December 16th News

Information and Announcements

• Tuesday, December 20- 2:50 Advent Prayer Service
• Wednesday, December 21 Mass and 11:20 Dismissal

Religion:

This week in religion we finished our study of Isaac and Jacob/Israel and we began learning about Jacob/Israel's son Joseph. Part of Friday and the beginning of next week we will be watching the movie Joseph King of Dreams. 

On Tuesday there will be a 16 point quiz over Joseph's life. Ten questions relate to the order of the major event of Joseph's life and the remaining questions focus on envy.  After Christmas, we will be working on a project that summarizes the major events in Abraham's family's life.

Social Studies:

This week in social studies students took part in the Geography Bee. All of the students took part in the initial round and 34 students made it past the first round and took the written exam. Results will be announced next week. For those students that signed up for the history bee, the online preliminary test will take right after we return from Christmas.

Also after Christmas, we will start our unit on China.

Reading: 

Students finished their book talks this week, and they did a wonderful job on them. Those rubrics came home on Thursday.

We are now doing some background work on learning about the Holocaust before we start reading The Boy in the Striped Pajamas on Monday. Vocabulary will be every week, with 8 new words each Friday, and the quiz on the following Friday.

Language Arts:  

We wrapped up a grammar unit on adjectives with a test on Friday. Look for those to come home next week for your signature.

The Seasons of Life biographies were a huge success. The elders and police officers were so thrilled with the students, and the hard work they did. I am always humbled by how gracious and grateful the recipients are, and how kind and sweet your students are. It truly felt like Christmas was early when they gave the gift-wrapped biographies to the community members. Great job, 6th graders!

After Christmas, we will begin the research paper, with the topics centering on The Holocaust and World War II. 

Math Period 1: 

The students will have a test over Chapter 2 on Monday. They worked on a practice test during class on Friday and the answer key can be found in Google Classroom. The students are expected to complete the practice test and check their work using the answer key. After break, we will begin Chapter 3 Number Theory.

Math Period 4:   
The students worked on ordering rational numbers as well as writing and graphing inequalities this week. There will be a test on Tuesday, December 20th over all of Chapter 6. The test format is on Google Classroom. I gave the students a review packet in class on Friday. The entire packet is not due, but is meant to help each student practice a few of each type of problem. The answer key is located in Google Classroom. I'd like the students to check answers as they work. On Monday, we will review further to prepare for the chapter test.

Math Period 5:    

The students will have a test over Chapter 2 on Monday. They worked on a practice test during class on Friday and the answer key can be found in Google Classroom. The students are expected to complete the practice test and check their work using the answer key. After break, we will begin Chapter 3 Number Theory.

Science:

This week the students learned about the three types of heat transfer and evidence of continental drift.  Your child will be bringing home a quiz this weekend for you to review and sign.  Next week we will begin to discuss sea-floor spreading.  All these concepts will be important for the future units of volcanoes and earthquakes 

December 9th News

Information and Announcements

• Monday, Dec. 12: Umstead and Westholm homerooms return to Bishop Drum and McAuley Terrace for the biography celebration from 10:15-11:00. Parents welcome!
• Tuesday, Dec. 13: Spirit Wear!
• Wednesday, Dec. 14: School liturgy 8:45
• Friday, Dec. 16: 
• 8:40 am Advent prayer service
• 9 - 11 am Band students field trip to Bishop Drumm
• 2:30 pm Ms. Ryan's homeroom welcomes back the police officers for biography celebration. Parents welcome!
• Mission awareness day!

Religion:

The week the students finished their study of Abraham with a game where they created the questions and answers. The chapter 6 religion quiz welcome home after everyone has taken the quiz.  

We finished the week by learning about the different aspects of Isaac's and Jacob's lives. Next Wednesday, there will be a 10 point true and false quiz about Jacob and Isaac's lives. Then, we will begin studying Jacob's son Joseph. We will discuss his famous coat.

Social Studies:

In social studies this week we finished our study of European medieval towns. The chapter 4 test will come home after everyone has taken it. Next week, students will take part in the geography bee. Mrs. Larson sent out an email with some helpful information the end of last month. A helpful website is www.nationalgeographic.com/geobee and they also have a useful app - Geo Bee Challenge HD by National Geographic Society.

Reading: 

Students are presenting their book talks this week and into next. When book talks are finished, we will be starting the next class novel, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. It is a fictional account of life at Auschwitz Concentration Camp. Vocabulary will resume this Monday, with a quiz on Friday.

Language Arts:  

All students have finished their Seasons of Life biographies and pencil portraits for their community members. We bound the books and gift wrapped them, and we are all set!

