Headlines, 12/14

We are in the home stretch and have a busy week ahead of us.  Please let me know if your child will be gone later in the week as there are still tests and quizzes we will be taking.  Thank you to everyone for your generous donations for our winter celebration.  We are looking forward to a great time!


Math: We are in the middle of learning how to divide fractions and will continue with that this week.  We will have math tutoring on Tuesday, but not on Thursday of this week.

Writing/Grammar:  This week we will continue with sentence diagramming of compound parts.  There may be a short quiz this week!

Literature: We are still in our poetry unit and will continue analyzing poetry.  We are also looking forward to hearing poetry recitations.

Science:  We took our test over Classification today and will take a short break from Science as we finish up

History:  Today we finished up The Reformation by talking about Galileo.  The students will finish the study guide in class today and we will take the test on Thursday.
 

 

 Announcements
 

• We will still have math groups this Wednesday.  Thank you so much to the parent volunteers who have given their time this semester!

 

Important Dates

• Monday, 12/14: Poetry recitations begin
• Wednesday, 12/16: Reformation Test
• Friday 12/18 Winter Celebration
• 12/21- 1/4 Winter Break

Headlines 12/5

It is hard to  believe we are nearing the end of 2015!  The next few weeks will be quite busy as wrap our studies of the first semester.  I encourage you to help your scholars stay up to date on tests and quizzes in this busy time of year.  Please let me know if you have any questions.  Also, thank you for the generous supply of glue sticks!


Math: We began Unit 4 by learning how to multiply fractions, use cancellation, and solve bar model problems.  We will continue next week by moving into division. 

Writing/Grammar:  I am very impressed with the persuasive writings I have read thus far.  Next week we will take our sentence diagramming to the next level and begin to diagram compound parts. 

Literature: Our students did an AMAZING job on their 100 point projects.  There was much effort put forth and we enjoyed presentations last week.  We are now learning about poetic devices and will be using these skills to analyze poetry beginning next week.

Science:  We took a short open note quiz last week over Kingdom Fungi.  Next week we will be learning about Kingdom Protista.  A study guide will be going home on Monday for the Classification test and our final test will be Thursday. 

History:  The Reformation has sparked much conversation among our class, as we discussed the different viewpoints of the churches of the time.  We will finish the Reformation next week and students will receive a study guide for the Unit.  The final test will be the following Wednesday.
 

 

 Announcements
 

• Tutoring has changed formats.  Monday will now be grammar and writing. Tuesdays and Thursdays will be Math.  I have talked to quite a few parents about their students attending math tutoring.  If so, please make sure they are going on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  This is an excellent time to receive extra instruction over the concepts we are studying.
• Our winter celebration will be December 18, a sign-up genius will be emailed soon!

 

Important Dates

• Thursday, 12/10: Classification Test
• Friday, 12/11: Roots Test
• Monday, 12/14: Poetry recitations begin
• Wednesday, 12/16: Reformation Test
• Friday 12/18 Winter Celebration
• 12/21- 1/4 Winter Break

Please read the following about the Bard Competition.  Since we are all memorizing poetry right now, I would love to see our students take place in this worthwhile endeavor!


Archway Arete's First Annual Bard Competition

Throughout Western civilization, bards have been keepers of tradition, reciting the poetry of their people and passing on oral history. At every grade level, our students practice memorization and recitation of poems in the classroom. This year, we will be joining our fellow Great Hearts schools and holding a Bard Competition for our 3rd through 5th grade students, whom we will challenge to memorize and recite poetry. Over the course of two rounds and two poems, we will winnow the field to find our school's most skillful bard. That student would be named School Bard for the year and will represent Archway Arete in the Great Hearts Archway Bard Competition. If your student is interested in competing, you can download the competition guidelines and registration form. These forms will also be available through the School Office or your student's teacher.  Whether your student participates or not, we invite all of our Archway families to these public recitations, which promise to be engaging reminders of this tradition.

 

 

Spelling Bee and Other Info!

Please note the memorization of the poem is due Monday, December 14.  Students have chosen their poem and should start practicing today!

