Hello All- We have 7 days left before break! I can't believe I am noting January calendar dates already! 

Calendar Dates: 

Dec. 11- 5th grade sings at Holy Spirit

Dec. 17- 5th grade mass

Dec. 19- Need Sack Lunch

Dec. 20- Jan. 4- Christmas Break

Jan. 5- Classes Resume

Christmas Dress-up Days

Dec. 15- Dress as a Christmas Character

Dec. 16- Christmas Plaid

Dec. 17- Dress up for mass

Dec. 18- Shining, Bright, Festive

Dec. 19- Christmas Vacation (The Griswalds)  gear, ugly sweaters, and Christmas PJs

These days are optional for them! They don't have to dress up (except on Wednesday)! 

Friday after lunch and caroling in the gym we will go back to my room for a movie. I have a birthday celebration so that will be their treat that afternoon before we leave for break! 

Reading- They are taking their Module Test this week. I have broken it up over 3 days this time. I am hoping that helps with scores. I also read them the story The Mystery of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg. He is the author of The Polar Express and Jumangi. Inside are 14 different sketches. Each has a title and a caption. The kids are going to pick one of them and create a story around it. The caption that goes along with it will be in their story somewhere. I want them to have their rough draft done before we gone on break. My hope is that I will be able to edit them over break so they can fix them when we return.  

They also wrote their cinquain poem. This poem is 5 lines and is based on so many words and syllables per line. I want them to read them aloud first and then you will see them. They are written about someone they know. They will be giving them their poem when done. 

Math- We are working on multiplying decimals by decimals this week. The multiplying is fine, but remembering we need to count places to put the decimal in our final answer is the trick! 

Religion- We have been focusing on Mary this week since her holy day of obligation was on Monday. On Tuesday, the kids used their computers to research the different titles the church has given Mary. They found 15, but some found more than that! We will be getting back to our chapter study guide tomorrow ( Thursday) . They will test over the Beatitudes chapter next week on Monday.  I want to finish that chapter before we go on break. 

I gave out the mass parts today to those who will have a job. Many have more than one job. 

Reconciliation is on Friday for the 5th graders. We are going out with the middle school students this time to the chapel. 

Music- Just a reminder that we go to the church tomorrow to sing for the CDA and guests. They will provide us lunch. I told the kids if they were unsure then they should pack a sack lunch. It is usually a wonderful lunch! 

Pre-Christmas behaviors- We have not started off this week very well. Tempers are flaring. I know most of this comes because Christmas break is just around the corner and they are excited. They are ready to be away from each other. We are getting annoyed by things that normally wouldn't bother us.  I did rearrange desks again- hoping to make things a little better in that way. We also just need to remember to look for patience and walk away when things or people start to drive us crazy. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I am heading to see my sister Penny. This week hasn't been a good one for her, lots of pain and panic attacks. I am hoping my presence will keep her calm for a couple of days anyway. 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 

Hello Everyone- I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I know my siblings and I loved spending the time together even though we had to cut it short due to the weather.  My brother got 13 inches of snow! I told him I was happy with our amount! 

Calendar Dates: 

Dec. 5- Spirit Day

Dec. 8- Mass / Holy Day of Obligation

Dec. 10- PE DAY - no mass

Dec. 11- 5th grade sings at Holy Spirit

Dec. 17- 5th grade mass

Dec. 19- Need Sack Lunch

Permission Slip- There is a form in your child's folder for our trip to Holy Spirit Church on the 11th. I have enough drivers. They will sing for the CDA and guests and then we will eat with them. It is a potluck luncheon. If your child doesn't feel comfortable with that- they may still pack a sack lunch! They don't need to dress up on this day.  Please have forms returned to me by the 9th.

Monday, Dec. 8- We have a holy day of obligation. The kids will need to dress for mass on Monday!  We will have our PE Day on Wednesday. They will still get out early on Wednesday. 

Reading- Our final story in this module is really a bunch of different poem styles. The main character is writing poems in school, and he just can't seem to stop writing them! They will take their quiz over this story on Friday. The weekly module test will be on Monday. Since this is our last story in this module- that means we will have a big module test starting on Tuesday.  I think I will break it up this time so that we can start a writing project. They will take a test tomorrow ( Thursday) over their spelling words. 

Religion- We are finishing up our chapter on the Beatitudes. The other day we made a list of hashtags  that would apply to each Beatitude. For example: #praymore  or #acceptapologies   Our next chapter is a short one covering Mary. I wanted to get that covered next week since we are celebrating her on Monday.  After that I will get into our Advent chapter. There seems to be a lot to cover before the Christmas break! 

Math- We started multiplying decimals this week. The first day they used a calculator to multiply by 10, 100, or 1000. We talked about how the decimal moves with each zero.  On Tuesday they multiplied a whole number times a decimal. We talked about money a lot with those problems and how we might be buying multiple items that cost us $0.50.  We also talked about being charged sales tax on items. That led to a whole discussion on why we pay taxes! 

Advent Angels will start next week. I told them who their angel partner was today! It's always exciting! 

I hope you enjoy the music program tonight! The 3-5 graders did an excellent job at practice today. I had a lot of middle school students telling me how great they sounded! Thank you , Mrs. Warner! 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! Stay warm! Stay safe! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Hello Families! I cannot believe next week is Thanksgiving already. Where has our month gone?? 

