TJ's "strong man" pose from Homecoming!

 TJ's "Don't Judge Me" pose! It was something he often said! :)

Happy Thursday Everyone! I hope this has been a good week for you.

Friday, December 20, 2013- Just a reminder it will be the last day for sweat pants, music, gum, etc.,
Students will need a sack lunch on this day, milk will be provided by the school. They will be eating with their Advent Angels and then we will do caroling in the gym.  In the afternoon we are watching a movie with 3-5. I have had a parent donate water bottles for everyone in our grade band that afternoon. Thank you!!! I also have a student with a birthday--so her treat will be our treat during the movie!

Language Arts- This week we read two short biographies about two teenagers and their experiences with the Revolutionary War. I found it pretty interesting.In grammar this week they are working on putting transitions into their writing. The transition will connect two ideas in the same sentence.  When we get back from Christmas we will be doing our next unit test.

Math- We worked on dividing money this week. I worked with two students at a time giving them play money to divide up. They had to work on exchanging the larger bills for something smaller so that everyone would get their share.

Religion- This week they wrote letters to the Des Moines Diocese seminarians. Our school is taking turns writing them while they are in school. The 5th graders made me aware that they knew a couple from CYC. They were excited to see "Batman" as one of them. I also recognized that Mrs. Priest's brother-in-law is one of the seminarians. I told them not to expect a letter in return, but you never know!

I am going to try and add some pictures and a video clip of the kids this morning in their TJ and Nate colors. They looked so sweet! They were sharing stories again today! Those make me smile!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and New Year. Safe travels to everyone! I am heading home to Doon and will spend the week with my mom and see my siblings. Merry Christmas!!!
God Bless, Miss Surma

Hello Parents,
I hope you are all staying warm! Winter is here! 

Language Arts- This week we are reading a story called James Forten. It is a biography about an African American who was free during the Revolutionary War. At a young age, he signed up to work on one of the ships during the war. They had to surrender to the British. He was held prisoner for a time. We also learned that he dedicated the rest of his life to working on sails for ships and was quite profitable with it. He also worked on freeing slaves and getting women the right to vote. In grammar we are focusing on using commas and semi-colons. That was something new for me! We used our commas to separate items in a series, to set off a direct address in a sentence, or where an introductory element is being used in a sentence. Next week will be the last story in this unit. They will have a normal week of spelling and a test over the story next Friday. 

Math- We started working on division.  On Monday they worked on drawing me pictures to show what division looks like. On Tuesday we worked on doing some division mentally with the basic facts. On Wednesday and Thursday, they are learning to do estimating through compatible numbers. I am stressing to them to keep their multiplication table handy. I will sometimes rephrase the division problem into a multiplication problem to help them find the quotient. 

Religion- We are finishing up our quizzes!!! We are also working on liturgical calendar and Advent.  They will be going to reconciliation on Thursday.

Geography Bee- The final round will be on Wednesday, Dec. 18 around 10:30. You are welcome to come and watch. This will be held in the gym.

Friday, Dec. 20- This is our last day before break. It is a full day. We do not get out early that day. They will need a sack lunch and drink on that day. They will be eating with their Advent Angels. We will also do some caroling.  In the afternoon, grades 3-5 will watch a movie together. Since this is the last day we are raising money for the Philippines, I want ALL 5th graders to have a water bottle that day. They will be able to have that with them during the movie. We  will also have a treat that day. I would like a parent to volunteer to supply some kind of treat for the 5th graders. The 3rd and 4th will have their own. Please let me know ASAP if you can help out with that! Thanks. Nothing big! 

Classes will resume on January 2 and 3rd. 

Thank you for all the donations we received for the St. Nicholas Project. We collected about 361 items! Woo hoo!  I believe the noisy change collection on Wednesday raised a little over $300! So much giving!!!!!  The students should be so proud of their contributions! 

Program- Way to go, 5th graders, with the Christmas concert! You did a wonderful job! 

TJ and Nate Memorial-- We have extra money from your donations last week. We decided to purchase some of their favorite books in memory of them for our school library because they were such big readers. The remaining money will be used in some way as a memorial here at school for the kids to see. Mrs. Sickels and I have a couple of ideas, but if you have suggestions, please email us. We will consider all ideas. The cost will also play a role in what we choose to do. We aren't going to rush into this just yet. We want some time to think it over. Thank you again! 

The week has felt a little more normal, but we continue to receive sympathy cards. The support has been amazing.  Have a great weekend! God Bless, Miss Surma

5th graders working on division with Skittles!

Dear Parents, 
I probably don't have much to say this week. It has been a very difficult week for all of us. I think your children are doing quite well considering, but we can surely tell something is missing in our room each day. I love that they share their  "TJ" stories with me each day. I am probably over-hugging them, but handshakes this week just aren't cutting it. :)

We are working on a story this week in language arts, but I am just kind of playing it day by day. We most likely won't test on Friday. I told them if we do, I will treat it more like a worksheet. We are working, but I know that the focus just isn't on the work yet. We will do a spelling test on Friday. 

Math- We did do some more work with volume. We are going to begin working on division. Again, just playing things by ear from day to day. 

Thanks so much for  the money brought in on Wednesday. I know Mrs. Sickels and I were overwhelmed with the generosity.  Of course, I am feeling that way with everything I am seeing from the community and surrounding towns. I told your children on Monday that for the 7 or 8 hours they are here each day, they are my children. I love them all and right now our family is broken. It is going to take some time to get used to the loss and there will be days we are sad and other days we are happy. I will say that your kids are certainly helping me get through the week. 

I will be at the visitation with Mrs. Sickels. We plan on being there the entire time. We told the kids they could find us if they needed us or wanted anything. 

