Mrs. Brun's Class Website

large view 6 of my boys "Tebowing" after the Fun Run! I had to get a pic! :)

2/13/12

Happy Valentine's Day! Thanks for helping us pass on the tradition by helping your child create a box and Valentines for their classmates! Other than delivering Valentines and voting on the best boxes, Valentine's Day will be low-key.

Thanks again for all of your support with the Boosterthon Fun Run! If all of our class' pledges are paid, our class will receive over $50 to spend on things for our classroom! So please pay your pledges if you haven't already. Thanks for your support!

Interims will be posted on Parent Assistant on Tuesday, 2/14.

5th Grade Math Night at Winn Dixie is next Thursday, February 23rd! A yellow flyer went home with your students last week. Please indicate whether you plan to attend or not so that we have an accurate count. I am excited to attend my first one! It sounds like a great opportunity to teach and practice real-world math problems!

Have a lovely week!  :)

2/6/12

This Wednesday is 5th grade's WONDERFUL Wednesday! (ALL DAY Music, Art, and P.E.) It is also our FUN RUN day for BOOSTERTHON!! Tennis shoes are a MUST for this day! You are welcome to come watch our class burn rubber on the track (8:45 am)!! I'm excited to see how many laps they do! Thank you for all of your support helping the kids get pledges and donations. They have been pumped up!! I can't wait to see how much money we raise for the school and our classroom!

Please read Ms. Nichol's email about the Valentine Box Decoration Contest! This is my first year with this, but from what I hear, the 5th graders LOVE it! I can't wait to see the boxes!  :)  Here is the class list of names for Valentines:

Ben, Blake, Bobby, Cameron, Cody, Faith, Hannah, Ivy, Justin, Kayla, Kayley, Khadija, Kiersten, Lauren, Louis, Luke, Stephania, Tahlia, Taylor, Timmy.

Students are welcome to make Valentines for Ms. Nichol's homeroom as well! Just visit her site for the list.  :)

Don't forget! Proofs of Residency are due by February 24th! Please send yours in ASAP! Thanks!

Have a wonderful week!

1/30/12

Celebrate Literacy Week was awesome! I love to see kids with their noses buried in books ... we even sat out on the football field and read in the warm sun one day - it was glorious!  :) 

We received new science textbooks from NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC! They are very cool, and the kids can't wait to dive into them! They have some science homework on Tuesday this week, so take a look for yourselves! The textbook is available online (just like the old one). I will be giving the kids usernames and passwords as soon as it is all set up.

Math Topic 7 test will be Tuesday, with the usual review and study guide on Monday. This has been a foundational topic, and Topic 8 (which we start Wednesday) will get a little tougher with adding and subtracting fractions with UNLIKE denominators.

This Friday is Class Picture Day! More information will be coming home this week!

Please refer to Ms. Nichol's email about our Valentine Challenge Project this year!

Have a great week ... and HAPPY FEBRUARY!!  :)

1/23/12

Our homeroom got to be the live audience for the Wolf Pack Network News (the school morning news show). They really enjoyed it! --->

Report Cards will be coming home in Tuesday Folders this week! Please review them with your child, sign, and return them in the envelope ASAP. Thank you!

In order to prepare students for the math and science FCAT in April, 5th grade teachers have assigned the math and science FCAT Explorer programs. This is a fun way for the kids to practice FCAT-like questions online. Students have their usernames and passwords in their planners. They can login at home and at school. We have practiced for about 60 minutes in school so far, but this program will also need to be done outside of school time, in order to finish before the FCAT.

To help students budget their time, I have assigned 2 checkpoints, both worth a quiz grade in both math and science. These checkpoints are posted in the classroom as a reminder, and students will write them in their planners. FCAT Explorer, both math and science, must be 50% complete by February 24th, and 100% complete by April 13th.

To give you an idea of the time needed to complete the program, if a student works at an average rate, then 60 minutes is approximately 12% of the program. Remember, that is an approximation!

If you have any questions about this assignment, please don't hesitate to contact me!

This week is Celebrate Literacy Week! Even though I am not technically a reading teacher, I value reading and promote it a lot! After all, we read in EVERY subject! We will be participating in lots of special reading activities this week like guest readers, 1st grade reading buddies, an AR party for those student who met their AR goal. And FRIDAY is "Read My Shirt Day"!! Please help your child find a shirt that requires reading! How fun is that?!  :)

Have a wonderful week!  :)

1/9/12

Congratulations, Lauren E! She was voted by her peers as the LEADER of the PACK for our class! Way to go, Lauren!  :)

Our math test on adding and subtracting decimals will be Tuesday, January 10th. A study guide will come home for homework on Monday. I will email the answers to the study guide to you.

Topic 7 (which we will start on Tuesday) gives a foundation on factors and prime factorization (remember factor trees?) - then it covers adding and subtracting fractions with like denominators. This topic is a prime example of the importance of having a good foundation in multiplication and division facts.

This week's timed test will be 75 multiplication problems in 4 minutes. Next week's timed test will be on division facts only.

There will be a small science quiz on Wednesday on physical and chemical changes. We have already covered this, but we will be reviewing on Monday and Tuesday to prepare for the quiz.

Have a wonderful week!  :)

1/3/12

Happy 2012!! May this year be happy and prosporous for you and your family.  :)

Thank you to all who contributed to the holiday fun just before break! We had a great time!! (See new slide show for pics!) Thank you again, also, for the thoughtful holiday gifts. I have been thoroughly enjoying every one of them during break!!  :)

This week we are reviewing and continuing the topics with which we left off in December (Decimals and Physical Science). We will have a test on Properties of Matter this Thursday. We will be reviewing in class and their notes will come home on Wednesday for a study guide.

Second quarter ends in just a couple of weeks. We will have a math test and a science test before then. Remember, you can keep up-to-date with your child's progress on Parent Assistant.

As always, thank you for your continued support! Brun/Nichol families ROCK!!  :)

12/12/11

Happy Holidays!!

I just had to share this priceless picture of my 2 daughters!  ======>  Check out the little one!!! HAHAHAHA!

This week will be full of learning, assessing, and FUN!!!!!

On Monday and Tuesday, students will be taking the computer-based assessment ThinkLink for Math and Science. This will yield valuable information about how your child is progressing regarding the 5th grade standards. We should have the results by the time we return from break, so if you have questions about it, I would be happy to go over the results in January.

On Wednesday we will have our holiday book exchange! Your child drew another child's name for whom they should bring in a wrapped used book! Please select and send in the book as soon as possible!!

Thursday is our Nutcracker field trip! Please send in a throw-away lunch. If you are chaperoning, please be here by 8:30, as we hope to leave on the buses by 8:45.

Friday is our Winter Holiday Celebration! The students will rotate through 7 holiday centers! It will be FUN and in good CHEER!  :)  If you are interested in helping out, please email our room mom, Calli Preston-Johnson at CalliPrest@aol.com.

Have a wonderful week and a very HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON!!!  :)

12/5/11

Happy December!

We are still working hard in class. This week we will finish Topic 5 (Graphing Equations), have the test on Wednesday, and then begin Topic 6 (Decimals). Look for the study guide coming home on Tuesday (I will email the answers).

We made a "Density Burrito" in class! ========> The layers revealed the relative density of the liquids. From bottom to top: corn syrup, water, vegetable oil, and rubbing alcohol. The kids LOVED it!  :)

Our 5th grade holiday celebration will be on Friday, December 16th. More information will be coming home very soon ... but let me just say it is going to be so much fun!!!  ;)

Look for a green note coming home about our used book exchange! It should be a fun, inexpensive way to celebrate the holidays and get into the giving spirit!

We are still collecting Box Tops! My homeroom has a shoe box full, so I'm hoping we can WIN the contest! Please send in any you have and keep sending!  :)

11/28/11

Welcome back! :) I hope your Thanksgiving Break was restful and filled with the ones you love and good food!

I gotta say, I LOVE this picture to the right! =================>                     The Gators rose more money than the Seminoles for Relay For Life! So, as promised, Mr. Kelley (our principal and usually a Seminole) wore the sharp Orange and Blue on Tuesday. He was a good sport! (Better than I was during the game on Saturday.)   ;)  (In case you didn't know ... I proudly graduated from UF - Class of '03!!)

