Mrs. Nitsche's Blog

I hope you survived the blizzard of ’12 and that the snowfall we got on Friday is the most snow we will get all of this year.  Tomorrow is the English test and will include: being able to pick out the verb in a sentence, choosing the correct form of regular and irregular verbs, spelling contractions correctly, being able to pick out time-order words, being able to decide which sentence comes first, second, etc. and being able to combine sentences using and.  Thanks for all your help with studying for the test.  Part II will be on Wednesday with a short answer format.  We will also wrap up the phonics unit on r-controlled words.  The story this week in reading  is a Native American folktale –  The Great Ball Game retold by Joseph Bruchac.  

In Math we will complete the chapter on double digit addition with and without regrouping. The Mathletics results are great.   Keep up the good work.    In social studies we have talked about the three levels of government and will discuss voting ( a timely topic) and presidential treasures found in the Smithsonian Institution.  We will also discuss the roles of Thurgood Marshall and Susan B. Anthony.

 Reconciliation is Wednesday night at 7:30 .    See you then. 

I hope all of you can stop in for Open House after the 10:00 Mass on Sunday.   The children have been busy getting things together so that you can see their work.

Have a great week!

I hope you had a nice 3- day weekend.  Four day weeks are very nice!  This week in English we will complete the chapter on verbs and begin to review for our test next Tuesday which includes: regular and irregular verbs, spelling contractions, time-order words, and combining sentences.  In phonics we will complete r-controlled words that contain ar, er, ir, or, and ur.  Our Unit 3 reading test is this week.

In math we are continuing to explain the process of adding two-digit numbers with and without regrouping.  It is important that the child add the ones first and then the tens.  If you are helping them at home, also make sure that they show the one ten that has been added to the tens column.  Common mistakes include adding the tens first and then the ones and forgetting to add the ten that has been regrouped into the tens column.

In social studies we will begin to discuss the state and federal governments and the various parts of each level.   In religion we will be completing our Making Things Right Book and we will discuss what to expect on the evening of Reconciliation.  We have also begun cursive and your child will usually have cursive homework to practice every night but Friday.  

Don’t forget about Mathletics.

Sunday is Father-Child Mass and Breakfast.

Have a great week.

Happy New Year!  I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year.   It’s hard getting back into the swing of things and the weather is making it feel like spring.

In English we are continuing to discuss irregular verbs and in phonics we are completing digraphs and will begin working on ar and or words.  The reading stories this week are A Good Laugh for Cookie by Deborah Eaton and Moonbear’s Pet by Frank Asch which is an accelerated reading book.  Next week is the unit reading test.

In Math we will begin the unit on two-digit addition with regrouping.  Also, don’t forget about the requirement for Mathletics.  We are counting the points received as a quiz i.e. 900 points equals a 9/10 for a quiz grade.  If your child gets more than 1000 points during the week the grade will be 11/10.  If this is a problem just drop me a note and we will see what can be done.

We are starting the new unit in social studies on the levels of government – local, state and federal governments.  This week we will focus on local government.  Be sure to ask your child about the letters we wrote to Mayor Emanuel regarding the city’s plan to charge charitable institutions for water.  They were really interesting!

Don ‘t forget Reconciliation is January 25^th at 7:30.  Also, your child needs 50 cotton balls for a special project in Religion.

This week is special lunch on Wednesday.  Rosario’s is on the menu.

Have a great week.

Thanks for all your help in making 2011 a fantastic year.

I would like to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and happy New Year.

See you next year!

It’s really a very busy time of the year.  We’re practicing for the Christmas Eve gospel, wrapping gifts and creating beautiful cards.   While we are doing all these things we are keeping up with English, phonics, reading, etc.

This week in English we are continuing to review in our grammar books concentrating on nouns and verbs, and in phonics we are introducing digraphs such as kn, wr, ch, sh, th, wh, and ck.  The stories this week are New Best Friends by Judy Nayer and Wanted: best Friend by A.M. Monson. 

In Math we are working on elapsed time, solving problems using information from a table, and time in 5 minute intervals.  Please practice at home telling time in 5 minute intervals.  Our test in social studies will be next Tuesday and will include the following things:

Vocabulary – p. 100-101

Transportation that links countries – p. 135

Needs and wants – p. 104-107

Names of service workers – p. 114-115

Income – p. 104

Using a compass rose – p. 124

Making a prediction

Steps in decision-making process – p. 108-109

We will also have a quiz on the social studies vocabulary words on Monday. In religion we are discussing the Nativity story, talking about Advent, and working on our Making Things Right book in preparation for Reconciliation which will be here before you know it.

Thanks so much for your generous gifts for Ms. Malone.  I was able to fill a huge gift basket with “Teacher Things”.   She will be off to a great start as she begins her teaching career.

Have a great week.