Calendar Dates: 

Nov. 21- Spirit Day

Nov. 26-Nov. 30- No School/ Thanksgiving Break

Dec. 1-19- Can wear sweatpants unless a mass day- if they paid their $20

Dec. 3 - Christmas Concert and Practice Day

Dec. 5- Spirit Day

Dec. 8- Mass / Holy Day of Obligation

Dec. 10- PE DAY - no mass

Dec. 11- 5th grade sings at Holy Spirit

Dec. 17- 5th grade mass

Reading- They finished the story this week and took their weekly module test on Tuesday. I am kicking myself for my lesson plans. Too many tests and projects to grade! The book reports have all been given, but I am grading them as I find the time. Sorry.  My goal is to come in this weekend and finish them up if I need to.  They will start this final story in our module on Thursday with the spelling pretest.  We won't be able to get it all done before Thanksgiving break so we will come back to it. 

We had a couple of book reports that dealt with 9-11. We had a good talk today about what happened that day and what it was really like.  I forget they weren't even born yet. So...if your child is asking to see videos of that day- that is the reason. I won't show those here. That is totally up to you as parents. 

Math- Today (Wednesday) they took their practice test. I need to check them. Once I have done that we will go over them . I am thinking the test will be Friday or Monday. It just depends on me grading them.  Our next chapter is multiplying decimals. I will hit a few areas, but not go heavy into this one so that I can get to our division chapter. 

Religion- We started going over each Beatitude and discussing what it means to live them out. They are harder to understand their meanings compared to the 10 Commandments, but I try to explain that Jesus gave us these to find our true happiness because in 2025, we tend to find happiness in a video game, new phone, new car, my job, money, power, etc. We talked about how none of things go to heaven with us so that happiness is just temporary, but living the Beatitudes will find us our true happiness on earth, but also in heaven some day. 

Sicknesses- Thank you for sending wipes, etc to my room. That will be helpful. If your child needs cough drops for their sore throat, cough, or just a scratchy throat- just make sure they stop in and see Mrs. Levine first. She gives me a note from the office to keep with it. They should have their own water bottles and stay away from the drinking fountain for now. I am going to tell them they should take them home every night and wash them- sick or not sick. I am doing the same with mine. Mass was a little noisy with all the coughing ( I was part of that). LOL  Remember they have to be fever free and vomiting free for 24 hours before they can come back. The same goes for strep - they can't come back until they have been on their meds for 24 hours.  I am hoping that the illnesses don't ruin your Thanksgiving breaks, but the time away from each other will be a good thing. 

Sweatpants Fundraiser- They have until December 2 to turn in their $20 if they want to participate. They won't be able to wear sweats on Dec. 3, 8, and 17.  We will have mass on December 8 due to it being a holy day of obligation. We won't have mass on December 10.  NO pajama pants! 

Winter Reminder- Remember once the snow hits, they should be bringing snow boots, snow pants, coats, mittens, and hats. Recess gets to be really long and boring if you can't play with your friends.

Permission Slip- Remember to return the permission slip for going to the high school to practice on December 3. If you've lost it, let me know. We can get you a new one. Thank you!!! 

I won't be sending out a blog next week. Remember we are only having school on Monday and Tuesday. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. I know we all have many blessings to be thankful for this year. I am heading to Waterloo/Cedar Falls. We are having Thanksgiving at Penny's assisted living facility with my siblings and nieces and nephews. Please travel safely to and from your destinations. 

God Bless, 

Miss Surma

 Hello Families, I hope everyone is having a great week! I am enjoying these temps much more than what we had over the weekend. 

Calendar Dates: 

Nov. 14- Biz Town Day

Nov. 21- Spirit Day

Nov. 26-Nov. 30- No School/ Thanksgiving Break

Dec. 3 - Christmas Concert

Dec. 5- Spirit Day

Dec. 17- 5th grade mass

Reading- We are finishing up our story this week. They will test over it next Monday. They will also have their post test in spelling on Monday. On Tuesday, we will do the weekly module test.  The grammar for this story is about writing plural nouns. I gave them a "cheat sheet"  for the different rules in spelling them. Based on homework, I don't think many are taking advantage of that tool. I will tell them again to use it on the test, but will have to see if they choose to do it. 

Book Reports- I forgot what it's like to have a big class! We aren't going to get through them as quickly as I thought. I am hoping to do a few every day! 

Math- We are also wrapping up our chapter on multiplication this week and Monday. We will work on the review and test next week. 

Religion- Our next chapter will be over the Beatitudes. The 5th graders don't memorize them like they had to do with the Ten Commandments. We do go over each one and discuss ways to live them each day.  These are hard to understand, but our book does a good job of simplifying them for us. 

Permission Slip- In your child's folder is the form to fill out so we can practice for the Christmas concert at the high school. Please fill it out and return as soon as possible. 

Outdoor Classroom Fundraiser- make sure to check out the flyer in your child's folder. There are some specific rules to follow so make sure you read it carefully.  This is optional- not a requirement! 

Field Trip- I think we are all set. It would be great for the kids and drivers to be at school on Friday by 7:15. Meet in our hallway. I have name tags for the parents going with us!  The address is 6100 Grand Avenue, Des Moines. We usually end up parking in the back unless we get lucky up front!  The kids need to dress for mass day.  If they are on the Construction Crew they may wear jeans and a nice shirt. They will be on the floor working. I would also suggest for the girls- they might choose pants over a dress because of our town meetings where they have to sit on the floor.  They will need a sack lunch and drink that day. We will be back in time for the bus.  Students are allowed to take electronics for the car ride as long as they stay off any social media platform. This also means no picture taking and no texting to others or you (parents). They also need to keep the volume down so as not to bother the driver or others in the car.   I think they are ready to go! They have filled out all their work in their job folders and their bank tracker is set to go! I will post pictures on Friday after we get back.  Illnesses are starting to go around. If your child wakes that morning with a fever or not feeling well, please don't send them to school just to go to Biz Town. I don't want to have to call you from there to come and get them. 