• Mrs. Ryan's homeroom will welcome the police officers back on Friday, Dec. 16 at 2:30. If you offered to provide a treat, drink or paper supplies, please send those to school with your student, or bring them to the celebration if you are available!
• Mrs. Westholm's and Mrs. Umstead's homerooms will be returning to Bishop Drumm and McAuley Terrace on Monday from 10:15-11:00. If you offered to provide a treat, please send those to school with your student, or bring them to the celebration if you are available!

We will begin a grammar unit on adjectives and adverbs next week.

Math Period 1: 

The students have been practicing the steps to balance one step algebraic equations.  Next week the student will practice using algebraic equations to solve word problems and review all concepts from Chapter 2.  The test is tentatively scheduled for Monday, December 19th.

Math Period 4:   

4th Period:

The students have now learned how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide integers.  There will be a quiz on Tuesday over computing integers.  Encourage your child to practice thatquiz.org for good practice problems.  We will spend time on ordering rational numbers and graphing inequalities this week.  The chapter test is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, December 20th. 

Math Period 5:    

The students have been practicing the steps to balance  one step algebraic equations.  Next week the student will practice using algebraic equations to solve word problems and review all concepts from Chapter 2.  The test is tentatively scheduled for Monday, December 19th.

Science:

The students learned how scientists learn about the interior of the Earth.  The students should be able to list the layers of the Earth and whether each layer is a liquid or solid.  This week we will spend time on heat transfer and how convection affects plate movement. There will be a quiz on Thursday, December 15th over the sections exploring the inside of the Earth, layers of the Earth, and types of heat transfer.  

December 2nd News

Information and Announcements

• With the cold weather brings hats and head lice. It is never a bad idea to check your child's head to make sure the are free of the little critters.
• Wednesday, December 7th: Students Participate in Reconciliation
• Thursday, December 8th: Mass - Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• Friday, December 9th: Advent Prayer Service

Religion:

This week students spent time learning about Abraham and the covenant that God made with him. On Wednesday there will be a 17 point quiz (9 questions) about Abraham and covenants. Your child can prepare for this quiz by studying his or her notes.

Next, we will learn about his son Issac and his grandson Jacob.

Social Studies:

In social studies this week, we continued to learn more about the different aspects of town life in the middle ages. The students have been doing a great job with their skits. It is fun to see their creative side. We will wrap up skits on Monday.

On Thursday, November 8th there will be a test over chapter 4. The test format is as follows-
Fill in the blank vocab - 4 questions/8 points
Multiple choice - 27 questions/27 points
Essay - 1 question/14 points

There will be a review session over this information on Wednesday, the 7th 3:25-3:45

Reading: 

We finished the novel Where the Red Fern Grows this week, and a few tears were shed (Mrs. Umstead had a tough time reading those last two chapters)! We ended the week with the final test. I am so pleased with how the students did with the novel. The test will be coming home for a signature early next week.

We will watch the movie for the book next week, and then after the movie, we will go right into book talks. I will assign the students a day to present their book talk and a rubric will be given for the expectations. Students will need a piece of poster board for this assignment, any color. Book talks will begin on Thursday, December 8.

After book talks conclude, we will start the second class novel, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. It is a fictional account of living in the Auschwitz concentration camp. We will be doing a lot of background work to better understand this event in history.

Vocabulary will resume when we begin the next novel.

Language Arts:  

The first of the Seasons of Life biographies are starting to get finished, and they are amazing. Your students are doing a fabulous job on the biographies. Ask them to show you their work in google classroom-you will be impressed!

Next week, we will print, laminate, and gift wrap the biographies. We will return to Bishop Drumm and McAuley Terrace on Monday, December 12 from 10:15-11:00. All parents are welcome to join and celebrate the elders' lives. I will be asking for volunteers to provide cookies / treats for the visit soon.

The police officers will be returning to SFA on Friday, December 16 at 2:30. Again, parents are welcome, and I will ask for volunteers for treats for this day as well. Students thought it might be fun to have donuts!

After the Seasons of Life project is complete, we will dive back into grammar before our next writing project, the research paper.

Math Period 1: 

The students wrote and evaluated algebraic expressions this week.  Look for the Friday quiz to come home on Monday for you to review and sign.  The students will practice the steps for solving one step algebraic equations next week.  The solutions will be simple, the process of balancing two sides of the equation will be the focus of this skill.  