It was really nice having a three day weekend.  It was a great time to get started on the old Christmas shopping.  This week we will have special lunch on Wednesday (McDonald’s) and we will attend Mass as a school at 10:00 on Thursday in honor of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.   We have also started collecting for our Sacks for Santa drive.   Anything you can do would be appreciated.  Also, if you have not yet done so could you send a roll of toilet paper to school for a secret project we are working on!

In English we will continue to work on a grammar review of verbs and nouns and in phonics we are working on compound words and  the sound of “y” and “le”.  The stories in reading this week are The Storykeeper by Carmen Tafolia and People, People, Everywhere! By Nancy Van Laan.

In Math we will finish our unit on money.  Determining change and the fewest coins possible are skills that continue to give some children problems.   It helps if they practice at home exchanging, for example, 2 dimes and a nickel for 1 quarter.  We will also begin to explore time to the hour and half hour.  Once again anything that you can do to help practice this skill at home would be appreciated.   Don’t forget about Mathletics.  Some children consistently achieve over 1,000 points in a week.

In social studies we will distinguish between producing and consuming goods, practice using a compass rose, and learn about earning, spending, and saving money – a timely topic.  In religion we are continuing to work on our Making Things Right book.

Have a great week.

I hope you and your family had a terrific Thanksgiving.  It is a great holiday to pause and think about all the blessings that we have.  The next several weeks will be busy both in school, and I am sure, at home.  It is a wonderful time of the year.

In English we will work on reviewing grammar concentrating on nouns and verbs and in phonics we will start the next unit and begin to work on breaking words into syllables and compound words.  The stories this week in reading are:  How I Beat the Giants by Anne Phillips and Play Ball by Stephen Krensky. This week the children can begin reading their 4 required books for Accelerated Reading.

In Math we will continue to work on counting money.  Remember it is helpful if the children memorize that 1 quarter is .25, 2 quarters are .50, 3 quarters are .75, and 4 quarters are 1 dollar.  Practicing counting with real change at home also helps.  We will also work on making change.

I hope that Mathletics is providing your child with some new and interesting learning experiences while they are having fun.  If you notice, Level 2 Live Mathletics has more challenging math facts.  Now would be a good time to memorize both the addition and subtraction facts to 18 (i.e. 17-8=9, 9 + 9 = 18 etc.).  If it seems like an overwhelming task it might help just to work on fact families until your child has that group memorized.  This should help them to gain more points in their quest to enhance their Avitars.

Thanks for your help with this task that I know can be tedious.

In social studies we are working on the steps in decision making and the services that workers provide in our community.

We have a lot going on in Religion right now.  We are discussing the Nativity Story on a daily basis and making a booklet to go along with the story.  We are also discussing the importance of the Season of Advent.  We are still continuing to work on our Reconciliation books.

Have a great week.

I’d like to wish you and your families a wonderful Thanksgiving.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Wow!  Could the Bears possibly make it to the Super Bowl?  Or is that a little premature?  I hope you had a wonderful weekend.   This starts the 2^nd trimester.  It’s funny how time flies when you are having fun.   Thursday is National Family Reading Day and we will have a stop, drop and read time during the day.  Please make sure your child has a book to read in class that day.  Also, SAVE THE DATE – Reconciliation has been scheduled for Wednesday, January 25^th.

This week in phonics we will continue to work on beginning and ending consonant blends.  In English we have completed the chapter on paragraph writing and will begin the chapter on verbs.   We will have the unit 2 reading test this week. 

In Math we will complete the chapter on place value to 100 and patterns to 100 and begin the chapter on and begin the chapter on money (my worst nightmare).  We will count dimes, nickels and pennies which should not be a problem but once you throw in the quarters things start to get difficult.  The children need to memorize the value for 1, 2, 3, and 4 quarters.  Also, they need to memorize that a quarter and a dime is .35.  The easiest way to do this is to practice counting money every night at home.  Hopefully, this will help.

In social studies we will begin the new chapter on work in the community.  The chapter test will be right before Christmas break (date to be determined).   We are also beginning the new religion book – Making Things Right – that focuses solely on the sacrament of Reconciliation.

Have a great week.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend.  This is the last week in the first trimester marking period.  In phonics we will continue to discuss the sound of hard and soft c and g and will begin consonant blends.   In English we will begin the unit on writing paragraphs with a main idea and details.  All the words in spelling this week follow the vowel-consonant – e pattern.  The stories in reading this week are Spiders Up  Close by Judy Nayer and Anansi and the Talking Melon by Eric A. Kimmel which is an accelerated reader selection.  The children may take a test on this book for their November requirement.

In Math we are working on finding the nearest 10, comparing numbers (least and greatest) , and odd and even numbers.  On Thursday we will have our social studies test which will include the following things: Vocabulary – p. 52-53; Cause and Effect – p. 54-55; Natural Resources – p. 76-77; Reading a bar graph – p. 80-81; Ways to conserve natural resources – p. 82-85; Reading a landform map – p. 60-6l. In Religion we are continuing to talk about forgiveness.

Have a great week.