Hello Parents, Happy Wednesday! I hope your week is going well. I loved seeing my niece last weekend get ready for homecoming. I also got to spend the day watching her and her  volleyball team play in a tournament! 

Calendar Dates:

Oct. 7- Spirit Day

Oct. 14- No School/ PD Day

Oct. 21- Spirit Day

Oct. 28- Spirit Day

Oct. 31- Halloween

Nov.3 Parent Teacher Conferences

Reading- This week they are taking their unit 1 tests. I will send scores home next week once the tests are done. I also gave them their first book report project. They have an orange packet with their project choices. They are to choose only one. I told them the sooner they have their book read , the sooner they can get their project done because it is due shortly before the Iowa History project. Next week we will start unit 2. There will be a spelling test next week. 

Math- We started chapter 2 this week. They are working on adding and subtracting mentally . They are also estimating decimals to find the sums and differences. Rounding numbers is still difficult for some of the kids. I noticed mentally adding and subtracting is too. You can always work on that at home with the basic facts. Some of them still don't know things like 10+5= 15 without counting it in their head or using their fingers. They really need to know those basic facts in all areas. It saves so much time when they are doing their problems. 

Religion- We took a break to practice for the Rosary today. We will get back into this chapter and finish it. After that I take a break from the book. They  will be doing a lot of work based on the Rosary. Two of those things will be prayers they need to know. I will let you know when we are at that point. They did a GREAT job with the Rosary today! You can catch it online if you missed it! 

Spirit Day- This Friday is Spirit Day! Sweats for $1! The weather looks to be a perfect day for sweat pants! 

Coin Wars starts next week. The high school is raising money for the Veteran's Honor Flights. Students can start bringing in their spare change next week!  1st place class gets a pizza party, 2nd place gets a cookie or cupcake party, and 3rd place gets suckers!  This is a great cause! 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I plan on going to my niece's soccer game! Loras vs Simpson! 

God Bless, 

Miss Surma

Hello Parents, 

I hope you had a great weekend! I got my 2nd Covid booster and my flu shot on Friday! Fun fun!   I do love the cooler temps! 

Calendar Dates:

Oct. 7- Spirit Day

Oct. 14- No School/ PD Day

Oct. 21- Spirit Day

Oct. 28- Spirit Day

Reading- This week they are reading the story called Elisa's Diary. It is about a girl who moved from Puerto Rico to America. She is struggling with learning the English language when it comes to speaking, but she does a great job of writing it. She met a boy in her class who moved there from Guatemala. He is the opposite of her. He can speak English but struggles with writing it. They join forces to help each other out. By the end of the story she shows us that she became a teacher and helps other kids who struggle similarly. Our grammar this week is on plural nouns.  On Tuesday we filled out a "rule sheet" with examples of words and how we have to write them to make them plural. I told them that if I were them I would use that sheet on Friday when we take the test. Their grammar scores have been falling and I think it is because they are rushing. They also struggle with identifying nouns in a sentence.  

This is our last story in this unit. Next week they will NOT have a spelling test. They will have a unit test. I break it up over the 5 days. They need to remember to read these stories a couple of times. Typically this first test doesn't score the best for the kids. I will also be assigning the first book report project next week. They will get a packet with their choices of projects to do. They will choose one. They will need to okay their book choice with me also. All of that is written in the packet. 

Math- They have a math test over chapter one on Thursday. There isn't much for studying unless you want to give them decimals to find out which is greater and which one is smaller. They could also practice writing them in written form or expanded form. 

Religion- I had to pause the book because we are getting ready for the Rosary next Wednesday at mass. Some of the 5th graders have a part. I have emailed you about that. They will be leading the Rosary next week in the gym. You are welcome to join us. It will be at our normal mass time...9:15am. Father Patrick will be gone so there won't be mass that day. 

Substitute- I have a doctor's appointment the morning of October 4. There will be a sub in the morning that day. I will be back by lunch time. 

