Get Along Little Doggies

 
Yippee ti yi yay...Howdy y'all!  Get riddy fer some fun tomorrow as we have us a western, fun-filled cowboy picnic.  Don't forget to bring your cow dud's so you can dress up at lunch.  Then take your treats to share and come on out for a rip roarin' howdy doodaw time with all the 5th grade class!  Bring your ma and pa along if you want to!  And don't forgit your cowboy poetry!   Yee haw!
Cowgirl Cardinal

Run Through the Finish Line

 

My sons run in track.  I notice that many runners, when finishing a 400 meter or 1600 meter event, slow down and stop on the finish line.  They probably gain at least a second in their time and that can be the difference between 1st and 2nd place.  I always tell my kids to run through the finish line and then slow down and stop.  Why am I telling you this?  I see this week as that last moment before the finish line.  We are 8 days away from the end of school.  We are not at the end of school.  I am not letting up this week at all.  I have high expectations for the 5th graders and am keeping them very busy.  We have more work to do.  Consider Field Day next Wednesday the finish line...and the two days after that the slow down and stop.  Then at 1PM on June 1st, you can gulp down the gatorade and stretch out on the grass, knowing you did your very best.  This week we have an essay to write, a math review test to take, and Latin to review.  I'm still filling heads with knowledge about history and the volume of prisms.  We even began reading a new book today.  We are going to sprint through the finish line.  Please don't expect to slow down until you've crossed it. 

Ditto

"Ditto" means that I'd like to repeat what I last said.  You guys rock!  Your NWEA scores were terrific and I am so proud of you.  We'll keep up the pace for one more week and even read an entire book next week so don't let down your guard. 

I sent home District Writing Assessment scores this week.  If you didn't get it, first chide your 5th grader because you were supposed to see it.  Then please email me and I'll be sure to get the results to you.  I will send home NWEA scores with report cards on the last day of school. 

As the year winds down, I say meaningfully, thank you for allowing me to be a part of your wonderful child's life! 

Love, Mrs Cardinal

You Rock!

Awesome!  Amazing!  Stupendous!  Great!  Superb!  Perfect!  Wowza! 

Merci!

Random picture...but since we read about porcupines...and these babies, Porcupettes, are sooooo cute!

We learned about being grateful today in character.  Students were able to write a thank you to a teacher.  They were very thoughtfully crafted and I know will put a huge smile on some faces!
Our NWEA tests are going well.  Today the class was amazing!  I'm so proud of you fifth graders.  Let's absolutely fly off the charts in math tomorrow!!!
Jolly Ranchers...I need to remember!
Love you guys!  Mrs Cardinal

Sooooper Busy!

That's how it's feeling lately.  Don't worry...we're almost through.  In fact, know that the homework load will be easy next week because it's NWEA week and I want you all rested and able to do your best.  Then it's all smooth sailing!  I'm proud of how hard you are working.  I know you'll be ready for 6th grade with the pace we've been keeping up.
I had fun watching you all cooperate today in character.  Remember, two heads are better than one!  Always cooperate and life will be much easier...and fun!  Have a great night.
Love, Mrs Cardinal

Chowpoo Pinscher

Hmmm....what would you get if you crossed a chow, a poodle and a doberman pinscher?  Or a Huskie and a St Bernard (a Bernski?)  We get our traits from our parents, whether we are plants, poodles or people. (Notice my alliteration?)  We are finishing our review of the science standards so we are prepared for the NWEA next week. 
Midsummer Night's Dream is going well and everyone seems to understand it enough to laugh out loud.  Just wait until you see the movie of it. 
We are just finishing up with the Civil War period.  It was interesting and very sad that after the war, southern slavery supporters (ooh, another one!) were able to get their way and make life return to the ways before the war, even though legally followed the Constitution.  They made laws to keep the black population repressed and separate from the whites.  They threatened those who wanted to vote and made it difficult to vote by passing laws that required you to pass a reading test or pay a tax to vote.  This was so unfair...just like the test I gave today in class.  Some of the students got tests printed in Dutch and I still made them take it.  And some students were given cookies based on the color shirt they were wearing.  It sure made the "don't haves" pretty mad...and rightly so.  This is why we study history folks...it's so we don't make the same mistakes over again.  Maybe you can earn your cookie tomorrow as a class...watch the shout outs!  Have a fun afternoon. 
Love, Mrs Cardinal

May Day

Today in character we learned about some of my favorite heroes, WWI flying aces.  Of course, what inspired me to talk about them was the fact that it was May Day.  And, knowing some french, I know that "m'aider" means "help me!"  So a common explanation for the term "mayday" when crashing a plane is of course that you are speaking french and yelling, "Help!!"  Anyway, to remember this day and think about heroes, but mostly to have a fun craft that tastes good, we made these cute planes.  Sure hope the entire plane made it home and that it didn't get eaten too quickly!
Don't forget our character assembly this Friday at 10:15.  It will be a focus on the arts and will be sponsored by Utah Opera (of which I am a big fan!!)  We sure are getting our share of the arts.  Right now we are reading A Mid-Summer Night's Dream by Shakespeare.  It's going to be a pretty tough read, but well worth it. Feel free to read along at home and talk it over at the dinner table...it's a fun, comical story.
Review, review, review...that's the theme for the next couple weeks.  I'm easing up a little on the homework and expecting full study mode in class.  So students, please cooperate with me and in return, you'll have less work to do on these beautiful, sunny afternoons.  I do expect an amazing Living Museum so plunge headlong into your Civil War character and know him/her inside out!
See you tomorrow!
Mrs Cardinal