Week of November 21, 2011

Hello students & family!

Here are some announcements for the week:

• Please continue bringing in boxtops & canned goods! 
• This Wednesday is whole school mass at 8AM! Come join us!
• We have no school this Thursday or Friday to honor Thanksgiving Day.
• PLEASE complete and return the "Good Touch, Bad Touch" consent form ASAP. We need to begin the program next week! 
• Progress reports will be going out next week--look for incomplete work slips!

This week we celebrate Thanksgiving, read the following website to learn more about the history of the holiday: http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/stories/history/first-thanksgiving/

In Social Studies, we are about to begin studying about the first English colonies in the New World, Roanoke & Jamestown. Join Captain John Smith on his wild adventure with this interactive online game: http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/games/interactiveadventures/john-smith/

Feel free to visit the websites posted on last week's blog entry, too!
Have a blessed Thanksgiving and remember to give thanks for all of the wonderful blessings in our lives!

Week of November 14, 2011

Hello students & parents,

Here are some announcements for the week:

• Tonight there is a wonderful parent meeting in Elijah Hall from 7pm-8pm on problem solving. Don't miss out on this great opportunity to learn about activities and techniques to use with your child at home!
• We are currently having a food drive so please bring in any canned goods to help feed the hungry!
• We are participating in the Box Tops for Schools program. Please look in your cabinets to find box tops to support our school so that we can earn funds toward field trips and supplies!
• Next Tuesday is noon dismissal and the start of our Thanksgiving Break. Make sure you pray in thanksgiving every night for all of the blessings God has given you! 

Great Websites to Visit:

Social Studies 
Map out the routes of the explorers we are studying!
Science
1) http://climate.nasa.gov/kids/bigQuestions/greenhouseEffect/
2) http://dnr.wi.gov/org/caer/ce/eek/earth/air/global.htm
3) http://eo.ucar.edu/kids/green/warming4.htm
Language Arts
1) Fun Facts & Games about Space and Zero Gravity
2) Vocabulary Word Game

Thanks for visiting and congratulations on filling up your marble jar!!

Week of November 7, 2011

Hello students & family,

Here are some announcements for the week:

*There is no school this Friday, November 11th due to Veteran's Day.
*Please return the parent surveys that you will be receiving in the Wednesday envelope to school as soon  as possible.
*We have mass with 1st grade this Wednesday, November 9th. Please be on time.

Social Studies
In Social Studies, we are learning about the contact between the first European explorers (like Columbus) and the Indigenous people (Native Americans) that lived in the Americas. We are working on our geography and map skills to understand where the explorers traveled from. Visit the following website to explore some fun map activities: http://eduplace.com/kids/socsci/books/applications/imaps/maps/g5s_u2/index.html

Science
In science we are starting our unit on weather & climate. We are going to be learning about the greenhouse effect. Visit the following website to learn more about it:
1) http://climate.nasa.gov/kids/bigQuestions/greenhouseEffect/
2) http://dnr.wi.gov/org/caer/ce/eek/earth/air/global.htm
3) http://eo.ucar.edu/kids/green/warming4.htm

Computer Lab Assignment: 11/8/2011
Scroll down to the bottom of the blog and take the Columbus & the Taino quiz. Then visit some of the websites I've posted above.

Here are some photos from our classroom to share with you from "Reading Buddies"when our fifth graders read to the first grade to get them more excited about reading & literacy:

 

Week of October 31st, 2011

Hello students and parents,

It was so wonderful spending time with you all at the parent/teacher conferences. Thank you for coming! Here are some announcements for the week and coming week:

• Today, November 1st, is All Saints Day.
• This Friday, November 4th, is noon dismissal and whole school mass from 8A-9A. 
• Next Friday, November 11th, is Veteran's Day and there will be NO SCHOOL.

The new spelling and vocabulary words are up for Selection 3 "The Fear Place". Visit the following website to practice your vocabulary words using a fun online game: http://www.eduplace.com/kids/tnc/ewordgame/index.html?grade=5&theme=2&selection=3

Computer Lab Assignment 11/1/2011

Today is All Saints Day and we will be practicing our research skills in the computer lab. Follow these steps very carefully:

1) Go to this website and look through the Saints. Choose ONE Saint to research: http://www.catholic.org/saints/popular.php

2) Research the Saint you have chosen by clicking on their name on the website, or by typing their name into google and getting more information about them. Use an index card (a flashcard) to take notes on.

3) Then, write a paragraph (at least 5 sentences)  about your Saint in your own words that answers these questions:

• When was the Saint alive?
• Why did they become a Saint or what are they famous?

4) Post your paragraph as a comment to this blog entry.