Dear Parents,
     Happy Thursday!! Wow, Valentine's Day all ready.  This year is really flying by!!  I know it's because I missed the first 5 weeks of school but still can't believe we are here all ready.  It has been a challenging couple of weeks for me, trying to catch up and make plans on these short weeks!!  I almost dread the short weeks now, when I used to enjoy a good snow day every now and then.   We are getting things done and the kids are working hard. 

Language Arts - We finally finished up lesson 20 this week and had our post test and end of week test on Wednesday.  The students really did pretty well.  The story we read was Sacagawea.  It was kind of long and had a lot of information that I didn't know in it.  I really rather enjoyed it.  The kids found it to be a little boring and struggled with the comprehension a little bit.  They did a great job with spelling words this week and the decoding section of the test. Today we took the BBT ( according to Sophia, the Big Bad Test)  This made me laugh!!  It was the Unit 4 test.  We completed it this morning.  I have not graded this test yet.  Some kids really took there time and I predict good news from it.

Math - We completed a diagnostic checkpoint this week which the kids seemed good with.  We also had a new lesson on multiplying using money.  We had the lesson today, it really was a review for them, just throwing in a decimal point and dollar sign was new.  They caught on quickly.  I had each go to the board and do problems to show me they understood.  We counted a head. We are looking at a test over this chapter during the last week of February.  The next chapter will start out easy but then dive into one of our largest topics which I keep pumping the kids up for.  They are preparing and will be ready for it.

Social Studies - Well, this is the subject that is hard to do when we have short weeks and projects due.  We have had to rearrange the schedules a little bit to make it work.  All projects will be covered.  We still have one to share tomorrow morning.  We began talking about the Civil War today.  We are just skimming the surface of all the issues that are involved.  Kids had a good discussion on segregation and slavery.  I love that they find it so hard to understand the "why" of segregation.  When I think about my grandparents they knew the "why" and lived it.  I wish there was more material in the book on the effects of the war, but it is just one piece of the Southeast that we are studying.

Wednesday, February 19th -  This is a no school day for the Public School due to State Dual wrestling.  St. Malachy has chosen to go ahead and be in session that day so we don't have to tack it onto the end of the year.  If your family is planning on attending the State Dual meet your child will be excused from school.

Field Trip Friday, February 14th -  I have been able to read a little more than half of the book I am Jack to the students.  We are enjoying it.  It is sad that the boy is being bullied and the kids are shocked at the situation and how bad the bullying is, but the boy himself and some of the words he uses are humorous.  Example would be Grandma buying clearance underpants.  They are purple and glow in the dark.  She buys them for all of them.  They laughed a lot during that scene.  We will have our Valentine party in the morning and then get on the bus about 10.  We will eat at the Pastoral Center in downtown Des Moines, then walk the 5 blocks to the Temple Theater.  We will arrive back home by 2:45.  

Have a great weekend!!

God Bless,
Mrs. Sickels