Dear Parents,

     Happy Thursday!  Finally a full week of school together!  YAY!  Also how about that weather on Tuesday!  I was stuck inside but I had to run an errand after school, and I did it without wearing a coat.   This is definitely the correct weather for this time of the year. Temperatures look to pretty favorable for the rest of the week and next.  Maybe winter is over!  Let's say many prayers for that.  Please keep the boots and snow pants coming to school though.  Our playground will be terribly muddy for a while!  We want to try and keep your child clean and dry.  Also we try to keep the mud outside!

Conferences-  I have emailed you and put the link for conferences on our Facebook page.  Many of you are actually already signed up. Thank you. If you have not, here is the link again.  Please be sure to reserve a time to visit with me.  Also, be sure to read the rules for conferences.

4th grade Conference Sign Up

Language Arts -  This week we are ready a fun story:  Hercules. Hera was jealous of the relationship between her husband Zeus and his son Hercules.  Hera wanted Zeus to herself.  So she tricked Hercules into using his strength for the bad, and his father sends him down to earth to prove himself to be a God.  When on earth Hera tries to be sure he is given impossible tasks to complete to prove he is worthy.  Hercules actually accomplishes all 3 impossible tasks.  It is a happy ending.  He earns his place on Mount Olympus with Zeus.  This is different from the Disney movie.  I am also showing them the Disney movie.  We watched some yesterday and will watch more today and hopefully finish tomorrow.  Spelling words this week are using Prefixes: un-, re-, and dis-.  The grammar lesson is on Prepositions.  This is a difficult lesson to teach and they are kind of hard words to understand.  We are doing the best we can to figure them out.  When they take the test I will probably put a list of prepositions on the board to help them.  Tomorrow they will be taking their post test in spelling and their end of the week test.  Please remind them to study their yellow vocabulary packet!

Math -  We are working on finishing up Chapter 13 on Area and Perimeter.  They were taught three lesson in this chapter.  They were taught the formulas to use when finding these.  This is a little bit of algebra.  When we use the correct Perimeter formula of P= (2 X L) + (2 X W)  we are doing algebra.  Perimeter can be found by just adding all the sides together but when finding perimeter of a rectangle we can use this formula which is easier.  They have completed the Dress Rehearsal and gone over it.  Tomorrow we will take the actual test.  The next week we will start or week long unit on how to write checks, fill out deposits slips and keep a check register.  This will play a role in our March 10th Biztown activities.

Social Studies -  We are finishing up our first chapter in the Southeast.  They will be taking a test today.  We will begin looking at a map test over the Southeast next week.  We will dive right into the next chapter.  I plan to pick up the pace a bit when covering this one.  We only have like 3 states to put into our interactive notebooks also.  We just keep moving.  We have 3 more regions to get through before the end of May.  

BizTown St. Malachy Style -  We normally attend JABizTown every other year.  The 4th and 5th graders are the ones who attend.  Due to COVID ( imagine me saying that) we are unable to attend.  Ms. Surma, Mrs. Simmons and I have come up with a Biztown St. Malachy Style.  The kids will be given an envelope with deposit slips, checks, and a check register.  The kids are doing 2 jobs here at school to earn a paycheck.  They are cleaning tables after lunch and gathering the trash at the end of the day with Adolfo.  They will receive a paycheck for their work.  We also plan to give them a birthday gift from grandparents to deposit into their account also.  On March 10th, with this money they will visit the office and pay for a week of lunches, they can visit the Kitchen and purchase popcorn for a snack, and then they will visit a store put on by the 7th grade math class.  This store will have some fun school items they can purchase: pencil sharpner, erasers, pencils/pens.  The student will have to write a check for all their purchases and subtract it in their check register so they do not spend more money then they actually have.  It is a life lesson that we are trying to help them understand.  We wanted to do something much bigger involving more parents coming in to run places of business BUT once again the pandemic is causing us to make changes.  I think it will be a fun experience.

Spirit Day -  Tomorrow is a Spirit Day.  Again a very nice opportunity to pay $1.00 and wear sweats!! 

