State Reports

State Report information went home last Friday. Students have received an outline, a sourcebook to keep all their materials and notes in, and a bibliography guide. A due date document has been stapled in the student's Report Sourcebook. The next due date is Tuesday. Please refer to the websites that have been given on the outline and the others that have been given in class.


Reports are due Friday, January 23rd.

Winter Break Celebration

Our Winter Break Celebration will be on Thursday, December 18th. Check back for more details!

Old St. Andrews Church and Merrill Museum House Field Trip

Field Trip Information
We will be going to the Old St. Andrews Church and Merrill Museum House on Dec. 8th. Students will eat lunch before we leave for the field trip and are encouraged to bring an extra snack so they can have something when we return to school.

Any parents that would like to attend the field trip with us will need to meet us at Old St. Andrews Church.

If you have any questions, please let Mrs. Schermann or I know!
Thanks bunches!

MAGNET SCHOOL INFORMATION

I received information today about the Magnet Program Deadlines. I know several of my students are planning to apply for Middle School Magnet Programs, so I am posting the important dates and deadlines here. If you have questions, please call the Magnet Office. Hope this helps! :)

Duval County Public Schools
Magnet Programs
2009 – IMPORTANT DATES


Pre-printed Magnet Application & Magnet Reference Guide
To be mailed to students’ homes beginning January 2, 2009


Magnet Information Sessions
Looking for information about magnet programs, and a chance to ask questions? You’ll hear a presentation by a magnet representative and have an opportunity to ask questions.

Thursdays
January 8, 15, 22, 29 & February 5, 12, 19
DCPS Administration Building
Cline Auditorium • 6:30 – 8:30 pm


Magnet Mania & More
Showcase of all magnet programs and other school choice options that give parents and students the chance to speak with school representatives and collect information.
Saturday
January 10, 2009
Jacksonville Fair Grounds
11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.


Magnet District-Wide Open House
No appointments are necessary; just visit the schools of your choice during these times.
Wednesday
January 28, 2009
9am till 10am • 11am till noon • 1pm till 2pm


Magnet Application Drop Off
Magnet staff will be available on this Saturday to accept applications or answer questions.
Saturday
February 21, 2009
DCPS Administration Building – In the Lobby
8am till noon


Application Deadline
Duval County Public Schools Administration Building
1701 Prudential Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32207
For more Magnet and School Choice information visit our web sites
www.magnetprograms.com or www.duvalchoice.com
Applications must be received in the Magnet Programs Office by 4:30 p.m.
Friday
February 27, 2009 • 4:30pm

TRANSPORTATION CHANGES

Just a quick reminder!
With the hustle and bustle of the upcoming holidays, please send in a written note (in the agenda is fine) if your child will be leaving early or if their mode of transportaion will change. This will allow your child's teacher to gather any work that they may miss, or will help us to remind your child in case they forget during dismissal.

Thanks for all of your continued support!

What should I do over Thanksgiving?

All students need to continue working on Florida Achieves. All students who return on Dec. 1st with no open assessments will receive a treat.

The Movie Poster must be completed by Monday, December 1st and BOOKLOGS in the back of the agendas shold be updated.

HOME READING LOGS ARE DUE DECEMBER 1st.

Vocabulary words should be studied over the break. We will have our Vocabulary Test on Friday, Dec. 5th. Students were given their sheets today!

THE RESULTS ARE IN!

Congrats to Dominic and Macy!

Dominic won the election in class and will now represent us as our CLASS PRESIDENT!

Macy will be working as our Vice-President and will join Dominic in making this year the best one ever.

It was a great race and all the candidates did an excellent job campaiging!

November Book Response

On December 1st, we will have our November Book Log check. Students received a red notice in their agendas on November 20th, explaining the Movie Poster Response that is required. Each student must have their book log in their agenda updated with the books they have read for the month. Lately, our emphasis has been on conventions, ensuring that punctuation, capitalization, and spelling have been attended to. The same will apply to the book log in the back of the agenda. All students who have their NOVEMBER book log page SIGNED BY A PARENT will get to move up on the UPBOARD!!!