We are in DESPERATE need of glue sticks!  We are sharing about ten very sad partially used glues sticks for the whole class.  If you are able to send in a few with your student it would be greatly appreciated.

Please accept my apology!  I did not send this information out earlier regarding the Spelling Bee. 

Hopefully if your child wanted to stay there were able to get a hold of you this afternoon, if not, they can still study the words at home.  This information is from Ms. Porcelli and Ms. Smith who are in charge of the bee this year:

Dear Archway Parents and Students,

 This year Archway Arete will be competing in the Scripps Spelling Bee! We are excited to refine our spelling and public speaking skills in this friendly and fun competition.

 The timeline for the spelling bee program is as follows:

Mon. 11/16 – Spelling Bee information distributed to Parents and Students

Tues. 11/17– Optional spelling practice for 1st and 2nd graders in Mr. Posner's room from 3:10-4:10

Tues. 11/24 – Optional spelling practice for 3rd and 4th graders in Mr. Posner's room from 3:10-4:10

Tues. 12/1 – Optional spelling practice for 5th graders in Mr. Posner's room from 3:10-4:10

 Friday 12/4 – Each child will take a grade-level qualifier test in their classroom. The test will be a selection of 20-25 words from the challenging Scripps 100 word list for your child’s grade level. The top five scorers in each class will be selected to participate in their oral classroom spelling bee.

12/7-12/10 – Oral classroom Spelling Bees will take place within this week.  The top speller from each classroom will go on to participate in the Archway Arete school-wide spelling bee on 1/6.

 

Wed. 1/6 – The school-wide spelling bee will be held in the evening at Archway Arete! The top spellers in each class compete in the school-wide bee and only the top speller in each grade will move on to the Great Hearts District bee after winter break.

Tues. 1/26 – The top five spellers from Archway Arete will compete in the Great Hearts District Bee at Archway Veritas! (Details and times will follow.)

 While participation in the spelling bee program is voluntary, we encourage every student at Archway Arete to participate in their written and oral classroom spelling bees, as well as the optional spelling practice bees! Here are the word lists that your child will need to study to prepare for this competition: 2015, 2016 Spelling Bee Word Lists. You may also go to Spelling Bee Resources to find additional material and helpful strategies. Students should first learn the 100 study words for their grade level. Please note that the words on this list are quite challenging. The challenge is part of the fun! When your child masters the 100 grade specific words, they are ready to learn the study words for all other grade levels. There are a total of 450 words on the 2016 School Spelling Bee Study List. Finally, when your child masters the study words for grade levels 1-8, they may get a head start on the next level of competition by learning the words on the “Spell It.” This will prepare them for Great Hearts District Bee should they advance to this level of competition.

 Please direct questions to Ms. Porcelli and Ms. Smith at MPorcelli@archwayarete.org and hsmith@archwayarete.org. We are delighted to celebrate the English language with your children through the Scripps spelling bee program!

Very truly yours,

Ms. Porcelli and Ms. Smith

 

Headlines 11/30

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and was able to enjoy time with family and friends.  We are now in the "crunch" time of our year.  The students and I spoke this morning about working hard for the next three weeks as we prepare for the end of the first semester!


Math: We finished the week by taking our Unit 3 Tests, these should be coming home today or tomorrow and will corrections will need to be made.  This week we will be working on multiplying fractions.  We will be having math groups on Wednesday at our normal time of 8:00-9:00.

Writing/Grammar:  We continued our work on Persuasive Essays last week and I had the chance to look over their outlines.  This week we will be writing rough drafts, editing, and starting our final copies.  We will also be learning about compound subjects, verbs, and conjunctions and learning how to diagram these.

Literature: Most of the class has finished reading Where the Red Fern Grows and everyone should be working on their 100 Point Project.  The final due date for these is this Friday, December 4th.  We will set time aside in class to look at presentations and will give the students a chance to share their projects with their classmates.  Our next unit will last until the Winter Break and will be on Poetry.  Today we will be watching different readings of poems and each student will choose a poem to memorize and present to the class.  These will be due Monday, December 16th. 

Science:  We finished our week by taking an open-note quiz over the Kingdom Animalia.  We are now moving on to Kingdom Fungi.

