Hen Mummies!!

Students had a first hand experience today with mummification! Our class mummified Cornish hens as part of our study of ancient Egypt. They helped prepare their little hen for the Afterlife! We'll check on the mummification process through the next couple months. Hopefully RA Chicken, King Cluck and their friends will pass the judgement of Horus, and be able to transition to the Kingdom of Osiris.

Dec 14th Assignnment Board

Book Reports are due tomorrow. Spelling Bee is tommorrow. Both Math classes have Topic 5 math test tomorrow encompassing Prime Factorization, Greatest Common Factor, Equivalent Fractions, and Fractions in Simplest Form. Please review. Ask your students about the Birthday Cake Method - wish I had known that when I was in school!

On Friday we will make Gingerbread Houses, and participate in a grade level Sing-A-Long. Please note that this is not a performance. We get together with other grades and everyone grade sings a carol that they've practiced,  and then we sing a few together. Although it is cute, please be aware that our students take up the entire activity room. We just don't have the room to accommodate any parents that might like to watch. Sorry.

Volunteers and Donations

Next week I'll need one or two people to help put together a craft. You could work on it at Butler, or even take it home. I think it will take about an hour. Email me if you have a little extra time.

On Friday, December 16th, sixth grade will be constructing gingerbread houses. I could use 2 volunteers to help keep the mess to a minimum. Sound fun? Email me if you'd like to visit with us.

We will be having a spelling bee next week to review spelling words we have had thus far. To encourage students to study, I'd like to offer 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes. I was thinking something like an inexpensive board game or card game, a popular junior book, or art supplies. Any suggestions or donations will be appreciated.

Dec. 7th Assignment Board

Note that during our Language Arts and Social Studies Block we have been working on Egyptian Myths. Students are working in groups of 7 or 8. Each group has a different Egyptian Myth that they are rewriting into a script to present to the rest of the class in about a 5 minute time frame. (Parts need not be memorized.) They are making some simple props to help tell the story. This activity is focusing on main idea, retelling important points, and summarizing, as well as learning about Ancient Egyptian beliefs and how to work together in groups.

December 5, 2011

Spelling

Spelling words for 12/5-12/9 were sent home this week with a Santa Worksheet.  Please see list at side of blog, List 8 December 5. 

Next week we will not have a spelling list.  Instead, we will have an informal spelling bee to review. 





Gingerbread House Craft-  12/16/11
To celebrate the holidays, we'll make gingerbread houses on December 16.  Here is a list of the needed supplies.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me via e-mail or phone at school.

To participate, your student will need the following items:

o   One sturdy base to build the house upon (a cookie sheet or cardboard covered with foil)

o   A box of graham crackers

o   One premade recipe of icing (see below)

o   Frame to support the house (please don’t exceed 8’x8’, a little cardboard box works fine)

o   A variety of candy decorations

GINGERBREAD HOUSE ICING 

1 lb. powdered sugar
1 tsp. cream of tartar
3 egg whites

Beat all ingredients until very stiff. Use as glue for assembling house. Icing will harden as it sits, so keep in an airtight container with a damp paper towel. 

Helpful Hints:  may take 15-20 minutes of beating and don’t get any yoke in it!)

Food Drive-  December 1-15
Students in Grades 5 and 6 are conducting a 2 week food drive to help replenish the empty shelves at the Utah Food Bank.  Please send non-perishable food items to school. 

Each class that collects 150 lbs. of food will earn an extra 30-minute recess.

 

December 1 Assignment Board

November 28 Assignment Board

Happy Thanksgiving from...

December Book Report- Due Wednesday, December 14th

The genre choices for December's Book Report include Myths, Fable, Folklore, and Fairytale. The book need not be 100 pages long this time. Students can even choose a picture book, or one short story within a compilation of stories. For example, if you find a book of Greek myths, you may chose one myth to focus on. I want students to find a story they have not heard before. Refrain from choosing a "Disney" fairytale. The story must not have been made into a movie!

