Author: msbinclass

If your student starts their day with Ms. Boelter: Boelter Young Digital Planner
If your student starts their day with Mr. Young: Young Boelter Digital Planner

Curriculum

This week, I had the opportunity to meet with students individually to discuss their progress and goals. It has felt like a turning point for many, as I see many of them building confidence and taking ownership of their learning as they prepare for 6th grade.

This week students will bring home their recent assessment on adding and subtracting fractions. We will celebrate their proud moments, and I encouraged them to reflect on areas for growth. I invite you to review their work together and celebrate their hard work!

Students are making strides in multiplying fractions with creativity and persistence. They are exploring new strategies and building their problem-solving skills. We are also diving into Earth’s spheres and connecting our learning through hands-on activities.

Last week we embraced teamwork and friendship through special activities for the House of Amistad this week. Currently, students are on the lookout for acts of kindness by their peers which will be rewarded with a kindness heart in their house color on our wall in the multipurpose room.

In our classroom, students are setting personal goals, inspired by our class read-aloud, and celebrating each achievement with a link in our classroom goal chain. If it reaches the floor, they earn a structured free day!

Upcoming Events

Classroom Activities

We have been inspired to count the blades of grass on our field, as the class did in the book. With that in mind, we would love some larger pieces of cardboard (not the whole box, please) from which we could cut 6 x 6 inch squares inside so we can take some random samplings in order to make mathematical estimate of how many blades of grass are on the field.

We would also love any jars you may have for a science experiment. They do need a lid. Washed pickle or salsa jars work great for this project! Please don’t buy them. But, if you have any that you could share with us, we’d appreciate it!

Parent Reading Opportunities (Nevada Reading Week, 3/3-3/7): I welcome parents to join us for a special reading session! If you are interested in reading aloud to the class or sharing a favorite book, please let me know. Here’s a link to our current schedule: NRW Schedule

Orff Festival: Our music program will shine at the Orff Festival in March.

I want to thank you for your continued support at home. Your encouragement means so much to your child and to our classroom community. As we move forward, I will continue to meet with students to support their individual growth and readiness for middle school.

If you have any questions or would like to get involved in our classroom activities, please feel free to reach out.

If your student starts their day with Ms. Boelter: Boelter Young Digital Planner
If your student starts their day with Mr. Young: Young Boelter Digital Planner

Curriculum

Thank you for your ongoing support! This week in math, students will focus on multiplying whole numbers by fractions, fractions by whole numbers, and fractions by fractions. Each day, students will review success criteria to understand what mastery looks like.

In science, we have begun a new unit on Earth’s systems and cycles. We will also focus on taking notes that drive more complete answers to complex scientific questions.

Additionally, students in the Fertitta Middle School zone will receive their field trip permission forms on Tuesday.

A friendly reminder that this week is Amistad Spirit Week! Below are the themed dress-up days for those who would like to participate.

Thank you for being an essential part of our learning community!

I hope this message finds you well and enjoying a wonderful week!

If your student starts their day with Ms. Boelter: Boelter Young Digital Planner
If your student starts their day with Mr. Young: Young Boelter Digital Planner

Curriculum

This week has been full of learning, excitement, and hard work! Here are some highlights:

💲 $1 Word Contest: We wrapped up our challenge, and I love seeing the excitement as students discover new $1 words! Encourage your child to keep looking—more fun surprises are ahead.

🔬 Unit on Matter: We concluded our unit on matter and have started our summative assessment. I’ve reminded students to take their time and use evidence from our lessons to support their answers. A little encouragement from home to do their best and take their time would be greatly appreciated!

🥼 Science Experiment: We’re making real-world connections between our units on matter and fractions! If you have any extra jars at home that we could borrow, we’d be so grateful. No need to buy anything—we’ll return them when we’re done!

➗ Upcoming Math Assessment: Our students will take their Summative Assessment on adding and subtracting fractions this week. Encourage them to start with the “mild” questions to build confidence before tackling the “medium” and “spicy” ones. They can also review the reteaching section in their workbooks (pages 319-322) at home to prepare.

Healthy Habits Tracking – As part of our health unit, students are tracking their healthy foods and daily exercise for our Slam Dunk Challenge. In class, we’re incorporating brain breaks and movement activities to keep our minds and bodies energized. Let’s keep up the momentum!

Important Announcements

📖 Yearbook Sales: Don’t forget to grab a yearbook! This is a wonderful keepsake filled with special memories from our year together.

🏀 Slam Dunk Contest: Our students are tracking their healthy habits—staying active, making good food choices, and prioritizing wellness. Let’s cheer them on as they take steps toward a healthier lifestyle!

Thank You

Your support makes a world of difference in your child’s learning journey. Thank you for reinforcing these lessons at home and for being such an important part of our classroom community. I am so grateful for our partnership and look forward to celebrating more milestones with you and your child in the weeks ahead!

