Hello Parents, What a gorgeous week!  I hope everyone is enjoying it. Thank you to the PTO and school board for all the fun gifts this week for teacher appreciation! 

Calendar Dates:

May 8- Glow-A-Thon/ Lap-A-Thon

May 11- Mother's Day

May 14- Book Reports Due

May 16- Spirit Day

May 19- All Library Books Due

May 21- Kindergarten mass/5th grade helpers/ Spring Concert 

May 26- No School / Memorial Day

May 28- 5th grade plays bells  at mass

May 30- Last Day of School/Early Out

Religion- We are focusing on the Corporal Works of Mercy in this chapter. These focus on things we can do to help others in a physical way. For example, you might donate clothes to the Rerun. That would fit under -- Clothe the Naked. We are coming up with ways to live each of them out in real life. I told them I heard on my podcast on Monday that in order to get closer to Jesus, we should be doing these in our daily lives. Many of them are so simple that there really isn't a good excuse not to do it.  We did talk about the one that says visit the imprisoned. I told them many priests, nuns, and laypeople do go to prisons to teach them about God. That is a little harder for them to do, but they can go visit the people that are home bound. I talked to them about how some people at church bring communion to those who can't get out of their house due to age or illness.  We are also praying for the cardinals in Rome as they meet in the conclave to choose our next pope. 

I found a live link of the Vatican today. We are watching for the smoke from the chimney! It was really cool because when we first found it, the Cardinals were inside the Sistine Chapel and then they ordered everyone else to leave. We were able to watch them  close the doors to the public. Those doors are heavy! 

Glow-A-Thon- This is happening on Thursday! The kids should wear some white or neon colors if they have them to glow in the dark as they run! 

Math- We are working on fractions! They learned to estimate fractions to the nearest benchmark number- 0, 1/2, or 1. Now we are working on renaming fractions so they have a common denominator. I told them to always choose the smallest number they have in common so it is simplified. I'm going to keep us moving quickly so we can get more done. 

Reading- We started our final story in this module. It is about the parrots in  Puerto Rico and how they nearly went extinct. They told us  what they did to increase the population as well. We watched a short video on them. We found out that in 2017 there was another hurricane that went through and killed all but one! So, now they are working again to increase the population. 

Grammar- we are working on using transition words as well as they right way to punctuate when we use them. 

Spelling- their list is similar to last week's. It has words ending in -ed and -ing. This time they have to look for the root word of them. Many of them forget that the root word might end in an -e! 

Mass on May 21- the kindergarten class will be in charge of mass, but some of the 5th graders will have jobs to help them out. I gave them their parts today. 

Mass on May 28- the 5th graders will be playing their bells during mass on the 28th. That will be our last mass of the year. You're welcome to  join us and listen to them!

I hope all the moms have a great Mother's Day!!! You deserve it. I am heading home this weekend to put flowers out in the cemetery for my parents and then hang out with my sister Mary in Sioux Falls.  

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Hi Families, Thank you for the prayers for my sister. Right now we still don't know for sure what is going on. They are looking at ALS, but some of her symptoms don't align with that. They are also thinking it could be an autoimmune issue. We are praying for that one. 

Calendar Dates:

May 2- Spirit Day 

May 8- Glow-A-Thon/ Lap-A-Thon

May 11- Mother's Day

May 14- Book Reports Due

May 21- Kindergarten mass/5th grade helpers

May 26- No School / Memorial Day

May 28- 5th grade plays bells  at mass

May 30- Last Day of School/Early Out

Dance at the Creston Middle School- there is a dance tomorrow from 5:30-8:30 for grades 5-8. The cost is $5. I emailed you a link they want you to fill out before going to the dance. 

Spirit Day on Friday! Hats and/or Sweats for $1.

Glow- A-Thon- Please return your fundraiser forms for this event! It will happen next Thursday, May 8  during their PE class! 

Reading- They took their spelling test today and the selection quiz. Tomorrow they will take their weekly module test. I am doing this one on paper because it is a play. I figured they would rather read it aloud as a class before answering the questions! 