The directions need to be followed on the top of the movie poster. Don't forget to write the title and author of your book at the top of the page where is says READING ASSIGNMENT.

If you have any questions, please let me know!

Spelling Words for the YEAR!

The link is to a spelling game for this week. Refer back to this posting if you forget your spelling words, leave your agenda at school, or forget to write them down. Every Monday, when it is a spelling week, you should record them in your agenda.

The link is:
http://www.spellingconnectionsonline.com/game1.php

It is set up for this week, but if you click at the top and change the unit to the unit we are working on each week, you will have your words. The unit can be found on the bottom of your homework assignments for Spelling. We are on unit 15 this week.

Hope this helps!!!! :)

Spelling help!

http://quizlet.com/set/537826/

Check out the spelling game for practice. These are some of the words you guys missed on the last spelling test!

Be "IN THE KNOW" with what is going on at Sheffield

Please visit our school website frequently to be up to date with what is going on here at school. Pawprints have not been coming home this year, because we have gone "GREEN." This week, though, you will see the pawprint coming home with your child containing information about our current fundraiser (which is extremely YUMMY).

http://www.duvalschools.org/sheffield/

Vocab Quiz

Lesson 6 vocabulary quiz will be on Monday.

REPORT CARDS

Report Cards come home Friday, November 14th.

HOME READING LOGS

Home Reading Logs need to be completed nightly. These are used to monitor what students are reading and ensuring that they understand the material they are reading. Often I am getting back papers that have capital letters missing at the beginning of sentences, in the titles, and for proper nouns. Also, I am seeing an abundance of misspelled words. If a word is on the page or in something you just read, it should not be spelled incorrectly. Many times, logs are coming back to school and the summary is either way to brief, or not able to be understood. Students must read over their entries each night and then a parent should sign it.
Parents, please do NOT sign the child's log if they need to make corrections. Help them with what is incorrect and then sign. This helps out more than you know.
Beginning on Monday, when logs are turned in, Home Reading Logs will be graded by a rubric.
The criteria is listed below.

1. Summary is complete and makes sense.
2. Pages were logged in corectly and time spent reading was recorded.
3. Capitalization and spelling were right MOST of the time.
4. Handwriting was neat and easy to read.
5. Titles were written clearly and correctly.

Lions, and Tigers, and Bears...Oh MY!

On November 7th, Sheffield 5th graders visited the Jacksonville Zoo. It was tons of fun and everyone had a great time trying to find the answers to the scavenger hunt. Also, who new that there were so many nouns at the Zoo. A day out of the classroom was sure needed and very much enjoyed!

Vocabulary Champion of the Week!

Take a look at our vocab champion! Logan gave her some stiff competition, but Jasmine pulled away with the victory. Congrats Jasmine!

Funny Times! Funny Times!

Spencer showing that he will pay close attention!

Arman with attitude!

Daniel showing that he is shooting for the stars this year!

Teaching the Class!

Ever wanted to teach the class? All you have to do is pay close attention to what we are going over and prove to Mrs. Lammi that you have what it takes! Afterall, look at Khayla, she taught the class during our Jumpstarts and did a fantastic job! The next student teacher may be you!

NATIONAL TOP SPINNING DAY

That's right! We celebrated National Top Spinning Day. If you were ever feeling down in the dumps or a tad bit gloomy, the only thing you would have to do is grab a top and spin! Trust us! It made us feel great! Look at how we celebrated National Top Day!

Dress Up Like A Character Day

We had a great day for our book response for the month of October. Tiger Woods came to class, John McCain stopped by, and several others! We even had a reporter come from The Florida Times-Union and she wrote a story about us. We definitely learned that Reading can be fun, but it is what you make of it!!!!!

