Can Food Drive News

Mohr's Can Food Drive was a huge success! Over 670 items were collected and packed in 15 tubs!  They will be delivered today! 

A big huge THANK YOU goes out to the Mohr community for their support of the Annual Can Food Drive!

Week 16 Newsletter

What a busy few weeks we've had! I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving week. It was so nice to have a little break and visit with family and friends.

Thank you to everyone who helped donate items and money to make our San Jose Sharks basket for tomorrow's PTA Holiday Breakfast. Thank you to Elissa and Minal for their help in organizing everything. Our basket is very cute! I hope to see some of you tomorrow at the event.

Next Wednesday we are headed to the Blackhawk Museum in Danville to check out their Spirit of the West exhibit. Thank you to all the parents who volunteered to drive and chaperone. It will be a great time and I think the kids will really enjoy seeing everything in this museum.

Friday, December 14th is our class earned party. Our class has worked very hard over the last few months to earn enough beads to fill up our Sharks cup. This has lead to a fun afternoon planned on December 14th. Students have voted on a theme and chosen... BYOD! Students can bring in their smart phones or tablets for an afternoon of fun and activities.

Can Food Drive

The Annual Mohr Can Food Collection will start on Monday, December 10th.  Our class is collecting Brownie Mix, Cake Mix, and Frosting.  If you would like to donate,  please bring your food item to our classroom during the week of December 10th.  The Friends Helping Friends group will be putting together the tubs of food to be delivered to local families during the winter season.  Thank you for your support!  We are hoping to pack at least 15 complete tubs of food!

Week 13 Newsletter

November is such a fun and busy month! We started report card conferences this week and they will continue on into next week. Look HERE if you need a reminder.

We've been enjoying different poetry styles while reading "Love That Dog" which is written in prose. The students are able to be very creative in their poetry as they learn six different poetry styles: couplets, haikus, quatrains, cinquains, limericks, and free verse. It is so fun to see how funny and creative they are!

We are also finishing up Module 2 in math, and will be taking the test next week. Students have been learning all about long division and it's time to see what they know!

Next week we will also be finishing up "Wonder" which we started way back in August! It's such a wonderful story and the kids love hearing the audio version with different voices for all the different perspectives.


UPCOMING EVENTS:
Mon, November 12
No School

Tues, November 13
Minimum Day

Wed, November 14
Minimum Day (8:15-12:30)
SCIENCE TEST
Pizza Day!

Thurs, November 15
Minimum Day
MODULE 2 TEST

Fri, November 16
No School

Mon, November 19- Fri, November 23
Thanksgiving Break!

Conference Week Schedule

Monday November 12th
NO SCHOOL 

Tuesday November 13th

MINIMUM DAY  8:15am-12:30pm

Wednesday November 14th

MINIMUM DAY   8:15am-12:30pm

Science Test

Thursday November 15th

MINIMUM DAY   8:15am-12:30pm

Module 2 Math Test

Friday November 16th

NO SCHOOL 

Recycling Day- November 30th

RECYCLING DAY FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30

Thank you to all who brought your aluminum cans and CA CRV labeled plastic bottles to our last recycling day. The new drive-through plan worked well and we were able to earn some money for PTA programs.

We'll have an area near the crossing guard where walkers can leave their bags of recyclables. Vehicles driving through the gate to the drop-off area need not exit their vehicles; volunteers will offload bags of recyclables. Drivers then continue in a wide U turn between the two rows of cars in back parking lot out through the exit gate, which will open automatically.

Here are a few reminders as you collect:

• Please crush aluminum cans and smaller plastic water bottles (screw the lid back on).

• Plastics -- ONLY "CA CRV" labeled items can be redeemed. Check the labels carefully.

• No steel/tin/food cans or glass, please.

Week 11 Newsletter

The first trimester is winding down and we are doing so many things! Today we learned about We Video with our guest presenter Lisa Highfill, who is one of our district tech coaches. The students started to explore  bringing their narrative stories to life through audio and video. Check out our Twitter to see a few photos of this afternoon.

Next week is very busy... as we end the first trimester we have several assessments and assignments that will be happening. Please take a look, as I know it seems like a lot, and see everything that is packed in to our week.

As conferences fast approach, please make sure you are signed up for a conference time, HERE. I look forward to meeting with each and every one of you.



UPCOMING EVENTS:

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Monday, October 29th

Halloween Speeches
The classroom will be open before school if students want to drop their pumpkins off before music. I will also go down to the blacktop and remind anyone who wants to bring their pumpkins up to the classroom.

Book Clubs
Section 2 writing is due.

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Tuesday, October 30th

Writer's Workshop Assessment

Students will be writing an on-demand narrative piece to show everything they've learned.

Topic E & F Quiz

Students will be completing an open-notebook quiz to show what they've learned about division and estimation. 

Book Clubs
Section 3 writing is due.

Social Studies Notebook Check
I will be collecting social studies notebooks for the first notebook check. Using the rubric glued into the back of their notebook I will be giving students a score based on how well they've maintained the notes, classwork, and homework.

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Wednesday, October 31st

Remember Halloween this year is a full day... students will be dismissed at 2:50pm as normal.

Halloween Parade, 9:30am

The school parade will begin around 9:30am and usually lasts about a half hour. 

Halloween Party, 10:00am

Thank you to everyone who signed up to bring something in! Our party will begin after our Halloween parade.

October Pay Day, 11:00am

Paychecks, rent, bonuses, fines... 

Library, 11:40am

Band & Strings, 1:50pm

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Thursday, November 1st

Minimum Day... students will be dismissed at 12:30pm.

Auction
Students can bring in home made items.

Book Clubs
Section 4 writing is due.

Reader's Workshop Notebook Check
I will be collecting RW notebooks for the first trimester to see each student's thoughts as we have been reading Wonder, picture book discussions, Book Clubs, and much more!

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Friday, November 2nd

NO SCHOOL! Staff Development Day!

School Picture Makeups- Thursday 10/25/18

Makeup Photo Day

It's time to capture the memories— Makeup Photo Day is Coming.
On Thursday, October 25, Mohr Elementary students can get their school photos taken. Any new or absent students will need to get their portraits taken. Also, if parents want a retake of their students portraits, please send the original photos with your child. Please click on the this link to order your child’s/children’s 2018-2019 photos. You have the option to pay by credit card or print out the order form and pay by check or cash. Click here for flyer.

Outdoor Ed Photos

We are all having a blast at Outdoor Ed! Last night we ended the day with a Carnival full of dancing, arts and crafts, and games. I just wanted to make sure everyone knew that I was adding highlights of our day to our Twitter page, but I've also added pictures to our class photos page. Don't forget to click on the "photos" tab on our website or head HERE to check out the latest photos.

Tech Trek Volunteers

The Mohr Tech Trek is just around the corner and we need a cheering squad for our runners!  If you are interested, please go to this link ... Sign Up Genius for Mohr Tech Trek Cheering Squads  to sign up!  Thank you for your support of this event!

Week 7 & 8 Newsletter

We've had a great couple of weeks!

We are eagerly awaiting next week's trip to Outdoor Ed! We began Unit 2 in social studies which has us learning about the Silk Road and its influence on exploration. In science we finished up chapter 1, discovering about cells and plants. Math has us diving into longer multiplication problems with the help of area models and standard algorithms.

We have been busy writing our personal narrative stories and are well on our way to publishing our first piece. Students have been writing numerous drafts to try different strategies and it's wonderful to see how much effort they've put into telling their stories.

Reader's workshop has us discovering the different strategies we use to become better, stronger readers. We are enjoying the story of Home of the Brave and also reading Wonder. It's always exciting to see how much the students love to read!

On Wednesday I sent a big email with reminders about Outdoor Ed. If you need a refresher, here's the info again...

OUTDOOR ED

On Tuesday, please have your student at the front of the school by 7:45am. Our hope is to be able to leave by 8:00am before the morning rush of school traffic.

Luggage:
Your student's luggage and sleeping bag should be labeled with their name and easy for them to carry. They are responsible for their luggage at camp. Please use the packing list to help your student prepare. Camp Campbell is in Boulder Creek, if you want to look up the weather while we are there. We are up in the mountains so it will be cooler. 

Backpack:
Each student should have a small, lightweight backpack for hiking. Please do not have them bring their big school backpacks. Those are usually too heavy for them to wear on long hikes. Students should bring a reusable water bottle. 

Food:
Remember, do not pack your students any food. They will have plenty to eat at camp, and do not need any snacks provided. 

Mail:
If you want to send your student a letter or an email you can mail it to camp, or email camp at campcampbell@ymcasv.orgwith your child's name in the subject line and Mohr Elementary. You can also email me by Monday, and I will print them out and deliver the letters to students during the week.

THE SILK ROAD POSTER

We've been working over a week on our poster project about Marco Polo and the Silk Road. This project is due on Monday, and most students took it home to finish up. The necessary information about the project can be found in Google Classroom. This project is worth 100 points. 

TYNKER

In computer lab students have been introduced to coding through Tynker. This is a wonderful program that allows students to learn the language of code while playing games and solving puzzles. Please read this letter HERE about the program. Students can work on lessons at home, by going through our lab lessons found at bit.ly/wilcoxlab. 

Mohr Tech Trek- October 19th

The Tech Trek is coming! 

This year is "Mohr Power" with a superhero theme. 

Your donations will go to updating the computers in our school library to provide better searching abilities for all our students, as well as continuing our school goal of mounting projectors in our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade rooms. We would love your support as we continue to update our classrooms into 21st century learning environments.

PTA Reflections

Do you enjoy art, music and dance or have an interest in writing, producing films and taking photos? Then join us and have fun unleashing your inner artist with PTA Reflections! This year’s theme, “Heroes Around Me,” calls for your own unique interpretation through the arts. You can find entry forms and guideline on Mohr PTA website. Students can submit entries on Wednesday, October 17th from 9 am to 10 am.

