Hello! I can't say I have hated this weather! Recess duty has been wonderful! I don't know that I will say that on Friday! 

Calendar Dates:

Feb. 20 Book Reports due

Feb. 27- Fish Fry at STM

Feb. 28- STM Dinner and Gala

Mar. 4- Noisy Change Collection 

Mar. 6- Reconciliation for Grades 3-8

Mar.9-12- Parent Teacher Conferences

Mar. 11- Noisy Change Collection

Mar. 13-22 Spring Break

*During the season of Lent, we ask that all students bring meatless meals on Fridays.

Spirit Day on Friday, February 20! Sweats for $1

Reading- They are finished with their Module tests! Overall, scores were pretty great! I was impressed because the stories weren't easy to understand.  Score sheet will be in their take home folders. I gave them a spelling pretest today (Wednesday). Our next module is about the wild west! It is one of my favorites just because I always find that time period interesting. We will start work on that tomorrow. This first story teaches them a lot about the things the pioneers experienced on their journey west. I know in grammar they are going to be working on quotation marks. 

Math- We will be finishing up our lessons in division this week. Next week we will be working on the practice test and the real test. This week we did throw in another digit so sometimes they were dividing into the thousands. That took a bit to remember we might have another number to bring down to finish dividing. 

Religion- We are wrapping our chapter on the Sacraments of Initiation .  I graded their saint reports. I am keeping those for conferences so you will see them then, They will be working on a chapter review with a test to follow. Our next chapter will be over Lent. 

Conferences- in your child's take home folder is a paper for directions on signing up for a conference time. I know you can do that now. I see some have already gotten their date and time. 

St. Malachy Foundation Gala is set for next Saturday, February 28. It is a great night with great food ! The auction is always fun to watch! Hope to see you there! 

Noisy Change Collection- We will have 2 times during Lent to collect money. The money we collect will go to Mark O'Riley's Food Pantry. 

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

God Bless, 

Miss Surma

 Dear Parents, The spring-like temps are bringing everyone out of the cold weather crabbies! 😉 There is lots of energy in the room (not in a bad way) !  I have told them though that the "high" of the day isn't usually until they go home so the mornings and noon recess might still require a jacket! 

Calendar Dates:

Feb. 13- Celebrate Valentines

Feb. 18- Ash Wednesday/ Lenten Angels Activity

Feb. 20 Book Reports due

Feb. 27- Fish Fry at STM

Feb. 28- STM Dinner and Gala

Reading- We finished our story on Hurricanes today! The rest of the week will be about testing to end the module. They will have their weekly module test as well as a Module 3 test. That last one I break up over days so it isn't so much all at once. I know our next unit will be focused on the wild west!  They took their post test in spelling on Tuesday. We won't do a pretest until next week sometime.

I spent last weekend editing the stories they wrote before Christmas. I know they were excited to hear I had done it. They will be editing those in the coming days and then sharing them aloud with the class. Some of them worked with a partner or small group, others created their own! 

The book reports are due next Friday, February 20! If they need any paper from me or for me to print something off, please let me know. 

We will celebrate Valentine's Day on Friday in the afternoon. I told the 5th graders to wait and bring their Valentines until that day. 

Math- We are working on our long division. I have been chunking the assignments so hopefully they aren't feeling too overwhelmed. I know I work with a couple of kids during class and there has a been a steady line of other kids asking for help. I do want to say that some of your children have been GREAT at taking time to sit with others and help them out, especially if I am busy or Mrs. Jensen is busy! It has been great listening to them teach and ask questions! 

Religion- This week they shared their information on the saints they did research  on. Some of them had very interesting lives and some horrible deaths! I am grading those and will get those back to  them as soon as I am able. 

Ash Wednesday mass will be next Wednesday. You are welcome to join us for mass. The 5th graders will be making their Lenten promises on Friday. 

I hope everyone has a terrific weekend! Enjoy the weather! I am not sure of my plans. My great niece Bella has her first birthday on Saturday so I am waiting to see if there is a party happening for her! Happy Valentine's Day! The Galentine's Day at The Venue sounds fun! 

God Bless, 

Miss Surma

 

Hello Parents- Okay, I actually had all 23 kids back today! I am not saying anything more because I will probably jinx it! 

