Hello Parents,
      Happy Thursday!!!  I hope you are all having a good week!  It is a very short week at school.  We are having quite the learning week. We are getting a little more homework on our plate and learning how important it is to use our time wisely.  They are receiving a few more late slips also.  The students will really figure out how important any free time or work time can be.   Even just 5 minutes.  I am trying to push them to use even 3 minutes wisely and that is less time needed at home for the work.  Some realize they can even finish something they started in that amount of time.  Others still want to talk and be social.  We are working on behaviors in the lunch room.  We have a total of 64 kids to get through the lunch line, fed, seconds, ala carte and clean plates in 30 minutes.  It is very difficult so we are working on getting the kids to understand the importance of time in the lunch room. 

Book Orders-  There are book orders in the folders today. Please return any orders to me on Monday Sept. 26th. I take care of all of it.  I don not do online ordering.  Please, if your child wants a book, make the check payable to Melissa Sickels. I write one check to the company or use debit card. They do not want several checks to deal with.  I will place the order Monday or Tuesday and it will arrive by the beginning of the next week.  If you are looking for gifts, I can be secretive! I love doing that.  Let me know if you have any questions.  Remember they are due on Monday!

Language Arts -  This week being a short week we are working really hard through this story.  The week's story is a drama or play.  It is called The Power of W.O.W.  This story is about a book program called Words on Wheels (W.O.W.)  and it is a bus that carries books to kids living out in suburbs far away from the city library.  They have ran out of funding and are going to give up the program.  The kids who benefit from this program are so upset they hold a car wash to earn money.  It tells a little about the hard work they put it and how people coming together can make a difference.  They raise enough money for the program to continue.  It is a great "feel good" story where kids are the ones to make things happen.  Our spelling list this week was over short o long o.  The grammar we discussed dealt with sentence fragments and run-on sentences.  We also practiced writing titles.  They should be going over their spelling words and vocab packets tonight to help review for their tests tomorrow.

Math-  This week in math we have reviewed addition with numbers in the hundred thousands, and also subtraction with numbers in the hundred thousands.  Today we will begin the last lesson in this chapter.  It will be over problem solving.  We will focus on subtraction problems and how to draw a picture to show what we are doing or needing to find.  Some kids work much better being able to see the problem.  This will hopefully help those students to understand what they are doing.  Next week we will work on a review and be taking a chapter 1 test.  We will take the test on paper in the room, then we will enter our answers into the computer where it will generate some comparisons for me.  It should show progress from the pretest to the post test.  I will be able to print off some data to show you during conferences using this computer piece.  It will show progress and if no progress than it will show which areas need some more work.

Social Studies - We have been reviewing for a test this week.  They will be taking a test over chapter 1 tomorrow.  It will happen first thing in morning at 8:30. This test is very similar to the tests they took last year.  It just may have more questions to answer.  There will be a section on vocabulary where you match the word to it's definition.  There is a section of multiple choice questions and then a section where you will have to answer questions by writing out answers in sentences.  Monday we will make corrections and then we move on into the next chapter.  

PTO - I want to make you aware of what our PTO is up to for our school.  The PTO just recently purchased a 2nd set of chromebooks to be shared in the lower wing.  These funds come from all the fundraising efforts of the families here at St. Malachy.  As much as we appreciate all your hard efforts, we would also like for you to attend the weekly meetings to help them with coordinating the fundraising and events that benefit our school.  One way to hopefully up attendance at meetings is by having a contest.  The PTO is keeping track of who shows up at meetings  and the class your child is in will receive credit.  The class at the end of the year with the most attendance will get a pizza party.  The kids are pretty pumped about this, but it is you parents that have to make it happen.  I talked to the kids today about this contest, so if they come home pushing for you to attend, that is why.  Right now, the first grade is winning!  Kudos to them!! We are using the laptops in our classroom 3-4 times a week.  They were well worth the investment and we would love for 3-4-5 students to have a one-to-one computers.  That is a goal for us to have one day.  We hope soon!!  Please join in with our PTO to continue to make is a successful organization for our school!

I hope all of you have a great weekend.  I hope you enjoy a very fun and safe Homecoming.  It was always one of my favorite times when I had kids in High School.  I think next week is finally another FULL week!!  

God Bless,
Mrs. Sickels