January 3 - January 7

Hope all had a WONDERFUL Christmas and a safe and happy New Year celebration!  It was great seeing many of you at the Christmas Eve pageant, whether you were an "actor" or there participating in Mass.  It always makes me smile to see you!

Well,  I guess we have to get back to work.

We didn't get too far in Religion studying the first through third Commandments, so we will be doing that this week.  We could possibly have a test Friday, but as always that depends on if we cover all material and are ready.  It is imperative that the children understand that the commandments mean more than just the actual words, that there are inferred meanings. Please remember that the Great Commandment is in their binder, we will refer to this often through the course of the year.

The children did well on the Electricity test and so we continue on with our next unit, Light and Sound Energy.

There will be a VOCABULARY quiz Thursday.

The Dutch Contributions projects are well done and will be on display for Catholic Schools week.  I guess we have to see what happened to the Dutch and all the colonies next.  On to the American Revolution!  This is some of the kids favorite era. We will also learn about the United State's flag and its's history - so we will probably not have a test this week on this next chapter, but definately next week.

Math brings new challenges.  Multiplying double digits numbers!!  There are many steps involved, so this is increasingly harder!  Multiplication facts are a must, keep practicing.

A new story will be started on Wednesday or Thursday,  "The Seven Children". Monday and Tuesday and possibly Wednesday will be spent doing  comprehension skills, and what it is to  focus on the "main idea" and "supporting details".

Enjoy your week!

December 13 - December 17

I hope all will enjoy the day off!

Although this is a short week, we will definately complete a Spelling lesson and have the test Friday.

I apologize for not sending home the information on the next project "Dutch Contributions".  I will send it home Tuesday, and the project will be due Thursday, December 23.  I realize that it is not a lot of time, but I generally do not allot much time for this project; and do not want to wait until after Christmas vacation to assign it.  The children have already been talking about what they would like to do.

On the note of Social Studies, we will start our new chapter Wednesday.

In Math we will be working on making a table to solve problems,  but of course multiplication is involved!

We will continue with electricity in Science.  If you have a minute, please show your child the breaker box or fuse box in your basement.  We will discuss the importance of them, and if they see one, it makes the concept more relivant.  Later in the week ask them the role of insulators and conductors when dealing with electricity.

In Religion we will take the test on Advent Wednesday, but of course will continue with our Advent wreath in class and activities that go along with it.  We will, however continue on with the next unit, which is  learning the first three Commandments.  We will learn that the Commandments mean more than the just the actual wording.

We'll take a break from our textbook in Reading, and will be using the National Geographic.  This is always great because we can learn Science along with learning reading  skills.  Our first article is "Great Migrations" and we will use this to help understand the "main idea" and "supporting details".  Your child will be asked to reread this article, and the others, for homework -- at the beginning of NEXT week we'll have a comprehension test that goes along with the articles.  Also, look for a worksheet coming home asking about family traditions involving food.  (my favorite thing!)

Hope the week is great!

December 6 - December 10

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

It's our second week of Advent, and it will be our next Religion unit.  Within this unit we will learn about the calendar year, and include feast days that fall during this time - the Immaculate Conception, St. Juan Diego & Our Lady of Guadalupe.  Look for the Advent Study Guide in your child's planner.  The test date will probably be NEXT  Wednesday (12/15)

We have begun our next selection in Reading "On the Banks of Plum Creek" - the test will be Thursday, 12/9.

How shocking!  Electricity is next on the agenda in Science.  A Vocabulary quiz  will be Thursday 12/9.  This unit will continue with ideas about ENERGY- how can it be transformed? Electricity to light, light to heat, mechanical to heat.  Please remember vocabulary is in Science/SS notebook.

Multiplication, multiplication, multiplication!  This week we will be multiplying money, and solving multi-step problems involving money.  Friday will be a quiz.

The next chapter in Social Studies is a very short chapter on Dutch life,and the contributions made by them. It's jam-packed with information!  There will be a chapter test on Friday 12/10. Our next project will be on "Dutch Contributions" -look for information coming home by the end of the week.

Enjoy the day off on Wednesday, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

November 28-December 3

I am hopeful that all had  a wonderful and restful Thanksgiving.

This week I am hoping to tie up the loose ends of Science and Social Studies chapters and our latest unit in Religion.

In Social Studies we will be doing the review and recall  questions Monday and Tuesday , with the Chapter 5 test on Wednesday.  Make sure your child has their SS/Sci notebook for studying.  SS questions/answers are in there, as are Science vocabulary, and the answers to the review questions!

Conductors, insulators, transfer of energy and how particles move when things heat up, cool down---these are ideas that your child should be able to understand.  We will use this vocabulary the rest of the year!  The test on this chapter is on Friday, so we should have plenty of time to review/understand.

More multiplication!!! We will be working on multiplying 2-digit and 3-digit numbers by 1-digit numbers.  This is when the multiplication tables are now  really a crucial piece of knowledge, this is the first step into multi-step multiplication, it will become more difficult after this.  Please keep practicing.  We will have a quiz on this Friday.

The test on Covenants will be Thursday.  Please use the study guide in your child's binder.  There are several worksheets in there to use also.  We will of course start our study of Advent.  We have  an Advent wreath in the classroom, which always proves to be a very special and spiritual part of our day.

Enjoy the week!

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is this week!
We will try to finish up some "loose ends" this week, so when we come back from our break, we can review and have tests.

In Science I will try to finish up with Chapter 12, Heat.  I have a couple of hands on activities that help with the understanding of these concepts, so hopefully we will have enough time to complete these and the reading.  If so then we could review the chapter and have the test next week.

We are still working on the chapter in Social Studies with our first Dutch settlers in NY,  we will continue on, the test will be next week.

Covenants are our next subject in Religion- covenants between God and Moses, God and Abraham, and with ourselves today. Also, ask your child about Saint Bernadette and the importance of prayer in her life.

As always keep up with the times tables in Math, we will learn about multiplication patterns.

Before we know it, it will be time to take the ELA! So we will be using an old ELA to explore how we can find comprehension answers a little more easily, work on our writing.  We will try and become exciting, descriptive, and informative writers this year.

You should have received information about Wednesday's Thanksgiving celebration.   If your child did decided to "dress up" he/she can bring things with him/her to change into when it is time to have our feast.
Please let me know if you are sending a food in, and please to try and stay authentic to the first Thanksgiving.

Thanks to all helpers and have a healthy, enjoyable and blessed Thanksgiving!!

Week of November 15 - November 19

Back to a full week!
In Math we will be learning about prime and composite numbers, and then move on to "story"problems, which we usually call word problems.  Hopefully this will help with your child's ability to locate the correct question, (since children often answer the wrong question), and a story always has a "problem" and a "solution".

"Lou Gehrig, the Happiest Man" is our current selection in reading. We will have a test on it Wednesday - remember vocabulary words are in their binder, and  answers to questions about the story are in their notebook.

We will learn more about Saint Bernadette and her devotion to prayer and our Blessed Mother.  By Wednesday we will be start learning about covenants between God and his people, we will have a test next week.

Our Henry Hudson Quiz will be Tuesday, and then will move on to the Dutch in New York.  We owe them a lot  in the way of entertainment and other innovations! In the near future, look for information on our next project based on Dutch Contributions to New York.

Heat! Energy! Action!  We move on to Chapter 12 in Science.  Can your child tell you how heat moves?
*  A quiz on Chapter 12 vocabulary words will be on Friday, your child should also know (using Fourth Grade words)how a thermometer works.

Next Wednesday (our half day) we will have a Thanksgiving celebration.  A note will coming home concerning this.

Have a great week!

week of November 8

This week will be a "short" week. With Thursday off, an added Music class, and the trip to see "Pocahontas" on Friday, getting things done should prove to be a challenge. Tomorrow is the quiz on "Simple Machines" vocabulary. At this point the test on this chapter will be on Wednesday. Our test on Prayer will be on Tuesday, remember to have your child review the saints listed on the study guide. Keep up with the multiplication tables, we are working on division and "fact families", and how they all fit together. We will also be doing more work on story problems, where there might be too much or too little information. In Social Studies, we will take a more in-depth at Henry Hudson, being that the quadricentennial celebration of his trip up the Hudson River was only a short time ago. Tuesday night, ask your child who Robert Juet was and why historic journals prove to be so important. If all works out, we will have a quiz on Henry Hudson on Friday. In Reading, we will read the selection "Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man". Vocabulary for that will be given out tomorrow. Have a great week!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween this weekend!