Hello Parents,

Happy Wednesday! So much energy this week with fun clothing and the realization that Christmas break is around the corner! 

Calendar Dates:

Dec. 22- Bring a Sack Lunch

Dec. 23- Jan. 2- Christmas Break

January 3- Classes Resume/ Mass Day

Reading- We finished our story about the Wild West this week. We enjoyed the biscuits from Mrs. Clark in the kitchen! The struggle was real for moving west back then. I don't know that I could have handled all the hardships. Those people were so strong! They will test over this Wild West story on Thursday. On Friday morning we will do the weekly assessment, but we are doing it on paper this time. They are going to work with me to figure out how to look up hints or answers in the story. I am hoping they will learn that there is no rush. They have plenty of time. They will also have a spelling test on Friday. 

Math- We finished our chapter! They took a test on Wednesday! When we get back from break I am going to start the multiplication of decimals chapter. Most likely I will be jumping around in that chapter a little bit because I want us to get to division and fractions! 

Religion- this week we have been covering Advent. On Monday, we discussed the people we remember on the Jesse Tree. I did show them two short little videos on Ruth and Queen Esther because we don't know them as well. On Tuesday, we discussed our own family trees. They may have questions about their ethnicity. We also talked about traits that we pick up from our parents: height, hair color, etc. When we return we will do a short chapter on Christmas. 

Mass- Starting in January the first graders and kindergarten kids will start to do mass. The 5th graders will be helping the kindergartners with their masses. Some of the 5th graders will have reading parts, some may only hold the microphone. Not all 5th graders will have a job. We do have mass that first day back in January! Dress up! Maybe we will have some snow by then! 

Thank you so much for the nice Christmas presents!!! They are so great! The snacks I am probably going to share with my family! I am heading to Waterloo to spend it with my brother and sister and their families.  I hope all of you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year! 🎄✝❤

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Hello Parents! Happy Wednesday! I hope your week is going well! We are busy little elves I feel like this week! I can't believe we only have one more week until Christmas break! 

Calendar Dates:

Dec. 11-15- Coin Wars 

Dec. 14- Sing for CDA at Holy Spirit

Dec. 15- Spirit Day

Dec. 23- Jan. 2- Christmas Break

January 3- Classes Resume/ Mass Day

Dress Up Days Next Week: 

Dec. 18- Grinch Day/ Wear Green

Dec. 19- Pajama Day/ Slippers/Robe

Dec. 20- Dress up- Mass Day

Dec. 21- Dress Up as your favorite Christmas Carol

Dec. 22- Ugly Sweater/ Favorite Christmas Shirt

Don't forget to wear your winter coats etc., on these days! Recess will be chilly in PJs. 

Reading- In their folders you will find their scores from their Module test last week. They did better! We took time on Monday to go over the test question by question and discussed possible hints that might have helped them or using their composition notebook for help too. On Tuesday, we started our next module. This one covers the Wild West. They had to discuss what they already knew about the move out west years ago and we focused on some key vocabulary words. We are going to be reading a story that is informational-nonfiction. It is about the things the pioneers had to experience on their travels west. I found it really interesting, but I like learning about that time period in our nation's history. This is another longer story, so we won't be on a 5 day cycle. I will make sure we get this done before Christmas break. 

Book Report- They were given their next project last week. They all have a Newbery Winner or Newbery Honor book. The final day to switch books is Friday. I know a couple of them have already finished reading!  The project is due on January 26. Those that have finished reading might want to start on their project now before they forget all the details. 

Religion- They did a great job on their chapter test! We will be focusing on the Advent season before break. 

Math- Our schedule this week has been a little off. I am still hoping we can get the chapter test in next week before break. Multiplying 3 digits by 2 digits has thrown some of them off a bit. 

Congratulations to the 5th graders! They won the cookie party for the

 Read-A-Thon for most minutes read! Thank you to those who participated!!! 

Friday, December 22- The kids will need a sack lunch. Milk will be provided so they do not need a drink. The kids will eat lunch with their Advent Angels in the gym. After lunch is when we do the caroling. You are welcome to come and sing along. That will start around 12:30.  In the past SOME Angels like to get their Angel partner a Christmas gift. This is NOT required. Please remember to make the gift something simple and easy for their buddy to carry home that day! Please don't spend more than $5. Again, this is optional! No worries, I will remind you again next week! 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I need to finish up wrapping gifts and maybe start some holiday baking! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Hello Parents, 

Well, it's been an off and on couple of weeks since coming back from Thanksgiving. Lots of short fuses and picking at each other. Not every day, but it feels like it sometimes. It's nothing horrible! Don't worry. I just think we are getting on each other's nerves.  I think we are just in that Christmas mode and ready for a longer break. We will make it through! Only 2 more weeks! They may nag at each other in one minute, but then they are all giggles  the next! I love your kids! ❤

 Calendar Dates:

Dec. 6- Christmas Program 6 pm

Dec. 8- Mass/ Holy Day of Obligation/Noisy Change Collection

Dec. 11-15- Coin Wars 

Dec. 14- Sing for CDA at Holy Spirit

Dec. 15- Spirit Day

Dec. 23- Jan. 2- Christmas Break

Permission  Slip- Another one in your child's folder! This one is an invite to the church to sing for the CDA. The ladies are also super sweet and make lunch for us! I told the kids they usually make really good dishes, but if your child is worried...tell them to pack a sack lunch. We usually walk away feeling stuffed. The 5th graders will also sing their Christmas songs for the ladies. I feel lucky that I get to go every year with the 5th graders. Please return ASAP. 

Reading- They took their selection quiz on Tuesday over our hurricane story. They took their weekly module test on Wednesday. They also took their spelling test. On Thursday, we will take the Module Test (unit test).

Religion- We finished up our chapter on the Beatitudes. On Monday we had to create hashtags for what we could do to live like Jesus. That was fun to write! They will test next week! We will then start working on Advent. 

Math- We are working on multiplying larger numbers by two digit numbers. We are also working on some of our factors have 0 in them! They have the process down for the most part, but when it became a number in the hundreds that slowed some of them down. We also have some little errors in adding or not dropping the 0. They are making great strides! 

Coin Wars will start next week!

Don't forget if you can help out by donating to the nursing homes, please do!  We have more people this year! 200! Please help out if you can and thank you to those who already have sent items in ! They are so appreciated! 

Advent Angels activity will begin this Friday! Don't forget we have mass on Friday. It is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. There will also be a Noisy Change Collection at mass. This money goes to help our adopted families. We buy some Christmas presents for them. 

Prayers- I just wanted to let you know that your kids are great at praying for you and others! I feel like every morning during our morning prayer, they keep adding more people to their list. It makes our prayer take a little more time, but I don't care! I love that they care so much for others! 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Hello Parents, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I had a very nice time with my brother and his family in Waterloo. It was great to see the nieces again!  I hope your kids filled you in on their day at BizTown! I hope you got to see the pictures we posted on Facebook. It was such a great day! The ladies there told me that this was the biggest group of kids and were worried about how it would go. It went so well! I was so proud of them! It was fun at lunch to hear our kids and others say, " I need to eat fast because I have to get back to work!"