History:  We began the Reformation by learning about the Printing Press, this week we will be focusing on Martin Luther and his influence on the time.
 

 

 Announcements

 

• Tutoring has changed formats.  Monday will now be grammar and writing. Tuesdays and Thursdays will be Math.

• We began our typing program this will continue every Friday from here on out.

 

Important Dates

• 12/4 100 Point Project Due
• 12/17-18 Half Day Release
• 12/21-25 Winter Break
   

 

Sixth Grade Enrollment Information:

Students scheduled to graduate from our academy are not automatically enrolled into 6^th grade at our designated recipient school, Arete Preparatory Academy.  You will need to submit a new application to Arete Preparatory Academy during the open enrollment period in order to be considered for enrollment at that academy for the 2016-2017 school year. 

Frequently asked questions:

When can we submit a 2016-2017 application?

The open enrollment period dates for the 2016-2017 school year are Monday, November 30^th, through Monday, December 14^th, 2015.  

Will we get an application priority status?

Applications received from graduating 5^th grade students will be given “Archway Graduate” priority application status on their Arete Prep application. Archway Graduate is the highest priority that Great Hearts Academies offers for students that enroll.

Does my application go back through the lottery?

Although all applications received during open enrollment will enter a lottery, the graduating students from Archway Arete will be given a waitlist number based on the Archway Graduate priority status, the highest priority Great Hearts offers.  

What if we miss open enrollment?

Applications can still be submitted even after the open enrollment period but will not be eligible for the lottery and will be considered post-enrollment applications. These post open enrollment applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis but will still give Archway Graduate priority status. Please be aware post enrollment applications are not guaranteed an offer of enrollment. It is recommended that families apply during open enrollment since initials offers will begin January 19^th, 2016.

Can my student go to another Great Hearts academy?

Families may also choose to apply to a Great Hearts academy other than Arete Preparatory Academy but will not be eligible for “Archway Graduate” priority status.  Instead, you may submit a Transfer Request form to your desired academy after your 2016-17 application for that school has been submitted.  You can find a Transfer Request form on the Enrollment page at www.greatheartsaz.org.  If all requirements are met and it is approved, your 2016-2017 application will be marked for “Transfer” priority status. 

Please note: Archway Arete works closely with Arete Prep to ensure that all of the graduating 5^th graders have the option to attend Arete Prep. The hope is that all Archway Arete 5^th graders will continue on to Arete Prep through graduation. While working closely together to ensure seats are available for all Archway Graduates, there is still no guarantee that each student will receive an offer. For more information about Great Hearts enrollment policies, please visit the ENROLLMENT page at www.greatheartsaz.org or call 602-438-7045 #351.

 

Headlines 11/17

Even though we had an odd week with Wednesday off, we managed to accomplish quite a bit.  I am also happy to report that the overall behavior and level of respect was greatly improved this week.  Thank you for your support!


Math: Last week we used our knowledge of fractions to practice converting measurements.  We will be reviewing these concepts next week and will take the Unit test on Friday.  Please be sure your child stays for tutoring Thursday if you feel they need some extra support.  We will also be having our math groups on Wednesday from 8:45-9:45 again this week.  After this week we will back to our regular schedule.

Writing/Grammar:  We reviewed parts of speech last week and began talking about methods used to persuade audiences.  The kids had fun looking at some old advirtisements.  Ask them about "Gillete Safety Razor!"  Next week begins the writing process for persuasive essays.

Literature: We have had some wonderful class discussions in our book study.  We are over half way though the book, so I hope that there has been work started on the 100 point project.  The due date will be Tuesday, December 1st.

Science:  We have been learning about the different classifications of animals and we will continue climbing the Animalia ladder this week.

They also enjoyed a hands-on experience with worms!

History:  A study guide should have gone home last week. I apologize for not getting the test date on the blog.  We will be reviewing for the test tomorrow and will take it on Tuesday.  We will begin our new unit covering the Reformation on Wednesday.

The students did a wonderful job memorizing and performing their poem.  Enjoy the recitation!

 

 Announcements

 

• Tutoring has changed formats.  Monday will now be grammar and writing. Tuesdays and Thursdays will be Math.

