I hope everyone enjoys their Christmas vacation. The snow we got on the first night was magical, even if it didn't last very long. Southampton Academy resumes classes on Monday, January 4th. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all...

Fifth and sixth graders, with Mrs. Hull, rocking out to the Twelve Days of Christmas. All 52 children joined in!

Everyone is getting into the holiday spirit, even

Ms. Fetherolf!

Mrs. Hull is showing the children how the swans were swimming. Everyone tried to keep up!

The Twelve Days of Christmas

The fifth and sixth grade students joined Mrs. Hull in singing the Twelve Days of Christmas - including gestures for each verse. Everyone joined in and had a wonderful time.

Santa's Secret Shop

Don't forget to bring money and your shopping list for Santa's Shop. We will be visiting the shop on Tuesday, Dec. 15th at 8:45.

December News...

We have had a busy December so far. Thankfully it is all behind us. The French Program was a smash and Night of Carols was wonderful. The fifth graders that came (only 14 of us) sang like Angels. Good job guys! We are in our last week before Christmas break. Everyone is ready for some downtime. Friday, December 18th school will dismiss at 12:00 noon with no lunch being served. We will have our Christmas Party at 11:30. I would like to wish everyone a very joyous Christmas and a Healthy and Happy New Year. See you all rested on January 4th, 2010!

The fifth grade girls are enjoying the nice warm day in November. We were waiting for our lunch tables to be free. We all enjoyed the time outside in the warm sun!

Electronic Fridays...

On Fridays if you make your A.R. weekly goal you can bring in your electronics to play during your free time. Justin, Eric, Stephen, and Christian have made their weekly A.R. goal (week of November 20th) and are enjoying their group electronic games. Great job guys!

A.R. Movie & Snack Day in 5th Grade!

Welcome Back!

I hope everyone had a GREAT Thanksgiving Break. I sure did. It was great to see Daniel and Christy (his new puppy). Daniel has returned for mid-terms in Law School and Christy is visiting me until he comes back in December. We have three weeks of school before we begin our Christmas vacation. Both 5th and 6th grade Math students will finish up Chapter 3 and take our Chapter 3 test before we leave. We will not have a practice Math test this time - only the "real one". We will spend the last week before vacation reviewing what we have learned and playing math games.

We will also finish up our chapter on Verbs before break. We will not be having a practice test this time - only the "real one". Please review all you notes on verbs and go over the review booklet we have been working on.

It was great to see everyone's smiling face today. Our unexpected break refreshed all of us and we were ready to get down to business.

Grammar 5 - we reviewed VERBS. Everyone is doing great with this unit!

Word Study - our test is tomorrow. Remember to bring in your "at home" work and remember to study.

Math 5 - we are still reviewing long division. Today we talked about dividing money into equal parts. The children used "play" money and had a great time.

Math 6 - today we learned how to use a chart to help us solve multi-stepped problems.

BOTH MATH CLASSES RECEIVED EXTRA CREDIT WORK WHICH WILL NEED TO BE TURNED IN BY FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20th!

Grammar 5

In our Grammar class we will continue to work on Verbs. We will finish up our Verb poster. We will work on making links for our "linking verb" chain.

Math 6 Nov. 9th to Nov. 13th

This week we will be learning the GCF of a pair of numbers and the LCM for a pair of numbers. Homework this week is:

Monday - P3-3
Tuesday - P3-4
Wednesday - P3-5
Thursday - none
Friday - none

Math 5 Nov. 9th to Nov. 13th

This week we will be covering how to estimate a quotient, looking for a division pattern and refining our division skills. Our homework this week will be:

Monday - P3-3
Tuesday - P3-4
Wednesday - none
Thursday - P3-5
Friday - none

HOMEWORK - week of Nov. 2nd to 6th

Math 5 - Wednesday - P3-1
Thursday - P3-2

Math 6 - Wednesday - P3-1
Thursday - P3-2

Word Study take home assignment is due on Tuesday.

Grammar - workbook pg. 43 (Thursday)

Class Pictures/Individual Pictures

Please remember to send in your picture money or return the pictures you don't want as soon as possible. Mrs. Allen would like everything returned by Tuesday!

What's going on this week November 2-6 in Mrs. Vinson's Classes?

Our Math Chapter 2 Test will be on Tuesday for both 5th and 6th grade students. Please remind your child to review their notes. On Wednesday, Math 5 will begin chapter 3 - Division and Math 6 will begin chapter 3 - Factors & Multiples. Please remember there will be written homework most nights. Please review these sheets with your child.

My Grammar Class will begin Unit 3 - Verbs this week.

On Tuesday, we will have our Word Study Test but will not get any new words on Wednesday. We will spend this week working on our writing skills.

Thank You

Thanks to all the parents who made our Halloween Party a success! The children had a great time with the games and all the food.

Class Pictures

Class pictures were sent home today, Monday, October 26th. Please send in your money or return the unwanted picture by Friday, October 30th. Thanks for your help.

BUILDING A HOT CHOCOLATE WITH COOKIES!

This nine weeks your child will be "building" a hot chocolate with cookies for a celebration in January. Each week the children will earn a different part of the celebration. We are working on our cups this week, followed by our spoons, hot chocolate, marshmellows, cream and finally cookies. Please remind your child to read and make their weekly goal so they can keep up and be part of the final celebration!

REPORT CARDS SENT HOME ON WEDNESDAY!

Look for your child's report card on Wednesday, October 28th. Please remember to sign the report card and return it to your child's homeroom teacher in a timely fashion.

October 26 to October 30th

Both Math 5 and Math 6 will spend this week reviewing chapter 2. We will review all the lessons in this chapter. Our practice chapter test is on Monday, November 2nd. Remember if you get an A on the practice test you don't have to take the final test on Tuesday. You can play electronics in the hall. Chapter 2 final test will be on Tuesday, November 3rd.

Grammar 5 will have a Unit 2 test on NOUNS on Friday, October 30th. Please review your notes.

Word Study test is on Tuesday, October 27th. Look for new words on Wednesday, October 28th. Remember to send in your signed Word Study homework on Tuesday.

Unit 2 Grammar Test

The Unit 2 Grammar test is scheduled for Friday, October 30th. Please review your child's notes nightly. This test will be on nouns~ common/proper, singular/plural, and possessive.

Yesterday we did our "Grammar Rap" in front of the Lower School. Everyone was quite impressed with our singing. Even Dr. Neale made a comment on our song. We hope that this catchy tune will help the students in the future with the parts of speech. If you missed us, please ask your child to sing the rap to you!

Math 5 - students in my Math 5 class are working on multiplying decimals. The children seem to really understand how to do this. I will be tutoring Tuesday from 3:00 to 3:30. There is no homework tonight. Please review basic multiplication facts with your child.

Math 6 - students learned how to divide a decimal by a decimal. I was pleased with how quickly the children caught on to this new topic. Homework for tonight is practicing dividing decimals - page P2-9.

The first quarter ends on Wednesday, October 21st. Report cards will be sent home on Wednesday, October 27th.

The 5th graders practiced their Grammar Rap today. They all sang like little angels. Our showtime is Wednesday at 10:20. Hopefully they will be as good as they were today. Hope to see any parents that are free on Wednesday.

Grammar Rap!

We are busy practicing our Grammar Rap. Ask you child to listen to it. We will be presenting this on October 21st at 10:20 in the gym. If you are free, please plan on joining us.

Ice Cream Sundae Day arriving soon...

Friday, October 16th is our Ice Cream Sundae Party. Please be sure to check with your child about their progress. Each student was given a chance to make up goals missed.

I hope everyone had a restful Columbus Day! Below I have listed the homework assignments for Math 5 and Math 6. Please be sure to check with your child about having their math homework complete,

Math 5: Tuesday (P2-9), Wednesday (2-10), and Thursday (2-11). We will have a graded assessment on Friday on Lessons 1 to 11.

Math 6: Tuesday (2-6), Wednesday (no homework), Thursday (P2-7). We will have a graded assessment on Wednesday and Friday this week on multiplying and dividing with a decimal.

Have a Happy Columbus Day. Remember no school on Monday, October 12th. Enjoy the long weekend!

