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