Summer Fun

I hope each and every one of you are enjoying your summer. The next days are promised as TRUE summer days as the weather heats up. Enjoy them……..school is just around the corner.

I want to wish all of you success in 6th grade this coming school year. I ask that you continue to work as hard as you did in 5th grade, remembering what you learned in order to achieve success at the next level of your educational journey.

Please don’t be a stranger and make sure you pop in to say hello! I want to hear about your summer fun.

Have a great rest of the summer and an awesome school year.

Ms. Reynolds

School’s Out for Summer

WOW! What a great year. I left school around 3:30 today and the classroom looked bleak. Everything put away for the summer. Computers covered, desks and windowsills empty. Like closing shop for the summer.

I want to thank all of you for the blessings of teaching your children. You all should be proud as they worked hard to successfully complete 5th grade. I was impressed often by the joy of learning in their eyes and on their smiling faces, and it made me happy to be a part of such a great class.

I also want you to know how grateful I am for your continued support on the 5th grade journey. It is parents like you that make my year smooth sailing, fulfilling and successful.

Students should definately be reading and practicing math facts over the summer. Some ideas for 5th/6th grade books are: Number The Stars, The View From Saturday, Holes, Frindle, Chasing Red Bird, The Egypt Game, The Giver, Maniac McGhee, Phantom Toll Booth and Wringer are just a few.

Math practice should involve multiplication/division facts, fractions to include; equivalent, comparing, adding and subtracting with unlike denominators, multiplying, finding the common denominator and knowing common factors of numbers.

Enjoy your summer and any adventure you may take. Be safe and have fun.

Sincerely in Christ,

Ms. Reynolds

End of Year Important Events

Wow…..the final days of the school year are right around the corner. Students are becoming anxious now that the countdown is a one digit number. These last seven days are important as we are wrapping up and finalizing projects and tests. Students have started testing on the Preamble to the Constitution and the Queen of Heaven prayer. The students will have until Friday, June 11th on these two oral tests.

Students will also have a Sacrament test in Relgion which will cover the Seven Sacraments. Students should know the name and the importance of each one. We have also discussed the symbols of each Sacrament and the role they play. Students will have a Religion Test on Thursday the 10th of June.

In Social Studies we watched a few  documentaries on the Civil War from the History Channel. These documentaries covered the background of the war to include the purpose, important players and battles, and the outcome. They will have a test on the Civil War on Friday June 11th. Students will need to know the key players, the different groups participating, why they went to war and the outcome. We will take notes this week in preparation for this test.

Students in both reading classes are sharing their last book report. The students that have presented have done a great job. Look for these displayed in the hallway. One class is also doing Reader’s Theatre and are acting out different scences from the book.

I am in need of any volunteers who would like to help cover books. All text books must be covered and ready for the first day of school before we leave for summer vacation. If you are available please call me at school, send a note with your child or just catch me before or after school and let me know when you are available.

Field Day is on Tuesday at Sparks Stadium. Students spend the entire school day at the stadium competing in a variety of events. The teams compete in their families and everyone has a fun time. This is one of my favorite events of the year as it is so fun for me to watch all the students eagerly working toward a common goal. Winning Field Day!!  Remember to send a sack lunch with your child that day as there is no lunch at school on this day. Students should make sure they have plenty of water and sun screen. They are to wear their family shirt and athletic shorts. Please note that the shorts need to be appropriate length.

The graduation Mass will be held Thursday morning at 8:30 in the Church. All are welcome to attend and send off wishes for those leaving for the next   life journey.

We will have a class party on the last Tuesday of the school year. This will be in the afternoon. Mrs. Gardner will be organizing this and calling parents for help.

Thanks for your continued support.

Sincerely in Christ,

Ms. Reynolds

Pentecost Sunday

I thought it was spring time but this weather feels like winter!

The church was full of the Holy Spirit today with the color red donned by many. What an uplifting way to end the Easter Season.

Ms. Armbruster will be going with the 6th graders to camp this week, therefore I will be teaching  Math and Mrs. Fisler will be teaching Social Studies. All other schedules will remain the same.