 Calendar Dates:

Dec. 1- Spirit Day / Read-A-Thon Due

Dec. 6- Christmas Program 6 pm

Dec. 8- Mass/ Holy Day of Obligation/Noisy Change Collection

Dec. 11-15- Coin Wars 

Dec. 14- Sing for CDA at Holy Spirit

Reading- On Monday we had our LETRs class with Emily Lampe from the AEA. We spent a great deal of time working through our new reading series and discussing how we could/should plan our days. The biggest A-HA for me was that some of my stories and the work that goes with it can't all be done in 5 days. We were so used to doing that with our old series. So I told the 5th graders, that for our story this week we are definitely slowing down! It is about hurricanes and reads much like a science textbook. The story is also 14 pages long. They will NOT have a spelling posttest this Friday! It will be sometime next week. I told them I will let them know when, so they aren't surprised, but they should keep practicing their words at home. 

The spelling list for this story focuses on the VCCV pattern. On Tuesday the kids had to write and divide their spelling words up between the consonants. For example they had to write the word bargain like bar*gain and jour*ney. 

Math- We are working on multiplication. We are multiplying triple digits times double digits today. That was confusing for some so we will practice again tomorrow in class. I am not sure what is throwing some of them off yet. 

Helpful 5th graders! Your kids helped me out today! We have our new song books for the coming church year. A group of girls helped me cut the Eucharistic Prayer card out today of the books from the closet. The other kids were counting out books and delivering to each classroom! They will be ready for Advent next week! Many hands make light work! 

Religion- We are still working on the Beatitudes! We will probably be testing next week sometime.  There will not be mass next Wednesday (Dec.6) . We are moving it to Friday because it's a holy day- The Feast of the Immaculate Conception. They won't need to dress up on Wednesday, but they will on Friday! 

Advent Angel activities will also start next Friday. 

Christmas Program- In your child's folder is a permission slip for the kids to go to the high school next week to practice for the Christmas program. The program is that night at 6 pm in the auditorium. Please return the form ASAP. Thanks! I have heard some of their songs. They sound great! 

Spirit Day on Friday! They can wear sweats for $1.

I hope everyone has a GREAT weekend! Sounds like it will be a great weekend to walk around Creston on Saturday with the Merry Market Place! I know some kids will be singing! 

God Bless, 

Miss Surma

 Hello Parents! I hope you are having a great week! Colds and illnesses have started to enter our classroom. Me included! I am going to be pushing using hand sanitizer! If you are at the store, the classroom could also use more wipes! I bought a 3 pack on Tuesday. 

 Calendar Dates:

Nov. 17- End of 1st Trimester

Nov. 21 - BizTown Field Trip

Nov. 22-27- No School/Thanksgiving Break

Nov. 28- School Resumes

Nov. 29- 5th grade mass

Reading- This week we are reading a story about the tsunamis that hit Indonesia in 2004! Remember seeing that on the news?? I showed them a little of a video that was taken that day, but it was mostly the aftermath. These stories are definitely harder to read due to the content and vocabulary. It is interesting to see how they predict those earthquakes under the sea. Did you know they measure coral?? They also knew that the island was slowly sinking so the scientists predicted something was going to happen! I had no idea. That is a lot different from predicting tornadoes! Their spelling list this week is compound words! Did you notice that some have spaces in between while others have hyphens? That is always  a fun pretest to give! In grammar they are working on conjunctions and subordinating conjunctions. We also are talking about dependent and independent clauses. 

Math- We started chapter 3 this week with multiplication. They had to multiply one and two digit numbers by 10, 100, 1000. They also had to estimate their factors and then mentally multiply to find the product. On Tuesday, they worked on multiplying numbers by a single digit. On Thursday we will begin multiplying  double digits . This should be a review, but I always go slower because I know it takes a minute to remember how to do it. We will use the standard algorithm which means the way you learned to multiply! So, you can always help them at home too. 

Biz Town- The 4th and 5th got together to finish up their work in their businesses on Tuesday. Today, I sat with each business and we filled out their checkbooks and deposit tickets. They also had to enter some information into their bank register so they will be ready to go! We will leave that morning at 8:00 am! Please make sure your child is here by that time! They need to wear mass day attire. They need to have a sack lunch and drink that day. No sodas. We told them not to pack a full course meal because they probably won't have much time to really eat that day.  It is also a "working lunch"! 😉 I will tell the kids that morning what cars they are riding in. They are sooooo excited! They have a countdown going on! 

Religion- We started our new chapter on the Beatitudes. They don't have to memorize them! We spend a lot of time talking about each one and how to live it! Our next mass is on the 29th, the Wednesday we get back from Thanksgiving. I don't know that I will have everything ready for them next week...so they might not get their reading parts until the 28th, but I am going to try!    I told the kids today that Father was back, but wouldn't be at mass because he was sleeping! Guess who surprised us??? It was so good to see his smiling face again! 

Our kickoff to the Read-A-Thon started today with our Advent Angels! It was a lot of fun! Ask your kids!  They can add that 30 minutes of reading to their papers! 

I won't be writing a blog next week! I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving! If you are traveling to see family, I will say some prayers for smooth roads and no deer! I plan on heading back to Waterloo to spend it with my brother and his family. 🦃🍽

God Bless, 

Miss Surma 

 Hello Parents! I hope you enjoyed the extra days with your kids after conference week! I know I enjoyed the longer weekend. I was able to clean my house. Resetting my clock didn't seem to go well for me on Monday morning! I messed up my AM and PM! Amazingly, I still made it by 7:45! I now have 2 alarms set! 😀

 Calendar Dates:

Nov. 10- Veteran's Day and Pep Rally/Spirit Day

Nov. 15- Read-A-Thon kickoff/ PTO Meeting

Nov. 17- End of 1st Trimester

Nov. 21 - BizTown Field Trip

Nov. 22-27- No School/Thanksgiving Break

Nov. 28- School Resumes

Nov. 29- 5th grade mass

Reading- This week we read a story called Eruption! It is about a volcano eruption that happened in June 1991 of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines.  This is definitely a nonfiction story filled with harder vocabulary words that are definitely for this topic area! I showed them a quick video about this volcano too so they could really see some of the devastation afterwards. Our grammar this week is focusing on direct and indirect objects.  They will have a spelling test and weekly test on Friday morning. 

Math- Mrs. Sickels and I got our kids together and told them their jobs for BizTown Day! I think they are pretty excited. Then our CEOs and CFOs had to do some math to figure out how much they were asking for in their loans from the bank. The other kids were busy writing ads for the newspaper, radio, magazine, and video.  I am going to get them back in our math books on Thursday! We are working on multiplication. 

Religion- They did a chapter review on Tuesday and will be working on a study guide. They won't test until next week. This chapter gives a brief overview of all 7 sacraments. Our next chapter is covering the Beatitudes. 

