Welcome to the 2013-2014 School Year!

A very warm welcome to the 2013-14 school year!  I hope you are excited about another school year...your child's fifth grade experience.

This will mark my 36th year of teaching in the Lincoln Public Schools.  I taught sixth grade for 11 years at Zeman Elementary School.  I then moved to Meadow Lane where I will now begin my 25th year.  At Meadow Lane, I have taught 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades, and K-5 Science. 

We have many exciting things to learn this year in fifth grade.  We also have many exciting adventures ahead of us.  The students will have an early field trip to watch the Lincoln Saltdogs.  We will have trips to Morrill Hall and Sheldon Art Gallery.  We explore the world around us at the Earth Wellness Festival.  We also plan on attending Nebraska Game and Park's Outdoor Adventure at Platte River State Park and the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo.

Before we head on those final trips, we will need to work very hard learning many new math concepts and four new science units (geology, chemistry, water/wetlands, scientific investigations).  This year we will also be introducing a brand new reading series filled with exciting stories for us to enjoy.  It will certainly be a busy time in the classroom.

I look forward to working with each of you during this school year.  Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions, suggestions, or comments.  You can contact me by phone (402-436-1151) or by email (cmann@lps.org).  You are also welcome to stop by and visit in the classroom.

Again, welcome to 2013-14 school year!

Wrapping up the 2012-2013 School Year!

With the conclusion of the 2012-13 school year, it's time to wrap up a few items before signing off.  It has been a tremendous school year but I'm sure that everyone was excited for its conclusion....and yes, even me.  Those last couple of weeks were quite a challenge but we all survived and I believe that the students are ready to head onto middle school!

Here are some views of our final weeks of school....

Chorus, band, and strings concerts....  Well done, musicians!

Our trip to Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo

 Field Day at Meadow Lane!  5th graders did a great job leading games!

 

And the last day of school...fun in the park!

 

A final VICTORY walk down the hallway for our graduating 5th grade students.  Best wishes in Middle School!

 

 

Some final notes...

I will be removing email addresses for 5th grade parents soon.  So this will be the last Blog entry you'll be receiving.  I hope you enjoyed the posts from the past school year.  It was my first time of doing a blog so it was a learning opportunity for me too.

Thank you, parents!  I certainly have enjoyed working with your child this school year.  They were a great group of kids and I wish them the very best.  Please keep me informed on how they are doing.  I especially look forward to hearing about their high school and college graduations!

And finally...I am now back in Estes Park, Colorado.  Today, I saw something inside the Rocky Mountain National Park that I had never seen before in the wild.  A Great Horned Owl...a young one just out of the nest and a parent bringing tonight's catch for dinner.  The kids can tell you how I love to collect owls.  These photos will soon be framed and ready for viewing.

Have a GREAT summer!

Testing! Testing! Testing!

We've made our way through our state tests!  First, our NeSA-Math tests.  Then came the NeSA-Reading tests and finally it was Science's turn.  I can't share the specific details regarding results but I can share one thing...I was very proud of each and every student in how they approached the tests. 

At no time, did I have any problem with students just rushing through a test.  Nor were there any difficulties during the testing process.  The students focused on their task and when they were finished, they were so considerate of the others that were still working.  They sat quietly in their chairs and waited.  No silliness...no bothering of others...no need for me to redirect.  They knew that they needed to sit quietly and allow others to do their very best. 

You are probably wanting to know how they did on their tests.  As I stated before, I am unable to share those details.  Test results will not be released until the next school year.  So everyone will have to be patient.  Just know that the students did their very best and I'm proud of them.


A favor...please keep the routines rolling at home over these final weeks of the school year.  Check those planners each day.  Keep them reading and summarizing.  Keep on top of the homework and please remind them that school isn't over yet.  We still have lots of learning coming their way.

Thanks!

Science Fairs are Hair Raising Events!

Yes, it has been a busy month for our young scientists at Meadow Lane.  In early March, we packed our school's lunchroom, hallway, and even had projects in the gym.  Then just last week, thirteen of our students joined another 500+ students at the Lancaster Event Center.  They were there participating in the 18th Annual Zoetis-LPS-Novartis Science Fair. 

One thing that is great about a science fair is that you really never know what the students will come up with for a project.  I've been working with science fairs for 29 years and I've never been disappointed in the topics that students choose for their projects.  Creativity at its finest!

I congratulate each and every one of our scientists who chose to participate this year.  I hope they will continue to participate during their middle school years.  Our district science fair is open to 6th through 8th grade students and I'd love to see them again next year at the Event Center.

     Go Mustang Scientists!!!

Were you my teacher?

howOn Friday of this past week, I opened an email that I had just received.  I really didn't think much about the author of the email.  I had been receiving many emails inquiring about the upcoming district science fair so I assumed this was just another inquiry.  How wrong I was.