Week 6 Newsletter

After the success of last week's Kindness Week we decided to keep the kind acts going... on Monday we all chose goals that would help us continue to show kindness around campus. It was so nice to see people greeting new friends, holding doors open for one another, and so many other kind deeds!

On Thursday our school participated in Kids Against Hunger. This is the third year we have been able to pack food to send to children and families in Haiti. It's always such a fun morning, knowing we are impacting so many lives.

We are also really starting to gear up for Outdoor Ed in a few weeks! On Wednesday we had our Parent Informational Night with Phil from Camp Campbell. I also sent out an email on Thursday with the parent handbook and packing list. These items can also be found on our website HERE.

A message from PUSD

If you are interested in learning more about the District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC) there is a meeting on Wednesday, October 3rd. More information can be found HERE.

Walk & Roll to School

Our first Walk & Roll to School day is Wednesday, October 3rd. Refreshments and celebrations will be out on the blacktop area from 8:45am to 9:15am. 

Mohr Science Team

If your student is interested in joining the Mohr Science Team they can apply HERE.

The deadline is Thursday, September 27th to apply. 

Book Fair

The Book Fair is from Monday, September 24 - Friday, September 28th. Students will be visiting the Book Fair on Monday and they are welcome to bring in money to spend. The Book Fair Family Night is Tuesday, September 25th from 6-7:30pm.

Outdoor Ed

The Outdoor Ed checks are due on Friday, September 28th. Please make the check payable to PUSD for $375. Write your student's name in the Memo line. Don't forget to check out our Outdoor Ed page on our website for more information.

Kids Against Hunger Event

A BIG HUGE THANK YOU goes out to the Mohr Community for the support of the Kids Against Hunger Packing Event!!!  Thank you to the Mohr parent volunteers and  Chevron volunteers that came out to help for the whole event and to the families that sent in donations so we could pack the food!  A total of $2,798 was collected and 15,336 meals are on their way with Convoy of Hope to the Carolinas!!  It is truly amazing to see the students involved in such an awesome event!  The Tk, kinders and 1st graders decorated the baggies to be filled and the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students did an awesome job packing the food. Everyone coming together to make a difference! 

Week 5 Newsletter

This week was Kindness Week at Mohr, and we had so many fun spirit days that really helped get us in the groove for showing our kind hearts around campus. Monday was pajama day, which helped us all feel comfortable; Tuesday was superhero day, which let our inner hero shine through; Wednesday was sports day, showing our team spirit; Thursday was picture day; and Friday was our weekly Mohr spirit day.

We also filled our days with writing about kind acts we've seen shown to us as well as the kind acts we've done for others. On Wednesday we filled our blacktop area with kind words and inspirational sayings to help bring happiness to our school. We also wrote thank you notes to someone who has impacted us. It's been a very reflective week and I hope this is only the beginning!

Our big event next week is the Kids Against Hunger packing event! This is the third year our school has participated in this event and it's always such a great morning. We are asking students to consider donating $5 to cover the cost of the food we are supplying to children and families around the world. Next week we will be collecting donations up until Thursday.

This week's Friday Folder features a letter about Kids Against Hunger, as well as a letter from Mrs. Berglin regarding Universal Access.

Outdoor Ed

Wednesday, September 19th
Parent Informational Meeting. A representative from Camp Campbell will be coming to show you a quick presentation and to answer all questions. Please be in the MPR at 6pm. Students do not need to attend.

Friday, September 21st
Permission slips are due. Please make sure you turn in the packet with all of the forms. If you need any clarification, please let me know.


Friday, September 28th
Check for $375 made payable to PUSD is due. If you need any help, or would like to pay in installments, please let me know. We want to insure that every student is able to attend if they want.

Kids Against Hunger

On Thursday, September 20th  we are hosting Kids Against Hunger for a Kindness
Celebration at our school!  Students in grades 2nd - 5th will be packing meals and
we need parent volunteer help!  If you are interested, please go to this Sign Up Genius
and volunteer from 8:30am to 11:30am..  Volunteers will be monitoring and helping in
food stations!  It is an amazing event, we hope you can join us!

Strings Update from Mr. Sitts

Good day to you all:

I am sending this email to remind you to have your instruments in class every week. If you have yet to obtain an instrument, please let me know as soon as possible. The stores I recommend in town are Schwans Violins or Ingram & Brauns Musik Store.

We can talk about your options outside of the music stores. District instruments are limited, so please contact me if that is an option you would like to pursue.

You can contact me at msitts@pleasantonusd.net

Kids Against Hunger Packing Event

Kids Against Hunger
Mohr Elementary

Kids Against Hunger (with the support of Friends Helping Friends) would like to invite the students of Mohr Elementary to participate in a kindness project that will be taking place on Thursday, September 20th!

TK, K, and 1st will decorate bags and 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th will package the meals. This is a wonderful way to help feed hungry children around the world. 