Friday- The afternoon will be crazy, but packed with fun! First, it is a Spirit Day. They can wear sweats. We'd like to see them in some black and red as well to support the football team! If they would rather wear red, white, and blue for Veterans Day- that is okay too! 

Our Veterans Day program is shorter this year. It will be from 1-1:40 pm.We will be leaving right after for the high school to attend the Pep Rally.  We will be back for the bus, but don't be surprised if we are a little late due to the rally. Please be patient in the bus and car line. 

Just a reminder- your kids will need a sack lunch and drink on the field trip November 21. We are asking that they don't bring any pop/sodas for their drink that day. Water bottles, Gatorade, juice boxes are fine. They really won't have a lot of time with their lunch and drinks. They will not be carrying their water bottles with them to their jobs like they do in school. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! Will I see you at the dome??? I am planning on watching the 10 am game with Van Meter that morning to watch my godson play. My brother Joe also films the games for the Panther Network. He will most likely be above one of the end zones. You might catch me hanging out with him! Safe travels for all those going to the game! Go PANTHERS! 🏈🏈🏈

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Hello Parents! I just want to know where October went? Actually, where did our first trimester go?? I feel like it is flying by us so quickly! 

 Calendar Dates:

Oct. 27- Black and Red Day to support Panthers 

Oct. 30- Parent Teacher Conference Week

Oct. 31- Celebrating Halloween at school

Nov. 2 - No School/Conferences

Nov. 3- No School/ Comp Day

Reading- this week they have been busy typing their final drafts of their Halloween stories!! Most of them are done all ready!  I hope to start sharing them tomorrow or Friday. They will be posted in the hallway. You will be able to check them out during conferences! 

We also took our first module test (unit test). I am still grading those. I plan on showing you  those during our conference time. I had them take this one on paper so that you can see them. The next one might be on their Chromes. 

Book Reports- they all were able to share them on Wednesday. I haven't had the time to grade them yet. I am hoping I can get some done yet this week, but I will for sure get them done over the weekend! They did a great job!

Math- We are working through their BizTown workbooks. We talked this week about making deposits and withdrawals. We worked on writing checks, filling out deposit slips, and debit card receipts. We also focused on getting part of that paycheck in cash and depositing the rest.   We also talked about bouncing checks and what happens if you do that. I have talked to them a little about online banking and credit cards as well. They are loving it! 

I have talked to them about the fact that not a lot of people write checks anymore... many use their debit cards. Some track their money using their banking apps. We are going old school you could say with BizTown. They are writing checks and keeping track of their account with their transaction book. 

There is a letter and permission slip going home in folders on Thursday. Please return the permission slip as soon as possible. The field trip isn't until November 21, but better to get ahead of it all. 

Religion- We are back in the book. Our next chapter deals with the seven sacraments. They will only touch on them a little bit. We have chapters coming up that delve deeper into them. I did talk to them about the ACRE test they will take in the spring. It is a standardized religion test that is given to 5th and 8th graders each year.  It shows us what they have learned in their religion classes and at mass. 

Black and Red Day on Friday to support the Panther football team! Wear your black and red! This is NOT a Spirit Day. No sweats. ❤🏈

Conference Week is next week! Thank you all for picking a time! Monday is pretty packed so don't be surprised when I set an alarm. I don't want to throw all of you off by getting behind. 

Halloween- We will celebrate on Halloween! The kids should pack their costume that day! The 6-8 grades are planning on some fun activities before the Halloween Parade. I think they will have a busy afternoon! You are welcome to join us for the parade in the gym! It's usually a packed house! If you are taking your child home after the parade, make sure you let the office know beforehand. 👻👻👻

November 1- All Saints Day is a holy day of obligation. We will celebrate it at school on Wednesday at mass. 

October Book It Calendars are due on November 1!!! Make sure you have signed them! I will give them their November calendar that same day. The goal will be the same- 600 minutes. 

I hope everyone has a good weekend! I pray that "s" word I heard the meteorologists use doesn't occur! I am not ready to see that stuff! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

Happy Wednesday Parents! This week seems to be flying by so quickly! I had a great weekend in Sioux Falls with my sisters. Mary is doing so well after her surgery, but we just sat around and visited all day! My brother-in-law grilled dinner for us that night! 

 Calendar Dates:

Oct. 13- No School/ PD Day for Teachers

Oct. 20- Spirit Day

Oct. 25- Book Reports Due

Oct. 30- Parent Teacher Conference Week

Oct. 31- Celebrating Halloween at school

Nov. 2 - No School/Conferences

Nov. 3- No School/ Comp Day

Spirit Day this Friday! $1 for hats and/or sweats! 

Book Report Projects due on Wednesday, Oct. 25! We will start sharing that day!

Religion- This week they are finishing up their posters of the Mysteries of the Rosary.  On Fridays, I take them to the chapel so we can pray the Rosary. Last week we took time to dedicate each decade to someone or some group of people- they came up with the people. It was so sweet. We will be starting back in the book with our next chapter tomorrow. In the next chapter we learn a little bit about all 7 sacraments. 

Father Patrick left today for his trip home to see his mom and family. We pray for safe travels and a wonderful visit! I cannot imagine not seeing my family for 4 years.

Math- they finished the chapter and you have seen the test scores. Instead of moving on we are starting to work on our trip to BIzTown in November! This is a field trip for 4-5th graders. We are working on information for you so that will be coming home soon. BizTown is put on by Junior Achievement. The kids will be working in this "town" with jobs and they will have to write checks and balance their checkbooks. There is more to it, but that gives you an idea! It is a GREAT learning experience and the kids have so much fun. So, in math class I am teaching them  about opening bank accounts and writing checks, etc. They have a workbook that we will be going through in preparation for that day! 

They are still taking their timed tests each week. We are making progress there too! 

Reading- This week we read a poem called "The Poem that Would Not End". It is about a boy who spends his entire day writing poems. He writes on the walls, napkins, paper, a soccer ball,  a skateboard, in the dirt, and other places. The poem contains about 19 different poem styles! Haiku, Cinquains, Free Verse, and Concrete are just a few. This is new teaching for me as well! So, we are taking this slow, but I decided the Friday test will be something we do together rather than alone because this is all new. In grammar they are working on action, helping, and linking verbs. They WILL have a spelling test on Friday as usual.  Next week is our unit test. We are going to try those and see how it goes! 

Halloween- We will celebrate Halloween at school on the 31st. Your child should pack their costume that day for our parade at the end of the day. The parade is usually around 2:30 in the gym.  You are welcome to come and watch. I am sure more information will be coming soon. I just wanted to give you a heads up! 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I am so excited because I am NOT going anywhere! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Hello Parents! I hope you're having a good week!  

Calendar Dates:

Oct. 13- No School/ PD Day for Teachers

Oct. 20- Spirit Day

Oct. 25- Book Reports Due

Oct. 30-Nov. 2- Parent Teacher Conferences

Reading- This week we took a break since we only have 4 days. Last week we read a little bit of The Secret Garden. On Monday and Tuesday, we watched the movie. We watched the one from 1993. I rented it on Amazon Prime for really cheap! Some of them said they want to watch it again at home. I also read to them some of my favorite Halloween short stories that my 5th grade teacher used to read to me and my class. On Wednesday they started writing their Halloween story rough draft. They will get time on Thursday to continue writing it, but it will be due on Monday. Next week they will have a spelling test! Next week's story is poetry. This will be new for me and them! 

Math- They have a math test on Thursday over adding and subtracting decimals. 

Religion- Many have passed both prayers! I am testing those who still need to pass one or both tomorrow. We will do it again on Monday! They are also drawing and coloring pictures to represent the mysteries of the Rosary. Father Patrick leaves for Ghana next week to see his family. We wish him safe travels. 

Conferences- The office sent out the parent teacher conference link! Please make sure to check your calendar and pick a day and time! 

Book Reports- Projects will be due on October 25! That's two weeks from now! 

This week is a short letter! I hope everyone has a great weekend! I am heading to Sioux Falls, SD for a sisters weekend with two of mine. My sister Mary recently had back surgery so we are going to pamper her a little bit! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Happy Wednesday! I just wanted to let you know that I am soooooo enjoying working with your kids this year! They keep me on my toes and make me laugh almost daily! ❤❤❤

Calendar Dates:

Oct. 6- Spirit Day

Oct. 13- No School/ PD Day for Teachers

Oct. 20- Spirit Day

Oct. 25- Book Reports Due

Oct. 30-Nov. 2- Parent Teacher Conferences

Thank you! I got some wipes for the classroom! Will definitely take more if you are at the store! 

Religion- The 5th graders did a wonderful job leading the Rosary today!  I am so proud of them!  We are going to be stepping away from the book for  bit. We are going to focus on the Rosary. They will have two prayers to memorize. They are getting copies to take home on Thursday! Feel free to practice that with them at home. I told them they will keep saying it to me until they pass so this isn't a one shot deal. We are also going to focus on the different Mysteries of the Rosary and what part of Jesus and Mary's lives are being depicted. 

Math- This second chapter is short! They are nearing the end! I think they could be testing again next week, but that isn't a guarantee yet with the schedule. 

Spirit Day- This Friday is a Spirit Day! They might actually want to wear sweatpants with the predicted temperatures! $1 for sweats and/or a hat. 

Reading- This week they are reading two stories. One is realistic fiction. It is just a segment from The Secret Garden. I told the 5th graders this book is considered a classic! I wish they had given us more than 5 pages to read from the book. The other story is a play. So this week we are learning about the story elements - character, setting, plot, resolution. We are also talking about the literary elements of a play and what dialogue means.  We worked more on Figurative Language as well. I created a little cheat sheet to remind them of the different kinds- personification, idioms, similies, hyperboles, and metaphors. They glued this in the interactive notebook so that they can go and refer to it when we are working in class or on a test. On Tuesday, we really focused on personification. On Thursday, we are talking more about idioms which are my favorite!  They will have their spelling test on Friday. They will also take their Friday cold read test. These are slowly getting better each time. I think they are getting a better handle on what is expected in the short answer questions, but some are still writing one sentence and that just doesn't cover it. 

This new series covers so much in a week's time that I feel bad so that is why you might see a lot of extra worksheets in their folders with a D.T. (Did Together) on them. We do them together because I just don't like overwhelming them with all the work to do alone. Some of it they do with a partner or small group. In grammar this week they are working on making nouns plural. I told them in this case spelling will matter! 

FAST Scores- in your child's folder you will find their Fall Reading and Math scores. If your child is needing interventions we have already sent that paper home to you. I started this week working with some kids in both areas. 

Book Reports are due on October 25. I have a few who have already done some of their project work here at school! 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I am driving to Waterloo again. I am participating in a Breast Cancer Walk for my sister-in-law's sister. We were all roommates in college at UNI! Tracy was diagnosed this past summer and is receiving treatment currently. 

God Bless, 

Miss Surma

 Happy Wednesday! I hope you're having a great week! 

Calendar Dates:

Oct. 1- Book It Starts

Oct. 4- No Mass/ Rosary led by the 5th grade

Oct. 6- Spirit Day

Oct. 13- No School/ PD Day for Teachers

Oct. 20- Spirit Day

Oct. 25- Book Reports Due

Oct. 30-Nov. 2- Parent Teacher Conferences

Book It- The 3-5th graders will be participating in the Book It program. I am sending home a calendar in their Take Home Folders for them to keep track of the minutes they read each month. They will need to return the calendar at the end of the month, signed by you! IF they read more than the goal- all the better! If they meet the goal they will get a certificate from Pizza Ranch and a treat from me! This program runs from October through March. I will give extra prizes in March for those who participate and meet the goals for all 6 months! The 5th graders' goals will increase every 2 months. They start out at 600 minutes a month, which is about 20 minutes per day. 

Religion- They will have their first test tomorrow. They have had the study guide for 2 days. We are also going to work on the Rosary the rest of the week for next week's mass time. Actually, in October we will step away from the book to focus on the Rosary and learning prayers. Most of that will be done in school.  

Math- our next chapter should be easier for them! We will be adding and subtracting decimals!! On Wednesday we talked about the commutative and associative properties to add and subtract. We also worked on solving mentally. I did tell them they always need to show their work unless they are doing something mentally. 

Reading- This week they are reading another story that is a fantasy. This one was LONG and lots of big words! I was surprised! This story is about a young boy who is reading a journal  about a man's journey in his hot air balloon and the creatures he saw flying through the sky. The creature was a mix of a panther and a bat, but they were white.  The young boy was trying to figure out whether he was imagining these or if they were real. They also have lots of skills to focus on. We worked on synonyms and the suffixes -y, -ly, and -ily. We will also be talking about identifying similes in sentences. They will take a test on Friday in spelling and another cold read. Scores were much better last week. I just wish these tests offered more questions to prove the students' knowledge. 

St. Jude- Last night I met my sister in Des Moines at St. Francis of Assisi Church. The forearm of St. Jude was on display yesterday for people to venerate or attend mass last night. St. Jude is the patron saint of lost causes. He is known for miraculous cures of illnesses. I wanted to share some pictures with you. The arm is on tour throughout the US. It was really amazing to see. There were so many people there! 

Next week is October! Wow! Time is flying by quickly!! I hope everyone has a great weekend! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Dear Parents, It sounded like the kids had a great weekend with football, volleyball, camping, and Balloon Days!  I enjoyed listening to so many of them in the Children's Choir at mass on Sunday! 

Calendar Dates:

Sept. 21- PTO Meeting/ Social 6 pm

Sept. 22- Homecoming/3 hr Early Out

Oct. 4- No Mass/ Rosary led by the 5th grade

Oct. 13- No School/ PD Day for Teachers

Oct. 25- Book Reports Due

Math- We are finishing up our chapter this week! I am thinking they will have a test next week. I think it will most likely be on Monday or Tuesday. We will see how the practice test goes. 

Religion- This week they had to draw pictures to represent the Blessed Trinity. I will try to post a picture on Facebook to show you all of them! They are wrapping up this chapter as well. They will take a test next week. Just like in the past, they will have a study guide for the test.  Next week we will start practicing the Rosary. They will be leading it for the entire school on October 4 because Father Patrick is gone that day. There won't be a mass. You are welcome to join us for the Rosary! 

They did an outstanding job at mass on Wednesday!!! 

Homecoming Friday- It is a Spirit Day! They can wear their sweats and/or hats for $1. They can also wear any Panther gear  as well as their tattoos if they ordered them! 

Reading- This week they read a fantasy story about a man who was trying to build something to make him airborne, but not an airplane. We giggled over his attempts and the pictures they included.  In grammar they are working on writing compound sentences with conjunctions and commas as well as making sure their subjects and verbs work together! I am hoping that we will be back in time from the pep rally tomorrow to do the spelling test and cold read test. 

I'd like to say scores improved last week, but they really didn't. I told the kids they need to read and reread before answering questions. One of the questions was putting 4 events from the story in chronological order. That is tough to do, but you also need to be patient and reread to check. I think grammar took a hit because they got the kinds of sentences mixed up. They did improve on their short answers though! Some of them really wrote a lot more! I told them the more they write to explain the better chance they have at getting the full points.  I wish the tests had more questions to prove their knowledge. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I am off to Waterloo and Dubuque. My niece is a senior at Loras College and is senior day at her soccer game!  Excited to hopefully get to see her play!

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Hello Parents, I hope everyone had a great week! My tooth pulling went great! I had no pain by Saturday! I also enjoyed seeing family over the weekend! I can't believe my youngest niece is a senior! 

Calendar Dates:

Sept. 15-16 Balloon Days

Sept. 20- 5th grade mass

Sept. 21- PTO Meeting/ Social 6pm

Sept. 22- Homecoming/3 hr Early Out

Oct. 25- Book Reports Due

PTO Meeting/ Social- The first one of the year is next Wednesday. I did see that if you show up your child will get a FREE SWEATPANTS Pass!!! I know they are also working on trying to make it more of a social gathering time rather than meeting. Please check it out! The more hands we have, the lighter the work! 

Reading- We read two stories this week. One is about a boy named William who grew up in  an impoverished village in Africa. Due to the drought, his family was low on food and money so he had to stop going to school after 8th grade. He went to his library one day (which consisted of 3 shelves) and found a book on energy. He was able to find parts to build a windmill for his family's crop. He also figured out how to create electricity from that so they could have a light bulb in their house. He was only 15 at the time! We read another story about Marilyn Hamilton who loved to hang glide, but after an accident she was paralyzed. She was determined to live a full life and hated being in a wheelchair. She and some friends designed a new wheelchair that was lighter and easier to move so that she could play tennis! We read about how people also play rugby and basketball from their wheelchairs. It also talked about how the design of it was really important so that the athletes could move quickly and safely.   We worked on identifying parts of the Winds of Hope story using the cause and effect. They had to figure out what William did and what caused it. 

In grammar we are working on the 4 kinds of sentences: exclamatory, declarative, imperative, and interrogative. They have had this in past years,but always key to remind them that their sentences need capital letters and some kind of punctuation!

They will have a spelling test and weekly test on Friday. I am sending home last week's weekly test scores in their Take Home Folders. These were not that pretty.  I explained to the 5th graders these are different than last year's. This one only had 11 points total. The minute you start to miss some of the questions, the faster your score drops. It's also a little like going to college and taking that first exam from your professor. You never know how those tests will look, the kinds of questions they ask, etc.  Each week will be a "cold read". That means they read it alone with no discussion in class.  They need to really read and focus and possibly read again! It doesn't hurt to go back and look up possible answers.  Some of the  questions have context clues in them...they need to look for those little hints as well. Hopefully, each week is a little better! I know not every week is the same point total.  

Next week we will begin our Monday-Friday schedule. So there will be a spelling pretest on Monday and a post test on Friday. 

Mass- Our first mass is next week Wednesday. I will be handing out their parts on Friday to them. Not all will have a speaking part, but all will have a job! You are more than welcome to join us at mass. I know the kids love seeing you there to cheer them on!! 

Math- We are really working into decimals. They had to learn how to write them in written, expanded, and standard form. They also had to be able to compare decimals and figure out how to write them from greatest to least. Our next step was learning to round them to the nearest place value name-- whole number (ones), tenths, hundredths, and thousandths. We talked about rounding money to the nearest dollar when you're shopping so you know about how much you're spending and whether you have enough money to spend. 

Religion- We worked on the seven days of creation and then the Incarnation which is the Son of God becoming flesh in Jesus Christ. We also review the Blessed Trinity- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I'm betting our first test will be some time next week. 

Homecoming- Next Friday, the 22nd, is a 3 hour early out. There won't be lunch served that day.  Kids can wear their Panther gear if they have some! For the first time, we are going that morning to the high school to participate in their coronation activities. There is a permission form in your child's Take Home Folder. Please fill out and return as soon as possible. We will come back here after that fun for the remainder of our time before dismissal. 

Pictures and ID- In your child's folder are their school pictures. They also included an ID badge. I'm not sure how you can use that, but there you go!

I hope everyone has a GREAT weekend!!! Enjoy these beautiful temps  and Balloon Days! I know the Children's Choir is singing at Sunday mass! I can't wait to listen! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend! I know I did! Although cleaning my house is the least of my joys! I was able to finish a couple of books! 

Calendar Dates:

Sept. 8- Substitute for me in the afternoon/ Spirit Day

Sept. 11- FAST Testing begins

Sept. 20- 5th grade mass

September 8 is a Spirit Day- Sweats, hats, and sunglasses for $1. It is also our CY-Hawk Day so they can wear their favorite TEAM shirt. I will be supporting UNI! I am allergic to the other colors! 💜💛💜💛 The temps are supposed to be a little cooler so they might like sweats that day! Again- all of this is optional. They don't have to participate. 

Reading- They took their post test from last week on Tuesday. They also took the weekly assessment. I have to check those yet because they had to write out some answers. The cool thing about that test was that it could be read to them. They just had to have their headphones on. My plan is to start the next module/lesson this week. I gave them their spelling pretest today. I told them the post test would be next Friday.  I will continue this story into next week so we can get a better routine going.  After that we will be on a Monday- Friday schedule. 

Book Report- I have also assigned them their first book report project! They will pick out a chapter book of their choosing, but it does have to be okay'd by me. I gave them a yellow packet with the project ideas and due date. It is supposed to be in their homework folder if you want to check it out! They will have a week to decide on a book. After that, whatever they have chosen they are going to have to finish whether they like it or not. 

Math- We are working on writing numbers in standard, expanded, and word form as well as exponents. On Tuesday, we did timed tests in multiplication and division. They are given 100 problems of each. We did multiplication first and then division. If they get 100% they move down in minutes. If you're wondering what is something you can do at home- this would be great! Get flashcards for both. Work on them in the car when traveling to football practice, or volleyball or dance,etc.  We started work with decimals too! We continued our discussion of place value going to thousandths. Today they learned how to say 0.235 and write it as a fraction 235/1000.

We also got back on our Successmaker program which is getting them to work on more math. Some are working on adding mixed numbers, some were working on area and perimeter, comparing weights like liters and grams, multiplication and subtraction of bigger numbers. 

Substitute- I am going to be leaving early on Friday to go to the dentist. I have a tooth that needs to be pulled and they are putting in a bone graft.  I am leaving here around 11. Mrs. Weight will be with the kids the rest of the day. They know her! I know they will be fine. 

Religion- They are done with the Bible search. You will find that in their Take Home Folders. We started our chapter on creation. 

FAST Testing- this will start next Monday. We test them in reading and math. Once I am all done, the scores will be sent home in their folders. These tests help us decide who needs interventions and LEAP.  We do these 3 times a year. There isn't really anything you can do to prepare them for it. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I am heading to Waterloo. My niece made the homecoming court for her high school and Friday night is the crowning. My nephew and his family are also visiting from Florida! I haven't seen them for 2 years so I am really excited! 

God Bless, 

Miss Surma

 Hello Parents! We made it a week! Whew! I think we are slowly establishing a routine to our days! They have even had a little homework to do for me! 

Calendar Dates:

Aug. 31- Picture Day

Sept. 1- 3 hour early out/ Spirit Day

Sept. 4 Labor Day/ No School

Sept. 6- Welcome Back Picnic 5-7 pm

Sept. 20- 5th grade mass

Spirit Day- This Friday is Spirit Day. The 5th graders can wear sweatpants and/or a hat and/or sunglasses for $1. The sunglasses will be worn out at recess only...not during class time. I know it is supposed to be pretty warm on Friday, so they may not want to wear sweats. It is optional. They don't have to do either! 

Reading- Okay, this new series is sending the teachers into panic mode almost daily. There are a lot of online tools that we can use with the kids...as long as the website is up and running. I don't have a certain flow established yet like I did with the other series. That will come in time. Our story this week is a narrative nonfiction story about Thomas Edison and Henry Ford and their inventions, but it also gives us a tidbit of their friendship. In grammar we are focusing on writing complete sentences that include a subject and predicate. We are also looking at the sentences to see if they are complete, fragments, run-on, or a comma splice. That is a NEW one for me! A comma splice sentence is when you combine two complete sentences with just a comma! I always thought that was a comma and a conjunction- and, but, or or. This one I have to get used to! Their spelling words are using short vowel sounds. They did a worksheet on Wednesday with the group sorting their spelling words  based on the sounds. I do plan on giving them a post test on Friday. They were given a list on Monday. I told them to take it home and put it on the fridge so they could practice their words with you. Some of them got a highlighted list.  The new series has a weekly assessment, but it is more like a cold read story they need to read and answer questions. Some of the questions will be about the story and others will be about the skills we have worked on. 

Math- They took a readiness test on Tuesday. This just shows me what they remember from 4th grade math. On Wednesday, they did another little review and then we dived into the chapter! Our first lesson was on exponents. I told them this is a teaser for Algebra!  They had to solve multiplication problems  using the number 10 with an exponent.  I think I need to learn how to type exponents on here so I can show you! They really seemed to catch on and enjoy it! I know not every day will be like this, but don't worry. I told them if they don't get it, they will work with me one on one!  I don't want them frustrated to the point of tears! Although, I know there will be days like that in the future. Those are math growing pains. 

Religion- We discussed the Bible and how it is made up. They will be working on an assignment searching for certain verses in the Bible and then recording the title for me. 

Early out on Friday- it is 3 hours early so lunch will not be served.  Mrs. Burg, Mrs. Sickels, and I did talk and I will take them out for a short recess before they go home. 

🚗🚘🚙 Just a reminder for parents and grandparents who pick up  their kids in the car line. Please make sure you look over the directions on the website or that Mrs. Simmons sent home last week. We are trying to provide the quickest and safest pick up for your kids. If you have someone new to the routine picking them up, please make sure to go over that with them as well. Thank you!!! 

Welcome Back Picnic is set for next Wednesday from 5-7 here at school. We have it in the courtyard. Keep a look out for more information! 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! Enjoy that extra day! If you are planning on going to Fridays After Five at the Elks on Friday, I may see you there! This is the last one and it is for the STM Foundation! Other than that, I don't have big plans...cleaning my house! 🤣🤣

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Hello Parents, This is my first blog of the year! They usually go out on Wednesday or Thursdays. I will email you the link as well as post it on our Facebook page. If you have Facebook invite me to be your friend so that I can send you the invite for our page. It is a private page only for those I have invited! 

Calendar Dates:

Aug. 30- Mass Day

Aug. 31- Picture Day

Sept. 1- 3 hour early out

Sept. 4 Labor Day/ No School

Reading- We have a new series this year! We (the teachers) will be learning along with the kids how this series works and what we can get through. I am really not starting that until next week. On Friday I plan on giving them a qualitative spelling test. This just lets me know the kind of spellers they are and what kinds of things throw them if they misspell. 

They will have 3 book reports to do this year. I give one each trimester. I will let you know when I assign it and when it is due. I also give them a little packet of choices for their projects. 

Math- there is a readiness test that I give at the beginning of the year just to see what they remember from last year the concepts they know. It isn't anything they get a grade on or have to correct. 

Religion- In 5th grade we do focus on the Rosary during the month of October. They will be learning some new prayers and all of the decades. The decades aren't something they need to memorize. It is more about what is really happening during that decade. 

Picture Day- Next Thursday, the 31st is picture day! They usually take their pics before they have PE. If they want to wear a certain shirt for the pictures and then change into a T-shirt afterwards, that is totally fine! We can handle that! The picture order form is going home this week in the Take Home Folder. Please return it by Tuesday or Wednesday next week. 

Homework Expectations- The 5th graders will have homework, but I try really hard to make sure they get class time to work on. Typically, I don't have a lot of kids that take it home, but that doesn't mean they won't every once in a while.  It also depends on how they "use" their work time. 

This year will be the goal of getting them ready for life in middle school. They need to make sure they are getting their assignment books signed each night. They need to make sure their homework or projects are done.  They need to remember their band instruments. They need to take on some responsibility. They don't get to call home to have Mom or Dad bring them something they forgot. 

Water bottles are optional. Our drinking fountains are open so they can use those throughout the day! 

I think we will have a great year! I'm excited to have them in my room. I am excited to welcome Jude and Ava to our class and school. I hope they love it as much as I do! 

We had a really good first day, I think! I hope they did too! Have a great weekend! Stay cool!!!

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Wow! We have one more week together! I can't believe how quickly the year went by!  The schedule will be as normal as possible, but at the end of the year there are always things that pop up! 

Calendar Dates:

May 18- Book Reports Due/ Bring Costumes

May 19- 8th grade graduation/ Spirit Day

May 24- Spring Concert 6:00 pm

May 25- Clean Out Desks and Lockers

May 26- Last Day of School/ Field Day/ 3 hour early out

Book Reports- They are due on Thursday. Make sure they pack their costume.  They shouldn't wear it to school because they may not give theirs on Thursday so it will stay at school until they have presented. 

Reading- We are making some headway in our book. The book takes place in the 60s. As I was reading it the last couple of days I came across things I need to discuss with the kids that really don't happen anymore... government cheese as big as a loaf of bread, rubber boots with the 5 buckles ( my dad sold these in his store-- I helped many farmers get new pairs) and signing your name at the grocery store to charge your bill  which would be paid later. Even though I was born in 1970, I am feeling a little nostalgic. Kenny's mom had quite the threat for his brother Byron after he was caught playing with matches! 

Math- We have been adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators. They have caught on to that pretty easily. The problem now is having to write their answers in simplified form. So I am adjusting my plans so we can spend some time on that skill and then we will keep moving! There are a lot of different little parts to fractions. The vocabulary words we use are hard to keep sorted : numerators, denominators, finding a common denominator with multiples, reducing fractions with the greatest common factor. 

Religion- We are finishing up our last chapter and we will have one more test. This one covers the Ten Commandments. We will finish the year with our Guidance class. 

May 26, 2023 is the last day of school. It is a 3 hour early out! There won't be lunch served that day! The morning will be Field Day. I don't have the schedule yet, but know that you are welcome to come and watch the fun! We will do the clap-out for the 8th graders before we leave! 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I am actually staying in town and not driving to Waterloo! I will probably be working on report cards and grading book reports. 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Hi Parents, I hope you're having a good week! I think some of the 5th graders were shocked we are still doing work up until the end this week! LOL  Sorry to dash their hopes! 

Calendar Dates:

May 12-- I am gone

May 18- Book Reports Due

May 19- 8th grade graduation/ Spirit Day

May 24- Spring Concert

May 25- Clean Out Desks and Lockers

May 26- Last Day of School/ Field Day/ 3 hour early out

Reading- We started our book this week. The Watsons live in Michigan and are experiencing a very cold winter. Kenny is one of the kids and he is also the narrator of their story. In our first chapter Kenny and his older brother Byron are supposed to be cleaning off the car windows of snow and ice, but Byron isn't much help. Kenny discovers that Byron's lips are stuck to the mirror! The family has to try and pry them off. Dad isn't much help because he is laughing so hard. Mom is panicked, but she finally just pulls his mouth off! OUCH!!!!  The way they talk isn't always grammatically correct so the kids struggle with reading it aloud because they know it doesn't sound right! I gave them a packet of different things to work on about the story. We do that in class. They will have a spelling test on Friday. 

Religion- We are going over the commandments in our current chapter. We are also discussing the story of the sinful woman. They will probably get in one more test before the end of the year!  We will start our Guidance book on Friday. 

Math- This week they learned how to rename fractions so they have like denominators. On Wednesday we started adding fractions with unlike denominators. We are using fraction strips to do this before they do the actual work writing it out. This way is more hands-on and visual for them. 

Book Report Projects and Costumes due on Thursday, May 18. The earliest to drop off their project is the 17th. It will take us a couple of days to get them all presented.  I will probably use the weekend to grade them all.

Substitute- I am gone on Friday, not a doctor appointment finally! I am heading to Waterloo to see my niece play soccer. She finally has a game on a Friday! Susan Weight will be here as my sub. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms! Whether you hear it every day or just once in a while...know that your kids LOVE you!!!! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 17 Days left as I type this blog! WOW!!!! Hold on! They are really going to be busy! 

Calendar Dates:

May 5- Creston Arts Day/ Spirit Day

May 18- Book Reports Due

May 19- 8th grade graduation

May 24- Spring Concert

May 25- Clean Out Desks and Lockers

May 26- Last Day of School/ Field Day/ Early Out

Reading- This week they are working on their unit test! I will send home scores next week. We are also finishing up our FAST testing this week.  Next week I plan on starting a chapter book with them. I realize we won't finish it before the end of the year, but it will give them a taste of middle school reading class. We will still do spelling and tests, but the weekly tests won't be happening. They will have activities to do as we read that go along with the book. The book is called The Watsons Go to Birmingham. 

Book Reports are due on May 18

Math- We did a couple of lessons on dividing fractions. I am going to move on to fractions. We need to get some of that done before the end of the year. They are going to be adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators. 

Religion- They are taking a test on Thursday. We will also be starting the Guidance book. It goes with our religion, but is more about building stronger relationships. 

Congrats to Indie and Karsi for being two of the bank poster winners! Harlow in 4th grade was the first place winner. 

Congrats to the 5th graders! They came in 2nd for most laps for the lap-a-thon!!! They will get a cookie party next week from the PTO!!! 

Creston Arts- On Friday, they need to wear something they can get dirty! They will be using dye on the project.  I also see rain in the forecast. If they have an umbrella for our walk there, make sure they have it with them on Friday! 

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

I hope you have a GREAT weekend! I am off to Waterloo again. My niece has her prom on Saturday. 

God Bless, 

Miss Surma

 Happy Wednesday! We are definitely showing signs that the end is near. I keep reminding them that the work isn't over when they sigh because they have to get a textbook out! 

Calendar Dates:

Apr. 28- Clean Up Day! Need rakes and gloves! / Spirit Day

May 1- Lap-A-Thon/ Sack Lunch Day

May 3- Kindergarten/5th grade mass

May 5- Creston Arts Day/ Spirit Day

May 18- Book Reports Due

May 19- 8th grade graduation

May 25- Clean Out Desks and Lockers

May 26- Last Day of School/ Field Day/ Early Out

Religion- We are finishing up our chapter on the Spiritual Works of Mercy. One person this chapter really focuses on is Saint Maria Goretti. When she was 11 years old, her neighbor Alessandro attacked her. She tried to fight him off, but he stabbed her 14 times. Before she passed away, she forgave him. He did got to prison and had a conversion there. He dreamt that she gave him 14 flowers as a sign of forgiveness. He dedicated his life towards God after that. Her story was pretty shocking for the kids. They couldn't quite grasp how she forgave him. I showed them a video on her. Her body never decomposed and is something you can actually go see. They were pretty amazed at that as well! 

Reading- We are on our last story in this unit. This week we read a narrative nonfiction story called Lewis and Clark. It was about their expedition looking for a waterway that took them to the Pacific Ocean. Their grammar this week is working on negative contractions on verbs-- aren't , isn't, doesn't, etc. They also worked on pronouns with contractions- I'd, I'll, she's, they'd. The spelling this week is on suffixes. They have the base word as one and then the next is that same word with the suffix added. For example: express, expression, tense, tension. They will test on Friday. Next week is a unit test week. 

Book Reports- Many of the kids are done reading and taking notes. They are now typing up their papers or their facts for the book report. The project is due on May 18! 

Bank Poster Contest- I hope you saw the link on my Facebook page for voting. Harlow, Karsi, and Indie's  posters are in the running from our school. You can vote there! 

Math- This division might cause me to go gray! I was so thankful on Tuesday that I had 4 of the 5th graders who understood it so well that they could help their friends so that I could work with a few myself!!! 

Sack Lunch and Drink on Thursday!! We only had one extra ticket per grade for parents to go along. I drew sticks. We don't have room for them on the buses so they have to drive. Thank you, Stephanie, for joining us on Thursday. 

Clean up Day is set for Friday! Rakes and Gloves needed! $1 for flowers for outside on our school grounds! Hopefully it won't rain! 

Spirit Day on Friday, April 28!! Looking at temps- sweats might be good that day! They could also wear a hat. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I am heading to Waverly and Waterloo. We are doing a sisters weekend and watching my niece Olivia in her musical. 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

Dear Parents, I hope you are having a good week! I believe spring fever has hit this room! Definitely getting very chatty! :) 

Calendar Dates:

Apr. 21- Clean Up Day! Need rakes and gloves! 

Apr. 27- Field Trip to Civic Center

May 1- Lap-A-Thon/ Sack Lunch Day

May 3- Kindergarten/5th grade mass

Please turn in your child's permission form and the $5 for the field trip next Thursday. They will need a sack lunch and drink that day.

Reading- This week they read a story called Rachel's Journal. It is about a young girl traveling during the 1850s across America by wagon train. We get a glimpse of some of the difficulties they faced.  The grammar this week is using comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs which means adding -er or -est on the end of their words OR using more and most in front of them. Their spelling this week is dealing with 4 prefixes. They will test on Friday over spelling and the story! 

Congrats to Kinsley, Brock, and Sam! Their essays for the Dollars for Scholars essays have moved on to be judged. The winner is usually announced at mass sometime in May. 

FAST Testing begins next week. This is our final run for the year! 

Math- This week we finally got back into our book. We started working on dividing decimals using Base 10 Blocks. We start that way to figure out how we are really sharing our numbers. Next week they will be really dividing. I reminded them that they won't be using partial quotients. They will divide like we were taught!!! 

Religion-This chapter focuses on two main ideas. The first is discussing how Jesus showed mercy to the tax collectors because they felt bad for their sins. The next idea is learning to show mercy to those around us. The 5th graders are focusing on the Spiritual Works of Mercy. 

Rakes and Gloves needed on Friday!!! Clean up Day! 

Lap-A-Thon sheets are going home in your child's folder. The money raised will go towards next year's field trips! 

I hope you have a great weekend! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Hello Parents, I hope you had a great Easter! It was nice to spend time with family in Waterloo and Waverly! 

Calendar Dates:

Apr. 12- 5th grade mass with Kindergarten

Apr. 14- Spirit Day

Apr. 21- Clean Up Day! Need rakes and gloves! 

Apr. 27- Field Trip to Civic Center

May 1- Lap-A-Thon/ Sack Lunch Day

Reading- This week we read an informational text called Vaqueros. It is the history of the cowboy!  The story explains how we ended up with so many cattle and horses in the US and then how we needed workers to take care of them. This was before fences! The kids learned about the different things they wear for protection from the elements and the ride. This week is our 3rd story which means on Friday there will be a cold read. I decided since it is also ISASP week, that they would only test over the cold read and I wouldn't include the 10 comprehension questions of our story just to give them a little break. They will still test over vocabulary and grammar. 

We will be discussing the next book report tomorrow (Thursday). 

Field Trip- There is a permission slip in your child's folder for our field trip to Des Moines later this month. The entire school will be going! Please fill it out and return it ASAP! Thanks ! 

Clean Up Day- Next Friday we are cleaning up the school grounds! There is a paper that went home last week to inform you. The 5th graders will need to bring rakes and work gloves if possible! Make sure your rake has your name on it! The gloves will be helpful when picking up the leaves and sticks! 

Due to testing this week we haven't had math or religion very much! That will all be back to normal next week. 

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

Mass- 5th graders did a great job with the kindergarten class. Our next mass will be on May 3. That is our class' last mass of the year. They will be with kindergarten again, but I told them that next time they won't all have a job! Mrs. Chesling and I will divide up the parts. 

The Blood of Christ will be coming back to our school masses! It took me a bit to figure out that your kids made their First Communion at the beginning of Covid. I am excited that they will be able to receive this again! I will remind them of how we do this! 

I hope you have a great weekend! The weather this week has been amazing! Hopefully the weekend will be too so we can all be outside to enjoy it! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Happy Holy Week! I feel like the Lenten season flew by!!! I can't believe we are in April already!!! Do you realize we only have 7 Mondays left of our year?? 

Calendar Dates:

Apr. 6 - Seder Meal/ Cross Walk 

Apr. 7- Good Friday/ No School

Apr. 9- Easter

Apr. 10- ISASP Testing Begins

Apr. 12- 5th grade mass with Kindergarten

Apr. 14- Spirit Day

Apr. 21- Clean Up Day! Need rakes and gloves! 

Reading- This week we did our practice tests for ISASPS. Just letting you know that next week I will be assigning the 3rd book report. This one is different. They are to be taking notes as they read about their person. I have the questions they need to answer. Now, once they are done reading, they can always look up their person online to fill in any missing blanks. I will tell them not to use Wikipedia. It isn't reliable. A lot of these people have their own websites they can check out.  They will be turning in their notes page to me on the day of the report. 

I also will be giving them a rubric so they know how I will be grading them. This is NOT a book you wait until the end to read and do. There is too much work.   I have LOTS of books they can choose from and so does Mrs. Sorden in the library. There won't be any repeats so two people can't do the same person.  If they don't like what we have, they can find their own and get it approved by me. It has to be an autobiography or a biography. 

WEAR A WHITE SHIRT ON THURSDAY and good walking shoes! Pay attention to weather for coats or sweatshirts, etc. 

Seder Meal is on Thursday. No sack lunches that day unless they have a medical reason.  We will start the Cross Walk in the courtyard around 12:45. You are welcome to join us! 

Math- They finally got their test over this last chapter!  The next step will be finding time to make corrections! 

Religion- We are wrapping up our Lenten chapter. The 5th graders will be helping kindergarten next week with their mass. I am handing out their parts this week. Some of them have reading parts to practice! 

ISASPS- I told the kids this week that next week they should make sure they get a good night's sleep, eat a good breakfast (if they eat breakfast), and just remember to take their time and do their best. They will take one test a day. In 5th grade we have 4 tests. They do a science test that grades 3-4 do not. Most of the testing will take place in the mornings. On Wednesday, it will take place in the afternoon just because of mass and library time.  If they are sick that week, they may end up taking 2 tests a day or they will have to stay after school to complete them. 

No School on Friday, April 7! The teachers are going to the church to do some cleaning before the Easter services. 

I hope everyone has a blessed Easter! I am heading to Waterloo to see my brother and sister and their families. Last year we started a new tradition of an Adult Egg Hunt! Happy Easter!! Enjoy your family time. 

God Bless,

Miss Surma