I hope everyone has a good weekend! I am sticking around here this weekend! I am planning on going to the musical at the high school on Saturday night! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Hello Families- I hope everyone enjoyed the long break last week! I went to Cedar Falls and stayed with my sister Penny. We had a good weekend together. 

Calendar Dates: 

Nov. 7- Spirit Day

Nov. 11- Mural Painting Day

Nov. 12-4-8 Grade Mass 

Nov. 12- Book Reports Due/ Advent Activity Night at STM

Nov. 14- Biz Town Day

Nov. 26-Nov. 30- No School/ Thanksgiving Break

Field Trip- We are set to go next Friday, the 14th. We are leaving STM at 7:30 am. Anyone in the Greenfield area can meet Rebecca Van Donselaar at Casey's at the same time. You will have to meet her there again around 2:30 to pick up your child. Please let me know. I have gotten a couple emails so far.  They will need a sack lunch and drink that day. They also have to wear mass day attire. 

Math- We have been focusing on Biz Town this week, but I think we will get some more multiplying done before we go. I have been catching up on corrections with them. I did show them this week another website 

Reading- We read through our play on Wednesday. It was fun to talk about how the king was upset that people were taking time off of work and that upset him so much that he arrested Spring. Spring was then banned. He has a dream of being taken to court for "attempted murder" because with no spring, plants and animals were going to die.  The grammar for this story will focus on making nouns plural. I am giving them a "rules" sheet that will help them keep all the different ways a noun can become plural.  The English language has to always be a little tricky! 

Book Reports Due on Wednesday!!! They will share them during reading class. 

Religion- We finished our chapter on the seven sacraments. They are working on the review and study guide this week. As of right now, the test will be on Tuesday. 

Mural Painting- Next week each grade gets to help with the new mural going up in the K-2 hallway. The 5th graders will be painting on Tuesday morning. I would suggest wearing a shirt that can get dirty or bringing an old T-shirt to wear while painting. They can change afterwards into their other shirt. 

Take Home Folder- in your child's folder is  a card from CYC if you are interested in signing up your kids for camp next summer. 

Spirit Day is tomorrow! Sweats for $1. We don't do hats during the winter months. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend. I am heading back to Cedar Falls because my sister Eva is here from Maine and her son and his fiance are going to be here. It's been a couple of years since I have seen him! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Hello Families! It's always a little hard and shocking to see the closet in my classroom fill up with coats and sweatshirts! I can take the cool weather. The white stuff can stay away a little while longer. 

Calendar Dates: 

Oct. 27-30 Parent Teacher Conferences

Oct. 29- Halloween Parade at 2:15 pm 

Oct. 30- No School/Conferences

Oct. 31- No School 

Nov. 1- Holy Day of Obligation/ All Saints' Day

Nov. 12- Book Reports Due/ Advent Activity Night at STM

Nov. 14- Biz Town Day

Reading- We are reading our fantasy story called Airborn. This story take place in the past and is the story of a cabin boy and a young girl reading the journals of Captain Benjamin Malloy and his travels in his hot air balloon.  He journals about seeing some kind of animal that looks similar to a bat and a panther. It flies in the sky around him. The question in the story is whether what he was seeing was real or imagined. His granddaughter believes they are real, while the cabin boy thinks he was delirious.  We also talked about the time period because women and girl were wearing long dresses. Kate, the granddaughter, also had to have a chaperone in her presence at all times. We discussed what that meant for girls during that time period. It sounded like their conversation with Mrs. Sickels in social studies was similar when she was going over the rules for teachers back in the 1800s.  They will test over this story next week. We will be able to start a new story when we get back in November. 

Book Reports are due in 3 weeks!  If your child needs white paper or poster paper they can see me! I will also print off anything for them if you need me to. 

Spelling Posttest will be on Tuesday! 

Math- We are working on multiplying two digits x two digits this week. Dropping the 0 is the tricky part to remember for some. Today they multiplied two digits x three digits. That added another layer for some confusion for some. We are going to continue this and adding some 0's in the numbers to see what happens when we have zeroes in our problems. 

Religion- We are finishing up our work with the Rosary this week. We will be getting back into our books and starting a new chapter starting on Friday. 

Book Fair- We have a new company this year! The book fair will be open during conferences. The 5th graders filled out their wish lists during library time. I am putting a flyer in their Take Home Folders that you can check out. 

Wednesday, October 29- It is a mass day, but they DON"T have to dress up.  They can wear their normal clothes that day. They should make sure their Halloween costume is in their bag for later that afternoon. The middle school is going to supply activities again in the afternoon and the parade is at 2:15. You are welcome to come to the parade. You can also take your child home afterwards, but make sure to let me know  before you leave. 

Mass on October 29 will be the first graders and kindergarten class. Some of the 5th graders will be helping out by holding the mic. 

I won't be sending out a blog next week since I will see you at conferences. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I am making a trip back home to Doon on Saturday. I will take down the flowers at my parents' cemetery plot and leave them a Christmas wreath.  It will be a long day on the road, but that is okay! It will be nice to see Doon. It's good thing I have a book I can listen to on my drive! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 I hope everyone is having a great week! I am enjoying these fall temps. Mrs. Sickels keeps telling me about how cold our winter is supposed to be. Shush! I am not ready for that kind of talk yet! 