The format for the book report is a storyboard. Students need to focus on the main events, or the most important events that tell the the story. The rubric and two examples follow.

GIS Field Trip

Students visited the Miller Campus of Salt Lake Community College to learn about Geographical Information Systems. They attended a series of presentations about GIS, explaining what it is, how its used, and related career opportunities. (It also provided an opportunity for students to compare and contrast a community college and a university.)

November 22 Assignment Board

Students are to focus on completing their research paper for the Science Fair. Please check the science fair blog for more information.

No other new assignments were given. However, students received a missing assignment report today. They were advised to work on any missing work during the long break.

Nov 18th and 21st Assignment Boards

Nov.16 Assignment Board

Nov. 15 Assignment Board

Science Fair Blog

I wanted to remind everyone that we have created a separate Science Fair Blog at http://butlersciencefair.weebly.com/

Please check out this blog for information on the stages of Science Fair Project.

Another Field Trip!

Nov. 16th  6th Grade will be visiting the Miller Campus of Salt Lake Community College on Wednesday, November 16^th  for GIS Day. They’ll be learning about Geographic Information System technology, and about careers related to geo-spatial technology. We will be having lunch on campus if the weather is nice, or we will have lunch back in our classrooms if the weather is poor. Either way we’ll miss our scheduled lunch period so students will need a cold lunch. I'll remind students next week who has ordered cold lunch from the cafeteria.

Assignment Board - Week of Nov. 7 - Nov. 11

November 9th Asssignment Board

The following picture was taken of our class assignment board. I'll be posting a picture like this regularly. Please use the picture to cross reference what your student has recorded in their own planner. This is a tool for you to help them get organized. Realize that focused students may finish their assignments during class time, so when something says H.W. by it that means it need to be finished for the next day if it was not finished during class time. If the information on the board does not have an H.W. or a due date with it, you can assume that it was the topic for the day or an activity that we did together.

Sallie Foster Fund Raiser

Students will be sent home with a Sallie Foster Fundraiser Packet. Information on due dates are attached.
Thank you for your support.

November Book Report Format

Example. (sorry I couldn't make it rotate!)

Students need to read a Fantasy or Science Fiction Novel. Here are the directions students received in class. (Each student was give a copy.) Cereal Box Book Report and Commercial Presentation are due on November 18th. Have fun!

Important Dates and Reminders

Oct. 27-   Student Pictures went home today! 

Nov. 2- Field Trip!  We're off to the University of Utah to see the show Blast! at Kingsbury Hall.  Following the show we'll take a tour of the campus.  The bus leaves Butler at 9:00am- don't be late!!  We should return to school by 1:45pm. 

Nov. 3-  Spelling Assignments Due.  Links to Spelling Words are posted on the right side of the blog.  Each student was given a Reading Practice Book this week.  The spelling words and assignments are located in the book.  This week we are working on "Climb or Die" words on pg.44, 45, 46, 47.   Additionally, the students were given a worksheet with 3 spelling assignments (practice test, choose 5 words to write in a complete sentence, and write your words 3 times each).

Nov. 3 & 4  -  Parent/Teacher Conferences.  A letter went home this week with a reminder of conference   time and date.  If you can't make it, contact Mrs. Bauman.   See you there!

Nov. 7-  Science Fair Project Proposal Assignment Due.  See Science Fair Info Below. 

Nov. 16th -  Field Trip!  6th Grade will be visiting the Miller Campus of Salt Lake Community College on Wednesday, November 16^th  for GIS Day. They’ll be learning about Geographic Information System technology, and about careers related to geo-spatial technology. We will be having lunch on campus if the weather is nice, or we will have lunch back in our classrooms if the weather is poor. Either way we’ll miss our scheduled lunch period so students will need a cold lunch. ON the note that went home, please indicate if you will supply one from home or purchase one from school.

Nov. 18-  Book Report Due    Fantasy or Science Fiction.  Please be reading from that genre. More info coming soon on the report format. 