I enjoyed seeing all the 5th grade parents last night. For those of you that missed it we announced that the children can bring a in a "HEALTHY" snack on Wednesdays and Thursdays since our lunch is so late on these days. No candy please! We are also allowing the children to bring in water bottles to use throughout the day. Please be sure to use a bottle with a top that closes and remember to put your child's name on their bottle.

Tomorrow is Picture Day! Please be sure to return your forms with the pose and background color you would like for your child's picture.

Remind your child to continue practicing their "Grammar Rap" for our program on October 21st. Parents are welcome to attend. The presentation will be at 10:20 in the gym and very brief.

Our "Ice Cream Sundae" day is quickly approaching. Your child has less than 2 weeks to get all their "Sundae" treats. Please remind your child to read and take AR tests.

Math 6

We have begun chapter 2 "Decimals". The children will be working with decimals through hundred thousandths place. Please review your child's notes with them nightly. Practice all the places from tenths through hundred thousandths with your child. Thanks for all that you do to help make S.A. a success!

Math 5

We have started chapter 2 "Multiplication". Each morning before we begin a new lesson, I will be giving the children a timed multiplication drill. At this time I am working on getting their speed and accuracy up. Yesterday and for the remaining days of this week, we will be completing 36 basic fact problems in one minute. We will progress to 50, 60, 70, and so on. Periodically I will be sending timed pages home for you to practice with your child. Occasionally I will be taking a grade on this practice but I will let the children know when their work will be graded. Please practice speed drills at home with your child. At www.multiplication.com your child can practice basic fact multiplying with many games. They really enjoy this site in class when we have time to practice. As always, thanks for your help.

October 7th is Picture Day!

Don't forget to send in your form about the color of the background and the pose you would like for your child's picture. This will be the only time pictures will be taken at Southampton Academy. Class group pictures will also be taken on this day.

One Inch Binders Needed

Please send in a one inch binder with your child by Monday, October 5th. We will be keeping our writing assignments in this binder. Children will receive a new writing topic on Mondays and the completed one page assignment must be turned in by Thursday of the assigned week.

Practice Test Success!

Congratulations to 4 of my fifth grade students who received an A on their practice math test today. I also need to congratulate 11 of my sixth graders who also received an A on their practice test. During the actual test time tomorrow these math students will get to sit out in the hall and play with their electronics! What a great job they did today!!!

Last night's Spaghetti Dinner was a big success! The PTO did a wonderful job. The children really enjoyed the ice cream sundaes!

Back-to-School Night for Lower School will be on Monday, October 5th. I hope everyone can make it.

Friday, September 25th our first Interim Reports will be sent home. Please review the white sheets and return the envelope and blue sheet signed.

PICTURE DAY!

October 7th is picture day at Southampton Academy. Please remember to pick your background color and which pose you would like. Return your forms to your child's homeroom teacher. Remember SMILE!

Chapter 1 Math Test

All of Mrs. Vinson's Math classes will be having a math test on chapter 1 on Friday, Sept. 25th. We will have a practice test on Thursday, Sept. 24th. If you get a 92 or better you will have the option of not taking the test on Friday. During math class you can bring in your electronics as a reward for doing so well on the practice test. There will be no homework this week in any math class. Look over your chapter 1 notes as a review for the test.

Order of Operations Challenge

Today Math 6A challeneged Math 6B to a timed order of operations drill. Mrs. Vinson used her projection screen to display the problem. The children had to see how many they could get right in 2 minutes. 6A did 22 problems correctly with no errors! 6B didn't quite get to 22 but are going to practice to rechallege 6A on another day. Congratulations 6A!

Math 5 students were busy working on adding and subtracting decimals. They are really excited about how good at it they have become. Math 5 students also went into the computer lab today to work on their written math assignment. Students have to research three mathematicians from a list and write a brief paragraph about the people. Most students were able to find out some facts and print their pictures. Remember this assignment is due by October 5th.

Math Writing Assignment

All math classes will be assigned a writing project today. I will be giving the students a list of mathematicians and they will need to pick three and write a short paragraph about them. They will also need to include a small picture of that person. Typed papers will be due on October 5th. Fifth grade students will be able to start the research in computer classes today.