Christmas Program is still on for Sunday at the YMCA. I will see your kids in the back hallway. They can have their DS games and iPods there. 

Noisy Change Collection- There will be a collection next Wednesday during mass. This money will go towards the Adopted Family for Christmas. 

St. Nick Project - Thank you for your donations this week!


Thank you so much for entrusting me with your children each day. They mean the world to me. Hug them for me. God Bless, Miss Surma

Funeral Arrangements: I have received information that Ben and Nicole Adamson are going to collect monetary donations from the 4th grade and 5th grade families. They are going to use the money to purchase flowers, a statue, or a stone (depending on donations) for each of the boys from our separate grades. So, if you would like to donate money, please have your child bring it to school tomorrow (Wednesday). That will give them time to order it before the visitation and funeral.  I appreciate anything you can do to help. Thank you. Miss Surma

This morning some of the 5th graders enjoyed their pancake breakfast in honor of TJ! They showed me their "sticky fingers" in the picture. As they greeted me at the door, they made sure to shake my hand with their very sticky fingers, just as TJ would do!


Just a reminder that the funeral information is on Powers Funeral Home website. I was told this morning that the 4th and 5th graders will be named honorary pallbearers at the funeral. They won't have to do anything. If they attend the funeral, they won't have to sit somewhere special. The family just wanted to include them. God Bless the Freys, and your children during this difficult time. TJ and Nate will be greatly missed. I doubt they knew how many lives they have touched and have changed forever. We love you TJ and Nate!

Parents, 
Just a quick reminder, tomorrow we are having a noisy change collection for the Philippines during mass. On Monday, December 2, we will start our campaign for the St. Nick Project through Catholic Charities. A flyer went home last week in the folders. We are asking for donations. We tried to break the list up for grade bands, but do what you can. The last day to donate will be Dec.6. Thanks again for your help!!!! I hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving! -Miss Surma

Miss Surma's Molasses Sugar Cookies

3/4 cup butter ( I use the cheap margarine sticks)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups flour
2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger

I melt the butter first in the microwave until very soft and then let it cool in the fridge. Then I mix the rest of the ingredients together. The butter I add last when I know it has cooled down.  Form into 1 inch balls and roll in sugar. Do NOT flatten. Bake at 350 degrees. I bake until slightly brown on the bottom and edges. I let them finish "baking" outside when they are cooling down. They end up being soft in the middle and crunchy on the outside.
 Good luck! 

Hello Parents, I hope you are having a good week! It's almost Friday!

Math- Last week I said we'd be doing area and perimeter after our math test. I was wrong. I meant volume! We may do some area and perimeter too. After I am done with that area we will go into division. This first chapter is usually a review of dividing using a single digit divisor. The next one will be with a double digit divisor. That one can be a little more tricky. For you as parents, division has not changed. We still have the same steps we grew up with. I tell them there is an order to it: divide, multiply, subtract, bring down, and repeat steps if needed.  How I ask them may be different from you, but if they should say, "That's not how Miss Surma does it." It most likely is the same, I just might use different words.

Language Arts- This week we continue our journey with the Revolutionary War. We read a nonfiction piece on King George. The author made him kind of sound humorous. He didn't really think it was a war until the English soldiers surrendered at Saratoga. This week they worked in groups to identify facts and opinions found on a couple of pages in our story. They had to share their findings with the class. We did have to discuss whether some were really facts or opinions. They are also working on figurative language. We are discussing similes, metaphors, and idioms. We are also working on the tenses of verbs: present, past, and future. One piece was reading sentences to see if all the verbs in that sentence were the same tense. That was a little tricky. They have to slow down.

Religion- We are still working on the Glorious Mysteries at this point. They are more difficult than the Sorrowful. I have a feeling that they aren't studying as much. I am reminding them to take their books home at night and work on them.

Molasses Cookies- This week I  baked them some molasses cookies. They learned about molasses during Iowa History. Mrs. Sickels told them I baked some great molasses cookies, so I did do that! I think they all liked them! If you need a recipe, let me know!:)

St. Nicholas Project- Please look in your child's folder. We as a school will be participating in this for only a week after Thanksgiving. Please do what you can if possible.

I most likely won't be doing a BLOG next week. Remember that next Wednesday is only a 1 hour early dismissal. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving! If you are traveling, have a safe trip.

Have a  good weekend! God Bless, Miss Surma

Hello Parents, I hope you are having a good week! Are you enjoying the temperature change?? I am not!

Language Arts- This week is a combo week. This is a test week with our series, but I looked ahead at the calendar and the week of Thanksgiving is only 3 days. I didn't want to get behind in our series, so they are taking 1 test a day. They read a story and answer questions. The questions are checking for comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, and decoding. They are focusing on all the things we've worked on in this unit. They are also reading the next story. I have lined up those lessons a little differently. I don't want to drain them. They will test over this story and spelling words on Friday. Their book reports are due on Friday. I think I will collect them all and then have a few share each day. That might be easier on the schedule.

Math- They are finishing up their chapter this week. We will do a review and they will most likely test on Monday. We went into the beginning of understanding algebra. On Tuesday they had to solve an equation such as : 3+b= 15  b=12.  It is a difficult task to wrap your head around that you are solving for a letter and then hearing words like variable and algebraic expression. I think before we move into division we are going to work with area and perimeter since we are doing multiplication now. I don't plan on doing an entire chapter, but give them some idea on both.

Funds for the Philippines- The Civics Club is organizing a fundraiser for the people in the Philippines after they typhoon last week. They are creating a flyer. You should look for it in your child's folder today or they will have it with them on Friday. The kids are going to be able to do a variety of things and pay money for each thing, for example, wear sweats to school. There will also be a Noisy Change Collection on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, November 27.