Calendar Dates: 

Oct. 17- Spirit Day

Oct. 20- Flu Shots at school 

Oct. 27-30 Parent Teacher Conferences

Oct. 29- Halloween Parade at 2:15 pm 

Oct. 31- No School 

Nov. 1- Holy Day of Obligation/ All Saints' Day

Math- We are starting our multiplication chapter.  With the first lesson I let them use a calculator to solve the problems. They were working on noticing the patterns when we multiply by 10s 100s and 1000s. We brought back exponents too!  Our next lesson was on estimating factors to find their product using mental math. 20 x 200=?   It is a good chance to review rounding.  The next lesson should be review because they will be multiplying by a single digit. I know they did that in 4th grade.  Our real focus of this chapter will be multiplying by double digits. 48 x 87 and bigger like 312 x 98. We will also work on multiplying with 0's.  Now, I do tell them if they don't know their facts they can use their multiplication table in their composition books.  I don't want them sitting there using their fingers to find 8 x 9 while trying to get their assignment done. Feel free to do flashcards at home or in the car! 

Reading- They have taken their first Module test ( unit test). I have a few to check tonight, but overall I was pleased with the scores. They were better than I thought they would be! I will show you their actual test at conferences.  Today I gave them a spelling pretest for our new story.  Our next story is another fantasy story. This one has a bit of a mystery to solve. It is also one of the longer stories- I think it is 18-19 pages.  In grammar we will be focusing on what a common noun is and what a proper noun is. I think street names and acronyms and some groups and official titles get confusing. 

Religion- We are working on our booklets for the mysteries. We are reading short verses from the Bible and then summarizing them . I plan on showing you those at conferences as well. 

Halloween Parade will be on October 29 at 2:15 in the gym. Students should come to school with their costume in their bag. You are welcome to attend!  If you plan on taking your child home afterwards, make sure to stop in the room and check out with me so that I know they are gone!  No weapons or anything close to a weapon for the costume are allowed. It is also a mass day, but they DON'T have to wear mass clothes that day.  It isn't a spirit day so they cannot wear sweatpants, but jeans or shorts (depending on temps) are okay. 

Conferences- Have you gone into JMC and  picked your day and time?? Please do so ASAP.

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

I hope everyone has a great weekend! Big plans? Whatever you're doing- have fun! Be safe! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Hello Parents, Happy Wednesday! My niece's wedding was beautiful last weekend!  We (my siblings) had a great time together . We were able to go to my niece Olivia's soccer game on Saturday! They won 5-0. Olivia played for the last 8 minutes of the game! That was fun! 

Calendar Dates: 

Oct. 15- Mass/ Noisy Change Collection

Oct. 17- Spirit Day

Oct. 20- Flu Shots at school 

Oct. 27-30 Parent Teacher Conferences

Oct. 29- Halloween Parade at 2:15 pm 

Reading- We are finishing up our story this week. We will take the Module 1 (unit ) Test next week Monday. I was planning on doing it Friday, but I had to rearrange some things. They took their post test in spelling today. 

I also finally score their last test after they corrected it. Now, we did those corrections together. Next time, I will have them correct on their own. I wanted them to see that some of those answers are right in the story- they have to go back and look things up. I think that is a bigger problem because they don't want to take the time to find the answer.  Making corrections definitely helped their scores. 

Spelling Pretest- Some of the kids received notes on the last pretest that I would be adding bonus/ challenge words to their next pretest. I base that on who does well on pretests because that means they know how to spell the word already without any studying or prep work. Who knows- I may add some more to that list later. 

Math- They are adding and subtracting decimals. We won't be testing over this chapter. The only tricky thing is remembering that they may need to do some borrowing . For example: 0-9=9 is not correct. 8-9= 1 is not right either... they forget they have to borrow from the number next to it.  They also need to remember to line up the decimals when they are adding or subtracting in the problem. Place value numbers need to line up. I can't take away my ones from my tens. 

Religion- Last Friday they were assigned one of the mysteries of the Rosary. They are drawing posters to represent them. They will share those on Thursday and we will hang them up in the hallway. When you are here- you can check them out! They are also filling out little books about each one. You can see those at conferences.  I only have a few people that need to pass their last prayer! That will happen tomorrow. 

Noisy Change Collection on Wednesday, October 15 at mass! 

Rosary- On Friday afternoon, we will be going outside to draw and color their prayer petition with chalk on the sidewalk. The MS students will be drawing a rosary around the flag pole as well as doing their own petitions.  5th graders are going to start their pictures by Father's old house down the sidewalk. 3rd and 4th will be drawing theirs as well. Hopefully the rain stays away for a little while so we can enjoy them. I told the 5th graders they need to think about who or what they want to pray for on their sidewalk square. 

I hope everyone has a GREAT weekend! I am heading to Altoona on Saturday morning for the ALS Walk. Looks to be nice weather! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Hi Families! It says October on the calendar, but it sure doesn't feel like it. 

Calendar Dates: 

Oct. 1- 5th Grade Leads Rosary /No mass

Oct. 2- Starting to test prayers in religion

Oct. 3- Spirit Day/ Miss Surma gone

Oct. 6- No School/ PD Day

Substitute- I am going to be gone on Friday. I am heading to Dubuque. My niece Gracelyn is getting married Friday afternoon.  I am also responsible for getting my sister Penny to the wedding so I am leaving Thursday after school. Her sister Olivia has a soccer game at Loras on Saturday. It will be a busy weekend. Mary Brown will be in the room with them.  If there are any changes to your child's end of the day plans, please contact Mrs. Levine in the office because I won't be checking emails. 