Kids Against Hunger is a non profit organization that enables kids to pack meals of specially designed nourishing food for children in malnourished nations around the world. Each meal costs 25 cents so 100 meals cost $100.

In order for our school to participate in this kindness project, we are asking the students of Mohr Elementary to raise $5 each to pay for the cost of the food that we are bagging. Greater donations are also encouraged! Please bring your donations in cash or check (made payable to Kids Against Hunger) in an envelope of baggie by Tuesday, September 18th. Students will turn their donations in to their teachers. 

We would like for the kids to see if they can come up with a way to earn the $5 of their own and then donate it. Some ideas include: doing chores around the house or collecting spare change. Earning and donating the money will be a much more valuable experience than just being given the money. Please have your student bring in the money as soon as possible. 

Thank you in advance for your support!

For more information about Kids Against Hunger please visit www.kidsagainsthungerpleasanton.org

Week 4 Newsletter

This week was a short, four day week but we did a lot of things! Students took their first math test on Wednesday, they attended their first Band and Strings session with instruments, and we've started reading Wonder! It's hard to believe we are already a month into the school year!

In this week's Friday Folder, students should have their latest Progress Report as well as their Mid Module 1 Math test. You can review the test online by following the instructions attached to their test. Since we took the test online in Illuminate, I printed a report of the standards they may still need to practice. If your student can't get in to review the test, please email me and I will try to help.


A few notes for the upcoming week, which will see our school participating in Kindness Week! There are events and spirit themes every single day...

• Monday, Sept 10 
• "Dreaming of a World of Kindness"- Wear Pajamas
• Tuesday, Sept 11
• "We Have the Power to Be Kind"- Wear a superhero themed shirt
• Wednesday, Sept 12 
• "Nothing Beats Team Kindness"- Wear your favorite Team attire
• LIBRARY BOOKS DUE!
• Thursday, Sept 13
• "Spread Kindness With Your Smile"- PICTURE DAY!
• Please be on time to school for PICTURE DAY!
• Friday, Sept 14
• "Mohr Eagles are Kindness Leaders"- Wear your Mohr Spirit Wear or school colors!

I hope our students enjoy participating in all these fun events! It will be a very busy week full of spirit!

Box Tops:

We are still collecting Box Tops to help our PTA earn money for the school! Send in any box tops you have with your student. 

PTA Info:

Friday, September 28th is our first PTA Recycling event... The PTA will be collecting both the  crushed cans and crushed plastic bottles with CRV.   The CANS and PLASTIC bottles have to be packed in separate bags. You will be able to drive into the back parking lot, past the MPR, to drop off your recycling. More info to come! 

Week 3 Newsletter

Week 3 was fun!

Students went to their first Band and Strings session to learn more about the program and their instruments. We also went to library for the very first time! And on Friday we had our very first Pay Day. It went really well, and the bankers got a little taste of what the year will look like for them.

Students should have brought home their first Friday Folder and Progress Report. Students are setting goals in the hopes of attaining them in a week's time. Please have a conversation with your student about their goals. Inside the Friday Folder was also the Outdoor Ed packet with all the permission slips. Please work on completing those forms. They are due in a few weeks. I know it is a lot of information, but it is a truly once in a lifetime experience for your 5th grader.

This upcoming week will be busy...

On Tuesday, September 4th we will have our first Auction. Students can sell or buy items during this time... the only requirement is that all items sold during the auction must be homemade. If a food item is brought in for sale, it needs to have an ingredient list with it for our students who need to avoid certain foods.

Also, the ice cream social is Tuesday evening starting at 6. If you're available and haven't already signed up to help, please do! The signup sheet is here... Ice Cream Social Signups I will be there, at the syrup station, so I hope you stop by!

Wednesday will be our first math test. The mid module 1 test covers the first 8 lessons of module 1, and the students received the study guide on Friday.

Other important bits of information...

SAFETY VALETS
Thank you to all our students who signed up to be a safety valet for the rest of the school year! Our class is the reporting this week (Sept 4-Sept 7) so help make sure they are at school early, or picked up late.  You can find our class schedule HERE.


PICTURE DAY

It's time to capture the memories— Photo Day is Coming.

On Thursday, September 13, Mohr Elementary students will be getting their school photos taken. Please click on the following link to order your child’s/children’s 2018-2019 photos: http://image3.photobiz.com/7484/20180713185637_261960.pdf. You have the option to pay by credit card or print out the order form and pay by check or cash. 

If you have any questions, please contact Sankar - jp.nimmagadda@gmail.com   or Ruchika - indrayan_ruchika@yahoo.com

BOXTOPS

Our school is collecting Boxtops! If you clip them off any package and send them in to school with your child, I will make sure they are turned in. Just put them in a ziploc bag with your child's name and our class!

SPIRIT FRIDAYS

Every Friday, Mohr is celebrating our school spirit by wearing Mohr Spirit Wear or our school colors of maroon, white, and black. It's a fun way to show our school pride! 