If your student starts their day with Ms. Boelter: Boelter Young Digital Planner
If your student starts their day with Mr. Young: Young Boelter Digital Planner

Curriculum

We’ve been working hard on fractions in math! After building a strong conceptual foundation, we’ve moved on to finding common denominators and working with equivalent fractions. While some students are still a bit apprehensive, they’re gaining confidence as they practice. If you’d like, try challenging them at home by working with fractions in recipes—it’s a fun, hands-on way to reinforce what they’ve learned!

In science, we’ve wrapped up our unit on matter. This week, we’ll review how to write strong scientific responses and use evidence to support claims. The summative assessment for this unit will take place on Thursday and Friday.

Thank you for your continued support in helping your children succeed!

If your student starts their day with Ms. Boelter: Boelter Young Digital Planner
If your student starts their day with Mr. Young: Young Boelter Digital Planner

This week is Reveur Spirit Week and Peace Week

• Tuesday – Dress in your dream career
• Wednesday – Wear your favorite sports team attire
• Thursday – Dress in your favorite decade
• Friday – Dress in 100% blue

Curriculum

As we move into another exciting week at school, I want to take a moment to say thanks with gratitude for your continued support. These kids are moving mountains with their growth and I am incredibly proud of their progress.

We are diving deeper into adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators, focusing on fractions less than one whole. Our students began by using fraction models to understand how parts of a whole interact. As we progress, we will be working on finding common denominators more efficiently. By Friday, students will be estimating the sum and product of fractions greater than one.

We are wrapping up our unit on matter and its properties. This week, students will explore the fascinating world of oobleck and other non-Newtonian fluids! It’s an exciting experience that engages their curiosity. Looking ahead, students will complete their summative assessment on matter next week, showcasing all they have learned.

If your student starts their day with Ms. Boelter: Boelter Young Digital Planner
If your student starts their day with Mr. Young: Young Boelter Digital Planner

Students returned from break with enthusiasm and determination. I am proud to report that they jumped right back in and worked hard to meet our classroom expectations.

A special shout-out to those who participated in our $1.00 word challenge! It was wonderful to see their creativity shine through as they expanded their vocabulary with math.

Curriculum

Math: We’ve worked our way through some remedial fractional lessons to make sure everyone has a solid conceptual base. We will formally start our 5th grade unit on fractions on Monday. We will start with lesson 7-1.

Science: Students are currently exploring experiments that demonstrate The Law of Conservation of Matter. This important principle states that the amount of matter remains constant, even when it changes form.I’ve asked them to come up with their own ideas for experiments that will prove this law.

Social Emotional Learning (SEL): This week, we will focus on understanding and practicing intentional inclusion. Engaging in discussions about kindness and acceptance is essential for building a supportive classroom community.

Thank you for your continued support. We are making great growth because we work together.

If your student starts their day with Ms. Boelter: Boelter Young Digital Planner
If your student starts their day with Mr. Young: Young Boelter Digital Planner

I hope you had a good time reconnecting with your students. I took full advantage of this time away from work and disconnected. I feel refreshed and can’t wait to spend time in a room again with your students.

This week we will focus on firming up that solid foundation upon which 5th grade fractions is built. We will also continue to explore matter and how it transforms through chemical changes.

If your student starts their day with Ms. Boelter: Boelter Young Digital Planner
If your student starts their day with Mr. Young: Young Boelter Digital Planner

Curriculum

Last week was an exciting and engaging time in our classroom! We kicked off our Apex Fun Run and celebrated reaching our goals with some enjoyable rewards. We also had a special visit from the Grinch, who inspired us to practice kindness in meaningful ways.

This week, we will continue focusing on gratitude and kindness, guided by the lessons from the Grinch. Additionally, we’ll host our SOARemonies to celebrate the many achievements of our students and acknowledge their growth. These ceremonies are a wonderful opportunity to reflect on our successes and set goals for continued progress.

In science, we will begin engineering activities and conduct a mixtures and solutions experiment using candy canes. If you have extra candy canes to share, we would greatly appreciate them!

In math, we are wrapping up our multi-unit study on dividing whole numbers and decimals. Students will take a combined assessment on Wednesday and Thursday.

As grades will be finalized and available by the end of winter break, please remember that our goal is end-of-year mastery rather than mastery at the end of the semester. We’ve provided opportunities for reassessment through independent Check Your Understanding Sessions (CYUS) and remediation content on current summative assessments for previously covered content. Many students are making great progress toward this goal, and we are proud of their efforts!

Finally, if you have a favorite holiday book and are on the volunteer list, we would love to have you come read to our class. Please reach out, and we will do our best to coordinate a time.

Thank you for your ongoing support!