Calendar Dates:

Feb. 6- Spirit Day

Feb. 13- Celebrate Valentines

Feb. 18- Ash Wednesday/ Lenten Angels Activity

Feb. 20 Book Reports due

Feb. 27- Fish Fry at STM

Feb. 28- STM Dinner and Gala

Math- We are working on long division and I am purposely taking it slowly. Some of the kids have caught on rather quickly with a few minor bumps in the road. For others it isn't so easy. I am sitting with those kids and we are going through each problem slowly. I am also making all of them check by multiplying! This way they know they got it right! That can also be a trick for some because some have forgotten how we multiply two digits times two digits, or they forget to add the remainder. These are all typical issues that happen every year! Soon enough they will all be working on their own! So if you see a worksheet in their folder tonight that isn't done- don't worry! I told them to stop and we would work on it again tomorrow. Now, if you want to give your child a division problem to do at home- go ahead!  The extra practice won't hurt! 

Reading- Our story is on hurricanes. They are learning about how they are formed, how they get their names, the damage they can cause, the directions they can travel...lots of information! Did you know that they aren't all called hurricanes? It depends on where it takes place! This story has charts, maps, and photographs that we are also gathering information from!  Our grammar continues our work with subordinating conjunctions! Our spelling list has words with a VCCV pattern in them. Their spelling post test will be on Tuesday, Feb. 10. 

Just a reminder: they have a little over 2 weeks to finish their book report project! 

Religion- We are in a chapter that is going over baptism and confirmation. This one really focuses on if kids or adults were joining the church. They would receive these sacraments at the Easter Vigil.  Part of our discussion is that when they get confirmed in the Catholic church, they pick a saint name. I told them to take time to choose. This is someone they should look to as a role model and also someone who can intercede for them. They are going to do some research on saints and pick one. They will get a worksheet from me to fill out about their saint. They will share these with the class when done. 

Spirit Day on Friday! Sweats for $1

The season of Lent is coming up soon. You might start having a conversation with your child about what they want to do this Lent. Are they going to give up some thing or do more of something? I always tell them that if they give up something- they cannot make the family miserable for it. 

Valentines- We will celebrate Valentines the afternoon on the 13th. We will make our bags for Valentines next Wednesday. 

I hope everyone has a GREAT weekend!  If you didn't get to stop in at the book store on Saturday- I am working on Thursday and Friday after school!  Mrs. Ramsey asked me if I would be interested in working there ??  My sister Penny and I always talked about owning our store one day so this is my chance to fulfill that without being the owner! I know she will be with me in spirit! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Hello Families! Well, it looks like the illness is pretty much out of our room.... I hope! 

Calendar Dates:

Jan. 20-30 FBLA Coin Wars

Jan. 25- Mass at 1:30, Pick up at 1:00

Feb. 6- Spirit Day

Feb. 13- Celebrate Valentines

Feb. 18- Ash Wednesday

Feb. 20 Book Reports due

Feb. 28- STM Dinner and Gala

Reading-  They took their reading test today! I am happy to say scores are much better than the last one! I don't know that I will get their scores sent home this week, but for sure next week!  We will have a new spelling pretest on Friday to go with our new story. Our final story in this module is on hurricanes. 

With our activities this week they wrote a letter to a 5th grader at St. Brigid School in Portland, Maine. I did show them some pictures of their school and activities they do. 

Today they wrote a letter to a National Guard member. These letters will be sent out later as part of some care packages a group of moms are putting together in Des Moines.  

Book Reports Due- Friday, February 20

Math- We haven't gotten a lot of math done this week! On Monday we will start dividing using the standard algorithm. I am also going to teach them how to check it by multiplying! That will save them, me, and you some time and possibly pain! LOL 

Religion- We checked the study guide today. Their test will be on Friday. 

FAST Testing- I have gotten almost everyone done with the testing. I just have to get some of the kids who have been sick caught up! 

Thursday, Jan. 29- Kids need a sack lunch!!!  * Sack lunches should include food from home. No Subway or McDonald's ,etc. No carbonated beverages. Milk will be provided. 

They can wear their STM gear or black and yellow/gold if they have some! 

