What Should I Read Next?

I have come to observe that both students and parents sometimes have trouble figuring out what book to read once they finish a series or their independent reading book. I found a great resource that may just be the answer to this problem. Please follow the link below to the website and carefully type the name of the book into the search bar. If the database recognizes your title, it will suggest a list of similar books that may interest you. Happy Reading!

http://www.whatshouldireadnext.com/

Gorrie Cares Service Club Project

November 7, 2012

Gorrie School Community-

PS 114 in Rockaway Beach, NY was completely devastated by Hurricane Sandy on October 29, 2012. This Queens school is close to Principal Sandler's Heart... it is her childhood elementary school and is in a community similar to South Tampa. Many people in the community lost everything and are homeless. The school is now shut down due to storm damage and students are being sent elsewhere to learn. Winter is coming and the temperatures are already dropping. To a child, a cozy fleece hat and scarf will provide protection from winter weather and offer a sense of comfort.

WHAT IS GORRIE PLANNING TO DO?

Gorrie Cares Service Club plans to be in every classroom on November 15th to assist students as they make fleece hats and scarves that will be sent directly to Rockaway Beach school community. This activity will take 15 minutes and be part of a community service unit for the Great American Teach- In. We hope to send over 500 hats and scarves!

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

• Wear your hat on Thursday November 15th and bring $1 OR MORE to donate to PS 114. Give money to your homeroom teacher.
• Send in monetary donations for PS 114. Label the envelope "Hurricane Sandy Donation" and return to homeroom teacher.
• Parents can help in the classroom on Thursday November 15th by facilitating the hat/scarf service activity. To be a facilitator, email Mary Galvez (magalvez@tampabay.rr.com). 
• Help prepare materials for the service project by coming to Jennifer Pope's home (814 S Willow Ave) on Tuesday, November 13th, from 10am- 12pm. Anyone interested in cutting and sewing fleece is welcome.

Having been in a hurricane's path, our community can sympathize with those affected by Hurricane Sandy. Let's show we care with 100% participation on November 15th!

Thanks and if you have any questions or comments, please contact us.

Jen Pope and Mary Galvez

Gorrie Cares Service Club

jen_norris1@yahoo.com

magalvez@tampabay.rr.com

Red Ribbon Week

 Red Ribbon Week
October 22-26, 2012

Please support this important week by having your children dress according to our daily theme!  We have chosen the following themes for the week:

Monday: “Team Up” Against Drugs!  Wear your favorite college or team jersey.

Tuesday: “Black Out” Drugs.  Wear as much black as you can.

Wednesday: “Sock” It To Drugs!  Wear crazy socks.

Thursday: Be a “Jean”ius—Say No To Drugs!  Wear jeans.

Friday: “RED”-y to Live Drug Free and Make a Difference!  Wear red clothes.

Tropicana Speech

It's that time of year again!  We are introducting Tropicana Speeches to the students on October 15.  Students will be required to write their speech and present it to the class.  We are working hard to break down the various compenents of the speech over the course of a couple of weeks to hopefully prevent a stressful situation at home.  If you are new to the county and have never participated in Tropicana Speech, don't hesitate to ask for guidance once we begin the process. Please look at the timeline of events below and some tips and suggestions to make the speech writing process easier.




Timeline of Events:

October 15 - Introduce speech to students in class

October 18 - Topic due

October 22 - Step 2 due

October 24 - Step 3 due

October 26 - Step 4 due

October 29 - Step 5 due

October 31 - Step 6 due

November 2 - Step 7 due

November 5 - Final notecard check

November 6-13 - Practice speech at home with family and friends

November 13 - 15 - Class competitions - ALL students need to be prepared to present their speech on November 16

December 4 - Schoolwide competition - 2 class winners will represent each homeroom



Tips and Suggestions:

1.  While students are not expected to memorize their speech, they will need to be familiar enough with their speech that they will not need read directly from their notecards for their entire speech.

2.  Their speech will need to 2-3 minutes in length.  Anything under or over the designated time length will disqualify them from winning the class competition.  In addition, they will lose points from their overall total.

3.  Students will be graded on the following:

   - Choice of Material - Was the topic original and unique

   - Effective introduction - Was the introduction interesting?  Did it capture attention and indicate the topic?

   - Effective body - Did the main portion of the speech have a logical and smooth flow?

   - Use of language - Was the selection, combination and use of the words effective?

   - Audience bond - Did the speaker establish and maintain eye contact with the audience?

   - Delivery - Did the speaker appear relaxed and the delivery flow fluently and smoothly?

   - Pronunciation - Did the speaker pronounce the words correctly?

   - Articulation - Were the words spoken clearly and was the speaker easy to understand?

   - Volume - Were there effective changes to the volume level throughout the speech?

   - Speed - Did the speaker speak at a pseed that could be understood?  DId they vary speed and use pauses effectively throughout the speech?

A Note From Mrs. Wolbarst

Respect is the character trait for October. Respect is showing regard for the value of persons or things through courteous consideration and appreciation. As an optional, school-wide assignment, we are encouraging students to write or draw what the character trait means to them. Once complete, your child may turn their work into the Character Education bin in the Media Center. The most interesting will be chosen from the bunch and read on the Morning Show by the student and then put on the bulletin board in the cafeteria.

MOSI

Don't forget that our field trip to MOSI is scheduled for tomorrow (Thursday). We will be gone most of the day, but will be returning to campus for regular dismissal. Please either pack a bagged lunch for your child or let them know that they will be buying lunch. Today, I will be taking count of students who need to buy lunch, so Mr. Singh can prepare them in the morning before we leave.


REMEMBER: Try and wear your Gorrie shirt so we can stand out when walking through the museum together. If you are new to the school and don't have a Gorrie shirt, a grey or red shirt will do just fine! I look forward to a wonderful day tomorrow!

Progress Reports

Progress Reports went home today. If a student is missing MULTIPLE assignments or has many assignments that can be redone, we did our best to share that information with you. It is YOUR CHILD's responsibility to get with their teachers for the missing/ incomplete work.

REMEMBER: Almost ALL assignments given in 5th grade can be resubmitted once correct for a 70% (C).

Please review the Progress Report, sign it and send it back in to me by THIS FRIDAY (September 29th). Thanks!

Fun'd Friday

Friday is Flip Flop Day!

This Friday, September 28, you can wear flip flops to school! To participate, simply bring in $1 by Friday to your teacher.

All money collected will go directly towards the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life of Davis Islands!

Thank you for helping save a life!

Earning For Learning Dinner

EARNING FOR LEARNING

Gorrie is hosting a Family Dinner Night at Westshore Mall in the Food Court on Tuesday, September 18^th from 5:00pm-6:00pm.  What a wonderful opportunity for you to meet your child’s classmates and teacher/teachers!  After dinner, please take your receipts to the Guest Services desk located near Macys.  We will receive one entry for each receipt.  Thank you Gorrie Families for your support!

Philly Trip 2013

Parents - 

The 5th grade teachers are pleased to announce that we will be doing another student trip this year!  Last year, we took students over the summer to Washington DC, Jamestown and Williamsburg and had a fabulous time.  This year, we will be taking students to Philadelphia, Valley Forge and Amish Country.  We will leave right after school lets out on either June 8th or June 9th and return on either June 12th or June 13th.  

Please know that this trip is NOT a Hillsborough County sanctioned field trip.  The trip is completely separate from school - it just so happens that our 5th grade teachers want to chaperone a trip with our students.

If you would like more information about the trip, there will be a parent meeting Tuesday, September 25th at 6 pm next door at the Horizon Bay Retirement Community.  We had a terrific time last year with our students and are looking forward to another wonderful trip again this summer!  We hope to see many of you there!  

Please let me know if you plan on attending so we know how many seats to set up. 

A Note from Mrs. Wolbarst

Dear Parents: 

The comprehensive school guidance program at Gorrie is designed to support the mission of the school by promoting and enhancing the learning process of every student through integration of academic, career, and personal/social development.  Many prevention topics are addressed through classroom guidance, small group guidance and district approved school-wide presentations.  Examples of these topics include:

     •Physical and Emotional Health/Safety

     •Character Education

     •Peer Mediation/Conflict Resolution

     •Bullying Prevention

     •Drug and Alcohol Prevention

     •Harassment and Violence Prevention

There are some grade level specific programs that may be available to your child, such as:

 In Grades K-5 - Red Ribbon Week

     Utilizes the “Too Good for Drugs” Mendez Curriculum

 In Kindergarten - Mendez Foundations and Friends R Happening Show

     Teaches students about making safe decisions especially when it comes to drugs and violence.

 In Second Grade –  Mendez’s Carmen and Wagoner Show

     Teaches second grade students through lively songs and dances to be drug-free and to resist

     peer pressure.

 In Third Grade – Child Abuse Council’s Kids-on- the-Block

     Uses puppets and child-appropriate language in skits to cover child abuse issues

     with third grade students.

 In Fourth Grade – Child Abuse Council’s Kids-on- the-Block

     Uses puppets and child-appropriate language to present information on bullying prevention

     and tolerance to fourth grade students to teach them peaceful alternatives and solutions.

    

These are just a few examples of the exciting activities that your child may be participating in at our school.  Please feel free to contact me  at 276-5673  if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Sherry Wolbarst

Guidance Counselor

Redo's

I wanted to let everyone know that basically EVERY assignment in my classes (History, Reading, Writing, Science), can be redone if a student receives a grade less than a 70%. All the child has to do to bring the grade up is to fix the errors they made and turn it back in to me. The highest grade a redo assignment can receive is a "C" (70%). As a result, NO students should end up with anything less than a "C" average in all of those subjects. Please ask your child if they have any redo assignments to make up and encourage them to make those corrections in order to boost their grade. Thanks!

Hurricane Day- SCHOOL CLOSED

All HCPS schools and district offices will be closed on Monday due to the threat posed by Isaac. Stay tuned for an update regarding Tuesday. Check the county website for more information at http://www.sdhc.k12.fl.us/

Reminder

Please remember to check the "Announcements" page for details on homework assignments, test dates, and skills we are working on in class!

One Week Down!

The first week of school is OVER and it was a FANTASTIC start to the new school year. We went over procedures, got to know each other, and began working on the fifth grade curriculum. This Monday, we will begin switching classes for Math/Science/Reading/Writing, and students need to be ready and unpacked by 8:00am, when classes begin. In order to ensure that students have the maximum time learning in class, please help the students get to school on time. Below, are pictures of one of the activities we worked on during the first day of school. I posted questions to the students and asked them to answer the questions on sticky notes. By the end, I was able to learn TONS about how they learn best, their goals for the year and what they expect of the classroom environment. I am SO looking forward to this year and getting to know each of my students! Have a great weekend and I hope to see you all next week (even if Isaac and the RNC try to keep us away!).

Classroom Pics

I have been busy getting things ready for next week! I thought it would be nice to share some pictures of the classroom to get you all excited for the year! Hope to see you Monday! ENJOY!

Pre- planning 2012

Today was the first day back for teachers! We were greeted to a nice breakfast in the Media Center, where teacher were able to chat about their summer fun, catch up, and grab a bite to eat before starting our day. It was great to see both old and new faces and share our stories about our summer travels. After a faculty meeting, we took our staff pictures, had lunch, and spent the rest of the afternoon working in our rooms. Since I was itching to get back into my room last week, I did not have tons to accomplish today. I mainly just worked on organizing and what not to make it easier to find things around the room for both the students and I. I always enjoy preplanning because it provides the teachers the opportunity to get our rooms ready and plan, plan, plan some AWESOME activities for the year. After graduating with my Master's of Education in Curriculum and Instruction earlier this summer, I spent a lot of time researching new strategies and techniques to use in my classroom this year. I also worked hard and just found out that I passed the certification process for Special Education! Now, I really feel prepared to teach the course at UT this semester on the topic of Human Exceptionalities. With the new knowledge I have gained this summer, I look forward to another GREAT year at Gorrie! I cannot wait to kick this year off! I hope to see you all NEXT MONDAY at Meet The Teacher! I will try to take some pictures of the classroom as a "Sneak Peek" and post them later in the week!

Supply List 2012-2013

Gorrie Elementary

Supply List for 2012-2013

Fifth Grade

After further review of the supplies with the 5th grade team teachers, we've decided to make some changes with our 5th grade supply list in hopes to make the transition to middle school easier.

Below is the UPDATED 5th grade supply list:

• 1 two-inch three ring binder OR 2 inch zipper binder
• 1 pack of dividers
• 2 packs of wide ruled notebook paper
• 1 plastic pocket folder with prongs
• 1 pack of colored pencils
• 1 pack of pencils
• 1 pair of scissors
• 3 glue sticks
• 1 Mead Spiral Notebooks (150 pages)
• 1 pair of Science goggles

• *Optional but greatly appreciated: 
• Disinfecting Wipes (boys) hand sanitizer (girls)
• Box of Tissues (boys) Paper towels (girls)
• Gallon size Ziploc bags (boys) sandwich size ziplock bags (girls)

We will have a copy of this list at "Meet Your Teacher" day on Monday, August 20.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Please have these supplies ready to go for our first day of school! If you would like to bring some of your supplies in to Meet The Teacher Day on Monday, August 20th, feel free to do so! I look forward to seeing you all there!

Welcome Back 2012

Hello! Welcome to our class blog! This website it used as a tool to communicate our studies, achievements, homework assignments, important dates, etc. to students, family, and friends. I update this site on a regular basis by posting pictures of what the students are working on and what is going on in our classroom. I look forward to meeting you all at Meet The Teacher on Monday, August 20th, 2012 immediately following the Info Fair! I have been working hard to get our classroom ready for your arrival! Here are some sneak peek shots of the room thus far. Please collect all of your supplies and bring them to school on our first day. Feel free to look around on our class blog to see what we will be working on this year. See you at Meet The Teacher!

Universal Field Trip

A few reminders and announcements in regards to the field trip to Universal next week:

• Students should be at school by 7:15am out in front of school. 
• Students and chaperones will check in with Mrs. Wilson, as I will be meeting up with the bus in Orlando upon arrival to the park.
• Chaperones will receive a list of contact info for all other chaperones in our class and my cell number.
• Students should wear their BLUE 5th GRADE T-Shirt if they have one (if not, try to wear blue if possible).
• Students will be provided with a meal voucher for lunch and a drink, however, extra spending money for water and other beverages to stay hydrated is HIGHLY recommended.
• Please NO electronics or valuables should be brought on the trip and students MAY NOT leave bags on the bus while in the park.
• Hats are allowed, however, be sure your student takes it off while riding on the rollercoasters.
• Be sure to apply sunscreen prior to dropping your child off (it is going to be very hot and very sunny).
• Remind your child to STAY WITH THEIR CHAPERONE AT ALL TIMES!
• Students should not be wandering on their own or riding without being accompanied by an adult from Gorrie.

We should be arriving back at school around 5:00-5:30 Monday evening.  So, for those of you who are unable to chaperone, please make sure you or someone will be at Gorrie to pick up your child by then.

Thank you very much for all that you do!

We look forward to a WONDERFUL day at Universal!

Student led Conference Night

Below is the link for our Student-Led Conference Night. Please be sure to sign up for a time slot that works for you. If there are no slots that fit in your schedule, please shoot me an email and we can schedule a better time. The students are ALL excited to conference with you, so please be sure to sign up for a time slot. Thanks!


Student- Led Conference Sign Up

Gorrie Talent Show

The 2nd Annual Gorrie Talent Show is upon us. We will be auditioning in class and voting on the two best acts by May 18th. Please start talking to your students about what they would like to do. They can audition on their own or in PAIRS only. Some ideas for type of talent would be singing, dancing, acting, comedy, etc. Good luck! More info to come...

FCAT

Parents -

We will be testing the following days for FCAT:

Monday, April 16 - Reading - 70 minutes

Tuesday, April 17 - Reading - 70 minutes

Wednesday, April 18 - Math - 70 minutes

Thursday, April 19 - Math - 70 minutes

Monday, April 23 - Science - 80 minutes

Tuesday, April 24 - Science - 80 minutes

Thursday, April 26 - NRT Math and Reading - 120 minutes

****We will be starting by 830 am each morning.  

1.  Please ensure that your students are here no later than 800 am so that we can get them unpacked, focused and ready to begin testing.  If you have to sign them out, I would wait until after 10 am each testing day to sign them out to ensure we are done testing.  If you come during the testing time, the class will not be disturbed for them to be removed from the class.

2.  Please make sure they get plenty of rest each night.  We will have no HW for the next two weeks (other than to read nightly), so they shouldn't be up late working on school work.

3.  Please make sure they receive a healthy breakfast each morning to ensure they remain focused during the tests.

Thank you for your help!  Our kids are ready!  Have a relaxing weekend!

Science Resources- Human Body

Digestive System links

Circulatory System links

Excretory System links

Sensory Organs links

Muscular System links

Nervous System links

Respiratory System links

Skeletal System links

Enjoy!

Updated Test Dates

I have updated some of our test dates, so be sure to check the Announcements Tab for any changes to testing dates. Thanks!

The Human Body

In Science, we are moving into the Human Body. Here are some new links to websites with movies and activities to help learn more about our organ systems.

Kids Health

Health Games

Kids Biology

Science Kids

Kids Konnect

Bill Nye Human Body Videos

Weather Resources

Here are some more resources to prepare for the test on Tuesday 2/14:

Bill Nye: Storms pt.1

Bill Nye: Storms pt.2

Bill Nye: Storms pt.3

Scholastic.com/Weatherwatch

Edheads.com/Weather

The Weather Channel

Main Idea Resources

Here are some fun and interactive Main Idea Resources that you should share with your student! Enjoy!

StudyZone Practice

Reading Skills Rocket

Main Idea Practice

Main Idea Quiz

Main Idea Quiz #2

Reading Headlines

Water Cycle Links

Here are some great links to practice and review the steps in the water cycle! Our test is scheduled for Tuesday, February 14th!

Bill Nye Part 1

Bill Nye Part 2

Bill Nye Part 3

Water Cycle Interactive Game

Cloze Passage

Discovery Education: The Water Cycle

Water Droplet Game

Harcourt Science: The Water Cycle