Please make sure that if you are notifying me about your child needing to leave early, come late, a change in the pick up plan or if they are sick that you also notify Mrs. Sanchez in the office. They need to hear the reason your child is leaving or is gone from you, not me. That way they can appropriately mark it in JMC, plus it gives Mrs. Sanchez the chance to get to know all the families. Thanks so much! Her email is ksanchez@crestonstmalachy.org.

Art- Next week the kids will need a paint shirt for art class! Nick Allen is bringing in pumpkins that the kids will paint for Hy-Vee! They will also receive a pumpkin to take home and paint or carve there. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I will be heading to Waterloo. It is my niece Olivia's homecoming. 

God Bless, 

Miss Surma

Hello Parents! I hope everyone had a good weekend. I know that rain put a damper on Balloon Days activities! My soccer game in the rain was not as fun either!  

 Calendar Dates:

Sept. 23- 3 Hour Early Out/ homecoming/Spirit Day

Oct. 1- Spirit Day

Oct. 14- No School/ PD Day

Oct. 21- Spirit Day

Oct. 28- Spirit Day

Reading- This week they are reading their first nonfiction story. It is called Double Dutch. It is about a group of girls that were on a Double Dutch jump rope team. I showed the kids a video on Monday of some students at the championships of this. We were all impressed with their speed of jumping and twirling the rope. Some of the kids decided they were going to try at recess on Tuesday. I was told it didn't go well! LOL   In grammar we are working on identifying nouns in a sentence. I showed them the Schoolhouse Rock video on nouns...did I just age myself?? I hope some of you watched that! We also area discussing common and proper nouns. That seems to be harder! I thought it would be easier! Proper nouns have capital letters! They will have a spelling test on Friday as well a test over the story. We will get that done before the early out. 

You will see last week's scores in their folders. Last week had a cold read. That means they had to read a story by themselves and answer 10 questions about it. I stress that they should read it more than once because normally they read our story 3 times before they test over it. I am not sure how many did that. 

Math- This week we are rounding decimals! The skill of rounding is probably something they've been doing since 2nd grade. Some of the kids are still struggling with this concept.  I think next week we will be working on reviewing and testing over this chapter. 

Religion- They took their first test on Tuesday. They are also making cards for Fr. Patrick. Next week after mass we are presenting him with them for Priesthood Day! 

Friday, Sept. 23 is a 3 hour early out. No lunch will be served!It is also a Spirit Day! They might want to wear sweats on Friday with the temperature drop! They can also wear their black and red if they want to support the Panthers. The parade starts at 1:30.

Book It- This will start October 1st. I will give your kids their calendar to keep track of their minutes. If they meet the goal each month, they will receive their coupon for Pizza Ranch. I also give awards at the end to the kids who participate all 6 months. I'm thinking I will keep track of my minutes this year too! I'm in a book club so this gives me the extra push to read, not that I need one. 

I hope everyone enjoys the early out on Friday. Hopefully the rain won't delay the parade or cancel it! Happy Homecoming!

God Bless, 

Miss Surma

 Dear Parents, I hope everyone had a great weekend! I know many of you were rained on on Saturday during your football games! I went to Des Moines on Sunday to watch my niece play in her soccer game. The weather was just perfect for that one! 

 Calendar Dates:

Sept. 15- PTO Meeting

Sept. 16-17- Balloon Days Weekend

Sept. 21- 5th Grade Mass

Sept. 23- 3 Hour Early Out/ homecoming

Reading- This week they are reading a story called Off and Running. This is about a couple of 5th graders who are running for office in their class. Miata gives a formal speech and offers to do things that will clean up the school grounds. Rudy is very informal. He offers to get them more recess time and ice cream every day at lunch! Sadly, the story leaves us hanging and we never find out who wins. In grammar they are looking at the parts of a sentence as well as verbs that fit with the subjects. They will have a spelling test on Friday as well as a test over the story. 

Math- We are breaking down the place value of decimals from tenths to thousandths. They are learning how to read them to me and write them. They are also learning to write them as fractions. For example: 0.765 would be said as seven hundred sixty-five thousandths. As a fraction it would be 765/1000.  I keep telling them to think of money as they look at the value. Tenths are our dimes and hundredths are our pennies. 