I can't wait to see some of our St. Malachy students perform Friday night at Jam the Gym.  It is my daughter's Senior year and she will be performing for the last time with the Peppers.  Just another "Last" that happens this year.  We have not been sad about it.  We are actually excited for her next adventure in life.  I am sure when it gets down to it I will be super sad but it is exciting to watch her put an end to a high school career and begin the next step.  Her plans are to attend Iowa State University and become and elementary teacher.  

I hope all of you have a great weekend!!

God Bless,

Mrs. Sickels

Dear Parents,

     Happy Thursday!  I might need to say Happy Fat Tuesday on Thursday.  We have the tradition of the 4th graders making donuts on Tuesday and delivering to all the students in the school.  Well, due to the pandemic I couldn't make them this year.  Also, we had a "cold" day on Tuesday!  BUT we did not let any of that stop us.  Mrs. Burg took charge!  We had several sponsors help to make this happen!  The cooks got the donuts ready in individual "boats" and had them on carts.  The 4th grade washed up, put on their gloves and went around the building delivering.  It was a super fun time.  Everyone was excited!  I also made sure to tell them they were not as good as Mrs. Sickels made donuts but they would do for this year.  Hopefully next year we can go back to the normal tradition.  

Language Arts -  This week is a short one!  Sooo... we are not doing a spelling test over this story.  We will work on the Spelling worksheets during the week and we will do the grammar and voacab strategy worksheet but we will not take an end of the week test.  We just have to go with the flow, and I do not feel rushing the students through a story that we usually spend 5 days on and making them test over it, would be beneficial at all.  I am not one to set the kids up for failure and I just don't feel I can give the story justice in 2 days.  The other issue is we need to keep moving forward. The good thing is this is an interesting story BUT not one they want to hear over and over.  So maybe the "cold" days worked in their favor!  Next week the weather looks to be good so I am not worried about missing any days.  They will love next week's story.  It is Hercules.  

Math - This week is finishing up with area and perimeter.  Today we passed out donuts for math.  Tomorrow we will learn the last lesson that we will cover in this unit.  Next week we will do a dress rehearsal and take the test.  Then it is on to Division. We will also start doing a little with writing checks, checkbooks and check registers.  We are teaching them some real life skills.  Normally we would do a huge unit on it and then go to Des Moines to JA BizTown.  Due to the pandemic, we will be putting on our own mini "BizTown" here in our building.  The kids will need to do a couple jobs.  They will do trash and wipe down tables after lunch a couple days.  This is so they earn a paycheck.  Then they will have a couple bills to pay and then a store to purchase items.  We have not solidified the whole thing but we plan to do it on March 10th. I will tell you more when we have mapped out what it will really look like.

Social Studies - The students are finishing up a chapter.  Today they are finishing the last lesson on Wildlife and Resources.  They are learning about The different wildlife in the different areas of the southeast and what important resources come from the area.  Next week they will be working on a study guide and taking a test.  I will begin to pick up the pace a little more and expect a little more out of them each day so that we can get to where we need to be.  I will also introduce the Southeast maps to them next week and they will need to study for a map test.

Auction -  Tomorrow is the deadline to order food for the auction. If you are having a watch party with friends you can order the meal.  It is $40.00 a meal.  There is also a Charcuterie tray that can be order for $15.  The auction is the 27th online. Again thank you for all your donations that helped make our basket successful.

What a short week!   I am much better if I am here the full week.  The two weeks we have only had 3 days, I have felt very tired everyday.  I also feel lost because I am rearranging plans in my plan book.  I then question is this important, should I shorten this lesson in order to get more done.  When I think about it, last year we would only have 3 weeks of school left.  It is so crazy to think about!  Would I have done things differently last year if I would have known this.....most likely.  So I am just constantly thinking ahead now.  I know we will not close school this year but it is just weird to think that almost a year ago we were done!  

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

God Bless,

Mrs. Sickels

Dear Parents,

     Happy Thursday!  Here we are once again.  This week has gone rather quickly, I feel.  I am not sure why either.  We actually completed a full week this week.  It looks like we could have flurries or light snowfall for the next three days.  It is such a pretty snowfall when it just falls lightly.  This winter reminds me of the winters when I was a child.  It snowed a lot more than we get now.  People complain about it but it was a lot more when I was young.  Yes, I still love the snow and I am happy we get it.  We live in Iowa it is expected.  I will say I am not a huge fan of the cold though.  This below zero stuff can go away anytime soon.  The sad thing is it looks to be here all next week also.  It may not be below zero but it will be single digit temperatures.  

Masks -  Yes, the Governor lifted mask restrictions but we are not.  Quarantine is still a thing.  If we decide not to wear masks and someone tests positive for COVID then the whole class goes home.  We do not want that to happen.  COVID has not gone away nor has the fact you have to quarantine.  We want to keep everyone healthy and at school so we will continue to wear the masks so we can continue to be in school every day.  Please be sure to have this discussion with your child.  I have a couple that are pulling their masks done below their chin and wanting to leave them there.  If someone gets sick they will have to quarantine and most of you don't want that to happen.  Also, those of us who had COVID in November our 90 days is coming to an end.  So, we are at risk again.  I sure don't want it again.  I am eagerly awaiting my shot!

New Student -  We have the most exciting news to share.  We are getting a new student in 4th grade.  Jonah Post will be joining us Friday afternoon to visit the room and meet the students and myself.  He will begin full-time on Monday.  We are so excited about going back to 6 students.  Well, the girls are excited but they wish it was another girl.   I am sure they will be very helpful in welcoming him to the classroom.

Language Arts -  This week they are reading a story called Riding Freedom.  This story is just an excerpt from a chapter book with the same title.  It is kind of a Mulan story.  A woman named Charlotte Parkhurst wants to work with horses.  Only men/boys were suppose to do that.  She disguises herself as a man and does the job.  She becomes a stagecoach driver, which is a man's job.  She is injured and loses sight in one eye.  She teaches herself to use her other senses to help her and still drive a coach.  The section they read is about her being put to the test on whether she is capable of driving anymore.  It is a good story.  In grammar we are learning what adjectives are and what they do.  Adjectives are descriptive words that describe nouns.  Writing without adjectives can be very boring.  I read some sentences without adjectives then reread them putting the adjectives back in so the students could see the difference.  The vocabulary strategy this week is on figurative language.  It covers similes, metaphors, idioms and adages and proverbs.  That  is a lot for one lesson.  All are review for them.  Tomorrow will be a normal Friday so be sure the students study their vocabulary packet and spelling words.

Math - This week we began chapter 13 and learned perimeter.  They completed some problems finding perimeter of squares and rectangles.  They got to go around the hallways and find 2 rectangular/square objects to measure and find perimeter.  This was a fun activity because it got them out of the room and moving.  We also learned about area.  Today they are practicing finding the area of rectangles/squares.  Tomorrow they will get to go around and find 2 different things to measure and find the area.  Next week they will work on a wkst that is quite challenging.  They will be given a mass of rectangles and squares and they have to find the area of all them. It just helps them with knowing sides of rectangles and squares and it practices our skill.  The last lesson in chapter 13 is how you can find area of an odd shaped room.  It is actually 2 rectangles put together.  I help them find the two and how you can find area of both and add the areas together.  After that lesson we are finished with chapter 13!  Only 3 lessons long!  Quick and easy and good stuff.  We also talked about jobs that require people to use area and perimeter all the time.  

Social Studies- We have been talking about the make-up of the land and climate in the Southeast.  We will put 4 more states in our notebook today and tomorrow.  They have done a great job with the states.  We only have 3 more to go and we will have the Southeast completed.  We will be finishing up the chapter next week and beginning to review for a test.  

Valentine's Day - We are celebrating Valentine's Day tomorrow here at school.  The kids decorated bags yesterday in Art to put their Valentine's in.  The students may bring their valentines to school tomorrow to share with the kids. Our Valentine Party will happen about 2:15.  The students will pass out their valentines and get to eat a snack and drink while doing it.  They will NOT get to eat any candy out of their bags.  That candy will come home for you to decide when and how much they eat.  They will get to look at all their valentines when everyone is done passing them out.  Due to our new student coming tomorrow afternoon if you could add a valentine for Jonah that would be awesome.  

Spirit Day - Tomorrow is a Spirit Day!  What a perfect day to wear sweats to be extra warm on an extra cold day.  The money we raise is used for a good cause.  We just sent a basket of snacks and goodies to the Middle School teachers at East Union for the loss of their student Autumn Gladsfelder to suicide.  We wanted to let them know that our school was praying for them and their loss.  So we really do use it for good things. 

Well, I hope everyone has a great weekend.  It is to be another cold one for sure.  The weatherman from channel 8 that did a zoom with the 5th graders for science told the kids no more snow days for a while but he would not be surprised if many schools called a 2 hour delay for Monday morning because the temperatures are to be way low.  We told the kids, I guess we will just see if his predictions are correct!

God Bless,

Mrs. Sickels

Dear Parents,

         Happy Thursday!   Well, another snow day is upon us!  I think I am glad with how bad the wind is blowing!  If we think about it the roads were not good for travel at our normal time but it still was not good if we would have had a 2 hour delay.  I guess the correct decision was made.  All of you received a survey about snow days and virtual snow days.  Please be sure to fill that out.  I will be doing some reading today, and I think I am going to bake my grandma's sugar cookies.  I was going to do it at Christmas and it never happened.  Today might be the perfect day for it.  I hope all of you do something productive today.  Relax and enjoy and I look forward to being back together tomorrow for Camo Day.

Language Arts -  This week they have worked on their Unit 3 test.  We spent 3 days completing it. I try to break it down so that the students are now doing the whole thing in one day.  I will have scored ready to go home next week.  Our other activity this week was to begin working on a writing project.  We were going to begin writing an opinion paper.  Not sure there will be enough time to do that in one day.  Their book reports are due tomorrow so today is a perfect day to get those finished.  Maybe the snow day was for you, so you can be sure it is complete.  Next week we will start back up in the book with a regular week of spelling tests and end of the week tests.

Math -  We are wrapping up chapter 3.  They have taken the dress rehearsal test and we have gone over it.  They were to take the test today.  So I guess that moves into tomorrow.  After this chapter we will be doing chapter 13 on Area and Perimeter.  We will also be doing some work on "real life" math using checkbooks, deposit slips and check registers.  I hope these next few items are fun for the students.  After all of this we will hit the big topic of Division.  This one can be hard and frustrating.

Social Studies -  The students have been working hard on putting some states in their interactive notebooks.  They are getting much quicker at this process.  Their coloring may be getting worse though because they want to be done and have no homework.  I agree it is tedious.  I am completing my own interactive notebook with them.  I wanted to have an example for students and I have never had the chance.  This year with 5 kids I am finding the time to do just that.  I can't wait to be finished with the whole thing.  We will begin reading in the book again tomorrow.

Auction Basket/Silent Auction -  Thank you so much for the donations I have received so far.  Remember tomorrow is the deadline for donations.  We plan to place the Pampered Chef order to get the items here.  The pictures were taken last week for the silent auction item and the puzzle has been ordered.  It may be arriving this weekend.  I am so happy we are on the ball and getting things completed in a timely fashion.  Then we don't have to panic at the last minute.  I hope this years auction is very successful.

Catholic Schools Week -  I feel like this has been a fun week.  We have still kept the academics going all week which has been wonderful from my point of view.  They had several activities that they did with their Angels.  Tomorrow is Camo Day!  We also plan to do a grandparent parade.  We are already thinking that may have to be filmed in the gym instead of outside due to frigid temps.  We are also thinking about possible trying to make up the snowman building activity.  Maybe when the temps are better and we have better snow for it.  We are moving today's Tie-Dye day to Monday.  So the kids will still get to wear their tie-dye.  I am happy about that because I bought a new sweatshirt for it.

Valentine's Day - We will celebrate Valentine's Day on Friday, February 12th.  The students are welcome to bring Valentines to share with the others on Friday.  We will enjoy and snack and drink while they are passing out their valentines.  These items will be provided by our homeroom  parent.  The kids will only be allowed to eat the snack provided.  Any other candy will be kept in their Valentine Bags and brought home.  We will be making those Valentine bags during Art next week.

Sounds like this weekend could bring us some snow again.  Nothing major but snow and cold temps make me want to stay inside and warm. I hope everyone stays safe and warm!  Have a great weekend!

God Bless,

Mrs. Sickels