LANGUAGE ARTS: Students have been taking the Unit 6 Skills Test this week. Results are being sent home in today's take home folder.
BICYCLE SAFETY: Last Friday FFA members from Creston High School came to St. Malachy to speak with first and second graders about bicycle safety. Students were able to ride a bike through a course set up by the FFA members so they could practice hand signals and stopping. Students learned useful information to stay safe while on a bike. We thank them for coming to share this information with us since many students will be riding their bikes this summer.
BRING EMPTY BACKPACK TO SCHOOL: Next Tuesday, May 30, students will be cleaning out their desks and bringing all school supplies home. Please send an EMPTY backpack to school that day.
FIELD DAY: Next Tuesday, May 30, Civics Club members will organize "field day" events. Field day will take place from 1:00-3:00 if you are interested in coming to watch. If you have an old blanket from home that your child could bring for the class to sit on for field day, that would be great! Also, your child needs to bring a sack lunch to school, Milk will be provided, so you do not need to send a drink.
TAKE HOME FOLDERS: You do not need to send your child's take home folder back to school tomorrow, May 26 since next Wednesday will be the last day of school.
LAST DAY OF SCHOOL: Next Wednesday, May 31 is the last day of school. Mass will begin at 9:15 in the school gym. Students do not need to wear Mass day attire. School will also dismiss at 12:00.
May 18, 2017
LANGUAGE ARTS: This week we read and discussed A Model Citizen and Now and Ben. A Model Citizen is a biography about Ben Franklin while Now and Ben is an informational text about the inventions of Ben Franklin. We worked on skills such as decoding longer words with long "o" and "e" as in snowflake and season, identifying and using adjectives and adverbs in sentences, decoding words with the final syllable "le" as in noodle, identifying and counting syllables in words, finding known root words in unknown words (for example, understanding that the root word in "strongest" is "strong,") reviewing how to use irregular verbs (such as give/gave, took/take), and learning ten new high frequency (sight) words.
SPELLING: We will be having a review week in spelling next week with spelling words we've had throughout the school year.
FIELD TRIP: What a great day we had at Living History Farms on Tuesday! We couldn't have asked for better weather! I've put some pictures of our day on my blog. We had so much fun!
SCIENCE: We started a new unit over forces and motion. So far students have recognized a force as something that pushes or pulls on an object to make it move. We identified that a force is used to change the location of an object and the direction it is moving in. We also described which poles of magnets attract and repel each other and gave examples of ways magnets are used.
MATH: This week we named three, four, five, and six-sided shapes according to their sides and vertices, identified angles in two-dimensional shapes, sorted two-dimensional shapes according to their attributes, and partitioned rectangles into equal size squares and found the total number of these squares.
SPELLING: We will be having a review week in spelling next week with spelling words we've had throughout the school year.
FIELD TRIP: What a great day we had at Living History Farms on Tuesday! We couldn't have asked for better weather! I've put some pictures of our day on my blog. We had so much fun!
SCIENCE: We started a new unit over forces and motion. So far students have recognized a force as something that pushes or pulls on an object to make it move. We identified that a force is used to change the location of an object and the direction it is moving in. We also described which poles of magnets attract and repel each other and gave examples of ways magnets are used.
MATH: This week we named three, four, five, and six-sided shapes according to their sides and vertices, identified angles in two-dimensional shapes, sorted two-dimensional shapes according to their attributes, and partitioned rectangles into equal size squares and found the total number of these squares.
FIELD TRIP!
Below are pictures from our field trip to Living History Farms in Des Moines. We had a GREAT day!
Outside the Visitor's Center
Outside the Visitor's Center
At the Broom Shop
At the Blacksmith's Shop
Lunch Time!
At the 1700 Ioway Indian farm
Gathering wood at the 1850 Pioneer farm
Outside the log cabin at the 1850 Pioneer farm
On our way from the 1850 farm to the 1900 farm
At the Print Shop
May 11, 2017
LANGUAGE ARTS: This week we read and discussed the stories Two of Everything and Stone Soup. Both are folktales. We worked on skills such as decoding words with long "a" and "i" and in rain, rake, day, pie, sight, and fly, identifying and using possessive pronouns, decoding words with "oi" and "oy" as in boil and toy, identifying and using antonyms in sentences, identifying when to use irregular verbs, and learning ten new high frequency (sight) words.
FIELD TRIP: Next Tuesday, May 16 is our field trip to Living History Farms in Des Moines. We will leave school between 8:30 and 8:45. Due to the length of the general tour, we will not return to school until 4:30. Please make arrangements to have your child picked up at the school at 4:30 that day. Other items to keep in mind:
Just a reminder that the cost for students to attend this field trip is $12.75. This includes transportation as well as admission to Living History Farms. If you are writing a check, please make it payable to Janet Meisenheimer since I will be writing one large check to Living History Farms for the tour. Please send money to school tomorrow, May 12 if you have not already done so. Thank you!
FIELD TRIP: Next Tuesday, May 16 is our field trip to Living History Farms in Des Moines. We will leave school between 8:30 and 8:45. Due to the length of the general tour, we will not return to school until 4:30. Please make arrangements to have your child picked up at the school at 4:30 that day. Other items to keep in mind:
- Students need to bring a lunch and a drink in a small cooler.
- Students can bring money for the gift shop, but they are responsible for taking care of it.
- We will do a lot of walking, so please have your child wear comfortable walking shoes, such as tennis shoes.
- If your child has a St. Malachy t-shirt (or a blue or gold/yellow shirt,) this would be a great day to wear it. This is not required, but it sure makes it easier to spot students when we wear the St. Malachy colors!
- Students can bring an electronic device to play while on the bus, but they are responsible for taking care of it. The device will remain on the bus while we are touring Living History Farms.
Just a reminder that the cost for students to attend this field trip is $12.75. This includes transportation as well as admission to Living History Farms. If you are writing a check, please make it payable to Janet Meisenheimer since I will be writing one large check to Living History Farms for the tour. Please send money to school tomorrow, May 12 if you have not already done so. Thank you!
May 4, 2017
LANGUAGE ARTS: This week we read and discussed the fairy tales Cinderella and Yeh-Shen. We compared both stories to see similarities and differences between the two. We worked on skills such as decoding words with "ou" and "ow" as in cloud and cow, identifying how to form possessives with nouns that name one or more than one, decoding words with "o," "aw," "oo," and "ew," classifying words according to how they are alike, reviewing when to use irregular verbs, and learning ten new high frequency (sight) words.
SECOND AND SIXTH GRADE MASS: Next Wednesday, May 10, the 2nd and 6th grade classes will be in charge of the school Mass. If your child has a speaking part, I have placed it in today's take home folder. Please look for a note in the take home folder for more information concerning this special Mass. Mass begins at 9:15 in the school gym. We hope to see you there if you are able to come!
FIELD TRIP: A note was sent home last week about our 2nd grade field trip to Living History Farms in Des Moines on Tuesday, May 16. Please return the green permission slip along with $12.75 by Friday, May 12. The $12.75 covers the cost of both the bus and admission to Living History Farms. Just a reminder, if you are writing a check, please make it payable to Janet Meisenheimer, not the school, since I will be writing one large check to Living History Farms for the cost of the tour.
FIRST EUCHARIST: First Eucharist will take place this Saturday, May 6. Practice is at 10:00 at Holy Spirit Church. Mass begins at 5:15. There will be a reception following Mass hosted by the first grade parents.
SCIENCE: We took a test over weather and started a new chapter over observing and measuring matter. So far students have identified the three forms of matter and discussed properties of matter.
MATH: We started a new chapter over data. So far students have collected data in a survey and recorded the data in a tally chart and interpreted data in picture graphs and used that information to solve problems.
AGRICULTURE LITERACY: On Tuesday the Creston high school FFA teacher, Kelsey Bailey, along with six FFA students came to our classroom to share an agriculture literacy program. Students learned information about modern agriculture and careers associated with agriculture. Students were even able to be "soil scientists" and do some experiments with soil. We appreciate them taking the time to come to our classroom to help us learn more about agriculture!
SECOND AND SIXTH GRADE MASS: Next Wednesday, May 10, the 2nd and 6th grade classes will be in charge of the school Mass. If your child has a speaking part, I have placed it in today's take home folder. Please look for a note in the take home folder for more information concerning this special Mass. Mass begins at 9:15 in the school gym. We hope to see you there if you are able to come!
FIELD TRIP: A note was sent home last week about our 2nd grade field trip to Living History Farms in Des Moines on Tuesday, May 16. Please return the green permission slip along with $12.75 by Friday, May 12. The $12.75 covers the cost of both the bus and admission to Living History Farms. Just a reminder, if you are writing a check, please make it payable to Janet Meisenheimer, not the school, since I will be writing one large check to Living History Farms for the cost of the tour.
FIRST EUCHARIST: First Eucharist will take place this Saturday, May 6. Practice is at 10:00 at Holy Spirit Church. Mass begins at 5:15. There will be a reception following Mass hosted by the first grade parents.
SCIENCE: We took a test over weather and started a new chapter over observing and measuring matter. So far students have identified the three forms of matter and discussed properties of matter.
MATH: We started a new chapter over data. So far students have collected data in a survey and recorded the data in a tally chart and interpreted data in picture graphs and used that information to solve problems.
AGRICULTURE LITERACY: On Tuesday the Creston high school FFA teacher, Kelsey Bailey, along with six FFA students came to our classroom to share an agriculture literacy program. Students learned information about modern agriculture and careers associated with agriculture. Students were even able to be "soil scientists" and do some experiments with soil. We appreciate them taking the time to come to our classroom to help us learn more about agriculture!
April 27, 2017
LANGUAGE ARTS: This week we read and discussed La Brea Tar Pits and The Dog That Dug for Dinosaurs. La Brea Tar Pits is an informational text. I was fortunate enough to be able to visit the La Brea tar pits while in Los Angeles last summer, so I had pictures of the tar pits to share with the students! The Dog That Dug for Dinosaurs is a biography. We worked on skills such as decoding words with /oo/ as in good, identifying and using adverbs that tell when and how, understanding singular and plural possessives, distinguishing shades of meaning among synonymous verbs such as jogged/ran or jump/hop, using "a," "an," "er," and "est" correctly in sentences, and learning ten new high frequency (sight) words.
SCIENCE: We identified weather conditions and described ways to prepare for different weather conditions. We also identified cumulus, cirrus, and stratus clouds and discussed how clouds can give us an idea of what the weather will be like.
MATH: We started a new chapter over length in metric units. So far students have used unit cubes to measure the lengths of objects in centimeters, estimated lengths of objects in centimeters by comparing them to known lengths, measured lengths of objects to the nearest centimeter using a centimeter ruler, and solved problems involving adding and subtracting lengths by using the strategy "draw a diagram."
LAP-A-THON: The St. Malachy PTO Lap-a-Thon fundraiser will take place on Thursday, May 4. Please note the following:
FIELD TRIP: The second grade class will be taking a field trip to Living History Farms in Des Moines on Tuesday, May 16. Please look in the take home folder for a permission slip to be signed and for more information concerning this upcoming trip.
SCIENCE: We identified weather conditions and described ways to prepare for different weather conditions. We also identified cumulus, cirrus, and stratus clouds and discussed how clouds can give us an idea of what the weather will be like.
MATH: We started a new chapter over length in metric units. So far students have used unit cubes to measure the lengths of objects in centimeters, estimated lengths of objects in centimeters by comparing them to known lengths, measured lengths of objects to the nearest centimeter using a centimeter ruler, and solved problems involving adding and subtracting lengths by using the strategy "draw a diagram."
LAP-A-THON: The St. Malachy PTO Lap-a-Thon fundraiser will take place on Thursday, May 4. Please note the following:
- Students may wear sweat/wind pants to school that day
- Have your child wear or bring comfortable tennis shoes since students will be doing a lot of running
- Students can bring a water bottle marked with their name. This way they are able to get a drink of water while "lapping." If you do not send a water bottle with your child, glasses of water will be available from the PTO. (Please no sports drinks).
FIELD TRIP: The second grade class will be taking a field trip to Living History Farms in Des Moines on Tuesday, May 16. Please look in the take home folder for a permission slip to be signed and for more information concerning this upcoming trip.
April 13, 2017
LANGUAGE ARTS: This week we read and discussed The Mysterious Tadpole and From Eggs to Frogs. The Mysterious Tadpole is a fantasy while From Eggs to Frogs is an informational text. We worked on skills such as decoding words with "oo," "ew," "ue," and "ou" as in boot, stew, blue, and soup, identifying and using contractions for verbs with "not" and contractions with pronouns, decoding words with the prefixes "re," "un," "over," "pre," and "mis," decoding words with suffixes "y," "ly," and "ful," using context clues to determine the meaning of words and phrases, identifying adjectives that tell how things look, feel, taste, sound, and smell, and learning ten new high frequency (sight) words.
SCIENCE: We started a new chapter over Earth's weather. So far we have identified ways the weather can change from day to day and from season to season, explained how water gets into the air, and described the water cycle.
FIRST EUCHARIST: We discussed chapter 6 in the First Eucharist book. This is the last chapter, so if all work has been completed in the book, it is yours to keep and does not need to be returned to school.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Just a reminder that school will not be in session on Monday, April 17 through Wednesday, April 19 so that teachers can attend the National Catholic Education Association Conference in St. Louis. I remember the last time we went as a whole faculty was in 1997 when it was held in Minneapolis. It was a great experience to be with other Catholic school educators from all over the United States. There will be many wonderful educational sessions to attend this year.
Due to the short week next week, I will not be posting on my blog, and there will not be a spelling test given.
SPIRIT DAY/SPRING CLEAN UP: Friday, April 21 will be Spirit Day. Students can pay $1.00 to wear sweat/windpants and/or a HAT to school this day. This is also St. Malachy's spring clean up day. Students in grades K-3 will be picking up trash and sticks around the school and playground area. Your child may bring a pair of work gloves if he/she wishes.
SCIENCE: We started a new chapter over Earth's weather. So far we have identified ways the weather can change from day to day and from season to season, explained how water gets into the air, and described the water cycle.
FIRST EUCHARIST: We discussed chapter 6 in the First Eucharist book. This is the last chapter, so if all work has been completed in the book, it is yours to keep and does not need to be returned to school.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Just a reminder that school will not be in session on Monday, April 17 through Wednesday, April 19 so that teachers can attend the National Catholic Education Association Conference in St. Louis. I remember the last time we went as a whole faculty was in 1997 when it was held in Minneapolis. It was a great experience to be with other Catholic school educators from all over the United States. There will be many wonderful educational sessions to attend this year.
Due to the short week next week, I will not be posting on my blog, and there will not be a spelling test given.
SPIRIT DAY/SPRING CLEAN UP: Friday, April 21 will be Spirit Day. Students can pay $1.00 to wear sweat/windpants and/or a HAT to school this day. This is also St. Malachy's spring clean up day. Students in grades K-3 will be picking up trash and sticks around the school and playground area. Your child may bring a pair of work gloves if he/she wishes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)