Hello Families,

 What a difference a week makes! I had my windows open on Wednesday! I know we need the rain or snow, but I loved being able to do that! 

Calendar Dates:

Feb. 5 CYC Presentation after mass

Feb. 12- Ben Tracy 6pm Southern Prairie Arts Center

Feb. 14- Spirit Day and Valentine's Day

Feb. 17- No School/PD Day

Feb. 21- End of Trimester 2

Feb. 28- Book Reports Due

Reading- We finished up our story on Hurricanes this week. They will have their weekly test on Friday. They will also have their spelling test then too. We will do that in the morning. Next Monday will be their Module Test/ Unit test. We will start a new unit on Tuesday. The next one is more historical nonfiction. I enjoy the next unit. It is more about the US in the past and traveling across the country to the west. 

FYI- the book I am reading aloud is the 2nd book in the series. This one is called Mr. Terupt Falls Again.  I prepared them before I started reading it that the kids in the book were now in 6th grade. I also told them that one of the girls was going to get her period in the book so to be ready for that part. Your kids took that like champs. On Tuesday, we reached that part of the story. It doesn't go into any great detail and I don't fully explain it to them either. I just want them to be ready and know what I'm talking about. So...if anyone comes home with questions about periods- that is probably what it is stemming from. 

Math- We spent Monday and Tuesday learning the formulas for area and perimeter. The math test is coming up. They throw in problems dealing with area and perimeter, but it really isn't in the chapter. I taught them the correct way to write the formulas and then solve them. I let them use calculators to do the work. Their chapter test will be next week most likely. We will do a practice test first. 

Religion- Our chapter focuses on the Sacrament of Baptism, but also how we are the Body of Christ. We are meant to be part of his life and do for others as Jesus did. We talked about how his baptism was meant to save us. We also talked about how he taught the Pharisee Nicodemus about the importance of being baptized. Nicodemus wanted to follow Jesus, but was too scared to leave what he knew. He comes later in the Bible after Jesus died. He helps prepare his body for burial. On Wednesday, we read about Saint Maximilian Kolbe.  I showed them a short video on his life as well. He grew up in Poland and was sent to Auschwitz during WWII. He took the place of a man who had a family and was sent to a chamber to starve to death along with 9 other men. He is a martyr. We talked quite a bit about him and that time period. I shared with them about my dad being born and raised in Poland during that time as well. I told them about his escape from his village and his journey to get to America.

Creston Middle School Dance on Friday, January 31, 2025. $5 entrance fee. The 5th graders dance is from 5-6:15 pm.  I did tell your kids. Some were excited. Some said, "What's that?" 😃

Ben Tracy has been rescheduled for February 12 at 6 pm at Southern Prairie. Please come and listen if you can! 

Grandparent/Special Guest Mass-The grandparent/special guest will pick them up from school at 1:00 and take them to church. Mass will be at 1:30 at Holy Spirit Church.  If your child doesn't have a grandparent or special guest, please let me know. They can sit with me or maybe a friend. If they don't have someone coming, I will also need to make arrangements for them to get to church. After mass concludes, they are free to go home with their grandparents or guests. If they still need to take the bus or trolley home- that will be available, but please let me know.  I told the 5th graders that if they have a part in the mass- they should sit up front. We will have pews reserved for them, their siblings, and guests.  

I hope everyone has a great weekend! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Brrrrr--- I am ready for spring! Who's with me??  My cousin in Mississippi got 6 inches of snow on Tuesday. She said they were shut down pretty much. I told her my students would be so jealous of her snow. Sadly, her only shovel is meant for gardening. 

Calendar Dates:

Jan. 24- Spirit Day

Jan. 26-31- Catholic Schools Week

Feb. 14- Spirit Day and Valentine's Day

Feb. 28- Book Reports Due

Sunday, Jan. 26- Kickoff to CSW with mass at Holy Spirit at 9 am. Look in your child's folder for their part if you signed them up. 

Monday, Jan. 27- STM Spirit Day, Students will need a sack lunch. Milk is provided. 

Tuesday, Jan. 28- Dress Up- Polar Paradise ( snow, snowman)

Wednesday, Jan, 29- Dress Up- Disney Day

Thursday- Jan. 30- Dress Up- Pick a Decade- 50s, 60s, 70s, etc. Going bowling in the afternoon with 4-8 grades. Need sticky socks. 

Friday, Jan. 31- Dress Up for Mass. Grandparent/ Special Guest Mass at Holy Spirit. Pick up kids at 1:00. Mass starts at 1:30. 

