Friday. School group fundraisers run by passionate students and coordinated by engaged, passionate teachers make an enormous impact on fundraising efforts which provides vital funds to allow WFSS to continue to do this meaningful and life changing work. Thanks to Columbia Intermediate School and teacher Holly Mueller as well as all of the school groups, past, present and future, who are taking matters into their own hands and creating change! We can't possibly express our gratitude enough!

Post by Water for South Sudan, Inc.

 



 My daughter, Libby's, friend, Jordan came to visit to teach about the world water crisis.  She's the founder of the Miami University chapter of Living Water.

  

Selling #ReadWalkWater bracelets during lunch

 

 

Jordan brought Jerry cans and water from the well she helped dig in Guatemala.

 

She brought 10 Day tattoos to remind kids to drink nothing but water for 10 days!

 

 

The walk begins!  It was a beautiful day!

 

 

Filled Jerry cans weigh 44 lbs.!

 

 

Even crutches didn't stop a Cameron!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jordan and me



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THANK YOU to our 6th graders for thinking about others, helping to solve world problems, and believing a book can inspire people to take action!!