New Year!

Welcome new students! I'm sure you all know by now your teacher for the year will not be Ms. Kim, but instead the wonderful Ms. Shimizu! I hope you have a terrific year, full of curiosity and knowledge. I have no doubt you will all be terrific students to Ms. Shimizu, as I know she will be an amazing teacher for you.

If you are wondering what Ms. Kim has been up to, here is a picture to explain everything...

Check out our DONORS CHOOSE page!

We are sooooo close to full funding for our project. Only $1000 dollars more and we will get all of the microscopes and slides we need for the classroom!

The catch is, if we don't reach our goal by August 23rd, WE LOSE EVERYTHING. Yup...every donation given so far will go POOF!

I understand that times are not easy nowadays, but any donation will help us greatly. Please consider donating to our project!

And of course, every donation is tax deductible.

Thank you in advance for your consideration!!

2009 5th Grade Picnic at Baker Beach

What an amazing day at the beach!  It started out drizzly and sprinkling, and ended up being the most beautiful beach day ever.  The kids loved the sand and the ocean, and did NOT listen to Ms. Kim and dared to get their feet wet.  But no complaints were heard, so all went smoothly!

Pizza, brownies, fruit, veggies, chips, cheese and crackers were on the menu today, and the kids ate it all up with gusto.  Everyone had a terrific time!  This will undoubtedly go down as one of the best Baker Beach picnic days Sutro kids have ever had!  

Rain Scheduled for Friday?

Rain is looming!  We may need to cancel our trip to Baker Beach on Friday, due to the forecast of rain.  In lieu of the beach, we will be having our party in house at Sutro.  The menu will be the same...pizza and whatnot.  

However disappointed you may be, students, please try to remember how many activities you have enjoyed thus far.  5th grade at Sutro is unlike other elementary schools.  You have had your fabulous Mt. Lake school picnic, parfait party, graduation party, and had time to get autographs from everyone in the school.  Not to mention you will have your smoothie party next week and the adults/5th grade basketball game.  Appreciate the things you have enjoyed so far and try not to dwell on the missed opportunities!

Oh, and also do the anti-rain dance for Friday.  Because if it does NOT rain...Baker Beach it is!

Congratulations, Graduates!!

Congratulations, students!  You have now graduated from 5th grade.  You all have a wonderful journey ahead of you.  Enjoy it, and don't take it for granted.  Your time in middle school will pass quickly, and before you know it you will be high school students!

I'm so very proud of all of you, and will miss you dearly.

Mt. Lake Park THIS FRIDAY

If you are wondering about the picnic this Friday, here are some of the details: We will be leaving at 9:45 a.m. (this is an approximate time.) Families are welcome to join, as long as they don't mind volunteering. We need all the help you can offer!

The kids will be provided with lunch, so you do not need to pack your child's lunch or bring lunch money.

We will be at the park until after noon, at which point we will all return to school for the school raffle! It is not too late to buy your tickets now. You could win some terrific prizes with your donation to Sutro!

Please do not bring any toys to the park, as they may be lost in the shuffle. Games and activities will be provided by the school and Ms. Shaz, our fabulous P.E. instructor.

See you then, students!

Harvesting the Radishes

After many weeks of waiting, the students finally had their chance to harvest the radishes that have been growing on the stoop of the stairwell. Their patience paid off, because the vegetables were delicious! There were a few different kinds of radish planted, but the consensus was that they were all tasty in their own unique way. The kids tasted every part of the radish, including the stems and leaves.

Everyone was thrilled, and we thank Ms. Vermette for all of her hard work and creativity with the nutrition program this year. We have all learned to eat healthier and take care of our bodies by using the right kind of "fuel." Thank you, Ms. Vermette! We will miss you over the summer.

Homework for May 26/Week 36

HOMEWORK for May 26-June 1/WEEK 36

1. Daily Language Review

2. Daily Academic Vocabulary

3. Daily Paragraph Editing

4. Daily Handwriting Practice

5. Daily Word Problems

6. Daily Math Practice

7. Daily Geography

8. Journey Into the Earth crossword

9. Tic Tac Math

10. Reading Log

ESSAY: Write four paragraphs on your favorite field trip and why it was your favorite. It can be from any year you spent here at Sutro.

The End is Near!

The kids are feeling the anxiety and excitement of the end of the year, and for some it is a little daunting. The idea of leaving a school they have been familiar with for years can be intimidating, especially when they have known nothing else but Sutro and the family they have created here.

Remember to encourage your children to think about what they would like to get out of their 5th grade education, and to plan a "bridge" over the summer so they won't be so shocked by the 6th grade curriculum when it comes in August.

A "bridge" over the summer can be anything from a tutoring program or class to a summer camp that emphasizes academics as well as enrichment programs. This can help kids keep their focus on learning and knowledge when television and video games are tempting.

Please look into local programs and classes in your neighborhood to see if there is something that may keep him/her involved, interested, and active. In other words, turn off the television, shut down the computer, and take the fun outside!

Homework for May 18/Week 35

HOMEWORK for May 18 to May 26/WEEK 35

1. Word Search

2. Daily Language Review

3. Daily Academic Vocabulary

4. Daily Paragraph Editing

5. Daily Handwriting Practice

6. Daily Word Problems

7. Daily Math Practice

8. Daily Geography

9. Tic Tac Math

10. Reading Log

ESSAY: Write six paragraphs on what you are planning to accomplish this summer.

Annual All School Picnic at Mt. Lake Park

Testing is now over! The kids are sighing relief as we continue on through the last four weeks of school. In case you haven't seen the school calendar on this blog (down below on the right) the next event for the students is the annual school wide picnic at Mt. Lake Park, which is scheduled for May 29th. This picnic is followed by a raffle on the lower yard of Sutro, so if you can possibly volunteer or attend, please do!

Hopefully, you also received the raffle tickets and request for raffle prize donations from the PTA. Thank you for your help and generosity!

The picnic begins mid-morning and continues until afternoon. Hot dogs and all the fixings will be provided for the children.

Please make sure you read every notice that is coming home at this time. And if you are NOT getting these notices, please make sure you check your child's backpack every day. There is important information you must receive that pertains to the end of the year.

Homework for May 11/Week 34

HOMEWORK for May 11 to May 18/WEEK 34

1. Word Search

2. Daily Language Review

3. Daily Academic Vocabulary

4. Daily Paragraph Editing

5. Daily Handwriting Practice

6. Daily Word Problems

7. Daily Math Practice

8. Daily Geography

9. Tic Tac Math

10. Reading Log

ESSAY: If you were to speak in front of the audience at graduation, what would you say? Write your speech. Four paragraphs.

The Atlantis Launch

NASA will launch the space shuttle Atlantis at 11:00 a.m. today! Make sure you watch it, if you are in close proximity to a television! Room 11 will be watching the launch live, via internet streaming from Nasa TV.

Hello Parents of 4th Graders!

Hi Parents of the incoming 5th grade class of 2010! I hope you are looking forward to learning all about the 5th grade curriculum in Room 11 next year. In case you were wondering, this is a short list of what your child should know after a year in 4th grade.

By the end of fourth grade you can expect your child to:

Begin to make more decisions and engage in group decision-making

Want to be part of a group

Think independently and critically

Have empathy

Show a strong sense of responsibility

Be able to memorize and recite facts, although he may not have a deep understanding of them

Increase the amount of detail in drawings

Work on research projects

Write a structured paragraph with an introductory topic sentence, three supporting details and a closing sentence that wraps up the main idea of the paragraph.

Use a range of strategies when drawing meaning from text, such as prediction, connections and inference

Understand cause and effect relationships

Add and subtract decimals, and compare decimals and fractions

Multiply multi-digit numbers by two-digit numbers (26 x 5,348)

Divide larger multi-digit numbers by one-digit numbers (1215 / 3)

Find the area of two-dimensional shapes

Have a greater awareness of fairness issues

Homework for May 4/Week 33

HOMEWORK for May 4 to May 11/WEEK 33

1. Word Search

2. Daily Language Review

3. Daily Academic Vocabulary

4. Daily Paragraph Editing

5. Daily Handwriting Practice

6. Daily Word Problems

7. Daily Math Practice

8. Daily Geography

9. Tic Tac Math

10. Crossword

11. Reading Log

12. POETRY: Create five triplet poems. They can either be one large poem or five smaller poems.