October 12. 2023

Dear Parents,

Happy Thursday! Well maybe I should say Happy Dreary Thursday. I think we could use the rain, but I do favor the sun shining. This has been a short week and it has gone quickly for sure. It has been a good week. They are adjusting to our routine and also organizing their things. I still catch some of them wanting to not put things in the homework folder but overall we are getting better. Teaching them to use their homework folder and assignment book are skills they will take with them the rest of their time at St. Malachy.

Language Arts

This week in language arts we took a break from the regular routine of the book. We were at a point of taking a Module test which is like a Unit test. I broke a part the test into 3 sections and they took one section a day. Honestly they didn't do too bad. I had 7 pass and 10 still fail. This class has trouble taking their time on tests. They just want to fly through it to say they are done. They don't care whether they are doing quality work. They just want it done. I am not sure where this mentality comes from but I am going to work to change that. Just taking that extra time to look things up or reread the story can make a huge difference on their scores. I hope to see better scores throughout the next module because I know where I need to do a better job and I will guide them on where they need to do a better job. Next week we will dig back into Module 3 and have a spelling test.

Math

This week are are reviewing addition. They had to work smaller problems on Wednesday and Thursday was much bigger problems. They are practicing regrouping or carrying over from one place value to another. So far they have done pretty well on it. Next week we will begin reviewing subtraction. They usually don't like this as much because of all the regrouping they need to do. Some of them totally forget that we can not take 9 things from just 3 things and that regrouping needs to happen. This will give them some practice and refresh our memories on subtraction for sure. This whole topic is kind of a small or shorter one. We will be testing again soon.

Social Studies

We have begun talking about the Northeast region. We talked about Niagara Falls this week and all the mountain ranges there are in the Northeast. Niagara FAlls is not just known for its beauty but also provides electricity for neighboring people. The rushing water creates hydropower or hydroelectricty. This electricity provides power for 24 million 100 watt lightbulbs. Many people want to visit Niagara Falls. The Green Mountains and the White Mountains in Vermont and New Hampshire are home to many ski resorts. Many tourists want to visit there and ski their slopes. I shared with them about the Adirondack Mountains and Lake Placid and how the 1980 Winter Olympics were held there. I remember watching these Olympics on TV. Ms. Surma just passed through this area on her way to Maine and saw many buildings that were built for the Olympics.

REMINDER:

There is NO school on Friday, the 13th. This will be professional development for teachers. I am sure the kids will not forget this.I hope they enjoy their day off. I wish I had a day off.

Conferences

The office has sent out the conference link for you to sign up. You will only need to sign up for one time. Please do not sign up for more than one. I look forward to meeting with you and talking about your child. So far 12 of the 17 families have signed up. I just need 5 more to complete my list. Please check it out or call the office so they can help you set it up.

Well, looks like we will begin our weekend kinda wet and rainy. I have a family gathering on Saturday. It is at my cousins and we will eat and ride ATV's all day. I am looking forward to it. It will be a day of getting muddy for sure. Unless of course they decide it is too muddy. Which will be okay too. Enjoy whatever you do! Especially enjoy that extra day you get.

God Bless, Mrs. Sickels