*Social Studies test will be on Monday, November 2!

October 26-30, 2015

General Announcements:

• This week is our Book Fair at Brock’s Gap.  Students were given Book Fair flyers last week that indicated some of the books that can be purchased.  Students can go to the Book Fair before school beginning on Tuesday IF they have money to purchase something.  Our homerooms will go to the Book Fair on Wednesday.
• This week is Red Ribbon Week at Brock’s Gap. Today was WEAR RED day (also bring a canned good for the Firehouse Shelter); Tuesday will be PJ DAY; Wednesday will be SUPERHERO Day; Thursday will be THROWBACK THURSDAY; Friday will be PINK OUT DAY.  Students are allowed to dress up each day, but they will need to stay in dress code.
• In honor of our Veterans during the month of November, and in conjunction with our Veterans Day Program on Tuesday, November 10 at 8:45 A.M., we are asking for you to please donate unopened, travel- size toiletries that will be presented to the VA Hospital in Birmingham for Veteran patients and for the homeless Veterans program. We will have boxes in the lobby from Monday, November 2 thru Friday, November 13, 2015.
• A Sign-Up Genius came home for things we will need on Friday. We plan on having some "Fall Fun" on this day.
• Help Student Council “Scare Away Cancer” on Friday, October 30th by wearing PINK! We will be collecting money to make a donation to a local foundation that is passionate about finding a cure for Breast Cancer. Any amount will be accepted, but we are asking that each student at BGIS bring in at least a $1 donation. Thank you in advance, Student Council
• Please check your child’s grades from time to time on INOW.  

Important Dates for This Week

10/26:  Tombstone projects were due today

10/27:  PJ Day.  Your choices are the key to your dreams!

10/28:  Superhero Day.  Be someone’s hero and stand up to bullying and drugs.

10/28: Watson and Williams homeroom visit the book fair today

10/29:  Throwback Thursday. We will “throw drugs” back.

10/30:  Pink Out Day.  Scare away drugs, bullying, and cancer.  Promote healthy bodies.

Important Curriculum Dates

10/30:  DOL Test in Language Arts

10/29:  Cold Read Assessment in Language Arts

Looking Ahead

11/10:  Veteran’s Day program at Brock’s Gap at 8:45 a.m. (a letter was sent home last week about this)

Curriculum News:

Math:

**Math: During the middle of last week, I noticed some misconceptions and gaps by the students, concerning volume. I retaught those items last week and today. Tomorrow, I am giving them a retake of a previous test. I believe that we were able to make some strides in understanding some of the material that I did not do a good job teaching, earlier. Starting Wednesday, we will begin our new unit on fractions.
homework: Math Computation and IXL (due on Friday)
test: Tuesday on volume

Science:

**Science:  We have begun our look at energy transfer, starting with the sun. We are currently discussing how plants are producers of their own food. We will eventually understand and model food chains and food webs that show this transfer of energy from the sun to consumers (humans). This week, we will experiment and look for evidence or photosynthesis by trying to locate stored energy (starch) in plant cells.  

homework: None tonight

Language Arts:

**Reading:  We are continuing our study of the passage, “Trapped By the Ice.”  There will not be a reading comprehension test over the passage.  On Thursday, we will be have a “cold-read assessment.”  This means that the students will be given a passage they have not read and will answer questions about the passage.  

**Reading Log-These will be sent home on Monday and will be due on Friday.  Please reiterate the importance of answering each question asked, writing in complete sentences, and reading back through their writing to check for errors.
Homework: Reading Log due on Friday

**Language/Language IXL-  We are beginning Week 8 in DOL. Our focus will continue to be on verbs. Students will be given a DOL test on Friday.
Homework: IXL must be completed by Friday, but time is given to work on this in class

**Writing-  We will start Informative writing the 1st week of November.

Social Studies:

**We will continue our study of Colonial America this week.  A study guide came home today.  We will have a test sometime next week. I will update the blog when I decide when we will be ready.
Homework: Study for Social Studies test

                   

We hope everyone has a great week!

Red Ribbon Week 

10/26-10/30

Monday- Wear Red; bring a canned good to donate. "I can say no to drugs and bullies!"

Tuesday-PJ Day "Your choices are the key to your dreams!"

Wednesday-Super Hero Day "Be someone's hero and stand up to bullying and drugs!"

Thursday-Throwback Thursday-wear clothes from any decade as we "throw drugs back!"

Friday-Pink Out Day "Scare away drugs, bullying and cancer!"

Week of 10/19/2015

General Announcements:

• Please let us know at anytime if you would like to meet with us for a conference.  
• Please check your child’s grades from time to time on INOW.  
• Shoe drive still going on at Brock's Gap!
• BGIS will be having our Fall Book Fair next week, October 26th -30th. There will be lots of great books for every student. Come visit the book fair and purchase some great books while helping support our school library.  Also if any parent like to volunteer to help with the Book Fair, please contact Mrs. Stewart at 439-1642 or email her at rstewart@hoover.k12.al.us.

Important Dates for This Week

10/20:  Zaxby’s Night for BGIS at Zaxby’s on Hwy 150

Important Curriculum Dates

10/23:  DOL Test; Reading Vocabulary test

Looking Ahead

10/19:  School Picture Money was due today

10/26:  Language Arts "Tombstone Project" due!

Curriculum News:

Math News:

**Math: We are continuing our work with volume. We are still trying to master V= base x layers, and recognizing those dimensions on a three-dimensional shape. We are also working on finding the volume to irregular shapes. We will finish this unit this week, and then start with fractions.
homework: Math Computation and Unit #2 pages 36-37 numbers 2 , 4 , and challenge

Science News:

**Science: In science, we are wrapping our study of erosion up, by looking at ways that erosion can be controlled by humans. We will begin a long term project in the courtyard, as we look for ways to stop, or slow down erosion around the local trees. After this, we will begin to look at ecosystems, energy creation, and energy pathways.
homework: Start to write a response to the article.

Language Arts News: 

**Reading:  We will be reading a non-fiction passage this week.  We will have a vocabulary test covering the words from the text on Friday. There will not be a comprehension test on Friday, but we will have an assessment on Monday.  This will be a “cold-read assessment” in that students will not have read this passage before.  I will be assessing the standards we have covered in class thus far.  

homework: study for vocabulary test

**Reading Log-Reading logs for this week came home today and will be due on Friday.  Please reiterate the importance of answering each question adding details, writing in complete sentences, and reading back through their writing to check for errors.

homework: reading log due tomorrow!
**DOL/Language IXL-  Students will get new DOL activities this week, working on language skills. They will have IXL that they will complete each day, as well, covering the same skill we are working on during DOL practice.
homework: DOL test tomorrow; IXL should be completed
**Writing-  Students will bring their tombstone projects to school on Monday, October 26.  The tombstones will be displayed all week and will be sent home on Friday, October 30th.
homework: students will work on their tombstones. Tombstones will include the Acrostic Poem that we did in class. I will also take up their obituary that they worked on in class for a grade! Final grade will consist of: research notes, obituary, and tombstone
Social Studies:

Topics of Study – We are continuing our study of the colonies this week: New England, Middle and Southern colonies. A study guide will come home soon!
homework: students will complete "Colonial Schools" reading and questions on back

                   

We hope everyone has a great week!

General Announcements:

• We have contacted most parents about having a parent conference. Our goal is to meet with everyone at least once, this year.  However, we are absolutely available to meet with anyone that wishes to meet.  If you would like to meet with us and have not been contacted, please let us know and we will send you the link.  Thank you!
• They are starting a new club here at Brock’s Gap called GEMS.  This stands for Girls in Engineering, Math, and Science.  We will have two groups - a fifth grade group and a sixth grade group.  Only 7 girls will be selected for this opportunity.  If your daughter is interested, please have her apply at tinyurl.com/BGISGEMS by October 14th.  
• Report Cards will be sent home on Wednesday, October 14th.  Please contact us with any questions!  
• Please check your child’s grades from time to time on INOW.  

Important Dates for This Week

10/14:  Report Cards coming home

10/14:  BGIS Gems Application due

Looking Ahead

10/19:  School Picture Money Due

10/26:  Language Arts Project Due--details coming home today

Curriculum News:

**Math: In math, we are still working with how we use the dimensions of the base and the number of layers to find the volume of a rectangular prism. We are using this method and connecting it to what we all know as, Volume= length x width x height. This week, we will begin to look at irregular shapes, and how to break them up into separate parts in order to find the volume of the entire shape.

Homework: Math Computation
Test: Friday on finding volume of regular rectangular prisms

**Science: In science, we are beginning a new look at the spheres of the earth, and a specific interaction between them. This week, we will begin to discuss Erosion. We will also start to discuss ways that erosion can be stopped to reduced. Our ultimate project is to find areas around the school where erosion is happening, and use the methods previously discussed to help these areas recover.

Language Arts News:

**Reading:  No reading passage this week.

**Reading Log-These will be sent home on Tuesday and will be due on Friday.  Please reiterate the importance of answering each question asked, writing in complete sentences, and reading back through their writing to check for errors and to make sure details are added.

Homework: reading log-Thursday question (Logs due tomorrow!)

**Language/Language IXL-  We are going to have a review week of concepts we have been discussing.  There will be no DOL test this week. We will have a Root Word test on Friday. Activities will come home each night to help practice our words for the week. 

Homework: Root words sheet

**Writing-  This week, we are starting a week-long writing project.  Students will be given a notable American to research, particularly an important person from the Social Studies units we are discussing this year.  Students will read informational texts about their person throughout the week to assist them in their project.  Details will be coming home today.

Homework: finish Obituary about Notable American

Click on the link below for Project info:

DIRECTIONS TO PROJECT DUE ON OCT. 26

Social Studies: We are continuing our unit on Colonizing North America. We will primarily focus on the New England colonies.

                  

We hope everyone has a great week!