Book Reports Due on Wednesday, May 14. They will have to come to school that day with a costume to change into. I know many of them are done, but some still have quite a bit of work to do. 

Math- Everyone has finished  the test. I plan on checking them tonight. Sorry- I didn't get any papers checked yesterday in Minnesota! Our next chapter will be on fractions. That is my plan to keep working on those until the end of the year. 

Religion- We are working on our Easter chapter. We also took some time out to make cards for Sam. 

Dollars for Scholars Essays- Congrats to Brandy, Mary, and Norah! Their essays were chosen to move on to see who becomes the winner. The 5th graders had to choose a characteristic trait from a list and explain why that was important to their education. They chose words such as: caring, respect, responsibility. The winner receives $50 from the Dollars for Scholars Committee. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! We will continue to lift Sam and his family up in our prayers during this difficult time. 

Eternal rest grants unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

God Bless, 

Miss Surma

 Hello Parents, I hope everyone had a great Easter. I enjoyed my time with my siblings. 

Calendar Dates:

Apr. 24- Field Trip to MO

Apr. 25- Clean Up Day

Apr. 28- I will start FAST Testing

May 2- Spirit Day 

May 8- Glow-A-Thon/ Lap-A-Thon

May 14- Book Reports Due

Clean Up Day- It is scheduled for Friday- depending on the weather. Kids who can bring a rake (with their name on it) please do so. If they have work or garden gloves that they can wear to pick up trash, leaves, and branches, please have them pack those in their bags as well. 

Friday's Lunch- It is a cook's choice. They are giving the kids an Uncrustable with some sides. If your child doesn't like peanut butter or PB&J's- I suggest they bring their own lunch.

Reading- We read a realistic fiction story on Wednesday! It is lesson to the main characters on how they can plant food and their crops in a better way to get more of them. This story does help us focus on what we can do to help our Earth,but also our gardens at home!  In grammar we are looking at working with commas and semi-colons. The commas are in items in a series, before a conjunction between 2 independent sentences, and in a sentence with a dependent and independent clause. 

Dollars for Scholars- They started writing their essays! They will continue to work on them on Friday. Three will be chosen to move on to pick a winner from each grade. 

Book Reports- They are working hard on their Google Slide presentations. I am excited to see them on May 14! 

Math- They will start their math test on Friday. I have a feeling that some won't have it finished by the end of the day so it may go into Monday as well. 

FAST Testing- I will start this next week. We test them in reading and in math. 

Glow-A-Thon- This is set for May 8. They will run during their PE time. Remember to wear white or neon colors so we can see you "GLOW" in the dark

Religion- We finally finished the movie. We will get back to work on the book on Friday. The Easter season last for awhile so we are going to work on a chapter focused on that next. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! My oldest sister, Mary is coming down. We are working on invites for our niece's wedding shower in May! 

God Bless, 

Miss Surma

 Hello Families! I hope your week is going well! This week always seems so busy! I am sending this out early because Thursday is a very busy day for me with the Seder Meal and Cross Walk. 

Calendar Dates:

Apr. 17- Seder Meal/Cross Walk

Apr. 18- Good Friday/Spirit Day

Apr. 20- Easter Sunday

Apr. 21- No School/ PD Day

Apr. 24- Field Trip to MO

Apr. 25- Clean Up Day

Field Trip-  Next week is our religion field trip. We are taking a charter bus. You are welcome to join us, but you will have to drive yourself there. The kids will need a sack lunch and drink that day. They CANNOT wear shorts. They should wear jeans and a nice shirt. No holes in the jeans. Cargo jeans are fine. If any of the girls want to wear a dress- it has to go to their knees. The sweatshirts will only be worn on the bus if they are chilly. We will not get back in time for the bus or trolley. You will have to come to school to pick your child up. We should be back by 4:15. Please email me with your child's pick up plans so I know who to look for after our return! Thanks! 

Spirit Day on Friday! Sweats and/or hat for $1! 