Book Report- I assigned the first book report on Monday. They have a purple packet in their folders with ideas for what the different projects look like.  They have to choose a chapter book and show it to me before they start reading it. Some more found their book at the library today.  The project will be due on Wednesday, November 12. It gives them 6 weeks to read the book and complete the project.  A lot of the project work can be done at school in their free time. 

Reading- Last week they took their weekly test on paper instead of computer. I am sorry I am so slow in getting their scores back to you, but I decided since scores weren't the greatest this gave us an opportunity to correct them. When they do them on their computers, there isn't the opportunity to correct them because it shows them the right answer. I will get the scores back to you, but I can't say for sure when that will be.  

We are reading our new story which is a fantasy. Captain Arsenio leaves a diary of his inventions for trying to build something that can fly! Ask your kids the three different attempts we read about! This story is kind of funny and a great break from the nonfiction they have been doing.  In grammar we are focusing more on sentence structure. 

Rosary- The 5th graders did a terrific job with the Rosary today! So proud of them. The 6-8 even gave them a small cheer in the hallway on the way back from the library! 

Book It Calendars- It starts today!!! The goal for October is 600 minutes. That is about 20 minutes a day.  You will sign the calendar at the end of the month and they will turn it in to me. I am giving them the Dilly Bar coupons from last year. Pizza Ranch no longer participates. 

Math- we are working on adding and subtracting decimals in this chapter. We don't do every lesson in this one. I want them to get the main parts down, but then we will move on. I don't know that they will test over this chapter either.  We are working on rounding some more. That was hit hard on their little pretest at the beginning of the chapter. 

Spirit Day on Friday! I know the weather isn't really sweatpants weather. 

Monday, October 6 is a PD Day for us! No School for the kiddos! Enjoy your 3 day weekend! 

Lots of things in their Take Home Folders tomorrow- make sure to check them out. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Hello Parents- Wow! This week the key word is "flexible". We have been switching things up daily due to other things popping up!  FAST testing is done!  The band did great at the pep rally! I hope you got to hear some of it on my Facebook page!  

Calendar Dates: 

Sept. 26- Homecoming/ Early Out at 12:10

Oct. 1- 5th Grade Leads Rosary /No mass

Oct. 3- Spirit Day

Oct. 6- No School/ PD Day

Math- They will have a math test on Thursday.  They did a practice test on Tuesday. We went over it on Wednesday. They corrected them with me on Wednesday. They can use this as a study guide. Many of them didn't read the entire problem so they missed out on points. 

Religion- We are going to start focusing on the Rosary. I gave them prayers to memorize. They will have to recite them to me. They have a copy to take home and practice with you. They have to to do both prayers, but I don't care which one they do first. Once we are done with the prayers, we will be focusing on the Mysteries of the Rosary.  I will let the kids know when I will start listening to their prayers- most likely later next week. I will keep listening to them until they pass. 

5th graders did a GREAT job at mass today!!! I gave the others their parts for the Rosary next week! 

Reading- They will take their module test on Thursday. This week I am giving everyone a paper copy instead of doing it on the chrome. I just want to see if that helps some. I told them last week they can't just read it one time and expect to remember everything and know the answer. They need to reread or look back to find the answer. The stories we read in our book are read 3 times before they take the quiz. 

I also am getting tougher on my grading on papers where they have to fill in the blank with a word from the worksheet. I am seeing so so many misspelled words or words that are so misspelled I can't even guess what it says. This tells me they are rushing and not caring about their work. They have been warned that they may have to redo the worksheet if I see so many errors that don't have to be there

Homework Folders- Parents, Please don't go through their folders. Let me do it. I know it's an accident, but you're throwing away homework and they are getting late slips.  The Take Home Folder that comes home on Thursdays is yours!!! You can do whatever you want with those homework pieces! 

Friday is an early out for the homecoming parade. We will be feeding the kids before they leave. It will be a sack lunch from the kitchen.  The sack lunch will be an Uncrustable, cheese stick, apple slices and a cookie.  If they want their own sack lunch from home that is fine. I told them to wear their red and black or Panther gear on Friday! Please let Mrs. Levine and myself know before Friday if you are changing their pick up plan. 

"That's what she said." is being said by a number of 5th graders. I have been really blunt with those I have heard saying it. When I have asked, they don't know what it is referring to. I told them it comes from a TV show called The Office. On that show some of the characters say it as some sort of sexual reference. I told the kids they cannot use that phrase at school.  I don't know that these kids are watching that show , just  seeing the memes of it, or just hearing others use it, but I am trying to get it to stop. It seems to be a 5th grade thing. This isn't the first year I have had to talk about it. It's a good lesson for them to realize that not every meme or line from a show is appropriate to be repeated. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend. I am not going to see the parade. I hope everyone has a great time!!!! I am heading to Waverly right after school. We are moving my sister Penny into an assisted living facility in Cedar Falls this weekend.  I am sad to see her have to sell her house, but I know this will be safer for her. Her care is definitely requiring more.  Go Panthers! Happy Homecoming! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Hello Parents! I hope you're having a great week! We had our first indoor recess today with the rain! 

Calendar Dates: 

Sept. 9-26- FAST Testing

Sept. 19- Spirit Day $1 

Sept. 24- 5th Grade Mass 

Sept. 26- Homecoming/ Early Out at 12:10

Oct. 1- 5th Grade Leads Rosary /No mass

Reading- This week we have done a lot of FAST testing in reading. I have gotten most of them done.  I should have all the reading done this week. Our story this week is about a woman who invented a wheelchair for sports activities. She created it to be easier to use and one that wouldn't fall over so easily.  In grammar they are working on the 4 different kinds of sentences. They did the declarative and interrogative sentences so far. Their spelling words are words that have a long -a or a long -e sound in them. They will most likely have their spelling test next over these. 

