Happy Thursday!!! I hope everyone is having a great week!

Reading- This week you will find your child's scores from the unit test in the take home folder. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me, otherwise we will discuss at conferences in November. This week they read a nonfiction story about tree kangaroos or tree 'roos. A group of scientists were studying them. The story was mostly about how the scientists are able to capture them and attach a collar around their necks. This would send information to a satellite. A skill we focused on was cause and effect. We identified the causes from a particular page and then they had to tell me the effect from that cause. We also are working on verbs in grammar. They are learning about action verbs and helping verbs. On Wednesday, they had to identify the verb and then tell me if that verb conveyed sequence, time, condition, or state. We are also going to talk about picking verbs that are vague and verbs that are more exact. For example a vague verb would be went, but an exact verb would be scrambled. I told them to think about that as they write their rough drafts for their Halloween stories.  In our small groups on Monday and Tuesday, we worked on synonyms and antonyms. They also had to come up with a definition of the main word based on its synonyms or antonyms.

Halloween rough drafts are due Friday. I told them they should write it in print and skip lines ( that part is for me when I edit them). The final draft needs to be typed. I will edit them and return as quickly as possible. I will give them a due date for their final draft when I return it to them. If you don't have access to a computer, please let me know. We can use the lab before or after school to get them to type up their final story. IF you just have trouble printing it out, email me the paper, and I will print it off. 

Math- They are testing over chapter 1 on Thursday. The last two lessons in this chapter were really the beginning steps to algebra. They thought at first it was going to be difficult, but the more we worked on them, the easier they became for them.  I heard many of them say, "Wow, this is way easier than I thought it was going to be!" I hope to send home the tests on Friday with their scores, but that will depend on if there are a lot of corrections to do. 

Religion- Everyone has passed their prayers!! Woo hoo! They are now working on knowing all the decades to rosary. I told them they will have their first quiz over the Sorrowful Mysteries on Friday. If they don't pass it then, they will retake it on Monday. We went to the chapel last Friday to say the entire rosary. I was so impressed! I started it out, but then each student ended up leading a prayer or announcing the next decade. What impressed me most was that I didn't have to tell them which prayer was next or remind them where we were on the rosary. They knew it! It flowed so smoothly. They were so reverent. I just really enjoyed that prayer time with them! 

Art- Last week I showed them a how to video on drawing Anger from the movie Inside Out. We didn't finish it then, but we did this week! They loved it! Their pictures are so cute! I will post a picture when I remember my phone! I know many of them told me they went home and did others last week! 

Conferences--Keep a  look out for a sign up for conference times! Let me know if you cannot meet on November 5. We can make other arrangements. 

School Website-- It is down and has been for 2 weeks. I know Mrs. Simmons has decided to make her own blog so that you can get information. Hopefully you are all getting mine as well in your emails! 

Book Order- I sent home a book order. If you are interested in ordering, please have the order returned by Friday. Thank you! 

I hope everyone has a great weekend. I am heading home to Doon on Friday after work to visit Mom for the weekend. 
God Bless, Miss Surma