Friday, May 26, 2017

Tallman Park

Hello families!  

First and foremost... Last call for any fun pictures from this year!!  First day of school, Lung Lab, holiday parties, etc.  I will be finishing up on Monday!!

Wednesday 5/31 - Field Day in the morning.  Please be aware of the weather and make sure kiddos are dressed appropriately and have applied sunscreen.  That afternoon they have earned a Pop and Drop.

Thursday 6/1 - Yearbook signing.  We will have a block of time in the afternoon for all fifth graders to get together and sign yearbooks.  Please have your kiddo bring a pen.

Friday 6/2 - Last Day Picnic.  See you at Tallman Park around 10:30.  Slideshow presentations at 2:30 in the Gold Rush gym

We are excited to celebrate the end of our students' elementary education with a big celebratory picnic.  This year's picnic will be at Tallman Park (across the street from Legend HS) on June 2nd from 10:30am – 1:30pm.  Students will ride buses to and from this event

Students will be provided with sub sandwiches there courtesy of Gold Rush, but we would love your help with a few other items.  Please see our Sign-Up to help out.  We welcome family to the event to join in the fun, but, unfortunately, cannot provide food for all, so please pack a lunch for yourself and head to the park!  Also in the sign-up is a place to volunteer to help with set-up and clean up: this helps us out a lot!!

We do have the whole park to ourselves this day so you are welcome to bring fun outdoor games (frisbees, soccer balls, etc.) and such as long as students are responsible for their own belongings.

After the picnic we will return to Gold Rush and gather in the gym for our End of Year Slideshows.  If you are only attending this portion of the day we should be beginning around 2:15.  Also, if you haven't already done so, please make sure you get a baby/toddler picture and a current picture emailed to your child's classroom teacher ASAP.  We are also looking for any fun pictures you have of the class from the year (Digger Dash, field trips, class parties, etc.).

At the end of the slideshow please stay in the gym while the students return to their classes for final good-byes.  Administration will speak to you for a few minutes and give you instruction on how to help the school say farewell to these great kiddos in our traditional Clap-Out. 


Thank you for all your support this year.  We are sad to see these kiddos moving on but know they are ready for what lies ahead!  We have all truly had a great year!


Yikes!!  I hope I've got everything covered! =)

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Information

Here's a copy of the email I sent out on May 3:

Here is a copy of the email I sent out on May 3:



From: Ashley Dalcerri <Ashley.Dalcerri@dcsdk12.org>
Sent: Wednesday, May 3, 2017 11:38 AM
Subject: Inforamtion
 
Sorry for the long email...

I've updated my blog with some important dates.  Please be sure to check and mark your calendars!  Below is information about our Growing and Changing Discussions and Outdoor Ed.  Also, I really really really need pictures of your cute kids!!  One recent and one toddler/baby.  Please get these to me as soon as you can.

Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Outdoor Ed Info:
Good morning, 

Our class will be going on our outdoor ed trip May 23rd.  Please use the information below to register, if you haven't done do already.  The deadline to register is May 19th.  
On the day of the trip, each student needs to bring a backpack with the following:
  • A bag lunch
  • Multiple bottles of water 
  • Two healthy snacks (fruit, granola, veggies, etc...)
  • Sunscreen 
Additionally, students need to wear clothes that are appropriate for the being outside.  Tennis shoes are required.  Please do not allow your student to wear sandals on this trip.  Students will NOT be allowed to bring cell phones.  Both teachers will have cell phones in case of an emergency.  There are also phones at the facility.  
Students will need to arrive at GRE at 8:00am the morning of the trip. Buses will be leaving at 8:15am. We will return to Gold Rush for regular dismissal at 3:30pm.
To register: 
In order for your child to participate in this field trip/program you must register (includes online permission form)  & pre-pay on-line by going to: RevTrak > Elementary Schools > Elementary Schools E thru L > Gold Rush > Field Trips. The RevTrak link can be found on GRE’s website under Parent Info or click hereRegistrations MUST be completed byFriday, May 19, at noon.


Growing and Changing:
Our fifth grade students will have the opportunity to learn about the changes that occur during puberty including male and female anatomy and physiology of the reproductive system. This health information is provided to students in alignment with Health Standards 2 and 3: standards are available on the District web site.

The students will watch a video appropriate to the topic and their age in gender-like groups. The video covers the anatomy of the reproductive system, the menstrual cycle, feminine hygiene, changes that may occur for boys including erections and nocturnal emissions.  It is presented in an up-to-date format with age-appropriate questions and answers from students.  

Video to be shown is:
Always Changing/Always Growing2008
 - The videos are located towards the bottom of the screen

**Parents are welcomed to preview the video at home in order to facilitate family follow-up discussion of these topics.  The video is online and is included in the above link.

After the students view the video, boys and girls will stay separated during a follow-up class presentation in order to promote more participation and decrease disruptions from giggles.  Boys and girls will be taught both the male and female material. The outline for the classroom presentation includes the following subjects:

Anatomy and function of reproductive organs:
For males: testicles, scrotum, urethra, epidiiymis, vas deferens, seminal vesicles, prostate, penis
For females: ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus and endometrium, cervix, vagina
Body changes that occur during puberty;
For males: facial hair, deepening voice, enlargement of reproductive organs (testis & penis), testicles produce sperm, shoulders broaden, 
For females: breasts develop, hips widen, uterus/vagina grow, ovulation, menstrual cycle
For BOTH males and females: growth spurt, active oil and sweat glands, underarm hair, pubic hair, hormones, hygiene issues.

