November 14, 2024

Dear Parents,

Happy Thursday! Here we are again. We only have 8 days left of school before Thanksgiving Break. That is not very much. I told you for a teacher this time flies. After all the holidays then we are thrown into the winter months. These months are my favorite. I know I am crazy but they are my favorite ones. I am a snow person, I always have been. I grew up playing in the snow. The temperature didn't matter and they didn't scare us with the wind chill back then either. We owned snowmobiles and rode whenever we could. Every February we took a trip to Centennial, Wyoming or Grand Lake, Colorado to ride for an entire week. It was so much fun. My first trip was when I was 4 years old. So I guess winter is in my blood, even though I no longer own a snowmobile anymore. When we live in Iowa we have to expect snow.

Language Arts

Last week's test was great! I had 5 people get 100%, I also had 5 people get over 90%! They did a great job, I am so proud of them. I hope they try just as hard on the next one. We are now reading the story "The Game of Silence". It is about an Ojibwe family. Mainly the children. It is a game they play to not be bothersome to their parents during important times. It is also showing how little brothers can be annoying to older sisters. Our spelling list with this story covers the short /u/ sound, and long /oo/ and /yoo/. They didnt do too bad on this pretest. This week the grammar is focusing on verbs. They have already covered action verbs. Next will be main verbs and helping verbs and linking verbs. Decoding is trying to help us better understand our spelling words.

I was not sure if I sent last week's scores home or not. So I am sending them today. If I sent them last week then okay I did it again. If I am right and did not then here they are.

Please remember Book Reports are due tomorrow. If it is not done it will be a late slip. If it is not done Monday it is a detention. I also will begin taking off points for being late.

Just a heads up for some of you we are looking at the spelling post test next Wednesday. I know you like a heads up for when this is going to happen.

Math

We have mainly been working on Biztown stuff for math. They have done some Teller computations, we have written checks and filled out deposit slips. These are all the things they need to know how to do for Monday. We have gotten together with the 5th grade, we have divided them into their businesses and done the work that needed to be completed before Monday. We are all ready to go. We will do some practicing with checks, deposits and check registers tomorrow for math. On Tuesday we will review Lesson 3-1 and Lesson 3-2 which we started before we began Biztown. Then we will move on into some strategies to multiply.

Social Studies

We are moving through our 2nd chapter of the Northeast. I have introduced them to their State and Capitals song. I am very sorry for that. They can get to it via Youtube. They will most likely drive you crazy with it. It is a great way to learn all 50 states and their capitals. The lessons in this chapter are full of information. They tend to just skim the surface of some much bigger topics like slavery, The Civil War, and Women's Suffrage. I will introduce these topics to them but that is about it. We do not really dive into each one in depth. I have been trying to do a little more each class time with this class. Compared to last year and I have put some days together and I have us ahead of where I was, which is good. I am trying to make it easier to be sure and cover all the regions equally. I tend to have to hustle through the Southwest and the West towards the end of the year. I am trying to make it better.

Field Trip

Our trip is on Monday!! It has come up very quickly. We need to be leaving St. Malachy at 7:30 AM Monday morning. We have to arrive there by 8:45 so you can be trained. I will send out an email to the drivers/helpers tomorrow. I will let you know how many kids will be in your car. Due to the amount of people going, I don't have many kids per car. Don't forget to dress professionally in Mass attire and bring a sack lunch. No carbonated drinks for the students please. It will be a very fun-filled busy day. Just a reminder you will not be in the same business as your child. You will be working with other kids. All of them will be St. Malachy students. We are attending this with St. Joe's in Des Moines. We will have 40 kids they will have 20. We have the majority of the businesses. We have completed all the work that is needed before hand. Please watch your email, I will be sending a link to a training video you need to watch by Monday. Thank you for all the things you have done to prepare for this trip. I know it is a lot, but it is a great experience.

Read-a-Thon

You will find information in your child's folder today for Read-a-Thon. It is a fundraiser for the PTO. The best part is they can use their minutes for this on their Book-It calendars also. There is a day that is double minutes, but we will not double the minutes on the Book It Calendar. There is a Teacher Reading Rumble and Pajama Day. It looks like a lot of fun.

Advent Activity Night

On November 20th there will be an Advent Night at the school. It is an event for families. The RE program will be here with food and events. The St. Malachy teachers will also provide games and activities for families and kids to participate in. It will be a fun night, so I hope you can make it.

Next week looks to be interesting when it comes to weather. I had recess duty today and had a nice warm coat on but the first recess in the cold just makes me feel a chill all the way through me. I may love winter but I love it from the inside! To be specific, in my chair with a blanket and hot tea/cocoa and a good book. That is how I enjoy winter. I hope you all have a great weekend.

God Bless,

Mrs. Sickels