Interims for Second Quarter will be posted Monday (Nov 28) on Parent Assistant.

This Tuesday (Nov 29) is LPA night at Winter Wonderland in St. Augustine! Please come out and support our school and PTO! It will be a winter wonderful time! It starts at 6pm - see the flyer sent home or the PTO website (http://www-lpa.stjohns.k12.fl.us/pto/) for more details!

Have a fantastic week!  :)

11/21/11

<=== New slide show of the UNF Field Trip!

Our field trip was tons of fun!! I think the students had as much energy as the basketball team! Thanks Mr. and Mrs. Markham, Ms. Altherr, Mr. Mylet, and Mr. Preston for your help and "extra eyes." UNF fought hard, and went into overtime! Then they lost 64-61. The kids showed great sportsmanship and team spirit!

This week is a short one - only Monday and Tuesday. Unlike other holiday breaks, Tuesday will be a full school day with dismissal at 2:50.

Don't forget to have your child STUDY their multiplication facts over the break. The week we return we will have a 0-12 facts timed test - 75 problems in 4 minutes! We are making it more and more challenging. This is in order to keep them as fluent in their math facts as they will need to be to solve complex 5th grade problems this year. There is a GREAT site on my links page called "Online Math Timed Tests" that will help them study over the break. Multiplication.com is great too! Check it out if you haven't already!

I am incredibly thankful for all of the students that I teach. Every single one is hard-working and goal-driven! It is obvious that they come from loving, nurturing families. Thank you for all that you do before and after school hours! It means a lot to them and to me!  :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

11/14/11

Our Math Topic 4 test will be Tuesday, 11/15. We will review in class on Monday, and the study guide will also come home on Monday. I will email the study guide answers to you so you may check your child's work, and discuss any mistakes.

This is a fun and busy week for 5th grade! Wednesday is our "Wonderful Wednesday" which means students have a full day of Music, Art and P.E.! Be sure to send them in tennis shoes!

Thursday is our field trip to UNF. Please remember to send a bag lunch that can be thrown away (unless you ordered a school lunch on the field trip form).

This week begins a new science unit - Properties of Matter. We will be learning about elements, atoms, mass, etc. This unit lends itself to some fun hands-on activities and experiments - always fun and engaging!

Have a wonderful week!  :)

11/7/11

Happy Veterans' Day! Thank a Veteran if you can!

Our Earth and Space science test will be this Wednesday (11/9). We will be reviewing in class on Monday and Tuesday. A study guide will come home on Monday. I have assigned only light math homework so that students may spend more time studying for science.

The solar system projects turned out awesome! The kids learned a lot and even taught ME some things! I'm very proud of their hard work and dedication.  :)

Our classroom is in need of a few basic supplies. If you are able to help, please do with my sincere appreciation!!! Nothing fancy, just basics!  :)

Notebook paper

Scotch and masking tape

Pencils

Vis-a-Vis markers

(HOMEROOM -) Great job and CONGRATS on wearing 100% spirit wear last week! We will enjoy having the trophy in our room this week as well as a special treat on Thursday! NICELY DONE!!  :)

Have a wonderful week!

10/31/11

Happy Halloween!! Hope you have a fun night!

Report cards are coming home TODAY! (Monday Oct 31st) Please review it with your child and return the signed envelope as soon as possible! (Please don't seal the envelope, as we will be reusing them.)

We have been so productive  ;)  that many students need their supply of pencils replenished - please ask your child if they have run out of pencils.

5th grade t-shirts went home on Friday! These t-shirts are spirit wear and are meant to be worn on Fridays. Let's win that trophy and popcorn party!!!  :)

We are having a canned food drive this week! Please send in non-perishable food items to be donated to a local food bank. Mr. Kelley has challenged us to have the BEST canned food drive ever, since the economy has created a bigger need for these items. Thank you for your generosity!

Have a wonderful week!  :)

10/25/11

This is RED RIBBON WEEK! We are celebrating our pledge to be DRUG-FREE!

Tuesday is Crazy Sock Day

Wednesday is Hat Day

Thursday is Backward Day

Friday is Wear Red Day

This is also Book Fair week!! Our class' time slot isn't until Thursday, but if you send money with your child they can go before then! Teachers got a sneak peek on Friday and it is AWESOME!