If your child doesn't want to participate in 

Reading- This week we are reading a story about hurricanes. They learned about what causes and creates them, how they get their names, and the different categories. It is hard for us to imagine a 20ft wall of water coming at you! We also talked about some of the worst ones in recent history. Sadly, we agreed we would stick with tornadoes.  I did show them some videos of what it looks like when a hurricane hits. We watched a short video on Hurricane Michael. 

Spelling-  their list this week has words with a VCCV pattern in them. They had to break the words up to find that on one of their assignments. 

Grammar- We are going to be doing more work with conjunctions. 

Math- We have been doing our FAST math tests this week. They also did a worksheet where they were purchasing school supplies. They had to find the total cost of those items. That required them to do some multiplication and addition. 

Bowling- I am still missing some permission slips for the field trip. Don't forget to include the $6. The forms went home last week in your child's folder. If you lost it, let me know, I can get you another one. 

Mass- In your child's folder are their parts for either the Sunday mass or the Grandparent/Special Guest mass. Not everyone has a part. If they have a reading part- please make sure they practice it at home with you. 

Grandparent Mass- Please make sure you let me know who is coming to pick up your child for the mass. Pick up on Friday starts at 1:00. Mass will begin at 1:30. After mass, your child is free to go. 

Remember Friday will be a BAND and PE Day. Music is on Thursday this week. 

Religion- They worked in groups doing some research on different saints. They presented their posters on Monday. I learned some new things and some new saints! Our chapter is focusing on the Sacrament of Baptism. We will be reading how John baptized Jesus. They are also going to be doing some Bible searches to find more stories about baptism in the New Testament. 

Auction Basket- I am still taking the $1.00 donations for the auction basket until January 31st.  Please send it with your child if you'd like to help out! Thanks! 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! 

God Bless, 

Miss Surma

Hello Parents, 

Are you staying warm? We've had 3 indoor recesses so far this week. Just Dance has been a hit in our room. Sometimes they even sing while dancing! I'm not going to lie...I'm ready for spring, but I also know we need the moisture. 

Calendar Dates:

Jan. 12- FAST Reading begins

Jan, 19- FAST Math begins

Jan. 22- Ben Tracy speaking about Social Media

Jan. 24- Spirit Day

Jan. 26-31- Catholic Schools Week

Schedule Change- PE and Music are switching a couple of dates around. Thursday, Jan. 23 will be a music day. No Band

Friday, Jan. 24 will be PE day. Band and Lessons will happen on this date.

Monday, Feb. 3 will be a Music Day/ No Band.

Tuesday, Feb. 4 will be PE Day. Band and Lessons will happen on this date. 

Reading- They took their tests this week over the story and the one on the Chrome. I will grades to you next week. This is a harder unit with the nonfiction stories again. I am also doing their FAST Reading tests this week. 

Book Report- I assigned the next book report. They were to pick a Newbery Honor or Newbery winner book. I showed them quite a few from my classroom library. Most of them have their choice. I told them they had a week to decide if they wanted to keep it or change it. They also have a list of project ideas. They cannot do the same one they did the first time. These reports will be due on February 28. That gives them about 6 weeks. 

Math- This week they are multiplying decimals times decimals. They remember how to multiply just fine. The trick is remembering to move the decimal. 

Religion- We are starting a new chapter. I broke them up into groups right now. They have been researching saints. Their group agreed to one saint. They are making posters now to share what they have learned about their person. They chose a couple that I don't know anything about so I am excited to hear about them too!  The 5th graders have really been doing a great job of praying for California this week. So much devastation. So sad. 

CSW Sunday kickoff mass. Mrs. Sickels and I will be getting together next week to plan the parts for those that have signed up. Please check your child's folder next week, especially if they have a reading part to practice. 

Auction- I am sending the reminder home again asking for a donation of $1.oo for the school's auction basket. 

Permission Slip- There is a permission form in your child's folder for our field trip to go bowling during CSW. Please make sure to pay the $6 as well when you return the form. Thank you! 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! Enjoy the warmth while you can before the next cold blast arrives! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Hello Parents, I hope everyone had a great Christmas! I hope the illnesses now stay away! I had a nice time at my sister's house. We were able to get together at my brother's one night, but then the flu hit there too. I spent a lot of time reading books over break! It was wonderful! 

Calendar Dates: 

Jan. 9- Spirit Day

Jan. 12- FAST Reading begins

Jan, 19- FAST Math begins

Jan. 22- Ben Tracy speaking about Social Media

Jan. 24- Spirit Day

Jan. 26-31- Catholic Schools Week

Catholic Schools Week Mass at Holy Spirit Church - Mrs. Simmons sent a link on Monday to sign up for helping at our kickoff mass on Sunday, January 26. Please check your schedule to see if your child can help us out! 