• As of Monday, November 2, the winter uniform guidelines go into effect.  Boys will be required to wear long pants, girls may wear pants or skirts with knee socks or tights.

• We will begin our typing program on Friday.  To begin this will be in-class work, however, as we progress in the program we may ask for practice at home as well. 

 

Important Dates

• 11/17 Renaissance Test
• 11/18 Winter Concert 
• 11/20 Unit 3 Singapore Test
• 11/25-11/27 Thanksgiving Break, No School
• 12/1 100 Point Project Due

Headlines 11/9

The weather has changed and I hope everyone has enjoyed some time outdoors!  We have made good use of our outdoor classroom and hope to continue to do so.  Our week ended a little rocky, and we had a discussion of what respectful scholarly behavior looks like in our classroom.  We discussed showing kindness to all and listening with respect to teachers and our classmates. I am happy to report that today was a much better day.  Please continue to reiterate to your fifth grader that a desire to learn and grow is the foundation of a classical education.  Thank you for all your support :)


Math: This week we will begin learning how to convert measurements.  We will take our time moving through this process as it can be a bit overwhelming for some students.

Writing/Grammar:  This week we will be learning how to diagram compound subject nouns and will begin the writing process for a persuasive paper.

Literature: We have had some wonderful class discussions in our book study.  We are over half way though the book, so I hope that there has been work started on the 100 point project.  The due date will be Tuesday, December 1st.

Science:  We have been learning about the different classifications of animals and tomorrow we will get a chance for a hands-on discussion as we take a look at earthworms!

History:  Our class has had quite the introduction to the Renaissance and we had the opportunity last week to see a mini-gallery of the artists we are studying.  This week we hope to conclude the unit, so be looking for a study guide in the near future.

 Announcements

 

• Tutoring has changed formats.  Monday will now be grammar and writing. Tuesdays and Thursdays will be Math.

• As of Monday, November 2, the winter uniform guidelines go into effect.  Boys will be required to wear long pants, girls may wear pants or skirts with knee socks or tight

 

Important Dates

• 11/10 Picture Retakes
• 11/11 Veteran's Day - No School
• 11/18 Winter Concert
• 11/25-11/27 Thanksgiving Break, No School
• 12/1 100 Point Project Due

Headlines 11/2

We had a great Monday and no-one appeared to have had a sugar overdose.  After a few gentle reminders that candy is not considered a healthy snack, the day went very well!  I want to say a HUGE thank you to the parents who came in to help on Friday.  You all are amazing and both the students and I are grateful for the time and effort you put into making the Read-A-Thon a huge success. We are a lucky bunch!


Math: The class seems to have a pretty firm grasp on the concepts we are studying.  We will be taking time to review fractions this week and will be testing next week.  If you find your child is struggling, please let me know and be sure they attend tutoring on Tuesday and Thursday.

Writing/Grammar:  We will be writing our final drafts of our descriptive paragraphs and then will be moving to the final step of Publishing.  We also will be going back to grammar, focusing on types of nouns and pronouns.

Literature: I hope everyone is enjoying Where the Red Fern Grows.  In this book we are focusing on using the text-based evidence to answer questions and make inferences.  Hopefully everyone has had the opportunity to look through the 100 Point Project with their students and make project choices.  I would encourage getting a head start on these and making a plan for the timeline in which to complete the project.


Science:  Most students did very well on the Chemistry test and it was clear they studied their notes.  We began our next unit this today on animal classification.

History:  Throughout this unit the we have been practicing various ways of taking notes and studying.  I encourage you to have your child bring home their notes to review the concepts we are learning in class.

 Announcements

 

• Tutoring has changed formats.  Monday will now be grammar and writing. Tuesdays and Thursdays will be Math.

• As of Monday, November 2, the winter uniform guidelines go into effect.  Boys will be required to wear long pants, girls may wear pants or skirts with knee socks or tight

 

Important Dates

• 11/6 Movie Night and Uniform Exchange 
• 11/10 Picture Retakes
• 11/11 Veteran's Day - No School
• 11/18 Winter Concert

 

Enjoy some pictures from the Read-A-Thon!