Dictionary Day 2008

Dictionary Day was a hit this year. We learned about the parts of dictionary entries and tons of new vocabulary words. Check out our pictures to see how awesome our day was!

CHECK THE PAPER SATURDAY!!!

Mrs. Lammi's Homeroom class was visited my Heather Lovejoy of the Florida Times-Union. An article about Dress Up Like A Character Day will be featured in Saturday's newspaper in the "My Northside Sun" section. All the students that dressed up will have their pictures posted on the school website and on this blog soon! Parents, be ready to save these pictures from the blogsite to your own computer! They are great!

Here is the link! http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/110108/ner_350121696.shtml

COPIES

If any other parents are able to make copies for our class at their office, please let me know. I appreciate you all and thank you for all the things you do for our class. It is indeed appreciated!

Congratulations Shelby!

Shelby has been nominated as the Mike Peterson's Just Read It STAR OF THE MONTH!

Shelby has shown tremendous growth in reading! She is putting forth tons of effort and is becoming a reading rockstar! Be sure to tell Shelby "Congrats!" Who knows, she may be selected as a finalists this month and be invited down to the stadium to meet MIKE PETERSON!!!!

Good Luck Shelby! We all have our fingers crossed for you!



UPDATED!!!!
Shelby will represent Louis Sheffield Elementary for the Mike Peterson's Just Read It campaign!

Sample Response

The following is an example of a summary written from the point of view of a character in a book. This is required when students dress up as a character for their October Book of the Month Response.

Please include the following on your paper when writing your summary:

1. Your name
2. The title and author of your book
3. A detailed summary of the book from the characters point of view.

Example:

My Teacher for President by: Kay Winters

Summary written by: Mrs. Lammi

This delightful book is about the the time when one of my dear students wrote a letter about me to the local news station explaining why, I, Mrs. Robbins, should be the President. Little Oliver explained several different reasons why I should be the President. He compared the duties of a world leader to that of an educator. I was astonished to see so many connections of the roles and responsibilities that each of these careers share. It was an honor to have Oliver write this about me. I am so pleased to see how much he learned about the president's job from all of the discussions we had in class due to the upcoming election. At the end of this book, Oliver ends his letter by requesting that the news station allow me to stay until the end of the year, if I should be elected.

This summary is told from the point of view of Mrs. Robbins, the teacher in the story.

RED RIBBON WEEK Oct. 27-Oct. 31

BE VERY CREATIVE!!!!

During Red Ribbon Week is a time for students to show that they are DRUG-FREE and pledge that they always will be!
To participate in our fun activities planned for the entire school, here is the schedule.

Monday (27th) Wear ALL RED Day
Tuesday (28th) Crazy Hair-do Day (This is also the day that you may
dress up as a character for your book response)
Wednesday (29th) Crazy Hat Day
Thursday (30th) Funky Sock Day (The crazier, the better)
This "funky" does not mean stinky!!!
Friday (31st) Favorite Sports Apparel Day (Dig out your hats, shirts, pants, socks, and shoes)

October Book Response

OPTION 1: BOOK REPORT RESPONSE
Book report form: Fiction 2 is the name of the link that you will need to click on when you go to :
http://www.abcteach.com/directory/basics/reading/book_report_forms/

This is the option that you can do for your October Response if you do not want to dress up like a character or person from a book you have read for the month of October.

If you choose to use the book report form, you will need be very detailed, have great handwriting, and make sure that your senetnces are clear and precise.

OPTION 2: DRESS UP LIKE A CHARACTER
Think of a character from a book that you have read this month and dress up as that character on Tuesday, October 28th. You will need to come to school dressed up and will not have time to go and change clothes so it needs to be something that you would be comfortable in ALL DAY! When you dress up as a character or a person you read about, you will need to write a summary of the book as if that character or person is telling about the book. Rememeber to use senetences using "I" since you will be pretending you are that person or character.

DUE TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28th.

Helpful websites to study and practice for our Language Test

Types of sentences help- http://www.quia.com/jfc/333549.html

Simple Subject/Simple Predicate- http://www.quia.com/servlets/quia.activities.common.ActivityPlayer?AP_rand=569776888&AP_activityType=10&AP_urlId=36764&AP_continuePlay=true&id=36764

Compound Sentences-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/english/activities/sentences.shtml

Conjunctions-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/english/activities/lang_structure.shtml

Conjunctions-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks1bitesize/literacy/conjunctions/index.shtml

Progress Reports

Progress Reports came home again today. Please be sure to ask your students for them if you have not seen them. All papers, folders, and reports should be returned tomorrow. Please note your child's DRA (reading) level is indicated on their progress report.

Dictionary Day 2008

Dictionary Day is coming up on Thursday, October 16th. To celebrate this day, students will receive their vocabulary words for the following week on Friday. The celebration is strictly voluntary on Thursday. Students are encouraged to get their parents permission to write their vocabulary words and definitions on an old shirt and wear it to school to celebrate Dictionary Day 2008 on Thursday. Students can also write their vocab words on notecards and safety pin them to their shirt if choosing to not write on their shirt. Again, the day is strictly voluntary, but all students who participate will have their picture on the blogspot.

Spelling Website- Go here for extra help with spelling.

http://www.harcourtschool.com/menus/auto/18/53.html

This website allows you to play games to practice your spelling wisdom. Try it out and let me know how you like it. Visit this blog entry for more websites to be added for extra help with spelling.

Scholastic Book Order Information!!!!

Callie for President- level O
Goosebumps Horrorland- level Q
Feathers- level X Fairest- level X
Oliver Noctuturne- level S
The Kid Who Ran for President- level T
The Lightning Thief- level S

Appropriate for Levels Q-R
Kickoff
Medusa Jones
Piper Reed: Navy Brat
The Ghost, the White House, and Me

Appropriate for Levels S-U
Remembering Mrs. Rossi
The 39 Clues: Book One
Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat
Elijah of Buxton

When are the book log checks this year?

Book log checks are tentatively scheduled for the following dates. Each time a book log is checked, a response of some sort will be due. Students will be told in advance of the types of things they will be allowed to do for a required response for the month. The goal for each month is 450 pages of appropriate level, read independently by the students. Parents are encouraged to sign the book log in the back of the agenda verifying that you have discussed or seen your child reading the logged-in texts.

September 30th
October 28th
November 25th
December 17th (250 pages will be the goal to be read by this date due to the shortened month)
January 28th
February 27th
March 31st
April 28th
May 28th

HAPPY READING!!!

Birthdays

It is always wonderful to celebrate birthdays, however in 5th grade, we typically celebrate birthdays in our lunchroom. Please feel free to send in cupcakes, or other sweet goodies for your child to share at lunch. If you plan to send in a drink to wash down the scrumptious yummies, please send in Capri Suns, boxed juices, or something easy for our cafeteria staff to pass out. Your support is appreciated!

Spelling words for the week of Sept. 1, 2008

Spelling Words: We are working on short vowel sounds this week. Spelling HW came home on Tuesday because we were out of school on Monday. Please check your child's agenda for the assignment.

1. bunk
2. staff
3. dock
4. slept
5. mist
6. bunch
7. swift
8. fond
9. crush
10. dwell
11. fund
12. ditch
13. split
14. swept
15. grasp
16. frantic
17. mascot
18. summit
19. rustic
20. trek

Open House Video

Dear Parents,
The Open House Powerpoint display is unable to load onto our class website. Please email me if you would like to have this file sent to you.

Thanks,
Ms. Herrera
herreraf@duvalschools.org

Open House and Early Release Day

This Wednesday, August 27th will be our first Early Release Day of the year. Please ensure that your child knows how they are getting home. We begin dismissal at 1:30.

Open House is on Thursday at 6pm. Please come out and meet Mrs. Schermann and I. We will be conducting Open House in my classroom. She and I are very anxious to meet with you and to let you know what you can expect from 5th grade. This will not be an opportunity to conference about your child, but if that is needed, you may certainly sign up for one Thursday night and a time and date will be scheduled for you.

See you soon!

Hello!

Dear Parents and Students,

It is that time again! Another school year has arrived and it is sure to be an exciting, as well as memorable one. I have tons of things planned that are fun and interesting, but rigorous as well. I hope you all are up for challenges. The brain will really be doing some thinking this year! We of course take three FCATs in 5th grade. I will teach the Reading, Writing, and Spelling this year, and my wonderful partner, Mrs. Schermann, will be teaching Science, Social Studies, and Math! The FCAT tested areas for 5th grade are Math, Science, and my favorite...READING!!!!!

This will be my eighth year teaching and my 4th year at Sheffield Elementary. I absolutely love what I do. Last year, I was able to have the prestigious honor of representing Sheffield as the Teacher of the Year for 2008. After receiving this wonderful honor, I was selected as a district semi-finalist for the Teacher of the Year for Duval County. It was indeed an exciting time for myself as well as my family. My family currently consists of myself and my two four-legged babies. Tiki, who is 14 and Chloe, who is 7, definitely keep me on my toes. At the end of September, my family will increase. I will be getting married and becoming Mrs. Lammi. So to say the least, this year has been exciting for myself and I have loved every minute of it. I am so anxious to see what this school year has in store for all of us.

This website will be a place that will be a primary source of our communication this year. I will post projects, field trip information, important dates, progress reports, etc. During the first week of school, several papers will come home for you to fill out; please ensure that you return all of these documents ASAP. Your child will receive an agenda on the first day of school. This agenda will have notes recorded in it, homework, etc. It is to be signed by a PARENT/GUARDIAN every night. Students who return to class without their agenda signed, starting Thursday, will receive a card flip.

This year, your child will have a lot of personal responsibilty. Not only do I ensure they are understanding what is taught in my class and are academically ready for 6th grade, but I also make every effort to ensure that they are ready for the change and responsibilities that Middle School will bring. If at any time, you need to schedule a parent/teacher conference, please contact me at herreraf@duvalschools.org or 696-8758 ext. 167. I will do my best to get back with you in a timely manner to schedule a conference. Mrs. Schermann and I will meet with you together. Please do not request conferences on a Friday afternoon OR a Monday morning. Also, drop in conferences can not be honored. I would like to prepare information to share with you so that the conference can be both informative and insightful.

Again, I am extremely excited about our year ahead. I appreciate your support and hard work as we begin this journey together. If I can be of any assitance, my contact information is listed above.

Educationally Yours,
Ms. Herrera

WISH LIST

With the start of a new year, it gets very expensive on the teacher. (Plus the wedding is a month away, so Ms. Herrera needs ALOT of help with supplies and things!)

Parents,
If you are able to purchase any of the following items and send them in for our class, it would be greatly appreciated.

• wide ruled notebook paper
• Glade air freshner plug-ins
• Clorox bleach-free wipes
• blue pens
• red pens
• post-it notes
• BRIGHT colored index cards
• BRIGHT colored computer paper
• hand sanitizer
• manilla file folders
• pocket/prong folders
• dividers with write on tabs
• room deodorizer
• crayons
• Dollartree gift cards for items to go on the Prize Wall and in the Treasure Chest

Students who bring in any items on the wish list will receive an upboard for EACH item brought in. Thank you sooooo much in advance!

Welcome!

Welcome to Ms. Herrera's 5th Grade Reading and Language Arts class. Please visit this website often for updates about upcoming tests, field trips, parties, celebrations, and more. This will be a vital tool for our communication this year. I look forward to getting to know each and every one fo you!