Miss Rubasch Fifth Grade

Fall!

2011-10-24T11:06:00.000-07:00

Greetings to Everyone, and Happy Fall!

This is my favorite time of year, as the weather gets cooler and the students are starting to work together in their groups.

This Friday (October 28th) is our Harvest Fest and our class is collecting cupcakes for the cupcake walk. Please send in a dozen cupcakes (or two) if possible. Join us for a night of fun, games, and treats from 6:00- 8:00 pm.

All students need to be studying their times tables and reading every night. I am checking reading logs once a week. This is a big portion of the reading grade.

Our vocabulary words this week are:

adapt, ambition, amuse, annoy, boundary

We are reading The City of Ember in class. Please check to see that your child has a copy to read. Our next chapter book will be Esperanza Rising.

Book orders are due this Friday!

Have a great week!
Miss Rubasch

Back To School!

2011-08-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

Hello Parents and Students!

Welcome back to school and welcome to my 5th grade class. I will blog approximately once a month (sometimes more if something REALLY big is coming)! Thanks to all parents who invested in school supplies. We should be set until Christmas, at least, with all of the pencils, pens, paper, etc...

Open house is THIS WEDNESDAY from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm. It is an informal way for you to see our classroom, a bit of your child's work, and for me to put faces to names.

Our class is focusing on multiplication, division, the times tables up through the 12's, Least Common Multiples, states and capitals, and the Preamble. Most students really need to be practicing their times tables at home. The easiest way to practice and learn times tables is by skip counting.

We have five new vocabulary words every Monday with a test on Friday. Our words to date are:

appointment authority genuine
imitate forbid automatic
frigid conquer abrupt
communicate abolish contact
decay ignore endure

The first week of each month will be a cumulative week containing ALL previous words from ALL previous months. Next week students will be tested on all 15 words.

This week we are starting an at-home reading log. Students should be reading 20-45 minutes each day including weekend days.

You are always welcome to send in a note, call the school and leave a message, or drop by after school. I am usually here until 4:00 pm.

Please make sure your child has a planner. We write down homework everyday, including vocabulary words, in planners. Planners are for sale in the front office for $2.

I can always use peppermints and tiny, little stickers (like foil stars) in class. Thank you for all you do! I know being a good parent is a huge job, and I can tell how hard you work:) This is going to be a GREAT year!

Miss Rubasch

2010-09-20T10:13:00.000-07:00

Hello Parents and Students!
I am so happy to have so many of you reading my blogs:) I will write updates so you know important happenings in the classroom and at school. We will begin painting in art this week so please send in newspapers and an old shirt, smock or apron that can get very messy. If you still have Entertainment books please send them back or send in the money.

Students need to be studying their times tables- up to the 12's, the 50 states and capitals, and the 50 vocabulary words that are in my previous blog. ALSO each student needs to read at least 20 minutes a night. Students who are good readers have an easier time in Social Studies, Science, and Math.

Send me a note if you have questions or comments. If you would like a phone call I will get back to you as soon as possible:)

Have a wonderful week!
Miss Rubasch

P.S. Do any of you know who invented the light bulb and when?

50 Vocabulary Words

2010-09-13T11:41:00.000-07:00

Hello Parents and Students!

Here is the list of our first 50 vocabulary words. These words will take us into January. Students should be studying all of them throughout this quarter and next.

Do not panic. This is the best way to show growth and help kids retain the knowledge of learned information. Every Friday I will take 10 words at random. Technically, we could have the word "abolish" on the next four vocabulary tests. This may sound a little insane, but I like to graph the results in class so every child can see how much improvement our class is making.

abolish
abrupt
accomplish
acquaintance
adapt
advantage
ambition
amuse
annoyance
appointment
appreciate
authority
automatic
boundary
broadcast
campaign
cease
ceremony
circumstance
collapse
communicate
conclude
conquer
consult
contact
contribute
decay
deceive
declare
defend
destruction
distress
elaborate
embrace
endure
esteem
estimate
evidence
exaggeration
extinction
forbid
foreign
formula
foundation
frigid
frontier
function
genuine
ignore
imitate

Good Luck! Have a wonderful week, and look for your child's lists at home. We will be working on them in class a few times a week.

Miss Rubasch

Welome Back to School! Woo Hoo!

2010-08-19T15:25:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,
I am so excited to start a new school year. Thank you for bringing in all the school supplies. We have a fun group of kids so eager to learn. One special addition to my classroom is Chewy. He is a very special guinea pig that everyone can enjoy, especially on the weekends. Please send in a signed permission if you would like to take Chewy home for the weekend.

Some of the things you can expect your student to learn this year include the 50 states and capitals, the Preamble, Pre-Algebra, Solar System, inventors and inventions, writing, literature, and so much more! Please plan on your student having homework every day (this includes days before long weekends and on days we have field trips).

I look forward to an amazing year. If you would like to reach me, you may email me at amyrubasch@yahoo.com or call the school to set up an appointment (721-4205). I am available for appointments Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8:00-8:25 AM or in the afternoon from 3:15-4:00 PM.

Miss Rubasch

Fabulous February!!!

2010-02-08T17:26:00.000-08:00

Hello Parents and Students!
Progress reports went out today, and I will be available for the next few weeks after school for conferences. Please let me know if and when you would like to meet.

Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays because it is all about saying and doing something nice for someone else. Thursday we will decorate Valentine envelopes and if you have art supplies at home (glue sticks, scissors, glitter) we would love to use them! We will have a small party on Friday so feel free to send in your favorite treats to share and a Valentine for each student in the class. I will send out a class list this week.

Love of Reading week is next week and we have activities planned each day. I will be reading some of my favorite books to the class and each student will be reading from their favorite books as well. We will have "poem in a pocket" day, guest readers, and "dress up as your favorite literary character" day. You can help by donating some books you have at home to build up our classroom library.

This time of year it becomes imperative for students to know their times tables and division facts. Please quiz your kid! The more you practice at home, the easier time they will have in school.

Keep reading, reading, reading!! At least 20 minutes a day. We are competing in a Bookman's challenge to earn money for our school library. Students are filling out a small form for each book they read and it is being logged against other schools in Arizona. We have a great chance of winning and I know we can do it!

Science Projects are due next week! Please read the science packet, it has all the information and examples.

Have a great month!

Miss Rubasch

2009-11-14T12:38:00.000-08:00

Hello Parents and Students,

We had some amazing book report projects turned in on Friday. I am proud and impressed of the students' work. In the next few weeks we will do science projects in class, and could use some art supplies. The class will be studying and creating science learning posters of animals and plants native to the Sonoran Desert. We need paintbrushes, tempera paint, markers and scissors. Thanks in advance for adding a little extra to our class.

Our regular art teacher, Mrs. Molina, is back from maternity leave and we are happy to see her again. We will miss the substitute art teacher, Frankie. I told the students if they will bring in a few dollars, we will hire him for a few hours to come back for a few lessons. It costs $30 to book him for an hour and will let you know when we get to have him back again.

The Thanksgiving Feast is next Tuesday, the 24th. Our class is one of the classes in charge of turkeys. If you are able to cook one, we will need it cooked and ready to eat by 9 a.m. that morning. The classes bringing turkeys are having a competition to see who can bring in the most. The two winners will get a class party sponsored by the other classes. Let me know if you can make, cook, and/or buy a turkey.

We are headed to the Biosphere December 15th, and the cost is $10. You may start sending in the money now.

Have a wonderful week!
Miss Rubasch

2009-11-06T10:55:00.000-08:00

Hello Parents and Students!

The Great Turkey Competition has begun. We are supplying the turkeys for our school's Thanksgiving Feast. Turkeys need to be cooked and hot by 9 a.m. on Tuesday, November 24th. The class that brings in the most turkeys will get a party sponsored by the other 5th and 6th grade classes.

Turn on your creative engines! Each student needs to scrounge around their house for items to make a planet, sun, or other object from our solar system. Originality earns points. Be as creative as possible. Students will describe what they made and one fact about their celestial object.

December 11th is the date of the final states and capitals test and the date the science project is due. For the science project, students will pick one topic, ANY TOPIC, from science and create a science board teaching at least eight facts about that topic. At least eight full color pictures are needed and every picture needs to be labeled with a fact. Pictures may be hand drawn or printed out from the internet.

I am collecting books and puzzles for our class. Thank you in advance for helping to build our classroom library and our collection of puzzles!

Have a Fantastic Fall!

Miss Rubasch

Welcome to Miss Rubasch's Blog

2009-09-11T08:05:00.000-07:00

Hello Families, welcome to my blog. I will be updating it weekly. Please check in to stay informed of our classroom goings on.