Hello Parents, It has been a great week so far! I hope the kids are having a great week! 

Calendar Dates:

Aug. 28- Spirit Day- $1 for hats/ sweatpants

Sept. 2- Welcome Back Picnic 5 pm-6 pm

Sept. 7- Labor Day/ No School

Sept. 10- Green Valley Day Grades 5-8 

Sept. 11- Spirit Day

Sept. 16- PTO Meeting 

Sept. 23- 5th Grade Mass

Reading- We are starting our first story today! In 5th grade, our stories are typically longer than in the past. Due to everything I need to cover with them... I don't usually get it done in a week's time.  I gave them their first spelling pretest today. I will email or write it in this blog when the post test will happen, but it won't be a Monday pretest and a Friday post test to give them time to study. I DO give them a copy of the words to study. They can take that home to practice with you or maybe practice on a car ride to their practices or on the way to school.  So if they tell you they don't have a list of words to study from...ask again! They do! 😀   

Reading tests- Last year I didn't have them do their reading tests on the computers and plan on doing that again. The kids liked it more that way. The other nice thing is that doing it on paper allows for them to correct it and get some extra points back...just like I do on a math test! 

Math- our first lesson will focus on exponents. This first chapter focuses on place value.  We will also do time tests weekly! I only cover multiplication and division.  I have already started them on Xtra Math which also focuses on math facts. It does cover addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.  A big focus in 5th grade will be long division and fractions. 

Religion- We will start the year out focusing on learning how to locate a Bible passage.  Our next chapter covers creation. In the spring the 5th graders take a standardized religion test called ACRE. Second and eighth graders also take the test. October is a big month for 5th graders in religion. We work on the rosary  knowing and understanding the Mysteries of the Rosary as well as knowing a couple more prayers.

Spirit Day- Friday, August 28 is our first one! The kids can wear sweats and/ or a hat for $1!! 

Interventions- Some of you will find a paper in your child's folder that you need to sign so we can begin our math and reading interventions. Please return ASAP. 

If you missed my email this summer I mentioned my Facebook page for our room. If you're on Facebook just look up St. Malachy Fabulous Fifth Grade and ask to join. I will let you in once you have asked for permission.  I will share this blog there and in your emails. 

Assignment Books- I will start signing them tonight! That means you have to sign them too!  My rule is if they don't get it signed 3 days in a row that will be a late slip. Those will start on Monday!!!  We also stressed to the 3-5th graders that this is THEIR responsibility as a student  to get it signed. They cannot blame you! It is not your job to find the assignment book in their bag. It is their job to give it to you. In 5th grade, I really work on them taking more responsibility for their learning and work. They need to be ready for more independence in middle school. 

Welcome Back Picnic is set for Wednesday, September 2 from 5-6 pm. Each family is supposed to bring a side dish hot or cold OR a dessert of some kind. Make sure to bring your lawn chairs or a blanket! Hope to see you there! 🌭🍪

I hope everyone has a GREAT weekend! I will be at the bookstore on Saturday with our guest author and then attending the Bishop's Dinner in Des Moines with some of the other teachers. 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

Hello Families! I really can't believe we are here! This will be my final blog of the year!  

Calendar Dates:

May 21- Biography Report  Due / Bring Costumes

May 22- Spirit Day/ 8th Grade Graduation

May 25- No School/ Memorial Day

May 29- Last Day of School / 3 hour early out/ Field Day

Reading- They will have their last spelling test on Friday. Next week they will take their final weekly module test. 

We will start book reports on Thursday. My plan is start in the morning and then continue in the afternoon. I am hoping I can get a majority of them done on Thursday.  If not, we will do more on Friday.  

Math- I was really happy with the test scores on adding and subtracting fractions. I am going to start working on multiplying fractions before the end. They won't get a lot of practice, but a quick introduction for them.  I also plan on doing time tests one more time next Tuesday. Some are soooo close to getting 100%!! 

Religion- They will take their test on Thursday over the Sacraments of Healing. We will end in our guidance book.  I would also like to take them to the chapel one more time for the Rosary. 

Spirit Day- The last one of the year is on Friday! 

Field Day- I am telling the kids to wear tennis shoes on Friday for Field Day. There are so many activities that those would be the best for them. They can take a water bottle to school that day.  Lunch will be provided before the early out! It is a 3 hour early out! 

Just to let you know that I will be leaving early on the last day.  My sister Penny's school is giving her an honorary award. Her girls are accepting it in her name. My siblings and I are invited to attend. Right now, I am the only one able to go.  I did debate going because it is the last day with the 5th graders, but ultimately I want to be there for my nieces and for Penny. I have a feeling you all understand that.  I did ask Mrs. Klejch to be in my place once I leave. She was more than willing to help out!  There will be field day events, lunch, Silly String fun from the Lap-A-Thon, and the 8th grade clapout. It will be a very busy morning! Don't forget it is a 3 hour early out! 