Reading- They will have their posttest in spelling on Friday.  We have been working with regular and irregular verbs this week. Knock/ knocked/ have knocked.  Bring/brought/have brought.  Swim/ swam/ have swum. The verbs have been a little tricky for some and then we have to work on spelling it correctly as well. 

Next week we will start a new story. They will also be working on their Dollars for Scholars essays. 

Clean Up Day- It is scheduled for April 25- depending on the weather. Kids who can bring a rake (with their name on it) please do so. If they have work or garden gloves that they can wear to pick up trash, leaves, and branches, please have them pack those in their bags as well. 

Religion- I show the old movie The Ten Commandments during Holy Week so they can see the correlation between the Seder Meal and the meal the Hebrews had before fleeing Egypt. 

I am also sharing with them the Hallow app. This week- Jeff Cavins and Jonathon Roumie (he plays Jesus on The Chosen) are on a pilgrimage through Jerusalem. They are showing us the places that Jesus walked or was held prisoner. They will show us were he was crucified as well. They are short little videos each day. I told them- this is our chance to see where Jesus was that last week of his life. Many of us probably won't be making a trip to Jerusalem. 

The 5th graders will  help me on Thursday set up the tables for the Seder Meal. It's a lot of work, but they are a great help! 

Math- They are doing their practice test this week.  They will have the test over this chapter on Tuesday. 

No School on Monday! Enjoy your 3 day weekend!!! 

I hope everyone has a great Easter! I plan on going to Waverly to my sister's house. I will see my brother and their families as well! 

God Bless, 

Miss Surma

 Hello Families, I hope everyone is having a great week! I cannot believe next week is Holy Week! The Lenten season has flown by. There is lots of information below. Please read ! 

Calendar Dates:

Apr. 7-11- ISASP Testing

Apr. 17- Seder Meal/Cross Walk

Apr. 18- Good Friday/Spirit Day

Apr. 20- Easter Sunday

Apr. 21- No School/ PD Day

Apr. 24- Field Trip to MO

Apr. 25- Clean Up Day

Seder Meal- Thursday will be our annual Seder Meal for Holy Thursday. The 5th graders get to help me set up the tables for that meal! They are usually a big help to me! This year and moving forward- each child will need to bring their own sack lunch for after the Seder Meal. Milk will be provided. The cooks will not provide a lunch. 

They will need to wear a white shirt that day! They will take the cross picture in the church after the Stations of the Cross are done. Make sure they wear tennis shoes for the walk. 

Book Report- The 5th graders chose their biographies on Monday! They were also given a packet with the details in it. I told them to keep the packet with the book. They are to answer the questions as they read. They will be creating a Google Slide presentation for their report. Most of that will be done at school, but they can always check on it and work on it at home. 

Good Friday- It is also a Spirit Day! The middle school students will be doing a Reader's Theater in the afternoon to commemorate the day. 

Field Trip- In your child's folder is a permission slip for our trip to Missouri with the 6-8th graders. This one is a religion trip. We are taking a charter bus. You are welcome to join us, but you will have to drive yourself there. The kids will need a sack lunch and drink that day. They CANNOT wear shorts. They should wear jeans and a nice shirt. No holes in the jeans. Cargo jeans are fine. If any of the girls want to wear a dress- it has to go to their knees. The sweatshirts will only be worn on the bus if they are chilly. We will not get back in time for the bus or trolley. You will have to come to school to pick your child up. We should be back by 4:15.

Math- On Monday we worked on more division, but this time some of their dividends had 4 digits. Adding one more number to divide into really threw some of them a curve. They thought they were done and then it didn't work when they checked by multiplying. I had to show quite a few kids that they forgot to drop the last number.  

Clean Up Day- It is scheduled for April 25- depending on the weather. Kids who can bring a rake (with their name on it) please do so. If they have work or garden gloves that they can wear to pick up trash, leaves, and branches would also be great! 