Religion- They are taking their first religion test tomorrow (Thursday). They all have a study guide to look over. I will hand out mass parts on Thursday. If your child doesn't have a job in the mass - no worries! They will have a job in leading the Rosary next week.  I won't give them their parts until next week. All are welcome to come!  If your child has a speaking part for either one please practice at home. We will also practice at school. 

Math- We have been so busy with decimals! They are writing them in expanded, standard, and word form. Next they had to write the decimal as a fraction or the fraction as a decimal. Then they had to compare decimals. Identify which is greater, less or equal to?  Today they were rounding decimals to the nearest whole number (ones), tenths, or hundredths! We are nearing the end of the chapter and will probably test next week. We will see because we also have FAST math testing to do. 

Spirit Day is on Friday! Hats and/ or sweats for $1. I think it's supposed to be in the 70s! That sounds like perfect sweatpants  weather to me! 

PTO Meeting tonight at The Latest Edition book store at 6 pm.

I hope everyone has a great weekend! Hopefully we will see the balloons go up! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Hello Families! I hope you are having a great week! I miss the cool weather from last week! We sure had a great time at Green Valley on Monday! I hope you saw the pictures if you're on my Facebook page. 

Calendar Dates: 

Sept. 9-26- FAST Testing

Sept. 17- One hour early out/ PTO Meeting 6 pm

Sept. 19- Spirit Day $1 

Sept. 24- 5th Grade Mass 

Sept. 26- Homecoming/ Early Out at 12:10

Oct. 1- 5th Grade Leads Rosary /No mass

Reading- They took their post test in spelling on Wednesday.  They also took their weekly assessment after our story. We will be working on FAST tests the rest of the week, but I may also get a spelling pretest in. We will have to see how things go. 

Math- We have worked on place value into the millions. This week we are working on place value with decimals to the thousandths. This is a difficult concept. I try to stick with money as much as I can so it is something they recognize. That doesn't work with the thousandths.  They did work on writing decimals as a standard number, but also a fraction. 0.25 is the same thing as 25/100.  They will also be writing the decimals in standard, written, and expanded form. 

Religion- We are just about done with our chapter so a study guide and test will be happening soon!  On Tuesday we read about Saint Damian. He was a priest who asked to work with the lepers who were sent to Molokai. He built a church and school for them. He also started a choir. He did end up contracting the disease. The 5th graders will watch a short video on his life in class on Thursday. We talked about what it takes to become a missionary like him. 

On September 24- the 5th graders will be in charge of mass. The following week Father is gone so we will be praying the Rosary as a school instead of mass. 5th graders will be in charge of that one as well. I have divided the class up on those 2 days so everyone will get a job in either the mass or the Rosary.  I will send home any reading parts next week so they can practice with you at home. 

Next week the entire kindergarten class will sit with us at mass! Mrs. Chesling has only been sending half the class the last two weeks. The 5th graders have been doing a great job of helping them learn what to do at mass. 

I am probably going to be putting out my blog on Wednesdays. It is just easier for me. I don't know why! 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I am going with some of my co-workers to the Bishop's Dinner on Saturday night in Des Moines. I am excited that we will be having mass at St. Ambrose...it is such a beautiful church. 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

Hello Parents! Well, the newness is wearing off. LOL  They are still doing well, but there are times where we have a few not paying attention, visiting with friends or messing around that is slowing things down in class. Our afternoons seem to be the hardest. I am hoping that once we get our routine established and they know my expectations...things will run smoother. I did warn them that if I don't see them paying attention in class, I will call on them when I am going over things . They need to get ready for middle school. I feel like I need to start this right away with them. But overall, I think they are doing really well! 

Calendar Dates: 

Sept. 5- Spirit Day

Sept. 8- Green Valley Day

Sept. 10- One hour early out

Sept. 11- Picture Day 

Sept. 9-26- FAST Testing

PE Shoes- Some of the 5th graders are coming to school on PE days with shoes that are NOT made for PE. I talked to them today about it. Crocs, Uggs, Hey Dudes, slip on shoes are NOT going to work. They have to wear tennis shoes. They will start getting late slips for not  having the correct footwear. They can have a pair of tennis shoes in the closet to change into for PE if they want. I have had kids do that over the years. The other ones are just not safe for playing and running in. 

Reading- We are still in our story about Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. This week they reread the story aloud and then worked in small groups to answer some comprehension questions. In grammar we are working on what makes a complete sentence. We need a subject and predicate. We also have some who write sentence fragments, run on sentences, or comma splice sentences.  They will have a test over spelling words and this story next week some time. I don't have it mapped out yet in my plans. I will email you to let you all know. 

Math-we are working on place value and exponents. We did some more review of exponents today based on things I was seeing in homework and in class. When I ask what is 10 x 10 x 10? I still get some saying 30. They are quick to add and not multiply. We did time tests this week. You will see their papers in their take home folders We will do that once a week. 

Math interventions- some kids qualify for this service. Their papers are in their Take Home Folders.  For those who received one- please sign and return ASAP. Thanks. 

FAST Testing- We will start our Fast Testing next week. I will do the reading first and then the math. I don't plan on getting a sub to the do the testing. The kids will have to be quiet while I am working with someone. The goal this fall is to get 132 words correct in one minute.  We do use these scores in reading and math to see who needs intervention work. 

Green Valley-  Don't forget the kids need a sack lunch and drink on Monday.

I told them they have to wear tennis shoes! No sandals, Crocs, or slip on shoes.  They will get dirty! 