Science Fair! 
Science Fair participation is required of all 6th grade students.  It will take place Feb. 1, 2012.  Parents will be given details of the timeline and project requirements at conferences. Students received a Science Fair Notebook that will serve as a revised copy of each step. In addition, students will need another folder or notebook to keep an excellent record of brainstorming, thought process, and revisions of each step. All students should be exploring science interests and topics now.  Project Proposal Sheet will be due Nov. 7. 

A few resources that may prove helpful:

Books from the library about science fair projects.

Science Buddies

http://www.slvsef.com/  (Salt Lake Valley Science and Engineering Fair)

We are also in the process of creating a blog dedicated to information for the Butler 5th and 6th Grade Science Fair. Here is the link to that.
School Science Fair Website


As a heads up,  here is a list of each portion and its respective due date.

Project Proposal due November 7th
Research due November 28th
Hypothesis & Materials due November 30th
Experimental Design due December 5th
Observations &Data Collection due January 14th
Graphing due January 16th
Analysis & Conclusions due January 18th
Display Board due January 27th
School Science Fair on February 1st-3rd

Halloween Witches

Look How Attentive Our Class is Today!   

What's a witch's favorite subject at school?  Spelling!

Witches Craft Day

http://www.scribd.com/doc/70074133/Witches-Parent-Letter
 The link refers to a sheet of items needed to participate. As always, please let me know if you have trouble obtaining items.

Important Dates and Reminders

Important Dates: 

Oct 20-21 - No School - Fall Break

Oct 24- Reflections and Monster Assignments Due

Reflections-   Theme: "Diversity Means"   This is a required assignment for  Mrs.Bauman's class.  Go to http://www.utahpta.org/ for complete rules, entry forms, and consent forms. 

Oct 24-27-   Red Ribbon Week  
Monday-  Be Drug Free from Head to Toe!  Wear your craziest hairdo and socks.
Tuesday -Let's Team up on Drugs! Wear clothes that represent your favorite team or sport.
Wednesday- Put a Cap on Drugs!  Wear your most interesting hat or cap.
Thursday-  Spirit Day "Bobcats are Paws-itively Drug Free!"  Wear your Bobcat shirt or a Red T-shirt

Oct 28- No School - Teacher work day

Oct 31-  Halloween Carnival   
Students may bring costumes to school for the annual PTA Halloween Carnival.  The 6th graders will attend from 2-2:40pm.  Please remind students to keep costumes appropriate and within school dress code guidelines  (ie no masks, boys may not dress as girls, no tank tops, etc). 

Volunteers and Candy Donations needed.  Please contact Mrs. Bauman via e-mail if you would like to help. 

Nov. 2-3 - Parent Teacher Conferences

Nov. 4- No School - Teacher comp. day

Parent Teacher Conferences

Reminder! 

Parent Teacher Conferences are Nov. 2 & 3 

Follow the instructions below for signing up with the new Online Scheduler available on the home page of the school website.  Look for this link:

 

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Parent/Teacher conferences have been scheduled for Nov. 2 &3 (Wednesday and Thursday) for all students.  Parents need to come to their scheduled PT/SEP conference ready to set goals for the rest of the school year.  Parents need to be on time for their conferences and understand that teachers need to keep their scheduled conference times.  If you find you need more time with the teacher, please feel free to ask the teacher for another time to conference with her.
Mr. Wolf, our resource teacher, will have set appointment times.
Mrs. Kofoes, our speech therapist, will have set appointment times both days until 5pm.
Mrs. Vigos, our guidance specialist, will be available Thursday.
Mrs. Winfree, our academic coach, will be available Thursday.

Conferences are being scheduled differently this year.

Parents will access teacher schedules by going to Butler's website and choosing the link at the top of the page that says "Online Scheduler." The window to sign up will be open Oct. 14-Oct. 26.  Any family that has not signed up will be placed in the first available spot, but you still need to access the scheduler to find your time.  Both Mr. Wololf and Mrs. Kofoed will have online conference times.  Please remember to sign-up with them also.  Please follow the instructions below.