Lap-A-Thon- The 5th graders are getting Dilly Bars because they ran the most laps! Woot Woot!

FAST Testing- Their reading and math scores are in their Take Home Folders. 

Music Program- Wasn't that just the best??? So much talent in the school and I see some budding actors in 5th grade! 

Finally, I just wanted to say thank you for letting me be your child's teacher this year. I think they have grown! Thank you for your understanding and grace this year as I taught and grieved at the same time. Thank you for your constant support when I emailed or texted you! This is a GREAT group of kids! I know some may be nervous about leaving our wing to go to the middle school, but I think they will adapt and love it! I hope everyone has a terrific summer! I will be working at the book store so stop in and say hi! I will be going to Ohio in July for my nephew's wedding. I think Mrs. Sickels and I are going to take a short little vacation together and do some major reading! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 I hope all you Moms had a wonderful day on Sunday! I hope you were spoiled by your family ! The countdown is on! I know I say this every year,but this year really did fly by! 

Calendar Dates:

May 20- Spring Concert

May 21- Biography Report  Due / Bring Costumes

May 22- Spirit Day/ 8th Grade Graduation

May 25- No School/ Memorial Day

May 29- Last Day of School / 3 hour early out/ Field Day

Book Report- The day is approaching! They should bring their costumes on May 21. The costumes will stay at school until their report has been given. I am not sure how many I will get through on that first day!  IF they need their costume for a sport- they can take it home ,but will have to bring it back. 

Math- We are ending our chapter with a practice test this week. I am trying to break it down for them because it is mostly word problems. We made a list this week of possible clue words that would help you realize if you needed to add or subtract. They will start the math test on Monday. We will see how long it takes to get done. 

Reading- They took their weekly module test on Monday. I hope to get their scores in the mailboxes before the folders go home. We are starting our next story which is about creating a garden, but also hits topics on recycling and reusing materials. In grammar we will be focusing on commas and semicolons.  Their spelling words all end in -ed or -ing. We even talked about how one syllable words that end in a consonant usually double that letter.  Hop- hopped, hopping is an example. 

Religion- We are going to finish up this chapter . They will have one more test and then we will be going through our Guidance book! 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I see storms are being predicted for the weekend. I hope those stay away with all the sport activities and graduation parties happening! 

God Bless, 

Miss Surma

 Hello Parents, Thank you once again for the wonderful Teacher Appreciation gifts this week! It was a fun week with those little surprises from you and the PTO. 

Calendar Dates:

May 8- Spirit Day 

May 13- 5th Grade plays hand chimes at mass

May 20- Spring Concert

May 21- Biography Report  Due / Bring Costumes

May 22- Spirit Day/ 8th Grade Graduation

May 25- No School/ Memorial Day

May 29- Last Day of School / 3 hour early out/ Field Day

Reading-  We are finishing up our story this week. They will take their weekly module test on Monday.  The spelling test will be on Friday.  Make sure you are getting the book report costumes ready! 

Mass- On Wednesday, May 13, the 5th graders will be playing their hand chimes during the 1st grade mass. Please feel free to join us if you want a sneak preview! I believe they will play again at the Spring Concert on May 20. 

Some of the 5th graders will also be helping the kindergartners during their mass on May 20. 

Math- We are wrapping up our chapter on adding and subtracting fractions. It looks like next week we will begin the process of doing a practice test before the real thing. Our next chapter will be on multiplying fractions! 

Religion- We have started our new chapter on the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation.  Starting on Friday we will begin working on our Guidance books during our Friday religion times. This is just an extension of our religion class with more of a focus on relationships with friends and family. 

Substitute- I am gone on Monday. I am heading home to Doon on Sunday to leave flowers for my parents at the cemetery. I am also planning on going to Sioux Falls to see my sister Mary and her husband. Mr. Cooley will be my sub. I know the kids love when he is in the building! 

Spirit Day on Friday! 

I hope you have a great weekend! I know it is Market on Maple weekend. I will be working at the book store if you're downtown checking things out! Hope to see you! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

Happy Thursday Everyone! The 5th graders have had a busy week! I am hoping for a more normal schedule next week! 

Calendar Dates:

May 8- Spirit Day 

May 21- Biography Report  Due / Bring Costumes

May 22- Spirit Day/ 8th Grade Graduation

May 25- No School/ Memorial Day

May 29- Last Day of School / 3 hour early out

Reading- We started our new module. Our first story is about how cities are now farming. The story talks about how people plant gardens on roof tops, but are also creating vertical gardens that go up the side of the building. We also learn about the gardens that were grown during WWI and WWII to help with the food effort due to factories being used for munitions.  In grammar we are working on regular and irregular verbs. A lot of this is about the spelling rules for them when we change from present to past tense. The module test scores are in their folders. 