Week 2 Newsletter

This week was our first week of homework. Students are doing a great job at remembering their homework every night, particularly their math homework videos. Every night they will have a video to watch to prepare for the next day's lesson. On Thursdays, students will be completing the video while we are in computer lab.

This upcoming Friday, August 31st, students will be bringing home their first Friday Folder and progress report. Their progress report will feature their week's goal as well as their overall behavior in class. This will be a quick check for their week's progress.


UPCOMING EVENTS:

• Monday, August 27th
• Eagle TV training (in school)
• Mohr Kindness Week begins
• Wednesday, August 29th
• first Band & Strings (no instruments)
• Friday, August 31st
• Spelling quiz
• Friday Folders & progress reports
• Spirit Day- wear Mohr colors

Band & Strings

5^th Grade Instrumental Music

2018-2019

Welcome to 5^th grade!  As 5^th graders, you now have the chance to play a string or band instrument. 

We have found that 5th grade students greatly enjoy the chance to learn an instrument.  The instrumental music teachers hope you will consider playing one of the choices listed below.

We are asking for a commitment through the entire year if you decide to participate in 5^th grade instrumental music.  It has been our experience that students that don't spend time spent on their instrument of choice tend to desire quitting.  Students that spend time practicing their instruments tend to enjoy playing and desire to remain in the program.  We encourage you to envision two things while planning your instrumental participation. 

1.  Envision yourself practicing regularly.  15-20 minutes a day at the beginning of the year is a good guideline. 

2.  Be prepared for sounding less than stellar at the beginning (you will sound like dying farm animals).  Once again, we are emphasizing finishing what you started.  We want you to succeed in instrumental music. 

Instrumental music is a pull-out program.  This means that the students will leave their classrooms to participate in band or strings.  It is your responsibility to complete any missed work.

The choices of string instruments with Mr. Sitts are:

Violin            Viola             Cello

Mr. Borris and the brass instrument choices are:

Trumpet       Trombone    Percussion

Mr. Pedroni and the woodwind choices are:

Flute     Clarinet    Saxophone

If you would like to play an instrument this year, please fill out the google form linked here:

goo.gl/b4XAZX

jborris@pleasantonusd.net

jpedroni@pleasantonusd.net

msitts@pleasantonusd.net

Week 1 Newsletter

What a fun, busy first week we had! It has been so wonderful getting to know every student as we begin our year together. Thank you to everyone who was able to make it to Back to School Night. If you need to reference our presentation, you can find it HERE.

Every week I will posting our newsletter with the latest information for our class. I will post about important projects, exciting events... anything important you may need to know!

Homework will be starting on Monday, August 20th. We will spend the last 10 minutes of the day writing down our homework and packing our backpacks. You can also check the homework HERE. I will do my best to keep that current. Ultimately, it is your student's job to know their daily homework. They can always count on a math lesson and reading 20 minutes.

We will also be starting our spelling program on Monday, August 20th. Students will receive a packet with assignments for each night. There are 8 words to practice for Friday's in-class quiz.

Our class calendar always has the latest information regarding assignments, tests, and school events. Make sure you keep checking back for new events.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

• Wednesday, August 22
• Band & Strings Assembly
• students will get the opportunity to learn about the program and hear the various instruments to help them make a decision for the school year.
• Friday, August 24
• Spirit Fridays- Wear Mohr colors
• every Friday, students can wear Mohr spirit wear, or school colors (Maroon, White, Black) to help show their school spirit

Eagle TV Application

If you are having any trouble with the Eagle TV application link, HERE it is... 

Back to School Action Items 2018

I'm so happy to have your family in my classroom this year! To help speed up the process for Back to School Night, below are a few things you can do now. 

First, please fill out the embedded Google Form with information for your family. This will help you stay updated on everything that is happening in the classroom. You can also fill it out HERE, if the embedded document doesn't work.



You can also subscribe to our website by looking on the right hand side for the "Follow By Email" tab. This will provide you with updates to your email address anytime I post something new.

Second, there are TWO signups you will want to check out this week...

Parent Volunteers -- 2 room parents are needed to work together to help plan parties, send emails, be a liaison for PTA information, etc. Also please sign up to be a driver for any future field trips we will have. I will only be emailing parents from this list to be drivers for all future field trips.

November Conferences 2018-- please sign up for a report card conference time that will be held the week of November 13th, and a few on November 7th, 8th and 9th.



Third, please link up with me through REMIND. Remind will let me send out important alerts and reminders about assignments, tests, field trips, etc straight to your phone or email. You can also contact me through the site. I do recommend if your child has their own device, phone or tablet, you think about having them sign up too. It will give them direct access to information and keep them accountable for their own work.

You can go to this link, https://www.remind.com/join/fhk2gd to sign up, or download the Remind App to your phone.  You can also follow the instructions below.

I'm looking forward to meeting all of you on Wednesday at Back to School Night at 7:00pm. There is an informational meeting with Mrs. Berglin from 6:45-7:00pm in the MPR prior to our class session. Our classroom is upstairs, room 12C. Please remember this is only for parents, students do not need to attend.

1st Day of School 2018

Welcome to the Wilcox Crew! 

I'm so excited to start the school year with all of you in my class! I hope you will have a wonderful 5th grade year with me. We are going to have a lot of fun and learn a lot of things! Get ready for an exciting final year at Mohr!

Thank You!

It's hard to believe that today was the end of 5th grade. We spent the morning sharing memories and stories... it was the perfect ending to a fantastic year. Thank you for sharing your wonderful children with me all year. It truly was a pleasure to have them in my classroom this year. We had a really wonderful year together and I'm sad to see it end, but I know they all have great futures ahead of them. 

I put together a little video of some of the pictures from this school year. You can view it HERE. It's unlisted on Youtube, so feel free to share the link out to family. 

The 2017-2018 Wilcox Crew

Mohr PTA

It has been a wonderful year together!
Please see some messages below from PTA about next school year and ways you can help!

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Our school's PTA is in need of volunteers for next year's committees. If you will still have children at Mohr next year, I hope you considering volunteering to help our PTA put on the many wonderful events we have each school year.

Please click HERE to see the variety of opportunities for volunteering.

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Here are THREE ways to help Mohr School this summer, and they won't cost you a dime!

* Download and use the Box Tops for Education app, which is FREE to download from both the Google Play and iTunes Stores. Simply check the list of available offers, make your purchase, and scan your receipt using your mobile device. Most offers are worth 20 to 50 cents, so if enough of us use the app, we can dramatically increase our school's earnings. (Note: Please continue to clip and submit the paper box tops as well! The app simply allows us to double-dip on some purchases!)

* Use Amazon Smile! Go to smile.amazon.com and select Henry P Mohr Elementary PTA as your charity of choice. Then visit smile.amazon.com whenever you want to shop, and we'll automatically receive a percentage of the amount you spend.

* Save your cans and bottles all summer long! In the fall, we'll be launching an all-new recycling initiative to help Mohr School earn extra cash. If you'd like to be a grade-level coordinator for this brand new effort, please drop a note to soaratmohr@gmail.com. If you'd like to serve as the Recycling committee chair, please sign up via the Signup Genius link here:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0a48aea72daaf49-201819

Have a great summer!

Mohr PTA

Week 37 Newsletter

It's here... the last week of school is upon us! We are very busy this week so please pay attention to all the events happening. We are in for a very fun week!

It's also the last week of Safety Valets! There will be 4th graders out there too, training for next year.

Wednesday is Pool Day! Please look at the picture below to see what is needed.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

• Tuesday, May 29
• Clean out desks... take home the last of our work
• Wednesday, May 30
• Pool Day. We will be leaving at 9:30am. Please be on time to school.
• Thursday, May 31
• Field Day
• 5th Grade Nacho Party... bring in donated supplies
• Friday, June 1
• Last day of school
• 5th Grade culmination at 10:30am in MPR
• Report cards go home

Thank You!

What a wonderful Teacher Appreciation week it was!

Thank you all for the outpouring of notes, flowers, gifts... I feel truly blessed to have your families in my classroom this year.

I can never thank you all enough for everything you've done to support our room. I am so appreciative of all the kindness you have shown me over these months together. This group of students is a very special group and I feel lucky to be their teacher!

Thank you again!

Week 36 Newsletter

Thank you all for coming to Open House last night! It was so wonderful to see so many families come through our room and check out all the hard work your students have done all year long. It was a great night and I enjoyed talking with so many of you!

These last two weeks of school will be pretty busy! 5th grade is coming to a close and middle school is just around the corner... Permission slips for Pool Day came home with your students today. Please return those next week!

All permission slips for our Human Growth & Development program are due on Monday, May 21st. Please return them with your student if you have not done so already.


Please mark your calendars for these important events coming up! 


UPCOMING EVENTS:

• Monday, May 21
• Science CAST test at 8:15am
• Last Band & Strings
• Wednesday, May 22
• Human Growth & Development (Day 1)
• Thursday, May 23
• Human Growth & Development (Day 2)

• Monday, May 28
• No School, Memorial Day
• Tuesday, May 29
• Clean out desks
• Wednesday, May 30
• Pool Day, Aquatic Center
• Thursday, May 31
• Field Day (Volunteers still needed)
• 5th Grade Nacho Party (Sign-up HERE)
• Friday, June 1
• Last Day of School
• 5th Grade culmination 10:30am

Week 35 Newsletter

This week was quite busy with our ELA testing, the annual 5th grade field trip to the A's game, finishing up Geometrocity, starting our last read aloud The Wild Robot, and continuing our memoirs... we had a lot of things happening all at once. With Open House next Thursday, we are finishing up several projects for our families to enjoy!

Thank you to all our chaperones who joined us on Wednesday for our trip to the A's game! The kids had a great time, mainly eating, and watching the A's take on the Astros. Parents... if you have any pictures I'd love to get them sent to me!

 


We start our CAASPP math testing on Monday, at 8:15am, so please be on time to school. We are testing on Monday and Tuesday of next week.


UPCOMING DATES:

• Monday, May 14
• CAASPP Math testing
• Band & Strings concert, 2pm MPR
• Tuesday, May 15
• CAASPP Math Testing
• Wednesday, May 16
• Human Growth Material Preview 8:00am in Room 12A (Kumar)
• Thursday, May 17
• Open House 6:30-7:30pm in 12C
• Art Show 6:00pm-8:00pm in MPR
• Friday, May 18
• Minimum Day, 12:30pm dismissal

Week 34 Newsletter

It's the first week of May, and man were we busy! Students have been creating their towns and 3-D buildings in Geometrocity which is always a very exciting time. These towns will be on display at Open House in two weeks time, and they are very creative! What a fun town we could one day in live in.

Our last writing unit of the year is Memoirs. To end our elementary career, students will be writing about themselves within a larger theme... writing small about big ideas! It's one of my favorite writing units of the year and I can't wait to hear the stories they will share. Check out some of their work on Google Classroom.

To end our 5th grade social studies curriculum we are all traveling along the Oregon Trail as Pioneers. In groups of 5-6, students are in Wagon Companies that will have to navigate the 2,000 mile journey to the Willamette Valley from Independence, Missouri. We've spent a long time planning our wagon supplies, and starting next Tuesday we begin to travel. This simulation is always a highlight of the year.

There's only 4 weeks left of school and we will be packed with a lot of events! Next week, we start our state testing, so please have your students in school on Monday and Tuesday (5/7 and 5/8) as we tackle the ELA testing.


PARENT VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:
Every year our PTA puts on a wonderful field day to cap the end of the school year. This year, field day is on Thursday, May 31st. They are in need of many wonderful volunteers. It would be great to see our families out there! If you are interested in volunteering, please follow the link HERE and sign up!


UPCOMING EVENTS:

• Monday, May 7
• ELA testing (CAASPP)
• Tuesday, May 8
• ELA testing (CAASPP)
• Wednesday, May 9
• A's Game Field Trip (10:30am-2:50pm)

Debates 2018

For the last two weeks we have been researching, preparing, rehearsing and finally we had our in-class debates. I was so impressed at the level of information and detail our class put into all of their topics. 




I've uploaded our 6 debates onto Youtube, which you can view embedded here, or by following this link HERE. All of the videos are "unlisted" on Youtube which allows you to view them if you have the direct link, but they can not be found through the search function. I hope you enjoy seeing the work your students have done. They should be very proud of themselves.

Week 33 Newsletter

Wow! What a busy week! On Monday, students tackled the 6th grade placement test... which I think they would all agree they are glad they are done with! We also had several rehearsals for Thursday's DARE performance, and then today we had our Debates!

Thursday's DARE performance was so fun! It was great to see how enthusiastic the whole school was as our DARE program with Officer Batt came to an end. Thank you to everyone

The progress report this week is a little different. You will see that your student has evaluated themselves to see how they are doing. I hope this helps open up a conversation for your family on their overall progress. It's hard to imagine we only have 5 weeks of school left!


UPCOMING EVENTS:

• Monday, April 30
• Last Pay Day
• Tuesday, May 1
• Last Auction
• Harvest Park Counselor Visit

DARE Graduation

This Thursday, April 26th is our DARE graduation! Students should be at the Amador Theater around 5:45pm. The graduation begins at 6pm. All are welcome to attend!

Students will be receiving their t-shirts on Thursday, which they should wear with dark colored pants (or jeans). The ceremony lasts around an hour. Students will be performing multiple songs that they have been practicing with Mrs. Robertson.

See everyone on Thursday!

Debates

Next Friday, April 27th is our DEBATES! Our last speech of the year will be an in-class debate. Students have been divided into 6 teams who will debate a current issue. Each student has a copy of this information, and it can be found HERE and HERE. It is important that they practice and prepare for their debate!

Week 31 Newsletter

Can you believe there are only 7 more weeks of elementary school? These last few weeks will be jam packed with tons of activities!

Over Spring Break our classroom projector was finally installed in the ceiling! All the money we helped raise during our Tech Trek went to adding ceiling mounted projectors into our Kinder, 4th, 5th, and music classrooms. We have so much more room! The whole flow of our classroom has changed and the students were so excited to see how different the classroom looked. Not to mention we have speakers in our ceilings. Now everyone can hear our videos and music better.

This week we finished a few projects. After reading the novel, Tuck Everlasting students created a map of the important locations that influenced the story. Students also took the end of the novel test today, which was open notebook and open book, focusing on several aspects of the story.

We've been working on our Argument writing, researching the topic of chocolate milk in schools. We have a lot of passionate opinions in the room. After many flash drafts, revisions, and editing we finally wrote our final drafts today.


PUSD is offering enrichment classes this summer. Check out the schedule HERE to see what opportunities are being offered for your students. There are a wide variety of classes and weeks available.