Trimester- The first trimester ends on Friday. That mean on Monday, November 18 they will have a clean slate with late slips!!! :)  The progress reports will be online and they will be done by December 2.

I hope you have a great weekend! God Bless, Miss Surma

WOW! I LOVE your kids!!! This morning, our math is difficult with Algebra. I was moving around the room to get to helping all of them. When students finished, they helped me out!!!! They went around and helped others!!! Then I had a pile of math corrections, so they stepped in and helped kids with those too while I was working with kids myself! Thank you, 5th graders!!!!! You filled my bucket for sure as well as your own and others!

Happy Thursday!!! I hope you are having a good week!

Dress Code- As we are now changing seasons, remember no shorts are to be worn. I would suggest the kids come with a sweatshirt or winter coat, the mornings and recesses are getting colder. I would also like to remind everyone that in the dress code policy it states that leggings may be worn as long as the bottom of the dress, skirt or short extends to at least mid-thigh. This has been an issue on mass days mostly.

Math- They have been working on multiplying decimals this week. The trick seems to be counting how many places to the left we place that decimal in the answer. Most of the mistakes I am seeing are due to that fact. The other errors are not dropping zeros or it is in the multiplication and addition. They need to take time and slow down. Some of the errors could be easily fixed if they just slowed down. I talked to them this week about taking time with our work. The goal should be to do it well, not to do it quickly so that I don't have homework to do at night. We are also working on algebra!!! It is very basic. For example: If n=4, then what is n+5=?  They learned the different ways of writing an algebraic expression on Wednesday. n+4, b-4, 4b or 4x n, n/4. We are getting close to the end of our chapter. I would expect a test next week.

Language Arts- This week they read a nonfiction story on cougars. I learned a lot about that animal! They also learned about replacing a vocabulary word with a synonym. They had to determine whether that word had a stronger, weaker, or similar meaning to the sentence. In our grammar, we are focusing on quotation marks, quoting texts, using interjections with our quotations. They also read a few short poems. We focused on alliteration. That is when there is a particular consonant sound being used throughout the poem. They each created their own poem on a made-up Superhero! They will be sharing these with the class. Reminder: Book Reports are due on November 15. 

Art/Class Meeting- During art on Wednesday, each child was given a list with their classmates' names on it. They had to cut them out and then beside their name write at least one positive thing about them. They put them in envelopes. I will use them and create posters out of them for each of them. These posters will hang from our ceiling during the month of November. I think this is just a great way to recognize how well they know their classmates or that maybe they need to get to know them better.

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I am going to see Keith Urban in concert on Saturday! I am looking forward to that one!!  God Bless, Miss Surma

Happy Halloween!!! I hope you are having a great week! My mom did come back with me on Sunday, so I have enjoyed having her at my house!

Mass- Tomorrow is Holy Day of Obligation. The 5th graders are doing mass. Please join us if you are available. They do need to dress up as usual for mass day.

November 1st-- No more shorts being worn.

Language Arts-- This week we are working on compound words in spelling and in our decoding. Our story this week was historical fiction. It was about a young man who wanted to become a surfman and rescue people from storms at sea. He realizes in his first real experience that he doesn't have the courage to go through with it, but he has enough skills to care for their injuries. We find that those critical skills are just as important! We also discussed characterization and what we can infer from our characters by their words, actions, and thoughts. We are working on subordinating conjunctions this week and dependent & independent clauses. With the the use of the subordinating conjunction in a dependent clause combined with an independent clause, they now have a complex sentence. 

Math- We have started multiplying decimals and whole numbers. The trick is remembering to put the decimal in your answer and putting it in the correct place. 

Halloween Stories-- These have been shared! The kids are really enjoying listening to what their classmates have created!

Spaghetti Supper on November 2nd. The Civics Club will be providing a haunted house and games for the kids!!! 

Have a good weekend. I am heading back to Doon with my mom. Our visit went by too quickly!  God Bless, Miss Surma

Hi Parents, I wanted to just do a few reminders for next week.

Oct. 30- This is a mass day. We also have an early out.

Oct. 31- We will have Halloween festivities that day at school. They can also bring their costume to school. We will have the annual Halloween parade at 2:30 in the gym. You are welcome to come!!!

Nov. 1- This is All Saints Day in the church. This is a holy day. We will have mass at school. This is the 5th grade mass. You are welcome to join us. I will assign parts on Friday. I am working with the other half of the class.

Nov. 2- This is the Spaghetti Supper! Come one, Come All!!!!


PTO is selling STM gear during the conferences and again at the Spaghetti Supper. They are selling it CHEAP! If you need a Christmas gift or something for your child to wear during Catholic Schools Week...now would be a GREAT time to shop!

Have a great weekend! Enjoy the 3 days! I am heading to Doon to see my mom. I am hoping she will come back to Creston with me and spend a week here!!! God Bless, Miss Surma

Great job with all the Iowa History Projects!!!!
I was very impressed!!! They will start to present during
class next week!

Hello Parents, I hope you are having a good week. Our weather is much more like fall. I have tried to remind your kids that they will want jackets for recess this week due to the colder temperatures. I did see some brought out their winter coats and gloves! That isn't a bad idea!!

Math- This week we are working on the standard algorithm for multiplication.  They are multiplying 3 digit and 2 digit numbers by 1 or 2 digit numbers. I see two common errors for some kids.  Some are forgetting to drop that 0 down in the second row when they start multiplying by the tens.  Other kids are skipping either the number in the tens or hundreds place when they multiply.  (That is really hard to describe here...I can explain better during conferences).  Some are really using their fingers to figure out their facts instead of the table. I am trying to break them of that habit, because it does take them longer.  Last week we worked on estimating to find a product. They seemed to like doing that. This week we used that estimation to help us answer the question, "Is this product reasonable?" I am trying to get them to explain why or why not without doing all the work of multiplication. 

