Dear Parents,
     Happy Thursday!  I hope everyone is having a great day!!  Are you enjoying the weather?  Looks like we are going to take a drastic change.  Will we see the white stuff? I hope so!!  If is it going to be cold then we might as well have some snow.  BUT I hope the farmers have time to get their crops out before it hits too hard.  We know today's won't last!  I think all kids came prepared for recess today with coats!  That makes me very happy!  Sweatshirts just don't cut it. I see hats and mittens too.  I have recess duty today and brought my winter coat, headband and mittens myself.  It does put me in Christmas spirit a little bit.  I am all ready shopping but just not feeling it yet.  The kids aren't really feeling it yet either!! Thank goodness.

Language Arts -  We are reading a great story this week!  It's one of my favorites.  It is called Dear Mr. Winston.  It is a fun story about a girl who gets a snake, wants to know what kind it is, but can not check the book she needs out of the library.  So she sneaks the snake into the library in a box.  The librarian questions her, opens box, and is deathly afraid of snakes and faints.  The ambulance has to come to take him away.  She is writing an apology but yet it really isn't much of an apology cause she finds many ways to blame the librarian for the problem.  The kids seemed to enjoy it too.  That may mean they will do well tomorrow on assessment. This week in grammar we are learning about compound and complex sentences.  We learned what a dependent clause was and how it can not stand alone without a simple sentence.  Our vocabulary strategy was a review topic of antonyms.  Be sure to study vocabulary words and spelling words tonight!

Math -  This week in math we have learned 2 new strategies to multiply 2 digit numbers.  One was using expanded form and the other is partial product.  One actually leads right into the other.  Learning to use expanded form leads right into partial product.  They are almost the very same just recorded differently.  The partial product strategy starts us on the beginnings of the standard algorithm also.  Only in the order in which we do the problems.  The book teaches them to start in the hundreds or largest place value and I teach them to start in the ones because that is how the standard algorithm works. All strategies we learn are leading us into that algorithm that you learned as a kid.  We make sure they understand exactly how multiplication words and why they are doing what they are doing now.  I know I would have been more successful in math if I would have know these strategies for sure.  So much of it lends itself to algebra also!   If your child ever has any questions I am available in the mornings before school.  I happy to help.  I give them time at the end of the day to also search out for help.

Social Studies -  We are finishing up chapter 4 this week.  We are learning about the resources that come from the Northeast Region and learning about Chesapeake Bay and all the seafood that comes from the bay.  Kids are learning that fishing is not just a hobby but way of life.  They are shocked to think about it but when I talk about seafood restaurants and explain they get it.  We will be doing a study guide on Monday, checking it on Tuesday and taking a test on Wednesday of next week!  We are moving along quite nicely in Social studies.  We will spend some days next week putting more states into our notebooks also!!

Veteran's Day Program -  We are hosting a Veteran's Day Program at St. Malachy tomorrow in the gym at 2:00 P.M.  Students are asked to wear red, white, and blue to celebrate.  Please feel free to attend and please invite any Veteran's that you know to also attend.  There is something for everyone there!!

Book it!  We has a very successful October for reading minutes!  I hope the students keep it up in November!  It makes my heart happy to see them reading things they enjoy and finding authors that they enjoy!  I have a definite favorite author.  Colleen Hoover is my favorite.  She writes so many books dealing with so many different things. if you have not read any of her books I recommend them.  I keep a  blog of the books I read.  Here is my link in case you are looking for something to read.  I am part of a book club and so the books we read are on here also.

https://msickels0.wixsite.com/mysite  

I hope all of you have a great weekend!  Thanksgiving is coming very quickly!! Tomorrow is a Spirit Day!  Students can wear sweats for $1.

God Bless,
Mrs. Sickels