Field Trip

Betsy-Jeff Penn 4-H Educational Center Environmental Education Field Trip Dear Parents and Guardians, On May 22th, the 5th graders will be headed to Betsy-Jeff Penn 4-H Educational Center in Reidsville, North Carolina! The students will be participating in a tailored environmental education program at the camp to further explore several of our science and social studies goals. Due to the fact that this field trip is located north of Greensboro, the schedule for the day will be as follows: • Eat a good breakfast before arriving at Vance • Students arrive at Vance by parent transportation at 6:00 am • Buses leave Vance at 6:20 am • Buses return to Vance at 7:00 pm for parent pick-up We strongly encourage parents to communicate with each other in the transportation of their students to and from school that day. The students will be responsible for bringing their own sack lunch. Because the day is so long, we will be asking parents to donate snacks for the whole class to have on the buses for our students throughout the day. The trip is located about 100 miles from Raleigh, so we have chartered buses. Your student will be able to bring a small bag with them on the bus. In their bag they should bring: sunscreen, insect repellent, a bottle of water, a change of clothes and an extra pair of shoes. They should also pack things to keep busy on the bus (books, coloring, puzzles, etc…). NO electronic games or music devices will be allowed on the bus. All students should wear comfortable clothing. They will be outside most of the day, so students should dress appropriately. Students should also wear or pack a pair of “water shoes” for being in river, walking through marsh, etc. (Examples include: old sneakers, aqua shoes, river sandals such as Tevas, but NOT flip flops) Each classroom will be in need of volunteers to join us on the trip. If you are interested in being a class volunteer please sign and return the slip at the bottom of the page. Due to the high interest in the trip, the teachers will only be able to select a few parents on a first come, first serve basis. Volunteers will be responsible for their own transportation. We strongly recommend car pooling. The total cost of the trip per student will be $45. (Volunteers do NOT need to pay for this trip) ++ If you have any concerns about the payment of this trip, please contact your student’s teacher. Be sure to send the money along with the permission slip to school in an envelope labeled with your student’s name. The money and permission slip need to be returned to school by Tuesday, May 12th. Thank you, The 5th Grade Team

Online Ordering for Scholastic Books

Scholastic Book Clubs Ordering Information www.scholastic.com/bookclubs Class Activation Code: GV92C Dear Parents, Sometimes the right book is all it takes to nurture a child's love of reading. That's why I'm pleased that our class will be participating in Scholastic Book Clubs this school year. The Book Club flyers I'll be sending home each month are full of just-right, affordable books and Storia™ eBooks for every age and reading level. Thank you for helping grow your child's love of reading and for supporting our class. P.S. When you place your order online, you'll help earn FREE Books for our class and you also get a $5 FREE Book Pick Coupon to use on your next online order! Ordering online is fast and easy: • REGISTER at www.scholastic.com/bookclubs • ENTER the Class Activation Code at the top of this letter • CHOOSE from thousands of print titles, value packs, and Storia eBooks • SUBMIT the order to your child's teacher • EARN FREE Books for you and the classroom too!

Spring Festival Basket

Dear parents/Families: It is spring festival time again, and you know what that means…basket raffles! The baskets are a fun way to raffle off lots of goodies and raise money for our excellent PTA. This year, our class theme will be “SPORTS.” I’m including a list of items that we could use to fill our basket. If you’re able to donate, that would be great! I will be collecting donations from now until May 26th. This will allow time for us to package up the goodies before the spring festival, May 31, 2014 1-4. please join us for a fun filled evening. Mrs. Houghton’s basket: **The store, Five Below, carries inexpensive sporting equipment** Soccer Ball Football baseball Frisbee tennis water bottle racquetball Badminton basketball Kite jump rope hula-hoop Sunscreen sporting event tickets etc. Thank you so much for your help with this! Sincerely, Nicole houghton

Conference Time!

It's conference time! Please sign up for one of the dates and times below. If you can not make your scheduled time, please let me know as soon as possible. Also, please do your best to be on time to ensure your entire 20 minutes. I look forward to speaking with you! **If you would prefer an email or phone conference, please contact me at nhoughton@wcpss.net or (919)662-2472** Click link below to sign up for a conference... http://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040A4FA4AD2AAB9-first

Welcome to the 5th Grade!

My name is Mrs. Houghton (How-Ton). I am married to Mr. Houghton, a 6th grade teacher at Dillard Drive Middle School. We currently live in Garner with our 5 year old daughter, Juliet. This will be my twelfth year of teaching and I am excited and eager to begin this journey through 5th grade with all of you. This year, students will be facing many changes and new responsibilities. As fifth graders, they are responsible for many jobs around the school and will serve as role models for the younger students. The students will be taught and expected to exhibit certain life skills that will prepare them for middle school. Among these life skills are; responsibility, resourcefulness and organization. Working together, I am confident that we will prepare these students for the next chapter in their education. I believe that all students can learn, especially in the right climate. It is very important to me as an educator to create a classroom environment that is safe, positive, and structured. Communication is crucial to the success of our school year. I want all parents and students to feel comfortable coming to me with any questions, comments or concerns. I am looking forward to getting to know and work with you this year. Sincerely, Nicole Houghton, NBCT Email: nhoughton@wcpss.net Classroom Web Site: vance5th.blogspot.com ** Homework is posted daily

Remind101

In an effort to have the most effective communication possible, I have set up a way to send group text messages parents. I will also continue to send home letters and post announcements on our classroom website at Vance5th.blogspot.com, but I know that text messages are often times read more frequently than e-mails. The website I am using to do this is remind101.com. No phone numbers are ever exchanged and individual text messages cannot be sent nor can replies be sent to me. This will purely be a way for me to send quick reminders about upcoming important events. Using this service does not cost anything, but you will be charged standard text messaging rates through your mobile service provider. If you are interested in participating please text @hought to 919-745-8542 (remind101’s phone number, not mine) and you will be signed up to receive group reminder texts from me. Please email me at nhoughton@wcpss.net with any questions/concerns.

Field Day Postponed!

Due to potential weather conditions, our field day is postponed until next Friday, March 15th.