Dear Parents, 
Happy Wednesday! I hope you're having a great week. Sounds like we are in for more rain! Ugh! I ended up soaked last weekend watching my niece play soccer for Loras. 

October 4 I am gone to a Tier 2 Training class. Mrs. Burg and Mrs. Levine took this last year. Mrs. Sickels and I are taking it this year. There will be 3 days that we are gone throughout the year. As I do anytime I am gone, I put out a warning to your kids on the kind of report I want to see when I get back. 

Reading- They should be finishing up their unit 1 test tomorrow when I am gone. I will get you scores next week in your child's folder.  On Tuesday, I gave them a packet with their book report choices in it. I believe there are about 8 different choices. They need to choose one. The project is due on November 8. They have all chosen a book, but I told them if they needed to change, they had until next Wednesday, Oct. 10. 

I gave them their October Book It calendars on Monday. The goal is 600 minutes. It is about 20 minutes a day. Some of them are really going to town! I also put them into reading teams. Every time a member finishes a book, they write the title down on their team's colored strip. We are making chains. I will dangle them from the ceiling. The goal to reach the floor and then start a new chain. I'd like to see how many books we can read by the end of Book It. We might go until the end of the year. I did put some rules in place. They can't just grab the shortest books on the shelf to get more strips for their team. They also can't use picture books. They have to be a chapter book.  This has also motivated them to read. 

Next week we will start with a new story in our textbook and a spelling test. 

Math- this week we started some more challenging work. They are multiplying by double digits as well as estimating. They are also solving division problems using the Distributive Property.  When I started it yesterday, they were kind of confused. Today I heard , "This is easy."  I will see when I get to check their work, but it really is another way to solve a division problem, but there are no remainders at this point either. 😁

Religion- We started praying the rosary this week. They are also working on memorizing a prayer. On Friday, I will begin listening to them to see if they know it. They have to memorize the Apostles' Creed and Hail Holy Queen. 

Folders- Due to me not being at school tomorrow, I will send the folders home on Friday. One less thing for my sub to do. 

Social Studies- On Friday they have to give Mrs. Sickels a short description of what they are going to make for their 3D project for their Iowa town. They need to include an idea of what they are going to use to build it. For example, if they were doing Creston, they might say, "I am making the train depot for Creston. I am going to use Legos."  They could use a box, wood, clay, styrofoam,etc. It is just to give her an idea of what the plan is. Now, she knows that sometimes you have to change what you are using. That's fine. 

On October 19 they have to have their rough draft of their paper written or typed for her. They have a pink sheet with all the things to include in that paper. They will need to rephrase things and put it in their own words. They can't copy word for word from a brochure or the internet. I know some kids haven't gotten their mail yet either. They should probably start looking up the information on the internet. Don't wait until the 18th in hopes that your mail will show up. Some years, it just doesn't. 

Friday is the last day to bring money in for the Coin Wars. It is also a Spirit Day. They may wear sweats for $1. We will also be going to the Food Pantry, unless it is raining. 

Morning Prayer- in your child's folder is a new list of people we are praying for during the month of October. Sorry for any misspellings. I do my best with what your kids tell me. :) 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! My oldest sister Mary is coming down for a visit. 
God Bless, 
Miss Surma