Fun was had by all who attended the Ape Cave and Trail of Two Forests field trip. Thanks to all of you who drove and came along as a chaperone. It’s these trips that make the exploration of the beauty of nature more understandable. After taking this long trip your child should be able to answer some “WHY” questions such as; Why are their lines along the cave walls? Why does the cave have cracks along the walls and ceiling? Were these made from the cooling of the lava or the later shifting of the earth surrounding the cave? Why are the delicate formations that were once on the cave floor no longer their? Why did we sand on the floor of the cave?  Why are some tree molds vertical and others horizontal? How were these tree molds formed?

A worksheet was given to students that needs to be completed and turned in to Ms. Reynolds. If you childs was ruined by the wet climate we experienced, then I can certainly get them another.

In Religion we continue the study of the sacraments. Students have completed three of the seven thus far. We will test on these the second week of June. I am using a set of pictures,given to me by Sr. Liz, that are depicted through the eye of a Native American Artist. On the back of the card is an overview of the Sacrament and it’s meaning. Students will be tested on the Queen of Heaven prayer beginning this week. If they do not have their copy from earlier in the year, there is a tab on the blog where they can access this prayer.

We have finished our unit on Government in Social Studies. Students will have a test this Wednesday, May 26th on Chapter 9. This will include the branches of government, first 10 amendments and the people who were instrumental in the writing of the Constitution. A study guide will be given out on Monday along with their corrected chapter review in order to help them  prepare for this test. I am also requiring them to memorize the preamble to the constitution. I will begin testing them on this the week of June 1st.

Students in 5B finished reading the novel Number the Stars. They will have a test on the entire book on Thursday, May 27th. We will review this week for the test using games.  The book was filled with excitement and suspense as the Rosens and other Jews escaped German occupied Denmark during the Holocaust.

5A students are just about finished with Under the Blood Red Sun. They will also have a test on the book as soon as we finish. It is about a Japanese family living in Hawaii during the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Japanese families dealt with discrimination during this time, as the Americans didn’t know if the Japanese would support the USA or Japan. 

 Towards the end of the year I would like to show the 5th graders The Devil’s Arithmetic. The movie is about a family with an Aunt who survived the Holocaust and it tells her story. The movie is not rated and therefore appropriate for this class. I will send a note home prior to showing the movie so that I have 100% parent permission.

Spirit week is just around the corner. Do you have the print out of activities taking place this week on your refrigerator? It was sent home in the Thursday folder. If you don’t have this you might find it on the school website and on the board outside the social hall at the Puyallup campus.

Once again thanks for your continued support. I have so enjoyed teaching your children this year. I can’t believe it is almost over. They are a wonderful group of kids! Sincerely in Christ,

Ms. Reynolds

May Updates

Good day to all of you.  We celebrated Mary at  May Crowning this morning.  The Mass was beautiful!  Third graders did an awesome job preparing and presenting the Liturgy. The 8th graders and others who crowned Mary all did a great job. This is one of my favorite times of the year!

School is quickly coming to an end and this time is truly a challenge for teachers and students. The weather is beautiful and we all tend to become really restless and we teachers always have many loose ends to tie up before sending students off to summer vacation. Your support at this time is insurmountable.

In Religion we are finishing up the year with the study of  the Seven Sacraments. Students are making a Sacrament booklet. They will have a test on these  Wednesday, June 4th.  The prayer test for the Queen of Heaven is coming up on Thursday, May 27th. This prayer is on the class blog and students were also given a sheet with the prayer on it.

In Social Studies we are almost finished with the chapter on the New Nation which includes the time period from the Revolutionary war through the writing of the Constitution. We will conclude this chapter on Monday, May 17th and test on Monday, May 24th. Social Studies will conclude with a DVD series on the Civil War.

In Reading, one class is almost finished with the novel Number the Stars. The other class will take about a week longer finishing Under the Blood Sun. We will culminate in a short study of plays. I want to have a Reader’s Theatre where the students will be the actors in the story.

Next Tuesday the 5th graders will be going to Ape Cave. A letter was sent home with the field trip form that gives important details regarding what the students should wear and bring along. They are allowed to bring electronics for the car ride, but will have a worksheet that relates to each place we visit. The students will turn these in the Wednesday after the trip. I will also give a copy to the chaperones so they can also see what is expected of the group.

Have a great weekend!