Mrs. Nitsche's Blog

I hope you had a wonderful weekend.  It was an absolutely perfect Mother’s Day.  Friday there will be no school for the kids while the teachers plan for next year.   Enjoy the long weekend.

This week in phonics we will work on homonyms and review antonyms and synonyms.  The test on adverbs will be tomorrow.  The test will be on adverbs and will include the following:  being able to pick out the adverb in a sentence;  being able to tell what question the adverb answers – when, where, or how;  how to write a book title correctly – capitalization and underlining;  using the suffixes – ful and less; being able to add adverbs to a sentence correctly.  Part II will be on Wednesday and will be short answers.  The story this week in reading is Stone Soup  (a play) by The Children’s Television Workshop.

In Math we are learning that multiplication is just a faster way to do addition and that arrays are a great way to picture multiplication problems.   Over the summer, it might not be a bad idea to start memorizing the multiplication facts with your child to get a jump start on third grade.   (Can you believe I just said “third grade”?)  In social studies we will discuss landmarks and artifacts.  In religion we will discuss the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Have a great week.

WOW! What a beautiful celebration on Saturday!   The kids did a wonderful job.   All their hard work and conscientious effort sure paid off. Now we’re on to the end of the year activities.   This Friday, we will honor Mary as the 8^th grader host May Crowning in the church as 11:00 a.m.  For that reason it will be a half day on Friday.

In English we are continuing to work on adverbs and in phonics we will finish suffixes and begin to discuss prefixes such as re and un. The story in reading this week is Lemonade for Sale which is an Accelerated Reader selection.

In math we will finish fractions and probability and will have the unit test on Monday or Tuesday of next week.   In social studies we are working on recalling and retelling family history, the diversity that is part of the history of the United States, and the life of Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic astronaut.   In religion we will discuss the examples of love shown by Jesus and learn about the life of Fr. Damian.

Don’t forget Mathletics.  We are still competing for the most point in a homeroom. 

Have a great week.

We are in the final countdown for what I am sure will be a busy week at your homes, and I know will be a busy week in school.   You can sense the excitement in the air as we get closer and closer to the big day on Saturday.

In English we will complete the unit on letter writing and begin the final grammar unit on adverbs (YAY!) and in phonics we will continue working on suffixes.   We will not have a story this week because we will have the unit reading test.   Everyone has completed the accelerated reader assignment for April.

In Math we are working on fractions and fractions as part of a whole.   This is a great week to keep your second grader busy with Mathletics so that they can win an  I- pad for your family.   Don’t forget that the money and shirt orders need to be in by Monday, April 30^th.  This might get lost with all the activity surrounding Communion.

Have a great week and try and stay calm.

I hope you had a wonderful Easter break, but now we are literally counting the days until First Communion.   A cd with the music for Communion will be going home soon.  Please have your children listen to it in the car or wherever they might have a cd player so that they will become familiar with the music.  

This week in English we will begin the unit on letter writing.   We have talked about how important it is to write letters thanking people for Communion gifts so this is a timely unit.   In phonics we are starting the unit on suffixes, prefixes, synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms.  The story this week in reading is Let’s Go Dinosaur Tracking! and unfortunately, it is not an accelerated reader.   Because of Easter break several students are behind in their reading.   Please encourage them to get their reading done before next week.   Thanks for your help.

In Math we are continuing the chapter on geometry – discussing symmetry and in social studies we are discussing family history.  

Please encourage your child to get sponsors for the Mathathon.   There are some great individual prizes.

Friday is an out of uniform day with $1.00 benefitting Mr. Rick Rice who is the father of Fisher graduates.

Have a great week.

Don’t forget that there will be a test on  pronouns tomorrow April 3^rd. Part II will be on Wednesday, April 4^th.

The test will cover pages 226-245.  It will include the following things:

• Picking out the pronoun in a sentence
• Replace nouns with pronouns
• Make sure the subject pronoun agrees with the verb
• Correct spelling of contractions
• Choosing the correct homophone
• Writing sentence with pronouns

Good luck with studying! 

Have a great spring break.  HAPPY EASTER!

It certainly has cooled off a bit.   The children seem to have a lot more energy.   I hope you had a great weekend.

This week in phonics we will complete the chapter on endings which include adding “s” or “es”, dropping the “e” before adding the ending, changing the “y” to an “I” before adding the ending, and doubling the final consonant in a short vowel word before adding the ending.   In English we will complete the short chapter on pronouns and review for our chapter test next Tuesday and Wednesday.  In Reading the story is Down in the Sea: The Jellyfish by Patricia Kite, a non-fiction story that is also an
Accelerated Reader.   With the addition of 140,000 new titles most of the books your child will read are Accelerated Readers.

In Math we will wrap up the chapter on measurement with a short quiz tomorrow.   We will begin the chapter on geometry.  In social studies we will begin the chapter on people and places in history.  We are continuing to work on our Joy Joy books and Stations of the Cross in religion.   You may return you Lenten boxes at any time.

Our class will go to the Book Fair on Tuesday at 1:30.   Please continue to work on the Mathletics.   That program will be used to gather points for prizes during the soon to come Mathathon.

I hope everyone has a terrific Easter and a well deserved spring break.

Belated Happy St. Patrick’s Day and Happy St. Joseph Day today!  Spring/summer is definitely in the air.  I hope you had a great weekend.

This week we will continue to work on pronouns in English and adding endings to words in phonics.   We will be working on dropping the “e” before adding the ending, doubling the consonant in a short vowel word before adding the ending and the number of syllables in a word.   In Reading the main story is Riding  the Ferry with Captain Cruz by Alice K. Flanagan,  which is an Accelerated Reader.   With the new program that we have started, you can check books yourself by visiting arbookfind.com to see if they are AR books.

In math we will explore pounds, cups, pints, and quarts.  Don’t forget the social studies test is Wednesday and part II will be on Thursday.   In religion we are continuing to discuss the parts of the Mass and the Stations of the Cross.

Friday is out of uniform with $1.00 to buy books for our Lenten charities and Sunday is the Grandparent’s Mass at 10:00 a.m.

Have a great week.

Everyone is moving a little slower today after celebrating a “beautiful day in the Neighborhood.” 

This week in English we will begin pronouns and in phonics we will learn how to add endings to words such as s, es, ed, and ing.   We will also make sure that we know the rules for adding those endings.  The reading story this week is Going to Town, adapted from Laura Ingalls Wilder (Little House of the Prairie fame).

In Math we will be discussing measurement. I have noticed that when children measure things they begin with the number 1 rather that the edge of the measuring tool.   If you are working at home with them on this please make sure they put the edge of the ruler, etc. at the edge of the item being measured.  Also, if the need to move their rulers, etc. please have them hold the spot with their pointer fingers.

This week in social studies we will discuss famous African Americans including Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and Jackie Robinson.  The test is next Wednesday, March 21^st.

In Religion we have begun an in depth look at the Mass with our Joy, Joy books.  We will also be discussing the Stations of the Cross.

Friday everyone can wear a touch of green in honor of St. Patrick’s Day.

Have a great week.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend.   It seems like spring is right around the corner.  

This week in English we will take a break from grammar and work on writing descriptive paragraphs – now that we know how to use adjectives.   In phonics we will work on common abbreviations and making words plural that end in “y” or “f”, and irregular plural nouns.  The story this week is an accelerated reader story – Man on the Moon by Anastasia Suen.

In Math we will complete the unit on 3-digit addition and subtraction with and without regrouping.  The test will probably be on Friday.  In social studies we will look at the explorations of Lewis and Clark and we will learn how to read a timeline.   We will make a timeline of our own lives.  This week in religion we will continue to discuss the Mass parts.

Finally, Wednesday is special lunch.

Have a great week.

This week is the first full week of Lent.   I think we are off to a great start on our Lenten promises.

This week we will have our test on adjectives on Thursday, March 1^st.   Part II will be on Friday with a short answer quiz.   In phonics we are working on contractions.   It is important that the children know how to spell the contractions.   Our unit reading test is this week.   Please encourage your child to take their time on this test.

In Math we are working on numbers to 1000 and adding two 3-digit numbers with or without regrouping. In social studies we are explaining the importance of Independence Day and discussing the customs associated with the holiday.   We are also working on stories about some very interesting leprechauns.  In religion we are discussing our own needs and the needs of others.

Have a great week.