Language Arts-  This week they read an excerpt from Old Yeller.  It made me think I may have to read that entire story aloud to them at some point. We are also working on direct and indirect objects in our grammar. I told them that this is new for me!!! I haven't ever taught this in 5th grade. The Iowa Core is pushing us all! We really broke sentences down on Wednesday to pick those out.  We also worked on Adages and Proverbs! YIKES! We created some standard ones together on  a worksheet and then we figured out what they meant. Some are common ones, but there were some I had never heard before.  "Misery loves company" and "A penny saved is a penny earned" were a couple of the ones I grew up hearing. This will most likely be on their test on Friday.
I have edited some Halloween stories. I attach a sticky note to their paper with the next step and a due date. The due dates won't be the same for everyone. I base it on when I give them back. They should get about a week to type it up, and they can return the finished product as soon as they are done. They don't need to wait. 

Social Studies- Projects due Monday. You can drop them off that morning in Mrs. Sickels room. 

The Truth about Truman School-  We started reading this last Friday. I think we got through about 12 pages of reading and discussion. I think they are already hooked by the way they were upset when I had to stop. I think we are having good discussion. When we finish the book, they will be able to keep it. I really recommend you taking some time to read it.  

I won't blog next week due to conferences. There will be a book fair during those nights. I don't plan on sending home a book order form this month due to the book fair.

Have a great weekend!!! God Bless, Miss Surma

Hello Parents,  I hope this week has been going smoothly. We have made some small changes to the schedule to meet the state requirements. The kids in 4-5th grades have to have 30 minutes of physical activity daily. On our non-PE days we aren't meeting that requirement. Mrs. Sickels and I have put in a 10 minute "recess" in the afternoon. They won't do much, but we just want them moving. This winter, we may do that in our rooms or take them to the gym. I am sure you could hear the CHEER from the classroom when they found out! :)

Math- We took the math test on Tuesday and some finished it up on Wednesday. Our next chapter covers multiplication. They will be multiplying large numbers. Their assignment books have a multiplication table in them. I allow them to use them whenever they need to. I don't want most of their time being spent on trying to figure out what 9x8 =, especially when they will be multiplying numbers in the hundreds and thousands.

Halloween Stories-- They turned in their rough drafts on Wednesday. I will give them back as soon as I am done editing. I usually attach a sticky note with the due date and typing requirements on them. If you don't have a working computer or access to one, let me know. They can work before and after school in the library to type up the final copy.

Religion- October is the month of the rosary. We are trying to say a couple of decades a day, but we will do the entire rosary on Friday in the chapel. In 5th grade they are to memorize 2 of the bigger prayers said during the rosary. Right now, I have them working on Hail Holy Queen. They each have a paper copy, but it is also in their book. They will keep working at it until they pass. Once they pass it, they have to learn the Apostle's Creed. We do quite a bit with the rosary in 5th grade, so there won't be much book work for awhile.

Language Arts- This week they read a nonfiction story about a tree kangaroo.We also focused on the skill of cause and effect while reading.  We also read a myth on why koala bears have no tail. We will also be focusing on synonyms and antonyms. This will show up on their vocabulary section of Friday's test.

Conferences---Please make sure you sign up for a time. If you need to be early, let me know. I am sure we can work something out. 

Have a good weekend! I am off to Cedar Falls/Waterloo for UNI Homecoming! Go Panthers!!!
God Bless, Miss Surma

Blogger is not letting me change my dates on the side so I am posting them here.

Oct. 4- No School
Oct. 8- Math test
Oct. 16- Early Out
Oct. 22 & 24 Parent Teacher Conferences
Oct. 25- No School

Please take time to go to www.crestonstmalachy.org  and sign up for conference times. If you need to meet with me earlier than those days, send me an email. We can make some arrangements. Thanks!!!

Hello Parents, I hope you have been enjoying  your week!  Just a reminder there is no school on Friday. We are attending the 21st Century Learning at the public school that day.

Language Arts- Well, they took the Benchmark Unit 1 test this week. I broke it up over 3 days. Each day they were to read 2 stories and answer questions.  I am not done scoring them yet, but overall it isn't looking the best. Following the Core is definitely giving all of us more of a challenge than in the past. The questions were harder, but they did follow things we've talked about throughout our first unit. They were asked to define words in the context. They were asked to figure out the chronological order of events. They were asked to read a poem and then answer the questions. I told the kids they should really read the story twice before answering the questions to make sure they fully understood what was happening. I am not sure if they took my advice or not.  We will go over them on Thursday. I also have a copy of last week's assessment in their folder. This is your copy. The comprehension questions were difficult, but I think they had a harder time with the decoding and the grammar. It was quite clear that some kids know the difference between singular and plural nouns while others do not. They really have to read ALL the choices given to them before picking an answer. They have to look at the clues given in the example sentences as well.
Next week we will begin our next unit. They will have a spelling test next week too. They are also writing a Halloween story. They are just writing their rough draft now. That will be due on Wednesday, October 9.

Math--Mrs. Parrish, our college student, taught a lesson on Tuesday and Wednesday dealing with the subtraction of decimals. She also brought them in a little cookie treat! They were pretty happy with that one! Due to her son being ill and having to push that lesson back, the test has been pushed back too. I only pushed it back a day. So, now they will have a math test on Oct. 8. I believe our next chapter will be over multiplication.

Religion- We will be saying the rosary this month. I told them they could bring their own rosary, but they were responsible for taking care of it. I do have plenty of extras so they don't need to bring one from home. In 5th grade, they will also learn all the different mysteries of the rosary. They will also have 2 prayers to memorize, but we aren't there yet.
Have a GREAT weekend! I plan on catching some soccer games in Des Moines. My nieces will be there playing. God Bless, Miss Surma

Hello Parents, I hope you are having a great week!  We are finishing up our last story in this first unit in language arts. Next week I will be giving them a unit test.  I am still trying to figure out the test. It is very lengthy and I know they won't be doing all of it. The other part of our week I am going to talk to them about their first book report. I don't have a due date yet, but it will be near the end of the trimester. The other item we will be working on is creating Halloween stories. I usually read some of my favorites from my childhood to them first. The final product will need to be typed. If your computer isn't working, let me know. We can make arrangements to work on it before or after school when we are at that point.

Math- We are going to be finishing up our chapter on math next week. They will be taking a chapter test over everything. Right now, I have the test set for Monday, October 7. Mrs. Parrish, our college observer, is going to be teaching a lesson on Friday with the kids. She is just going along with where we are in our book. I believe she is teaching the subtraction of decimals. The key is remembering where to put the decimal. 

Homecoming- On Friday we are wearing our red and black to support the Creston Panthers!!! We are having a pep rally in the morning. The students are going to be dismissed 2 hours early. The Civics Club has made a float that any of the kids can ride on during the parade. Mr. Walsh sent out an email about the locations, but I believe they can get on the float after 1:30 on Prairie St.  You will need to pick them up after the parade at Holy Spirit Church. 

Social Studies-- Mrs. Sickels will be returning full time on Monday! I thank Mrs. Gammel for all her hard work with the kids in 3-5. She has really been a busy lady starting off a new year and having to learn a new reading series along with us! I am so glad she was here with us while Mrs. Sickels was away! 

21st Century Learning- There will not be school on Friday, Oct. 4. We will be attending this conference at the public school along with many other teachers around the area. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I am off to Doon to see my mom!!! Good luck to the Panthers!!! God Bless, Miss Surma

I hope it has been a nice week for you! Thank you to all my drivers on Tuesday!!! We hope you had a fun time too! Thank you to my vegetable choppers as well!!! That was a big pot of stew on the fire!! I think they had a good time in Ellston. I think they appreciate the fact that they don't have to churn the butter, chop and carry the firewood in the house, empty the chamber pots, or gather buffalo chips for the fire! 

Bucket Fillers- On Wednesday we showed the student body a short video clip of what it means to be a "Bucket Filler". This goes with our bulling program. This is more about the positive words and actions we see our students doing on a daily basis. In grades 3-5, there are buckets in each room. We've asked the adults to be on the lookout for our kids doing things that go above and beyond being nice. When they spot someone doing something, they are going to write a note to that student and drop it in the appropriate bucket. On Fridays, I will share our 5th grade notes with the kids, and they will get to keep the note that was written to them. Our goal is to model for the kids what they need to be on the lookout for and then they will become the person writing the notes! We really want to focus on seeing the positive actions our students are taking towards one another to build up our STM community. 

Math- I have a student from Buena Vista coming in to our math classes to do observations. She is Shawna Parrish. You might see her at ISSB.  I have already had her help me work with small groups. She has to observe 10 hours, I believe.  In the end, she will have to teach a math lesson.

Book Orders- Any book orders are due on Friday.

Language Arts- I have put in your child's folder a copy of last week's scores. This is YOUR copy. You don't need to sign it and return it.

Enjoy the Balloon Days weekend! God Bless, Miss Surma

I have a parent taking care of  the celery for our trip. I still need a parent to chop up 5 pounds of potatoes. Please let me know! If you are driving on the field trip, please don't volunteer. You are already helping me out. Thank you!

Hello Parents,
Happy Thursday! I hope you have had a great week!
Language Arts- I decided this time to just make you a copy of their score sheet from last week's test. You may keep this sheet. IT seems comprehension and decoding are the most difficult areas. This week's decoding is focusing on breaking up words with the VCCV pattern. That means they break the word up between the two consonants. For example: hap*pen. This should be an easier skill. I know our old series worked on this too. The comprehension questions are definitely higher order thinking. They are more challenging for the kids. They really need to slow down and make sure they understand what is being asked.

This week's story focused on two kids running for a class election. The boy Rudy was very informal in his speech. The girl Miata was the opposite. She was using formal language. We have discussed this quite a bit. I have a feeling it will appear on their  test. We also worked on vocabulary words and using our context because many words have more than one meaning. I find that led into their spelling worksheet on Tuesday as well. It even threw me when I was helping students!!! They really need to look at what that word means in the sentence.

Math- I think we are about half way through our chapter. We are going to be working on estimating whole numbers and decimals. We will also be working on adding and subtracting of decimals.

Religion- They had their first test on Tuesday. We also worked on the Blessed Trinity. They had to work on drawing a picture of something that represented three in one. Each piece would represent the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They will be posted in the hallway soon! I will give them their parts for our prayer service on Friday. I did half of the class this time and will do the other half at our next mass.

Book Order- I am sending a book order home in your child's folder.  Please return them by Friday, Sept. 20. IF you are writing a check...make it out to me or Scholastic Books.  I am also attaching the code from Scholastic. You can go to their website and order online if you like and I will make sure you to give your child their book when it arrives. www.scholastic.com   The code is DVT3G/

On September 23, the public school doesn't have school for a professional development day. We DO have school that day. You will have to get your kids on that day and pick them up! (This will save us in May when they are still in school and we aren't.)

Field Trip-- Your child needs a sack lunch and drink on Tuesday for our trip. Dress appropriately. It looks like the heat will be down!!! We are leaving at 8:30 and should be back around 1:30-1:45. They will be able to catch the bus!
Have a GREAT weekend! I am heading home to Doon.  God Bless, Miss Surma

Seeking food choppers! I received the letter for our field trip on Tuesday. They are asking us to donate 5 pounds of potatoes  They need to be washed and cut into bite size pieces. I also need someone to do the same with a bunch of celery. They would like them in a plastic container or bag. If you can help out, let me know. It will be first come, first serve! :) Thank you!!! 

Hello Parents,
I hope you had a great long weekend! I had a nice time at home! I was glad the hot weather left for a short while! We even had a thunderstorm!

Field Trip- If you haven't filled out the permission form I sent home last week in your child's folder, please do so. I think we are set on drivers. I am waiting to hear back on what vegetables we need to supply for the stew.

Language Arts- In your child's folder you will see a score sheet of last week's assessment. I also attached a letter explaining some things. Please take some time to look it over. We are going to still have a posttest on Friday for spelling. This week we worked on decoding open and closed syllable words. I have the kids take notes on the decoding. They can use their notes to help prepare themselves for Friday's assessment. We also worked on the long and short vowels in our spelling words. Their story this week was a play. There weren't enough roles so they had to take turns. I can see where some will need practice reading with inflection in their voices.

Math- This week we are really working on the decimals to the thousandths place. The trick is remembering the (ths) to add to the end of the place value.

Mass- On Monday, we will have mass with Father Walsh. Father Halbur will be on vacation. It is also the RVTV day for the Cy-Hawk game. The students and staff can wear clothing to support ISU, IOWA, or Creston Panthers with denim jeans, capris, or shorts. If you don't have anything like that they are to wear mass day attire. We will not have mass then on Wednesday. Our 5th grade prayer service will be the following week on the 18th.

I hope everyone has a GREAT weekend! Don't forget the Holy Spirit International Food Fair is here on Sunday afternoon and evening!

God Bless, Miss Surma

Hi Parents,
WOW! It seems like a crazy week! We have been very busy. We are really working at place value in math from billions to thousandths. They are to be able to write it in words, standard, and expanded form. We are working on it daily. 

The new reading series is PACKED with things to teach and do with the kids. I am still trying to figure that out and how to make our day run smoothly with it. Please be patient. I can tell the work will be more challenging for them. That goes along with our Iowa Core. They will be reading harder words. They will be writing more. They will be reading the story more often each week. We do assess after each story. Those are no longer 15 question tests. Now they will have 40 questions covering vocabulary, comprehension, decoding, and language arts. They will also have their post test in spelling. It is a lot more for them. 

In your child's folder is the permission slip for our field trip along with a letter. Please have the form returned to me by September 10. Thank you!

Religion- We started our year working on parts of the Bible. They had to be able to locate 10 different Bible verses for me. We are also working on Creation at this time. 

Picture Day is Thursday, August 29. Make sure if you're ordering pictures, I have the order form. Thanks! 

Mrs. Sickels is doing very well!!! Her incision is about 6 inches. They shaved her head entirely, but she was fine with that. Her biggest issues at this time are bright sunlight and noise. Those will go away in time. She is walking and napping when she is able to, the heat doesn't help right now!

I hope everyone has a great weekend! Enjoy the long weekend! I am heading to Doon after work on Friday to spend the weekend with my mom. 
God Bless, 
Miss Surma

Hi Parents,
I have 2 drivers so far for the field trip to Ellston, plus myself. I will need more! Please check your calendar to see if you can join us on September 17. I need to let them know by September 3 if we are able to be there. We won't go if I can't get enough drivers. So far I have 15 kids in cars. I still need room for 7 more! Please let me know if you can help out! Thank you!!!! 

Just letting you know that Mrs. Sickels surgery went very well ,but they did shave ALL her hair off. The tumor was benign! She is in ICU for the rest of today and tonight! God is Good!!!!

Hello Parents,
In your folder is a letter from me. It is more of a description of what to expect in 5th grade. It covers the classes, birthdays, lateslips,etc.
Reading- This week we are taking an assessment test. This is part of our new series. It will give me a little look into how your child does in all areas of reading. It works on vocabulary, decoding, spelling, comprehension, and writing. I also gave them a spelling test over 30 words. This also gives me an idea of where your child is when it comes to spelling. I am able to differentiate for your children based on those scores. It will be interesting for sure!!! I think the reading series is going to be more challenging for all of us..teachers and students! It really works with our Iowa Core which is necessary these days! Next week I will begin with lesson one.
Math- They took a test on Wednesday over all areas in math. This gives me an idea of what they know in math and what we still have to learn. We will begin with place value. We work from billions to thousandths! We are starting that focus on Thursday!
Religion- Our year will begin with knowing how to locate a verse in the Bible. This should be somewhat of a review for them because we did this last year too.
Field Trip-- The 5th graders will have a field trip to Ellston,Iowa on September 17. This is part of their Iowa History unit in social studies. Normally, Mrs. Sickels takes them, but due to her surgery, I will be going along! I haven't gone in quite awhile, so I am excited! We are going to visit the Ringgold County Historical Museum. I will need drivers. I also need to let you know there is more to just saying "yes" now. There is some more paper work involved as well as watching a video on driving online. Mr. Walsh has this information. If you can drive us that day, please let me know as soon as possible. You should contact the office about the paperwork and the video to watch beforehand. I will need room for 22 kids!
The week has gone very well! I am enjoying getting to know your kids better each day! I think we are off to a great start! Have a great weekend!  Ms. Surma

Hello Parents, 
Just a quick note for you. We will not be following  mass dresscode for the school masses in August. 

Remember tomorrow the kids need to have a sack lunch and drink. The older kids may bring a pop, but shouldn't be larger than the 16-20 oz bottles. They should also wear their tennis shoes for field day!

Your child's Iowa Assessment scores are on a sheet of paper in your child's Take Home Folder. 

Language Arts- They have taken their unit 6 test this week. Tomorrow  (Friday) I plan on giving them their end of the year test. If they need to make any corrections on this test, they will do that next Tuesday. 

Math- Well, we are finishing up the chapter, but not in time to take another test. I will still score them in the area of fractions on their progress reports based on their work in class. On Tuesday, they will take an end of the year test. This will cover a little bit of everything. 

Religion- They took their test on Monday. It is in their take home folders. We started a new chapter, but we won't be testing over it.
Field Day, May 29- Students should wear tennis shoes for the last day of school so they can easily participate in the field day activities. They should also have a sack lunch with drink for the day. 

I know they are basically "finished" with school, but I am trying to keep the learning going until they leave my room. I don't think I will have a blog next week, so this is my final one for the year. It has been a great year with your children! I have so enjoyed being their teacher and working with them every day. It is always hard for me to let them go knowing that I will only see them in passing next year. :( I am sure they will enjoy their new adventure in 6th grade and the middle school. Thank you for allowing me to be part of their lives for the last 3 years. They have left a mark on my heart. I hope everyone has a great summer! I hope the kids stay active and continue to do some reading!! If you're traveling, have fun, but be safe! I will heading to Doon on June 1 to spend it with my mom. We are in the process of getting her house ready to be put up for sale, so I am guessing this will be my last summer at home. I will see you next fall! 

What sweet kids I have in 5th grade!!! I was surprised this morning! Two of my girls had a bake sale this weekend and made $34! They gave the money to me for my mom's medical bills. I was overcome! I love your kids so much,and it made me realize our time together is coming to an end! It was a crazy year with my mom, but I am so thankful that I had your kids with me! They have always been so supportive and loving! Thank you so much for your wonderful children! 

Language Arts- Next week Monday we will be reviewing for our last unit test! Can you hear your kiddos cheering???We will test on Tuesday.  Later that week we will review for an end of the year test. We will possibly begin testing as well. I will see how things go. There won't be any spelling next week!
Book Reports-- They did a super job on those! I still have them and the grading process has been slow due to schedules, etc. I will return them as soon as I possibly can! Again, they did a great job on them! I love those reports because I always learn something new!
Math- We are working like crazy on those fractions! They did much better on the subtraction than I would have guessed! We are working on multiplication now of fractions and mixed numbers. We will most likely get to divide them too!!! I don't know if I will fit in another test over this chapter, but I hope to before the year is done! They will take an end of the year math test too. This is basically the same test they took on the first day of school. It lets me know how much they have learned. 
Religion- They will go over their study guide on Friday with me in class. They will take their chapter test on Monday. We had a lot of great discussions on the Ten Commandments. I was impressed!
Middle School- I believe they had a great day with the 7th graders! They were given a small taste of what moving around that building is like and how the teachers run their class periods. I know I enjoyed watching them. They had a lot of good questions for them. I think their biggest disappointment was recess was shorter by 5 minutes and no more swinging. :) If that is the worst thing....it will be a great time! 
Iowa Assessments- I have the scores on their tests for you. Please stop in some time to pick up your child's scores if you want to see them.
Field Trip- We had a great time at DMACC, and our weather wasn't that bad! Yahoo! Thank you Sally and Amy for driving us there! 
Mass-Next week Wednesday will be the last mass of the year. We will not have mass on the last day of school. The 1st graders and 5th graders did a great job at mass on Wednesday! I was very proud of them! 

My bad... your kids are supposed to pick out their EVENTS not days for the Elk's Track Meet!

Elk's Track Meet- The kids who signed up were sent home with an information sheet on Tuesday. They are to choose their days and let Mrs. Weihs know by contacting her on her cell phone. 
Substitute-  I will be gone on May 13. Mr. Bartling will be my sub! I am spending an extra day with Mom for Mother' Day weekend! 
Language Arts- We have one more story to read next week! That means only one more week of spelling! This means our final week of school will be spent on the last unit test as well as the End of Year test.
Math-We worked on adding and subtracting mixed numbers! Whew! The addition was pretty easy, but they have a hard time remembering to change improper fractions into mixed numbers or to simplify answers when needed. The subtracting is a little more difficult due to having to borrow from the whole number and then turn that into a fraction. For example: 1=2/2 or 1=12/12 or 1=8/8. I have looked ahead in the chapter. I am hoping I can finish it before our time is up! If so, they will also get to multiply and divide! 
Book Reports- They will present on Friday!! Don't forget the project and costume at home! 
Religion- We are finishing up our chapter on the Ten Commandments. I believe they will be testing sometime next week.
Wednesday, May 15- is our mass with first grade! Your kids will have their parts on Friday. Please practice the readings with them. They will also spend the rest of that day with the middle school kids!! It will be a mini-field trip for them! They will get a taste of middle school life!  
Mother's Day- I hope every mother has a terrific day on Sunday!! You deserve it! I know you may not hear it enough, but your kids love you and treasure you! I can tell from their conversations! I am heading to Doon to spend the weekend with my mom! 

Field Trip on Thursday, May 9, 2013. I told the kids to be prepared for rain! Dress appropriately, bring an umbrella and a jacket! No sack lunches needed. We are leaving at 8AM!!!

Field Trip- I am sending home a permission form for our field trip next week. Please fill it out and return by next Tuesday, May 7. I have enough drivers, thanks!!! The 5th graders should be at school on Thursday before 8 a.m. We will leave then. I don't think we will be back much before 4 p.m. The water festival is a science based day meant just for 5th graders! There will be about 2,000 kids on the campus that day. They will get to go to workshops throughout the day and learn different things relating to water and/or animals. It happens rain or shine, so the kids should dress for the weather that day! We walk the campus, so they should wear comfortable shoes. I recommend tennis shoes because sometimes they play games that will involve running. This is sponsored through UNI! They do NOT need to bring a sack lunch. One will be provided for them with a drink, water! 
Math- We are working on adding and subtracting fractions and mixed numbers this week! Chapter 7's work is coming in handy this week. I would say most mistakes I see are because they are forgetting to simplify their answers or they aren't paying attention to the math sign they need to be using. On Wednesday, we worked on estimating fractions and mixed numbers before adding or subtracting. I was pleased and surprised how easily they picked up on that! Wahoo!!!
Religion- We have really been discussing the Ten Commandments in our current chapter. We have had some very interesting and frank conversations about them. It has been a good week. While we talk about ways to break those commandments, I am also trying to focus on how to live them out the way God would want them to. 
Book Reports- These are coming up very soon! They are due next Friday, May 10. The students need to remember to bring their report or poster, their costume, and any props for their report that day! This is one of my favorite days! They have been sharing information with me as they read, so I am excited to learn more! 
Middle School Day- On Wednesday, May 15, the 5th graders will be shadowing a 7th grader. They will spend the morning, lunch, and recess with the students in grades 6-8 to see what a day in middle school will be like next year. This is an early out day, so they will only spend time with them in the morning before getting dismissed! 
Have a great weekend! I am hoping to go to Waterloo tomorrow for the weekend. We will see what Mother Nature does to mess with my plans! :)

Clean-Up Day- We are planning once again to clean up the school grounds on Friday, April 26. If you have a rake that would be great! Make sure to put your name on it. You can leave it by the office. If your kids have work gloves, they should bring those to school as well.

5^th Grade Field Trip- We will be attending the Iowa Children’s Water Festival at DMACC in Ankeny on May 9, 2013. I am looking for drivers. Please check your schedules for that day. We will be gone from 8-4. Let me know as soon as possible.

Math- We have moved into adding and subtracting fractions with like and unlike denominators.  What they learned in the last chapter will be key in helping them with unlike denominators in this chapter.

Blog- This week I am starting my blog. Actually each teacher is beginning to write their own. If you continue to go to the school website and my page, it will take you to it. After this week, that is where you will find any 5^th grade information. My “newsletter” will be posted there. You can leave me comments too. From my page you will be able to get to Mrs. Burg’s and Mrs. Sickel’s. You will be notified by email anytime I have posted something on my blog.  Remember…it is a work in progress! J

Middle School Information Night- April 30^th is from 6-7 pm. I hope all of you are considering attending. I think it will give you ideas on how things might be the same or different for your kids as they join the “big” building next year!

I hope you have a great weekend! The weather actually sounds like spring!!!

God Bless,

Miss Surma

Language Arts- Tomorrow if they have a costume to change into, they should just have it in a bag and we will keep it in the closet until showtime! I have talked to them about things they can wear…so they should have an idea. The villagers and women should look older, not kids. The 3 girls and brother are kids…dress as they would for school. Pablo is older man in the community….mass day clothes and a hat. Manuel…white shirt if possible. I will have the apron and cap for him. Remember the play is only about 10 minutes.

Lap-A-Thon-Thursday, April 25 is the Lap-a-Thon. Students should bring a water bottle and a possible second pair of shoes…sometimes it is very muddy over there. They can wear their shorts or sweatpants to run. They can wear headsets and play music if they like during their run.  If it is raining or they decide the ground is too wet, the rain date is April 25.

Clean-Up Day- We are planning once again to clean up the school grounds on Friday, April 26. If you have a rake that would be great! Make sure to put your name on it. You can leave it by the office. If your kids have work gloves, they should bring those to school as well.

5^th Grade Field Trip- We will be attending the Iowa Children’s Water Festival at DMACC in Ankeny on May 9, 2013. I am looking for drivers. Please check your schedules for that day. We will be gone from 8-4. Let me know as soon as possible.

Math- They could possibly be testing over this chapter on Monday or Tuesday.

I hope you have a great weekend!  I am possibly heading back to Doon this weekend; it will depend on their snow!

God Bless,

Miss Surma

Lights, Camera, Action!!!!!The try-outs are done! The parts have been decided! Let the practice begin!!!! Can't wait for another performance of  "The Baker's Neighbor"!!!

Dear Parents,

Happy Thursday!!! I hope your week has gone well!

Language Arts- They took their Unit 5 test this week. Tomorrow we will begin our next story. They are also going to be trying out for their parts in our annual “The Baker’s Neighbor” play. I have scheduled this for next Friday at 2:!5 in our gym. They will be asking you for possible props and costume help. Please do not go out and buy anything!!! The play is about 10 minutes in length. I sent home a flyer in your child’s folder as well.

Young Writer’s Conference is set for April 17. We didn’t go last year due to the tornado. The 5^th graders going this year will be Payton Burg, Beau Thompson, and Kara Kinsella. I will be going with the kids this year.

Lap-A-Thon-Thursday, April 18 is the Lap-a-Thon. Students should bring a water bottle and a possible second pair of shoes…sometimes it is very muddy over there. They can wear their shorts or sweatpants to run. They can wear headsets and play music if they like during their run.  If it is raining, I am guessing we will have a rain date set.

Clean-Up Day- We are planning once again to clean up the school grounds on Friday, April 19. If you have a rake that would be great! Make sure to put your name on it. You can leave it by the office. If your kids have work gloves, they should bring those to school as well. The 5^th graders usually rake along the fence line and up by Father Halbur’s home. IF it rains, I am sure we won’t be doing it.

I hope you have a great weekend!  Hopefully it will be nice outside!!!

God Bless,

Miss Surma

Linda and Emily rock!