1)    Visit the school's homepage http://butler.canyonsdistrict.org/ and select the Online scheduler        icon/link.
2)    From the Online Scheduler Home Page:
       a) Choose your student's school from the drop down list and click "GO."
       b) Enter the School password bobcat.
       c) Enter your student's "Student ID".  If you do not know their Student ID, use the LOOKUP     STUDENT ID button to access the system.
       d) Verify the student's birth date.
       e) A  list of your student's teachers will be displayed.  Check the box next to the name of each       teacher(s) you would like to meet with.  Remember to check Mrs. Kofoed and Mr. Wolf at this point.
       f) If you have more than one student in the school you can see all of your students teachers' schedules at one time by answering YES to this question "Do you want to schedule conferences for another student?" then repeat the steps above for your other students.  If you have only one student, answer NO to that question.
      g) You will then see the available time slots for each teacher you selected.
      h) Select the times that work best for your schedule.
      i) Enter the e-mail address (recommended) if you would like an e-mail reminder sent to you. (Your e-mail address is kept private.)
      j) Once you have finished you can confirm your appointment details and print your conference    schedule.
     k) Write down the Confirmation Number (you will need this number to cancel your appointment.)

**One suggestion is to sign up as soon as you can if you need to see more than one teacher so the times can be scheduled close together.

*****If you have questions, please feel free to call the school - (801) 826-7975.

Physical Fitness Awards

        Congratulations!  

Presidential Physical Fitness Award

Wow! These kids are seriously fit! This award recognizes students who achieve an outstanding level of physical fitness.

The following students were awarded the Presidential Physical Fitness Award:

Morgan Davis
Lauren Genna

National Physical Fitness Award

Impressive! These kids clearly have a great fundamental level of fitness.

The following students were awarded the National Physical Fitness Award:

Sarah Stowers
Carter Sloots
Jacob Nielson
Sophie George
Elizabeth Fox
Logan Dunkley
Milan Davis
Ashlyn Cerise

Upcoming Assignments and Events

Some Upcoming Assignments

• Students are working on a short fable, a couple of paragraphs to a full page. Each student got a subject (like "how the snake lost it's legs"). The story needs to have the following elements: talking animals; a beginning, middle, and end; a moral; and a picture to illustrate the fable. This was assigned on 10/6 and is due on Wednesday, October 12th.
• We have two more weeks of current event assignments before we take a break from them for awhile. The current event is assigned on Monday and due on Thursday.
• Every student should be working on a Reflection submission with the theme "Diversity Means..."
• The Mystery/Ghost Story Book report is due on Wednesday, October 19th, and the format is a Mystery Mansion/Haunted House. Directions and example are in another blog post.

 Some Upcoming Events

• Picture Day is on Thursday, October 13th. I'll send the Picture Envelops on Monday.
• Red Ribbon Week is on Oct. 24th - Oct. 27th. We'll send home a reminder, but the basic daily themes are: Monday- Crazy Hair and Socks, Tuesday - Favorite Sports Team Cloths, Wednesday-Interesting Hat or Cap, Thursday - Bobcat Spirit Day.
• 6th Grade will have a craft day on October 27th. We'll be making Witches. Next week we'll be sending home a list of items needed. These always turn out so cute. They are keepers for sure!
• On Wednesdday, November 2nd, Sixth Grade will visit Kingsbury Hall at the University of Utah to see BLAST!-  "Winner of a Tony Award for "Best Special Theatrical Event," BLAST! brings together 35 brass, percussion, and visual performers in an explosion of music and theatre. Born on athletic fields across the nation, BLAST! is a thrilling performance of athleticism, musical talent, kaleidoscopic movement, and competitive showmanship."-Kingsbury Hall Website. The performance will be followed by a walking tour of the University of Utah. We hope this will inspire an interest in college life, and excitement for their future education. We'll be lunching on campus, so a lunch order preference will be sent home on Monday.

 That's it for now! Lots of exciting stuff!

October Book Report

Go to the following link for directions for the book report. Students received a hard copy and instrction on how to make this report. They are welcome to use paper from the classroom stock.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/67960421