News and Notes November 16th- November 20th

Specials Schedule:

Monday - Music     Tuesday -- Computer    

Wednesday -- Spanish    Thursday -- PE     Friday --- Art

For the Week of November 9th

Misc News and Notes:

• Thank you to Mr. Baker who came in and taught us about airplanes.  The students had a ball making their own paper airplanes and competing to see which would fly furthest.
• Thank you for the cans that have been donated so far!  The can food drive is still in full swing!  Please donate cans to help us feed the hungry.
• Midterm reports will go home Tuesday.
• I am in need of four 2 liter bottles for a science activity. 

Academic News and Notes:

Math:  We will begin learning how to multiply 2-4 digit numbers by a single factor.  The kids are excited about this.  A family pack will be sent home on Monday.  The test will be 1 week from Monday. 

Reading:  We've been comparing and contrasting folk tales from different countries.  This week we will read, "One Grain of Rice," a folk tale from India.  The test will be Friday as usual. 

Just to review the AR Process:

• Students took a STAR Reader assessment.  This gave students a book level to read to become better readers.  If you want to check the level of a book, students know how to go to www.arbookfind.com to check. New star reader reports will be coming home soon!
• From this, the program suggested point goals based on a number of minutes read each day.  We used this recommendation to set our monthly goals.
• Students should read a book and as promptly as possible take an AR test.  They have three options to do this.  First, during AR time in class they can sign up to use a classroom computer to take a test.  Second, they can take an AR test at home.  Third, they can take an AR test during library.  (AR tests must be taken Monday - Friday before 7pm.)  Students should avoid taking more than 1 AR test at a time when possible.
• Each week I send home a progress report to let you know how your child is progressing toward their goal.  It states how many points a child has and when the points are due.  I included how they are doing on comprehension on this week's report as well.
• At the end of the month, I print out a report.  The report shows all of the quizzes taken, the number of points the child earned, and their comprehension score.  It shows a grade for comprehension and a grade based on the percent of points they earned toward their goal.  This report is signed and returned each month. 
• The report lets us see if the students are reading books that are too hard or too easy and whether or not they are understanding what they read.  From this, the child and I meet to set new monthly goals.  We discuss their successes and struggles.  The new goal is recorded on the sheet that is signed by parents. 

Language:  This week we will be learning about clauses and complex sentences.

Writing:  The response to literature essays look great!  I will be giving students back their drafts on Monday and would like final copies turned in by Thursday.  These can be typed or nicely written.

Science:  We will begin learning about ocean water and how it affects our climate.

Social Studies:  The Indiana flap books for Chapter 3 look amazing!!!  Great work everyone!  We have started Chapter 4 -- This chapter is about how Indiana became a state.  The test will likely be Tuesday, November 24th.

Spelling:  Sorry the list did not make it home on Friday.  A new list will come home on Monday and we'll test on Friday. 

Religion:  We will share our saint projects this week.  We will also learn about the beatitudes how to be truly happy.

Contact Number:  881-7422 EXT 290

E-mail:  cmaddox@saintbarnabasparish.org