Today my Math 6 classes learned about variables. The children really enjoyed learning how to replace the variable and solve problems. We are also getting quite good at solving problems using the order of operations. As a class they can solve 15 problems in 2 minutes. We are trying to practice and improve our record. Here's a web site to practice at home: http://www.mathgoodies.com/lessons/vol7/order_operations.html

In Math 5 today we learned how to subtract decimals. We realized the same rules for adding apply to subtracting. The children remembered the most important thing was to line up their decimals and add a 0 in the missing places.

In grammar class this week we are learning about nouns. We have talked about what a noun is, whether or not it is singular or plural and tomorrow we will discuss proper and common nouns. Ask your child about proper and common nouns at dinner tomorrow and see if they can explain it to you.

Upcoming School Events

Wednesday, September 16
~Spirit Week Wacky Tacky Day
~JV Football Away Kenston Forest School

Thursday, September 17
~Spirit Week Camoflage Day
~JJV/JV/Varsity Volleyball Game Home

Friday, September 18
~Spirit Week Blue & White Day
~1st 9 Weeks Interim Ends
~Homecoming Game 6:00

Saturday, September 19
~"Jerky, Jeans & Jammin"

Wednesday, September 23
~Back to School Night w/ Spaghetti Dinner 6:00

Help With Multiplication

While at home if your child needs something to do please have them visit www.multiplication.com. This site has many games using basic multiplication facts that will help your child increase their speed and accuracy when multiplying. These review games will help them when we get into more complicated multiplication problems.

Today in Math 5 we learned how to add decimals. The children caught on really quickly and noticed that if they don't line up their decimal points and fill in the empty spaces with zero(s) it is really easy to get confused. The children enjoyed showing Mrs. Vinson what they could do for a candy treat!

Be sure to ask you child about their sundae. Sundaes should include a bowl, spoon, and two scoops of ice cream by Friday. Our BIG sundae event will by on October 16th. Please encourage your child to keep reading and to meet their weekly goal.

Fifth graders are still in the process of finishing their reading assessments. Word study assessing has completed but will not begin this week.

The Interim Period ends on Friday, Sept. 18th. Interims will be sent home next week. Please return the blue slip signed and the yellow envelope, you can keep the reports.

The Homecoming Football Game is this Friday at 6:00 p.m.(please note time change). Don't forget Back to School Night on Sept. 23. A spaghetti dinner will be served with ice cream for dessert, and then there will be a video presentation. Please be sure to get your reservations in for dinner. Parents will not be visiting the classroom in Lower School on this night.

Math 5 & 6 Chapter Tests

Our practice chapter test for chapter one will be on September 24th. Our final test on chapter one will be on September 25th. Please remember to look over your notes. If you score a 92 or better on the practice test, you will not have to take the final test on Friday - you will have electronics time!

Fifth graders are busy "building" their AR ice cream sundae. Each week that a student meets their goal, they will get another piece to their sundae. Several students already have their bowl, spoon and a scoop of ice cream. On October 16th we will end the 9 weeks by having an ice cream sundae treat. Please check with your child to see how their sundae's are progressing!

In Math 5 this week we are working on rounding whole numbers and decimal numbers. The practice test for chapter 1 will be on Thursday, Sept. 24th. If you get a 92 or better on the practice test you can elect to not take the test on Friday, September 25th and have Electronics Day. I tutor fifth grade students on Tuesdays from 3:00 to 3:30.

In Grammar we have finished Unit 1. We will begin Unit 2 shortly "Nouns". We will also begin Word Study. Your child used word study in the third grade. I am in the process of testing the students so I will know what group to put them in. New words will be introduced on Wednesdays and spelling tests will be the following Tuesdays.

In Math 6 we are working on the order of operations. Most of us can accurately solve these problems if we remember "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally". We will continue working in chapter 1 for the next few weeks. Our Math 6 chapter test will be on Friday, Sept. 25th. If you get a 92 or better on the practice test on Sept. 24th, you can elect to not take the test on Friday and have an Electronics Day.I tutor sixth grade students on Wednesdays from 3:00 to 3:30.

We are off to a great start. The interim period ends on Friday, Sept. 18th. Reports will be sent home early the following week.

What a wonderful first day of school we had! The children were eager to start. They were especially excited when we discussed "PI Day". I am looking forward to a wonderful, fun-filled year.