Book Report- Next week I will be assigning the next book report. 

Reading- They had their spelling pretest on Monday. This is always a fun one for me! It is compound words, BUT some of the words have a space between them and some have hyphens!  Their spelling posttest will be on Tuesday. 

 This week we are reading a nonfiction story about a tsunami.  You might remember it. It hit Indonesia on December 26, 2004. This story talks about a scientist who tried to warn them earlier that year that a powerful earthquake would be hitting some time. He couldn't exactly say when, but he was right. It hit 6 months later. We are using a lot of science vocabulary in this story. 

In Grammar we are working with conjunctions and subordinating conjunctions to create a complex sentence. I explained to them on Wednesday when it is appropriate to use the word "because" at the beginning of a sentence.

Because he had a doctor appointment. - not a complete sentence

Because he had a doctor appointment, he was late getting to work. ( Now we have our complex sentence with a subordinating conjunction. 

FAST Testing- I will start this on Monday. We will start with the reading tests. Math will come later. This week they have been doing a 1-minute read with a partner. This is just good practice for next week. 

Math- Now that I have everyone back, we worked on estimating decimals and then multiplying them. I let them use a calculator too. On Tuesday, they worked on multiplying decimals times a whole number. 0.42 x 4.  I tried to keep it in the context of going to  the store and buying something that cost 42 cents and you are buying 4 of them. We did talk a little about sales tax as well. We will work on that more on Thursday. 

Friday is a Spirit Day! Sweats for $1

Shoes- I know the new UGGs clogs are out and that some of your girls may have gotten them for Christmas, but we have a policy in our wing that they cannot wear shoes with out a back on them. Those clogs just don't have enough of one to really count or help out. Some of them slip off so easily. So I have been talking to the girls individually to tell them they can't wear them  to school They can next year in 6th grade. Our kids still enjoy playing at recess. Those shoes come off too quickly and then we have kids getting hurt. The girls have been really good at understanding, but I thought I better make it clear to all. 

Religion- - we are finishing up our Christmas chapter and then moving on! 

Auction- The auction is coming in March! There is a letter to families in the folders. We are not doing classroom or wing baskets this year. We are making one basket from the school. Please make sure you read the letter. Thank you! 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I hope the weather is a little warmer! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Hello Parents! WOWZA! I am only wishing for the Christmas break so your kids have some time to really get better! This seems early. This stuff usually breaks out in January during Catholic Schools Week! I hope everyone stays well! 

Calendar Dates: 

Dec. 19- Hawaiian Shirt Day

Dec. 20- Sack Lunch Needed/ Christmas Sweater Day/ Spirit Day

Dec. 21- Jan. 5 -Christmas Vacation

Jan. 6- Classes Resume

Reading- This week they have been fixing and typing the stories they have created. The plan is to share them on Friday morning! We will wait to start a new story after we get back from Christmas. They did take their spelling tests and weekly module tests on Monday. I am trying to get the sick kids to get theirs done. 

Book It- I gave them their January calendars today! They have 5 days of reading before we get back. They can return their December ones when they get back after our  break! This is the usual time of kids losing minutes because they are busy at home so they might want to stock up on minutes to be safe! 

Take Home Folders- I see a couple of kids are now using their "back up folders". Please check at home to see if it is there so they can return it! Thanks!!! 

Math- We started working on multiplying decimals times whole numbers. We did an activity with Base 10 blocks on Tuesday. I think we will continue that on Thursday. I don't want to start teaching a skill with so many gone. We will just start again when we get back! 

Religion- They did a GREAT job with mass! I am glad the kids were so flexible! With kids missing I had to change some jobs around! They were willing to step up to help out! We are going to finish our Advent chapter before we leave. 

Spirit Day on Friday! They can wear sweats with their ugly Christmas sweaters! 

Sack Lunch- They will need a sack lunch on Friday. Milk will be provided! They will be eating with their angels. 

If they are getting a gift for their angel- please try to keep it to $5. They do not have to buy them a gift! Caroling will be from 12:30-1:00...you are welcome to join us! 

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas! May 2025 bring you health, happiness, and some fun! I am heading to Waverly on Monday to spend Christmas with my sister and my brother and their kids. 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Hello Parents, I hope you're having a great week! I think the cough is being passed around the room. I am trying to remind them to cover their mouths when they cough! I am also reminding them to use Germ-X or wash their hands anytime they cough or blow their nose. I have four kids gone today. Please don't hesitate to keep them home. They can make up whatever homework they miss! 

Calendar Dates: 

Dec. 12- 5th Grade sings at Holy Spirit/ Wear Blue

Dec. 13- Spirit Day/ Grinch Day

Dec. 18- 5th grade mass 

Dec. 20- Sack Lunch Needed

Dec. 21- Jan. 5 -Christmas Vacation

Jan. 6- Classes Resume

Friday, December 20- They will be eating lunch with their Advent Angels. They need a sack lunch that day. Milk will be provided. Caroling is from 12:30-1:00. You are welcome to join us in the gym! 

Reading- We are in our Eruption story this week. We read a story about a volcano that erupted in the Philippines in 1991. They talk about the different levels of warnings. We discussed how we have similar warnings for hurricanes. We have different levels of tornadoes based on the damage. There were people evacuating on a water buffalo! Can you imagine?? I did show them video footage of that volcano as well as Mt. Saint Helen's volcano. The footage from that one was amazing. 

The grammar this week is harder because they are trying to find the direct and indirect objects in a sentence. We've been doing it together because there are questions I ask them to help them pick it out! 

They will have their spelling test on Monday. They will also do their weekly module test then too. 

Religion- We are working on our Advent chapter. The other day we discussed all the holy days the church has in its calendar. We also read the story of Elizabeth and Zechariah being visited by the angel Gabriel. He told them they were to have a baby. Zechariah didn't believe it was possible because they were old. He was unable to speak until their child was born. He named him John. John was a prophet that told others to prepare the way. 

Mass- They have their parts. Those who have a reading part should be practicing at home! Please join us if you can next Wednesday! 

The 5th graders helped me out today (Wednesday) pass out the new song books for mass. Many hands make it so much easier! 

Math- We tested over the chapter on Tuesday. They will be taking their tests home to you to get signed. I did talk to them about making careless mistakes --some problems just not done. Not following directions on some even though I circled them.  We just need to make sure we've looked over the test before we hand it in. 

Spirit Day- Friday is a Spirit Day! They can wear sweats for $1 along with Grinch Day! If they have Grinch pajamas, they may wear them. They just need to make sure they have appropriate clothes for recess. 

I hope everyone has a GREAT weekend! I still haven't put up my Christmas tree- so that is the goal for me! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Hello Parents, I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I had a great time in Colorado with my nieces! It was so nice to see those mountains in the distance each morning! 

Calendar Dates: 

Dec. 6- Spirit Day/ St. Nick's Day / Wear a bow or ribbon day

Dec. 12- 5th Grade sings at Holy Spirit

Dec. 18- 5th grade mass 

Dec. 21- Jan. 5 -Christmas Vacation

Jan. 6- Classes Resume

Mass- The 5th graders will lead mass on the 18th! I will hand out jobs next week. 

Religion- We are finishing our chapter on the Beatitudes. They will have a test tomorrow (Friday). Afterwards we will move into the chapter that covers Advent and our liturgical year. 

Permission Slip- I am sending home another slip! The 5th graders are just so busy. Next Thursday, they will be going to Holy Spirit to sing for the CDA. They serve us lunch as a thank you! The ladies love to hear their singing. They also provide a wonderful lunch! The kids will not go hungry! Please sign and return by next Tuesday. Thank you! There is a small cost because we are taking the trolley. 

Reading- You will see their module test scores in their folders.They all did GREAT! I did take out the written response question. In my opinion it was unrealistic to ask a 5th grader that question. It was very difficult. I am not sure a middle schooler would have like it either! They finished their stories and I will begin the editing process. They took a spelling pretest on Tuesday. 

Our new unit is nonfiction. It covers natural disasters. The story we are currently reading is about a volcano that erupted in the Philippines. We have been talking about how we prepare for thunderstorms, tornadoes,and snow storms compared to what they have to do to prepare for a volcano. There is a lot of hard vocabulary in this story. Volcanologist is one of the words! That's just fun to say! The story also includes footnotes. I explained what they were and what the mean. They are learning even more terminology that has to do with volcanoes. 

The grammar in this story has to do with direct objects. These can be tough, but I will be teaching them some helpful questions they can ask when they are trying to locate them in the sentence. 

Math- We are finishing our chapter. The practice test will begin on Thursday. They will most likely have a test over this chapter on Monday or Tuesday next week. 

12 Days of Christmas- we are going to have some fun dress up days to celebrate the season of Christmas. Each day I will remind the kids what the next day will be. I will also post it on my Facebook page to remind you. This is for fun! It is NOT a requirement! 

Friday is a Spirit Day! Sweats for $1! They can also wear a bow or ribbon! 

Don't forget we are helping buy gifts for the nursing homes. If you can help out, that would be great! We will have another noisy change collection next week! 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! Are you going to Merry Marketplace? Looks like there will be a lot happening in town! Have a great weekend, no matter what you do! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma