Dear Parents, I hope everyone had a great holiday! I spent it in Waverly with my sister Penny. We went to her daughter's house for dinner! I got to play with my great nieces!  December is going to be packed with activities and I know it will fly! 

Important Dates: 

Dec. 3- Spirit Day

Dec.8- Noisy Change Collection at mass/ Christmas Concert 5:30 pm at high school

Dec. 15-Lunch/Singing at church

Dec. 19- Spirit Day

Dec. 21- Wear your Ugly Christmas Sweater

Dec. 22- 4th/5th Mass with Bishop Joensen, wear mass clothes and Red or Green if you have it! 

Dec. 23- Jan. 4. Christmas Break

Jan. 5- Classes Resume

Reading- This week they are taking their Unit 2 test. I will send home scores next week in their Take Home Folders. We will also start Unit 3- my favorite! We will be reading stories about people who were involved in some way with the Revolutionary War. The first story is about John Adams and his son. This is also the time I will be breaking out the music to Hamilton. The spelling tests will return next week! 

Math- We are finishing up our chapter on multiplication this week! They will test over it next week! 

Religion- The test is on Thursday. I will move into Advent next!  Please check your folders for the flyer about the Christmas party at church on December 19. The hope is to get more families and kids to return to church. It sounds like a great time for you and your kids! 

Reconciliation- Father Adam will be listening to confessions on Monday for kids in grades 3-8. 

Christmas Concert- The concert is Wednesday, December 8 at 5:30 at the high school.  The kids should wear mass attire. There is a permission form in your child's folder  for us to take them to the high school to practice. Please sign and return ASAP. 

By the way, next Wednesday is also the holy day the Immaculate Conception. Mass will be at church at 7pm. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I really wish these warmer temperatures would stick around, but I also like a white Christmas! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Dear Parents, I hope you are having a great week! I can't believe we only have a couple of days next week and are celebrating Thanksgiving next week! 

Important Dates: 

Nov. 18- PTO Meeting

Nov. 19- Spirit Day/ Sweats for $1

Nov. 24-26 Thanksgiving Break/ No School

Nov. 28- First Sunday of Advent

Nov. 29- No School/ PD Day

Dec. 15-Lunch/Singing at church

Reading- This week they are reading an informational article called Cougars.  We learned about the different names of them and the different places they live. They got their rulers out to figure out the length of the tail. In grammar they are working on quotation marks. This is the last story in our unit. When we get back from Thanksgiving, they will take the Unit 2 test. I don't want to try and get it done in two days next week. I also have a feeling they will be a little too excited for their break and maybe not focused the best. The next unit is all about people from the Revolutionary War. This is when I will introduce them to the Hamilton music as well!! 

Math- They are getting closer to finishing up this chapter on multiplication. They won't test until after Thanksgiving.  They know the process, but some are making errors in their adding and some aren't copying problems down correctly when showing their work on other paper. 

College Project- Payton Burg ( Mrs. Burg's daughter)  is creating a video for one of her college classes at IOWA. She is going to film the 5th graders next week in a play. She has created a permission slip for you to sign. It is in your child's take home folder. Please fill it out and return by Monday!  I don't know the amount of time it will take, but I decided not to do a story or testing in reading due to this project.  I have made copies of the script for the kids. Most of them don't really have lines, but they will appear in the scenes. They should look those over this weekend. 

Coin Wars- We are participating in Coin Wars with the high school FBLA. The kids can start bringing in any money they'd like to donate on Tuesday, November 30th. The class with the highest total will win prizes. I believe they told us a Pizza Party- 1st place, Cupcake or Cookie Party- 2nd place, and a Sucker party for 3rd place. This will run to December 3. 

Christmas Concert- Mark your calendar for December 8! They will have a concert at the high school that evening! 

Advent begins the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The kids will be doing activities with Advent Angels. I know there will be a couple of Noisy Change Collections at mass for the Adopted Family. 

Just a reminder, we only have school next Monday and Tuesday. Then you have Thanksgiving break which will include the Monday after! We will have a PD Day that day. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving next week! Enjoy your family time and all the yummy fixings! 

God Bless, 

Miss Surma

 Dear Parents, I hope you are having a super week! You realize that next week is our last full week of school for November?? Time is flying by so quickly! 

Important Dates: 

Nov. 11- Veteran's Day Program 2 pm

Nov. 12-14 Big Fish Musical at the high school (Ryder is in it! ) 

Nov.17- 5th and 4th grade mass

Nov. 18- PTO Meeting

Nov. 19- Spirit Day/ Sweats for $1

Nov. 24-26 Thanksgiving Break/ No School

Nov. 29- No School/ PD Day

Mass- It is our mass next Wednesday! You are always invited to come join us! They will get their mass part on Friday. 

Reading- This week they are reading a story called Storm Warriors. This story takes place in the 1800s. This is about a young boy named Nathan who wants to join this group of men who rescue people from the ocean. We have the Coast Guard now. At the beginning of the story he doesn't think he can do the job after watching men walk into the stormy seas to rescue others, but later proves his ability. Nathan helps the people who were injured. In grammar we are working on subordinating conjunctions in sentences to create a complex sentence. One part of the complex sentence cannot stand alone that is why it is dependent on the other sentence. The spelling list this week was confusing again because it is compound words, but there are different kinds! Their words are like: up-to-date, wildlife, and light bulb. 