Math Period 4:   

The students worked on adding integers this week and began to learn how to subtract integers. Encourage your child to use thatquiz.org to practice this skill. The more they practice the more proficient they will become. Also encourage your child to use real-life examples to talk through each problem. For example: -4 + -6 would be, "I owe Mary $4 and I owe Justin $6, so I am in debt $10 or -10." Another example: 8-10 would be, "It is 8 degrees and it drops 10 degrees, it is now -2 degrees." There will be a quiz mid-week over adding and subtracting integers. I will assign practice on thatquiz.org every day until the quiz.

Math Period 5:    

The students wrote and evaluated algebraic expressions this week.  Look for the Friday quiz to come home on Monday for you to review and sign.  The students will practice the steps for solving one step algebraic equations next week.  The solutions will be simple, the process of balancing two sides of the equation will be the focus of this skill.  

Science:

The students completed Chapter 2 with a test on Thursday and Friday, look for this test to come home on Monday for you to review and sign.  We will turn in the Science and Technology textbook and your child will receive a different science book as we begin to discuss the Earth's Interior for our next unit of study.

November 18th News

Information and Announcements

• Tuesday, November 22nd: PBIS school reward, students may wear athletic wear 
• Wednesday, November 23rd: No school, teacher professional development

Religion:

This week the students worked hard completing their unit 1 newspaper projects. They are due tonight. Please have your child show you their hard work. After Thanksgiving we will begin the second unit and learning about Abraham and his family.

The 6th grade will be leading the advent service on Monday, November 28 at 8:40am.

Social Studies:

This week the students finished learning about the impact of the Roman Catholic Church on the middle ages. Please look for their tests to come home next week. We have started our next chapter and the study of medieval towns. In this chapter students will be collecting props and creating a three minute skit about different aspects of life in medieval towns.

Reading: 

We are nearing the end of the class novel, Where the Red Fern Grows. After finishing the novel, we will take a final test and then watch the movie as a treat.The test will not be until after Thanksgiving break. There will be no vocabulary until we start our next novel.

Language Arts:  

The work has begun on writing the biographies for the elders and the officers. The students are so excited to do their best; it adds a whole new dimension of learning when the teacher is not the intended subject, and real-life experiential learning is taking place. Be sure to ask your student about what "theme" their book will have, and what section they are working on in the biography. The final products will be amazing.

Our return visits to Bishop Drumm and McAuley Terrace will be on Monday, Dec. 12 from 10-11 am. The officers will return on Friday, Dec. 16 at 2:30 pm.

Be sure to check out the Nov. 27 parish bulletin for an article that will appear about our Seasons of Life project. 

Math Period 1: 

The students completed Chapter 6 Integers and Rational numbers. Look for this test to come home on Monday to be reviewed and signed.  We will begin Chapter 2 Expressions and Equations next week.

Math Period 4:   

The students completed the decimal computation test on Tuesday.  Many of the students needed to continue to practice dividing decimals.  This is a skill they must have at this point, so we didn't move on until more students demonstrated the ability to do this skill independently.  I will reassess dividing of decimals on Monday for one last time.  After this, I will work with individuals who need more practice. We will begin the chapter on integers and rational numbers after Thanksgiving Break.  We will use counter chips and number lines to develop the understanding of integers.  

Math Period 5:    

The students completed Chapter 6 Integers and Rational numbers. Look for this test to come home on Monday to be reviewed and signed.  We will begin Chapter 2 Expressions and Equations next week.

Science:

In science the students practiced measuring length, mass, and volume of objects.  It is important that the students understand the unit used to measure length, mass, and volume. We did complete a content frame, which is an excellent study sheet for this chapter. We began discussing density and will measure density of objects next week.  The students should be able to explain that the amount of a substance does not affect its density. After Thanksgiving Break we will review the chapter and the tentative test date is Thursday, December 1st.

November 11th News

Information and Announcements

• Wednesday, Nov. 16: School liturgy 8:45
• Friday, Nov. 18: End of Trimester 1 and Mission Awareness Day

Religion:

This week the students finished studying the stories of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah and the Flood, and the Tower of Babel. Students summarized the stories and as a class we discussed how we could apply the lessons of these stories to our lives. Students then took a quiz over this information. That quiz came home on Thursday.

With the end of Chapter 4 comes the end of the unit. Students are now working hard to demonstrate their knowledge of the first unit by completing on an online newspaper project. This project requires students to write newspaper stories, blurbs, and an advertisement about topics discussed. They will have five days of class time to complete this project. The project is due the evening of Friday, November 18.

Social Studies:

This week in social studies students continued studying the impact the Catholic Church had on medieval Europe. There will be a test over Chapter 3 on Wednesday, November 16. There will be a review session on Tuesday, November 15 from 3:25-3:45.  The test format is as follows-

Fill in the blank vocab - 8 questions/16 points

Multiple choice - 11 questions/11 points

Fill in the Blank - 1 diagram/15 points

Short answer - 4 questions/8 points (choice of questions)

Essay - 1 question/9 points (choice)

Reading: 

We continue to read Where the Red Fern Grows as a class. We are finished with vocabulary for November, so those lists and quizzes will resume in December. 

2000 minutes and 2 Accelerated Reader quizzes are due at 3:20 on November 18 (end of trimester 1).

Language Arts:  

What a week! The students were absolutely wonderful in their interview settings this week. Mrs. Umstead's homeroom visited Bishop Drumm, Mrs. Westholm's homeroom visited McAuley Terrace, and Ms. Ryan's homeroom were visited by 10 local peace officers. The 6th graders were professional, kind and allowed Christ to work through them to talk to these special people. A big thank you to the parents who attended and helped photograph and keep the conversations flowing. Channel 13 did a story on us, and it was on the 5 and 6 o'clock news broadcasts. The kids and officers were stars!

Now the work starts - students will take all the information gathered and compile it into a biography with their partners. We will return in mid-December to our residents and officers to present the biographies and celebrate their lives and the hard work of our students. Amazing job, SFA!

Math Period 1: 

The students took a quiz over computing integers on Friday. Look for these to come home on Monday. The results were outstanding.  The students were introduced to rational numbers and will practice ordering these numbers on number lines.  The last skill of the chapter is graphing inequalities.  There will be a Chapter 2 Test tentatively scheduled for Thursday, November 17th.

Math Period 4:   

The students have spent several days on dividing decimals.  They need to remember that when there is a decimal divisor they need to re-write the problem.  I have been very pleased with the overall growth of this class. The students' assignment over the weekend was a review worksheet.  The test format is posted in google classroom as well as a review game.  We have been discussing time management when taking the test. Most problems will take less than a minute if completed correctly. Therefore, if they are spending more than a minute or two they need to skip the problem and move on.  We have practiced this in class,  The test is Tuesday, November 15th.

Math Period 5:    

The students took a quiz over computing integers on Friday. Look for these to come home on Monday. The results were outstanding.  The students were introduced to rational numbers and will practice ordering these numbers on number lines.  The last skill of the chapter is graphing inequalities.  There will be a Chapter 2 Test tentatively scheduled for Thursday, November 17th.

Science:

The students spent the week working on the volume of objects. They viewed videos explaining the meaning of volume and how to calculate.  The students then practiced finding the volume of liquids, regular shaped, and irregular shaped objects in the classroom.  The students should understand that length is one dimensional, area is two dimensional, and volume three-dimensional.  The students do have notes to study for length, mass, and volume. On Monday, we will further organize these notes using a method called a content frame.  There will be a quiz on Wednesday, November 16 that will include a written page and stations. The content frame would be a great study sheet.

November 4th News

Information and Announcements

• Wednesday, Nov. 9: Mrs. Umstead's and Mrs. Westholm's homerooms visit Bishop Drumm and McAuley Terrace from 9:50-11:45 am.
• Thursday, Nov. 10: Students are encouraged to wear blue shirts and uniform bottoms to support our police officers!
• Thursday, Nov. 10: Ms. Ryan's homeroom meets with police officers in the Serra Room, 1-2 pm.

Religion:

This week the students studied the stories of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, and Noah and the Ark. Next week, we will learn about the Tower of Babel and talk about how we can apply the lessons of these stories to our lives. The sixteen point quiz on Wednesday, November 9th will be eight fill in the blank questions. Students will have to identify the key people in the four stories mentioned above. Then, they will demonstrate all that they learned this unit with a newspaper project.

Social Studies:

This week students began learning about the impact the Roman Catholic Church had on the Middle Ages. Students have reviewed the organizational structure of the Church and learned that at that time the Church was the center of their lives as they attended mass daily. Next week, we will continue talking about the architecture and art of the Church as well as its impact on education.

On Friday, we were blessed to have Ximena Pinto from Guatemala present to the class. She is visiting St. Francis on her summer break.

Reading: 

We continue to read Where the Red Fern Grows as a class. Vocab lists and quizzes continue on Fridays. 

Language Arts:  

Students were all assigned a community member to interview and a partner for Seasons of Life this week. Thanks to all the parents who volunteered to help out on the visit days (I will send a separate email to those parents with more details). This coming week, on Thursday, Nov. 10 students are encouraged to wear blue shirts and uniform bottoms in support of police officers who will be visiting with my 6th period class. 

Next week's schedule for Seasons of Life:

Wednesday, Nov. 9: after school liturgy, Mrs. Umstead and Mrs. Westholm's homerooms will travel by bus to McAuley Terrace Independent Living and Bishop Drumm Nursing Center. We will arrive around 10:20, and stay for approximately one hour. We will then return to SFA by 11:40-45.

Thursday, Nov. 10: Ms. Ryan's homeroom will be meeting with a group of police officers in the Serra Room from 1:00 until 2:00 pm. 

Math Period 1: 

The students took a quiz over adding and subtracting of integers. The students practiced stating a word problem either using temperature, money, or red/yellow counters to make sense of what they are doing on each problem.  We did multiplication on Friday and will do division on Monday. There will be a quiz on Thursday, November 10th assessing the computation of all integers.

Math Period 4:   

The students have been working on the division of decimals. They are doing an outstanding job!  Your child should realize that if there is a decimal in the divisor he/she will need to re-write the problem by changing the divisor and the dividend.  More or less 1/2 = 10/20 , as long as we change both numbers by multiplying by the same (10 or 100), the answer is the same.  We will spend time reviewing next week and the test is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, November 15th.  

Math Period 5:    

The students took a quiz over adding and subtracting of integers. The students practiced stating a word problem either using temperature, money, or red/yellow counters to make sense of what they are doing on each problem.  We did multiplication on Friday and will do division on Monday. There will be a quiz on Thursday, November 10th assessing the computation of all integers.

Science:

We talked about mass and weight this week in science. The students should realize that mass and weight mean different things, but on Earth, the measurement will be the same. We practiced finding the mass of objects using triple beam balances.  There are a couple of websites posted in Google Classroom for students to practice this skill.  There will be a quiz on Monday over metric conversions.  Thattquiz.org is a great website to practice for this quiz. Next, we will learn about volume. 

Oct 28th News

“In fact, it is the struggle that causes you to develop your ability to fly!”

Religion:

This week the student finished discussing the two creation stories. They took a quiz over that information and that quiz will come home the beginning of next week. We also began digging into the story of Adam and Eve. Next week, we will put Adam, Eve and the Serpent on Trial. Then, we will study the story of Cain and Abel. Due to Iowa Assessments there will be no religion quiz next week.

Social Studies:

This week we finished our study of Feudalism with a chapter test. Please look for that test to come home after everyone has taken the test some time next week. Next week we will begin chapter 3. This chapter will answer the question, how influential was the Roman Catholic Church in medieval Europe.

Reading: 

Students continue to read Where the Red Fern Grows. There will be a quiz next week over chapters 12-15. It will be 15 points, multiple choice. We will review in class, but students should look over their study guide to review those chapters as well.

Vocabulary matrix work and quizzes will continue each week.

Language Arts:  

The Demonstrative Speeches ended this week, and I think the kids are disappointed they are over! We had a lot of fun, and learned a lot of new things. The students did a fantastic job of presenting, and also learning how to be a good and attentive audience.

Our next project will be Seasons of Life. Students will be interviewing a community member and writing their biography. It is a wonderful chance for our students to gain not only knowledge, but social skills and awareness as well. 

Math Period 1: 

The students completed the decimal chapter and did a great job on the unit test.  Thank you for taking the time to review this test with your child.  We did begin the chapter on integers and rational numbers, this is Chapter 6 in the book.  We began with absolute value and adding integers. Next week we will subtract, multiply, and divide. All these skills will be first taught using manipulatives to develop understanding. 

Math Period 4:   

The students took a quiz early in the week over adding, subtracting, and multiplying of decimals. We will continue to review these skills as we begin working on dividing decimals.  We will use base 10 blocks to develop the understanding of long division.  We will spend all of next week on dividing decimals.

Math Period 5:    

The students completed the decimal chapter and did a great job on the unit test.  Thank you for taking the time to review this test with your child.  We did begin the chapter on integers and rational numbers, this is Chapter 6 in the book.  We began with absolute value and adding integers. Next week we will subtract, multiply, and divide. All these skills will be first taught using manipulatives to develop understanding. 

Science: Science time was limited this week due to Mock Trial students being gone and Guidance class.  We did practice measuring to the 1/8 an inch and tenth of a cm. The students completed a 10 point quiz to assess their understanding.  We also practiced working on metric conversions. For example: 4.3 meters= 430 cm.  The students had an assignment to practice this skill over the weekend.