March 31, 2022

Dear Parents,

Happy Thursday!! Wow, I want all of you to know, I did not order this snow! I love snow December - February but that is it. I am just as ready for Spring as the rest of you! I will work on praying harder for better weather. Tomorrow is our field trip! The kids are pretty excited about going. The program I think is fabulous. We are going to walk through Papa John Sculpture Park before we get there. It will be a nice day to get out of the classroom.

ISASP Testing

On Monday we will begin state assessments. The 4th graders only have 3 tests to take. We will take one test a day Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. All testing will take place in the morning. These tests are not timed but we are given suggestions on how long the tests should take. Our PTO will be proving a snack for those 3 days. The kids always look forward to these. Please be sure that your child gets plenty of sleep the night before, eat a big breakfast and support their efforts to do their best on the testing. We use this testing to make certain decisions about the students learning.

Language Arts

This week we took the Unit 4 assessment. Next week we will be taking the ISASP tests so we will finish up the Opinion Papers and work on an Essay for Dollars for Scholars. This is an essay they kids write, it is voted on by teachers in the building, then 3 are chosen to be sent to the Dollars for Scholars group so they can choose a winner. The winner will receive a cash reward or a savings bond. They will be awarded this at the last Mass at the end of the year. We will work on completing this essay next week. We will not have a regular reading week untl the next week the week of April 11th.

Math

We began Division this week. We always start off easy and the kids are excited. Then we move into more challenging content and they groan. So far I have cheers right now. I plan to keep Math as normal as possible next week. I want to be sure we are still having Math lessons to keep us moving forward. My hope is to get topic 5 completed so we can move on into fractions by the end of the year.

Social Studies

We will be finishing up this chapter next week or the next. I am not sure how much of this subject we will do next week due to testing. I do know we are close to the end. After this chapter I will give them maps of the region and they will be studying those to take a map test. I always use class time to make an answer key and then I give them 3-4 blank maps to practice on. They will need to be practicing on it at home.

Field Trip

We are leaving for Des Moines around 8:30 in the morning. We will return around 2:45. We will be visiting the Papa John Sculpture Park and having lunch before heading to the Civic Center. Our tickets are for the Noon showing.

* Please dress in jeans and a nice shirt for the day.

* You must bring a meatless lunch since it is Friday in Lent.

* Students need to bring a mask in case we need it for the Civic Center.

* Be sure to wear comfy walking shoes and a coat. the high is to be 55 but that won't happen until later in the afternoon. It will be in the upper 30's while we are walking in the park.

I am looking forward to a day outside the classroom! If this drum show is similar to the last one it was a super show.

Food Shelf

In today's folders you will find a flyer about donating certain items to the Food Shelf. The Food Shelf is run by Mark O'Riley and several volunteers. They meet on Monday nights and pack bags for students to take home with them over the weekend so they are ensured to have about 3 meals over the weekend. Ms. Surma, Ms Steinkamp and I help to volunteer when we can. There is a list of items that we put in the bags. Please donate items if you can. It is a really good cause and is definitely a need. We usually pack around 150 bags each Monday.

I hope the weather changes for the good and everyone has a nice weekend. Since my mother' knee replacement I have spent more time at her house than my own. I need to do some cleaning and some laundry. I hope I get those things done this weekend. Doesn't sound very fun to me.

God Bless,

Mrs. Sickels