Dear Intermediate School Families,
We are continuing to see lots of hard work and nice friendships growing at GRAIS! Thank you for your commitment to getting the children to school every day (barring illness) and on time, as every minute matters.
Grade Four ELA:
Students have been finishing up their winter iReady reading diagnostic. Each child has an individual goal that he or she is aiming to reach by the end of the year. Many have already succeeded, and some are very close!
We are using our new reading program, Wonders, to learn lots of new vocabulary words and develop our comprehension skills through various expository texts and fictional short stories. We will be turning our focus from fiction to nonfiction in the upcoming weeks, looking closely at text features and text structure, as well as main ideas and details.
Grade Four Math:
We are exploring both understanding word problems as well as solving multi-step word problems. We are using variables for the unknown and all four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) to solve word problems that contain more than one step in order to find the solution.
Grade Five ELA:
In ELA we finished up the winter benchmark diagnostic. Teachers were excited to see how much growth most of the students have made from September. Their hard work is really paying off! In class this week students will continue to analyze various fiction and non-fiction texts to aid in their comprehension.
Grade Five Math:
We are working hard on the computation of whole numbers and decimals and have now taken our unit test. The next unit will focus on fractions. We will begin reviewing what fractions are and how we can use them in our everyday life, for example in cooking and baking. We will then move on to adding and subtracting of fractions. Practice those math facts because they are really going to be helpful with this unit!
Message from the Nurse's Suite:
Here is a list of ideas to promote good, safe, and healthy habits from the American Academy of Pediatrics for children ages 5 - 12:
• Drink milk and water, and limit soda and fruit drinks
• Apply sunscreen before going outdoors
• Try to find a sport (like basketball or soccer) or an activity (like playing tag, jumping rope, dancing or riding a bike) and do it at least three times a week
• Wear a helmet when bicycling
• Always wear a seat belt
• Be kind to peers, especially to those who need friends – like someone who is shy, or is new to our school
• Never give out personal information such as one’s name, home address, school name, image, or telephone number on the internet
Reminders on Afternoon Pick-up Procedure to Keep Everyone Safe:
Please park in the UPPER lot and walk to the cafeteria entrance.
Please do not create parking spots where none exist.
Student Grades:
We are approaching the middle of our second trimester. As it is the natural progression, this trimester has been less about review of knowledge and more about learning new grade-level concepts, as well as less about teacher-assisted work completion and more about independence. We hope you will check Aspen routinely to stay current on your child’s academic performance.
Dates to Remember:
February 16th - Indoor Color Run
Winter Vacation - February 20th - 24th
Early Dismissal at 11:30 - March 3rd
Curriculum Night Event - March 23rd
No School - April 7th
Spring Vacation - April 14th - 21st
Early Dismissal at 11:30 - May 5th
Spring MCAS Dates at GRAIS:
April 10 & 11–Grade Five ELA
April 12 & 13–Grade Four ELA
May 08 & 09–Grade Five Math
May 10 & 11–Grade Four Math
May 15 & 16–Grade Five Science
With gratitude for your support,
Dr. Sullivan
508.923.3506 x 3150/esullivan@freelake.org