Dear Families!

 

I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to help guide your children through this important phase of their lives.  Each one of your children brings a special gift to share with our community.  I am so grateful for landing at Westgate Community School. As I reflect on all that I am grateful for this season, I always think of those who do not find themselves in a warm embrace surrounded by friends and family with a delicious bounty of food to share.  I hope that each of you feels valued and loved this holiday season.  I can't wait to see your students back at school in a week to continue all the amazing learning we have been doing. There is so much gratitude to share.  If things are rough for you right now, please know that I care deeply and would love to help if you need it. Blessings to all.  

 

Happy Thank-ful Celebration,

Ms. Tanya Muftic

Math This Week: Multi-Digit Multiplication

In math this week, students will continue building their multiplication skills as they learn to multiply multi-digit numbers by two-digit numbers. This is a big milestone in upper-elementary math, and we’ll be breaking it down step-by-step to ensure everyone feels confident and successful.

🎯 Learning Target
Students will learn how to multiply larger numbers by using efficient strategies and organized methods.

✅ Success Criteria
By the end of the week, students will be able to:

• Multiply to find partial products

• Regroup accurately when needed

• Add partial products to find the final product

We will use visual models, place-value strategies, and plenty of hands-on practice to help students see how multi-digit multiplication works and why the steps make sense. It’s a challenging skill, but with practice, students begin to feel empowered and proud of what they can accomplish!

Last week, students designed and created their very own PEMDAS Potato Pals! 🥔 Some students presented their “pals” to the class on Friday, and we’ll continue with presentations on Tuesday. It was wonderful to watch the focus and creativity students brought to their work — each “pal” was a unique and imaginative expression of a very important math concept: the order of operations.

I can’t wait for you to see your child’s PEMDAS Pal! Be sure to snap plenty of photos — these clever creations won’t last forever (rotting potatoes can be quite stinky!).

This week, we’ll continue with Chapter 4 in Big Ideas Math, focusing on multiplication strategies and problem-solving. Students will build fluency while connecting conceptual understanding to real-world applications.

This week, we are diving deeper into multiplication and division with decimals and whole numbers. Students will strengthen previously learned skills and expand their understanding through manipulatives and visual models.

On Thursday, we’ll launch a special math project: PEMDAS Potato Pals! Students are designing their own “Order of Operations” Potato Heads—Math Mr./Mrs. Potato Heads who always get dressed in the correct order from head to toe. 🥔✨
Each student will need one large russet potato for the project. Get ready for PEMDAS POTATO PALOOZA 2025!

This week, since I am new to the class, I am doing some review of last quarter skills to make sure that each student is solid in their understanding of concepts previously learned.  The students asked for some additional help with adding and subtracting decimals. I am using visual models and manipulatives with hands-on problem solving to solidify their understanding of decimals.  We will continue to work with decimal fractions this week.

 

Should any questions or concerns arise, please do not hesitate to reach out. I am always happy to answer any questions. If I do not know the answer, I will find it out!

 

Have a lovely week!

Hey Everyone! This week in math we'll wrap up Chapter 3:

-Adding and subtracting decimals review

-Adding and subtracting decimals chapter test

 

We'll begin Chapter 4 multiplying whole numbers. See the attached family letter for more information on what this chapter covers!

 

If you have any questions, please feel free to email Mrs. Dewar!