REMINDER: Bring water bottles, spoons/forks, and napkins to school.
What a beautiful day! I hope that you are able to get out and enjoy the sunshine before it rains tomorrow. I took my youngest children to the park while my oldest son ran with his XC team, I saw my wonderfully healthy friend and her dog run at the same park, and then I ran to Starbucks to get a soy chai. I’m not sure that counts as running, but it was delicious.
Thanks again for donating so much food last week. If you would like your child to do another job this weekend, please have him or her work for a can of food. If all twenty-six students do one chore each for one box or can of food, that will be twenty-six food items we can donate to Hope House! It feels good to give! This is a year-long service learning project that helps our brothers and sisters in the community. God bless you for your generosity.
Thank you to Mrs. Harbick for donating SEVEN books to the fifth grade literature circle collection! I feel so incredibly appreciative of the families who have donated such great items to the classroom. Thank you so much!
This week:
MAP testing: We took two tests this week, and we will take the final two next week. For those who did not finish the tests, we will have a make up day, so don’t worry!!! Please be sure that laptops are charged and brought to school daily.
Literacy: Students did a great job answering literal and inferential questions! When we discuss the book we find that there are some of us who can relate to the protagonist on various levels. No lie- some of us admittedly cried while reading Chapter 24. I did! When children place themselves in the character’s shoes, I can see that they really love literature.
Math (Blas): Students reviewed double digit multiplication with regrouping. Example: 396 x 85. We did some estimating. Example: 295 rounds to 300 and 53 rounds to 50. We also looked for patterns while multiplying by powers of ten. Example:
7 x 10° = 7 x 1 = 7.
7 x 10¹ = 7 x 10 = 70.
7 x 10² = 7 x 100 = 700.
7 x 10³ = 7 x 1,000 = 7,000.
Social Studies: We completed the “Encounter, Colonization, and Devastation” article and responses. We are learning how Sacred Spaces of indigenous peoples were taken by colonists.
No spelling due to MAP testing schedules and little/no homework. Grammar: Students reviewed subjects and predicates. Each sentence must have both a subject and a predicate. If a subject or predicate is missing, it is just a fragment, not a complete sentence. The subject is who/what the sentence is about and the predicate is what the subject does. Example: Mrs. Blas screamed when she saw the gigantic spider. Mrs. Blas is the subject and screamed is the predicate.
Religion: Students read Chapter 2: The Seven Sacraments. Students read about Fr. Miguel Pro and his dedication to practicing his faith when it was illegal for him to do so. Students are in groups researching the Seven Sacraments. They will have an opportunity to teach their classmates what their sacrament means and how it is performed once the projects are finished.
Writing: The students wrote their “Power in Weakness” papers, they peer edited, they rewrote, then I edited their papers. On Monday, they will rewrite their papers for a final draft and they will be graded. Phew! That writing process is long!
STEAM: Students made a universe in a box. Ask your child why certain constellations can only be seen during certain seasons of the year. So far, we have done a little bit of learning about the Moon and its phases, how it orbits around the Earth, how small the Earth is in comparison to the Sun, and why we see only certain constellations in the night sky during certain seasons of the year.
I know that it’s hard to encourage kids to study, but I really appreciate those who’ve encouraged their children to study those times tables! It really shows on their Mad Minutes and their classwork. In the long run, you are making math much easier for them!
Junior Orchestra: This week, orchestra students are learning play and rest positions on their instruments, the preliminary “bunny” bow hold, and about how to practice effectively at home.
Physical Education:
Some of the students are asking about the book reports and how they are to be done.
Monthly Book Reports (excluding food reports for pandemic year 2021-2022)
| Month | Theme | Samples |
| October
25 |
Scientists/
Mathematicians
|
Mae C. Jemison, Marie Curie |
| November
29 |
Saints/Religious | Pope Francis, Mother Teresa, Kateri Tekakwitha |
| January
31 |
Holocaust
Fiction |
|
| February
28
|
Civil Rights Leaders | Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,
Angela Davis, Dolores Huerta |
| March
28 |
Women | Malala Yousafzai,
Rosa Parks, Ellen Ochoa, Amelia Earhart |
| April
25 |
Artists or Athletes
|
Georgia O’Keeffe, Salvador Dali, Misty Copeland, Maya Lin, Jim Thorpe, Michelle Wie,
Naomi Osaka, Michael Jordan |
| May
30 |
Students’ Choice | Due Dates: Last Monday of the month
Use each book report option only once. Here are some options: PowerPoint (at least 5 slides with at least one paragraph per slide, include images, include bibliography) Remember: 1 paragraph = 5 sentences. Rainbow Report (include at least 8 sections with one paragraph per section, image of subject is centered on paper, include a bibliography) Oral Report (3 minutes, show the book, include bibliography) Diorama (include a paragraph of a scene from the book and a bibliography) Timeline (include at least 15 facts on the timeline with at least 7 images, include bibliography, and how this person has inspired you) Stop-motion movie (3 minutes, include bibliography, use a scene from the book or a summary of the book) Cartoon/Comic Strip (no stick figures, include at least 7 frames with at least 2 facts per frame, include bibliography and title of book) Traditional Book Report (must be typed, 5 paragraphs, double-spaced, font size 14, include bibliography) Other Options: Please see teacher |
Upcoming:
October 5th– Feast of St. Francis, Blessing of the Animals starting at 8:15 am
October 15th– NO SCHOOL, Staff Retreat
October 19th to 22nd– Holy Hoops 4-on-4 Tournament for Grades 5-8 this week
October 20th– Early Release @ 11:45 am
October 26th– Picture retakes
