A look at Vive

Fieldwork to Vive!

Fifth grade is off to a great start! We are working hard into our first expedition "Stories of Human Rights." During our first unit we learned about human rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and how various countries around the world violate these rights for humans. Students were able to visit Vive La Casa in Buffalo, NY which works to help asylum seekers and refugees  transition into life in America. Students were able to hear first hand accounts of individuals from Africa and their journey to America and the rights that they had violated as individuals. Students recently began reading an achor text Esperanza Rising which focuses on a young girl leaving her home in Mexico coming from wealth to rags in America. Students are working to create two-voice poetry related to the text. We are looking forward to parent-teacher conferences on November 8 and sharing with you all we are learning about in fifth grade!

EL at its finest!

Fifth is quickly coming to an end! We are so busy finishing up our expedition titled, " Sports in American Culture." We are learning how Jackie Robinson has shaped our culture and has broken color barriers to change the culture we live in. This expedition has given us a whole new outlook on the importance of sports right here in America. Our final product is quickly approaching and we're ready to share our learning with you!
During math we have kicked off Workshop 2.0. Check out our learning on YouTube! It is exciting to see where we have been and where we are going! We have grown so much and can't wait to become experts in the area!
Please join us on June 6 and June 7 to partake in student led conferences. Grades K-6 will be implementing this new experience at Niagara Charter School next month.
Stay tuned for our upcoming fieldwork in our community! We thank you for your participation to make this year successful! We look forward to showing you much more!
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Miss McGuire

Investigating through our community

Good evening! Crew 115 just recently went back to where we kicked off our first expedition "Are We Missing the Boat?" Students got to revisit and see new areas of Niagara Falls State Park. We observed the geological makeup and got a closer look at American and Canadian falls. Students worked alongside Earth Spirit to learn about the history of the falls and who we were before Niagara Falls. Students learned about the Native Americans, trade, land, and war. Upon completion of their expertise, they were to ride the Maid of the Mist to get a close encounter and bring a wet souvenir back to Niagara Charter School!

                                              Learning alongside Earth Spirit and becoming experts of United States and Canda!

Learning about the makeup of Niagara Falls hundreds of years ago.

Boarding the Maid of the Mist

Experts in training!

Expedition Kick-Off!

Good morning! It's finally great to be back into the swing of things! We are into our fourth week of fifth grade and your children are doing fabulous! They truly are an amazing group of students! We started off the year doing team building and learning how to work together as a crew and problem solve!
Yesterday, we kicked off our first expedition with a visit to the Niagara Falls region. We work alongside our physical education teacher to make our first kick-off into our expedition a success! The students hiked the lower power plant and were able to get up close and personal. We then moved over near the Niagara Gorge Discovery center to follow a few trails and get a closer view of the earth's layers! Soon after, we voyaged over near Niagara Falls to observe the Niagara Falls US and Canada border. The students were amazed at the sight! Inquisitive minds and questions filled the air. We hiked until the rain fell upon us! Can you guess what our first expedition will be about? Earth? Attractions? Water? Tourism? Yes! Those are all investigations we will discover in our first expedition; "Are We Missing the Boat?" Stay tuned for news and updates!

Heading out!

View of the lower Niagara

Look at all those layers!

Smile pretty!

Hiking up the hill! Boy were we wiped!

Check out the texture!

Niagara Falls

That's so cool!

A Glimpse into the past month!

We finished up our 2nd expedition with a 5K at Niagara Falls State Park. We were able to share our healthy habits with our community and show off all our hard work and practice!
We started our assessments for NYS! And boy did we try to ROCK em!
The 5th grade kicked off their last expedition of 5th grade called "America...Why?" We are currently investigating the immigration waves, the inspections, documents, immigration stations, and life after Ellis Island. We will continue to look at the trends and begin researching famous immigrants for our final product. Stay tuned! In music we are learning the 50 Nifty song of all 50 states in the United States in ABC order!
The end of the school year is quickly approaching! Please remember that your child needs to be in school everyday, following school and bus rules and completing homework in order to participate in Fantasy Island and EZ Mandarin at the end of the year. We will be heading to Fantasy Island on June 14. Your child must wear their uniform shirt with appropriate attire on the bottom. We will be celebrating DARE graduation on June 7 at 1:00. Please join us for our celebration in becoming Drug and Alcohol Free!

 The teachers with Nakhi Dove

 The Girls chilling after the race!

 Students and Parents FREEZING in the cold weather

Students WINNING!

 Hanging out at the ENVIRUN!

This student is REPRESENTING NCS!

 Yeah Buddy!

He did his job and the metal shows it



*Cations of photos created by Kierre Gotel

State Testing!

Good evening! I hope everyone is well rested and had a nice break. It is great to know we will be back to school tomorrow full throttle until the end of the year! We will be having state testing ELA-April 17-19 and  Math-April 24-26. It is very important that your child completed their homework over break to reinforce skills and strategies taught throughout the year. They have worked very hard and I am confident that they will do a phenomenal job!
Please remember that your child should be in attendance each day during testing. It is crucial that they are on time and have a good night of rest in order to be successful. Encourage your child the night before and the day of. They need your approval! You may even write a letter to your child and place it in an envelope for them to open the morning of the test. Kind words help them a lot!
There will be homework this week in order to ensure routine and continue the structure in the classroom as well as at home. Remind your children to study their notebooks from ELA and Math this week and next week. All the skills, strategies, and concepts learned this year are all in there. They will be bringing them home on an nightly basis.
Reminder that our 5k will be this Saturday at 10:30 at Three Sisters Island in Niagara Falls. Your child has worked very hard and is eager to show off their learning and healthy habits. Thank you for the great support and turn out of those who are attending. If you signed your child up for the bus, they will be picked up at promptly 9:30 at the Doris Jones Center and brought back at approximately 1:30 to the same location. If not, please be sure to drop your child off at the race about 10:15 to stretch and get ready.
If you have questions or concerns, feel free to contact me at 297-4520 ext. 7115 or kristinemcguire@niagaracharter.org. Have a great week!