Religion- We worked on locating verses in the Bible. Now we are in our chapter on creation. We talked today about how we are created in His image.  We also discussed how we should treat others with dignity  and respect. When we hurt someone's feelings we are also hurting him. That seemed to register a little bit with them. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend!  I plan on being here. 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

Hello Parents- We are having a great first week in my opinion!!! I hope the kids agree! We are slowly getting into our routine and starting real work.  

Calendar Dates: 

Sept. 1- No School/ Labor Day

Sept. 3- Mass/ 1 hour early out

Sept. 5- Spirit Day

Sept. 8- Green Valley Day

Sept. 11- Picture Day

On Tuesday- I will be leaving work around 2:50 pm so that I can get a tooth pulled. (YAY-😔)Mrs. Mitchell will help with dismissal. I will be back on Wednesday. 

Picture Day- I put your child's picture form in their Take Home Folder. IF you are ordering, please return ASAP. You can also do it online. You can return that form and write online purchase so we know for sure. 

Early Outs- Next Wednesday will be our first Wednesday early out. We get out one hour early. Please make sure your child knows that after school plan if it is different from our regular days! 

Computers- On Tuesday, I had them get into their Xtra Math accounts. This is site that will work on their math fluency with addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. We will do this along with time tests each week. I know they did this in 3rd grade, but it is a great tool to do again! Once they have passed each kind of math- they will be done! 

I also had them create an account in Prodigy. They will work on math problems and it also has some video games they can play in between the problems they solve. 

Field Trip- In your child's folder is a permission slip for our trip to Green Valley on Sept. 8. There is a form attached that you need to fill out for the DNR. Please fill out both and return  ASAP. They will need a sack lunch and drink that day. They need to wear tennis shoes that day due to the ground and where we are walking. Mr. McCabe is in charge of the day, so if you have questions, I would email him. 

Reading- I gave them their first spelling pretest on Wednesday. I always give them a list of the words afterwards to take home and study- unless they happen to get 100% on the pretest. If they do that, they don't take the post test. With our new series I cannot get them covered in a week. So don't expect a Monday pretest and Friday post test. My stories are longer than the  K-3 stories. I will always let the kids know when their post test is as time gets closer to the end of our story. We will start working on our first story on Thursday. 

Math- On Wednesday, they worked on a worksheet that is really like a "pretest", but it's not a test. They worked on problems to show me what they already know. Our first chapter focuses on place value of numbers and then taking them apart and writing them in word form, expanded form, and standard form. We also will be working on understanding what an exponent is and what it can tell the kids. 

Religion- They made bookmarks to use with their religion books this year. I had them search up a Bible verse of their choosing and then decorate it. I then laminated it for them. We will start our year working on learning about the Bible and how to locate certain Bible verses. In the spring they will take the ACRE test. It is a standardized religion test. Students in 2nd, 5th, and 8th take it. This year I am having them keep a composition book with information that we discuss throughout the year. I am not teaching to the test- I  am trying to make sure the material is being covered. 

Spirit Day- Our first one will be on Friday, Sept. 5. The kids can wear sweats and/or a hat for $1. 

School Shooting- The horrible news on Wednesday about the school shooting in Minneapolis at a Catholic School during mass hits home a little harder. We took a moment of silence on Wednesday and prayed for all those students, families, teachers, and staff. Please know I do not like having to talk about this with your kids, but I also know we have to have a plan in case. It breaks my heart. Please know that every day your kids are with me- I am looking out for them! 

Mass- Thank you to my volunteers ( Chase, Zayn, Ryleigh, Estella, and Jude)  for stepping up and leading us in the Sanctuary song on Wednesday! 

PE- There is a form Mr. McCabe gave the 5th graders for his class. Please read it over with your child and both of you need to sign. Return as soon as possible. 

I hope everyone enjoys their long weekend! I plan on going to my sister Penny's house in Waverly to stay with her and help out. Have a safe and fun weekend! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Hello Families- Here is the last blog for the year! 

Calendar Dates:

May 26- No School / Memorial Day

May 28- 5th grade plays bells  at mass

May 30- Last Day of School/Early Out 

May 30th- 9:00- Field Day

10:30 Bathroom Break

10:45 Silly String (in courtyard)

11:00  PTO All School Grilled Burger Lunch (courtyard)

12:00- 8th Grade Clap Out! 

12:10- Dismissal

5th graders should wear tennis shoes for field day events...no sandals. 

Reading- In their take home folders are their scores from last week's module test. They did really well! I was very pleased. Even the lower scores were higher than they have been in the past!!! 

I did start a new story. I don't know that we will finish it all, but I wanted to continue some normalcy.  On Monday I read them and excerpt  from a biography on Rita Moreno. She is a singer, actress, and dancer. She had to deal with racist issues while trying to find her place in Hollywood. I showed them one of the songs she sings in the musical West Side Story.   I gave them a little background of what the movie is about and then showed them the same song in the newest movie version. I think they were more impressed to see the women dancing in heels and having to wear dresses. I had to remind them that that was the norm back then. 🤣 We are also going to read about Louis Armstrong. He is a famous jazz musician. I thought these would be great ways to end our year since they did their biography reports last week. 

Book Reports- I am slowly getting them graded. I try to do a handful a night among the other papers and tests I am checking. 

Math- I gave them math problems the other day with adding and subtracting fractions. Some of the problems had three fractions. For example : 

(1/5+ 2/5) - 1/10. That threw a few of them off. They had a hard time grasping that they were doing the same thing only with one more fraction. We also did some estimating with mixed numbers and then adding or subtracting. 

