Happy Wednesday! I hope you're having a great week! 

Calendar Dates:

Oct. 1- Book It Starts

Oct. 4- No Mass/ Rosary led by the 5th grade

Oct. 6- Spirit Day

Oct. 13- No School/ PD Day for Teachers

Oct. 20- Spirit Day

Oct. 25- Book Reports Due

Oct. 30-Nov. 2- Parent Teacher Conferences

Book It- The 3-5th graders will be participating in the Book It program. I am sending home a calendar in their Take Home Folders for them to keep track of the minutes they read each month. They will need to return the calendar at the end of the month, signed by you! IF they read more than the goal- all the better! If they meet the goal they will get a certificate from Pizza Ranch and a treat from me! This program runs from October through March. I will give extra prizes in March for those who participate and meet the goals for all 6 months! The 5th graders' goals will increase every 2 months. They start out at 600 minutes a month, which is about 20 minutes per day. 

Religion- They will have their first test tomorrow. They have had the study guide for 2 days. We are also going to work on the Rosary the rest of the week for next week's mass time. Actually, in October we will step away from the book to focus on the Rosary and learning prayers. Most of that will be done in school.  

Math- our next chapter should be easier for them! We will be adding and subtracting decimals!! On Wednesday we talked about the commutative and associative properties to add and subtract. We also worked on solving mentally. I did tell them they always need to show their work unless they are doing something mentally. 

Reading- This week they are reading another story that is a fantasy. This one was LONG and lots of big words! I was surprised! This story is about a young boy who is reading a journal  about a man's journey in his hot air balloon and the creatures he saw flying through the sky. The creature was a mix of a panther and a bat, but they were white.  The young boy was trying to figure out whether he was imagining these or if they were real. They also have lots of skills to focus on. We worked on synonyms and the suffixes -y, -ly, and -ily. We will also be talking about identifying similes in sentences. They will take a test on Friday in spelling and another cold read. Scores were much better last week. I just wish these tests offered more questions to prove the students' knowledge. 

St. Jude- Last night I met my sister in Des Moines at St. Francis of Assisi Church. The forearm of St. Jude was on display yesterday for people to venerate or attend mass last night. St. Jude is the patron saint of lost causes. He is known for miraculous cures of illnesses. I wanted to share some pictures with you. The arm is on tour throughout the US. It was really amazing to see. There were so many people there! 

Next week is October! Wow! Time is flying by quickly!! I hope everyone has a great weekend! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Dear Parents, It sounded like the kids had a great weekend with football, volleyball, camping, and Balloon Days!  I enjoyed listening to so many of them in the Children's Choir at mass on Sunday! 

Calendar Dates:

Sept. 21- PTO Meeting/ Social 6 pm

Sept. 22- Homecoming/3 hr Early Out

Oct. 4- No Mass/ Rosary led by the 5th grade

Oct. 13- No School/ PD Day for Teachers

Oct. 25- Book Reports Due

Math- We are finishing up our chapter this week! I am thinking they will have a test next week. I think it will most likely be on Monday or Tuesday. We will see how the practice test goes. 

Religion- This week they had to draw pictures to represent the Blessed Trinity. I will try to post a picture on Facebook to show you all of them! They are wrapping up this chapter as well. They will take a test next week. Just like in the past, they will have a study guide for the test.  Next week we will start practicing the Rosary. They will be leading it for the entire school on October 4 because Father Patrick is gone that day. There won't be a mass. You are welcome to join us for the Rosary! 

They did an outstanding job at mass on Wednesday!!! 

Homecoming Friday- It is a Spirit Day! They can wear their sweats and/or hats for $1. They can also wear any Panther gear  as well as their tattoos if they ordered them! 

Reading- This week they read a fantasy story about a man who was trying to build something to make him airborne, but not an airplane. We giggled over his attempts and the pictures they included.  In grammar they are working on writing compound sentences with conjunctions and commas as well as making sure their subjects and verbs work together! I am hoping that we will be back in time from the pep rally tomorrow to do the spelling test and cold read test. 

I'd like to say scores improved last week, but they really didn't. I told the kids they need to read and reread before answering questions. One of the questions was putting 4 events from the story in chronological order. That is tough to do, but you also need to be patient and reread to check. I think grammar took a hit because they got the kinds of sentences mixed up. They did improve on their short answers though! Some of them really wrote a lot more! I told them the more they write to explain the better chance they have at getting the full points.  I wish the tests had more questions to prove their knowledge. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I am off to Waterloo and Dubuque. My niece is a senior at Loras College and is senior day at her soccer game!  Excited to hopefully get to see her play!

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Hello Parents, I hope everyone had a great week! My tooth pulling went great! I had no pain by Saturday! I also enjoyed seeing family over the weekend! I can't believe my youngest niece is a senior! 

Calendar Dates:

Sept. 15-16 Balloon Days

Sept. 20- 5th grade mass

Sept. 21- PTO Meeting/ Social 6pm

Sept. 22- Homecoming/3 hr Early Out

Oct. 25- Book Reports Due

PTO Meeting/ Social- The first one of the year is next Wednesday. I did see that if you show up your child will get a FREE SWEATPANTS Pass!!! I know they are also working on trying to make it more of a social gathering time rather than meeting. Please check it out! The more hands we have, the lighter the work! 

Reading- We read two stories this week. One is about a boy named William who grew up in  an impoverished village in Africa. Due to the drought, his family was low on food and money so he had to stop going to school after 8th grade. He went to his library one day (which consisted of 3 shelves) and found a book on energy. He was able to find parts to build a windmill for his family's crop. He also figured out how to create electricity from that so they could have a light bulb in their house. He was only 15 at the time! We read another story about Marilyn Hamilton who loved to hang glide, but after an accident she was paralyzed. She was determined to live a full life and hated being in a wheelchair. She and some friends designed a new wheelchair that was lighter and easier to move so that she could play tennis! We read about how people also play rugby and basketball from their wheelchairs. It also talked about how the design of it was really important so that the athletes could move quickly and safely.   We worked on identifying parts of the Winds of Hope story using the cause and effect. They had to figure out what William did and what caused it. 

In grammar we are working on the 4 kinds of sentences: exclamatory, declarative, imperative, and interrogative. They have had this in past years,but always key to remind them that their sentences need capital letters and some kind of punctuation!

They will have a spelling test and weekly test on Friday. I am sending home last week's weekly test scores in their Take Home Folders. These were not that pretty.  I explained to the 5th graders these are different than last year's. This one only had 11 points total. The minute you start to miss some of the questions, the faster your score drops. It's also a little like going to college and taking that first exam from your professor. You never know how those tests will look, the kinds of questions they ask, etc.  Each week will be a "cold read". That means they read it alone with no discussion in class.  They need to really read and focus and possibly read again! It doesn't hurt to go back and look up possible answers.  Some of the  questions have context clues in them...they need to look for those little hints as well. Hopefully, each week is a little better! I know not every week is the same point total.  

Next week we will begin our Monday-Friday schedule. So there will be a spelling pretest on Monday and a post test on Friday. 

Mass- Our first mass is next week Wednesday. I will be handing out their parts on Friday to them. Not all will have a speaking part, but all will have a job! You are more than welcome to join us at mass. I know the kids love seeing you there to cheer them on!! 

Math- We are really working into decimals. They had to learn how to write them in written, expanded, and standard form. They also had to be able to compare decimals and figure out how to write them from greatest to least. Our next step was learning to round them to the nearest place value name-- whole number (ones), tenths, hundredths, and thousandths. We talked about rounding money to the nearest dollar when you're shopping so you know about how much you're spending and whether you have enough money to spend. 

Religion- We worked on the seven days of creation and then the Incarnation which is the Son of God becoming flesh in Jesus Christ. We also review the Blessed Trinity- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I'm betting our first test will be some time next week. 

Homecoming- Next Friday, the 22nd, is a 3 hour early out. There won't be lunch served that day.  Kids can wear their Panther gear if they have some! For the first time, we are going that morning to the high school to participate in their coronation activities. There is a permission form in your child's Take Home Folder. Please fill out and return as soon as possible. We will come back here after that fun for the remainder of our time before dismissal. 

Pictures and ID- In your child's folder are their school pictures. They also included an ID badge. I'm not sure how you can use that, but there you go!

I hope everyone has a GREAT weekend!!! Enjoy these beautiful temps  and Balloon Days! I know the Children's Choir is singing at Sunday mass! I can't wait to listen! 

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend! I know I did! Although cleaning my house is the least of my joys! I was able to finish a couple of books! 

Calendar Dates:

Sept. 8- Substitute for me in the afternoon/ Spirit Day

Sept. 11- FAST Testing begins

Sept. 20- 5th grade mass

September 8 is a Spirit Day- Sweats, hats, and sunglasses for $1. It is also our CY-Hawk Day so they can wear their favorite TEAM shirt. I will be supporting UNI! I am allergic to the other colors! 💜💛💜💛 The temps are supposed to be a little cooler so they might like sweats that day! Again- all of this is optional. They don't have to participate. 

Reading- They took their post test from last week on Tuesday. They also took the weekly assessment. I have to check those yet because they had to write out some answers. The cool thing about that test was that it could be read to them. They just had to have their headphones on. My plan is to start the next module/lesson this week. I gave them their spelling pretest today. I told them the post test would be next Friday.  I will continue this story into next week so we can get a better routine going.  After that we will be on a Monday- Friday schedule. 

Book Report- I have also assigned them their first book report project! They will pick out a chapter book of their choosing, but it does have to be okay'd by me. I gave them a yellow packet with the project ideas and due date. It is supposed to be in their homework folder if you want to check it out! They will have a week to decide on a book. After that, whatever they have chosen they are going to have to finish whether they like it or not. 

Math- We are working on writing numbers in standard, expanded, and word form as well as exponents. On Tuesday, we did timed tests in multiplication and division. They are given 100 problems of each. We did multiplication first and then division. If they get 100% they move down in minutes. If you're wondering what is something you can do at home- this would be great! Get flashcards for both. Work on them in the car when traveling to football practice, or volleyball or dance,etc.  We started work with decimals too! We continued our discussion of place value going to thousandths. Today they learned how to say 0.235 and write it as a fraction 235/1000.

We also got back on our Successmaker program which is getting them to work on more math. Some are working on adding mixed numbers, some were working on area and perimeter, comparing weights like liters and grams, multiplication and subtraction of bigger numbers. 

Substitute- I am going to be leaving early on Friday to go to the dentist. I have a tooth that needs to be pulled and they are putting in a bone graft.  I am leaving here around 11. Mrs. Weight will be with the kids the rest of the day. They know her! I know they will be fine. 

Religion- They are done with the Bible search. You will find that in their Take Home Folders. We started our chapter on creation. 

FAST Testing- this will start next Monday. We test them in reading and math. Once I am all done, the scores will be sent home in their folders. These tests help us decide who needs interventions and LEAP.  We do these 3 times a year. There isn't really anything you can do to prepare them for it. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I am heading to Waterloo. My niece made the homecoming court for her high school and Friday night is the crowning. My nephew and his family are also visiting from Florida! I haven't seen them for 2 years so I am really excited! 

God Bless, 

Miss Surma

 Hello Parents! We made it a week! Whew! I think we are slowly establishing a routine to our days! They have even had a little homework to do for me! 

Calendar Dates:

Aug. 31- Picture Day

Sept. 1- 3 hour early out/ Spirit Day

Sept. 4 Labor Day/ No School

Sept. 6- Welcome Back Picnic 5-7 pm

Sept. 20- 5th grade mass

Spirit Day- This Friday is Spirit Day. The 5th graders can wear sweatpants and/or a hat and/or sunglasses for $1. The sunglasses will be worn out at recess only...not during class time. I know it is supposed to be pretty warm on Friday, so they may not want to wear sweats. It is optional. They don't have to do either! 

Reading- Okay, this new series is sending the teachers into panic mode almost daily. There are a lot of online tools that we can use with the kids...as long as the website is up and running. I don't have a certain flow established yet like I did with the other series. That will come in time. Our story this week is a narrative nonfiction story about Thomas Edison and Henry Ford and their inventions, but it also gives us a tidbit of their friendship. In grammar we are focusing on writing complete sentences that include a subject and predicate. We are also looking at the sentences to see if they are complete, fragments, run-on, or a comma splice. That is a NEW one for me! A comma splice sentence is when you combine two complete sentences with just a comma! I always thought that was a comma and a conjunction- and, but, or or. This one I have to get used to! Their spelling words are using short vowel sounds. They did a worksheet on Wednesday with the group sorting their spelling words  based on the sounds. I do plan on giving them a post test on Friday. They were given a list on Monday. I told them to take it home and put it on the fridge so they could practice their words with you. Some of them got a highlighted list.  The new series has a weekly assessment, but it is more like a cold read story they need to read and answer questions. Some of the questions will be about the story and others will be about the skills we have worked on. 

Math- They took a readiness test on Tuesday. This just shows me what they remember from 4th grade math. On Wednesday, they did another little review and then we dived into the chapter! Our first lesson was on exponents. I told them this is a teaser for Algebra!  They had to solve multiplication problems  using the number 10 with an exponent.  I think I need to learn how to type exponents on here so I can show you! They really seemed to catch on and enjoy it! I know not every day will be like this, but don't worry. I told them if they don't get it, they will work with me one on one!  I don't want them frustrated to the point of tears! Although, I know there will be days like that in the future. Those are math growing pains. 

Religion- We discussed the Bible and how it is made up. They will be working on an assignment searching for certain verses in the Bible and then recording the title for me. 

Early out on Friday- it is 3 hours early so lunch will not be served.  Mrs. Burg, Mrs. Sickels, and I did talk and I will take them out for a short recess before they go home. 

🚗🚘🚙 Just a reminder for parents and grandparents who pick up  their kids in the car line. Please make sure you look over the directions on the website or that Mrs. Simmons sent home last week. We are trying to provide the quickest and safest pick up for your kids. If you have someone new to the routine picking them up, please make sure to go over that with them as well. Thank you!!! 

Welcome Back Picnic is set for next Wednesday from 5-7 here at school. We have it in the courtyard. Keep a look out for more information! 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! Enjoy that extra day! If you are planning on going to Fridays After Five at the Elks on Friday, I may see you there! This is the last one and it is for the STM Foundation! Other than that, I don't have big plans...cleaning my house! 🤣🤣

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Hello Parents, This is my first blog of the year! They usually go out on Wednesday or Thursdays. I will email you the link as well as post it on our Facebook page. If you have Facebook invite me to be your friend so that I can send you the invite for our page. It is a private page only for those I have invited! 

Calendar Dates:

Aug. 30- Mass Day

Aug. 31- Picture Day

Sept. 1- 3 hour early out

Sept. 4 Labor Day/ No School

Reading- We have a new series this year! We (the teachers) will be learning along with the kids how this series works and what we can get through. I am really not starting that until next week. On Friday I plan on giving them a qualitative spelling test. This just lets me know the kind of spellers they are and what kinds of things throw them if they misspell. 

They will have 3 book reports to do this year. I give one each trimester. I will let you know when I assign it and when it is due. I also give them a little packet of choices for their projects. 

Math- there is a readiness test that I give at the beginning of the year just to see what they remember from last year the concepts they know. It isn't anything they get a grade on or have to correct. 

Religion- In 5th grade we do focus on the Rosary during the month of October. They will be learning some new prayers and all of the decades. The decades aren't something they need to memorize. It is more about what is really happening during that decade. 

Picture Day- Next Thursday, the 31st is picture day! They usually take their pics before they have PE. If they want to wear a certain shirt for the pictures and then change into a T-shirt afterwards, that is totally fine! We can handle that! The picture order form is going home this week in the Take Home Folder. Please return it by Tuesday or Wednesday next week. 

Homework Expectations- The 5th graders will have homework, but I try really hard to make sure they get class time to work on. Typically, I don't have a lot of kids that take it home, but that doesn't mean they won't every once in a while.  It also depends on how they "use" their work time. 

This year will be the goal of getting them ready for life in middle school. They need to make sure they are getting their assignment books signed each night. They need to make sure their homework or projects are done.  They need to remember their band instruments. They need to take on some responsibility. They don't get to call home to have Mom or Dad bring them something they forgot. 

Water bottles are optional. Our drinking fountains are open so they can use those throughout the day! 

I think we will have a great year! I'm excited to have them in my room. I am excited to welcome Jude and Ava to our class and school. I hope they love it as much as I do! 

We had a really good first day, I think! I hope they did too! Have a great weekend! Stay cool!!!

God Bless,

Miss Surma

 Wow! We have one more week together! I can't believe how quickly the year went by!  The schedule will be as normal as possible, but at the end of the year there are always things that pop up! 

Calendar Dates:

May 18- Book Reports Due/ Bring Costumes

May 19- 8th grade graduation/ Spirit Day

May 24- Spring Concert 6:00 pm

May 25- Clean Out Desks and Lockers

May 26- Last Day of School/ Field Day/ 3 hour early out

Book Reports- They are due on Thursday. Make sure they pack their costume.  They shouldn't wear it to school because they may not give theirs on Thursday so it will stay at school until they have presented. 

Reading- We are making some headway in our book. The book takes place in the 60s. As I was reading it the last couple of days I came across things I need to discuss with the kids that really don't happen anymore... government cheese as big as a loaf of bread, rubber boots with the 5 buckles ( my dad sold these in his store-- I helped many farmers get new pairs) and signing your name at the grocery store to charge your bill  which would be paid later. Even though I was born in 1970, I am feeling a little nostalgic. Kenny's mom had quite the threat for his brother Byron after he was caught playing with matches! 

Math- We have been adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators. They have caught on to that pretty easily. The problem now is having to write their answers in simplified form. So I am adjusting my plans so we can spend some time on that skill and then we will keep moving! There are a lot of different little parts to fractions. The vocabulary words we use are hard to keep sorted : numerators, denominators, finding a common denominator with multiples, reducing fractions with the greatest common factor. 

Religion- We are finishing up our last chapter and we will have one more test. This one covers the Ten Commandments. We will finish the year with our Guidance class. 

May 26, 2023 is the last day of school. It is a 3 hour early out! There won't be lunch served that day! The morning will be Field Day. I don't have the schedule yet, but know that you are welcome to come and watch the fun! We will do the clap-out for the 8th graders before we leave! 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I am actually staying in town and not driving to Waterloo! I will probably be working on report cards and grading book reports. 

God Bless,

Miss Surma