Hello Parents, I hope you are having a good week. I would like to send our condolences to Kennedy's family with the loss of her Great Grandmother Martha.  The kids have been great again with the support for Kennedy and the continued support for Sadie. I am very proud of them!

Reading- So our week started off wonky because I didn't assign the test on Friday correctly. So, on Monday they had to redo it! Scores were better than I had expected overall. The third week there is always a cold read test. They get a new story to read to themselves and then answer the questions. The nice part with this one is they can always go back to the story and look up answers. The story they are reading this week is called Double Dutch. This was our first nonfiction story. It is about a group of girls who create a Double Dutch team  at their school and then take part in some competitions. The grammar this week has been focusing on common and proper nouns. They are having to pick them out of sentences and tell me whether they are common or proper. They are also having to write sentences and capitalize the proper nouns in them. This can be a little tricky at times. They will also be working with titles and abbreviations.

Math- This week we took on orders of operations. It seemed pretty simple for them as they worked with on problems on Tuesday, but they were having issues with remembering they need to work from left to right. We are working on it some more on Thursday. I didn't feel comfortable leaving it to Mrs. Struble on Wednesday when I was gone because I wanted to be there to answer any of the questions. When it comes to math...I'd rather they ask me for help so I know what is confusing them. They will be adding braces and brackets to it on Friday. We are nearing the end of this first chapter. It is so packed with all kinds of different things. I will give them a  "cheat sheet" for the test. It is just a guide to remind them of all the different things we did in this chapter. I know it is a lot to remember.  They could end up testing next week, but I will see how these orders of operation lessons continue.

Religion- They worked on posters to represent each of the seven sacraments. They are going to share those on Thursday. We will be finishing up the chapter and then testing over it too. During the month of October we close the book and focus on the Rosary. They need to memorize two prayers-- which I think they already know. They also need to know all the mysteries. We work on this  in class with different things. Plus we will go to the chapel to pray the Rosary. I usually do that on Fridays.

Food Pantry- We are working this Friday with the 3rd graders. It will be their first or second time I believe.

Homecoming- Next Friday, Oct. 11 is a 3 hour early out. There won't be lunch served that day. The kids can wear their Panther gear!

Panther Pancakes- We are doing this in place of Donuts and Muffins! So, next Friday, come to eat pancakes with your kids before school and celebrate homecoming!!! Breakfast will be served from 7-8:30. 

Veteran's Day- We will be having a Veteran's Day program. The 5th graders will be making thank you cards. They are also going to do an activity with Mrs. Dinham's 4 year old preschoolers. I haven't told the kids yet, but I know they will be so excited!

I hope everyone has a great weekend! The temps will feel like fall, I think! I need to check the "lake" in my backyard! All this rain is making my sump pumps work overtime!

God Bless,
Miss Surma

Hello Parents, I hope everyone enjoyed Balloon Days even though it rained! I had a great time with all my nieces! I got some great snuggles from my great niece Rosie who is only 4 months!

Mass-  Next week, we are doing the rosary at 8:50 and then having a prayer service at 9:15. Father Adam will be back the following week!

Spirit Day- This Friday is a spirit day. They can wear sweats and or a hat for $1! The weather might be perfect for that! 

Color Run is this coming Sunday at McKinley Park at 2 pm.

The memorial service for Travis Morgan is set for Saturday at 10 am at Powers Funeral Home. Visitation is from 9-10 am. 

Reading- This week they read a story about two 5th graders running for class president. They each have to give a speech before the voting. We discussed how Miata uses formal language and really wants to do good things for the school. Rudy uses informal language, doesn't really follow school rules, and he wants to do things that are more fun for the school, but realistically won't happen. We also picked a part the author's word usage and found examples of similes throughout as well as idioms. I created sheets with idioms on them and they had to draw and color a picture to match what it says...not the literal meaning of those. They were giggling over their choices. They will share those on Thursday. In grammar this week they are focusing on finding the complete subject and complete predicate in a sentence. They will test over the story and spelling words on Friday. 