Hubble 3D at IMAX was amazing! I'm sure you heard about it! It was informative and beautiful too!! Thank you Ms. Johnson and Mr. Yancey for chaperoning. The students loved it!

We are beginning some Solar System projects in class this week. Students chose how they wanted to make their projects. Some are making Power Points, some posters, etc. Students may do some voluntary research at home to bring to school, but the projects themselves must be done here at school.

Topic 4 in math is on exponents and order of operations (remember "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally?"). There are also equations (algebra) and variables in this unit.

Many students have run out of pencils. Please replenish them in your child's zipper pouch if they need it. Thank you!

<===== Check out another new slide show: "Learning is FUN-damental!"

Have a great week!  :)

10/10/11

Congratulations, Timmy P. for earning the LPA Citizen of the Month Award! Timmy was nominated for his outstanding citizenship, leadership, and willingness to go above and beyond expectations. Out of all 5th-8th grade students at Liberty Pines Academy, Timmy earned the title and honor. Way to go, Timmy!!

Our first field trip (to IMAX) is next MONDAY! (10/17/11) Please be sure to fill out and send in all of the field trip information and either the full amount or the first installment by TUESDAY, 10/11/11. Please email me or Ms. Nichol if you have any questions.

This will be our last full and official week with long division! I am so proud of how ALL students have worked so diligently. Let's keep them focused and on track this week and the reward (complete mastery of the skill) will be SWEET!!!  :)

We are really enjoying our Earth and Space unit! If you have any of the following items, they would be very useful in creating a to-scale model of the solar system in class. Thank you for helping if you can!!

10 push pins (with pin heads)

small bag of yogurt raisins

10 golf balls (to be returned)

small container of cinnamon-flavored cookie decorations

10 one-inch diameter bouncy balls

10 small apples or other 3-inch diameter fruit

Have a great week!  :)

10/3/11

3 ... 2 ... 1 ... LIFT OFF!!! We are launching our Earth and Space unit this week! We will be learning about many objects in the Universe, such as galaxies, stars, planets, moons, comets, and asteroids. This is a very fun unit that most kids really "get into!" We will also be taking a field trip in November to the IMAX to supplement this unit. More information will come home soon!

Oktoberfest was a great time, and our homeroom basket raised $40!! Thank you all very much for your donations. It was an adorable basket! I was also amazed at all of the other wonderful things PTO had up for auction. They really gave their all for LPA! Thank you, PTO!!!

Happy October!!  :)

9/26/11

Our water cycle and weather unit in science is coming to an end, with a test this Friday. The study guide will come home Thursday for homework. Please go over it with your child and discuss any misconceptions, using their textbook as a reference.

Believe it or not, both classes are really enjoying long division! They have been working so hard and they are seeing SUCCESS! I am so proud of them.[you should be too!] They are a very motivated group of kids! The test on long division will be this Thursday, study guide for homework on Wednesday.

This Saturday evening is the PTO Oktoberfest. I hope to see some of you there! Thank you again to all who donated items for our class basket. I can't wait to see how much it raises at the auction!

<==== Check out the slide show of some pictures I took last week: "Work Hard, Play Hard" Remember, you can "steal" a picture by clicking on "thumbnail" (instead of "slideshow"), then right clicking the image and selecting "Save Picture As..."

Have a wonderful week!  :)

9/19/11

We enjoyed seeing everyone who was able to attend our Curriculum Chat on Friday evening. If you couldn't make it, you should have received an email with the Power Point we used. As always, don't hesitate to email or call us with questions you have!

More DIVISION and WEATHER are in the lesson plans this week for math and science! Talk with your children about the weather we have each day. See if they can explain to you how the weather developed (high pressure, cold front, jet stream, etc.). A great real-life application of division is to have your child divide up MONEY to several people. For example, give them $3.45 and have them share it between themselves and 2 other family members. Guide them to divide the $3 by 3 first, then divide the change. You can do this with any amount - even the change under the couch cushions!!  ;)

HOMEROOM!!! We are still in GREAT need of items for our Oktoberfest Basket! The theme is Spooktacular Fall Basket! Please help by sending in anything Fall-themed (candles, decorations, spooky music, etc.) OR send in a gift card to Target, Walgreens, Micheals, or Hobby Lobby and I will be happy to put it to good use for the basket! Half of the money that the basket raises at the auction comes back to our classroom! I am counting on you all to help make the best basket at Oktoberfest!!  :)

Have a wonderful week! FALL begins on Friday!!

9/12/11

Mrs. Nichol and I are looking forward to seeing all of you on our Curriculum Chat night - Friday Sept. 16th at 6pm. We will be giving an overview of topics and skills covered and assessed in 5th grade, as well as our expectations for behavior and habits in 5th grade.

We have a science quiz and a math test this week. The science quiz is on the water cycle and will be on Tuesday. The math test is on division skills covered so far this year, and will be on Thursday. Light study guides will come home this week.

This Wednesday is WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY for 5th grade! This means that the kids get to participate in Art, Music, and P.E. activities all day!

Thank you for helping make the beginning of the school year so productive and enjoyable! I think you and your children are amazing in so many ways!  :)

Have a wonderful week!

9/5/11

Happy Labor Day!

As a rule, I will send an email out on Sunday evenings with the link to this page. This is to remind you to check this webpage for up-to-date information. Also updated weekly is the homework page (see link to the left). I frequently update the educational links, puzzles, calendar, and slide shows as well.

Last week our Tuesday Folders went home with some graded/checked student work and lots of school information. Tuesday Folder contents should be reviewed and removed by parents Tuesday nights. The empty folder should return to school Wednesday mornings.

*~PICTURE DAY~* is this Thursday, Sept. 8th! Don't forget to order before then! (Order forms went home in Tuesday Folders Aug 30th.)

In addition to the daily (Mon-Thurs) math homework your child has, he/she should also be practicing his/her multiplication and division facts!! These are the basic building blocks of other, more complex skills in 5th grade. They should be fluent with facts 0-12. Weekly timed tests will assess this fluency in isolation, but their fluency will also be assessed in context in their Topic Tests. If you do not have flash cards at home, please see my LINKS page for online timed tests!

My email is now active. It is MelanieHope.Brun@stjohns.k12.fl.us  There is a small chance this could change. If it does, I will be sure to send an email with the updated address.

I hope you all had a great, long weekend! Happy September!

8/28/11

What a wonderful first week of school! We have had a blast getting to know each other, getting organized, and getting started in 5th grade!

This week in Math and Science, we will be finishing up pre-tests (these help me better serve your child's specific needs in the classroom), and jumping right into the curriculum! In math, we will start with division. We will work on our fluency of division facts, and then start dividing larger numbers. In Science, the first topic we will learn about is the water cycle!

Please expect math homework every night and science homework 1 or 2 times per week. You can direct your child to my "Links" page on my (Mrs. Brun's) website http://teachersites.schoolworld.com/webpages/MBrun/links.cfm for extra practice in both subjects. I especially suggest keeping their basic skills sharp with the online math timed tests page! There are also cool things to do like vocab word searches and opinion polls!

Thank you for sending in supplies and donations so promptly! Our classroom is still in need of hand sanitizer, heavy duty magnets, and an electric pencil sharpener. Thanks for helping out if you can!  :)

I am looking forward to another amazing week with your children! I hope you have a great week too!

8/22/11

Welcome Parents and Students! I hope you are having a fun and safe summer! The first day of school is August 22, 2011. I am looking forward to this school year!

Thank you for visiting our website! We are going to use this site A LOT for news, links, homework, and more. Please "BOOKMARK" or "FAVORITE" this site now and come back often! I update it weekly, so if you would like to get an email with a link to weekly updates, please make sure you are on my parent distribution list.

We would love to have you come volunteer at Liberty Pines! There is always help needed in the classroom and for special events! Please go to the district website to sign up for volunteering! http://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/depts/cr/volunteer/ and let me know how you would like to help out! Whether it's in the classroom, on field trips, or taking tasks home to do - I appreciate every minute of your time!  :)

<------------- Check out the slide show of my summer!

Thanks for your support! I am looking forward to a wonderful year filled with learning and fun with your kids!!

Sincerely,

Melanie Brun

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