Religion- We are going to be finishing up this chapter before we leave for the summer. They will have a test on  Tuesday since we don't have school on Monday. 

5th graders will play bells at mass on Wednesday! 

Desks/ Lockers- I plan on having them clean out their desks and lockers on Thursday afternoon. They should have a big and empty book bag to put their stuff in! 

Did you see that PTO is providing us grilled hamburgers on the last day of school?? The kids will get to eat before leaving for the summer! 

This will be my final blog to you! I still can't believe we are near the end! This year seemed to go faster than others in the past! I have enjoyed your kids immensely! Thank you for allowing me to be with them this year. I know they are going to love middle school! While it may bring on more homework and projects- they will love the atmosphere and getting to share their specials with kids from 7th and 8th grade. They better remember to say hi to me in the hallways next year! This is a great group of kids! I will miss them!  I also know that for some of you this is the last child I will have of yours. 😞 I hope everyone has a great summer! I don't really have any set plans.  I think I will be here walking, reading books, and taking care of my flowers for the most part, but I will probably spend time with my sister Penny in Waverly.  We hope to have more answers for her in June. Whatever you do- have fun and  enjoy the summer temps!!! 

God Bless you and your families! Have a wonderful summer! 🌞🏖🔉

Miss Surma

Hello Parents! I hope all the moms were spoiled on Sunday!!! I had a nice trip back home! Next week will probably be my last blog for the year. Seriously, where did the time go?? 

Calendar Dates:

May 16- Spirit Day

May 19- All Library Books Due

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

May 26- No School / Memorial Day

May 28- 5th grade plays bells  at mass

May 30- Last Day of School/Early Out 

Permission Slip- Please sign the form for our practice at the high school next week for the concert. It is in your child's take home folder. The concert is at 6 pm at the Creston High School. 

Puberty Video- The girls will be watching the video next Wednesday after mass. While they are doing that, the boys will go to the kindergarten room and hang out with them and maybe even get a recess with them! We will do the switch the next day with the boys watching the video and the girls going to the kindergarten room. 

Reading- We are finishing up our last story in this module this week. They will take the weekly test on Friday. They will also have the spelling test on Friday.  Next Monday they will take their Module/Unit test. I will start a new unit on Tuesday. That story may take us to the end of the year. 

Book Reports are today! I am excited!!! It will take me a few days most likely to grade them! 

Math- They are now adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators. The hardest part is remembering that some answers have to be simplified. I don't plan on giving them a chapter test on this one. I may just give them a worksheet and we will call that the test. I'd like to get into multiplying fractions before we end our year! 

Religion- This week we worked on the Corporal Works of Mercy. We created lists of different things they can do to live them out. They also had to draw and color a picture of themselves living out one of their ideas. This week they are going to learn about one of my favorite saints- Maria Goretti. She was killed as a young girl by a man who attacked her. She forgave him before she died.  She lived out one of the Spiritual Works of Mercy. 

Spirit Day on Friday! They can wear sweats and/or a hat for $1. I know the weather has been so warm this week that sweats are probably not something they want to wear. 

Congrats to Mary Keller for winning the front cover of this year's yearbook! Sawyer Clinton's picture will be on the back cover! 

Glow-A-Thon- Our class was surprised at mass today! 5th grade won the pizza party for the class with the most money raised! We also won the Dilly bars for the most laps run! I was shocked! We will probably do those next week! 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I am heading to Waverly to see my sister Penny. I am going to do some odd jobs around the house for her and we plan on spending time checking papers! She is a 7-8 language arts teacher. She went back to work this week. We still don't have a definitive answer. She will go back to Mayo in June. 

God Bless, 

Miss Surma

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

Calendar Dates:

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

May 11- Mother's Day

May 14- Book Reports Due

May 16- Spirit Day

May 19- All Library Books Due

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

May 26- No School / Memorial Day

May 28- 5th grade plays bells  at mass

May 30- Last Day of School/Early Out

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

God Bless,

Miss Surma

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

Calendar Dates:

May 2- Spirit Day 

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

May 11- Mother's Day

May 14- Book Reports Due

May 21- Kindergarten mass/5th grade helpers

May 26- No School / Memorial Day

May 28- 5th grade plays bells  at mass

May 30- Last Day of School/Early Out

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

God Bless, 

Miss Surma

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

Calendar Dates:

Apr. 24- Field Trip to MO

Apr. 25- Clean Up Day

Apr. 28- I will start FAST Testing

May 2- Spirit Day 

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

May 14- Book Reports Due

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

God Bless, 

Miss Surma

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

Calendar Dates:

Apr. 17- Seder Meal/Cross Walk

Apr. 18- Good Friday/Spirit Day

Apr. 20- Easter Sunday

Apr. 21- No School/ PD Day

Apr. 24- Field Trip to MO

Apr. 25- Clean Up Day

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

God Bless, 

Miss Surma

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

Calendar Dates:

Apr. 7-11- ISASP Testing

Apr. 17- Seder Meal/Cross Walk

Apr. 18- Good Friday/Spirit Day

Apr. 20- Easter Sunday

Apr. 21- No School/ PD Day

Apr. 24- Field Trip to MO

Apr. 25- Clean Up Day

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

God Bless,

Miss Surma

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

Calendar Dates:

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

Apr. 9- 5th grade mass

Apr. 7-11- ISASP Testing

Apr. 17- Seder Meal/Cross Walk

Apr. 18- Good Friday/Spirit Day

Apr. 21- No School/ PD Day

Apr. 24- Field Trip to MO

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I hope everyone has a great weekend! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma