Friday is certainly the best day of the week! J We have had another wonderful week in our classroom. The class has been doing some pretty fun stuff lately!

In Math both classes are trucking through our measurement unit, and have been doing very well with measuring different objects in the classroom. We will be continuing on with this next week, and will even start learning some multiplication facts. Please do not freak out- we had a mini lesson on Thursday of how easy this really is. We will be working on 0,1,2,5, and 10’s. Simple enough, and they seemed very excited about learning this topic. We will only be doing simple lessons on this, by no means are we going to be concentrating on just this J.

In Science, we are doing some really fun stuff with plants, and even are enjoying watching our own seeds sprout right now! They are very excited and count to see how many sprouts they have each day.

The class seemed to really like doing the spelling activities this week in class, and test results were very good. With that being said, I will continue to send fix and return papers home, but we will do spelling activities in class. I will still send home the words so you can practice for the tests on Thursday and Friday.

May Crowning is on Sunday at 11:00 mass, and on Monday we will have an all school Rosary. Hope you can attend.

Have a good weekend, and I will see everyone on Monday J

Please do not forget to send in your child’s permission slip for the field day at Powers.

Ms. Faris

Math:

Þ Monday: Chapter 8 TEST

Þ Tuesday: Chapter 9, Section 1

Þ Wednesday: Chapter 9, Section 2

Þ Thursday: Chapter 9, Section 3

Þ Friday: FIELD DAY!!

Social Studies:

Þ We will be having a classroom election take place Monday through Wednesday. Students have just learned about Elections and how they get elected. We will be electing a classroom president, by receiving nominations, having them give a little speech and then voting for the winner.

Þ Also, We will be discussing taxing and spending in regards to government powers

Þ Next, Moving into Citizens Rights vs. Responsibilities

Science:

Þ TEST ON TUESDAY, over Ecosystem, vocabulary terms and endangered species

Þ Students got a STUDY GUIDE on Friday May 11^th

Þ Researching Ecosystems and creating a brochure or poster for an ecosystem

Reminders:

*Students are also low on supplies for paper and pencils. They need to bring in more supplies for class so they can be prepared.

*FIELD DAY IS ON FRIDAY!

Enjoy your weekend!

Ms. Kelly Ethier

3^rd grade Spelling words for next week: Unit 33: travel, open, dollar, wagon, final, squirrel, sugar, garden, paper, animal, nickel, another, lemon, brother, calendar, character, Oregon, cardinal. Pretest will be on Wednesday with final on Thursday.

4^th grade Spelling words for next week: redo, unkind, disappear, reread, nonfat, inactive, international, unlucky, dislike, unpack, nonstop, refill, uncertain, interstate, incomplete, rewind, unsure, disagree, reheat, nonsense, identify, mammals, marine, preserve, related. Pretest will be on Wednesday with final on Thursday.

Reading3: We will be reading, “Wilber’s Boast.” Test will be on Thursday.

Reading4: Students will be reading “Whales.” Test will be on Thursday.

English3/4: Both classes will be finishing up Verbs. Test is scheduled for both classes May 21^st.

Religion3: Chapter 13 quiz is on Monday. We will then begin Chapter 14 “Meeting Jesus in Confession.” Possible quiz on Chapter 14 will be Monday, May 21^st.

Science3: Continuing Chapter 2 on Changes in the Desert, learning about temperature and evaporation.

Math3: We have been reviewing multiplying one digit numbers most of this week. Monday we will do one last review and Tuesday will be the test on Chapter 9. Wednesday we will begin to learn how to divide one digit numbers.

Social Studies 3: Test on Chapter 3 on Monday. Tuesday we will begin Chapter 4 on Human Geography.

***Remember that the Spring Concert/Art Show is on Wednesday. Your child may wear tan pants with a solid colored shirt (any color, just solid). Art show will start at 5:30pm and concert will begin at 6:30pm. Students need to be at there assigned spots by 6:15pm.

***Ms. Ethier and I have scheduled a field trip for May 30th to the Sloan Museum and Planetarium for the 3^rd and 4^th graders. We will be leaving about 11:40am and return about 2:30pm. We need chaperones and drivers to help us out. Permission slips are due Friday, May 18^th. Please send them in ASAP!

***Powers Field Day is on Friday. We will be outside all day, so dress you child according to the weather!!! Students will get a t-shirt on Friday to wear. Lunch is provided.

Happy Mother’s Day!!!!

Have a great weekend!!

Mrs. Marian Somerville

m-somerville@comcast.net

Homework Assignment:

Some children did so poorly on the unit test, I am asking them to take it home and correct for partial credit.

Parents must review and sign test and have test returned by 5/15.

Finish reading Chapter 29. Complete pages 119 – 122. Color page 119, 120 and 122 for Extra Credit. Study for Quiz Chapter 29.  

Tentative Lesson Plan for May 15th week:
5/15:    Discussion:                    
            Chapter 29 Lesson  1 – 4  
           Homework Assignment:   
           Study for Quiz Chapter  29

5/11:    Take Quiz Chapter 29

            Discussion:   Chapter  26 Lesson 1 -4

            Homework Assignment:   
            Finish reading Chapter 26.  Complete pages 101 – 104.  Color page 102 for Extra Credit. Study for Quiz Chapter 26.  

Where is the school year going!? Only 19 more days left of school. J How exciting!

Next week on Wednesday is our Spring Concert! We will be having an Art Fair that begins at 5:30 p.m. in the school hall way. Once you have gotten the chance to see all the amazing creations your child has been doing, you will be asked to join us in the Parish Hall where the concert will begin at 6:30. Children need to be in their classroom at 6:15 at the LATEST!!!!!!!

I would like each child to wear jeans and a yellow shirt. I have went ahead and bought each child a plain yellow shirt from Joann’s for $3. I will keep the shirts until that night. If you would send a $1-$2 donation toward this, we can keep our classroom fund up for our end of the year party. J

We finished our math unit of measuring and have moved on to place value. We will be concentrating on ones, tens, hundreds, and thousands. The class has also mastered 0 and 1’s in multiplication. Next week we will be moving on to 5’s and 10’s!

We are continuing our unit of Plants and I hope you liked the special surprise your child has done for you. Please monitor these closely; your child will be reporting their results to the class. Plenty of water and sunlight will help!

Spelling has been going great again! Very proud of them.

Next Friday is the Field Day field trip at Powers. Thank you for getting your money and permission slips in! We could still use drivers if you are interested!

Congratulations to Adrian and Dina for being May Star Students!

Also- I went to two WONDERFUL dance recitals that 3 of our very own participated in. Great job Sydney, Libby and Emily! You three did great!

Have a fantastic Mother’s Day. I am headed to Traverse City for a weekend of fun!

Ms. Faris

Social Studies- I will check the tests over the weekend and we will go over them in class next week. Our next chapter is The American Revolution. Your child previously learned about the causes and effects that led to this war, and now we are jumping into the war itself. This is a great chapter…one of my favorites to teach! I am hoping that your child has been keeping you informed on all of the good stuff he/she has been learning about lately. Ask him/her…who John Hancock was, why he was important during the Revolutionary War era, and what does it mean when someone asks for your “John Hancock?”

Science- We continue studying ecosystems! The students did a great job creating their very own ecosystems this week. Next week we will continue studying wetlands and other natural ecosystems. Our aquarium is stable once again thanks to Chase and Kit for doing a superb job of cleaning out the tank! We lost a fellow fish friend earlier this week. I have to admit…I believe I fed our fish a little too much…making our tank unstable. Like I said, we are back on track and the tank and our fish look like they are back to being stable, healthy and strong once again! J

Vocabulary- The unit 14 vocabulary test is on Wednesday. The unit is due on Thursday.

English- Students are writing daily in the classroom. If it’s not in science, it’s in social studies! Plus, they continue to write, write, write in their writing journals. We are still in the process of getting the latest pieces of work published. Time is getting the best of us! I am hoping that we can polish up the pieces and get them published, as well as share them by the end of next week.

Math-5^th- This week your child continued working on composite numbers, prime numbers, fractions, and some problem solving too! Your child worked on the mid-chapter review. Next week he/she will be working on simplifying fractions, least common multiple and least common denominator.6^th grade will be working on ratios and proportions or the other group have moved to multiplying fractions.

***The Spring concert is right around the corner! We will be tie-dying shirts next week and the students will wear the shirts to the Spring concert. On Tuesday I let students know that they would need to bring in a white t-shirt to school by Tuesday of next week. If you are unable to get your child a shirt, please send a note in letting me know by Monday, so I can make sure to get your child one. I want all of my students to be able to have the opportunity to have fun and tie-die, as well as have the same attire at the concert as their classmates!!!*** If your child wants to bring in a few other items to tie dye…socks, head-bands, etc. that is okay too!

Your child has worked hard on a lot of papers and projects this year. I have kept some of the work and it is about time that you see your child’s work on display, as well as the rest of the students’ work. Therefore, I invite you to visit the middle school hallway on Monday, May 7^th anytime after school until 6:00PM. Come and see “Holy Rosary’s 5^th and 6^th Grade Hall of Academic Success!” I hope to see you and look forward to it!

*** Mother’s Day is right around the corner. If you are looking to buy plants or flowers as gifts, or Memorial Day wreaths or flowers, then visit “His and Herbs.” Although it is a bit of a drive; off of Vienna Road in Montrose, it is a great greenhouse and owned by my wonderful Aunt Patty and Uncle Chuck. They are good people who dedicate all of their time and effort to their small business which in return provides for them…They always show gratitude to those who purchase items from their greenhouse. Just an FYI… J

***Progress reports were sent home today! We are coming to the end of our 2011-2012 school year. Take a look over your child’s progress, sign the report and send it in Monday with your child’s Friday Folder please. Thank you. When you think about it…the year is just about through. If you omit weekends, Memorial Day Weekend, and the end of the year field trips coming up…by next Friday…we have less than 20 full days of school left. There is definitely time to get some more teaching and learning in before the school year comes to an end. However, I would like to add…and am confident when I state this…*At this point of the year, your child has been taught and has learned a full year’s worth of 5^th and 6^th grade academics!!!* The expectations I set forth at the beginning of this year for myself as a teacher, as well as for my students, has been successfully met as far as the 5^th grade class goes as a whole, and the 6^th grade class as a whole! Students are of course at different levels individually! I have seen nothing but growth in all of my students…some more than others…but academic, spiritual, and physical growth in ALL 27 of my students!!!

***6^th Grade Parent(s)—A statement was sent home today showing how much money your child has earned towards the 2013 Chicago Trip.

Lastly, I can’t THANK those parents who have supported me throughout the entire school year enough! Thank you for waiting patiently and trusting me when I have had to make decisions when it came to my classroom! Thank you for understanding and supporting me when I had to make individual academic decisions when it came to your child! Thank you for NEVER questioning my ability to teach your child whether it be academic lessons, spiritual lessons, or life lessons! It is my beautiful children…all 27 of them…and YOU who continue to make me realize that teaching is my passion and that is why I do it! I pray about every decision I make when it comes to your child and ask the Lord to help me make only the BEST decision I can make. He leads me in the right direction and I can only continue to honor and praise Him for that! Thank you for placing your faith in me!

Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Pignatelli and Baby P J

7^th Grade Parent(s)- A statement was sent home with your child today letting you see how much money your child has earned towards the 2013 Class Chicago Trip. Thank you.

Language Arts (Mrs. Ayers) : 8^th grade students are working on their magazine writing project. It looks like the final project will be due on May 23^rd. The 7^th graders are doing a Memory book which will also have the same due date.

Reading (Mrs. Ayers) : Students have been given the choice to read either “Walk Two Moons or Hatchet.” This is an independent read with goals set and need to be met. There will be assigned pages and comprehension quizzes will be given

Social Studies (Mrs. Pignatelli): We skimmed over a few chapters and are currently studying chapter 12. This chapter is all about the North and the next is about the South. It is my goal to get through these chapters before the school year ends…and maybe even jump into the Civil War chapter. The students start off in high school at the Resconstruction Era. We are headed in that direction. However, I can assure you that your child has the skills necessary to pick up wherever we leave off.

Vocabulary (Mrs, Ayers):The spelling test was today over unit 14. Next week the definition test will be on Tuesday and the unit pages are due on Thursday, and the book test will be Friday.

Math (Mrs. Hodges) : 7^th grade will be working on chapter 9 test on Monday, and lessons 10-1 to 10-3. 8th grade finish chapter test lessons 10-8 to 10-9, chapter 10 test on Monday, subject to change.

Science (Mrs. Ayers): We reviewed the skeletal and muscular systems(covered in Health class) and will be looking at the circular and digestive systems next.

Religion (Mrs. Ayers):8^th graders had their Confirmation interviewed, and we have been working on the Spring concert. We also prepared the Mass this week and the rosary for our special visit of the image of Our Lady from Mexico. We also will be preparing for the rosary on Monday. We continue to work in our journal.

4^th grade Spelling words for next week: useless, entertainment, construction, adjustable, darkness, motionless, description, measurement, adorable, breathless, fairness, government, protection, dependable, sickness, hopeless, production, enjoyable, greatness, encouragement, brilliant, commercials, expensive, ingredient, successful. Pretest on Thursday and final on Friday.

Reading3: We will be reading, “Do Animals Think?” Test will be on Friday.

Reading4: Students will be reading the play “The Toothpaste Millionaire.” Test will be on Friday.

English3/4: Both classes will be finishing up Verbs. Test is scheduled for both classes May 15^th.

Religion3: Starting Chapter 13. Test on Thursday.

Science3: Test on Tuesday on Desert Habitat. Chapter 2 is on Changes in the Desert.

Math3: Continuing working with multiplying one digit numbers to three or more digits. We will finish Chapter 9 next week. The test is scheduled for Friday.

Social Studies 3: Learning about landforms, regions, and resources in the United States. Test is scheduled for May 15^th.

***Ms. Ethier and I have scheduled a field trip for May 30 to the Sloan Museum and Planetarium for the 3^rd and 4^th graders. We will be leaving about 11:45am and return about 2:30pm. I will be looking for chaperones and drivers to help us out. A permission slip is attached.

**Check with your child and see if they need more pencils and paper. Many students have run out. 4^th grade students should have a supply of paper and pencils for both of their classrooms.

**Specials next week:

Monday- Art Tuesday- Spanish, Gym, and Music Wednesday- Computers and Art

Thursday- Computers and Gym

Have a great weekend!!

Mrs. Marian Somerville

m-somerville@comcast.net

We had a great week! I can’t believe how quickly these last few weeks have been flying by! Soon and very soon…baby P will be here! The kids are so eager and excited, and of course, so am I!!! J Thank you so very much for the surprise baby shower! Words cannot express what that meant to Tony and me. I will be sure to let my little man know one day when he is a bit older, that I was truly blessed with the most phenomenal parents and students the year I was pregnant for him. The gift card will definitely go a long ways at Babies R Us! I have not only a Pandora Bracelet from this group of students and parents, but also two beautiful school charms, and now I have a baby carriage to add, which will continue to remind me on a daily basis of how blessed I am…because of all of you. Thank you for the individual baby gifts too! The books the kids created for baby P are wonderful and they will be treasured for always. Thank you to the parents who worked so very hard to put it all together! Thank you for inviting my mother and grandmother. That meant so much to me too! I could go on and on…but I will save that for individual “Thank Yous” that I haven’t quite gotten to yet! But I will get to them…soon…maybe not today or tomorrow….but soon! J Once again…thank you!

Math- 5^th-We jumped into fractions this week and will continue working on them next week! I have to add that fractions are not the easiest concept to learn! We are slowly but surely learning about fractions. Students were introduced to the idea this week and we started off learning about equivalent fractions. Yesterday, they got to have fun with a hands-on assignment that helped them to visualize and discover equivalent fractions.

(Mrs. Ayers)6^th graders reviewed and tested over chapters 6 and 7. Some will be going on next week multiplying with fractions and the other group will be starting chapter 9 proportions and ratios.

Science- We now have our very own aquarium ecosystem in our classroom! We have six new classroom pets…all fish!!! They are bright and beautiful and are a great addition to our class! Your child will be working on his/her very own illustration of an ecosystem next week! Plus, we will be learning more about natural ecosystems. *Look in your child’s Friday folder to check out you’re his/her science test score.

Social Studies-The test has been rescheduled for Thursday. We have been working hard on this chapter, discussing a lot of new information, and doing several independent assignments! This is all good, because the chapter is so very important when it comes to who we are as a nation today. I passed out the review sheet yesterday and students are more than welcome to get a head start on it over the weekend. Students will be given time to work on the review sheet with a classmate on Monday. The review sheet is due on Tuesday.

Vocabulary- Unit 14 here we come! 3x’s each and 5x’s each is due on Monday. The spelling test is on Wednesday. J

Religion (Mrs. Ayers): We reviewed chapters 11-15 and tested on Wednesday. We will start units 16 and 17 next week.

English-Students worked on a piece of writing in Writer’s Workshop this week. We will continue working on them next week and hopefully get them published! J

Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Pignatelli and Baby P J

A very big thank you to Mrs. Kathy Dutton who came and shared her expertise in Biology with the fetal pig dissection.

Language Arts (Mrs. Ayers) : The 8th graders will start their big magazine project next week and 7^th will work on a memory book. We just didn’t get to it this week with the added science and the two papers that were due this week.

Reading (Mrs. Ayers) : The final project paper for “Number the Stars was due today. This will be an English grade and a Reading grade. We have started “The Girl who Survived”, a short true novel of a young girl who survived the Holocaust. We should finish this short novel by Friday.

Social Studies (Pignatelli): Believe it or not…we got through a whole chapter this week. I taught and lectured over the most important information in the chapter. In this case it was…Thomas Jefferson, our 3^rd president, the Louisiana Purchase, and the War of 1812. Students did an assignment over the chapter and took a quiz. We will move forward to the next chapter next week. Have a great weekend! Thank you so much for the surprise baby shower! It was truly a beautiful event and very thoughtful of you to help make it happen! Thank you for the gifts too! Mom and baby are truly blessed to have such wonderful people like you and your children in our lives! Have a great weekend! J Mrs. P and Baby P

Vocabulary (Mrs, Ayers): We finished unit 13 on Thursday, and will start unit 14 next week with the spelling test on Friday.

Math (Mrs. Hodges) : 8^th grade will be working on lessons 10-5 to 10-8. The 7^th graders will be working on lessons 9-2 to 9-5.

Science (Mrs. Ayers):We spent Monday and Tuesday afternoon dissecting a fetal pig. We will be touching on the different systems of the body in chapters 14-17.

Religion (Mrs. Ayers): We have spent our time finishing up our journal writing and practicing for the Spring concert, “I Know Our Redeemer Lives”.