January 27th News

Information and Announcements

• Monday, Jan 30-Celebrate our Community with Gratitude - Students may wear a top from some part of  "community" whether a sports team, SFA, Dowling, or state of Iowa clothing. Please note that they must be in uniform bottom.
• Tuesday, Jan 31-Celebrate our Students with Gratitude - Students may be out of uniform and we will be bowling. Don't forget cold lunch.
• Wednesday, Feb 1-Celebrate our Nation with Gratitude - Dress Up for Jesus
• Early Dismissal at 11:20
• Thursday, Feb 2-Celebrate Vocations with Gratitude - Hats off to Vocations-students are encouraged to wear a hat to school.
• Bishop Pates and other priests will be at an all school rosary starting at 2:45
• Friday, Feb 3-Celebrate Faculty, Staff and Volunteers with Gratitude - Students may wear pajamas.

Religion:

This week in religion we started to talk about the 10 commandments and how they impact our lives in more detail. Next Wednesday, students will be asked to list the 10 commandments in order and write and explain the Great Commandment. Hopefully this is review but some students may need some extra time to make sure the information is fresh.

Also, next week students will begin working on their 10 commandments project. In this project, students are asked to tell how the commandments apply to their lives. Towards the end of next week, ask to see your child's project.

Social Studies:

In Social Studies students continue to learn about Chinese inventions and discoveries. We hope to spend some time next week taking a virtual tour of the Great Wall of China. Students that have a smartphone, will be asked to download the app Google Expeditions. With the use of viewmasters recently purchased using Home and School funds, students will get a much better look at the wall. The chapter 17 test will take place some time the first week in February.

Reading:

Students took the FAST Reading Assessment this week. You will be getting the results of those tests during conferences in February.

Students continue to read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas as a class. We also continue with weekly vocabulary quizzes on Fridays.

Our next test will be over chapters 7-10, which will likely be the week after next.

Language Arts:  

Students are presenting their Holocaust research paper findings this week, and into next week. They have been very well done, and quite informative.

Next, we will be looking at grammar, sentence structure in particular. Students will do an imperative sentence writing project called "Life's Little Instruction Book".

Math Period 1:

In math, we finished Chapter 3 Number Theory.  We practiced using the distributive property, factoring, and simplifying algebraic expressions.  We will review on Monday and Tuesday for the chapter test on Thursday, Feb. 2nd. The students will have a review sheet that they can self-check using scan codes.  If they have a phone with a scan code reader, I will ask them to bring it to class on Tuesday.

Math Period 4:   

The students practiced writing algebraic equations from word problems this week.  We will spend two days reviewing for the chapter test which will be Tuesday, January 30th.  There will be a review sheet on Monday for the students to use to prepare for the test.  I will place answers to this review sheet in Google Classroom.  

Math Period 5:

In math, we finished Chapter 3 Number Theory.  We practiced using the distributive property, factoring, and simplifying algebraic expressions.  We will review on Monday and Tuesday for the chapter test on Thursday, Feb. 2nd. The students will have a review sheet that they can self-check using scan codes.  If they have a phone with a scan code reader, I will ask them to bring it to class on Tuesday.

Science:

We discussed the difference between the focus and epicenter of earthquakes and how scientists rate earthquakes using different scales.  We will spend time in the computer lab doing an earthquake simulation where the students have to read seismograms and graphs to determine the epicenter and magnitude of an earthquake.  The chapter test will be the week of February 6th.

January 20th News

Information and Announcements

• Monday, Jan. 23 and Thursday, Jan. 24: FAST reading testing
  Friday, Jan. 27  Mission Awareness Day

Religion:

This week students have learned about what happened to the Israelites after they left Egypt. Life was not as easy for them as one would think. They will have a 10 point fill in the blank quiz next Wednesday over this information. A word bank is provided. The quiz will focus on the key terms and locations studied in the chapter. Also next Wednesday, Christopher Grow, a SFA parishioner and current seminarian will be visiting with the students about vocations, prayer and the priesthood.

On Thursday we will begin Chapter 12.  Chapter 12 is a study of the Ten Commandments and how they apply to our lives today.

Social Studies:

This week students finished their study of Chinese history and how the different emperors selected their government officials. Please look for the test to come home next week after everyone has taken it. Next week, we will begin our study of the Chinese Discoveries and Inventions.

Reading: 

On Friday, we finished the week with a test over chapters 1-6 in Boy the the Striped Pajamas. Those will come home on Monday for a signature. The students really seem to be enjoying the book. Vocab quizzes will continue on Fridays.

Next week we will be doing the winter FAST testing. This is a two-part process. Part one is the on-line comprehension exam. Part two is the read-aloud fluency portion. I will compile the results, and share those with you at conferences. It is always good to see the progress made from fall into winter on these two areas. 

Language Arts:  

Students finished their final drafts of the Holocaust research papers. Those rubrics will come home today; please sign them for their return on Monday. This project was a tough one, with research, locating and citing sources, outlines, and finally a 5 paragraph paper complete with a Works Cited page. I am very impressed and proud of the work the students produced!

The next step is to present their research findings. Students had two class periods this week to get a good start on their projects. Those begin on Tuesday, with 5 speakers presenting in each class. Ask your student to practice their presentation for you - they already look very informative.

We closed the week by watching a Holocaust survivor documentary. Consider asking your student what they thought of Gerda Weissmann's story, and about what they have learned about the Holocaust so far.

Math Period 1: 

The students completed a quiz on Friday, these will come home on Monday for you to review and sign.  Next week we will be practicing using the distributive property, factoring algebraic expressions, and simplifying.  The unit test will be the week of January 30th, but due to Catholic Schools Week activities, it will be difficult to know the exact date until a couple days beforehand. 

Math Period 4:   

The students practiced solving one step addition and subtraction equations this week.  Next week we will do multiplication and division equations.  The students will apply these skills to solving word problems, as well.  The unit test will be the week of January 30th, however, due to Catholic Schools Week activities, it will be difficult to know the exact date until a couple of days beforehand.

Math Period 5:    

The students completed a quiz on Friday, look for these to come home on Monday for you to review and sign.  Next week we will be practicing using the distributive property, factoring algebraic expressions, and simplifying.  The unit test will be the week of January 30th, but due to Catholic Schools Week activities, it will be difficult to know the exact date until a couple days beforehand.

Science:

The students developed the understanding of the three stresses that act on rocks at different plate boundaries.  If the rocks break, a fault forms.  Your child should be able to connect the three types of boundaries, three types of forces, and three types of faults.  There will be a short quiz on Tuesday, to assess understanding of Chapter 2 section 1.  Next week we will talk about the focus, epicenter, and magnitude of earthquakes.

January 13th News

Information and Announcements

• Monday, January 16: NO SCHOOL
• Tuesday, January 17: Spirit Wear!

Religion:

This week students finished their Unit Two presentation on the Family of Abraham. Hopefully, your child shared their presentation with you and you were able to see their hard work. Thursday we jumped into chapter 10 where they learned more about Moses. They studied the early part of his life and the plagues. Next Wednesday there will be a quiz over this information. Students will be asked to put the major of events of Moses' early life in order, it will include fill in the blank questions about key terms and people we studied, and to be able to list he plagues. Then we will continue studying the Israelites journey after they leave Egypt.

Social Studies:

This week we continued to learn more about the aristocrats, scholars, and foreigners that filled government roles in the different Chinese dynasties. Next Thursday, there will be a test of this information. There will be also study session on Wednesday from 3:20-3:45. The format of the test will be as follows - 

Fill in the blank vocab - 8 questions/16 points

Dynasty matching - 5 questions/10 points

Multiple choice - 8 questions/8 points

Essay - 1 question/10 points

Next Tuesday, we start the six week Junior Achievement program. We are blessed with some wonderful volunteers - Steve McLuen will be volunteering with Mrs. Westholm's homeroom, Ryan Osborn will be volunteering with Mrs. Umstead's homeroom, Brenda Pedersen will be volunteering in Ms. Ryan's homeroom. For six Tuesdays, the volunteers will meet and share the information and their life experiences with the students.

Reading: 

Our class reading of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas continues. Vocabulary quizzes will be on Fridays-words are in Google classroom in the novel study guide.

Next week, we will have a test over chapters 1-6 in the novel. Students will get a review sheet to help them prepare, as well as an in-class review session the day before.

Language Arts:  

The Holocaust research papers are coming along really well. Students have completed a graphic organizer in the form of an outline this week. Today and over the weekend, they will then use that outline to write their rough draft of the paper. I am impressed with the amount of interest and effort the students have shown.

Parents, please do a parent edit of your student's paper over the weekend. The paper is located in the language arts google classroom. Your student will come home with a parent edit rubric. Just in case, I have put a copy of the parent edit rubric in google classroom as well. This is the document you will use to guide your editing. After you identify any needed edits, it is the student's job to go in and make the needed corrections. The parent-edited rough draft is due Tuesday.

Next week, students will begin working on the presentation of the research papers. That is where they will showcase all they have learned about their Holocaust topic. The students have been working very hard, and I am excited to see the results!

Math Period 1: 

The students have been working on identifying factors of numbers. Next week they will identify multiples and apply these skills to word problems.  There will be a quiz on Friday, January 20th over divisibility rules, factors, and multiples. Students will also be participating in a math inventory assessment on Wednesday, please refer to Mrs. Raes email for more information on this assessment. 

Math Period 4:   

This class worked on evaluating and writing algebraic expressions this week.  Your child should have brought home the quiz for you to review and sign over the weekend.  Next week the students will be learning the basic steps to solving an algebraic equation.  Our focus will be writing the correct steps.  These steps are the groundwork to the future of complex algebraic equations.  Our math textbook is not a good resource for these problems, so please use your child's notes, if needed.  There will be a quiz on Thursday to assess addition and subtraction equations. 

Math Period 5:    

The students have been working on identifying factors of numbers. Next week they will identify multiples and apply these skills to word problems.  There will be a quiz on Friday, January 20th over divisibility rules, factors, and multiples.

Science:

The students completed Chapter 1 Plate Tectonics.  They used a computer program to identify places on the Earth that have the various plate boundaries resulting in earthquakes, volcanoes, mountains, etc. Look for the test to come home on Tuesday for you to review and sign.  We will begin Chapter 2 Earthquakes next week. 

January 6th News

Information and Announcements

• Monday, January 9 - All City Band Festival

Religion:

This week in religion students began working on their Abraham Family Timeline project. Ask your child to show you on Google Classroom what they have accomplished so far. This 65 point project is due Wednesday the 11th at 11:11pm but may be turned in sooner. Students will get class time on Monday and Wednesday to work on it.

On Thursday, students will begin studying Moses and how he helped the Israelites leave Egypt.

Social Studies:

This week in social studies we began learning about the history of China and how the different leaders selected their advisors and government officials. This included a fun simulation where different students served as class emperor and their classmates tried to convince them they were worthy advisors. Next week we will continue learning about the different dynasties. The chapter 15 test is tentatively scheduled for the middle of January.

Reading: 

We continue reading The Boy in the Striped Pajamas as a class. Vocabulary quizzes will be on Fridays.  

Language Arts:  

We began the big research paper project this week! The topics chosen by the students all are related to the Holocaust. We will be going step-by-step through the research process, including choosing good sources, using the library's resources, citing our sources, and ultimately writing a 5 paragraph paper.

Students will also be creating a Works Cited page to document their sources. Next week, students will be sharing their rough draft with you, and will ask you to do a "parent edit" on their paper. A rubric will come home with specific instructions on what to look for in your student's paper.

After the paper is done, students will create a presentation to show their findings to the class. More instructions on the presentation will come later. 

Math Period 1: 

We worked on divisibility rules this week.  There will be a quiz on Tuesday, January 10th to assess understanding of these rules. Next week we will be working on factors and identifying greatest common factors.  Our goal will be to identify these factors quickly.  There will be an introduction to finding common factors of algebraic terms as an enrichment activity during class. 

Math Period 4:   

The students practiced evaluating and writing algebraic expressions this week. We will continue to work on these skills next week with a quiz on Thursday, January 12th. The quiz will assess understanding of Chapter 2 sections one and two.

Math Period 5:    

We worked on divisibility rules this week.  There will be a quiz on Tuesday, January 10th to assess understanding of these rules. Next week we will be working on factors and identifying greatest common factors.  Our goal will be to identify these factors quickly.  There may be an enrichment activity to introduce the students to greatest common factors of algebraic terms if all goes as planned. 

Science:

We spent time reviewing sections 1-4 of Plate Tectonics. The students did an outstanding job remembering the content over break.  We moved on to learning about sea-floor spreading and the three types of plate boundaries found on Earth.  Next week the students will be doing computer activities to reinforce and apply what they have learned.  There will be a quiz on Tuesday, January 10th and the chapter test is tentatively scheduled for Friday, January 13th.