Dear Parents,
     Happy Thursday! What a week!  I feel like this week has been crazier than any other and I am not sure why.  Well, I guess the flu has hit the teachers and aids so we have had a lot of absences and we are all trying to be helpful to make things still function.  It can be a little stressful when we do that.  I am getting to this letter late in the day and have to have it done by 3:00 so it goes out today.  Any time after that and it doesn't go out until tomorrow.  Ugh!  I apologize if it is not as long as normal.  On a happy note, how about the weather!  Yes, loving the nice days! I took a recess duty today and thoroughly enjoyed it!  Bring on some more!

Language Arts -  This week we read a story called Harvesting Hope.  It is about Cesar Chavez and all he did to help the migrant workers in California.  It is a sad story about a family being happy.  Living in a nice house, having plenty of food and farming as a family.  Well a drought hits and ruins the crops.  They can no longer live in their house and barely have enough to eat.  They become migrant worker who move to wherever the work takes them.  Cesar Chavez helped to get a union to protect the workers from the land owners that hire them.  This is a biography so  a true story.  We learned about dependent clauses this week.  We read a fun story about a school that has a garden for kids to care for and learn to use the vegetables in meals.  They learn to prepare the vegetable and to eat healthy.    We also read a story from last week called Zomo's Friends. This was a folktale that had a lesson to it about being a good friend.  I love the story and we didn't cover it last week but I feel it is an important one to share.  Tomorrow is spelling test and end of the week test!

Math -  Oh WOW!  We took a math test this week.  I had 4 people pass.  So.... I gave everyone an opportunity to better their scores by taking another version of the test.  We are still working on that.  I have more students asking questions the 2nd time around.  Some struggle keeping straight the area formula and the perimeter formula.  Some just struggle with the finding area of combined rectangles and then there are some harder problems. I am hoping to see some improvement in scores.  I will put the best score out of the two tests in the grade book.  We are working hard.  Next Chapter will cover division.  That will be a heavy chapter.

Social Studies - We are working hard on finishing up our interactive notebook for the Northeast.  We will have it finished and all put together on Monday.  Tuesday we will start a study guide for this chapter.  We will take a test about next Thursday and end our time in the Northeast.  We will move a little quicker through the next region, now that we know how the notebook works.  We have a lot of work to finish all 50 states!!!!  We will get there!  We will also have a new set of projects coming up soon.

Trivia Night -  PTO is sponsoring their 2nd Annual Trivia Night.  It is being held Friday, February, 25th at the Lobby in Creston.  It will begin at 6:00 P.M. with social hour and pizza.  The fun will begin at 7:00.  You can reserve a table as a team with up to 8 people.  Individual /couples will be placed with a team.  The fee is $20 per person.  Come join in the fun!  Last year was a blast according to those who were there.  There is a team all ready to walk away the winners this year!  Hope you are up for a little friendly competition!!

Book Report -  Just a reminder that our book reports are due Wednesday, March 1st.  I am really trying to push people to be reading and get finished up.  The character sketch is not a project that you can wait until the night before and accomplish and do well on it.  Please make sure your student is working on this.  If the child receives a late slip for not having it done, there are 5 points automatically taken off the score.  They have had a long time to complete this project.  Some need to learn how to manage their time more wisely.  Please, help them to do that.

I hope all of you are getting out and enjoying this lovely weather!!  Have a great weekend!

God Bless,
Mrs. Sickels