May is speeding by and we have a lot of things to finish up this month.  The students are doing a wonderful job on the History Magazine Project.  All of those in my writing class have completed the mythology research and poster.  Wednesday is the day they should come to school ready to present the myth they chose and have some sort of costume or symbols made to wear that reflects the gods/goddesses in the myth.  This week, those who are in the Advanced Math class and any other students who have shown superior math aptitude in class, and in their standardized test scores, will take the placement test for middle school advanced math.  Because of the extra work load and the compacted nature of the subject material, the advanced math class isn't suitable for everyone.  Those students who are eligible to take the test but are not yet in advanced math have been told and should talk with their parents regarding whether or not they want to take it and/or are ready for the challenge of the advanced math.  Those in advanced math right now will need to score well on the test to stay in the class.  

This week in math we will continue working with decimals, moving into dividing with decimals.  In writing, the history magazine project and the bird research continue to be our focus.  In social studies, we will take the chapter test on the Constitution on Monday and then move on to a study of the Bill of Rights. In science, we will look at beak and feet adaptations of birds, and examine bird diversity.  

On Tuesday, May 21, our classroom will visit the Bell Museum of Natural History Bee Lab and Honey House to see the honeycomb we created on display, dissect flowers and watch live beekeeping in action (from behing glass).  We will leave school at 9:45 and return around 3:00.  A permission slip will come home to you on Monday, May 1.  The museum is offering this visit free of charge as reward for using our display. They have also agreed to pay for part of the bus, so our contribution amounts to only $ 4.00 per student to offset the bus costs.  We will carry our lunches with us and eat them there.  Parents are welcome to join us and in fact, can ride the bus if you are free for the whole day.  If you would perfer to drive and stay for part of the day, that would be fine too.  The Fun Run has been rescheduled for Wednesday, May 22 from 10:00 to 12:00.  The following week is a four day week as Monday, May 27 is the Memorial Day holiday.  That week we have Field Day on Wednesday, May 29.  On Monday, June 3, the fifth graders will walk to Beard's Plaissance for our end of the year picnic. (In the event of rain, we will reschedule for Tuesday).  A permission slip with further details on the picnic will be sent home soon.