Weeks of 9/19/11-9/26/11

Review of Previous Weeks and Important Reminders:

• The school year has been very successful thus far.  Students should be catching on and feeling comfortable with daily classroom and homework routines.  
• Parents, remember to check your child's assignment notebook and homework every night.  If you notice that your child is forgetting to write down or bring home assignments, please let me know immediately.  I am happy to check student assignment notebooks and backpacks at the end of the day.  
• Also, remember that this year after-school detentions are strictly enforced for students with 5 tardies. 
• If your child is planning on receiving his or her First Communion this year, be sure to attend 3 masses each month.  This is a new requirement for each sacrament.  Saint cards will be handed out at each mass and should be given to me the following week.  After 5 saint cards have been handed in, your child will receive a free dress down pass.  They cannot dress down unless they have this pass on their person. If your family does not attend St. Sylvester parish on weekends, please have your priest sign the program each week and your child should turn it in to me the following week.

Weeks to Come:

• This Sunday, September 18th is a welcome mass at 11:30. If your family attends, your child gets a free dress down day on Monday, September 19th only.  They will not be allowed to dress down any other days that week.  The saint card they receive will take the place of a dress down pass.
• Wednesday, September 21st is the Cubs game field trip.  We will leave the school at 11:30am and return by 4:30pm. Those interested in chaperoning must complete the CANTS forms and background check first.  Once these have been completed, I will personally contact any parents/guardians who complete the required paperwork first.  There is only room for 6 chaperones, so completing the CANTS forms does not necessarily reserve a spot for this trip.  However, it does ensure eligibility for future field trips throughout the school year.
• What to look forward to in the curriculum: Reading - We have been covering skills that will be used throughout the reading curriculum this school year.  Within the next two weeks we will begin out unit on Charlotte's Web.  Math - Students have been working on place-value up to the hundred thousands place and rounding.  We will continue to work on these concepts through the beginning of next week.  Students will have a test over Chapter 1 on next Wednesday, September 21st.  We will then move on to addition strategies and properties. Science - We have just finished centers in class focusing on skills that students will use throughout the school year.  We will begin to focus on chapter 1, which focuses on living things such as plants and animals and their needs. Social Studies - Next week, we will review chapter 1.  Students will have a test over this chapter on Friday, September 23rd.  We will begin chapter 2 during the week of September 26th.  This chapter will focus on communities from the past.  English - We will review and test over chapter 1 next week.  We will begin chapter 2 on the week of September 26th.  This chapter focuses on Nouns.