Religion- We are back in the book and are discussing the 7 sacraments. 

Math-- This week they are multiplying by single and double digits. This is pretty much review for them from 4th grade!  They have the option of choosing which strategy they like better to use to solve the problems. They choose between the standard algorithm and partial products. So far most of them are choosing the standard algorithm. 

The new trimester will begin on Monday. That means the lateslip board will be wiped clean! They will start again with 0!!! I will be working on progress reports this weekend! 

Temperature changes- Friday is supposed to be colder! Make sure your kids have winter coats, hats, gloves for recess! 

Veteran's Day Progam is at 2:00 on Thursday! All are welcome to attend! I know this is a late reminder, but your kids can wear red, white, and blue! 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

Hello Parents, I hope everyone had a great long weekend! I enjoyed it! I went home on Friday to Doon to take care of the cemetery where my parents are buried. I also did a little shopping while I was there. It sounded like Halloween was a success for your kids!

Important Dates: 

Nov. 5- Spirit Day - Sweats for $1

Nov. 11- Veteran's Day Program 2 pm

Nov. 12-14 Big Fish Musical at the high school (Ryder is in it! ) 

Nov. 24-26 Thanksgiving Break/ No School

Nov. 29- No School/ PD Day

Reading- This week they are reading a nonfiction story about the Everglades. They learn about the different animals and plants that live there and what you can do to help that area stay alive and growing. In grammar this week they are learning about adding the conjunctions and, but , or or in a sentence to join two complete sentences. Their spelling list is homophones this week! That was a fun pretest to give! Wring and ring, lessen and lesson, aloud and allowed. I will mix them up on Friday so they have to listen to how they are being used in the sentence! 

Book Reports are due on Friday! Most are done already! There next one won't be for awhile! 

Math- This week they are multiplying with 10s, 100s, 1000s mentally. They did great with that one! They picked it up really quickly. On Wednesday, we went to rounding the numbers and then multiplying them. Again they caught on quickly and most of them know their basic facts! The trick is adding those zeros. Next week we will begin multiplication. I will show them two strategies and they can pick which ever way works best for them. We will start out with multiplying by one digit and then we move into double digits.  Both strategies are ones they learned in 4th grade...so it really should be review! 

Religion- They finished their posters for the Sorrowful Mysteries and so they will finish up with the Glorious Mysteries. I would think next week we should be back in the book. 

Social Studies projects- These are due on Friday. The kids can bring them in the building when they arrive. Mrs. Sickels will have an Iowa History Fair on Wednesday, Nov. 10 in the afternoon. I don't have the exact time. Look for a flyer from your child. You are welcome to come that day and look at all the different projects. 

Spirit Day on Friday- Wear sweats for $1!

I feel like this is the shortest letter! I just talked to you so I can't think of anything new!

Have a great weekend! 

God Bless, 

Miss Surma

Hello Parents! I hope you are having a great week! I hope you were able to enjoy the weekend outside! The weather was so nice! I had a great time with my sisters! We did some shopping in Winterset and Des Moines and then caught the new James Bond movie. We stayed up way to late visiting!  

Important Dates:

• Oct. 20- 4th/5th grade mass
• Oct. 21- PTO Meeting
• Oct. 22- Spirit Day
• Oct. 28- Conferences/ No School
• Oct. 29- No School
• Nov. 1- No School/PD Day

Reading- This week we are reading part of a classic! Old Yeller is the story this week, but not the sad part!  We also have to focus on how they talk in this story. They pronounce words a little bit differently! In grammar we are working on direct and indirect objects. I am giving them a little cheat sheet to help them on the test on Friday. That part of the test can be a little tricky. 

Next week we only have 3 days of school so I am not going to try and do a story in that amount of time. So there won't be a spelling test either. I think next week we will work on creating some Halloween stories. Due to the time crunch, I am going to have them work in partners to create a story. 

Just a reminder that the book report is due on Friday, November 5. 

October Book IT Calendar will be due on Tuesday, November 2. Make sure you sign it! Even if they don't make the goal...I can record any minutes they did read. 

Book Fair- The kids will be looking and buying any books they choose on Wednesday at their library time. They will need to come with money on that day if they plan on making any purchases. It will also be open during your conferences on Thursday if you want to do any shopping! 

Math- this week we are ending our chapter on adding and subtracting decimals. By Friday, we should be going over the dress rehearsal with the test being on Monday. Our next chapter is on multiplication. 

Halloween Celebration- We will celebrate Halloween on Wednesday, October 27 in the afternoon. The 6-8th graders are providing activities for PK-5. We are doing the parade again! You are welcome to join us in the gym. The parade will begin at 2:30 pm.  The kids DON'T have to dress for mass that day. They should pack their costumes in their bags. They will change into those before the parade. If you want to take your child after the parade, that is fine, just see me before you leave so that I know you have them and we can make sure they have everything! 

Spirit Day on Friday! $1 for sweats! 

Reminder: No school on October 28 and 29 and November 1. I will see you at your child's conference!  

Religion- Most everyone has the prayers memorized now. We are moving on to the next topic! They are drawing and coloring posters to represent each of the mysteries of the rosary. Right now they are focused on the Joyful Mysteries. You will see them in the hallway when you come for conferences! 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! Next week will be very short! I probably won't do a blog next week since I see you for conferences, unless something comes up! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Hello Parents, I hope everyone had a great weekend and enjoyed the early out on Friday! I got to my niece's soccer game, but she didn't get the chance to play. It was still great to see her and visit with my brother! 

 Important Dates:

• Oct. 20- 4th/5th grade mass
• Oct. 21- PTO Meeting
• Oct. 28- Conferences/ No School
• Oct. 29- No School
• Nov. 1- No School/PD Day

Wipes- I am in need of more wipes. I bought 5 containers a couple of weeks ago and we are nearing the end of that supply. If anyone can help and donate some, that would be much appreciated!  We go through about 45 wipes a day! Thanks so much for your help! 

Reading-  this week they are reading an informational article on tree kangaroos that are found in Papa New Guinea. The scientists in the story are putting collars on them so they can track them and learn about this elusive animal. We are focusing on cause and effect as our skill. In grammar we are talking about action, linking, and helping verbs. 

I have their unit test scores in your child's Take Home Folder. Some of the comprehension scores are not the greatest. This doesn't surprise me. This is pretty typical. This was a Benchmark test and they have more stories to read. I am also not sure they actually went back to look anything up in their stories to help them. Most don't fully comprehend the story when they read it one time. They do have time to read it more than once, if they take the opportunity. 

Math- this week they have been working on adding and subtracting decimals. We getting through this chapter pretty quickly. There is a lesson coming up on problem solving that I think will slow us down a bit. We will most likely do that together in class. I think next week we will be finishing this chapter up. 

Religion- I have given your kids a copy of the two prayers they are to memorize. I am going to start quizzing them on Thursday. I told them to choose whichever prayer they want to do first. It doesn't matter the order. Once they pass one, they will move on to the next. I also told them to focus on learning one prayer at a time, not try to do both. One of the other standards in 5th religion is focusing on the mysteries of the rosaries. That will begin next week. They don't need to memorize them. They are going to use their art skills to display them! 

Conferences- Below is a link to the sign up. This year, we are following little bit of the schedule the public school is doing.  The kids will NOT have school on Thursday, October 28. I am doing conferences that day from 10 am to 6 pm.  This year both parents/guardians are welcome to attend the conferences, unlike last year when we only allowed one person.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0544A5AA23A2FF2-5thgrade5

Halloween Celebration- we will celebrate Halloween on Wednesday, Oct. 27. The kids can bring their costumes to school that day to change into before the parade. It is a mass day, so they will still have to dress up. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! Two of my older sisters are coming down this weekend for a little sister bonding! I can't wait to see them! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

Dear Parents, 

Happy Crazy Week! I think we packed a ton into this week and it isn't even over yet. 

 Important Dates:

• Oct. 8- 3 hour early out/ Homecoming
• Oct. 20- 4th/5th grade mass
• Oct. 21- PTO Meeting
• Oct. 29- No School
• Nov. 1- No School/ PD Day/ All Saints Day

Reading- They are taking their unit test this week. They also got a packet to choose an activity for their book report project.  They each have a purple packet with the possible activities listed. They only choose one to do. The project is due on Friday, Nov. 5. Next week we will get back to spelling. I will send home their unit test scores next week in their folders. 

Thursday- Oct. 7.- The high school cheerleaders will be here on Thursday morning for a Pep Rally.  We have the fire station coming in the afternoon. They will be talking to the 3-5th graders. We have our annual poster contest too. The 5th graders will start that in art next week. 

Friday, Oct. 8- We have a 3 hour early out for homecoming. There is a parade!  We also have a Spirit Day too! They can wear sweatpants or a hat for $1 if they want to. They can also wear their PANTHER gear to support homecoming! 

Mass- Next week is the 4th and 5th grade mass, but your kids won't have a part. This will be the rest of the 4th graders having the jobs since the 5th graders had roles in our last mass. 

Religion- October is the month of the rosary. We aren't really focusing on that in religion this week due to finishing our chapter and our field trip. Next week we will be! I have plenty of rosaries here at school, but if they want to bring their own they may. They are responsible for them! 

Math- we are working on adding and subtracting decimals. The first lesson was on mental math and using the commutative and associative properties. The next lesson is on estimating the decimals to find the sum or difference. 

Thank you, Lara, for going with us to Kansas City! We hope you enjoyed the day!!! Thank you to everyone for helping us make this once in a lifetime opportunity come true! 

I hope everyone enjoys their early out on Friday ! I am heading to watch the Loras Women's Soccer Team on Saturday play at Pella! My niece is on the team! Hopefully she will get some play time!  Have a great weekend! 

God Bless