Religion- We learned this week about Saint Damien of Molokai. He worked as a missionary in Hawaii taking care of the people who had been sent there to live and die from leprosy. He worked for a long time before getting leprosy himself. I showed them a quick video on his life there. We are nearing the end of the chapter, so there will be a test soon. 

Homecoming- Next Friday we have a 3 hour early out because of homecoming and the parade. No lunch that day. They can wear their Panther gear if they have any to support the Panthers! 

Mass- It is our mass on Sept. 21. I have given each child a part. I will send home their reading parts. Please practice with them over the weekend! Father has really done some changes to our servers. The kids having been soaking it up! They look really professional! 

I hope you have a great weekend! Enjoy Balloon Days. I am heading to Waterloo to watch my great niece Gracie play soccer and go to her sister's 2nd birthday party! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

Hello Parents, I hope you all enjoyed your long weekend! I spent a day in Des Moines with Mrs. Levine. We had a nice little shopping day! I didn't get to my flowerbed, but I did get a lot done...so that felt good! 

 Calendar Dates:

Sept. 15- PTO Meeting

Sept. 21- 5th Grade Mass

Sept. 23- 3 Hour Early Out/ homecoming

Reading- This week was a little shorter so I make some changes on how we cover the material. This week we read a play called The Royal Mystery, They did a great job of taking on the characters even though most of them were girls! It is about Rena and Althea. They go spend their summer at a camp. Althea is all about winning the competition at the end of the summer and figuring out the mystery behind her roommate Rena. This is Rena's first time at camp. Ask your kids about how she talks and behaves! Althea believes Rena is royalty because of Rena's behaviors plus she read a fairy tale book. The mystery was solved by the end! Ask your kids to reveal that to you. In grammar we are focusing on the 4 kinds of sentences. There is lots of sentence writing happening! They will take their post test on Friday and the test over the story. You will find last week's scores in their folders on Thursday. They did really well! I also had them do it by themselves because I want to see what they can do without me reading it to them. 

Math- We are stepping into the world of place value and decimals! This part usually throws them for a loop. They "think" they know decimals, but now they need to know the different names and their values. We also practice how to read decimals correctly.  We make small steps here at first to get everyone on board! 

Religion- This week we started our chapter on God's creation. We usually start with all the things that God has provided us with and that we can be thankful for in our lives. We do give him the credit for giving us the brains for all the things that people have invented over the years! If you haven't been able to join us for a school mass, I hope you can sometime this year! We are really enjoying Father Patrick's sermons. He is also making some changes for the servers so I keep telling the kids to watch and learn! He held a practice this week and will again next Wednesday. 

Cy-Hawk Game- In honor of the "big game" this weekend...if your kids are fans, they can dress up in their gear! I will be in my UNI colors! I tell the kids every year I am allergic to the others!🤣🤣  IT is also a Spirit Day! They can wear sweats and/or a hat if they want to pay $1. 

I will be planning our mass next week. I will send home parts towards the end of the week. I don't know if I will have a job for everyone so I may divide the class into two. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Hello Parents! I hope your week is going well. I think the biggest adjustment for the 5th graders is that they have to write in cursive! I am sure some of you are listening to all their woes at home. Believe me they say the same in class. I use this instead of a handwriting book. It is forcing them to write slower. It is making them take their time instead of racing! It is also a great fine motor skill! Believe me, they will get used to it!