I have started FAST testing. They will do their reading test on Friday on their chromes. 

Math- We started subtracting mixed numbers! This has surprised me because they are catching on to this faster than I expected. The borrowing can be tricky! I am really impressed with what they have been doing this week!  

Religion- We are at the end of our chapter. They did a great job on their posters for the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. We will go over the study guide on Friday. The test will be on Monday. 

In May I will start our Guidance books. We will do this about once a week. It goes with our religion series, but deals more with relationships. 

 I know May is a busy month with dance, baseball,softball, and soccer. I told them they will have to use their time wisely on the weekends to make sure their homework and studying get done. 

Cross Picture- We are trying a new cross picture on Friday afternoon. They don't have to wear white. The temps are supposed to be a little cooler. They might want to wear a sweatshirt! 

Do you realized we only have 3 Mondays left??? That is just crazy to me! 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I am heading to Waterloo to watch Penny's granddaughters in their dance recital. 

God Bless, 

Miss Surma

 Hello Families, I hope you're all having a great week! 

Calendar Dates:

Apr. 24- Spirit Day

Apr. 27- Glow-A-Thon/ Bring Sack Lunch

Apr. 30- Large Group Band Contest

May 8- Spirit Day 

May 21- Biography Report  Due / Bring Costumes

May 29- Last Day of School / 3 hour early out

Glow-A-Thon- This is happening on Monday during PE.  It's more fun to see the kids in whites and neon colors so they glow in the dark, if possible.  Make sure to return the fundraising sheets by Monday!  They will need a sack lunch that day as well. We learned last year it was hard to put lunch tables down with all the fun decor in the gym! 

Religion- We have been covering the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy in class. They worked on posters to depict each one. Those will be in the hallway for all to see! 

Cross Picture- We are doing this outside on May 1. The kids DO NOT have to wear a white t-shirt. What they wear to school that day will be just fine! 

Reading- They took the post test in spelling. On Wednesday they took the weekly reading test. They will be starting the Module test on Thursday. I found that breaking it up over a few days was better last time. They are also working on their Dollars for Scholars essays. They do those at school. The top 3 in the class will be chosen from teachers in the building. I will then send those 3 on to be read. One of them will be the winner of $50. 

Book Reports- Many of them are finishing up their Google slides! They are finding this project lots of fun! 

Math- This week we are focusing on adding mixed numbers with unlike denominators. This added another step though because some of the answers had improper fractions so I had to teach them how to turn that into a mixed number and then add it to the total of the whole number. The goal is trying to get some of the 5th graders to realize that they can do "hard" things, but it takes practice and we don't just stop. 

FAST Testing is also beginning! This will be the final testing round for the year! The goal in reading is 162! They will continue with FAST next year in middle school. 

Puberty Video is tomorrow! I told them that if they are sick, I will email you the video and you can watch it with them! 😀

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I will be working at the book store on Saturday! 

God Bless, 

Miss Surma

 Dear Families ,

I hope you are having a good week! Enjoying the warmth and the rain?? 

Calendar Dates:

Apr. 20- Site Visit by Diocese

Apr. 24- Spirit Day

Apr. 27- Glow-A-Thon/ Bring Sack Lunch

Apr. 30- Large Group Band Contest

May 8- Spirit Day 

May 21- Biography Report  Due / Bring Costumes

May 29- Last Day of School / 3 hour early out

Book Reports- I taught them how to do their Google slides today. I told them they have to show me their notes pages are done BEFORE they get started on their slides.  The sooner they get done with the book, the sooner they can get started. 

Reading- We stared our next story which is historical fiction. It is about a family living on the prairie. They had a few different idioms that we had to discuss such as: Make hay while the sun shines. The family is out in the field cutting their hay for the season in the story so we talk about the different chores. I showed them pictures of some of the tools they used back then. We also watched a video of a family in the UK that thatches roofs for a living. The work involved is something!  In grammar we are working on the tense of verbs: action and linking. Right now it is looking like the spelling pretest will be on April 21. I will let you know if that changes. 

Math- We are working on adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators. We have been doing this for a few weeks. Some of the kids are still struggling with finding that common denominator and simplifying the answers. I decided it was time to move on with the lessons. Today we worked on estimating the fractions and mixed numbers  and then adding or subtracting them. For example 2-3/4 + 5/8. That would estimate to 3 + 1= 4. That was pretty simple for them!  We will be getting into mixed numbers ! 

Religion- We finally finished The Ten Commandments movie. Our next chapter will cover the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy. 

Glow-A-Thon- Don't forget this is coming up on Monday, April 27. Kids should return their pledge sheets by then! They should also white or neon colors if they have them so we can see them glow in the dark gym!  They need to bring a sack lunch that day!

I hope everyone has a great weekend! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma