Week 23 News

REMINDERS:

• We are all excited for Spring Break, however it begins on Friday March 15 and classes resume on Monday March 25th.  If your child will be out of school any other days, please let us know.  We are testing in some areas and students have been notified to communicate with their teacher and should be ready to take these exams early or upon their first day of return to school.

Upcoming Events : March 11-14

• MONDAY:  Lent prayer service @ 8:40am

• TUESDAY:  Spirit Wear, Adoration, Science Test 

• WEDNESDAY:  Liturgy @ 8:45am

• THURSDAY:  

• FRIDAY:  NO SCHOOL!  Have a safe Spring Break
• MONDAY: March 25, classes resume

Religion –We continue to work through presenting our Google Slide Presentations on the 7 Sacraments.  We are also continuing to work through our unit on the Works of Mercy. Students will be responsible for knowing all of the Works of Mercy as well as how a 5th grader can serve others following the Works of Mercy.   Throughout Lent we will be attending school wide prayer services that will be held in the church. These services will be held on March 11 at 8:40, March 26 at 8:40, April 4 at 8:40, April 12 at 8:40, and Stations of the Cross on April 19th at 2:30.

Reading/Language Arts – Mrs. Schaffer’s and Mrs. Anderson’s classes have started a round of Literature Circles.  Group members are assigned chapters in their group’s book and a particular comprehension role each day.  Upon completion, groups discuss their completed roles and then receive new assignments. Mrs. Alsin’s class is reading the whole class book Bridge to Terabithia.  Many comprehension strategies are being utilized throughout this book.

Math –  We spent time working on improper fractions, mixed numbers, and parts/whole.  Next week, we will continue to spend time converting fractions to decimals and percents.        

Social Studies - Students are back to weekly geography quizzes on Fridays as we study map skills from a variety of different places.  Look for these to come home each week to be signed.

Science - We had a fun week learning about the circulatory system and some of the main functions on the heart.  Students will test over this material on Tuesday.

Language Arts – We spent time this week researching and organizing our information for our persuasive papers.  Next week, we will begin work on the rough draft, editing process and the final draft. I hope we can get these finished up before we leave Friday for Spring Break.  Following Spring Break, we’ll spend some time on Figurative Language and Poetry.

Spelling –  Next week’s Spelling List will consist of words that contain the Greek and Latin Roots poly, hexa, hepta, octa, multi, and deca.  We will also spend time learning about similes, metaphors, and idioms.

Week 22 News

Upcoming Events : March 4-8

• MONDAY:  

• TUESDAY:  

• WEDNESDAY:  Liturgy @ 8:45, ASH Wednesday Mass Celebration

• THURSDAY:  

• FRIDAY:  

Religion –We continue to work through presenting our Google Slide Presentations on the 7 Sacraments.  We are also continuing to work through our unit on the Works of Mercy. Students will be responsible for knowing all of the Works of Mercy as well as how a 5th grader can serve others following the Works of Mercy.  We will be attending Ash Wednesday mass on Wednesday to observe the beginning of Lent. Throughout Lent we will be attending school wide prayer services that will be held in the church. These services will be held on March 11 at 8:40, March 26 at 8:40, April 4 at 8:40, April 12 at 8:40, and Stations of the Cross on April 19th at 2:30.

Reading/Language Arts – Mrs. Schaffer’s and Mrs. Anderson’s classes have started a round of Literature Circles.  Group members are assigned chapters in their group’s book and a particular comprehension role each day.  Upon completion, groups discuss their completed roles and then receive new assignments. Mrs. Alsin’s class is reading the whole class book Bridge to Terabithia.  Many comprehension strategies are being utilized throughout this book.

Math –  We spent time working on improper fractions, mixed numbers, and parts/whole.  Next week, we will continue to spend time converting fractions to decimals and percents.       

Social Studies - Students are back to weekly geography quizes on Fridays as we study map skills from a variety of different places.  Look for these to come home each week to be signed.

Science - We have finished up our short unit about our individual health and ways to balance exercise and eating choices.  We started our discussion on some of the body systems and will focus mostly on the circulatory/cardiovascular system before moving to the respiratory system.  Students will use their ISN (Interactive Science Notebooks) and will be encouraged to bring them home to study nightly to get into some good study habits.

Language Arts – We spent this week learning about Interjections and Persuasive Writing.  Students chose their own persuasive topics today and will begin researching next week.  They will go through a guided process of researching and organizing. This information will then be taken through the writing process.

 

Spelling –  Next week’s Spelling List will consist of words that contain the Greek and Latin Roots trans, dict, duc, and duct.  We will also spend time learning about similes and metaphors.

Week 21 News

Reminders:

• The weather has been crazy, please look at the forecast and know that we will only stay inside if temps are not above 10 degrees.

Upcoming Events : February 25-March 1

• MONDAY:  

• TUESDAY:  

• WEDNESDAY:  Liturgy @ 8:45

• THURSDAY:  

• FRIDAY:  

Religion –We have finished our in class work time with the Google Slide Presentations on the 7 Sacraments.  Students will need to finish these on their own over the weekend-they will be due Monday February 25.  Students will then be presenting these to the class over the next several weeks. We encourage you to take a moment and view these presentations at home. We will be starting our unit on the Works of Mercy.  Students will be responsible for knowing all of the Works of Mercy as well as how a 5th grader can serve others following the Works of Mercy. A Lenten Service project will be required for all 5th graders. More information will be sent at a later date.

Reading/Language Arts – We are continuing to work through our MLK unit/informative writing pieces.  We will move back into our routine of independently reading, conferencing, and journal writing about current reading selections after MLK. We will also take some time to read in Literature Circles.  

Math –  We spent time working on improper fractions, mixed numbers, and parts/whole.  Next week, we will spend time converting fractions to decimals and percents.     

Science - We spent the week discussing our general health, which seems like a good thing with all the sickness going around.  We practiced washing our hands with a fun experiment with “Glo-germ” ask your child about that. We will continue with health and begin discussing the Heart next.

Language Arts – We took our Preposition Test this week.  The application portion was challenging. Students were told that they may choose to retake this portion of the test on Monday at 8:00 if they’d like to increase their score.  We also continued with our unit on persuasion by looking at the pros and cons of drinking juice and the importance of including facts and research when working with persuasion.    

 

Spelling –  Our Spelling list next week will consist of words that are homographs.  Your child will need to know how to spell the words as well their multiple meanings and how to determine the correct meaning in context.

Week 20 News

Upcoming Events : February 19-22

• MONDAY:  No Classes, Teacher Professional Development, Make-up Parent Teacher Conferences 4:30-7:30

• TUESDAY:  

• WEDNESDAY:  Liturgy @ 8:45

• THURSDAY:  

• FRIDAY:  Mission Awareness Dress Down, End of Trimester 2

Religion –We are continuing with our unit on the seven sacraments.  Students continued working on their Google Slide presentations this week.  This will continue next week as well. We will be presenting these in class upon completing them.  

Reading/Language Arts – We are continuing to work on our MLK unit.  We are pairing reading strategies with learning about an important historical figure and non fiction pieces of writing.  We began writing an informative paper about MLK this week. This should be wrapped up next week.

Math – We will be working on Chapter 5 in Math. This chapter focuses on fractions, proportions, and percents. Please look for everyday opportunities to incorporate into your child’s learning.   
  

Science - We will begin our Health Unit this week and start discussing the Heart and Lungs. These are the two main body systems that our part of 5th grade curriculum.

Social Studies - We have debriefed all BizTown information and will be getting back to daily geography mapping skills beginning next week.

Language Arts –  Students continued working with persuasion strategies and persuasive writing this week.  Wednesday was spent learning about and creating Valentine puns. The preposition unit is wrapping up.  The students were asked to review their notes this week, a review will be held in class on Tuesday with a quiz to follow on Wednesday.  Interjections will follow!

 

Spelling – The Spelling list next week will consist of words with the prefixes uni, bi, tri, quad, and pent.

Week 19 News

Upcoming Events : February 11-18

• MONDAY:  Parent Teacher Conferences 4:30-7:30

• TUESDAY:  Parent Teacher Conferences 4:30-7:30

• WEDNESDAY:  Liturgy @ 8:45, St. Valentine's Parties @ 2:30 💗

• THURSDAY:  NO CLASSES, Parent Teacher Conferences 8:30-12:00

• FRIDAY:  NO SCHOOL
• MONDAY:  NO CLASSES, Teacher Professional Development 

Religion –We are continuing with our unit on the seven sacraments.  Students began working on their Google Slide presentations this week.  This will continue next week. We will be presenting these in class upon completing them.  We are asking that students include personal photos of themselves or family members receiving the sacraments.  Any photos you may have can be uploaded directly to your child’s google account. If it is easier to email them directly to your child’s teacher, please feel free to do so.  If your photos are hard copies, simply take a photo of the photo with your cell phone and email or upload it. Thank you! We will also have generic photos of the sacraments for any student who does not have a picture for any particular sacrament.  

Reading/Language Arts – We are continuing to work on our MLK unit.  We are pairing reading strategies with learning about an important historical figure and non fiction pieces of writing.  We will be writing an informative paper about MLK following the presentation of information.

Math –  You will be receiving your child’s assessment on Financial Literacy at conferences. We will be picking back up with Chapter 5 now that we are done with BizTown.  Studylink homework will resume. Please encourage your child to continue to work on his/her basic facts to increase accuracy and speed. Thank you!

More pics to come!

Social Studies - BizTown was a HUGE success.  We are so proud of all the students for conducting themselves in such a business-like fashion.  It is always fun to report that every business paid off all their loans and made a profit.  We will be debriefing Monday and watching the amazing video ads that were created.

Language Arts – Persuasive Letter Writing was taught this week.  Letters to the Editor were written for Biz Town. Students chose something they would like to see changed at school and developed a persuasive argument with reasons, examples, and evidence.  Students also learned about persuasive strategies used in commercials. Next week students will learn how reviews (book, restaurant etc.) are a form of persuasion as well. Prepositions will also continue next week.