Calendar Dates:

Sept. 1- Picture Day

Sept. 2- 3 hour early out

Sept. 5- No School/ Labor Day

Sept. 21- 5th Grade Mass

Sept. 23- 3 Hour Early Out/ homecoming

Reading- This week we read an excerpt from The Wayside School is Falling Down. I love this story! It is funny and teaches them a little bit about irony! Ask them about the teacher's spelling bee and how she taught "gravity" to her class! I think we all got a good giggle from it. They are doing the vocabulary packet like they did last year in Mrs. Sickels' room, but I have them do all 10 words. They will only do this one time every unit. I do other things with vocabulary. In grammar they are working on subjects and predicates and then deciding whether a sentence is complete or a fragment. It really is review, but every year it is like starting over. They have a hard time remembering what part of speech is found in each one...nouns and verbs. They will take a spelling test and test over the story on Friday. I gave each kid a spelling list to study from. Some have only 10 words based on their pretest. I give a list each week unless they ace the pretest. Don't let them tell you any different! 😉 

Math- Our book starts off with learning about exponents! They were amazed on Tuesday at how easy it was! They deal with mostly with 10s. Thursday and Friday we are going to focus on the three different ways to write a number out- number name or word form, expanded form, and standard form. This too should really be review. I think the hardest one is the expanded form. 

Religion- We start our year looking up Bible verses. They have to find the title of the verses...such as The Baptism of Jesus. They are also looking verses to find a missing word, so it is more like fill in the blank. I'm glad we do that since Father Patrick talked about Bibles today at mass and Bible "quotations"/ verses. He had us repeating one from the first reading today! 

Don't forget, Friday is an early out! 3 hours!!!! The kids will not get lunch here. You will need to do that! Please let the school know if pick-up will change due to that early out. You can call Mrs. Sanchez in the office or email me. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! Enjoy the extra time!!! I don't really have any big plans except weeding in my flowerbed and doing homework for my LETRS class that many of us are taking right now. I told the kids we have a quiz every week and they are not easy!  '''

I would say we've had a great couple of weeks of school! I am enjoying your kids! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Hello Parents! I hope you're adjusting to school being back in session. My alarm going off is still a struggle! I think we are having a great week so far, even though its only been two days!  I think you're kids are figuring out how Miss Surma works! 😉

Calendar Dates:

August 31- Mass

Sept. 1- Picture Day

Sept. 2- 3 hour early out

Sept. 5- No School/ Labor Day

Sept. 21- 5th Grade Mass

Sept. 23- 3 Hour Early Out/ homecoming

Picture Day will be next week on September 1st. Return any orders as soon as you can! That is a PE day so if girls are wearing sandals, make sure to pack some shoes for PE. 

DEAR Time- I told the 5th graders that on Wednesdays after library time we are going to have DEAR time. Drop Everything And Read. They will need a chapter book for this! I am going to read too! This time will count towards their Book It Calendars once we start that in October. This will be 15 minutes of reading silently for all of us.  This is good training for middle school! 

Reading- Next week we will start with a story and spelling. Their pretest will be on Monday and the posttest on Friday. This week I gave them a spelling inventory test just to see where they land. I will give bonus word eventually to some but I base that off of their pretest scores. I told them that if they ace the pretest then they won't have to take the posttest. 

Math- This week they will take a readiness test. It just shows me what they can and can't do in math. Next week we will start in chapter one! 

Technology Policy- In your child's Take Home Folder is a Technology Policy. Please read through it and sign it. Please go over the rules with your child as well. They need to sign it too. Return to me as soon as possible! 

Spirit Day- Our first one is this Friday, the 26th! The kids in our wing can wear sweats and/or a hat for $1. I know the temps won't really feel like sweats weather! 

Mass- If the kids didn't tell you about mass, make sure to ask! Father Patrick taught us a song about building our community! It was so fun and wonderful to see everyone participating with the singing and the actions! We are blessed to have him here! 

Sept. 2 is a 3 hour early out! We have PD that afternoon. Enjoy the longer weekend! 

Another item in your folder is a paper titled "Our 9". The 5th graders each month will pick a person they know living or dead, or maybe a Coach, their team, etc. No pets. That person will be who they pray for along with anyone (pets)  or anything else happening in their life for that month. Their hard work is dedicated towards that person! 

I don't have much to tell you this week. Hopefully your kids are adjusting to being back in school. I am trying not to hit them too hard with "school" yet. That will start on Monday for me! Have a great weekend! I am going to a wedding on Saturday afternoon and then the dinner honoring Mrs. Simmons in Indianola that night! 

God Bless, Miss Surma