This class will be presented by: Becky Fuller BSN, RN – DCSD School Nurse
    
Date of presentation by the nurse: May 19th, 2016

To keep the lines of communication strong between you and your child, we will encourage students to talk with their parents about these topics. Other resources for you to explore with your son or daughter:
www.kidshealth.org is another good website
 www.always.com information parents/girls and resources for educators
www.girlshealth.gov promotes healthy, positive behaviors in girls between 10    and 16. 

If for some reason you would prefer that your child not be involved, please indicate this to your teacher either in the form of a note or email by Monday, May 15th and we will discreetly plan another activity for your student.


Ashley Dalcerri 
5th Grade
Gold Rush Elementary

View my Blog here!
What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do.
  - John Ruskin

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Updated Dates

Here's what I can foresee currently, but I'm sure there is something I missed or something to be added!  The end of 5th grade is always full of so much!!

May 4 - Cimarron Field Trip: an hour long trip up the hill to tour around and ask questions

May 8 - Jr. Achievement: a day long guest speaker to teach about Financial Literacy

May 12 - Choir Concert

May 19 - Growing and Changing Discussions: I'll be emailing you soon about this info

May 24 - Outdoor Ed.: I'll be emailing you soon about this info

May 26 - Golden Ticket Theater: Beauty and the Beast

May 31 - Field Day

June 2 - Family Picnic, Celebration, and Clap Out

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Essay work in class

As we have an essay due Friday, the kiddos asked me to post these pictures of charts we have made together in class to help them with their work at home.  I will add new pictures as we add on to our "Writing Like an Expert" list.



Wednesday, April 19, 2017

New School App

New School App
Gold Rush has a new mobile app!  This is a great tool for getting all things GRE at your finger tips.  Click on the following links to download this app.






Historical Research Essay

Our current unit in writing is Historical Research Essays.  Students are writing like experts to share their knowledge of Colonial America.  This is a two part unit where we will work closely together on this first essay and I will guide them though many steps, then they will write another one that is more focused on an event that intrigues them pertaining to the American Revolutionary War.  I always think it is so great to combine content so that writing feels more authentic when they are focused on what we are learning in class.

Along with that, we end the year learning about the American Revolution.  This is not only on of my favorite subjects to teach, but also one that students tend to love.  To bring in more content, book clubs will be historical fiction on books set in this time period.

Thanks for all your support at home!

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

End of the Year Activities

May can be a hectic time of year around here, especially for fifth graders.  Besides the extracurricular activities that your family has and the ones put on by the school, I wanted to have you write a few more on your calendar.

Our End of Year Celebration will take place at Tallman Park on June 2.  This is a super fun and casual way to celebrate the ending of elementary school.  We welcome families to come and share in community at at picnic for the day.  The kids will be playing games, hanging out, and having fun.  The school will provide sandwiches for all fifth graders and we ask kindly that you bring something for yourself and family to enjoy.  After the picnic we come back to school for final goodbye.  During this time we ask that families meet us in the gym to honor these great kiddos.  For this, I ask that you email me two pictures of your child: one from when they were a baby/toddler and a current picture.

On May 19th students will hear from our school nurse about Growing and Changing.  As this date approaches I will send out more information and a link to the video that we show during this time.  Keep in mind that in fifth grade our focus is on how their body will grow and change in the next few years.

Our annual trip to Stone Canyon Outdoor Education is scheduled for May 23.  This is a great experience for these kiddos where they complete challenging tasks such as zip-lining and a ropes course.  Please register for this trip here.  As this date approaches, I will also send you more information.  Please note that it is Outdoor Ed's policy that we do not bring parent chaperones on this field trip.

Mixtures and Solutions




We've been working hard and doing some great experiments in class this past week or so.  Students learned that a mixture is when two materials are put together and that scientifically any mixture can be separated.  After doing some small experiments students took what they learned, came up with a procedure, and successfully separated a mixture of gravel, salt, and powder (diatomaceous earth).


After than we discussed solutions: specialized mixtures in which one material (a solute) dissolves in another material (solvent).  They then realized that different materials have different solubilities to reach saturation.  They conducted and experiment where they mathematically found how much salt would dissolve in 50 mL of water to reach saturation.



Next we will learn about concentration.  Students will see that when you add more solute to a solvent it becomes more concentrated.  We will also connect this to the information we learned earlier in the year surrounding molecules in the air, creating wind patterns, and the atmosphere.

What amazing scientists I've seen this year!

Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Robotics







5th graders have upped their level of critical thinking this year by learning how to code and integrate there learning of fractions within their programing.  It's amazing to watch how their minds work and grow during this process, not to mention the great engagement from all students.  We, at Gold Rush, are putting in a lot of thought and work into the use of technology in the curriculum.  We feel strongly that these new tools should enhance our students' learning and not just be "extra."  We believe that integrating tools, applications, and software into the concepts and standards we already cover will make the learning most meaningful to students and provide a real-world application.





Ask your kiddos about what ways they've loved using technology in their learning this year!

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Geography Study

Traditionally, fifth grade geography is centered around the U.S. states and regions.  The regions we are studying are: Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, and the West.  We've had discussions on how different geographers split up the regions differently, but we've decided to stick with these.  We look for defining characteristics of the ares through the concepts of climate, landforms, natural resources, industry, agriculture, and culture.  We also look at population density, reasons for this, and why people migrate to particular areas.

To get students more engaged, this year we, as a fifth grade team, have changed the unit a bit. While still focusing on the same concepts we changed it up a bit to add a little more interest.   Students began by studying NFL teams across the nation: locating them, looking at why they're located in particular places, population, why they have their given mascot.  In the end, students will work in collaborative groups to present a proposal for a new NFL team to the commissioner (me!).  They will be assessed on the concepts, the presentation, the thoughtfulness of their proposed team, and how they collaborated.  Below is the rubric I will be using to score.