Friday- they will need to wear their mass clothes. Grandparents or special guests need to pick up kids at 1:00 and then drive to the church. Mass will begin at 1:30. After mass is over you are free to take your child home. The bus will be provided if needed,but please let me know by Friday morning. 

Hope everyone has been staying warm! My sister Eva said she got nearly 2 feet of snow in Maine! I don't want to shovel that kind of snow! Have a great weekend! 

God Bless, 

Miss Surma

 Happy Thursday! I hope you're all having a good week. Hopefully everyone will start to feel better soon! 

Calendar Dates:

Jan. 20-30 FBLA Coin Wars

Jan. 23- Spirit Day/ Sack Lunch Day

Jan. 25-30 Catholic Schools Week

Feb. 6- Spirit Day

Enrollment for 2026-2027 school year opens the week of Catholic Schools Week. Please make sure to enroll your child so they have their spot in the 6th grade! It closes on Friday, January 30th. 

Catholic Schools Week:

Sunday, Jan. 25-Mass at Holy Spirit- if you signed your child up to participate, they will have their job assignment in their Take Home Folder.

Monday, Jan.26-Spirit Day- Out of this World! (dress like something from outer space) 

Tuesday, Jan. 27-Spirit Day Dress: Winter Olympics. Gov. Kim Reynolds visiting STM. 

Wednesday, Jan. 28- Spirit Day Dress: Wild West

Thursday, Jan. 29- Sack Lunch Needed. 12 pm Talent Show ( if your child is participating, remind them to bring anything they will need) 1:30 Recess/Intermission 1:45-2:45 Finish Talent Show.   Spirit Day Dress: St. Malachy gear or wear some blue and gold.

Friday, Jan. 30- Spirit Day- Dress Up for Mass. Students dismissed at 1:00. Grandparents and /or special guest will transport them to Holy Spirit Church. Mass is at 1:30 and is required to attend. Students will be dismissed from Holy Spirit after Mass. 

FBLA Coin Wars is happening now until January 30. The money is going towards for blankets for kids. Our bucket is pretty empty right now. I would love to see some donations even if they don't bring in enough to win one of the parties. It is a worthy cause! 

Math- This week they have been learning to divide using partial quotients. I told them this math is only to be done at school. Mom and Dad won't know what you're doing! This is just a great way for them to understand what is really happening  when we divide. It also gives them a better understanding of place value. Not to worry- the next step is the standard algorithm. 

Religion- this week we read the story of Nicodemus, a Pharisee, visiting with Jesus to understand him better. Jesus was teaching him about the necessity of baptism. I also showed them the same scene from The Chosen. We also read about two saints: Maximilian Kolbe ( a Polish priest who died at Auschwitz) sacrificing his life for another prisoner. The other saint was Saint Rose Duchesne. She worked for years bringing Jesus to Native Americans . We will be wrapping up this chapter this week and probably testing next week. 

Reading- We are finishing up our story this week on the tsunami in Thailand in 2004. Our grammar this week got us combining sentences using subordinating conjunctions. Their spelling posttest will be on Friday (tomorrow). 

Stephanie Anderson and Rachel Ramaeker have come up with a great auction item from our class. We are going to work on this on February 6. I will post a picture of it when we are done! 

The kids will need a sack lunch on Friday!  Spirit Day on Friday! 

Please make sure to return the form letting me know who your child will be attending next Friday's Grandparent/Special Guest mass. 

I hope everyone has a good weekend! Please be safe and stay warm!  I will see some of you on Sunday at Mass to kick off Catholic Schools Week! 

God Bless, 

Miss Surma

 Hello Parents, 

Thank you so much for the emails, cards, texts, and gifts. They mean a lot! It sounded like the 5th graders had a good week while I was gone. I am happy to hear that! It is good to get back to something a little normal.  Mrs. Warner sent me a video of them singing a song that I absolutely love! It brought me to tears! 

Calendar Dates:

Jan. 19- No School/PD Day 

Jan. 23- Spirit Day

Jan. 25-30 Catholic Schools Week

Book Reports- I assigned the next report on Monday. They each chose a Newbery Winner or Newbery Honor book. The project is due Friday, February 20. They have a yellow packet with the information. I told them they can't choose the same project from the last time. So if they tell you they don't have homework...they do have a book to read! 

Reading- I gave them a spelling pretest on Tuesday, so they do have a new list! This list covers compound words. Some have a space and some have a hyphen!The pretest was not pretty simply because of the different ways you can write a compound word.  Our story this week is about tsunamis. This will be another nonfiction story. These are harder for them to test over as you can see from the test they took last week. I will try to stress to them that they read the story more than once before answering questions, but also to think about the questions being asked of them and if they can find those answers within the story.  In grammar we started going over using the conjunctions and , but, and or. 

Math- We started our chapter on division. I worked with them on estimating decimals. I explained they have to find compatible numbers ( numbers that go together easily and wouldn't have a remainder). This takes some practice to fully grasp. Today we started dividing. I am showing the partial quotients method first. I did tell them this is NOT a way to divide at home with Mom and Dad. I told them you will have no clue on what we are doing. So...no worries. I will let you know when they learn the standard algorithm.  I also told them that this is a chapter with lots of frustration. It tends to bring kids to tears. I told them I don't want to hear things like..."This is so easy, why don't you get it?" We all learn differently. They will have to be patient. 

Religion- they started a new chapter this week. They have been working in groups to create a "club". They have to pick a name for their club, a saint to represent it, and then activities for their club to do. I told them they could have 3  fun activities and then they had to have 2 activities that were acts of service. They will share the posters with the entire class tomorrow. It's been fun listening to their discussions and seeing their creativity. 

Wipes~ Thank you so much for the Clorox wipes! I think it is perfect timing with kids being sick with the flu right now! 

Catholic Schools Week- There are forms going home in their folders tomorrow about Catholic Schools Week at the end of the month. Please make sure to look them over and return if needed. One is for the Sunday mass on the 25th. That is the day I am in charge of helping with. 

Enrollment for 2026-2027 school year opens the week of Catholic Schools Week. Please make sure to enroll your child so they have their spot in the 6th grade! 

The past three days have been really good with the kids. It is good to be back with them. I am slowly getting my papers checked. Your child's folder may seem a little full! Sorry about that! 

I hope everyone has a great weekend. Remember there is no school on Monday! Enjoy the 3 day weekend!

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Hello All- I hope this week is going well for you! Hard to believe Christmas is next week! 

Calendar Dates: 

Dec. 19- Need Sack Lunch

Dec. 20- Jan. 4- Christmas Break

Jan. 5- Classes Resume

Reading- They will get their score back on Thursday for their module test. We didn't get any perfect scores, but there are quite a few in the 90s!!!!   We started our new unit. This one will bring us back to nonfiction stories. The first story deals with the volcano in the Philippines - Mount Pinatubo. It gives us details about what happened prior to it blowing and a little bit of the aftermath. The grammar for this story is about direct and indirect objects. We will be focusing more on figurative language and sequencing the events. We will continue working on this when they get back from break. 

At some point in January I will assign the next book report.  They got their rough drafts done on The Mysteries of Harris Burdick . I will be editing those during my Christmas break. 

Math- On Thursday- they will be working on a worksheet that covers the kinds of multiplication they worked on this chapter. This will be their "test" for the chapter. I didn't get to division so I guess I know what we are doing in January! 

Religion- We finished our chapter on the Beatitudes. The test scores were GREAT! When we get back we will spend a few days on our Christmas chapter and then move back into the regular chapters. 

Friday, Dec. 19- They will need a sack lunch. They will be eating with their Advent Angel. Milk is provided!  If they are getting a gift for their angel, they will give it at that time.  Remember the gift giving is optional- not required. Make sure it is something they can carry home easily. 

I will be sending home their boots and snow pants tomorrow ( Thursday).  Who knows- maybe it will snow sometime during break. This will also allow Adolfo to do some cleaning. 

Congrats to Caroline for reading the most minutes and raising the most money for our class during the Read-A-Thon!!! 👏👏👏

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and New Years! Enjoy the family time! Drive safely if you're traveling! I will be in Cedar Falls/Waterloo. My sister Penny has to move into a nursing home. She is requiring more care now. I could be spending some of my time moving her. Not sure how quickly this will happen. I will spend the holiday with her and her daughters. See you in January! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma