October 26, 2023

LANGUAGE ARTS:  This week we read and discussed Be a Hero! Work it Out! and Pepita and the Bully.  Be a Hero! Work it Out! is an infographic.  Infographics give information quickly and in a visual way using pictures, symbols, and words or phrases that stand out.  Pepita and the Bully is a realistic fiction selection.  We worked on skills such as decoding words with consonant digraphs /ph,/ /ch,/ /tch,/ /th,/ /sh,/ and /wh,/ identifying compound subjects and predicates in sentences, identifying coordinating conjunctions (words such as "and" & "or,") to form compound subjects, decoding words with the prefixes "re" and "un" as in reread and unfold, and learning ten new high-frequency words.

RECONCILIATION:  Thank you for sending your child's First Reconciliation book to school on Monday.  We discussed chapter 4 in class.  Please complete chapter five and return the book to school on Monday, October 30.  We will be discussing chapter five in class next week.  

• Also, there is a parent/student session this Sunday, October 29 at 1:00 P.M. in the church basement for those who are making their First Reconciliation in December.

DRESS CODE:  The dress code states that beginning November 1, shorts should not be worn to school.

HALLOWEN ACTIVITIES:  Next Tuesday, October 31, the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders will be providing Halloween activities for students in the afternoon.  Students may bring a Halloween costume to change into before the Halloween parade.  The Halloween parade will take place in the school gym at 2:30.  We hope to see you there if you are able to come!

NO SCHOOL:  School will not be in session next Thursday, November 2 (parent/teacher conferences) and Friday, November 3.

SPELLING:  We will not be taking a spelling pre/post test next week due to the short school week.

TAKE HOME FOLDERS/BLOG:  I will not be sending take home folders home next week due to the short school week.  I will also not be posting a blog next Thursday, November 2 since I will be visiting with you at conferences.

CONFERENCES:  Parent/teacher conferences will take place on Monday, October 30, Tuesday, October 31, Wednesday, November 1, and Thursday, November 2.

October 19, 2023

LANGUAGE ARTS:  This week we read and discussed Working With Others and Gingerbread for Liberty.  Working With Others is an informational text while Gingerbread for Liberty is a biography about a baker who lived during the Revolutionary War.  We worked on skills such as decoding words with double final consonants, identifying action verbs in the present and past tense, decoding words with inflected endings "ed" and "ing," and learning ten new high-frequency words.

RECONCILIATION:  Thank you for sending your child's First Reconciliation book to school on Monday.  We discussed chapter 3 in class.  Please complete chapter four and return the book to school on Monday, October 23.  We will be discussing chapter four in class next week.  

• Also, there is a parent/student session at 1:00 P.M. on Sunday, October 29 in the church basement for those who are making their First Reconciliation in December.  

MATH:  This week students added using place value and partial sums.  They also used the standard algorithm to add two-digit numbers.

SCIENCE:  We discussed how matter can change.  Some of those changes are reversible, such as freezing and melting, while others are irreversible, such as cooking or burning.

SPIRIT DAY:  Tomorrow, October 20 will be a Spirit Day at St. Malachy.  Students can pay $1.00 to wear sweatpants or a hat to school if they wish.  They money raised helps those in need in our local community.

PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES:   Parent/teacher conferences are quickly approaching.  Conferences will take place on Monday, October 30, Tuesday, October 31, Wednesday, November 1, and Thursday, November 2.  An email was sent out from the school last week to schedule a conference time.  If you did not receive the email or have questions about signing up, please contact Mrs. Sanchez in the school office.  I look forward to visiting with you about your child's progress! 

October 12, 2023

LANGUAGE ARTS:  This week we read and discussed Meet Me Halfway and Big Red Lollipop.  Meet Me Halfway is an informational text while Big Red Lollipop is a realistic fiction selection.  We worked on skills such as decoding words with final consonant blends, decoding words with the prefixes "un" and "re" as in unable and rewrite, using context clues to determine meanings of unfamiliar words, capitalizing names for special people, animals, places, and things, and learning ten new high-frequency words.

MATH:  We took the chapter test over adding within 100 using strategies and started a new chapter over fluently adding within 100.  So far students have added two-digit numbers using tens and ones models.

FIRST RECONCILIATION:  Thank you for sending your child's First Reconciliation book to school on Monday.  We discussed chapter two in class.  Please complete chapter 3 at home with your child and return the book to school on Monday, October 16.  We will be discussing chapter 3 in class next week.

SECOND GRADE MASS:  The second grade class is in charge of the school Mass next Wednesday, October 18.  Please look for a note in today's take home folder to see what special part your child will have in our Mass.  Mass begins at 9:15 in the school gym.  We hope to see you there if you are able to come!

FIRE SAFETY:  Students have been learning about fire safety in social studies.  We would like to thank the Creston firefighters for coming to St. Malachy School today to visit with the students about the importance of fire safety.

NO SCHOOL:  Please note that school will not be in session on the following days:

• Friday, October 13 (teacher professional development)
• Thursday, November 2 (Parent/teacher conferences)
• Friday, November 3

October 5, 2023

LANGUAGE ARTS:  This week we read and discussed a drama called The Puddle Puzzle.  We worked on skills such as decoding words with l, r, and s consonant blends as in play, drum, and swim, using story vocabulary in context, forming and using plural nouns with "es" as in "glasses," identifying and writing irregular plural nouns (as in "child" to "children,") identifying and using collective nouns (as in herd, flock, or team,) and learning ten new high-frequency words.

FIRST RECONCILIATION:  Thank you for sending your child's First Reconciliation book to school on Monday.  We discussed chapter one in class.  Please complete chapter two at home and have your child bring the book to school on Monday, October 9.  We will be discussing chapter two in class next week.

MATH:  This week students broke apart addends into tens and ones to find their sum, combined addends in different ways to make numbers that are easy to add mentally, and used drawings and equations to solve one-step and two-step problems.

 SCIENCE:  We started a new unit over matter.  We discussed properties of matter such as color, shape, hardness, texture, and flexibility.  We also explored the three states of matter--solids, liquids, and gases.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:  School will not be in session next Friday, October 13 due to teacher professional development.

SPIRIT DAY:  Tomorrow, October 6 will be a Spirit Day at St. Malachy.  Students can pay $1.00 to wear sweatpants, a hat, or sunglasses to school if they wish.  They money raised helps those in need in our local community.