Next week will be a busy one with it being Holy Week. I hope everyone has a great weekend! Enjoy the temps! I cleaned out my flowerbed last weekend. 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Hello All- I hope your week is going well. Last night Mrs. Sickels, Mrs. Ramsey and myself went to Des Moines to hear Father Mike speak. If you ever get the chance- check him out on YouTube. He does masses every Sunday in Duluth. He is the priest on their college campus. He is also on the Hallow app and on Ascension. He is worth a listen to! I've always wanted to be able to listen to him in person. Last night didn't disappoint! 

Calendar Dates:

Apr. 4- Field Trip to Des Moines/ Spirit Day

Apr. 9- 5th grade mass

Apr. 7-11- ISASP Testing

Apr. 17- Seder Meal/Cross Walk

Apr. 18- Good Friday/Spirit Day

Apr. 21- No School/ PD Day

Apr. 24- Field Trip to MO

Reading- I am still getting my sick kids to be caught up with the module test. Those scores should go home next week! I am so happy with the weekly reading test scores! Our next unit has begun, but it will be really broken up with ISASP testing next week. This unit is nonfiction. It will be stories about taking care of the planet. 

Dollars for Scholars- Soon they will be writing their essays for this contest. 

Book Report- I do plan on assigning the final book report next week. This is the biography. This one they will read and take notes on their person as they go. Once your child has picked their person, you will need to help them start thinking of the costume they will wear the day they present. 

Math- We are working our way through division, but I am also working on some fractions with them. They now know how to check their work by multiplying! They don't always like that extra work, but in the long run it helps them and me! 

Poster Contest- In their free time, they are creating posters for Northwest Bank's poster contest. 

Field Trip- Just a few reminders: they can wear jeans or shorts tomorrow. If they have a STM shirt or sweatshirt- that would be great, but not required. I told them to be ready to go outside at some point. It might be chilly. The high of the day is supposed to be 50.  They can take electronics for the bus ride. They will stay on the bus. I talked to them about the art museum expectations as well. No touching! No messing around,etc. I don't really have that concern. They will need a sack lunch and drink! We will be back in time for the bus and trolley. 

ISASP- They will have one test each day next week, except for Friday. I always tell them it is important that they get a good night's sleep! If they are breakfast people- eat! It wouldn't hurt to have a water bottle. Water can keep headaches away! They will also need to have a chapter book for after testing. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Hello Parents, I hope you are having a good week! This weather is beautiful! Bring on spring!!! 

Calendar Dates:

Apr. 4- Field Trip to Des Moines/ Spirit Day

Apr. 9- 5th grade mass

Apr. 7-11- ISASP Testing

Apr. 17- Seder Meal/Cross Walk

Apr. 18- Good Friday/Spirit Day

Apr. 21- No School/ PD Day

Reading- We are finishing our Pioneer Sampler story this week. They will test over it this week, and they will take the weekly module test.  On Monday, they will take the Module/Unit test. We will start our next module on Tuesday.  

I am planning on assigning the next book report next week. This is the biography I told you about at conferences. If they can't find a book they like at school, they are welcome to check out the library, a book store, or get one online. Just let me know.  Remember the project will be a Google slides presentation- which they will most likely do at school. If you have a computer at home, they should be able to access it there as well.  That will be a bit down the road. They first need to read the book and take notes. 

Math- They are doing really well dividing two digits into three digits. That will soon bump up to dividing into the thousands. This usually gets a little trickier.  I am also going to teach them to check by multiplying. That way they know if they "did it right". 

Religion- We have been focusing on a chapter dealing with Lent.  As part of their Lenten promises- we  all agreed we would go to the chapel once a week to say the Rosary. We started  that last week. We will go again this week. 

Thank you for the Noisy Change Collection money!  I gave the money to Mark O'Riley on Wednesday evening. We gave him over $600. That should help him purchase some food for the Food Shelf that he runs. He was very appreciative! 

Field Trip- The 5th graders will head to Des Moines next Friday- April 4. We leave around 8:30. We will be back in time for the bus that day. They will need a sack lunch and drink that day. 

Mass- The 5th graders will be in charge of mass on April 9. I will hand out parts next week. Please join us for mass that day if you're available. 

ISASP- The standardized testing will begin on April 7. Next week I will be doing some practice testing with them so they know what to expect that week. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma