Fun, Short Week Ahead
May 27, 2022
Hello Students and Parents:
I hope you are all looking forward to a nice, long weekend! It is certainly well deserved, and the preliminary weather forecast looks like there will be time for barbeques and beach trips. The unofficial start to summer has arrived.
When we return to school on Tuesday, we will be jumping right into our curriculum! Even though the end of the year is near, we still have lots of work to do. We are finishing up our area and perimeter project in math by designing our dream bedrooms. Students have been using their knowledge to figure out how big their room will be, how much paint or wall paper they will need, how much wood or carpet they need to cover their floor, and what kind of furniture they want.
Perimeter and area calculations are used to draw a blueprint and drawing to scale, which is an eye opener when you put what you visualize in your head down on paper. Another surprise to the project is figuring out how much money they will need to complete their bedroom. The word budget has been introduced and practiced. Be sure to ask them to show you their work when it comes home.
We finished up our dramatic reading of Puffer Patrol in Storyworks Magazine and are now going on to a new issue with an exciting non-fiction piece on shark attacks. The magazine provides slide shows, short video clips, and author interviews that help the students get involved in the story. We will be paying close attention to descriptive phrases and using them to visualize the text.
We will begin Word Wisdom Unit 5, Lesson 2 this week with a test scheduled for June 10th. It will be a quick study, but at this point in fourth grade, the students should be able to do well in the time frame
allotted. We will continue with unit 4 in Grammar Workshop by focusing on adverbs, the proper use of “good” and “well,” double negatives, and prepositions and prepositional phrases. We will have a test on this second half of unit 4 on June 9th.
We are moving onto classification of living things in science, Chapter 1, Lesson 2. We have several labs and in-class projects for this unit which will substitute for a formal test. All work for these activities will be done in class. In social studies, the students are using their chromebooks to complete a webquest for the western and southwestern regions of the U.S. This will be completed in class and will be in lieu of a formal assessment.
We have been focusing on the Blessed Mother in religion and will be creating a word collage highlighting the names we have for Mary. We will have an assessment on this unit of study on June 8th. More information on the content of the test will follow.
Just a reminder that Field Day is scheduled for Thursday, June 2nd. Please remember to put sunblock on your child before they leave for school that day. Hats are encouraged and water bottles are a necessity. It will certainly be a fun day for all…..Start praying for clear, cool weather.
Friday, June 3rd is a half day for students so that teachers can have their final faculty meeting of the year. Dismissal is at 12:30 p.m. Please remember that no hot lunch is served on that day.
I wish you all a happy, healthy weekend!
Debbie Shumaker
Students are reminded to dress in their RCS gym uniform. I strongly suggest layering the spring uniform of shorts and tee shirt under the RCS winter gym uniform of sweatshirt and sweatpants. It gets chilly on the open plains of the safari, so even an extra jacket might not be a bad idea. Sneakers and socks are mandatory.
additional phone or camera is also permitted, but once again, the student is responsible for carrying these throughout the day. Be sure to have all devices charged as there are no charging stations available.
Thank you for getting all forms and monies turned in so quickly. You have made the process of preparing for the trip a smooth and efficient process. We will have 15 chaperones from class 4B. I’m delighted so many of you will be along for the journey. You won’t be disappointed.
during our last presentation, and it was a success. Our classroom will be open at 6:00 p.m. through 8:00 p.m. for all parents that would like to visit. All students must be in the gym by 6:25 p.m. as we will open the Wax Museum from 6:30-7:30 p.m. This way we can ensure that all of the students are accounted for, are energetic, vivacious, and entertaining. We expect that all students will be dismissed from the gym by 7:45 p.m., which allows some extra time to visit the classroom before going home.
We have lots to accomplish in school over the next two months, so it will be a busy time for your families. Since finishing up the Wizard of Oz novel study, we are back to reading StoryWorks Magazine! As much as we enjoyed the novel, I have missed StoryWorks. Stay tuned for exciting discussions on Amelia Earhardt this week. We will be back to using a lot of our online resources that come from the publisher that accompany each story. Reading comprehension skills and reciprocal teaching strategies are practiced via Google slides and other resources that help the students dig deep into each article.
will introduce our new words in Unit 4, Lesson 3 in Word Wisdom. Students should be utilizing the online practice programs offered in Grammarworkshop.com and on Quizlet to practice the skills taught in these units.
I hope everyone remembers to start wearing the spring uniform this week. Please refer to the Family Handbook to ensure that your child is dressed appropriately. This is always a welcome change at school.
Holy Thursday celebrates the Holy Eucharist that Jesus first shared with his disciples at the Last Supper. It is also an opportunity to experience the washing of the feet that Jesus shared with his disciples at the Last Supper. We talked at length about how this humbling experience helps us to fully understand how much Jesus loves us and calls us to minister to our brothers and sisters in faith. Christ Our Light parish actively practices this ritual and invites people to fully participate in this experience. It is powerful and humbling, and a very good way for the children to fully understand this faith tradition.
adoration for Jesus. The adoration of the cross that occurs in the middle of the service also helps the children to experience the love and reverence that we share for Jesus. I’m always moved by this part of the service as I witness the mass of people in attendance approach the altar to touch or kiss the cross, and to take turns holding the cross during this part of the service.
It has been my pleasure to travel through Lent with the students, and to witness their deep understanding and developing faith as they process the events of this season. They are truly personalizing and fully experiencing the faith doctrines and traditions that we all share. I thank you for trusting me to teach your children and walk with them through a small part of their faith development.
Pizza arrived at 11:00 am and was followed up with some fresh picked marshmallows. Just the right combination of sweets and treats. Mrs. Lelaj, Mrs. Keating, and I took great pleasure celebrating reading in this special way. We are so proud of fourth grade’s reading efforts!
everyone on Wednesday, April 13th. School will be closed from April 14th through April 24th for Spring Break. We will have our Intermediate Lenten retreat on April 13th. This is always a great way to quiet ourselves and prepare our hearts for the Triduum and Easter events later in the week.
March 25, 2022
prepare for our special guests. The schedule of the day is soon to be posted, so be on the lookout for that in the Green Envelope. I promise this will be a great day of celebration for everyone.
Friday is also a Dollar Dress Down Day, so be sure to take note. There’s nothing sadder than a student’s face when they come in dressed in their school uniform and realize they missed the opportunity to dress down. I try to remind the class on Thursday afternoon, but it will sometimes slip my mind. Please let this note serve as that reminder.
If you are looking for some fun and entertainment next weekend, be sure to come and see the middle school musical production of Aladdin. I hear there are a lot of very talented performers in the show, and it promises to entertain young and old alike. Ticket information and show times are posted in the Green Envelope, so be sure to check it out.
Our prize is a pajama dress down day. I’m going to check with Mrs. Webb, but I thought next Monday, March 28th would be a great time to celebrate. Mondays are always hard, but coming to school in our pajamas will make it much easier. As soon as I get the date confirmed, I will send out an email to let you know.
Reconciliation is a privilege of our faith, and at this point in fourth grade, your children fully understand the difference between an mistake and a sin. We will be examining our conscience this week to choose one or two things that we have done that are standing in the way of our relationship with God. When we go to confession and receive absolution, the children fully experience the love and mercy of God. I know the children get nervous, but I do all that I can to help them relax and let God’s forgiveness fill their hearts.
Wednesday, March 30th is Grandparents Day, which is one of my all time favorite days of the year. I was blessed to have both my paternal and maternal grandparents in my life through adulthood. I even had the blessing of having my great-grandmother with me until I was 24 years of age. I truly understand the important role that these loving souls have on our lives. Their love is unconditional, and their wisdom is truly a blessing.
grandchildren home with them at that time. We are having a Dine and Donate event at the Pop Shop in Collingswood all day on Wednesday, so perhaps they would like to head over for a burger and a shake to end their day.
We will celebrate the end of the third marking period on Friday, April 1st! It’s hard to believe that when we return from Easter break, the end of the year will be a hop, skip, and a jump away. Friday is a half day for students so that teachers can attend our monthly faculty meeting. Friday is also a Dollar Dress Down Day, which is a great way to end the quarter.
Watching news reports, I couldn’t help noticing that the refugees looked so much like we do here in America…..People that work for a living, hold education as a priority for their children, and dress just like we do here in America. The reality that any of us can become refugees in similar situations is startling. Your children’s compassion and concern for the Ukrainian people is inspiring.
thinking of making some paper sunflowers to decorate the classroom since this is the country’s national flower. I’m not very crafty, so if anyone has an idea of how to make these, it is welcome. My hope is to empower the students with ways they can help people in need, even at their young age.
There are some fun things coming up this week….The Read-a-Thon continues throughout the week, there is a Food Truck Friday event scheduled for March 18th, and the big event — The Basket Bonanza takes place on Saturday, March 19th. I hope you’ve had a chance to preview the baskets. There are a ton of really good baskets to choose from. I hope you are a winner!
This week in math, we will be finding the simplest form for a fraction, and comparing and ordering fractions. The students have responded well to the unit so far. We try to keep the instruction as simple as possible despite the textbook always throwing in some strategies that seem to confuse the class. One plus one still equals two, but getting there has a range of possibilities in modern math. I’m confident the students are doing a good job of keeping up with the instruction. Those needing extra help have needed very little guidance….They are certainly a bright group!
contractions with not. Our test is scheduled for next Tuesday, March 15th. I have been encouraging the students to take their Grammar Workshop books home to study for the upcoming tests. I’m hoping you see them taking advantage of the time to prepare. There are multiple resources on the grammarworkshop.com site to help students with extra drill and practice with verbs.
We will begin construction on our social studies project on Monday of this week. The students did a very good job of working in their small groups last week to plan how they will build their project. Groups were responsible for dividing up resources needed to be brought to school, so I’m hoping no one person is feeling overwhelmed. We continue our unit of study on the southeast region of the United States during this time as well. There is a quiz on the states of the region on Thursday of this week where students will need to identify each state in the region on a map. A full chapter test on the southeast region is scheduled for Thursday, March 17th.
speechless but very reflective after witnessing the suffering that Jesus endured for the forgiveness of our sins. We will continue working with the stations this week and a test will be given on March 23rd. Students will be responsible for recognizing each station and the order in which they occurred.
The students have been working well in class to stay on top of their assignments and prepare for assessments. There has been a mild case of spring fever with the warm days, but this is a very committed group of students that always tries their best. We were finally able to change seats in the classroom, so they are enjoying their new prime pieces of real estate!
novel and spend quite some time at the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego over the years. This classic American novel was written at this famous hotel, and was used as author, L. Frank Baum’s inspiration for the Emerald City. I have also been gifted over the years with TONS of Wizard of Oz memorabilia that is always fun to share with the class as we read the novel.
On Monday, students will receive guidelines for a new social studies project on regions that will be completed entirely in class — Yay for parents! I will send you a copy of the guidelines so that you are aware of what we will be doing. The students will be working in groups and will be encouraged to be creative, using materials they have at home to build their presentation board and 3D model. For any supplies that may be needed, each group will divide the responsibility among their members. I’m looking forward to seeing what the students create.
hard to fit in our curriculum. Broadway Kids will take the stage on Thursday and Friday evening, and again for a Saturday matinee to present “Frozen,”Jr. The fourth and fifth grade students have been working very hard this year to create a show that promises to bring the house down! Please come out for one, two, or even all three performances and support our arts program. Ticket information can be found on our school website.
March 1st. Our science test on Sound Energy will take place on Friday, February 25th and will combine the science vocabulary with the chapter test. We will be preparing for Lent to begin on Ash Wednesday, which is March 2nd. We have several in-class projects for the season, and our religion lessons will focus on the traditions and Church doctrine during the season of Lent.
excited to see these! The students have been telling me what they have been working on at home, and it sounds like we are in for a treat when they present their projects. Our reading comprehension packet for Black History month is being completed in school, and all of the students are making very good progress on completing this.
week. On February 28th, students will be introduced to a group project on the regions that will be completed in class. A detailed summary of the project will be sent home via email on that date. Students may need to bring in materials from home, but all work will be done in the classroom. The children love working in groups and collaborating on projects like this, so you should be hearing about this project in early March. Presentations of the group projects will be taped so you can enjoy them at home.
Bonanza. The donations were centered around a camping theme and will include items such as a camping chair, fishing poles, rain ponchos, flashlights, a collapsible dish rack, a compass, games, and skewers for toasting marshmallows, to name just a few. Be sure to support this fundraiser by taking chances on the variety of gift baskets that will be raffled off. If you haven’t bought your tickets to this event, information can be found on the school website.
As I mentioned in last week’s blog, this week is looking like a very productive one. I’m thankful for the uninterrupted time for instruction. We finished up our unit on division in math and will be starting on the order of operations on Monday. This will be a short unit so that we can begin fractions by the week of February 21st.
article, “Are Those Aliens” in our Storyworks magazine. Be sure to ask them if they believe there is life outside of our planet, but more importantly, can they back up their opinion with facts from the article. We also listened to part of Orson Welles, The War of the Worlds radio broadcast from 1938. It was hard for the students to comprehend the days before television when families sat around the radio for some entertainment. Orson Welles was quite convincing reporting the “attack” on New Jersey by alien beings!
We are also competing a reading comprehension packet on famous African American people, which includes Booker T. Washington, Sojournor Truth, Jackie Robinson, Ruby Bridges, Martin Luther King, Jr., Harriet Tubman, Thurgood Marshall, Mary Jane McLeod Bethune, George Washington Carver, and Sarah E. Goode. Please ask your children what they are learning about these very important people and their contributions to our country.
process of sound around them. The anatomy of the human ear is fascinating, and when you think of the speed of sound, it’s hard to imagine that our bodies can go through the process of hearing and then interpret the sound in a millisecond! This is always a fun unit!
I have made changes to our test schedule. Please look over the Test Alert page and update your planners. I think I was a little over zealous coming back! We need more time to work with the material before we go into an assessment. I’m hoping I don’t have to make any other changes…..I really try to stick to a firm agenda…..It’s just life interruptions I don’t plan well!
current event assignment on the Test Alert page. The instructions for this quarterly assignment are posted on the social studies page in google classroom. The report must focus on a current event happening within our state, and a summary/reflection on how our state is impacted by the news. It’s very important to follow the instruction carefully to receive full credit for the assignment.
In reading, we are moving onto our February edition of Storyworks magazine. I am so pleased with this publication because its articles are current, extremely interesting and well written, and offer a wealth of online activities and assessments for each article. Looking over the STARS assessments from January, I am very pleased with the progress the students are showing in reading comprehension. I believe Storyworks has offered a lot of resources and activities that have helped strengthen the students’ skills.
parents involved with the production have been working very hard. This is always an amazing experience, and I am so glad that we are able to have another show this year. I’ve missed it!
There are many special events and activities scheduled this week, which are all centered on celebrating who we are and all that we value. Tomorrow, our focus is on our students. All are welcome to come to school in their favorite pajamas. What a great way to welcome a Monday. Be sure to wear your favorite and most comfy pjs and be prepared to enjoy a few special treats.
our liturgy. A live stream of the Mass will be posted for all. Students, parents, grandparents, and friends can all enjoy this special Mass from the comfort of our warm, cozy classrooms and homes. Be sure to look for the link on the school and parish websites,
Parents will be celebrated on Thursday. Please look for a special gift that will be coming home that day that will be made by your child and filled with their love and appreciation for all that you do for our students and school. Thursday is also a Vocabulary Dress Down Day. Instead of assigning an individual vocabulary word to each student, fourth graders will all dress as vertebrates. We did this last year and it was a big hit. Our classroom was literally filled with lions, and tigers, and bears….oh my! We also had an array of pandas, dogs, cats, reptiles, and monkeys! Be creative and have fun with this one!
two purposes. First, it’s a Food on Friday donation. Second, we are going to build the biggest cereal box domino figure ever in our gym! It will be so much fun….The more boxed cereal we bring in, the bigger the structure. I’ll be sure to take pictures! Students in grades three through eight will also participate in a school wide escape room. First class out of their room wins! Can 4B do it!?!?
time on the weekend to recuperate from all of these activities. What a great week ahead we have to look forward to, starting today! Thank you for being a part of all we do here in school, but special thanks for making us the blessed community that we are here.
leave. You have been a huge success in all areas, especially with keeping pace with the curriculum and in personal behavior. I’m so very proud and equally grateful for this. I’m so excited to be nearing my return to the classroom I have missed you!
subjects can be a challenge, but as usual, you succeeded. Grammar Workshop and Word Wisdom continue to haunt you…Lol! Keep up the great work.
along with Mass. Like last year, there will be a school wide bingo game with prizes, a special sweet treat at lunch one day, and a few contests. Lots to enjoy as we celebrate the gift of Catholic education.
are asking each student in the class to donate one or two items to be included in the basket . Items such as bug spray and insect repellent, a sturdy flashlight, first aid kit, camping plates and utensils, outdoor sport activities and games such as frisbees and nerf balls, playing cards, a tarp, a camping hammock, and an outdoor lighter with campfire fire starter are just a few suggestions I can think to contribute. These are just ideas that I had….Please use your imagination and creativity to think what would be appropriate to include.
sure our basket will be one to pull in a lot of tickets. Covid has caused a big increase in camping for family vacations. The great outdoors and social distancing are luring record numbers to campgrounds across the country. Maybe you will be lucky enough to win the basket yourself!
killed. Though I can remember the civil rights struggles before his death, the impact of his death was my first true introduction to this man’s brilliance and the work that he accomplished. When I think back to how the world was in the 1960’s and early 1970’s, it is very hard to ignore the progress we have made in carrying out the mission of Martin Luther King.
am filled with gratitude and hope when I witness first hand the values and morals you instill in your children today. My generation was the first to acknowledge the existence of injustice, but the generation of today’s parents and tomorrow’s leaders will ensure that Dr. King’s dream of racial equality and the protection of the civil rights of all people will continue in our future.
key focus in education today, and the continued assessments of each student’s progress helps us to tailor our instruction to the student’s needs.
absences should be directed to Mrs. Capriotti at mcapriotti@rcscherryhill.com.
January 9, 2022
Covid, the snowy weather, and schedule interruptions, but Mrs. Powers and Mrs. Keating have told me how hard you are all working. I’m not surprised, but I am really proud of you! Once again, you are stepping up to the challenge! Keep up the awesome work!
no special events or scheduled interruptions this week. Yay! Just time to learn! Please make sure you are checking the blog and keeping up with the test alert page. Mrs. Powers posts a lot of material on Google Classroom, so please remember to check into each class page as often as possible. Your planners should be updated each week by Sunday evening.
assignments is very important. Remember what we talked about at the end of the first marking period. Just like running a marathon, you don’t want to slow down when you see the finish line. You want to keep working as hard as you can so that you finish strong. At the end of this marathon (marking period), there will be time to celebrate. Catholic Schools Week begins on January 30th and there are many special events and fun activities planned. I’m so excited that I’ll be back to share them with you!
January 2, 2022
health and safety of all of our students and families. Monday and Tuesday will be remote due to staffing shortages. Many of the teachers and staff are quarantining due to illness or exposure, so classroom coverage is being challenged. We are expecting this to become less of a burden by Wednesday as many quarantines will end. Fingers, toes, and hands are crossed hoping we stay on track.
the holidays, parents are being offered an option for remote learning through January 13th. Please do what is best for your family. In-person instruction is still being offered, but if you prefer the remote instruction option for your family, please state this intention on the Google spreadsheet emailed to you by Mrs. Webb. It is imperative that we know what to expect when we return to the live classroom on Wednesday.
If your child will be remote, it is very important for you to pick up their school textbooks and supplies on Monday afternoon. Remote instruction is very effective but only when students have their necessary materials. Masked students and a parent can come into the school building on Monday afternoon to retrieve their books from the classroom. The process will be quick and safe, so please be sure you utilize the opportunity.
For those that will be returning to the classroom on Wednesday, please know that all Covid safety protocols will be in place and enforced. Students, teachers, and staff will be masked at all times, surfaces will be sanitized throughout the day, and movement throughout the building will be limited. Hand washing will occur at multiple times throughout the day with hand sanitizer being used in between these times. Students will be socially distanced in the classrooms and in the hallways.
Please be sure to speak with your children about the importance of following all safety precautions. I constantly remind my students to refrain from touching their face. Germs enter the body through the mouths, eyes, and noses, so keeping our hands away from our face will prevent or lessen the spread of Covid. Even freshly washed hands can have germs and bacteria present, so extra precaution goes a long way in keeping safe.
attend our monthly faculty meeting. Friday is also a pajama Dollar Dress Down Day! After a crazy start to the new year, we can all enjoy coming to school at the end of the week in our cozy comfy pjs!
surgery was major, but a complete success. His recovery is slow, but without complication. I am so grateful that I can be with him during these first six weeks of recovery. I’ve learned that nursing is a very hard job, but we are managing, and more importantly, we are learning a whole new level of patience with each other! Lol
This will be a very short week at school….Just two and one half days that can seem like some of the longest days of the year for teachers! Thanks to Mrs. Powers and Mrs. Keating for keeping us on track with our curriculum, concert practices and schedules, ongoing projects, and general merriment! Both teachers are enjoying their time in 4B and share my opinion of what a great class we have this year. The students are working hard and their behavior has been very good. They are excited, but managing to follow the rules.
literature response packets and the Advent booklet are all due to be handed in on Wednesday before Christmas break. I hope everyone has been able to manage their time and workload to get these projects finished. I want nothing more than to send your children home with nothing to do over Christmas break but eat, drink, and be merry!
is such a treat and one that we have missed over the past two years. The students and adults all love the show and it is the perfect way to lead us off into our Christmas celebrations. Our classroom Christmas parties will begin at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday following the Bowman show. Mrs. Lyons has a fun filled party planned with lots of goodies, games, and activities. I’m sure everyone will have a great time.
wishes for my husband’s surgery and recovery. As I write this blog post, I’m waiting for a call that tells me when to pick him up today and bring him home! He has quite a road of recovery ahead of him, but he is doing well. God is so good…..He came through the surgery perfectly and despite a few bumps in the road, he is recovering without complications. We are so very grateful to the army of prayer warriors that surround us!
I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with good health, happiness, and peace. Stay well and healthy over your much deserved break from school. I miss the children so much and cannot wait to see them again at the end of January. I thank you all for your support and understanding of my need to be with my husband. We are truly blessed to be a part of such a loving and caring community.
This week will be a busy one. Mrs. Powers and Mrs. Keating will be keeping the students on track with their in-class projects and tests throughout the week. They will also be juggling specials and concert rehearsals. I have no worries with both of them in charge. The students are in good hands.
Im sure by now you have picked out your child’s special outfit for this week’s Christmas concert. After Covid cancelled last year’s event, it’s awesome to be able to come together to celebrate the season. Please refer to the email that was sent out about clothing and schedules.
On Monday, we will begin reading the novel, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson. I LOVE this book. It is a very short novel…only seven chapters, but it is filled with the rambunctious shenanigans of six of the most unruly and unsupervised children ever. The novel was written in 1972 and clearly displays how very different life, especially childhood was before the age of electronics and technology. Mothers were all home making dinner and cleaning the house while all the fathers went to work, except if you were a Herdman. They were basically on their own with no one to teach them right from wrong.
reading for the second marking period. I’m allowing plenty of time for the students to work on the packet in school, but as we get close to the Christmas break, I may send it home over the weekend of December 17th if it looks like your child needs some extra time. I don’t want anyone to have to worry about completing it over the break.
Wednesday of this week is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and school will be closed. This will be a nice break in the week for you to take a deep breath and regroup. I will give the students the option of taking their Best Christmas Pageant Ever folder, or their Advent booklet home if it seems like they need some extra time, but this will not be a mandatory homework assignment. It may be a good idea to have your child bring the projects home so that you can assess their progress and see if they will need time on the weekend to get caught up. Both projects will be due on December 22nd before we leave for break. Please let me know if your child is struggling in any way.
Last Friday, the class collaborated on planning a Thanksgiving feast for a family in need. They came up with very good ideas of what we could put together in a basket to help this family have a blessed Thanksgiving dinner with their loved ones. I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of healthy food they suggested….Corn, green beans, black beans, and peas were high on their list, as well as mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes. I had to remind them that dessert is an important part of every Thanksgiving! Even then, they couldn’t decide between apple or pumpkin pie!
p.m. I’m so excited to see how many students are planning to attend. The sandwich making project is always one of our most popular Pipers activities. Seeing the students so excited and happy to feed those in need is truly heartwarming. Just a reminder that students need to be picked up from the front of the school promptly at 4:00 p.m. It seems that most of the intermediate teachers have tight after school schedules this week, so your promptness is greatly appreciated.
On Monday and Tuesday of next week, we will be meeting for our parent/teacher conferences. I appreciate everyone signing up so quickly. I have a really tight schedule on Monday morning and again on Tuesday evening, so please let me know if your schedule changes in anyway. Feel free to text me if you need to cancel, reschedule, or may be a little late. I will do all that I can to stay on schedule and offer you an alternate appointment if necessary. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to sit down and discuss your child’s progress.
Now that the parade is done, it’s time to focus on the end of the marking period. There is always a flurry of activity surrounding the close of a quarter, and this week will be no exception. There is a test scheduled every day from Tuesday through Friday. I apologize for that crunch, but we are doing the best we can to get everything wrapped up.
collected and assessed on Friday, 11/12. The New Jersey packet tests and the NJ packet itself will be sent home as soon as I finish grading them. Be on the lookout next week.
Our class will be busy preparing our Thanksgiving baskets this week that will be donated to a family in need in our local community. The basket includes everything needed to prepare a Thanksgiving feast! We will spend a religion period planning what should be included in the basket. I write the food items down on paper and put them in a basket. Students choose from the basket which identifies what item they will bring in for the collection. Thank you for your support of this project. It is a long standing and heartfelt project dating all the way back to the days of St. Peter Celestine School.
decorations to make the basket a very special gift. Thanks to Mrs. Lyons for her donation of the basket. She is a brave volunteer that has agreed to take on the role of room parent for class 4B this year. Thank you so much, Mrs. Lyons!
The fourth grades are also planning the November 3rd Mass, which includes selection of the readings, Gospel, music, program art, and gift bearers. This is a very special way to fully involve the children in the liturgy. I hope that you are able to come and share in this very special Mass. All parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles as well as dear friends are invited to attend. Hope to see you there!
usual, it will be filled with lots of academics, but even a few fun things. The Scholastic Book Fair is being held this week, and the students are buzzing with excitement about the books being offered this year. Please refer to the handouts sent home earlier this week for information on how to create an online wallet for your child if you are planning to have them purchase books. No cash will be accepted, so it is imperative that your e-wallet is set up prior to our visit, which is scheduled for Wednesday, November 3rd from 1:50-2:40 p.m. (Nice way to end our very busy morning!)
October 22, 2021
In math, students are learning the relationship between addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. I hope that the children have been coming home to share their new, very impressive mathematical vocabulary. Additive comparison, multiplicative comparison, commutative property of multiplication, and the associative property of multiplication are just a few of the new terms we have been learning. Students are practicing communicating the mathematical processes that we are learning, and this vocabulary is very important for them to use correctly. Practicing at home is a very good way for them to get used to this. Ask them what these terms mean….I’m sure you’ll be impressed!
annual contest. Students are challenged to write a story that combines a ridiculous combination of topics. The clumsy baseball, the stinky superhero, and the magical rabbit are just some of the crazy combinations that are suggested from the online combo generator. The stories will have a beginning, a middle, and an end, and will make sense even though the topics are ridiculous. Stories must be a total of 100 words exactly. The prize for the winning entry is a pile of books as tall as the publisher of the magazine! This should be a very fun writing project.
For our spelling and vocabulary words, we are going to use the ten words in Unit 1, Lesson 3 of Word Wisdom, plus ten additional words from our other curriculum subject areas. Students will be responsible for learning the spelling, definitions, parts of speech, and synonyms/antonyms for each of the ten words in lesson 3, as well as the spelling of the additional ten words added to this list. We will be making flashcards in school to help us organize the information needed for the assessment so students can experience how effective this study technique can be in helping them to learn the material. You should see them using these cards at home to study.
cover common and proper nouns, singular and plural nouns, and possessive nouns. We will have a formal assessment at the end of this unit. The date will be announced as we get close to finishing up the material.
Our saint parade will take place at the November 3rd school liturgy, so I hope the students have a good idea of what they will use for their costume. Just a reminder that students are to come to school on November 3rd wearing their saint costume over their school uniform. Please send in a bag that your student can use to put their costume in after they take it off. No one will be allowed to use the restroom to change into their school uniform. Please be sure that their saint costume can be worn over their uniform. The liturgy begins at 9:30 a.m. Please join us, if you are able.
October 17, 2021
We’re moving onto multiplication and division in math, so I hope the students are practicing their multiplication facts daily. Learning the algorithms is hard enough, but if a student is weak in their math facts, the struggle is real. We will continue to test the math facts each Friday, so I’m able to keep on top of those who need more practice. This has to be done at home since we do not have the time allotted for consistent daily practice in the classroom. Thank you for encouraging your child to do this.
provides a very comprehensive package that outlines the contest, helps students organize their thoughts, and takes us through the writing process, step by step. This year’s contest is about ridiculous writings. In one hundred words exactly, students will be challenged to write a crazy story combining two ridiculous subjects, such as teachers and dinosaurs, baseball players and submarines, or even parents and pickles! The combinations are endless as we will use an online combo generator to come up with our crazy pairs. This is always a fun contest, and we have achieved great success in the past.
complete the packets, and they are learning how to find the information they need from a variety of resources. We will have a NJ final test next week (week of 10/25), and a landform test in social studies the following week. More information on these tests will follow in next week’s blog. For now, completion and review of the packets are the best tools for preparing for the assessments.
diocese can attend our fall inservice. These are valuable sessions that aid in professional development and new ideas. We all wish we could have the day off too, but the inservices are time well spent.
Mrs. Friebis, who is new to fifth grade this year, has taken over the daily care of Turbo. She is very fond of him and visited frequently, so she is comfortable handling him. The fifth grade class is thoroughly enjoying having the hedgehog in their room, and I’m sure Turbo is enjoying his mini-vacation! He’s in good hands. Mrs. Friebis is planning to take Turbo home with her on the weekends, so he is going to be having the time of his life! We will all be so glad to see him again when we return to school.
quarantine. Individual school pictures will be taken on Tuesday, October 19th, so we won’t have to worry about rescheduling them. An envelope came home with each child on Wednesday. Please fill it out, even if you are not planning to purchase a photo. All students will have their picture taken.
Last week in religion, we discussed the changing leaves on all of the trees around us. The students were surprised to learn that the leaves don’t actually change color in the fall….They have actually been red, orange, yellow, and brown since they developed in the spring. When they use chlorophyll to make their food in the process of photosynthesis, the green substance colors the leaves, hiding their true colors. Only when the trees begin to enter a state of hibernation do the vivid colors of autumn emerge. They aren’t changing colors….They are revealing who they’ve been all along!
wonderful plan to keep hidden all the beautiful colors of the leaves only to reveal them right before they die. I marvel at God’s plan for the world, and hope that the students begin to fully appreciate the wonders of creation. What a perfect world it would be if we just let God’s plan evolve.
We are finishing up our September edition of Storyworks magazine with a paired text on climbing Mount Everest. The beginning of school can often feel like we are mountain climbing as we acclimate to the routines and expectations of a new grade level, so this story will give us hope! We will continue to use the google slide and reading comprehension activities provided with the story, and we will end each unit/story with an online assessment. There is really no need to prepare for the reading assessments at home. By the time we take the assessment, we have read the story multiple times, completed many comprehension activities, watched short videos about the subject of the stories that aid in comprehension, and have had many class discussions related to the topic of the article. The students are well prepared for the online quiz.
explore various landforms in the United States, focusing on their features, locations, and how they form. Each student will be making a booklet to organize their research. All of this will be done in class, so no need to prepare anything at home. I do hope your child is coming home excited to learn about the vast and varied landscapes in our country. We will be pulling in our New Jersey lesson in social studies as students will be required to find where various landforms can be found in our state.
Grammar and writing skills are being assessed on a daily basis, but students recently completed an assignment where they wrote 12 sentences where they followed instructions on what type of sentence it should be (declarative, interrogative, exclamatory, and interrogative), identify the simple subject and simple predicates, and be responsible for proper punctuation and capitalization. This assessment will be coming home for your signature. Please take a look at it to get an idea of where your child’s skills are at this point in the year so you can compare their growth as we move through fourth grade and develop communication skills.
is always a welcome schedule that allows us to focus on academics both at home and at school. Please contact me whenever you have any questions or concerns, and when you have good news to share! Have a wonderful week ahead and enjoy the beauty of autumn that surrounds us!
Our second spelling list was given out last week and our test on this list will be given on Tuesday, October 5th. While we practice spelling strategies for these words in class, the students need to practice them at home for ten minutes each night. We are awaiting our Word Wisdom books to begin our vocabulary lessons, but in the meantime, our science and social studies vocabulary will be used for assessment in this subject area.
supplemental resources that enhance reading comprehension skills. We tested our Back to Normal? story last week using the online test, and the students did well. Test taking skills are still developing at this level, so we will be reviewing strategies for answering multiple choice, fill in the blanks, and written response questions. This week’s story will focus on the efforts of rescue boats to evacuate people from New York City on September 11, 2001. The videos and interviews available online really bring the story to life.
Thank you to everyone that sent in magazines for our religion collage project. The students did an awesome job of finding a variety of pictures representing God’s gifts to us in His creation of the world. They really put a lot of thought into choosing their images and in how they wanted to display them. They are currently hanging in the hallway, but they will be coming home to you shortly. I’m sure you will enjoy seeing them. Be sure to ask your child the meaning behind each picture….it really makes the collage so meaningful.
images, online videos, and good, old fashioned flash cards help students fully understand the meaning of the words. I’m sure they will be well prepared for this assessment.
Don’t forget that this Friday, October 1st is a half day with dismissal at 12:30 p.m. so that teachers can gather for our monthly faculty meeting. Friday is also a Dollar Dress Down…Students are encouraged to bring in more than one dollar to support the charity for the month. Stewardship is a big part of our identity at RCS, and the Dollar Dress Down Days are a good way for students to practice sharing their time, talent, and treasures. When we encourage the students to donate more than a dollar for the privilege of dressing down, we emphasize that the money should be coming from their own resources or efforts to earn a dollar to contribute to the event. When they experience the joy that comes from helping those in need, they truly experience our call to stewardship.
I hope you found the information in the Back to School Night packet helpful. Please let me know if you have any questions, either now or throughout the year. As I mentioned in the packet, text and email are my preferred method of communication. If you need to speak to me personally, please call the office and leave a message with Mrs. Bianco and I will call you back as soon as possible.
asses this unit in class later next week and will then move on to the properties of addition and subtraction. These two units go quickly as they are mostly review. Assessments are given in class using various formats that include workbook pages, dictated quizzes, and formal math tests. I give the workbook pages without notice, but you will have a week’s notice for all quizzes and tests. Next Friday, we will be testing the 6 and 7 times tables, so students started working with these facts after our quiz on the 3 and 4 times tables.
We will have a science unit C, lesson 1 vocabulary quiz on Tuesday, 9/28…..The students have ten words that they have defined for this unit in their science copybooks. The quiz will focus on the definitions noted in the copybook, but not the spelling of these words.
story of creation and God’s gifts to us on earth. We will be making a collage of God’s creation and the creatures and plants found on earth. If you have any extra magazines that you could send in, we can use them. I have some new ones, a lot of picked over old magazines, and some other resources, but it’s always nice to have some fresh material. Thanks for sending anything in that you can contribute.
Hot lunch begins on Monday, 9/20. Lunch orders were submitted online, so anyone that did not meet the deadline will have to continue to bring a snack and drink and a lunch and drink to school each day. Students will be able to buy a drink, snack, and ice cream daily during their lunch period. Prices and choices can be found online.
Whelihans on Wednesday evening. Proceeds from the sale of food and drink purchased in the dining room of PJ’s will be donated to our school. This is always a fun way to socialize with other RCS families and to get a night off from dinner duty at home!
which student will take him home the following weekend. I choose the name on Friday so that the student can spend the week prior to their visit learning how to take care of Turbo at home. If you would prefer not to take Turbo home, no worries! I totally understand that bringing a hedgehog into the house for a weekend may not be something everyone wants to do! Feel free to decline an invitation, or let me know ahead of time that you prefer to not participate in the weekend visits and I’ll be sure to take your child’s name out of the drawing.
Broadway Kids is back this year and the children are very excited. Information and registration forms can be found in the green envelope on the RCS website. The first rehearsal will be held on Friday, 9/24 after school. Please contact Mrs. Lauria with any questions.
This week in school, we will begin our curriculum instruction. We are going to follow our schedule as closely as possible and work out any kinks that occur. Fingers crossed that our new music teacher is hired before specials start on September 20th. As it stands right now, we have music on Monday, art on Tuesday, STEM and Library on Wednesday, Spanish on Thursday, and gym on Friday.
RCS. This is a voluntary program where students are pulled from class once per week for a 30 minute lesson on the instrument of their choice. There is a fee for this service. If your child intends to participate, there is a parent meeting on Monday evening. Please see the brochure that was sent home with students on Friday for more specific information.
Pre-K through five. The festivities begin at 6:00 p.m. with parents meeting in the gym. Mrs. Webb will dismiss parents to the classroom after a brief meeting. Teachers will be holding two half hour sessions to go over our classroom curriculum and to answer any questions you may have. I look forward to meeting with you.
17th. Information on which movies are playing and what time they will be shown can be found on the RCS website under the Green Envelope. It should be a nice way to reconnect with old friends and make some new ones.
Thank you to everyone that returned their required forms and sent in their supply money. The response has been great. If you haven’t yet sent yours in, please do so by Monday. I have to hold all forms until I have everyone, and the office is requesting they be sent down by Tuesday, September 14th.
As you know, school begins on Tuesday, September 7th, which will be a half day with dismissal at 12:30 p.m. The rest of the week will be full days, with dismissal at 2:40 p.m. Students should come to school with a snack and a drink on Tuesday, and a snack, drink, and lunch on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of the first week since the hot lunch program will not begin until the week of September 20th. The online ordering for hot lunch for the month of September is now open. You can access the menu and ordering page through the RCS school website.
feel free to send them in additional bags. School aides will be available at the door to help students needing assistance. All supplies that were ordered through school will be brought to our classroom on the first day. Parents will forward payment for these materials to the school office. If you have any difficulty purchasing your supplies, please let me know and I will be glad to help you. I realize that the Clorox and Lysol wipes are in short supplies at area stores, so if you cannot locate them right now, you can send them in when they become available.
Ear buds or headphones are vital supplies this year since we do a lot of work on Google Classroom and on our chromebooks. Please remember to send your child to school with a listening device on the first day. Students will be able to keep their headphones or ear buds in school so they have them each day. Please also remember to bring in your 
reminder, the warm weather uniform consists of RCS jumpers or navy shorts with white short sleeve polo tops, navy blue knee socks, and navy or black uniform shoes for girls. Boys can wear navy blue shorts or long pants with a belt, an RCS logo white polo, navy blue socks, and black or navy blue uniform shoes. The RCS warm weather gym uniform consists of RCS logo green shorts, yellow logo tee shirt, white socks, and sneakers. Students will normally wear their gym uniform to school on Tuesdays, but since the first day of school falls on a Tuesday this year, we ask that students wear their regular school uniform on that day.
Please check for important information on the school website, especially the page with all the back to school forms that need to be filled out. This is the worst part of going back to school….So many forms! Teachers hold all forms until the class total is received before sending them to the office, so please be sure to fill them out and send them in as soon as you can. If you need any help locating them, let me know and I will guide you to the link.
Sunday. I try to include current events happening in class, post pictures of students at work and play, and give weekly homework and test alerts. I’m a writer by craft, so I can be long winded (as you can see here!), so please let me know what you would like to see included on the blog! I will email a link to you each time an update has been posted.
Please feel free to contact me anytime you have a question or have good news to share. I prefer email and text because I can get back to you quickly. I have to warn you….I’m not good with phone calls. It’s never convenient to make a phone call during the day, and by the time I remember to get back to you after school, it’s usually 10:00 p.m. and too late to call. I can respond to text messages and emails during lunch and prep periods, and before or after school as well. My cell phone number is: 856-220-4755 for texting. If you need to call me, I prefer you use the school phone system….Mrs. Bianco is AWESOME at getting messages to the teachers.