Math- Tuesday was a more challenging lesson. They are solving division problems using multiplication and the distributive property. They discovered there are lots of steps that have to written down, but I also told them, "Now you can't say to me, I forgot how to divide because now they have another strategy to use! " I am not really sure if that made them happy or sad. 


Book It- This will start next Tuesday. They will get their calendar on that day. The goal for October is 600 minutes. That is about 20 minutes per day. They will have to decide between Pizza Hut and Pizza Ranch when they meet the goal at the end of the month.

Sub- I am gone on Friday to attend the bishop's ordination mass in Des Moines. Linda Taylor will be here.

I hope everyone has a great weekend! It's been a tough couple of weeks. Hopefully we will see some brighter days in the future. Our continued prayers for Ethel and Sadie. 
God Bless, 
Miss Surma

Hello Parents, I hope you are having a good week. I am so ready for fall temps.


McKinley Park Day- Just a reminder your kids will need a sack lunch on Thursday for our field trip. They will also need a drink. We also want the kids to each have an extra water bottle with them for the day. Please pack that with their name on it.  They should wear tennis shoes because they will be doing a lot of walking. We will be touring the historical complex first. Later they will be playing disc golf. We are planning on being back between 1-2 pm.

Reading- Due to our short week, I decided to assign them their first book report. They were given a packet with 8 different options for their project. It is not due until November 14...so they have awhile. They don't have to start immediately. They get to choose their book.  It can't be something they've read before or heard before. It has to be a chapter book. They should show it to me to make sure it is okay.  IF we don't go to the park on Thursday due to weather, I will probably start the next story.

I also assigned them to write their rough draft for their Halloween story. We are just getting a big start on projects this week. Their rough draft will be due next Thursday, Sept. 26. I turned on some kids' Halloween music to inspire them, but they ended up singing along! 😄😄

Religion- They had their test this week. We aren't really starting a new chapter yet because I am having them practice for mass on Wednesday. Just a reminder that mass is at 9:30 instead of 9:15. 

Math- This week they are working on multiplication by single digit numbers. They are also working on multiplying double digit numbers. I am thinking most of this should really be review. I believe they did that last year. They are also working on estimating their products.

Substitute- I will be gone on Friday, Sept. 27. Each parish was given 16 tickets to the Bishop's ordination mass. Father Adam told us we could enter our name into the drawing. I was a lucky winner! I get to go to attend the mass for the new bishop of our diocese. I am pretty excited since I teach about Holy Orders in religion class, but don't really know what that mass entails for them. I am excited to be able to come back and tell the kids all about it! The mass is at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Des Moines.

No school on Friday! PD Day for teachers! Enjoy your day!

Our continued prayers go out to Travis, Ethel, and Sadie Morgan. ❤🙏🙏🙏

I am heading to Waterloo this weekend. My niece Emily has her senior homecoming and she made the homecoming court. I am also going to see her sister Grace who plays soccer for Loras College. Pretty sure I get to babysit my great nieces Gracie and Rosie too! Enjoy Balloon Days! I hope the weather cooperates!
God Bless,
Miss Surma

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

Religion- The 5th graders will have a test on their first chapter on Monday, Sept. 16. They will have a study guide to look over to prepare for it. It is also their mass week. They have been given their parts. IF they have a reading part, they should be practicing at home with you. Our mass will be at 9:30 due to having a substitute priest since Father Adam will be gone.

McKinley Park Day- Next Thursday, Sept. 19 the entire school  K-8 will be going to the park for a day of learning and activities. Jan Lesan is in charge of the day. Your kids will need a sack lunch that day. They should also wear tennis shoes because they will be doing some walking while there! There is a letter coming home in their folders. Please check it out! Thanks!!!


No school on Friday, Sept. 20. The teachers have professional development that day! 

Spirit Day this Friday! They can wear sweats or a hat or both for $1! They can also show their team support. I know it is the big Cy-Hawk Game this weekend. I will be supporting the purple and gold! :)

Math- This week they are working on the properties in addition and multiplication. We do a lot with the Distributive Property. I told them this gives them a taste of algebra. They are also getting some experience with exponents and the powers of 10. They liked that lesson. Thought it was pretty easy! By the end of the week we will be half way through our first chapter!

Band- Band lesson times have now been set. Some are on Monday and others on Thursday.  5th graders have group band on Mondays and Thursdays. The 5th graders will not have lessons this week Thursday because Mrs. Stoner is trying to see all the new 4th graders.

Reading- This week they read a story called The Royal Mystery. It was about 2 girls who were tentmates at a summer camp. Rena is pretty quiet and doesn't share a lot about herself. Althea is very outgoing and determined to figure Rena out! It is much like the fairy tale The Princess and the Pea.  It is written like a play with different scenes. The 5th graders really got into the roles! It was fun listening to them read it aloud. They can share the mystery with you! In grammar we are discussing the different kinds of sentences and the correct punctuation to use with them. I have a book called Yo! Yes? that I make them read to me aloud. Each page has one word with punctuation. So we make sure they say the word with the appropriate inflection. It's a fun little picture book to read.  They will have a spelling test on Friday as well as the test over the story.


I feel like I am forgetting something, but cannot think of it! Oh well! Have a great weekend!
God Bless,
Miss Surma

Hello Parents, I hope you all enjoyed your long weekend! I did!  I was able to get some work done at school and home. I spent a day shopping in Des Moines with Mrs. Levine. We always have a good time!

Safety- On Tuesday afternoon I took the 5th graders on a walk to our safety location at the O'Riley Center. I explained to them we would do this if for some reason we had to evacuate the building. We did talk a little about intruders in the building, but we also talked about if there was an accident with the train. They already know two ways to get there due to working at the Food Pantry. I took them on another route by the post office. I told them that we now have 3 ways to get there. They were really good about it. They did come up with their own ways of handling a school shooter, but I told them we are going to pray that that never has to happen! I told them I didn't want them scared, but we also know this is becoming a part of life, sadly.

Math- On Tuesday we learned to take a number and multiply it by 10 but also to divide it by 10. They figured out that by multiplying they were adding another 0 on to the number. We we divide a number loses a 0. My examples were like this... "Rhett, you go the bank with $200 and they tell you they will multiply your money by 10! How much do you walk out with? $2000.  Donald, you walked in with $200 too. They told you they had to divide it by 10. How much do you walk out with ? $20.

Reading- We read the story last Friday and again on Tuesday. This story cracks me up! It made them laugh too. Ask them to tell you about it. We talked about irony and how sometimes there are really two meanings. They have a vocabulary packet that is due on Thursday. Their spelling test and the test over the story will be on Friday. In grammar they are writing complete sentence with a subject and a predicate ( a noun and a verb) .

FAST testing begins next week. This week they are doing a practice run each day with a partner to see how many words they can read correctly in one minute. The Fall goal for 5th graders is 133 words. Many of them were over that on the first run! That is a great sign! This information we use to see if kids need any reading interventions done during the week with me.

Religion- we start our year going over the Bible and finding passages in it just to remind ourselves how we locate readings.  Our first chapter deals with the story of creation, but also the Holy Trinity. There will be pictures displayed on the wall to show this next week. Check them out if you are in the school. Our first mass is on the 18th. I will give them their parts next week so they know what they are doing and can practice any reading parts

Travis Morgan benefit- There is a letter going home in folders on Thursday. Check it out. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! Sorry it isn't three days this time! I hope to see some of you at the benefit on Saturday. 
God Bless, 
Miss Surma

In your child's take home is a book order form. If you want to order something, return to school by next Friday, Sept. 6. You can also order online through my classroom. You will need a code. That is DVT3G. I will receive an email that you placed one online.

