Newsletter 3/11/12

ITBS testing is finished! The kids really worked hard and showed their personal best. I am excited to get the test back and look at the results. It is great to get another look at their abilities. As discussed in conferences, the STAR test is just a small picture and the ITBS will give us a better idea of their reading abilities.

I hope the kids will be ready for their last quarter as elementary students! Keep encouraging your child to preserve throughout the last quarter and finish the year strong. This amazing weather that we have been having will really have the students dreaming about summer!

We have an art study trip on Thursday. We are sooooo excited!!!!

The Week Ahead:

Religion: We will start chapter 12, Baptism and Confirmation.

English: We will be starting our 5-paragraph essays over recycling in class this week. The plan is to be finished teaching the process of the essay by Friday. The kids should be taking what we do in class, and be doing it at home with the non-fiction book they chose for their book report.

Math: We will be completing a math lesson in chapter 8 each day of the week. We will complete lessons 8.7, 8.8, 8.9, and 8.12 .

Social Studies: We will continue to learn about the events that led up to the American Revolution. We will be completing activities for the cumulative project and also be reading from the text book.  

Reading: The kids will complete a Scholastic News issue.

AR points for the fourth quarter start on Monday. The kids need to have 20 points by the end of the fourth quarter.

Science: The kids have learned about each simple machine. I bet they have been singing the simple machines song to you! This week, we will start building the machines and playing smart board games.

Table Take Questions

1.      Ask your child what they are learning from their research for their 5-paragraph essay over recycling.

2.      We will be reading an issue of Scholastic News on Monday. Ask your child to summarize the articles that we read and ask their opinion on the news stories.

3.      Ask your child about building simple machines. What did we build? Were they able to use effective group work strategies to build the simple machines?

4.      We will be learning about the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party. Ask your child to explain these events to you.

Have a sunny spring week!

-Julie Alley

Socks came to visit for Annie's birthday!!!

Socks has a question! :)

Socks made MANY friends on his visti to St. James

Annie's cookie cake made their tongues CRAZY colors!!!

Newsletter 3-4-12

Newsletter 3/4/12

It was a great week! The kids have been showing their personal best when taking the ITBS. We have taken five tests this week! Nine more tests to go next week. The healthy snacks have been great. The kids really look forward to them!
We've got a busy week next week! The last day of the third quarter is Friday the 9^th.  We are ITBS testing on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. We have a half day on Thursday and Friday because of parent-teacher conferences. If you have not signed up, please do so soon.

The Week Ahead:

English:

We will be working on our final copies of the survival stories. I am planning to have their stories displayed in the hall for parent teacher conferences.

Social Studies:

We have been working on chapter 8 this week. We are discussing the events that led up to the American Revolution. We will continue with these lessons next week as well. The kids will be working on an American Revolution project for this unit instead of a traditional test.

Science:

We started talking about work, friction, and simple machines. This week, we will start exploring the different types of simple machines.

Reading:

We will be completing a Scholastic News activity.

The kids have until Friday to complete their 20 AR points.

I handed out and explained the March book report. The kids have the rubric in their binder (on blue paper.) For this book report, the kids will be reading a non-fiction book. Please help them find one that catches their interest. They will then be completing a five paragraph essay over their book. I will be teaching the five-paragraph essay in class this week. They will be able to take what they have learned from me in class, and apply it to their book report that they are completing at home.

FYI:

There is after care on Thursday and Friday on the half days. The café can offer lunch to those kids who are staying. Please contact the school if you want your child to have a lunch at after care.

If you have not already, please send in your registration packet for next school year in to the office as soon as possible.

Table Talk:

1.      Talk to your child about their ITBS testing. Which test was the most difficult? Which test was the easiest?

2.      Ask your child about the project that we are working on in social studies. What have they added to their American Revolution book?

Have a great week!

-Julie Alley

Take a look at the kids' AWESOME diorama book reports:

Newsletter 2-27-12

What a beautiful weekend!!!

We have a big couple of weeks coming up. ITBS testing will be starting at the end of this week and carry over to next week. I will send out a schedule of the testing dates and times this week. Please remember the importance of your child getting a lot of sleep and a hearty breakfast when testing. I love the ITBS testing because the kids get a chance to show us how smart they are! We have been working so hard this year and now the hard work will pay off!

The Week Ahead:

Religion: We will continue to work on chapter 11. The test will be on Wednesday. In addition to the test, the kids will have to list the seven sacraments.

English: We will finally start to work on the 5^th Grader vs. Wild stories. I hope to finish these stories up this week so that we can start our next task, five-paragraph essays.

Math:

We will complete math lessons 8.4-8.8 this week. The kids will learn how to multiply and divide fractions.

Social Studies:

We will start chapter 8 in social studies on Monday. We will be talking about the events that led up to the American Revolution.

Science:

We will begin a new unit about work, energy, force, and simple machines.

Vocabulary: Unit 12 Vocabulary Test is on Friday.

Reading: February book reports due on Wednesday. The March book report will be handed out this week. They will be writing a five paragraph essay over a non-fiction book. Please make sure that their non-fiction book is on their reading level. We will be practicing writing 5 paragraph essays in class in March, so they will know how to write their book report at home.

FYI:

The kids have a health screening on Monday afternoon.

Table Talk:

1.      Talk to your child about their ITBS test. Do they feel confident about their test? What is difficult for them?

2.     We will start social studies by discussing the French and Indian war. Have the kids tell you how this war started and the outcome of the war (who won and what did they get for winning?)

Have a great week!

-Julie Alley

Newsletter 2-13-12

Happy Snow Day!!! I hope that your kids are enjoying the snow. I know that they were DYING to play in the snow. Also, Happy Valentine's Day! Tomorrow is our Valentine's Day party at 1:15. Don't forget to send in a box or bag to collect the valentines.

The Week Ahead:

Religion:

We will be finishing up chapter 10 and the test will be on Friday. Have your child take the online practice test and study their notes.

English:

We will be starting a new story that integrates with our classroom novel, The Sign of the Beaver. The kids are writing, 5^th Grade vs. Wild; a survival story that takes place in the wilderness.

Reading:

We will continue to read our novel and complete activities in their Reading Logs.

The kids will need to be completing their book report at home. It is due on February 29^th.

The kids need 20 AR points by the end of the third quarter.

Math:

We have finished up chapter 7. On Tuesday and Wednesday, we will be doing extra practice on adding and subtracting negative numbers. The kids will also be completing a study guide. The math test is on Thursday.

Social Studies:

We will complete chapter 7 in social studies.  We will complete the last lesson (7.3) and complete review activities. The test will be the following week.

Science:

We are going to start our new science unit, Work and Simple Machines. We will be working out of our science text and doing experiments to learn about energy, force, friction, and work. Then we will start learning about simple machines. This is so fun because they get to build different simple machines in class

Vocabulary:

Because I was gone on Friday and we have a snow day today, the unit 11 vocabulary test will be on Tuesday. We will begin unit 12 in our vocabulary workbooks.

Spanish:

I believe the kids are having a test on Thursday. The kids have the vocabulary in the binders so that they can study.

Table Talk Questions:

1.     Last week, we read a Scholastic News issue over the upcoming election. The kids had A LOT of questions! Talk with your child about what is happening with the election and your views/opinions.

2.   In religion this week, we discuss Heaven, Hell and Purgatory. The kids are always so curious. Ask them what extra questions that they have that didn’t get answered in class.

Have a fantastic week!

-Ms. Alley  

Newsletter 2-5-12

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!!! I hope you enjoyed the game.

We had a FANTASTIC Catholic School’s Week!

Our Spelling Bee Winners Are:

1.      Luke

2.    AJ

3.    Kevin

Great job, boys!!!!

The Week Ahead:

Religion:  We will begin unit 10

English:  We have been completing English lessons over grammar and mechanics. We will continue to work through that unit. We will also be starting a new story that integrates with our classroom novel, The Sign of the Beaver. The kids are writing, 5th Grade vs. Wild; a survival story that takes place in the wilderness.

Math:  We will continue to work on chapter 7. This week, we will be focusing on the addition and subtraction of negative numbers. We will be completing our SMJ and also be doing a lot of extra practice. This is always a tricky area for my fifth graders. We will finish up chapter 7 this week, but we won’t be testing on this chapter until the following week.

Vocabulary: The kids will be tested over unit 11 on Friday.

Reading:  I assigned the February book report on Tuesday. The kids have the rubric in their binder. This month, the kids will be completing a story board over a realistic fiction book. They must use the correct paper from my classroom.  They know where the paper is at and was told that they can bring it home whenever they are ready to start their book report.

We will keep reading Sign of the Beaver and completing activities in their Reading Logs.  

The kids will need 20 AR points for the third quarter. Help me keep them on track.

Social Studies: We finished chapter 6 last week. We will start chapter 7, The Southern Colonies. The kids will be taking Cloze notes and will be answering the comprehension questions and the H&P worksheets.

Science: We are going to start our new science unit, Work and Simple Machines. We will be working out of our science text and doing experiments to learn about energy, force, friction, and work. We will work on this for three weeks and then we will test. After that, we start learning about simple machines. This is so fun because they get to build different simple machines in class

Table Talk Questions:

1.      Make up some math questions for your child so that they can work on adding and subtracting negative numbers. You can make up questions dealing with money and temperature. For example, “It was 13 degrees outside this afternoon, at night, the temperature dropped 20 degrees. What was the temperature at night?”

2. Have a spelling bee at home!

3.    Talk with your child about their survival story to help them brainstorm some ideas!

Have a great week!

-Ms. Alley

 We did an AWESOME experiment last week. I'm sure your child told you all about the egg! We put an egg in vinegar. The outer hard shell dissolved, and the inner soft shell was all that was left. The kids were able to observe the inner protection of the egg. The kids then asked me to pop it.... We didn't know what to expect, but it was REALLY COOL! Here are some pictures of the egg.

Angelina is holdign up the inner membrane of the egg.

Close up of the egg in the vinegar and the inner membrane.

Here is a video of Tony and AJ being SILLY and "swallowing" a yard stick. They begged me to put this on the blog. :)

Newsletter 1-29-12

A HUGE thank you to Shelley DeMayo and MaryAnn Surber to throwing me a FANTASTIC half birthday party!!!! And thank you all for the amazing class gift! I got a new purple teacher bag, a very nice copy of A Christmas Carol (signed by all the kiddos), a variety of yummmmmy Bath and Body Works products, a teacher calendar, and a gift card to Zona Rosa. It was such a nice day and I appreciate it very much. Thank you all, very much!

This upcoming week is Catholic Schools Week so we have a lot of activities planned.

Monday: If your child went to Mass on Saturday and wore their St. James uniform, they get to be out of uniform! The kids will have Family Groups at 2 pm.

Tuesday: Student Appreciation Day! The kids can all be OOU!!! The kids will get a special treat at lunch. There will be a raffle, no homework, and the spelling bee. I am also trying to find time to show a special movie for the kids (they can bring a pillow and blanket.)

Friday: 8^th Grade vs. Staff game is on Friday from 1:40-2:40. Since I will be dominating on the court, I will need a volunteer to sit with my class. Please email Kathleen Ervie if you want to volunteer to sit with my class. Thanks!!!

The Week Ahead:

Religion: We will finish up chapter nine. The religion test will be on Wednesday. Kids who take the online practice test always are more prepared!

                                                                                        

Math: We will continue to complete chapter 7. This week, we will be focusing on the order of operations and adding and subtracting positive/negative numbers.

Vocabulary: We wills start Unit 11 in our vocabulary books. It will be checked on Friday.

Reading: Book reports are due on Tuesday.

The kids will get the rubric and instructions for the February book report on Wednesday. The kids will need to read a realistic fiction book (not real, but could really happen.)

We will keep reading Sign of the Beaver. It is such a good book! The kids are really getting into the story.

The kids need 20 AR points this quarter. Help me to help them stay on track!

Social Studies: We will do the last lesson of chapter six on Monday. We will review the information on Tuesday-Thursday. We will test over chapter six on Friday.

Table Talk Questions:

1.      Test your child’s math skills--- give them some addition and subtraction problems using negative numbers. This is a hard concept for the kiddos, so some extra practice wouldn’t hurt!

2.      Ask your child what the Fruits of the Holy Spirit are. Have them explain the poster that they made (they picked 6 Fruits of the Holy Spirit and illustrated how they model that behavior).

3.      If you didn’t ask about their AR points last week, please ask this week. Do they have a plan to obtain their 20 points?

Newsletter 1/22/12

Thunderstorms???? In January?? It has been a crazy month for weather! I’m looking forward to another great week with my fifth graders! I am excited to let the basketball boys know how GREAT they did on Friday night! I was able to attend their game and see them beat St. Gabe’s! Go Saints!

The Week Ahead:

Religion:

We will start chapter 9.  

Writing:

We will be writing a story that will be displayed in the hall for open house on Saturday, January 28^th.

Math:

We tested over chapter six on Friday. When the kids get their tests returned, they will have one day to correct it and turn it in for half credit. We will begin chapter 7 on Monday. During this chapter, the kids will be learning about exponents, order of operations, and negative numbers.

Social Studies:

We will be completing chapter 6 in our social studies text this week. We will be reading the chapters and completing the H&P pages.

Reading:

We finally got to start, The Sign of the Beaver. We have read to chapter two and the kids already love it. The kids will be reading two chapters each day this week and completing their reading logs in their literature circles. Please feel free to read along with us so that you can have book conversations with your child at home. I have extra copies at school if you would like to borrow one.

The book report is due on Tuesday, January 31^st.

The kids need 20 AR points before the end of the 3^rd quarter.

FYI:

If you have some good pictures of the kids that you want included into the St. James yearbook, you can email them to paul.dexter@stjames-school.org

Catholic Schools Week is next week(1-30---2-3). Please attend the Mass on Saturday (1-28). If you child wears their uniform to mass, they can be Out Of Uniform (OOU) on Monday. Also, if you can send a donation dessert for the Cake and Pie Auction, the staff at St. James would really appreciate it! Don't forget the St. James Open House before Mass! Make sure to check out the middle school for some GREAT information about next year. The kids are also OOU on Tuesday for student appreciation day. I know they will want to know so they can start planning their outfits- J- lol.

Table Talk Questions:

1.     As your child completes his/her diorama, have a discussion about what they learned about the time in history of the book they chose. Maybe you can check out some non-fiction books from Mid-Continent Library so that they can further their learning.

2.     As always, have your child keep you updated on our class novel.

3.     Ask about your child’s AR points. How many do they have now? What do they want to read this quarter to obtain their 20 points? Are there any books they want to put on hold from Mid-Continent Library? Remember, we want reading to be FUN! Help your child get some books that interest them.

                                                      http://www.mymcpl.org/

Have a great week!

-Ms. Alley