Brooklyn Museum Trip!

We are excited to inform you about Class 5-307’s upcoming trip to the Brooklyn Museum. on Thursday, February 7th, 2008. To complement our Social Studies unit on this month, students will participate in a workshop about Westward Expansion. We will be traveling via school bus to and from the museum, which is located at 200 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn. We will depart from the school at approximately 9:30 a.m. and return to the school by 12:15 p.m. The students will be back at school for their regular lunchtime.
We would appreciate any parent chaperones that could accompany us to the Museum. Please check the box below if you would like to join us, and meet us in the school lobby on Thursday at 9:30 am. Please sign the permission slip below to allow your child to attend the trip. There is no cost for this trip and chaperones are free. Please sign and return the permission slip by Tuesday, February 5th.

5th Grade Presents Bingo!

Please join us in the MMR on Friday, February 1st at 6:30 p.m. for an evening of Bingo Fun for the whole family! Tickets are $6, which includes 2 bingo packets. Tickets are available by calling Laura Colonna at 917-803-3445 or 347-223-4896.

Literary Essay Publishing Share

Please peruse some of our class' publishing share photos. Our students did a fantastic job!

Marble Jar - Ice Skating Trip!

Class 307 will be taking its ice skating trip to Prospect Park's Wollman Rink on Tuesday, January 29th from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The cost is 1.50 if you bring skates, 5.50 without skates. We would love to have parents join us, so please email us if you are interested in attending!

PS 154 Middle School Meetings

There will be two informational middle school meeting scheduled - one morning, one evening, for your convenience - that will address middle school questions and concerns.

Both meetings will cover the same topics, so you only need to attend one!

Also, both meetings will be held in the Multimedia Room.

Morning:
Date: Friday, January 25th, 2008
Time: 8:30 a.m.

Evening:
Date: Wednesday, January 30th, 2008
Time: 4:00 p.m.

Topics such as middle school choice, testing, auditions, special education, timelines and schools in other districts. If you have any questions, please contact Kristin Muscatella, Guidance Counselor, or Shikha Dalal, Parent Coordinator at 718-768-0057.

Fraction Links

Please visit the following websites to review fractions, our current Everyday Math Unit.

Find Grampy Game

Addition Fractions - Soccer

Fresh Baked Fractions

Fraction Frenzy!

Fraction Decimal Matching

Fishy Fractions

Fraction Decimal Modeling

Math Test Prep

PS 154 will be holding classes to prepare for the New York State Math Test, which will be held March 4th and 5th, 2008. Ms. Fought will be teaching the 5-307 sessions, which are on Saturday from 9 am - 12 noon. Students will need to bring snacks, and also a statement of whether someone will pick them up at noon or if they have permission to walk home. Classes will start this Saturday, January 12th, and continue through the test. Classes WILL NOT be held February 9th, 16th or 23rd due to the overnight Liberty Science Center trip and Mid-Winter Recess.

Our Next Trip!

We are excited to inform you about the fifth grade’s upcoming trip to the New York Historical Society. Class 5-307 will visit the NY Historical Society on Thursday, January 17th, 2008. To complement our Social Studies unit on this month, students will participate in a workshop there about Westward Expansion. Students will explore the economic and romantic appeal of the West, the frontier experience, and the impact of expansion on Native Americans from multiple perspectives. We will be traveling via the subway system to and from the NY Historical Society, which is located on 170 Central Park West at 77th Street in Manhattan. We will depart from the school at approximately 10:00 a.m. and return to the school by 2:00 p.m.
There are no eating facilities at the New York Historical Society. If possible, please send your child with a snack he/she could eat before we enter the to tie him/her over until lunchtime. We will eat a quick lunch in Central Park across the street after the workshop. Students may either bring a packed lunch from home, or choose a bag lunch prepared by the school. Be sure to check the appropriate box below.
We would appreciate any parent chaperones that could accompany us to the New York Historical Society. Please check the box below if you would like to join us, and meet us in the school lobby on Thursday at 10:00am. Please sign the permission slip below to allow your child to attend the trip. The cost for this trip is $4.00 per student. Chaperones are free. Please send the money in a sealed envelope with the permission slip by Friday, January 11th.

More Test Prep Sites

Drawing Conclusions

Determing the Audience

Making Inferences

Genres

Character Feelings

Supporting Ideas

Similes Quiz

The ELA Test is Coming!

Here are some links that you can visit with helpful information and games to prepare for next week's State ELA exam (Tuesday, January 8th, and Wednesday, January 9th).

Author's Purpose Tutorial

Author's Purpose Quiz

Context Clues Practice

Words in Context Quiz

Main Idea

More Main Idea

Synonyms and Antonyms

Synonyms - Have a dictionary available!

Understanding What You've Read

Winter Break Test Prep

Students were given online assignments to help prepare for the State ELA Test. They can log on with their username and passwords (Username is FirstNameLastName -no spaces- and the passwords they created in class) at the following link:

http://schools.nyc.gov/beta

and click on Acuity Test Prep From Your Home Computer.

The link can also be found at the top of the right hand column of the Blog.

Chorus and Musical Theatre

Some photographs of the fabulous Winter Concert put on by our school's Chorus and Musical Theatre groups.

Thank You!!!

Dear Families of Class 5-307,

Thank you so much for all of your gifts and presents that you have bestowed upon us for the holidays! We are so grateful, and wish you and yours a fabulous break!

Love,
Mrs. Ussery and Ms. Fought

New Middle School Meeting Alert!

There will be a middle school fair for parents and students on Thursday, January 24th from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. It will be held at M.S. 88 at 55 Seventh Avenue in Park Slope.

You can find out more information on the Department of Education Website: http://schools.nyc.gov/ChoicesEnrollment/Middle/default.htm

As you may have read, the middle school meeting we told you about on January 14th is NOT for parents, but for school staff. Please do not attend - but we will keep you updated on any other middle school meetings.

Sorry for the inconvenience!

More Middle School Meetings...

There will be a Middle School Choice Meeting on Tuesday, January 15th, at 131 Livingston Street in Downtown Brooklyn at 12:30 p.m. On the agenda will be discussions of Middle School fairs, Timelines and Deadlines, Special Education, Testing and Audition Schools.

** We highly recommend that you know as much as you can about the middle school admission process before applying!**

Test Prep Link!

Students will be assigned work on the Accuity Online website at school to practice strategies to help them during the ELA State Test. This site provides lessons for skills they have received during Reader's and Writer's Worskhops, and they can use the site online at home. Below are links to each site, and students will be receiving passwords and logins to access the site at home.

Accuity Online at School

Accuity Online at Home

Photos From 826NYC

In addition to our book "Disaster in Fairyland," we also have photographs from our "Choose Your Own Adventure" workshop at 826NYC.

ITA - Instructionally Targeted Assessments

On Wednesday, December 5th, and Thursday, December 6th, 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students will take the ITA (Instructionally Targeted Assessment).

Information about the ITA can be found below and by visiting the Department of Education website.

Instructionally-Targeted Assessments

Aligned to standards and skills taught during a specific instructional period and developed collaboratively with educators, these match the scope and sequence / curricular maps used by many schools. These tests are customizable by school and classroom, provide insight into students’ understanding and misconceptions, and help inform next instructional steps. Schools will select up to 3 per year.

Our Next Trip!

Whew! So many field trips! We are excited to inform you about Class 5-307’s upcoming trip to 826NYC on Thursday, December 6th, 2007. Our students will be participating in a Choose Your Own Adventure bookmaking workshop. Each student will receive their own published piece at the end of the workshop. We will be either be walking or traveling via the subway system (depending on the weather) to 826NYC, which is located at 372 5th Avenue in Park Slope. We will depart from the school at approximately 9:15 a.m. and return to the school by 1:15 p.m.



Lunch will be held either be held in our classroom or in Prospect Park, depending on the weather. Students may either bring a packed lunch from home, or choose a boxed lunch prepared by the school. Be sure to check the appropriate box below.

We would appreciate any parent chaperones that could accompany the 5th grade to 826NYC. Please call us at 718-768-0057, email us at our addresses below or check the box below if you would like to join us.

For more information, please visit http://www.826nyc.org/

Looking at Our Government

Use the following link to learn more about our three branches of government and how laws are made.

Ben's Guide to U.S. Government