The opening line was..."Were you a teacher at Meadow Lane some time in your career?"  I quickly replied that I was and still am teaching at Meadow Lane.  This began an email conversation with a former student of mine that thoroughly 'MADE MY DAY'!

I found out that Matt is now a 5th grade teacher in Wichita, Kansas at Linwood Elementary School.  He's married and has two children.  He had been reminiscing with his wife about his 3rd grade year at Meadow Lane and that his family had moved to Scottsbluff before the end of the school year.  He noted how special it was that I had had the students send him a letter at the end of the year to fill him in on what we had been doing.  He also noted that I had played a part in his career choice to become a teacher.

Well, needless to say, I was greatly honored by his message.  Over the past 35 years, I've had the opportunity to work with many students.  I'm sure some were thrilled when the school year was over and that they didn't have to endure Mr. Mann's classroom anymore.  Then others, throughout the years, have either stayed connected or have tried to reconnect such as Matt did this past week.

I share this with you along with a request that you might also connect with a former teacher.  Let me tell you, it is a special treat for teachers to hear from their former students and learn what they have accomplished.  Maybe a note in the mail...a tweet...a call....or maybe if you see them standing in a line at the store, just say HI!   It will really 'MAKE THEIR DAY'!

It's a New Year---2013!

        A new calendar year =  new opportunities.


There are several new opportunities for the students as we move into the second semester of our school year.  Please read on...


Spelling Bee

Our Meadow Lane Spelling Bee is next week on Wednesday, January 23rd.  There will be 40 of our fifth graders competing beginning at 2:00 pm in our school's auditorium.  We follow the same rules as the National Spelling Bee and we'll find out what the winning word will be this year.  Assisting with the Spelling Bee will be Ardis Moody, former Meadow Lane Media Specialist, who will be pronouncing the words for our students.  Serving as judges will be former Meadow Lane Assistant Principal, Mary May, and retired LPS teacher/coordinator from Zeman Elementary School, Susan Streich.  We appreciate their willingness to assist with the Spelling Bee.

Participants from our class will include:  Collin, Sophia, Tina, Thomas, Amal, Colby, Kamryn, Brina, Bradi, Olivia, Zach, Chase, Xavier, and Joe.

Please join us at the Spelling Bee and cheer for our outstanding spellers!


Saturday Science 

Where will we find six of our Meadow Lane scientists in February?  They will be on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus participating in Saturday Science.  For four Saturdays in February, Joe, Sophia, Thomas, Zach, Kamryn, and Jessica will have the opportunity to do hands-on science activities with UN-L professors and graduate students.  I look forward to hearing what they have discovered each week.    Science Rocks!

Nature Club

Each Wednesday beginning January 30th, twenty-four 4th and 5th grade students will be participating in Meadow Lane's Nature Club.  The club is sponsored by the Lower Platte South-Natural Resources District.  Mr. Adam Sutton will lead the group which will meet in my classroom from 3:40-4:30 pm.  It should be an exciting time for all.


Science Fair

It's time to start planning for the Meadow Lane Science Fair on March 5, 2013.  I hope that each of the students will prepare a project.  They may work individually or with a partner.  I also am encouraging students to conduct an experiment for their science fair project.  One of our science units this year was to learn how to conduct an experiment and this would be another opportunity to practice the Scientific Method.  And personally, they are more fun than doing a demonstration.

Students are also encouraged to participate in the Pfizer-LPS-Novartis Science Fair on Thursday, March 21st.  This fair is held at the Lancaster Event Center and will feature projects from over 500 students representing each of the elementary and middle schools in Lincoln.  It also features many hands-on activities for students to explore.

If you have any questions regarding the science fair, please contact me.  Again....I'd like to see every student participate.

Saturday Science

Wednesday, students brought home an informational sheet regarding a very special program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  It is called 'Saturday Science' and I would recommend this program to everyone.  Students spend two hours (either 9:30-11:30 or 1:00-3:00) in a science lab at UNL working with professors and UNL graduate students doing hands-on science activities.  Some of the topics may include:  electricity and magnetism;  light, colors, and holograms;  sound; things that spin and many other possibilities. 

The program is held on the four Saturdays in the month of February.  Students must commit to participating at all four sessions.   Registration is on a first come-first serve basis so they need to get registered right away.  There are only 45 students who can participate in each of the sessions.

The fee for participating is $40.00.  This will pay for all of the supplies that they will use during their four sessions.  If there is a concern regarding the fee, please let me know as there are some scholarship dollars available.  Again, they must agree to attend all of the sessions.

If you have any questions, please contact me.  I hope your son or daughter will apply to attend this very special program that is just for 5th grade students in the Lincoln Public Schools.