Dear Parents, Hello and welcome to 5th grade! I hope this week has been going well and everyone is getting into the routine of school life again! I am glad to be back with the kids. I had a great summer, but am ready for a routine.  I do my blog on Wednesdays and will post it to Facebook as well. The blog you receive will come to your email on Thursday mornings. I think it shows up really early. On here, I will keep you informed of things we are doing in our subject areas and I will let you know of upcoming events whether they are happening in our room or in the school.

Reading- This week they started with a pretest. This just gives me an idea of their basic skills. We will start our first story on Thursday. We have a weird schedule since we started on a Friday and next week is only 4 days. Normally, we do a story a week. So...this week they will have their spelling pretest on Thursday, and I will give them their post test in spelling next Thursday. I am spreading the work out for the next week. We will continue to take the weekly tests online. That will happen next Friday. They will do vocabulary words each week. I tend to change how they do those each week. They won't start with bonus words in spelling. I base that off their first few weeks of their pretest scores. I will let your child know if they will be getting them. I will also shorten the lists for the post tests for those I see who really struggle.

Handwriting-- we don't have a handwriting book. In my room they write in cursive for all subjects except math. There will be times I tell them to write in print. This cursive writing is their handwriting book in a way. They will do it everyday!

Technology- On Monday I got them on their chrome books and we bookmarked Google Classroom and Quizlet.  I can use Google Classroom when I have a class wide assignment that I want them to do or if there is a link I want all of them to go to online. I believe they will use it with Mrs. Sickels as well because their Iowa history class is online now, it is no longer in print.  Quizlet I use in reading. I post their vocabulary and spelling words there. They can get on it during their free time to practice knowing both!

Spirit Day- The first one is this Friday! The students can pay $1 for wearing sweats or a hat or both! The cost is only $1 even if they do both! 😁 The money we raise will be helping to STM families. 💙💛

Substitute- I will be gone next Wednesday afternoon. I will be going to a PLC meeting in Des Moines for the religion teachers. Mrs.  Cline will also be going. This is our face to face meeting, but every month I will attend the meeting online. This will only be once a month that we do this and only in the afternoons. 

Back to School Picnic- Next Wednesday, Sept. 4 from 6-7. There will be a flyer going home in folders with more information on it! I believe each family brings a dish! Look at the flyer for the details!

DEAR Time- I am currently reading the book called Because of Mr. Terupt. I read it last year for the first time. It is a wonderful book. I told your kids they would love it! Today I think they finally caught the hook! It is a 5th grade classroom and there are about 5-7 kids. They tell the story from their own point of view. Today my kids figured out that all of these kids come from backgrounds that aren't all happy. That life can be tough for different reasons. Right now they all dislike/ hate Alexia. She is pretty much a bully. There are three books in the series. I will read them all to them! They will watch the class grow. Your kids are very involved in the book and making their own predictions and judgments about it. I LOVE IT!!!  This is probably my favorite part of the day! 

Preschool lunch- Lesha showed them what they would do every day. There will be two people who go every day for a week. The next week its two more. They have two carts they will take down and bring back. We did tell them this was my idea...that I thought they could handle the task. We did also tell them that there be no messing around or they are off the list to help out. I have badges they will wear on the job. There is a schedule made out for the entire year. If they don't like doing it, they can let me know and I will readjust it. I think they are pretty excited. 

Mass- Just so you know now, Father Adam is going to Europe in September. He has a sub priest coming in on the 18th and 25th. Those mass times we are going to move to 9:30 so that priest can get here. The 5th grade mass is on Sept. 18. 

It has been a good week! I think we are establishing some routines to our day! I hope everyone has a great weekend and enjoys the 3 days off. I plan on sticking around and doing some work here at school, but also head to Des Moines for some shopping!  I know it's the big ISU vs UNI game and with that I will say.... GO PANTHERS!!!! 💜💛💜

God Bless,
Miss Surma