Thank you to all my students and their families for making me feel so appreciated.  The notes, cards, gift cards, and flowers really warmed my heart.  I am so blessed to be teaching you all here at OLPH school.  Thank you also to Student Council for organizing this day, and especially for lunch.

Important Reminder!

Walkathon forms were sent out before Christmas.  Each student must bring back the permission slip and contract form by Thursday January 30 in order to participate in Friday’s walkathon.  Your child needs to turn in one or both of these forms.

If you lost a form please see the office.

Also, remember to get pledges.  Fifth grade students are required to submit $100 worth of pledge money.  The pledge sheet should be turned in this week.  The money is due February 25.

The theme for the Walkathon is "Back to the '80s".  This refers to the 1980s- but even so the students must still adhere to dress code- no short shorts, no miniskirts, no makeup or hair color.  See the posters in the hallways for ideas.  Have fun with this!

Science Fair

Presentations continue- make sure your child knows his/her date.  Also, see previous blog posts, the pages in the sidebar of the blog, the Gradelink attachments, and the sample project outside the office for help.  I also have a short question and answer time at the end of each science class period.

Science Fair is next Wednesday, with the open house the following Thursday afternoon.

Egg Drop

Congratulations to the one group whose egg survived the Egg Drop!!  "The Eggtastic Mission" project by Audriannah, Maria, Richard, and Yazmin.  Congratulations!!

Science Fair Crisis Management :) 

I have placed a sample science fair project near the office.  It is not perfect, but it shows a decent project and also shows how I would grade it.  Please take a look- it is informative.

Here is a quick lesson on how to write an analysis paragraph and conclusion paragraph for the science fair project.  Basically, the analysis paragraph restates the data in sentence form, then the conclusion paragraph tells whether the hypothesis was right or wrong (and why).

Below are the analysis and conclusion paragraphs from the project by the office.  I have made comments (the "cb" numbers) which are below the paragraphs.

Analysis

The first test liquid, 100 ml water with 2.9 g of salt, had the freezing point of 1 degree Celsius.  The second test liquid, 100 ml water with 5.8 g of salt, had the freezing point of -1.7 degrees Celsius.  The third test liquid, 100 ml water with 11.7 g of salt, had the freezing point of -4.7 degrees Celsius.  The fourth test liquid, 100 ml water with 17.1 g of sugar, had the freezing point of -2 degrees Celsius.  The fifth test liquid, 100 ml water with 34.2 g sugar, had the freezing point of 0.7 degrees Celsius.  The sixth test liquid, 100 ml water with 68.5 g of sugar, had the freezing point of -9 degrees Celsius.  The seventh and final liquid, 100 ml plain water, had the freezing point of 0 degrees Celsius.[cb1] 

Conclusion

            My hypothesis was wrong.  The 68.5 g sugar in 100 ml water changed the freezing point of the water the most.[cb2]   In this experiment I added different amounts of salt and sugar.  The salt and sugar contaminates the water, preventing it to become a crystal structure.  It is this crystal structure that creates ice.  Because the freezing process if more difficult, the freezing point lowers, the more contaminates the solution the more the freezing point has to lower. [cb3]  The data was inconsistent because I was using kitchen equipment and used different thermometers to measure the temperature.  A way to enhance this experiment would be to calculate the molarities of each solution and compare the freezing points to molarities.[cb4]   In the future, I would like to use the same solutions and determine if the concentration of the solute affects the boiling point.[cb5] 

---

 [cb1]The analysis states what is shown in the data.  Pretend like you must explain the data to someone who can’t see it.

 [cb2]The conclusion should make clear if your hypothesis was right or wrong.  It should also relate the results found in the data and analysis to the hypothesis.

 [cb3]Then explain the science behind your results.

 [cb4]Did anything go wrong, or do you realize you could have done something better?  Say so next.

 [cb5]State a future question to end your conclusion paragraph.

Quick Notes:

Progress reports went home today.  Also, grade printouts for sign and return went out for science classes (6th, 7th, and 8th), as well as for Spelling, English, and Religion.  Please check with your child to review these printouts.  Science 5 has not had a test since the last sign/return before Christmas.

I also sent home the rubric for the science fair project.  This gives the expectations for the project, with specifics on how to get a good grade.  Please review this.

By the way, please use glue or some other adhesive to put the board together.  I have been cut by staples on science fair boards in the past, please do not use staples.

Monday there is no school due to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday.

Thank you!

Mrs. Becerra

Upcoming important dates:

Friday, January 10: Minimum day (faculty meeting)
Friday, January 17: Second Trimester progress report sent home
Monday, January 20: No school- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
Sunday, January 26: Catholic Schools Week begins. Please attend Mass at OLPH this day!
Monday, January 27: Science Fair presentations begin
Friday, January 31: Annual OLPH Walkathon
Wednesday, February 5: OLPH Science Fair (judging day)
Thursday, February 6: OLPH Science Fair Open House

Science Fair

Attention: if you are in any science field (medicine, engineering, teaching etc) you can judge for science fair!  Let me know if you would like to earn service hours on Wednesday, February 5 between 3:00pm and 6:00pm.  It's fun (really, it is) and dinner is provided.

Science Fair presentations begin Monday January 27.  Please check with your child for his/her assigned date.  If you need to check, the dates for all students (grades 5-8) are posted both inside my classroom and on the window next to the main door.

On the presentation day, each student needs to bring in a science fair board and a science fair report.  Both the board and the report contain the exact same items- the board is to present to the class and show for the judges, and the report is to go in their file.  I don't have space to store everyone's boards, this is why I require the report.

The board and report should contain the following items:

• background research
• question/problem
• hypothesis
• manipulated and responding variables
• materials list
• procedure
• data both in a table and a graph
• analysis
• conclusion- this may include a future research idea
• acknowledgements

The first six items were done in the first trimester.  Please remind your child that if I made changes or suggestions to their question, hypothesis, variables, materials list, or procedure that they should make those changes.

There are no more "due dates" other than the presentation date.  See the page on the blog titled "Science Fair Rubric" for details on how the project is graded.

Religion

OLPH School is working with the "Get On the Bus" program to minister to those in prison.  We are collecting various items to give to this program, which in turn puts together packs for children who are visiting parents in prison.  The fifth grade class needs to provide two boxes of Crayolas (8 or 16 count is fine) per child for this purpose.  We were collecting these before Christmas, but the boxes of Crayolas are due Friday, January 10.  I am counting this as an assignment grade in Religion (about 1% of the grade).

Fifth grade is organizing Mass for Thursday, January 23.  Remember families are always welcome to attend Mass with us.

Please also join OLPH parish at Mass on Sunday, January 26.  Students are encouraged to wear their Mass uniforms and be acknowledged with their families as we begin Catholic Schools Week.

Also remember to get pledges for Walkathon.  Each fifth grade student needs to bring in $100 minimum.  If your child brings in $200, he/she earns a trip to Knotts Berry Farm!!

Last reminders (for now): your child should be reading 20 minutes a day for homework and working toward the AR goals set for second trimester.  I will send another progress report on AR at the end of January.