UPCOMING EVENTS:

• Monday, April 16
• Verb Quiz
• Tuesday, April 17
• DARE essay due (template on Google Classroom)
• Friday, April 20
• Module 6 Test
• Monday, April 23
• 6th Grade Math Placement Test
• Check out the informational letter HERE

5th Grade Panoramic Picture

The 5th grade Panoramic Picture is here! If you are interested in ordering, please click HERE to view the picture and place your order. All picture orders will be completed online.

Orders are due by April 21st.

Transition to Middle School

Week 29 Newsletter

We have been enjoying the novel, Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit. Would everlasting life be a blessing or a curse? Our class has been having a lot of wonderful conversations around life and how we treat each other. This book is full of great characters and it's been fun to spark some debate in the room.

Speaking of debates... we started our Argument writing unit. Our very first argument piece will be on the topic of Chocolate Milk in schools. We definitely have a lot of opinions in the room and it's leading to very good debates. Students will be publishing a final argument piece after we return from Spring Break.

Next week will be a very busy 4 day week, especially in math. We will be finishing up Module 5 by learning about several different kinds of quadrilaterals. Geometry is always a really fun unit, and the students have been doing so well on all our new lessons. For homework, students will often have 2 lessons a night, so we can finish Module 5 before Spring Break.

Attached to this week's progress report is an important letter about all our upcoming events. You can view the letter HERE. Please keep this letter in a safe place! 5th grade has a lot of events happening from now until June 1st. Make sure you mark your calendars!


UPCOMING EVENTS:

• Monday, March 26
• Library Books due
• Thursday, March 30
• Module 5 Math Test
• Pay Day
• Friday, March 31- April 8
• Spring Break
• Monday, April 9
• Auction

Field Day Volunteers

Our annual Field Day is coming up on Thursday, May 31. Field Day is a super fun day of games on the grass field. 

We need parent volunteers to help coordinate leading up to the day and to volunteer during the event. Please consider helping! All volunteers need to be cleared by the district, so be sure to submit your volunteer clearance form. 

Let me know if you are willing to help with the event. We need many parents to help it run smoothly!

Week 27 Newsletter

So many things have been happening this week! In reading we've been working on summarizing complex nonfiction texts which often feature multiple main ideas. This can be tricky work, but I'm very impressed with how hard everyone has been working.

Today, students turned in their second nonfiction writing assignment, this time featuring a Historical report. These reports will be graded and will become the first writing grade of the 3rd trimester. Please do not expect to see them on the report card that will be sent home next Friday.

In Social Studies next week we will start diving into the Revolutionary War. This is always such a fun unit as we explore how our country earned their freedom from Great Britain.


Also, please see the letter below from Mrs. Berglin regarding recent changes to our school:

UPCOMING EVENTS:

• Monday, March 12
• Library Books due
• Read-a-thon continues (ends March 16th)
• Thursday, March 15
• Science Fair
• Friday, March 16
• Report Cards go home (2nd Trimester)
• Mid Module 5 Test

Field Trip Tomorrow!

We are headed to the Lawrence Livermore National Lab and their Discovery Center tomorrow. Every student needs to come early to school and be in the classroom at 9:00AM!

Please make sure you are early to school so we can head to our field trip. Thank you!

Week 26 Newsletter

It's hard to believe that the second trimester is coming to a close! We are already 2/3 of the way done with 5th grade... it seems like just yesterday we were all getting to know each other and now we're almost done with elementary school.

Next week is extremely busy with a few last projects before report cards. As a reminder, there will not be any Friday Folders/Progress Reports for the next three weeks as I grade and work on report cards.


Module 4 Test
On Monday, students will see their grades for Module 4. Any student who received a 2 or a 1 on the test will be invited to a Retake of the test on Thursday, March 8th. Students need to return the signed permission slip to have a second chance at a better grade before the trimester ends.


Science Fair Update:

The annual Mohr Science Fair is just around the corner. We are looking forward to seeing the many different projects and science exploration from our students.  In order to have this event, it takes many volunteers.  The good news is that the time we are asking you to volunteer for is SHORT!  PLEASE consider helping out this year and sign up for a volunteer time that works for you.  Here is the link for signing up: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e4ca4ab23a5ff2-mohr

We still have a few science boards for $3.50 in the school office that can be purchased. Please refer back to previous science fair emails and the PTA Eagle Express for Science Fair specifics.

Thank you for considering volunteering for this school wide event!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

• Monday, March 5
• Wear silly socks (Read-a-thon)
• Historical report SPEECHES
• 5th Grade Panoramic Picture (1:20pm)
• Tuesday, March 6
• Wear green (Read-a-thon)
• Historical report SPEECHES (may continue based on time)
• S.S. Timeline project due
• S.S. Study guide due
• Wednesday, March 7
• Random act of kindness (Read-a-thon)
• Field Trip to Livermore Lab. Please be at school at 9:00AM
• S.S. Unit 5 Test
• Thursday, March 8
• Hat Day (Read-a-thon)
• Module 4 Retake
• Friday, March 9
• Dress as a story character (Read-a-thon)
• printed copy of Historical Report due