 

Spelling – There will not be a Spelling list next week due to the short week with conferences.  

Week 18 News

Upcoming Events : February 4-8

• MONDAY:  100th Day of School

• TUESDAY:

• WEDNESDAY:  Liturgy @8:45

• THURSDAY:

• FRIDAY:  BizTown Field Trip 8:40-2:30

Reminders: 

** Conferences are next week February 11, 12, and 14.  If you have not signed up please do so **

Religion –We are continuing with our unit on the seven sacraments.  Students will begin working on their google slide presentations next week.  We will be presenting these in class upon completing them. We are asking that students include personal photos of themselves or family members receiving the sacraments.  Any photos you may have can be uploaded directly to your child’s google account. If it is easier to email them directly to your child’s teacher, please feel free to do so.  If your photos are hard copies, simply take a photo of the photo with your cell phone and email or upload it. Thank you! We will also have generic photos of the sacraments for any student who does not have a picture for any particular sacrament.  

Reading/Language Arts – We are continuing to work on our MLK unit.  We are pairing reading strategies with learning about an important historical figure and non fiction pieces of writing.  We will be writing an informative paper about MLK following the presentation of information. We hope to have these completed writing pieces in the hallway during conferences.  After our MLK unit, we will move back into our routine of independently reading, conferencing, and journal writing about current reading selections. Following Spring Break, we will take some time to read in Literature Circles.  

Math –  We will be finishing up the Financial Literacy component of BizTown this week with our simulation on Friday! Everyone has worked so hard to understand the real life application of money.

Social Studies - Students are working together in their BizTown Businesses creating a name, logo, and advertisements.  We will be writing letters to the editors of the BizTown magazine publication this week as well. Our Field trip is Friday.  If you have not returned the permission slip for this, please do so. As a reminder all fees are billed through FACTS.

Language Arts – Ms. S. has started a unit on prepositions as well as Persuasive Writing this week.  Students read an article about why schools should install hand dryers in school bathrooms.  The article was analyzed for persuasive characteristics and then used to guide students to rewrite the article stating why schools should not install hand dryers.  Graphic organizers were used to discuss and write thesis statements and pros and cons to support the counterargument. Both prepositions and persuasive writing will continue next week.

 

Spelling – Next week’s spelling list will consist of words that have the Greek and Latin roots mega, thermo, ped, man, cycl.  We will also re-visit synonyms and antonyms.

Week 17 News

Upcoming Events : Catholic Schools Week Activities

• MONDAY, January 28: Celebrating Your Community-Wear a shirt representing a community/program you have been involved in (team, Girl Scouts, Battle of the Books, Choro, etc) and uniform pants.
• TUESDAY, January 29: Celebrating Your Students- Spirit Wear with your choice of bottoms.
• WEDNESDAY, January 30: 11:20 Dismissal Celebrating The Nation-Dress Up for Jesus!
• THURSDAY, January 31: Celebrating Vocations- Wear a shirt that somehow represents our patron saint, St. Francis. (a shirt with an animal, stars, moon, nature etc. If you don’t have one-choose a St. Francis spirit wear or uniform shirt) with uniform bottoms.
• FRIDAY, February 1: Celebrating Faculty, Staff and Volunteers- Pajama Day!

Our BizTown Mayor, Matthew Saegh
and District Attorney Marissa McCarty.

Religion –We have spent time discussing and learning about the seven sacraments.  Next week we will work on relating them to scripture. Students will be in charge of creating a google slide presentation about the seven sacraments.  We are asking that students include personal photos of themselves or family members receiving the sacraments. Any photos you may have can be uploaded directly to your child’s google account.  If it is easier to email them directly to your child’s teacher, please feel free to do so. If your photos are hard copies, simply take a photo of the photo with your cell phone and email or upload it.  Thank you! We will also have generic photos of the sacraments for any student who does not have a picture for any particular sacrament.

Reading/Language Arts – All three classes have started our Martin Luther King unit. Throughout the month of January, we will read various books and articles about MLK and reinforce a number of comprehension strategies during this unit.  There will still be time for independent reading and conferencing to reach that 40 bookmark at the end of the year!

Math – We will continue learning how to write checks, fill out deposit slips, and maintain a check register for BizTown. We have been having great discussions about real-life situations that deal with money! The students will also continue to work on review sheets to reinforce skills previously learned in Everyday Math.

Social Studies - BizTown Speeches went great today.  All candidates did a fantastic job preparing for their speech.  We are proud of all of them. The 5th grade class elected Matthew Saegh for Mayor and Marissa McCarty for DA.  Congrats to both! Students will find out the business and job they will have at BizTown on Monday.

Language Arts – Ms. S will discussed our Grammar unit on Prepositions and Interjections.  She also discussed our next writing unit on Persuasive/Opinion Writing.

Spelling – Our Spelling list next week will consist of the words with the suffix ending -tion.